Of Shocks and Seashells

Of Monikers and Lists

Disclaimer: If I said I owned Percy Jackson, Poseidon would drown me the next time I swim. And I wouldn't really want that to happen. So, no, I don't own Percy Jackson.

Percy's Point of View

"Great job, Kelp-for-brains," a Hermes camper snaps at me sourly. "You lost the game!"

"Shut up," I growl, but it's true. I had almost gotten the flag over the border when I tripped. Because my shoelace was untied. I swear to the Gods, I am never going to be able to live this down. Thalia watches me. "What do you want, Thalia?" I snap.

"Nothing, I was just thinking," she shrugs nonchalantly.

"About what?"

"Well, I mean, you've got it bad, Percy."

"Would you just spit out what you're trying to say?"

"Jeez, okay! You have about a million annoying nicknames 'cause you're the son of Poseidon."

"Well, how about you? You're the daughter of Zeus, plus you were turned into a tree!"

"Oh, please, I bet I could come up with more nicknames for you than you could come up with for me!"

"Oh, it is so on, Thalia!"

"Bring it, Percy!"

"Did I just hear a bet being placed?" Travis Stoll asks, the familiar crooked, mischievous grin spreading over his lips, holding a cupped hand to his ear like he's hard of hearing.

"Yeah. So?" I snap.

"Percy, Percy, Percy," Connor clucks sympathetically, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Don't you know by now that whenever Travis and I hear the word 'bet,' we're instantly there? Our middle names are bet. So spill. What is it?"

"I bet that I could come up with more annoying nicknames for Percy than he could for me," Thalia says quickly, and I shoot her an angry look, which she returns with a pompous smirk.

"Awesome," Travis snickers, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "Cool. Each of you has two minutes to come up with as many nicknames as you can. When time's up, you gotta tell us all of them. Winner gets twenty drachmas. Clear?"

"Clear," Thalia and I say in unison.

"Alrighty then," Connor smirks. "GO!"

~TT~

Gods, who knew it was so hard to come up with nicknames for Thalia? I've only got a couple. Let's just hope she's only got a couple, too.

"Time," Travis yells out, and by now a group of curious campers have wandered over. I grit my teeth before sighing. "Perce, you first."

I clear my throat. "Lightning Head, Static Face, Pinecone Face, Tree Bark, Lightning Bug, and Bolt Head." Everyone is quiet for a moment and then Thalia bursts out laughing.

"SIX? YOU ONLY GOT SIX?" she shrieks, before collapsing in laughter.

"Oh yeah?" I say, feeling my face heating up. "Like you got more."

"I know I did," Thalia says.

"Oh, really?"

"Really."

"Then tell me!"

"Fine," Thalia says with a shrug. "Seaweed Brain, Barnacle Head, Kelp Head, Kelp-for-brains, Fishface, Fishfood, Sharkbait, Seaspawn, Fishstick, Water Boy, Aquaidiot-" Travis holds up his hands.

"Okay, Thalia, you honestly won the bet, so you can stop now," he says.

"Aw! But I had, like, at least thirty more!"

"Whatever. Percy, you lost the bet. Now give the lady her money," Connor says, and grumbling, I slap the drachmas into Thalia's hand.

"Sucks for you, Sharkbait."

"Oh, shut up, Pinecone Face."