Because I Care

There's Always Two Sides

Clyde. One week AFTER Clyde is brought to CHB.

I don't know what I was doing. Percy obviously cared about Annabeth, but I wanted her really bad. There was something about her... she was so fierce, but kind at the same time. I know why Percy fell for her, but that wasn't the only thing bothering me.

Chiron had explained everything to me - monsters, the mist, camp, gods, wars, everything. I was actually really impressed with Perseus, considering he's been through all of this AND put up with me. I felt really bad for taunting him all through freshman year about not getting dates and not passing grades. I had dyslexia and ADHD too, but never told anyone. I didn't think all of this was behind it.

Percy was with Annabeth somewhere, which left me alone in our cabin. He had really cleaned up since I got here a week ago. I stared at the fountain in the corner, listening to the trickle of the water drip down. