Percabeth AU

Chapter 5

Percy POV
    We got to the house around eleven, and the party was just really getting started. At this huge abandoned house in Long Island, the seniors threw a huge party every year. The rumor was that the property belonged to someone who used to go to Goode, but now they let the seniors party there annually, leaving it otherwise untouched. The house was amazing, though it was more run down than it used to be. Three stories high, with huge pillars in the front, it almost reminded Percy of a Greek temple, though he didn't understand why someone would want a house like that. Percy came with the group of guys, Jason, Leo, Frank, Nico, and Will. Frank had borrowed his dad's Hummer, and they all fit comfortably. As they walked towards the house after parking the car, Jason texted Piper to find out where the girls were.
They found them by the huge staircase at the middle of the house. This seemed to be where people were congregating. Unsurprisingly, this is where the alcohol was. The girls all had drinks, except for Hazel who chose not to drink. All the girls were dressed up in tight tops and skirts, but Percy could only see Annabeth. Her top was a blue that brought out the shade in her eyes, making them seem stormier than usual. Her legs were clad in skintight white pants, and her hair was in loose waves down her back, the blonde shimmering like gold dust in the light. Gods, she was beautiful. She must have seen him looking, because she smiled and winked at him. Once they had exchanged greetings, he saw Piper motion to Will, smoking something imaginary and raising her eyebrows in a question. He could only laugh. Drunk Piper wasn't as much of a pothead as sober Piper, but it was close.
They went out behind the house, where there was a huge, empty pool. Hazel and Frank stayed inside, and I had last seen Leo talking to a junior with long ultra-straight brown hair. Outside by the pool, Piper sat leaning against Jason on the steps, and Nico and Will were just barely brushing shoulders on the edge of the shallows. Percy stood in the deep end, using the sun shelf as a table to roll on. Annabeth walked up behind him, close enough that he could feel her breath on his arm. "Wow, you should go pro." She smiled at him as he continued his illegal activities. He laughed. "Don't say that around my mom." Boosting herself up so she sat on the shelf, Annabeth looked down at him as he worked. He was kind of self-conscious, having to use his tongue to get the job done. He could feel her eyes on him. He set down the second of two just as he looked up at Annabeth. He saw her hand hesitating in midair, about to touch his hair, before he had jerked up his head. They locked eyes, and she put her hand on the side of his face, her thumb brushing against his lower lip.
Before anything else could occur, the moment was interrupted by the Stoll brothers, Travis and Connor, appearing, hollering as they approached. Travis was in our grade, and Connor a year younger. Annabeth snatched her hand back from my face, and in the dim light I could see her blushing, and felt the blood rise to my own face. What was this girl doing to me? Tucking my contributions behind either ear, I put my hands on Annabeth's waist, pulling her to the pool floor. I let my hands linger a few heartbeats longer than necessary, but she didn't seem to mind. Turning to walk back to our friends, I pulled a lighter out of my pocket and started the circle. Jason couldn't smoke, because of football, but everybody else participated. Connor pulled out a couple joints of his own, earning an appreciative squeal from Piper. Rachel appeared at some point, plucking the cherry from Will's fingers and joining in.
After maybe half an hour outside, the girls started to complain about the cold. I was high, and I think Annabeth must have been too, because she leaned against me for warmth, at one point touching her cold hands to the bare skin of my side in an attempt to warm them. I had never seen Annabeth this relaxed, and it was nice. Piper stood first, bringing Jason inside with her to "get a drink", but we were all pretty sure it was code for "get a room". The Stoll brothers were pestering Will and Nico, and eventually they too went inside to play a game or something. Rachel had disappeared when the joints had, leaving Annabeth and I alone, sitting on the edge of the pool. I could see the beach through the woods from here, and I was thinking of ways to ask Annabeth to take a walk with me, when she spoke up. "I haven't been in the ocean since I left California." Standing up, she held out her hand for mine. I took it without hesitation. Even after we had started walking down the path, our hands remained linked.
When we stepped onto the sand, the moon came out from behind a cloud, illuminating the surf. The beams of light hit her hair and it looked like she was glowing, almost like a goddess in a way that intimidated me. Annabeth let go of my hand, and I was disappointed until I saw she was sitting down. I sat down beside her, shoulders barely brushing, but she leaned her head against me. "It's beautiful here. Different than the Pacific, but still beautiful." "I've seen better," was all I said. At least I didn't say she was a hundred times more beautiful. She smiled at me like she might have got my meaning, but then said, "Oh, you must've been to some amazing beaches." I rolled my eyes. "Take a compliment wise girl."