Mortals; Meet the Demigods

Percabeth - Leah Richards

Leah Richards wasn't sure what to think about the Jackson kid. He was weird, had shown up halfway through twelfth grade, and stuck to himself pretty much all of the time. He was hot, sure, really damn hot, and half the girls in their grade were tripping over themselves to ask him out, but he wasn't really friendly with anyone, and it was weird.

Take Maths, for example. He'd sit on his own at the back, and look for all the world like he was completely spaced out, but when he was called on to answer a question, he seemed to genuinely try to answer properly, and would look frustrated and disappointed if he couldn't, even though Leah had heard that he had dyslexia.

At some point, she resolved to be friends with him. It wasn't that Leah needed more friends necessarily, she had a fair few, and she was happy with them. It was just..there was something about Percy Jackson that just drew her in. Made her curious.

She didn't bother to plan it, one second she was telling her friends she'd be right back, the next, she was sitting at his table at lunch. He'd taken one look at her and his face had darkened. "I'm not interested." He said sharply.

"Interested in what?" She asked, even though she knew he thought she was asking him out.

"I don't want to date you. I've got a girlfriend." He said slowly, like she was stupid.

Leah bristled. "Well I don't want to date you either. I'm trying to be friendly. You might have heard of it."

He smiled at her. Small, but still an improvement, even if it was a bit mean. "Perhaps. So what if I haven't."

And that had been that.

——

Leah really hadn't meant to start liking him. Not romantically at least. Their friendship worked. Percy would be an asshole, and it would be hilarious, and she'd be an asshole right back, and it would be hilarious. He helped her with biology, and she helped him with English and maths. They worked as friends. They got along. And then halfway through July, she'd looked up as he was leaning over to help with a marine conservation project they'd gotten for their biodiversity topic, and she'd been hit, suddenly, but how freaking green his eyes were.

Not been like grass, or cheaply cut emeralds, but like a kelp forest, or some tropical ocean. And she'd realised, in that moment, as she acknowledged how handsome his other features were: messy hair that she knew took no effort, but models paid hundreds for, sharp cut jaw and cheekbones, and god, his smile.. that was when she knew that she was in deep shit.

Percy talked about his girlfriend all the time, and it wasn't that Leah didn't believe him, so much as..she was a little doubtful, that's all. If this mysterious Annabeth showed up, she'd be as equally surprised as if Percy turned around and said she wasn't real.

God Percy was handsome. On the last day of the semester, he was just sat there, supposedly waiting for his girlfriend to show up, sprawled on the steps leading up to the school in his usual jeans and a hoodie. Leah figured she'd give it ten minutes, and if no one showed up, she'd play the consoling best friend, which she'd do anyways, obviously,  even if she didn't like him like that, and then ask him out. It was practically genius.

Until, of course, a black Maserati pulled up outside the school. It was sleek and everything every teenager ever wanted, and it was parked outside their school. People started talking about it before it even pulled up. The top was down, and the guy driving it looked barely old enough to get a job, never mind drive, but he was sat behind the wheel all the same, inky hair in a messy bun that was falling in his face. Next to him was some blond kid, all big smiles and freckles. But it wasn't those two Leah was worried about. It was the blonde climbing out of the backseat and running over to Percy, all toned legs and curls flying behind her.

"Seaweed brain!" She grinned as she reached Percy, who immediately looked up and beamed.

Oh shit.

This was Annabeth.

"Wise girl!" Percy immediately stood up and hugged her tightly, kissing her hair. "I can't believe you let Nico drive are you crazy?"

"Seaweed brain, his dad would only trust him to drive it. Besides he said he'd pay for McDonald's."

Percy seemed to think this over for a second then nodded. He kissed her properly, it was chaste, not anything overly intimate, but Leah couldn't help but be glad for small mercies.

She made her way over anyway, because it was still the last day, and Percy was still her friend. "Hi, you must be Annabeth?" She waved awkwardly.

Annabeth smiled at her. "Hi, you must be Leah? Percy's told me all about you."

Leah flushed slightly. "Uh, yeah. Anyway, um. Percy, I'll text you? So I can kick your ass at Mortal Kombat again?"

Percy laughed and grinned at her. "You don't have a chance Richards. But yeah. Annabeth makes a mean blue waffle. You gotta try them."

The kid in the car honked the horn, making them all jump. "Jackson, Chase, I swear to the gods, you have thirty seconds or I'm going to McDonalds by myself!"

Percy rolled his eyes. "You just want to be able to make out with Will without people watching." He yelled back.

The kid didn't even blush, just shrugged, whilst the blond next to him turned pink. "What of it? You still won't get a milkshake."

Percy sighed mournfully. "I guess we better go. I'll see you around though Leah?"

She nodded numbly. Somewhere, she thought, she'd known that Percy wasn't hers. She had, really. But it sure felt like a slap in the face to watch him kiss some girl ten times as gorgeous as she'd ever be.