The Proposal

Annabeth POV

Silena and Piper were half-sisters with the same mom but different dads. Their mom, Aphrodite, was a famous model, so it made sense that their home was a mansion. However, I didn't come here very often since Piper lived with her dad more.

Piper's dad was a wealthy actor as well so that house wasn't too bad either.

The party was bustling with people. Silena must've invited the entire 11th and 12th-grade classes.

I immediately moved to the side before getting trampled by a group of jocks. They were shouting as they walked towards the backdoor. I was standing in the kitchen, skeptically analyzing the drink bowls.

After taking a whiff, I decided against a drink.

I was fairly confident that the Stoll twins spiked the punch. Those pranksters did this at every party that they attended.

"Hey, Annabeth, what's taking so long?" Thalia asked.

"Sorry, Thals, but we are not drinking these. They're spiked," I replied. Thalia took a step towards the punch bowl and smelled the liquid.

"That's what makes it good," she expressed with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes as Thalia quickly filled a glass for herself. No one can change Thalia and her carefree attitude. When she wanted to, no one can stop her from having fun.

I laughed as Thalia gulped the alcoholic fruit punch. Her face was constricted by the bitter taste before she relaxed. Yup, this is my best friend for you all.

"You two geeks are blocking the drinks," a voice snapped behind us.

We turned around to come face-to-face with the queen bee of our school. Drew Tanaka was the head cheerleader and top of the social hierarchy.

"Why do nerds come to parties anyway? There isn't any algebra to do here," Drew said. The girls behind her laughed like pampered barbie dolls.

"Wow, Drew. Nice one," I replied sarcastically.

"Yeah, that was smooth. However, you should know that Annabeth finished Algebra in seventh grade while you were still learning to count to ten," Thalia counted.

Drew's smile faded as her posse stepped closer to us. However, Thalia and I didn't back down. Those girls had nothing on us. Furthermore, we could happily and easily kick their butts.

My gray eyes locked onto Drew's dark ones. She was shorter than me, but her high heels put us at the same height.

I dared her to back down, and she did.

"I have better things to do," she spat. She waved her hand, which directed her girl group to turn right and head outside.

I shook my head while laughing. This was too easy. A lot of people were scared of Drew because she could hinder a person's popularity at our school. However, for someone who didn't care about that, I appreciated my ability to stand up to the Queen Bee.

"Drew is all talk and no power," Thalia chuckled.

Thalia grabbed another drink before we walked to the backyard. The entire place was crowded with students, and music was blaring.

It was difficult to hear Thalia, and she was right next to me.

We maneuvered through a crowd of tipsy jocks who were dancing to the music. ABCDEFU by Gayle was blasting through the speaker system.

I had to shove my way through the students. Hazel and Rachel were sitting near the far end of the pool near the back of the backyard.

As I approached them, I realized that Hazel was talking to Frank Zhang. Frank was a big guy on the football team, but he treated people like a teddy bear. He was a complete softy on the inside, and that's what Hazel liked about him.

"Honestly, Hazel should just ask the guy out," Thalia whispered.

"She doesn't want to make the first move," I explained.

"Oh, please. This is the twenty-first century. Girls can and should make the first move if they're interested in the guy," Thalia said firmly. I agreed.

"Hi Frank,' I greeted as we joined the group.

"Hi, Annabeth, it's good to see you again," he said politely. "Hazel, I guess that I'll get back to my buddies. I don't want to keep you from having fun."

"I'm having fun with you," Hazel blurted out.

I resisted the urge to facepalm. Hazel's face burned as a rosy red rose to her cheeks. Frank also blushed slightly before leaving us.

"Oh my god, I can't believe I just did that. That was so embarrassing," Hazel cowered.

"Relax, Hazel. I've had worse interactions with a guy," Rache replied.

Suddenly, her smiling face changed into sadness and anger. Rachel slumped in her seat as her light green eyes bristled with tears.

I followed her line of sight and focused on Percy Jackson.

He was standing next to the pool with his arms around a girl in a bikini. I watched as his lips slowly brushed the girl's lips. His fingers trailed her back and nestled into her hair. The girl kissed back passionately.

DAM. I felt anger boil in my blood.

There were so many people in Silena's backyard, yet Rachel had to see Percy. Like, you had to be kidding me.

Percy stepped away from the girl after a few seconds. He was smiling as he talked to the girl who simply nodded along to everything. Percy smiled brightly before walking away. The girl squealed delightedly before jumping back into the pool.

"Rachel, it's been a week after the breakup. Please don't be upset. He's not worth the effort," Thalia consoled.

"I just can't believe him," Rachel spat.

"Yeah, I can't believe him either. I'm so sick of that jerk," I expressed. My voice was rising as a plan came to mind. I wanted to humiliate him in some way. "You know what, let's go set him straight."

I started rushing towards the house. I pushed through the crowd in determination. I wanted to go yell at him before I lost the confidence.

"Wait, Annabeth, what are you doing?" Piper asked. She met me near the doorway as my friends caught up with me.

"I'm gonna go yell at him some more."

"Annabeth, that's a very stupid plan. I'm pretty sure that Percy getting yelled at by girls isn't a new thing," Piper expressed. I can tell that she was trying to avoid a fight.

