How You Changed Me (Demigods In High School AU)

Chapter 16 || Lunch With Percy

ANNABETH CHASE

Annabeth spotted Percy sitting with the jocks at lunch, laughing and talking. So she got up from their table, causing all of her friends to stare at her in question. She gathered all her courage and walked forward to the jock table. The moment she approached, they all looked at her, and she knew there was no turning back. Renee glared at her from her spot tucked in Percy's arms.

"Hey," Annabeth said, "Hazel and Jason wanted to... see if you wanted to join us for lunch? With Leo?"

Leo looked up at me with a knowing, smug expression.

"Uh..." Percy trailed off, confusion shining in his eyes, "Sure."

He stood but Renee grabbed his arm, yanking him down.

"He's sitting with us, Annabitch," Renee glared at her, along with the rest of the cheerleaders.

"Don't call her a bitch," Percy turned to her, surprising everyone. "It's not nice to say to anyone."

Renee glared at Annabeth, then glared at Percy.

"Sorry," he apologized and Annabeth could feel her anger flare up that he was basically being a pet.

Leo sent Annabeth an urgent look.

"Baldwin, it's his cousins, not me. If you have a problem with him being with his family, I think you're seriously a person of no heart," Annabeth replied as strongly as she could.

Percy stared up at her with surprised eyes, mixed with confusion. Leo smiled at Annabeth, sending her a wink. Renee's jaw clenched, but everyone was staring at her.

"Maybe he should go sit with his family today if they wanna talk," Bryan said and all the jocks agreed.

"Can't have him too detached, can we, boys?" Josh laughed and every jock agreed, ruffling Percy's hair.

"Fine," Renee said tartly.

Percy stood up, giving each of the jocks a bro hug before Leo stood up with him, walking to the table. When Annabeth returned with Percy, every one of them stared at her in question but mostly shock.

"Hey..." Percy stared at Jason and Hazel, "You... needed me and Leo?"

"I actually wanted to invite you over here," Annabeth said to him.

He stared at her again in question but said nothing, just nodded, periodically glancing back to where Renee was glaring at her.

"Uh..." he said nervously.

"Percy, don't worry about her," Annabeth rolled her eyes, "She's just another girl trying to get at you, am I right?"

Percy stared at her again, a strange expression on his face.

"Uh... yeah. But she's my girlfriend."

The stupid seaweed brain was protecting her after what she did on video. Great.

"Still, she shouldn't be treating you awfully," she replied.

"Oh, shove off," Percy said with annoyance laced in his words, but a faint smile touched his lips.

As they talked, she saw Percy slowly begin to smile and what Piper said was 'a twinkle' in his eyes. He looked like a five-year-old kid, laughing and grinning. Like she was his lollipop or something. Piper smiled at Annabeth when Percy was busy talking to Jason, Hazel, and Frank. Leo also gave her a wink and she winked back.

"Why is everyone winking?" Percy furrowed his eyebrows, "Do you guys have dirt in your eyelashes like all the other girls? Because we need to talk about washing your face."

She giggled slightly, surprising Percy. Annabeth had to admit, he looked cute when he was confused. But everything in her body screamed, IDIOT. Ugh.

"So," Annabeth said, "Uhm... I saw a video online of Renee... with the happy meals..."

Percy facepalmed.

"Yeah... uh... Renee... Renee definitely has her moments if you know what I mean. And I don't mean to expose her personal life, but she drinks outside of parties sometimes. Yeah, illegal, but she does it anyways."

"I still don't approve of you guys drinking when you're only eighteen," she crossed her arms, glaring at them.

"I was born in England," Percy raised his hand and everyone laughed. Even Annabeth.

"But it's illegal," she protested. Even if she wasn't his girlfriend, she wasn't gonna let Percy do that.

"Tell that to Renee," Percy said, a bit of darkness coming back to his eyes as he mentioned her name, "But I love her either way."

She stopped smiling, but smiled immediately when he turned to face her again.

"Do you wanna grab some frozen yogurt after school today?" Annabeth asked.

He turned to her, surprised.

"Oh... uhm... sure, but I have swim practice today."

"That's okay, I can wait," she said calmly, though her hands itched to rip that seaweed brain's throat out.

Why? Annabeth's mind asked her, Why? He's not being mean to you, he's acting cute. Why do you all of a sudden have an urge to hate him?

It's because he's dating Renee. Her mind was right. It was because of Renee that she hated Percy. That's why she thought he was so... awful. Because he was dating someone awful. Annabeth felt her fists clench in anger. The idea of Percy seeing love in someone so... so... bitchy was just disgusting to her and she hated him for it. But looking at his face, it made her love him.

Love. Hate. UGH!

"Can I have a blue cookie?" he asked a lunch lady walking by.

"A... A what?" she asked him, furrowing her eyebrows.

"You know... blue cookies. Or you could give me Nemo cookies. That'd be cool. Just don't go into the ocean and find Nemo to bring him on a platter to me. I'd never forgive you for that," Percy said nonchalantly like it was totally normal to ask for a cookie shaped like a Disney character or a blue cookie.

"I... I'll see... if we have that," the lady frowned, staring at Percy before walking away. Annabeth faintly heard her voice as she muttered under her breath. "I need to set a reminder to tell the principal to have that boy checked..."

She couldn't help but laugh at the lunch lady's words.

"What?" Percy frowned, turning to Annabeth.

"Nothing," she said, biting her lip to prevent herself from laughing even harder.