Not Quite Mortal • HoO

XVIII Miranda Atwood

I took a deep breath and gathered my courage. I had debated calling Annabeth's phone after I had left school the previous day, but couldn't bring myself to do it. I had never texted or called Annabeth before, aside from the "yep, this is Mira :p" text I sent so she had my number.

So, that left a conversation with Annabeth to during school hours. I hadn't seen her in the halls before class, but I had seen Percy.

"I just wanted to make sure you knew that I had nothing to do with... with what happened yesterday," I had said.

Percy had locked his eyes on his locker instead of me and said, "I think I know that. But, well," he looked directly at me. "It did seem like something you might have done a year or two ago."

A year or two ago was when I was obviously crushing on Percy - and everyone knew it, including him. Percy's right, too. I might have done something like this back then.

"Maybe then," I had told him. "But I know Annabeth now. I would never do that to either of you."

"I'm glad. I would have missed having you as a friend. I still think that maybe I should have been more sensitive of your feelings though."

I laughed. "We all know you're not the best when it comes to girl's feelings, Percy. Don't worry about it."

And then, I walked to class, where the inevitable confrontation would probably start.

"Annabeth?"

I talked to the statue seated in Annabeth's desk. She stared straight forwards, tapping the eraser end of her pencil on the desk to an unknown rhythm.

"I wasn't part of their plan," I said. "Leta just pulled me in. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Why should I believe you? Everything fits. You were gone yesterday at lunch, but aren't going to prom. Percy mentioned that you used to like him before I came here."

I was half panicking that I wouldn't be able to convince her of my innocence, and half joyful because at least she was talking to me.

"I admit, I knew about their plan," I said. "But I thought they would just see how ridiculous it was when they failed, and leave it at that."

"But did you help?"

"No. I promise, I didn't."

Annabeth's eyes narrowed, and her grey irises stared me down.

I stared back for a few moments, but her gaze set of fear and discomfort that I couldn't defeat with a staring contest.

"Can we be friends again?" I bit my lip. Maybe I shouldn't have said 'again.' I wasn't sure Annabeth and I had even truly been friends before yesterday's incident.

"I don't know," she said. She went back to staring forwards and whispered, maybe to me, or maybe to herself, "I don't know."

0o0o0

Percy glanced at Annabeth from the lunch line where we stood together. "Did you talk to her?"

"Yeah," I confirmed. "I don't know if she believes me though.

Annabeth was already sitting at our usual table. She was chatting expressionlessly with Leah while Henry and Andrew sat listening to their conversation. Savannah was getting lunch just behind Percy and I. She wasn't close enough to hear our conversation though, not that I wouldn't have minded. Savannah was the type of person I felt inclined to trust.

"She'll understand, once she pushes her feelings out of the way," Percy said.

I nodded. "I'm sure she will."