I know that I wasn't being logical; however, I wanted to stand up for Rachel. She was one of my best friends, and she didn't deserve to be feeling this way.

While Percy was clear about what he wanted in relationships, Rachel still ended up getting hurt and he was the cause.

"I don't care, Piper. He deserves it," I said firmly.

My friends followed me as I searched for Percy. Rachel seemed happy and proud that I was defending her. Thalia was also impressed and even helped me find Percy who was in the basement.

He was playing Fortnite with Jason, Frank, and Leo. A bunch of guys and girls were crowding the basement as they ate, drank, and watched the video game. It looked like Percy was winning.

Before I could lose confidence, I went and stood in front of Percy, effectively blocking his view of the TV. A crowd (including my friends, his friends, and random classmates) formed around us as I glared at Percy.

"Hey, I'm in the middle of a game," he shouted. He arched his body to try and see the tv. However, I snatched the x-box controller from him.

"WHAT THE HELL?" he snapped as he stood up.

His sea-green eyes locked onto my glare. Percy seemed surprised that I was interacting with him. More than anything, he was annoyed.

"What is going on here?" Grover asked as he approached. "Annabeth, what is the meaning of this? We're at a party for gods' sake."

"Grover, Annabeth started it. I didn't do anything to her," Percy announced.

"No, but you did hurt so many of my classmates. You don't deserve to be partying and having fun while you leave a trail of sadness," I spat as I poked his chest.

OOOH, the crowd echoed.

They all seemed interested in whatever was happening here. Good for them, I thought. They can all witness me yelling at Percy.

"Wise Girl, I'm trying to have fun here. You're ruining the party," Percy said.

"What do you have to say for yourself. So many girls get hurt because of you."

"Not my fault, Wise girl. I was always clear about what I wanted in my relationships. It's not my fault that your friends can't control their feelings," Percy argued. His head nodded at Rachel who seemed ready to punch him.

Hell, I was ready to punch him.

"Besides, it seems to me that you're jealous, Annabeth,"

Percy smirked as he crossed his arms. The whole basement was silent. Someone had paused the game as well.

"EXCUSE ME?"

"Yeah, it looks like someone is jealous about not being able to get with me. Now, she's finding some excuse to let out her frustration."

Percy chuckled as he looked around the room. Gods, he had a way with words. He was a people person.

"OH MY GOD, I'd never be into you, Jackson," I spat.

"I propose that you secretly are into me, Annabeth. I think that's why you're here. This is your prideful way of engaging with me."

'Gods, you're pathetic. Not everything about sex. You don't care about people. If you had someone to hurt you all the time, then you'd understand," I said firmly.

Percy paused for a few seconds. A faraway look entered his eyes as his face fell. He seemed to be thinking about something deep. However, I was on a roll.

"You think that I like you. That's gross. If I had my way, no one would like a pampered pig like you."

Percy sighed as he sat down. He certainly wasn't fighting me anymore. I stared down at him as Grover came closer. He patted Percy's shoulder, which seemed to jolt him back to reality.

Percy masked his face before smirking again.

"They say that girls are mean to those that they secretly like. That must be true based on what I'm seeing right now."

"She doesn't like you, Jackson," Thalia snapped.

"Well, I like feisty girls like you. They're always the wildest in bed," Percy paused. "How about this? I'll say sorry to all the girls that I supposedly hurt. However, in return, I get to spend one night with you."

Percy laughed as the crowd reacted excitedly. I knew that Percy was joking. He was proposing this deal as a way of daring me to back down.

My pride rocketed as I glared at the playboy of Goode High. My hubris was my biggest downfall.

"FINE," I said confidently.

His smile immediately faded. He looked around the room before meeting my gaze again. Everyone was shocked, but I knew what I was doing.

"Wise Girl, are you serious? You're agreeing to a sexual contract? You know that I was just joking," Percy stammered.

"Well, I'm not joking. You suggested a very interesting proposal. Well, I'm adding to it. You have to go three months without sex. If you succeed, you get your way. If I win, you apologize to every girl that you've dated," I expressed.

Silence filled the room.

"Wait, Percy, you're not considering this, are you?" Grover asked. "Percy, this isn't a good idea." Grover was staring at Percy as they had a silent conversation.

"Yeah, this isn't a good idea for Percy because he will lose," Thalia expressed. "This is the perfect plan for Percy's public humiliation, Annabeth."

"Thanks, Annabeth, this jerk deserves a step-down," Rachel agreed.

Everyone was waiting for Percy's response. I was ready for his rejection of the proposal, which means that I win. After all, a playboy doesn't change that easily.

Percy's eyes shook as his gaze lifted towards mine.

"I agree to this proposal."

Percy held out his hand for me to shake. I stared at him in shock. Everyone was surprised by our interaction. However, no one stopped it. Now, the ball was in my court, but I was not going to back down. I refused to lose to Percy Jackson, the playboy of Goode High.

"Deal," I expressed while shaking his hand.

The basement erupted into cheers. I didn't know who had it worse: me or Percy. We were both thinking the same thing though: what just happened?

However, I was one step ahead of him.

I had to do everything in my power to win and humiliate him.