The Coffee

Annabeth POV

Percy rejected Rachel. He literally slammed the door in her face. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't feeling giddy about it.

Percy looked like he wanted to get with Rachel. For a few minutes, I thought that he would have sex with her. Then, something happened, and he rejected her without hesitation.

Rachel wouldn't talk to us after the incident. I didn't blame her either. Percy was the playboy of Goode High who had sex with any girl, yet he didn't want to interact with Rachel. That must've stung, but I wasn't complaining.

The incident demonstrated how much the proposal meant to Percy. He was serious about finishing the three months, and that was a scary realization.

"Annie, we need to finish this project. Why do you keep zoning out?" Thalia asked.

"Sorry, Thals, I didn't mean to. I'm just distracted."

"What are you distracted about? Is everything fine at home?"

"Yeah, everything's the same at home. I'm not sure if you could call that fine. Sorry, I'm just thinking about Percy," I answered honestly.

Thalia paused coloring the chemistry poster. We were drawing and describing the quantum mechanical model of subatomic particles. It was a boring subject but an important one for scientists. I didn't care much about it though.

My best friend seemed deep in thought before looking at me.

"Why is Percy distracting you?" she asked seriously.

"Well, I didn't tell you this, but we tried to set Percy up last week. Rachel tried to seduce him so that we could make him break the proposal."

Thalia simply blinked and stared at me. I couldn't get anything from her neutral expression. Then, her face illuminated with anger. Her back straightened as she deadpanned me with a glare.

"Annie, why would you do something like that?" she snapped.

"What do you mean? We were trying to make him lose the deal. After all, I don't want him to win, Thalia."

"That's horrible, Annabeth. You were manipulating him, especially during a time of vulnerability," Thalia expressed angrily. Since when did Thalia start supporting Percy. She took a deep breath before continuing, "Look Annabeth. This proposal is awful, but Percy is a great guy. I don't appreciate this one bit."

"I understand that Percy's good. However, We are still in a war of sorts. I don't want to lose. Besides, Percy was just sick. I wouldn't say that it counts as vulnerability. Percy rejected Rachel anyway."

"Percy is going through a lot," Thalia hesitated. "I wish that this proposal didn't even happen, but please don't push him."

Thalia was actively supporting Percy by telling me to back off. While I felt bad about the incident, I didn't regret it. The incident showed that Percy was passionate about this proposal with me. I was happy that he rejected another beautiful girl's advances.

"What do you know about him?" I asked seriously.

"I can't say, Annabeth. Jason made me promise that I'd keep it a secret. Besides, it's not my place to tell anyone."

Jason was one of Percy's best friends. It made sense that he would tell his sister information that could change Thalia's mind about Percy. I wondered what Jason knew that I didn't.

We continued our chemistry project in silence.

***

Things got back to normal in the week to come. Percy returned to school, but he didn't interact with me much. I felt that he was ignoring me.

I wasn't sure why though. Was it because of the Rachel incident? Did he find out that I was the one behind it?

I sighed. I was thinking about this too much.

If Rachel disliked Percy before, she hated him now. She used every chance that she got to express her strong opinions. Let's just say that Percy stayed away from Rachel. Even at lunch, he sat as far away from Rachel as possible.

He was sitting away from me as well.

I wondered if Thalia told Percy about the Rachel set-up. However, I quickly dismissed the idea. Thalia was my best friend, and she wouldn't do that. Percy could've found out through Piper or Jason as well.

Concerning Percy ignoring me, the Rachel incident was the only reason that I could think of. He was mad that I tried to set him up.

"Hey, Seaweed Brain, why are you ignoring me?" I asked seriously. It was Friday at lunch when I decided to say something.

"I'm not ignoring you," he responded quickly. But, he didn't even look up.

"Yes, you are."

"Are you two lovebirds having problems?" Leo asked slyly. I glared at Leo who was sitting across from us with five enchiladas on his plate.

"Don't even joke about that, Leo. Shut up," I snapped. "Seaweed Brain, you are ignoring me."

"Excuse me, Annabeth? I think that lovebirds are appropriate. You guys even have cute little nicknames for each other. It makes my heart melt," Leo feigned.

I rolled my eyes and ignored him.

Percy was quietly eating his mac-and-cheese without acknowledging. It was ticking me off that he won't look at me and speak with me. But, I don't know why. It should be a relief if Percy was leaving me alone, but it was torture instead.

The notion that he was possibly angry with me felt horrible.

"Look, Percy, I know that testing you with Rachel wasn't the most ethical thing to do. However, I was trying to win this proposal fair and square. You can't be mad about that."

"WAIT, YOU WHAT?" Percy snapped.

Our whole lunch table turned towards Percy and his loud exclamation. I immediately realized my mistake. Percy had no idea about the Rachel incident.

"Seaweed Brain, I-"

"You told Rachel to hit on me and have sex with me. You told one of your best friends to seduce a person that she despises," Percy paused.

"You hate me that much."

