Forever young

ANNABETHS POV

Annabeth had made it through her first few hours at Goode High, and though she was still adjusting to the normalcy of it all, she'd managed to survive. The teachers were mostly predictable, and the students, while not exactly like anyone she'd known at Camp Half-Blood, seemed harmless enough.

Her first class had been a mix of standard high school fare: reading comprehension, basic algebra, a few icebreaker activities. But now, it was time for lunch, and Annabeth had been promised by Piper that lunch would be a much needed break.

As she walked into the cafeteria, she was immediately struck by how busy it was. Students milled around, laughing and chatting in small groups, trays piled high with food. The cafeteria was loud, the noise almost overwhelming for a moment, and she had to force herself to take a deep breath and focus.

There, near the back of the room, were Piper and Thalia, standing by a lunch table. Piper waved at Annabeth, her grin wide, and Thalia gave a small nod, her posture as unbothered as ever.

Annabeth made her way over to them, trying to shake off the feeling of being an outsider. She'd never really had a "normal" group of friends. Camp Half-Blood was different. But she was willing to give this whole high school thing a shot.

"Hey," Annabeth said, sliding into the seat beside Piper. "I made it. Barely."

Piper smiled. "I told you it wouldn't be so bad. So, how's the first day treating you? You surviving the maze of hallways?"

Annabeth couldn't help but laugh. "Just about. Honestly, I think I spent most of the time trying not to look lost."

Thalia snorted, leaning back in her chair. "Yeah, I remember my first day here. I got my locker stuck three times. Can't say it was the best start."

"Well, it's a start, at least," Piper said, unwrapping her sandwich. "You'll get used to it. High school's a strange place, but once you figure out the social rules, it's not so bad."

Annabeth glanced at Piper curiously. "Social rules?"

"Uh, yeah," Piper said with a laugh, "you know, who sits where, who's friends with who, that kind of thing. It's like its own secret language. Just takes a while to get the hang of it."

As they chatted, Annabeth's attention wandered to the rest of the cafeteria. She hadn't noticed him at first, but now that she did, she couldn't ignore the boy sitting at the far end of the table, a few seats down from Piper and Thalia.

He had messy black hair, a half-grin on his face, and was wearing a green T-shirt that was a little too big for him. His posture was slouched, but in a way that didn't make him look lazy—just comfortable. It was like he didn't care too much about being noticed, but at the same time, he was hard to miss.

"Who's that?" Annabeth asked, nodding toward him.

Piper followed her gaze and smiled. "Oh, that's Percy Jackson. He's a little... unique."

"Unique?" Annabeth repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you'll see," Thalia said with a half-smile, clearly amused. "Percy's the guy who always manages to find trouble without even trying."

Annabeth wasn't sure what to make of that. There was something about Percy—something that made him stand out from the other students. Maybe it was the way he seemed so effortless, like he didn't care at all about fitting in, yet somehow did anyway. It was... intriguing.

"Maybe I should go say hi," Annabeth said, before she could stop herself. She didn't know why, but something about Percy's quiet presence made her want to find out more. Maybe it was the way he looked so unconcerned with the chaos around him. Or maybe it was just that she felt a little out of place and wanted to try to connect with someone, even if she didn't know how.

Piper chuckled. "You should. He's one of those guys who takes a while to warm up to people, but once he does, you'll have trouble getting him to shut up."

"Good luck with that," Thalia added dryly. "He's got this weird... thing with making everyone his friend."

Annabeth stood up, unsure but determined. As she walked toward Percy's table, she noticed the way his eyes flickered up, then down again, clearly sizing her up. She was used to feeling like an outsider, but there was something about Percy's gaze that made her feel like maybe she wasn't quite as different as she often thought.

"Mind if I sit?" Annabeth asked, standing beside his table.

Percy looked up, meeting her gaze with a look that was both guarded and curious. "Uh, sure. Take a seat."

Annabeth slid into the chair across from him, a little hesitant at first, but soon finding her footing. She set down her tray and glanced around at the other students in the cafeteria. "This place is... loud."

"Yeah, it's like that," Percy said with a small smile. "I mean, you get used to it, but it never really gets any less chaotic."

"I can tell," Annabeth replied. "I'm Annabeth, by the way."

"Percy," he said, offering a short nod. He paused for a moment, as if he was deciding whether to say more. "You new here?"

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah. First day. I'm still figuring out where everything is."

"You'll get the hang of it. I did, eventually," Percy said, his smile widening. "Though, don't ask me for directions. I get lost in the hallways more than I'd like to admit."

Annabeth chuckled. "I'm already lost in my own head half the time, so I'm used to it."

They both laughed, and Annabeth felt like she might actually be able to do this—survive high school, make some friends, and maybe even learn how to navigate normal life without getting distracted by... well, everything else.

As she glanced back toward Piper and Thalia, she saw them watching with amusement. They both waved, clearly pleased that Annabeth was making a new connection.

Annabeth turned back to Percy, deciding to ease into the conversation. "So, tell me about this 'trouble' thing. Piper mentioned it."

Percy grinned, leaning back in his chair. "Well, let's just say that whenever there's something weird going on, I always end up at the center of it. Monsters, strange events, you name it."

Annabeth blinked, unsure if she was hearing him right. "Monsters? You're serious?"

Percy's grin didn't fade. "I'm not that serious, but yeah. Let's just say I've had my fair share of... unusual encounters."

Annabeth's curiosity piqued, though she kept her expression neutral. "Unusual encounters, huh?"

Percy nodded. "But that's a whole other story. Right now, you're just trying to survive high school, and that's way less complicated."

Annabeth smiled, feeling an unexpected connection to Percy. There was something about him, something that made her think he knew exactly what it felt like to be a little out of place in the world, just like her.

"Maybe we'll swap stories sometime," Annabeth said, her tone light but with an edge of curiosity.

Percy gave a slight shrug, his grin widening. "Sure. Whenever you're ready."

As the lunch period continued, Annabeth felt the last of her nerves fade away. she was happy and maybe tommorow percy could bring some of his friends and they could all sit together with piper and thalia.

the ending sucks but also percy is here!
ok so i plan on not really having a schedule for when i post im just gonna do it when i have time. so i hope you like that.

question of the day: who's your favorite pjo character

mine: leo , piper, nico, percy

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love you all💙