The Ice-Tub Dare

Annabeth POV

We all made our way towards Piper's guest bathroom that was located upstairs. Jason and Frank were carrying two large bags of ice. I did not like this idea one bit.

I mean it was a fun dare, but there was a certain level of cruelty about it.

Thalia didn't like Percy. In fact, she suggested that Percy was just increasing his efforts of trying to sleep with me by taking me out to the museum. Thalia was looking after me and that involved a certain level of skepticism. However, I believed that Percy was being genuine about taking me to the conference on our fake-date.

Piper took the opposite approach to Thalia. She thought that Percy was genuinely a nice and romantic guy, and he was making the best of the situation.

I was still in the middle of both of these perspectives, but I think I was leaning towards Piper's positive point of view rather than Thalia's cynical one.

"Hey Pipes, do you have any swim trunks for me?" Percy asked.

"Uh, yeah, you can borrow one of my dad's," Piper said as she went towards her father's room.

The rest of us were waiting in the guest bedroom. There was ample space considering how big the room was. Piper, Rachel, and even Thalia never had to worry about money because of their fathers. That was one thing that differentiated them from me.

"Alright, the tub is almost ready. Frank's just filling it up."

Piper came back with some plain navy swim shorts and handed them to Percy, who went in the bathroom to get changed. He opened the door when he was ready.

The visual in front of me left me speechless for several moments. Percy was only in the navy swim shorts. Everything else was exposed.

My eyes scanned his toned body and tan skin. His body was fit and attractive. Perfectly structured legs rode up to a well-defined abdomen and chest. His arms were strong as well. His 'hot' body complicated his handsome face very well.

I noticed that the area below his knee was red and swollen; he must've gotten hurt there recently.

I reached forward and gently touched Percy's arm. "Are you sure about this?" I asked.

He looked nervous, which was strange. Percy didn't seem like the type to back down from dares and challenges.

"Yeah, of course, Wise Girl," he said after a few seconds.

As Percy tested the water, he immediately jerked back. "Oh shit, that's so cold."

"For two minutes and a dunk, Jackson," Thalia said with a smirk.

"This is fun for you isn't it. Why do you hate me?" Percy said jokingly. Thalia just shrugged in response. The bathroom was crowded as Percy went into the freezing cold tub. Percy's initial reaction was priceless because he was so damn cold.

However, around the 1.5-minute mark, I noticed a change in his expressions. Percy wasn't conversing anymore as he clutched the side of the bathtub. His skin was considerably paling due to the cold water.

"All right, Percy, time for the dunk" Rachel said cheerily.

While Thalia disliked Percy because she was concerned about me, Rachel disliked Percy due to her own heartache. Rachel hated Percy, and she was the only person that wasn't happy with Percy and his friends joining our group.

Percy quickly ducked his head underwater as everyone cheered, and then, he stood up. Grover quickly shoved past everyone and handed him a towel. My smile fell away as I took in how bad he looked. I knew the water was cold, but I didn't think it would be this bad. Percy actually looked green.

"Hey, Percy, are you okay?" I asked. Some people left the crowded bathroom while others lounged around talking. Percy was shivering as he looked up at me.

I knew that look. His eyes shone with pain.

Percy didn't answer me as he quickly stepped out of the Ice-Tub. Suddenly, he doubled over as his head went over the toilet. I stared in shock as Percy threw up. His almost naked and wet body was shaking as he spilled his guts.

"Get out," he growled at everyone.

Yeah, Percy wasn't the kind of guy that wanted to look weak or sick in front of others.

Most people left except for Grover, Thalia, and me. I crouched next to him and rubbed my hand against his back. His head stuck up as his eyes closed.

"Move your hand," he whispered.

"Oh, sorry," I said as I pulled my hand away. But, he grabbed my hand quickly and pulled it to his neck. I was about to pull away quickly, but then, I realized that my touch seemed to lessen the pain in his eyes. I just sat there as Percy navigated my hand over his neck and chest as he calmed down. The color and warmth slowly returned to his shivering body.

