Stable Ground

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story, nor do I own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series or the Heroes of Olympus series, those are owned by Rick Riordan. I do not make a profit from this story. Not a cent to be made here.

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Two children of the Big Three, the sea and the sky. Two forces beyond control, destined to be forever free. Two heroes born from different gods, from different camps, with different training and beliefs. Two half-bloods carrying the names of ancient heroes, both renowned for their strength and courage. These two strong, determined leaders together in one camp for the moment, unknowingly about to be pushed towards each other. Annabeth just wished it wasn’t today, of all days.

                “This is a bad idea…” Leo whispers, fingers tapping out the lyrics to one of his favorite AC/DC songs nervously.

                “Shh.” Annabeth shushes him, pursing her lips together tightly as her fingers close over his, forcing the infuriating thrumming of Thunderstruck to stop. She watches her ex-boyfriend curiously, judging his actions, weighing his words while silently agreeing with the short half-blood beside her. On an ordinary day, this would be a bad idea, introducing Percy to the idea of dating another guy, a Roman half-blood with a hero complex as large as his own, a freak control obsession and the son of Zeus would be a bad idea, but today is no ordinary day. No, today is a bad day. Storm clouds clutter the skies, the lake waters thrash violently against the docks, and the sound of Riptide clashing against the beginner swords of the new kids echoes in the humid air. Not even Nico Di Angelo, the poor boy sulking out of the training arena, can cheer Poseidon’s son up.

"Seriously, Annabeth, we should do this tomorrow. Or next month. Any day but today." Pulling his hand out from under hers, Leo moves around the bench and takes a few steps backwards, eyeing the arena with apprehension. His brows furrow and he chews his bottom lip nervously. “Seriously, any day but today.”

 Ignoring him, Annabeth walks towards the other half-blood, determination flooding her veins. "Nico."

The son of Hades glances in her direction, uninterested, before doing a double take, eyes widening at the sight of the daughter of Athena and the son of Hephaestus. Dread fills him. "Please tell me you aren't doing this today."

Annabeth gives him a wry smile, crossing her arms over her chest to still her weary fingers and hide the slight nervousness flowing through her veins. No sense worrying the others. "That's the plan. How is he today?"

"Upset" Nico answers, running a hand through his unruly hair while staring hard at the entrance of the arena. His brows furrow and he shakes his head, sending strands of dark hair tumbling into his eyes. "No, I wouldn't even say upset. He is furious."

"About?" Arching an eyebrow, Annabeth winces as the sound of metal on metal clashes loudly, followed by a swear. The obvious answer to her question hangs in the air, ripe for the taking, but she knows it’s not just about training. Percy’s emotions run deeper than that.

"I don't know. He wouldn't tell me. I haven't seen him this angry since the time that my father kidnapped Sally" he answers, dark eyes flicking to the ground before gazing up at the daughter of Athena, apprehension flooding them. "I think you should reschedule your plans."

"Annabeth" Leo whispers suddenly, voice shaking with nerves and urgency, poking her arm in an attempt to draw her attention back to him. "Um, Annabeth?"

The incessant prodding assault on her arm continues as she ignores him. "If it’s not today, it won't ever be done, and you know it." Annabeth twitches, narrowing her eyes dangerously and slapping Leo's fingers away. "What, Leo?" She hisses, spinning around to chew him out, her eyes landing on the blond son of Zeus a few feet behind him. She straightens up, drawing her hands back to her sides and quickly erases the surprise from her face. “Hey Jason.”