Mortals meet Percabeth

Marriage 101: Lessons in Love

Percy's POV

If I had known what Mr. Lander was about to say, I wouldn't have picked that particular day to space out in his Family and Consumer Science class. But there I was, staring at the clock, barely listening, until his voice cut through my thoughts.

"For this project, each of you will be paired with a partner and assigned a 'marriage' scenario. Together, you'll balance a family budget, plan a meal schedule, and navigate weekly assignments simulating real-life marriage situations." He gave a meaningful look around the room. "Think of it as practice for adulthood."

The room filled with the low hum of groans, laughter, and people whispering guesses on who they'd end up with. I wasn't even concerned about the pairing—until I heard my name.

"Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase."

My head snapped up just as Annabeth whipped around in her seat, her gaze meeting mine. Her gray eyes went wide for a moment before she turned back around, focusing on her notebook. I swallowed, feeling a strange twist in my stomach. Annabeth Chase was pretty much my opposite: calm, smart, and serious, while I was, well...not. The thought of being her "fake husband" seemed like a recipe for disaster.

Our first meeting was after school in the library, and I made sure to arrive a few minutes early, settling in at a table with my laptop and a fresh notebook. Annabeth arrived right on time, her arms full of books and her brow slightly furrowed.

"Hey," I said, trying to sound casual.

"Hi, Percy." She gave me a small, polite smile before pulling out her chair. "So, Mr. Lander sent me our project requirements."

She handed me a printout, which outlined everything we'd need to do over the next month: budgeting, meal planning, conflict resolution exercises, and even some "bonding" activities to make the experience more realistic.

I chuckled as I read through it, raising an eyebrow. "So, basically, we're 'married' now."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, though there was a hint of a smile on her lips. "Basically. So, let's start with the basics. Mr. Lander wants us to establish a family budget based on our 'assigned incomes.' Apparently, I'm a software engineer, and you're a swim coach."

"Nice! I could rock that," I grinned, and she shook her head, already making notes.

As she started rattling off numbers, I tried my best to follow along, but honestly, I kept getting distracted. Not by the budget—no, that was all Annabeth. But by the way she pushed her hair behind her ear when she was deep in thought or the little frown she got when she was trying to make sense of something. She looked really pretty when she was focused.

The next week, our project hit the "bonding" phase. Mr. Lander had given each team a list of "date ideas" to try together, which included everything from cooking a meal together to planning a weekend getaway on a budget.

"So, for the 'bonding' assignment," Annabeth said, sitting across from me in the cafeteria, "we could try the cooking option? It seems easy to manage, and we'd both get credit."

I nodded, pretending not to care too much. "Yeah, sounds good. My mom won't mind if we use her kitchen."

Her eyes widened slightly. "You mean...we'd cook at your place?"

"Yeah. Why not?" I tried to keep my voice casual, but I'll admit it felt like a big deal to invite Annabeth over. I wanted her to see where I lived, to meet my mom – even if it was just for a project.

"Okay," she said slowly. "Friday after school?"

"Perfect."

Friday came faster than I'd expected, and I spent way too much time making sure the house looked decent. My mom, of course, was thrilled about the whole thing.