The News

Annabeth POV

"Annie, did you hear the news?" asked my best friend, Thalia, as she came to my locker.

"Thalia, how many times have I told you not to call me Annie. It's only Annabeth."

"Alright, Only Annabeth, have you heard the news?" she asked again with an annoying smirk.

I sighed. Thalia would never change. I guess her stubbornness complimented my own, which is why we're best friends. One thing was for sure: Thalia always had my back even if I was wrong.

"What news?"

"Percy Jackson dumped Rachel after six weeks of dating. She's a mess right now."

I sighed for a second time. Honestly, this wasn't even a surprise. Everyone was expecting it at some point. The actual surprise was that Percy stayed with Rachel for so long because his relationships were usually short-lived.

I always disliked Percy. He was known as the playboy of the school. He jumped around from girl to girl, and his relationships were only physical. Furthermore, Percy didn't care about school as he always disrupted class and/or arrived late.

"We warned her about him, Thalia. Gods, we were foolish to think that after the four-week mark, Rachel had gotten to Percy."

"I know right. Oh wait, she's coming."

I watched as Rachel, Piper, and Hazel made their way to us. Hazel was gently holding Rachel who honestly looked like a mess. She had to be stronger than to be a mess because of a boy, especially a boy like Percy Jackson. Rachel already knew exactly what she was getting into, and she still fell for him.

"Thalia, how long since the break-up?" I asked silently.

"Two days, yet she's still in turmoil."

Thalia and I were pretty much thinking the same thing: I told you so. But, we couldn't say it to Rachel in the state she was in.

As we all comforted Rachel, my eyes narrowed at the devil walking towards us. Percy had a smile on his face as he walked confidently through the hallway.

"What do you want, Jackson?" Thalia asked aggressively.

His sea-green eyes softened as he looked at Rachel, but the trickster smile didn't leave his face. Percy Jackson up close was enough to take your breath away. Obviously, players were known to be good-looking and Percy didn't disappoint in that avenue. He was tall with wild hair that suited him. He was tan with a toned body; he was fit in all the right ways. Then, there was his handsome face, which was a whole different story.

However, I wasn't a girl who just fell for looks. The substance was important, and everyone knew that Jackson didn't have substance.

"I'd like my hoodie back."

My anger bubbled as I stared at him. Not only had he hurt my best friend but he also dared to be this rude. Rachel was wearing a pretty large swim hoodie that wasn't our school's brand. It had 'Percy' stitched across the left chest and 'Jackson' across the back.

I saw the tears clouding Rachel eyes as she took off the hoodie and gave it back to Percy, who happily accepted it. There was some kind of emotion in Percy's eyes as well, but I couldn't quite comprehend it. Rachel was starting to cry again.

"Maybe you should go, Percy," Piper said softly. I knew that Piper had a soft spot for Percy, and it had to do with the fact that Percy was one of Jason's best friends. Jason was Piper's boyfriend of 6 months, and he was a really sweet guy.

Before Percy turned around, I stopped him.

"Gods, you're such an asshole," I said boldly with anger.

His eyes washed over my body before coming back to my face. Percy had this look that was known to melt people, but it wasn't going to work on me.

He smirked before saying, "Do you like assholes?"

"Excuse me?!"

"I'd love to be near your-"

"In your dreams, Jackson. You're a damn horrible person, and you're tripping if you think I would ever be interested in you. Don't you dare come near my friends again," I exclaimed before leaving with my girls.

"Then, I guess I'll just have to come near you," he called loudly from behind.

I was beyond infuriated as I stomped towards my first class. Someone had to teach that jerk a lesson and change him before he ends up being thrown in Tartarus.

***

"Hey, Annabeth, you seem to be in a very sour mood," Silena said perkily as she sat next to me on the bleachers. We were at track and field practice after school.

"Rachel's very upset today, and it rubbed off on me I guess."

"Yeah, I heard about what happened. Honestly, I hope it doesn't sound insensitive, but I wasn't expecting any different." Silena was a very practical person, who was great with people. She was a cheerleader, which put her on top of the social chain. However, she didn't care about that, and she remained nice to everyone.

"Me neither, but I'm just so angry at Percy Jackson for hurting my friend."

"Technically, he wasn't acting or manipulating her. He was being exactly what his reputation claims. Percy never leads his girlfriends on; he's pretty upfront about what he wants, which is sex without emotional connection."

"But Silena, how can you date and love without emotions."

"I don't really think he's going for love. It's always the girls that end up falling for his charms and his skills," Silena said with a gentle smile.

That was true. Percy Jackson never acted like he wanted relationships. Silena was correct yet again, which emphasized how good she was at decoding people's emotions and relationships. She was literally a relationship guru.

"What are you two talking about?" Clarisse asked gruffly. Both Silena and Clarisse participated in track, but they were both seniors while I was a junior.

"Nothing. I wanted to give Annabeth the formal invite to the party this Saturday."

"Oh, yeah, you should come Annabeth," Clarisse said boldly. If you hadn't already guessed, Clarisse was a tough girl.

"I already got the invite. I'll try to make it with my friends."

They both nodded before we made our way back onto the track. I was good at running, Plus, it helped me stay fit. However, my main extracurricular passion was studying and designing architecture. I loved everything about designing and constructing monuments, buildings, and infrastructure. It was my dream to build something permanent.

***

I was met with screaming as soon as I stepped inside my home. Helen.

"Annabeth, why are you so late? You have to take care of the boys because I have to go meet your father out of town."

"Right, of course, Helen. Don't worry, I got the boys."

"Thanks, Annabeth," she said tersely. Helen seemed surprised that I agreed so easily, but I honestly felt her predicament. My dad was a traveling professor, so he rarely stayed at home.

It's hard for me, but I've grown accustomed to having a father for just a few days a month. I knew it was hard on Helen as well because she also rarely sees her husband, which oftentimes puts her in a bad mood. Helen wasn't a bad step-mother, but she missed her husband like how I missed my father.

I made my way to my little brothers' room as Helen left. They were playing with some Mythomagic cards on the floor. I missed my dad sometimes, but I felt worse for my younger brothers. They barely saw their dad, and they were at an age when they could use one.

I forced a smile upon my face before joining my brothers in a game of Mythomagic.