Are You Sure?

Percy POV

I had a horrible week. It started great with swimming again and practicing new dance routines, but then, it fell apart. Annabeth absolutely refused to talk to me despite how much I tried.

I hadn't done anything wrong, had I?

It was true that I didn't tell Annabeth that we kissed, but I didn't think it was necessary. It was just a kiss that I stopped within a minute. Plus, she had enough going on that night without adding the awkwardness of a make-out session with a friend.

Friend. Gods, I don't think we could even call each other that right now because she hated me.

***

"Bro, what is going on with you and Annabeth? You guys aren't even talking to each other."

"Yeah Aquaman, we could cut the tension between you two with a knife for the past couple of days. And, not the usual sexual tension."

I stared at my friends: Jason and Leo. I wasn't sure I should tell them but eventually caved. I finished the full story and waited for their responses. It wasn't a long wait because they both responded quickly.

"Bro, you shouldn't feel bad. You really didn't do anything wrong. I mean you saved her that night, and you were looking after her." Jason said.

"Yea, besides it's not your fault that she kissed you. Obviously, you initially kissed back because of shock, instincts, and the fact that you like her. But, you did pull away and did the right thing."

"Woah, what do you mean 'I like her.' How do you know that?"

'We only suspected it till now," Jason said with a smile.

"Plus, there's the whole sexual tension thing I mentioned earlier," Leo added.

I sighed before letting out a chuckle. Of course, they knew me well enough to figure out my crush. Also, I loved my friends because they always took my side, especially in front of others. However, if they didn't agree with me, they definitely express their opinions. In this case, both of them agreed that I didn't do anything wrong, which made me feel a lot better.

As we walked to lunch, my mind buzzed with thoughts of Annabeth, who didn't even like me right now. It hurt a lot to have feelings for someone who hated you.

By the time I got my lunch, our table was already full. The only seat left was next to Annabeth. I took a deep breath before making my way over. Maybe I could force a conversation now. Our entire fight from Monday played over in my mind, but one particular thought she expressed kept nagging me: that I was like Luke. My brain reasoned that she said it out of anger.

"Hey Wise Girl," I said as I sat down next to her.

She stared at me before turning to Thalia who was sitting across from her.

My tentative smile faltered away as Annabeth asked, "Thalia, can we switch seats?"

"Why?"

"Please, Thalia."

Thalia just sighed with confusion. "Alright," she said as she got up.

"No, no, wait," I said interrupting their actions. "Annabeth, come on. You can sit next to me. Wise Girl, technically I did nothing wrong."

"Excuse me?!" she snapped with a glare. We had all our friends' attention now.

"Annabeth I was just helping you that night. I didn't want you to worry about more than you had to with everything that went down. Also, you were the one that kissed me."

"You think that it was helping. You hid this from me."

"Because it's not that big of a deal. We just kissed, but I pulled away. Like I said before, I'm not like that, Annabeth."

"How can I be sure, Percy? I thought the same thing about Luke, and we all know how that turned out. The fact that you kissed me and hid it makes me think-"

"Wise Girl, I'm not Luke," I said quickly. Anger and pain were rising at the fact that Annabeth of all people would think that I was like Luke (or like Gabe if older). That I had such a bad character and personality.

She looked so angry and upset. Emotions twirled in her eyes as she continued in a serious tone, "Percy, are you sure? From my perspective, you could be exactly like that."

Each word was like a stake to the heart. It hurt deeply. It hurt more than the many times Gabe threw me to the ground and kicked or punched me down. It hurt more than when my attackers beat me with baseball bats. It hurt like heartache, which emphasized how deep I had fallen for Annabeth.

It was one thing to be angry or upset with me, but I never thought that she felt this horribly about my identity and character.

I felt emotion burning my eyes as I got up from my seat. "At least, now I know how you feel about me, Wise Girl," I whispered sadly before leaving.

"Wait, Percy, wait" she called after me, but I was already gone.

***

I decided to ditch the rest of school. However, whimpering and moaning in the parking lot caught my attention. I followed the sounds until I found the source. There were a group of guys (some of which I recognized as students at Goode High) beating up a freshman boy.

"Woah, hey, stop," I shouted immediately rushing over to the poor boy.

"Why the hell are you guys beating up an innocent kid?"

"The boy owes us, Jackson. Why don't you get lost before this turns into your fight?" Luke said menacingly. Gods, I hated him.

"No," I said standing my ground. I helped the boy off the ground before picking up his broken set of glasses for him.

"We warned you several times already, Jackson," Octavion spat.

"Screw off, Octavion. I'm not scared of you. Hey, what's your name?" I asked the boy.

"Bob. My name is Bob Titan."

"Alright, Bob, I got you now. Don't worry."

Another guy stepped forward from the group. His baseball bat gleamed in the sun, and it looked very familiar. "Guess our first beating wasn't enough for you, Jackson."

Suddenly, familiarity struck me as fast as a lightning bolt. Six guys with steel baseball bats. My hands clenched into fists as I threw a punch that effectively knocked the guy out cold.

The blast to my head came immediately, and I blacked out for a few seconds. When I came to, I found myself on the ground with Bob panicking next to me. I felt the bruise on my face intensifying by the second. Most of my attackers were walking away while carrying the unconscious guy that I punched, but Luke was waiting for me.

"Luke," I spat as Bob helped me into a sitting position.

"I wouldn't bother telling anyone, especially the police, that you know the identity of your attackers."

"Why would I protect you?" I asked.

"Because you want to protect your precious little girlfriend, Jackson," he said seriously and dangerously before walking away. I gulped in acceptance. He's already hurt Annabeth once, so I wasn't going to risk her safety and let him near her for a second time.

***

"Percy," My mom said as she came towards my bed where I was laying. "You seem very upset, honey." She sat down and started to gently stroke my hair while being careful not to put pressure on my bruise.

I blinked some tears out of my eyes as I spoke, "Mom, I'm not like Luke or Gabe. I'd never hurt you or anyone like how they do."

"Honey, you are nothing like that horrible man. Why would you even say something like that?" she asked as tears sparked in her own eyes.

"I, I just." I sighed. "Someone very close to me doubted or, err I don't know."

My mother wrapped her arms around me. "Don't for a second think that way about yourself. You are an amazing young man, Percy, and you deserve the best in life. And, you deserve an amazing young lady, who sees that."

I embraced her hug as my mind wandered. I knew exactly who that 'young lady' was, but Annabeth just didn't see me in the same way.