PAINT AND PROTESTS [PERCABETH HIGH SCHOOL AU]

FIVE: ARE YOU AVOIDING THE ISSUE OR SOLVING IT?

When Annabeth got home that day, she found the house empty.

She ignored the voice in her head, whispering to her that her family had went on another outing without her. She knew her father was meeting with a friend, and Helen was at work. Her two brothers had enrichment classes, so they wouldn't be home until two hours later.

She went to her room, tripping on the way, and stumbled onto the chair tucked between her desk. She pulled out her pencil case and fished out her English homework, and right before she could get started on it, she whipped out her phone and begun to watch a few videos on YouTube.

Her shitzu, Mari, ran into the room, before settling by Annabeth's feet. Annabeth reached down, stroking Mari's fur as she decided what videos she would watch that afternoon.

Approximately eight minutes later, while Annabeth was still watching Danny Gonzalez, a knock sounded downstairs, and Mari began to bark like a madwoman.

Frowning, Annabeth headed downstairs. She didn't know who would be at her doorstep; her family wouldn't have knocked if it were them, since all of them had keys. She assumed it was a delivery guy, here to... well, deliver a package.

She opened the door, and, lo and behold, Percy was standing right before her.

"Hey, I was wondering if you're willing to-" He stopped short. "Annabeth?"

"Yes, it's me, what do you want?" she asked, feeling irritated already.

"Well I was here to ask if you could sign a petition, but considering how it's you, and you probably don't even know what my petition is about, I guess I'll just go. You're probably avoiding the problem rather than solving it."

Annabeth bit the insides of her cheek. She could feel Mari tugging at the cuff of her jeans. "What's it about?"

"Excuse me?" He was already a metre away from Annabeth. He retraced his steps and planted himself before her again. "Uh, it's about saving the lives of marine animals. Like, not using as much plastic, and not dumping trash in the sea- or at least, producing less trash."

Annabeth nodded. "You got a pen?"

"Of course," Percy said. He brought it out slowly, like he was surprised Annabeth was even interested in something like ocean dumping and was waiting for her to blow a raspberry in his face.

Annabeth ignored his act of confusion, and took the pen from him gingerly. She signed the board he had brought with him. When she looked up, Percy was crouched down, petting Mari tenderly.

"You're welcome," she said, returning the board and pen to him.

"Wait." Percy hesitated. Annabeth found it ironic how they were in the same situation as that night in the beach. "Are you signing it just to make yourself seem like a better person? Or do you actually care?"

Annabeth's grey eyes bore into him. "I'm not heartless, Jackson. I want to save the Earth, too- or at least, prevent it from dying so quickly."

Percy seemed to ponder something. "Do you want to join a protest? There's gonna be one right here next week on Wednesday, along this road. Grover, Tyson and I are going. If you're interested, you could, too. Thalia Grace is organising it. She's got the permit and everything."

"Let me guess: she and the Hunters?"

Percy nodded in confirmation. The both of them were familiar with the Hunters, a group of girls who frequently started nonviolent resistances. In fact, the whole of Goode knew of them. Some students took part in the protests regularly, like Rachel Dare and Reyna Ramírez-Arellano, and some had never gone to one before, like Annabeth.

"What do I have to do?" Annabeth rubbed her arm nervously. She had never considered protesting before. She wondered if it would be the right thing to do. "I've never done anything like... this."

Percy shrugged. The look of hatred in his sea green eyes ceased to exist, now replaced with a pleased smile. "Just bring yourself. If you want, you can come to my house on Monday and work on some signs."

"Why not Tuesday?" Annabeth raised a brow.

"Monday gives us time for last-minute cancels. It's safe, in case we can't finish it on one day," he explained.

Annabeth smirked. "Always one to thread lightly, aren't you?"

"And you like stomping around and making a mess," Percy grinned. "Some people are different, but we can be brought together by a cause. I'll send you my address later."

He outstretched his hand. Annabeth took it. Then he reached into his pocket, pulled out a metal straw and pressed it into her hands.

"Just saying, you're not a VSCO girl because of this," Percy said. Then he spun around, going for her neighbour's house.

The last thing she saw before she closed the door was the back of Percy's shirt, ragged jeans and his black windswept hair.

"Why does he keep looking at you?" Piper whispered. Annabeth looked up from her Literature homework, which she was definitely not rushing to do because Literature was the period after lunch.

"What? He's not," Annabeth said, waving off Piper's suspicions of Percy staring at her from across the cafeteria.

"Did you just say 'he's hot'?" Piper snickered.

"No, but I'm sure you think of Jason like that." Annabeth stuck out her tongue. Piper rolled her eyes.

"Where'd you get that metal straw anyway? You've been using it all week," Piper noted, eyeing the iridescent straw that was in Annabeth's cup of mango juice.

Annabeth coughed loudly. "Uh... someone gave it to me."

It took Piper a second to connect the dots.

"Percy Jackson gave you a metal straw?" Piper demanded.

"Yeah...?" Annabeth's cheeks tinted red.

"When?!"

"Monday, after school?" Annabeth said, trying to sound like she didn't remember the exact date and time that Percy had come to her doorstep.

What? She couldn't help it. He had acted decent towards her for once. Of course she had to spend all her free time dwelling on their short interaction. It was better than thinking about her messed up family, anyway.

"You had almost a whole week, and you didn't tell me? It's Friday already!" Piper cried, pulling at the ends of her hair.

Annabeth sank further into her chair as Frank Zhang and a few others turned to stare at her and Piper. She didn't dare look in Percy's direction.

"You're attracting attention," Annabeth muttered. She normally loved attention, yes, but this was the kind of moment where she didn't want to be under the spotlight. In the corner of her eye, she saw Nico smirking.

"Well, of course I am!" Piper said. "Shall I go help you confess your undying love to Percy?"

"Shh! Not so loud!" Annabeth covered Piper's mouth. "And I don't love him-"

She pulled her hand back sharply. "Did you just lick my hand?!"

"There's more where that came from."

"You have more tongues?!" Annabeth yelped. The students around her laughed. Piper looked her directly in the eye.

"Maybe."