I Got a Boy

Chapter 2: Nerves and Turtlenecks

Okay, Annabeth. You totally have this. You are in control. Don’t worry, that guy’s not staring at you. You look fine. Stop playing with your hair - stop it. Get it together.

Annabeth paused in the hallway of Bolt Academy and stared at the map in her hand. The school was big, like really big. Bigger than the brochures made it seem, at least. It was like she was walking through a labyrinth. How in the world was she supposed to find her dorm let alone not get so turned around she died of starvation in the process?

For a top tier school, it really did live up to the hype. It was an architecture nerd’s wet dream with its classic Greco-Roman aesthetic. Maybe that’s why she got lost in the first place - too busy craning her neck to look at all of the arches, pediments, and balustrades to pay attention to where her loafers were carrying her. 

The hallways were paved with porcelain mosaics, dotted with antiquities from the Classical Age on pedestals under burning sconces hanging from pillars. Most of the school was open to the elements, letting the not-quite summer, not-quite autumn air roll through the halls. It was a good thing this place was just outside of LA or else trudging to class in the snow would not be worth it.

Annabeth put down her suitcase and unfolded the map further, trying to figure out exactly if she had passed the cafeteria already or not. She turned the map upside down, perhaps in hopes of getting her bearings, when friendly voice made her look up:

“You looking for somewhere?” 

He was blond, tall, broad and, like her, wearing the academy uniform - flat front khakis, a black blazer, and a purple and gold tie cinched all the way up his button down shirt. When he smiled, the scar above his lip became its own grin, almost like a second layer of friendliness.

“Uh yeah,” she said, doing her best to keep her voice low. “Dorm thirty-six. C Hall?”

“I see, Jackson’s new roommate.” There was a hint of a smirk on his lip.

Annabeth wasn’t sure if she was supposed to know who that was but the guy didn’t give her a chance to find out.

“I'm heading that way. I can take you if you want.”

“That’d be great. Thanks!”

He waved her in the direction she was originally going and she hurried to pick up her bag.

“You’re obviously new here,” he said over his shoulder when she caught up.

“Yeah, just transferred.”

“What’s your concentration?”

“Architecture.”

“Oh wow! I think you came to the right place,” he said, then held out his hand. “My name’s Jason. Jason Grace.”

Annabeth took it and shook. “Andrew Chase.”

“Good to meet you.”

“Yeah, you too.”

Thalia had not mentioned the fact that her brother was basically the complete opposite of her, it was like night and day, right down the hairs on their heads. It was pure luck that he was the first person she met here, though based on what she had heard of him, she shouldn’t be surprised. It was like he had a sixth sense, detecting when someone felt out of place so he could swoop in and save the day.

Thalia was thrilled when Annabeth told her that she was going to Bolt. She immediately gushed that her brother was going to school there too.

The way Thalia talked about him didn’t really prepare Annabeth for the charm he had. She had been shown a picture or two of him on Thalia’s phone, but they didn’t capture the statuesque way he held himself when he walked. Annabeth figured he had been raised well based on that alone. How Thalia had ventured off to live a life not filled with butlers or private jets was a question Annabeth would have to save for another day.

Jason took her up a spiral staircase and onto the next floor. The breaks between arches revealed the lush green grass of the quad. Since it was Sunday, there were dozens of other students lounging out in the sun or playing frisbee. Annabeth could easily picture herself sitting under one of the large pine trees with her laptop in the shade.

“If you got accepted here, you must be good at sports too,” he said, casually. “What do you play?”

“I run. Cross country mostly.”

“You know, I pegged you for a runner. Though I had hoped you played soccer.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I’m kind of the captain and we need new blood.”

“Sorry.”

“Hey, no worries. It’s not your fault.” He nudged her on the arm with his elbow and she teetered off course. “Whoa there! Gotta toughen you up if you’re gonna play with the big dogs.”

Annabeth laughed weakly and touched the place where a bruise was surely going to form. If she was going to blend in, she had to work on hardening her physique. She watched the way Jason walked and tried her best to mimic it - wide strides, tight hips, straight back.

He glanced down at her and she stopped immediately. She would have to practice somewhere else.

They scaled another flight of stairs and turned a corner only to emerge into a narrow hallway with rows of doors on either side. It was darker here, though the little patches of glass squares in the ceiling was a nice touch.

“Here we are,” Jason said. “C Hall.”

Jason led the way down while Annabeth looked at the room numbers. 30, 32, 34…

“Thirty-six,” he said, pointing to an innocuous-looking wooden door. This was hers for the next year. This was where she would study, sleep, eat… This was home.

“If you need anything, I’m in thirty-five,” he said, jutting his thumb at the door behind them.

“Sure, thanks.”

Jason made to go into his room but stopped short and turned back. “Ah - “ he quieted his voice a bit, “- there’s one thing you need to know about your roommate. He’s, well… you know what? Better find out yourself.”

“What, is he a celebrity or something?”

“In a way.”

Annabeth simpered, unsure about his intentions. “If you say so.”

“See ya,” Jason said with a wave. He opened his door and vanished into his room to leave Annabeth alone in the hallway.

There was a faint rhythm - music - coming from inside thirty-six. She held her ear close to the door to be sure. In her pocket she found her dorm key, inserted it into the lock and twisted it open. The door squeaked wide.

The music - some kind of ska punk song - and the smell greeted her first. Chlorine. He’s a swimmer.

Movie posters covered the brick walls, only DVDs filled the bookshelf (not a book in sight), and dirty clothes littered the floor. There was a bunk bed in the near corner opposite the window overlooking the quad, the bottom one having its comforter disheveled and unmade. A big screen TV was pushed up against the wall with a single bean bag situated in front of it.

From inside the room, the bathroom door clicked and opened and a figure emerged, drying his hair with a towel.

Annabeth’s eyes widened to the size of moons when she saw that he was dripping wet and absolutely, unapologetically, utterly naked.

She stood, frozen in the doorframe, staring - not daring to speak, move, let alone breathe. The power of a thousands suns burned on her face.

Her new roommate, Percy Jackson - maybe having noticed the draft because he had no other reason to look up - froze at the sight of her, a deer in the headlights. 

Annabeth’s mind went tingly, like an empty TV channel, and the only logical thing to do next was grab the door handle and slam the door in her own face.