Loverboy (PERCABETH AU)

Chapter 19

Percy POV

I'd been to Annabeth's place more times than I could count.
Well... the outside of it, anyway.

Usually, I just pulled up to the curb, she'd hop out with her bag, give me that little half-smirk she does, and disappear behind the dark blue door. I'd never seen more than the neat front porch with the two potted plants she kept alive somehow (seriously, I kill cactuses).

So when she texted me — "Seaweed Brain, you, Piper, and Hazel are coming over after school to work on our chemistry project. My place." — I thought, Cool, no problem.

But walking up the steps and actually crossing that doorway for the first time? Yeah, different story.

The inside was... not what I pictured.
I don't know why, but I thought it'd be all clean lines and no clutter, like Annabeth's brain turned into furniture. But the living room felt lived in. There were books everywhere, soft blankets draped over the couch, and the faint smell of garlic bread coming from somewhere in the house.

"Shoes off," she said over her shoulder as she walked in, tossing her keys in a little bowl by the door. "Helen's rule."

I kicked mine off and followed, Piper and Hazel right behind me.

"Dang," Piper said, looking around like she was scoping out a new hangout spot. "This is nice. Cozy."

Hazel smiled. "Feels like home."

Annabeth didn't answer, just gave us that this-way wave and led us to the dining table — already covered with notebooks, pens, a laptop, and three mugs of what looked like tea.

"Wow," I said, pulling out a chair. "You're like... prepped for battle."

She gave me a flat look. "It's called being organized, Seaweed Brain. Something you should try sometime."

Piper grinned. "Here we go."

We sat down, and for the first ten minutes, Annabeth was all business. Hazel followed her lead, quietly flipping through the textbook and jotting notes. Piper... less so. She leaned her head on her hand and drew little swirls in the margin of her paper. I was somewhere in between — I meant to stay focused, but every time I tried to read the instructions, the letters got all jumbled, and my mind wandered to the family photos on the wall behind Annabeth.

One was of her as a little kid, missing her front teeth, standing in front of a sandcastle that looked like it belonged in a museum. Another was her with two boys about her age, all laughing at something off-camera.

"You paying attention?"

I snapped back to the table to see Annabeth staring at me, eyebrow raised.

"Uh... yeah," I said. "Totally. You were saying... acids are... fun?"

Piper snorted. Hazel tried to hide a smile.

"Seaweed Brain," Annabeth sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Focus. You mix the wrong amounts, and we'll have more than a failed project — we'll have to explain to my mom why the dining table has a hole in it."

"That would be kinda impressive," I said, before I could stop myself.

Her glare could've cut glass. "Work."

About twenty minutes in, Helen appeared in the doorway, smiling warmly.
"Hi, everyone. I'm Helen — you must be Percy, Piper, and Hazel."

She had that same kind of calm presence Annabeth gets when she's explaining something complicated but somehow makes you feel like you're already halfway to understanding it.