Time to Meet Percabeth

Grover and Beckendorf

"So where are you and Percy supposed to be going on this date then?" Beckendorf nudged Grover as he talked.

"You mean training, not a date." Annabeth scowled at the mischievous duo and shook her head in annoyance.

"No, I'm pretty sure I mean date."
"You're being ridiculous," Annabeth chided. Her temper started growing now. Percy and she would never be more than friends- ever. He was too insufferable and impertinent and a Son of Poseidon to top it off. What was the obsession with best friends becoming a couple? Ha, Annabeth laughed to herself, the day I fall in love with Percy Jackson is the day I can breathe underwater!

But despite all that, Annabeth knew that she always preferred spending time with the sea spawn than anybody else. Nobody else could cheer her up as quickly or make her laugh as much. Percy was Annabeth's first true friend- that's why they were so close!

"We're definitely not." Grover laughed, joining Beckendorf in his attack.

"Grover, you too?" Annabeth growled. "You're just doing this to get a rise out of me."

Beckendorf glanced behind him to where a group of Aphrodite girls were sat around a dining table. Chatting about their plans to head to the beach to soak in the sun later. He turned back to Annabeth, another plan to tease her in his mind. "How about we ask the love experts shall we?"
Annabeth began to stutter out an indignant, 'Don't you Dare!' But before she could, Charlie was calling over Silena Beauregard, head counsellor of the Aphrodite cabin.

"Hey Charlie," she grinned, gracefully placing herself into the spot beside the son of Hephaestus.

"Silena," Beckendorf grinned. "Isn't it true that Percy and Annabeth are endgame?"

"Endgame?" Grover questioned for me.

Silena giggled quietly to herself but explained: "It just means that you're destined to end up together."

"And what does Aphrodite say?" Beckendorf wiggles his eyebrows at Annabeth. Annabeth scowled back at him.

"Well-" Silena fixed her gaze upon Annabeth somewhat apologetically. "The Aphrodite Cabin has taken bets on how long it is going to take you two to get together. I've put my money on you two finally becoming a thing when you're sixteen!"

"This is ridiculous!" At Annabeth's burst of outrage, the Hephaestus-Aphrodite duo laughed ferociously. Annabeth's cheeks lit up a scarlet red, her face blushing as much as her heart was.

Against Annabeth's protests of it not being a date, Beckendorf turned to Silena and told her seriously, "Annabeth's just upset because Percy's late for her date."

"I'm not upset!" Annabeth growled; her brow furrowed in absolute ferocity.

But her cries of opposition were overpowered by Silena's intrigue about the date. She grinned widely, obviously enjoying tormenting Annabeth as much as Grover and Beckendorf. "Where are you going?"

She smiled at Annabeth sweetly, long lashes fluttering. Silena was the sweet, beautiful flower to Annabeth's tempestuous flame.

"We're going canoeing on the lake," Annabeth scowled. But before anybody could comment on how romantic that sounded, she added a rushed, "for training purposes."

"What's the point?" Grover chimed in. "hardly like you'll ever be on the water without Percy there anyway."

"I could be." Annabeth sneered. "I have a life without Percy, you know!"

"Nope, never. You never see an Annabeth without Percy!" Beckendorf clucked to himself. His face lighting up with pure humour, he elbowed Grover ferociously, getting him to look up from the tin can he was so absorbed in. Grover looked up startled, his eyes growing wide in humour as he took in the figure that approached from behind Annabeth.

Annabeth felt a gentle tug on the back of the ponytail, a greeting only ever given to her by one person-

"Percy!" Annabeth jumped and turned to face him irritably, swatting his hand away. The tugging of the ponytail was something Percy had started doing in recent weeks to annoy Annabeth, but she'd secretly come to like the greeting.

Percy knew that Annabeth didn't usually mind it all that much, so his face when faced with an angry Annabeth was one of pure terror. His sea green eyes lit up in flabbergasted shock, his hand freezing from where Annabeth swatted his hand and his mouth hung slightly open, trying to find something to say.

Grover, Beckendorf and Silena, the unholy trio, were drinking in this scene as if it were nectar. They snickered and giggled, reeling in Annabeth's embarrassment.

And Annabeth was embarrassed. It wasn't exactly easy to convince people you and your best friend were not an item, and it certainly didn't make it easier with a surprise entrance and an affectionate ponytail tug! She was annoyed at Percy. First, he had arrived very late and he didn't even seem to be apologetic. And second, only Percy could have timed his appearance so terribly! Annabeth riveted in how insufferable this boy truly was.

"What did I do?" The poor victim of the Annabeth Chase glare muttered.

"You're late for your date." Grover grinned. Percy looked at his best friend in shock but grimaced in guilt and turned to Annabeth.

"Yeah, sorry about that. There was a dolphin trapped in a fishing net—" Percy admitted. The word 'date' had not been lost on him. Had Annabeth thought this was a date? Was he supposed to consider this a date?

But before he could ask, Annabeth jumped to her feet and snapped, "It's fine."

Percy snorted indignantly. "It's obviously not. What's got you all riled up?"

Annabeth threw her hands up in the air as if annoyed by Percy's inconceivable stupidity. "I said it's fine. Let's just go."

Annabeth snatched up her bag in temper and slung it over her shoulder, hoping to just get away from the audience. Grover, Charlie and Silena were watching the duo eagerly still, watching them clash and try to understand one another.

Percy didn't understand what was going on with Annabeth, but she was beginning to embarrass him in front of everyone. He felt his pride swell within him, firing up an anger in his chest. Despite his good intentions, Percy's words were laced with a weighted annoyance. "We don't have to go if you don't want to, Annabeth."

Annabeth huffed a sigh and, as she checked she had everything she needed, she muttered under her breath, "You're insufferable."

"Yeah?" Percy shot back. "Well you're impossible!"

"How am I impossible, Percy?" Annabeth was incredulous, her annoyance only fuelled by the sniggers in the background. She sighed, "Come on, Perce. Let's just go before the dinner bell sounds."

Without another glance at her friends, Annabeth slung her bag over her shoulder and started making her way over to the canoe lake. From watching her, Percy could tell that something had wound her up and that his arrival had only caused the balloon to pop.

A/N Figured after the more hard-hitting last chapters, something fun and cheery would suffice. Part 2 coming immediately