Love at first Fight

Girl Talk, I Think Not

"So you are telling me that..." Thalia trailed off as Annabeth slammed her fist into a black punching bag. "You almost kissed your opponent?"

Annabeth had called Thalia, telling her to meet her at Apollos gym. Annabeth had rushed home, changed, and rushed to the gym. Thalia was there first. Annabeth explained, and Thalia took 10 minutes to stop laughing. 10 minutes after she stopped, and Thalia finally asked what Annabeth herself questioned.

"Are you attracted to him?"

Annabeth huffed. "Does it matter?" She stopped the punching bag with one hand and looked at Thalia. "I'm still gonna kick his ass. I mean, Ill bite... He's hot. But hes Poseidons kid. The fact that I havent bashed his face in is a shock to me."

Thalia smirked. "At least you admit that you think he's hot."

She leaned against the wall, arms crossed over her chest. Today, her outfit was made of a green shirt with the band name YELLOWCARD on the front, the hem tied off in a bun so the shirt stopped at the bottom of her ribcage. She wore black shorts, revealing her pale legs, and no shoes. Thalia looked very laid back and awake, although her bed head hair gave away everything. Annabeth herself was wearing a black sports bra and black shorts with black sneakers. Her hair was up in a long, blonde, curly pony tail.

"So? Doesn't mean I want to kiss him, or whatever it is that you're implying." Annabeth rolled her shoulder back, before picking up her stance again and punching the leather bag. It swung through the air, and on it's return, she hit it again.

"I'm not implying anything... Although you're making that really hard to avoid. But seriously, you're skipping school right now for this!? I thought you were the goody two shoes? Yesterday, you punch Percy without him hitting first. Today, you judo flip you're ex, and skip school? What is that Percy kid doing to you?" Thalia teased. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"It's not him, and you know it. Luke pisses me off, Percy was nice about it and defended Piper and Leo. I kept Percy from beating the shit out of Luke, and surprised Luke by stopping him from punching me when I told him it wouldn't happen."

"Wait, what did you say wouldn't happen?" Thalia asked, watching Annabeth as she kicked the punching bag, her roundhouse kick perfected after weeks of practice.

"Oh, yeah. He always wants me to sneak off with him during lunch and have sex or something sick like that."

"Ugh." Thalia groaned.

She'd dealt with Luke firsthand. She knew how bad he could be, and how perverted. If Thalia hadn't been Annabeths friend, Annabeth doubted she would have known how bad he was herself.

"The idiot can't take a hint. Don't worry, I'm sure he'll leave you alone, soon." Thalia said, pulling a phone out of her bra. How she did that without being uncomfortable, Annabeth would never know.

"What makes you think that?" She smirked mischeviously.

"Nothin'."

***

"Annabeth, can I come over?" Pipers voice was soft, quiet, even though Annabeths phone was on a radio speaker.

Annabeth, who was in the middle of a sit up, stopped moving. "Pipes, what's wrong?"

"I... I'm with Aphrodite... and Hepheastus..." It was then that Annabeth heard her best friends panicked breaths.

"Calm down, Piper, its okay." Annabeth sat up straight and grabbed her cell, unplugging the aux cord. Shd put rhe phone to her ear. "Do you need me to pick you up?"

"Yeah... I already snuck out... I'm by the school..."

"Gods... How did you get there? You live two miles out of the city."

"I was desperate... And I just started running... Annabeth, please..."

"Ill be there in 10 minutes. Hide somewhere, okay? Ill text you when I get there."

"Okay... Please hurry..."

Piper hung up and Annabeth frowned, before getting up. She grabbed her sports jacket and pulled it on before running downstairs. "Dad, I gotta pick up Piper! Something happened!"

"Alright! Be careful!"

"I will!" Annabeth darted out the front door.

Soon, she was in the school parking lot. She pulled out her cell, and sent a text to Piper.

~Blonde Geek~
I'm here

~Brunette Geek~
I see u. Warning, I'm not alone.

~Blonde Geek~
Wdym?

Piper didn't reply. Annabeth looked up, around the dark parking lot. Subconsciously, she locked the car. She wasn't deaf. She knew what went on at the school during night hours. Warily, Annabeth opened the sun roof of her truck, and poked her head out. "Piper?"

"Over here!" Piper popped up in the light of the headlights. Annabeth sighed in relief.

"Hurry up, Pipes. I told my dad we'd be back quickly." She sat back down, and closed her eyes, unlocking the car.

She looked at the passenger seat as Piper climbed in, then to the back. A girl with dark hair, dark skin, and honey colored eyes looked up at me, her eyes scared. "Annabeth, this is Hazel. She told me that she was running from her dad, she's a freshman."

Annabeth smiled, holding out her hand. "Nice to meet you, Hazel." Hazel smiled. "Well, looks like us girls are having a sleepover, huh?"

Piper and Hazel both laughed. Annabeth sighed, relieved her best friend and new friend were both okay. Believe it or not, Annabeth was okay with making new friends... As long as she didn't end up having to beat them in a boxing ring.

Annabeth shifted the truck into drive, and pulled out of the parking lot. Hazel was pretty. Her hair was dark brown, frizzy, and curly. Her eyes looked gold in the light of the street lamp, and she had an old, wistful look on her face as she stared at the tall buildings of New York City. She looked older than a freshman, like she'd been born years before. Annabeth smiled at Hazel's tired reflection in the rear mirror, pulling up to a red light.

Piper leaned her head on the glass window, eyes closed, her choppy hair with it's stray braids and eagle feather messier than usual. She looked as exhausted as Hazel did, if not worse. Annabeth suddenly realized that Piper had never seen Annabeth's house, and she also noted that she was still in her workout clothes, and no one had noticed.