I didn't understand why he got so sick from an Ice-Tub dare, but I helped him, regardless.

***

The party winded down after that. Everyone settled in for dinner and a movie.

I could tell that Thalia felt bad as she sat next to me. No one expected the dare to be that bad, but it was. I knew Thalia well enough to know that she was remorseful even though she watched the movie quietly with everyone else.

Percy sat next to me on the floor, still shivering and slightly pale with a blanket wrapped around him. His hair was still a little wet, but it suited him.

"Are you a swimmer?" I asked. Maybe a conversation would ease him.

He turned to me with a small smile. "Yeah, I used to be."

"Why'd you stop?" I asked with piqued curiosity.

Percy gazed at me for a second as he made up his mind. He didn't seem to want to tell me.

"We don't know each other enough for that story," he said softly.

We sat in silence as the movie played in the background. Technically, we didn't know each other much. In fact, he definitely knew more about me than the other way around. However, I was starting to realize that there was so much more to him than the "player persona."

I reached forward and took his hand that was still shivering. I don't know why, but I didn't like seeing him like this: in any sort of pain.

Percy smiled softly as he gazed at my hand, which was rubbing his hands and arms.

"You should've just denied the dare, Percy, you're so stupid sometimes."

"Well, not everyone can be like you, Wise Girl."

I wasn't even sure how that nickname started, but Percy used it all the time. It seemed fitting that he also gets a nickname.

"That's true, but you're incredibly dumb sometimes like all you have is seaweed in your head. Yup, you're a Seaweed Brain."

"I don't like that nickname. At least, mine's a compliment."

"Deal with it, Seaweed Brain," I said with a teasing smile.

"Gods, you aren't making this easy for me."

"I'm never going to make things easy for you, Seaweed Brain. Get used to it."

We sat there talking for the rest of the movie. My hand was moving around his. It started as a way to warm him up again, but it ended with me just playing with his hands. I liked the feeling of his hands in mine and around mine. Strange.

***

People started leaving after the movie because it was already very late. As I entered Thalia's car, Seaweed Brain ran up to me. He avoided Thalia's gaze as he rested against my car door. I had rolled down the window.

"What is it, Seaweed Brain?" I asked with a smirk.

He simply rolled his eyes before locking his gaze onto mine. "Next Saturday is our second date. I hope you don't make me wait outside for two hours this time because it's getting chilly."

"We are not dating," I said firmly.

He stood straighter as he smirked. "Just be ready, Wise Girl." With that, Percy left towards his car.

As Thalia pulled out of Piper's long driveway, I started talking. "You could've just apologized to him, Thalia."

She sighed with a simple "yeah."

"I still don't trust him, Annabeth. Percy's the player of Goode High, and his only intentions are around sleeping with the girl he's interested in," Thalia said.

"But, Thalia, don't you think there's so much more?"

"Percy seems like an alright guy to be friends with, but you guys aren't friends. You made a deal, and he already made it a third of the way through. What are you going to do if he makes it the whole three months?" Thalia asked angrily.

Honestly, I hadn't thought much about it. I certainly didn't want to sleep with a guy I didn't like. Even if I liked a guy, I wouldn't sleep with them because of a contract. That was just gross.

"I don't know, Thalia," I said glumly.

"If Percy changes because of the deal, then that's great news. But, right now, he's still playing a game, Annie, and you're the target. If he doesn't lose on his own, then you have to make him lose. Unless you want to get with Percy."

"What?! Absolutely not," I exclaimed boldly.

"Well then, I think you have some stuff to think about."

Thalia was right. I didn't want to sleep with the player of Goode High even if he was a nice guy. Actually, being a nice and charming guy was how these players worked. Plus, I couldn't sleep with one of my best friends (ie Rachel's) ex-boyfriend. That would be bad.

Yet, with each passing day, he was getting closer to winning this deal. However, I couldn't lose this deal because I refused to have sex with Percy Jackson.

I had to make Percy lose this deal for my own sake.