I'm in love with my Best Friend. A Percabeth Story

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Annabeth

"Annabeth! Wake up! You'll be late for school!"

I groaned and rolled over, glaring in the direction of my door and my morning-person of a step-mother. One glance at my clock told me that it was only 6:02 in the morning. I didn't have to be ready until 7:00.

Then I remembered what day it was. Immediately, the morning fog disappeared and I hurried to get ready. My mind went into autopilot. Shower. Hair. Teeth. Breakfast. Backpack. Door. I had timed it perfectly, and the moment I stepped out the front door, calling a goodbye to my parents over my shoulder, a dark brown old Chevy pulled onto the sidewalk. The passenger side door opened, and Piper came out. I headed forward and waved to the group of teens in the bed. Then I turned back to Piper.

"Wassup?" Piper gave me a wave, and jabbed her thumb in the direction of the cabin door. "Your turn for the seat."

I nodded, "Hey, Pipes! I'm doing great! Know why?"

Piper sighed and shrugged, "Honestly, you've never told me what happens today. The only person who seems to know is the tight-lipped driver."

I grinned and glanced over my shoulder at the familiar mob of black hair. I never would tell him this, but I thought he was kinda handsome. It would swell up his already enormous ego. "Aw, c'mon Percy!" I gave him my signature big-pleading-gray-eyes-look. "Have a heart and tell 'em..."

Percy laughed and gestured for me to get in. I scowled at him. After knowing me since we were five, Percy was the only person I knew who had built up immunity to my puppy dog faces. Instead, he winked at Piper and me and asked, "Are you two going to stand there gossiping? I'm not sure I want to sit here until my truck grows roots?"

I laughed and climbed in, and Piper got in the bed. Leo opened the back window and grinned, "Seriously Fish Boy, what's so special about today?"

Percy laughed at the nickname and started the ignition. We were always trying to come up with the best nicknames for each other. Percy was captain of the swim team and—to a lesser extent—the basketball team. Most of his nicknames had to do with marine life. At the moment, I held the title for Best-Nickname-For-Percy-Jackson. But if anyone besides me dared to call him Seaweed Brain, he punched them in the gut. (I figured that he let me because he knew that I punched back.) So our friends kept trying to find a better one, even though they were having a lot of trouble.

Instead of popping the emergency brake, Percy reached down into his backpack and pulled out a small pine-colored box. My favorite color.

"Happy birthday, Annabeth." Grinning, he held the box out to me and glanced back at the window, wanting to see everyone's reaction.

They did not disappoint. Five mouths dropped to the ground in shock. I laughed and took the box, then Percy turned and pulled onto the road.

"Annabeth..." Piper was the first to break out of her trance. "I-it's your birthday?"

I nodded, not looking up from the box, my face bright red. "I'm sixteen today. I don't like to advertise it because I hate it when people buy stuff for me." I turned and glared at Percy, who chuckled at the windshield. When we finally got to the school parking lot, he turned off the engine and turned to face me.

"Open it," he said, nodding at the present. "Humor me."

I sighed, and lifted the lid of the deep green box. Inside was a small necklace. The pendant was a small owl with bright green eyes, the same color as the box. It was beautiful. I lifted it up to see it better, hearing a few oohs and ahhs from our friends in the bed. I shrieked and threw my arms around Percy's neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"