His voice nearly broke during the last sentence. His sea-green eyes dulled, and he genuinely looked upset. It made me feel terrible.

Before I could say anything, Percy stood up and walked away. He threw his food in the trash and walked out of the cafeteria.

"I think that you may have hurt his feelings," Hazel whispered carefully. The whole table had heard our exchange.

Of course, I hurt his feelings. Percy hadn't even known about the Rachel set-up, so there was another reason for him ignoring me. Ugh, I hated this. If I hadn't opened my stupid mouth, the Rachel incident would've blown over.

Now, Percy was ignoring me, and he was mad at me.

Great. Just fantastic.

***

Demeter's cafe was always busy on Saturday. I needed some time to myself, so I decided to get an infamous cup of coffee made by Demeter. She always drew little designs on the coffee using the foam.

Today, she drew a white heart with an arrow piercing it.

Her artistry when it came to cooking was phenomenal, which is why I loved coming to Demeter's over places like Starbucks and Dunkin. It was authentic here.

I was sitting in a booth near the back. The booths were more comfortable and isolated than the wooden tables spread throughout the room.

"Hello, Annabeth, it's so good to see you again," Luke expressed while sitting opposite of me. I rolled my eyes before looking up.

"I never see you alone anymore. You're always with your friends."

"What do you want, Luke?" I asked sternly.

"I want another chance, Annabeth. We were great together. I know that I moved away, but I'm back now. I want to be with you."

"Why? Did another girlfriend fail you?" I asked sassily.

I simply didn't like Luke anymore. He was different than I thought. When I was a freshman, I was attracted to him. I didn't know about love and respect back then. Now, I knew that I deserved more than him. I deserved someone who treats me with respect and care.

Luke was not that person.

"Annabeth, I want another chance." He tried to reach forward and touch my hand, but I immediately retracted.

"Stop bothering me," I snapped. "Just go away."

"Is there a problem here?" a voice affirmed. I didn't even notice Percy approach us until he was standing next to me.

"Get lost, Jackson. This doesn't have anything to do with you," Luke snapped.

Percy didn't listen. He purposefully sat next to me and reached his arm over my shoulder. He smirked while glaring at Luke. Luke's eyes intensified while glaring at us.

"It's you that doesn't belong here," Percy expressed cooly.

Luke's hands were in fists as he watched us carefully. Neither Percy nor I backed down. "You'll regret this," he spat.

As soon as Luke walked away, Percy distanced himself from me and looked away.

"Percy, I'm sorry. I was just trying to win this deal," I said.

"Whatever, Annabeth. I saw that Luke was bothering you, so I came over. Since he's gone, I'm gonna go back to my table."

"NO, WAIT," I exclaimed while grabbing his right hand.

Percy froze as he watched our interconnected hands. I gently pulled him back into the seat before turning his face towards mine. We were fairly close to each other. His sea-green eyes locked onto my stormy gray ones.

"I am sorry, Seaweed Brain. But, don't ignore me like this."

Percy turned away rather than saying anything. I didn't understand why he was so upset. I mean, me not liking him wasn't a new concept. Plus, I was trying to win the proposal, which anyone would try to do.

This was more about him than about what I did. He was upset for reasons that were beyond my control. That's how it seemed.

"Seaweed Brain, have a coffee with me," I said firmly. "Luke could easily come back."

I was trying a different tactic, and it seemed to work. Even if Percy was angry or upset with me, he was still a decent friend. He cared about me.

"Fine," he whispered before ordering himself a coffee. It was an awkward silence. He wasn't his usual self with me, but (at least) he was staying by my side.

We finished the coffee quickly and simply sat together. I was reading a book while he was playing on his phone.

"I gotta use the restroom. I'll be back," Percy expressed.

A few seconds after he left, a loud ringing interrupted my thoughts. I set down my book and pulled out my phone. However, it wasn't my phone, it was Percy's. He left it at the table.

My curiosity got the best of me. I grabbed Percy's phone to answer. If it was important, then I could relay the message to Percy after he comes back.

My gaze narrowed on the caller ID. Calypso.

That was a girl's name. Why was a girl (who I'd never heard of) calling Percy? I quickly answered and placed the phone to my ear.

My heart was racing as I waited for the girl to talk.

"Hello," a little boy's voice resonated.

"Um, who is this?" I asked quietly. I was very confused about the phone call. Who is Calypso? And, who is this little boy? I didn't know what was going on.

"Hello, my name is Bob, and I'm calling for Percy. Please, I really need help," he whimpered. A loud crash reverberated in the background.

"Is everything okay?" I asked frantically.

"What's going on? Is that my phone?" Percy asked boldly. I yelped as he sat next to me again. Gosh, guys pee so quickly.

"Um, it's some kid named Bob. I think that he's in trouble," I expressed.

Percy's face immediately grew darker. I could see the worry in his eyes as he grabbed his phone from my hand. I watched the emotions swirl as he listened to Bob.

Percy's eyes looked up and locked onto mine. I saw panic and concern.

Oh, gods, something was seriously wrong.