Percabeth Oneshots

Short Attention Spans

By me.

Annabeth took a deep breath and stood at the front of the pavilion, arms crossed, as she stared down the chaotic bunch of demigods lounging on the benches. Most of them were half-paying attention, if that.

Percy was balancing a spoon on his nose. Leo was tinkering with something that definitely looked like it could explode. And Nico... well, he was just glaring at everyone like usual.

"All right, everyone, pay attention," Annabeth said, voice sharp as she clapped her hands. "I have an announcement to make, and I only have a minute."

Percy blinked, the spoon falling from his face. "Why? Are you in a hurry?"

Annabeth didn’t miss a beat, narrowing her eyes at him. "No, I was referring to your short attention spans."

The pavilion erupted into laughter. Clarisse snorted so hard she almost fell off her bench, and Piper had to cover her mouth to stop from giggling. Percy, meanwhile, looked incredibly proud of himself.

"That was a good one," he said, turning to Leo. "Right? I walked right into that."

"Yeah, you did, man," Leo agreed, giving Percy a high five before turning back to his potentially hazardous project.

Annabeth sighed. "Can we focus for just one minute? Please? I’m trying to talk about Capture the Flag."

"Wait," Nico cut in, deadpan as always. "You mean you’re not gonna capture the flag in the first five minutes and call it a day?"

Annabeth shot him a withering look. "Not if I’m stuck babysitting all of you."

Clarisse crossed her arms, grinning. "Is that what you call leading us, Wise Girl? Babysitting?"

"Yes. Yes, it is," Annabeth said without hesitation. "Especially when Percy’s involved."

"Hey!" Percy protested, holding up his hands. "I am a delight to lead."

Annabeth deadpanned. "Sure, Seaweed Brain. I’ve only had to drag you out of a dozen traps."

Percy scratched the back of his head. "Okay, yeah, but like... you’re super good at that?"

"That's not a compliment," Annabeth sighed, though she couldn’t stop the smile from tugging at her lips.

"Don’t worry, Annabeth," Leo piped up from his corner, clearly still not listening. "I made an exploding flag! No one’s gonna touch it."

"That’s exactly what I’m worried about," Annabeth muttered, rubbing her temples.

Chiron had wisely excused himself for this chaos, and Annabeth was regretting not following his lead. "Can we please, for once, have a serious strategy session?"

"Sure, sure," Percy said, still smirking as he nudged her with his elbow. "Lead the way, oh wise one."

Annabeth leveled him with a look that could freeze lava. "If you get captured again, I’m not rescuing you."

Percy winked. "That's okay. I like the challenge."

Annabeth rolled her eyes again, though the corner of her mouth quirked up in a smile. "Just try not to get captured in the first ten minutes, Seaweed Brain."

"With you leading? Not a chance," Percy said with confidence, and for once, Annabeth didn’t mind the distraction.

After all, she’d always liked the challenge.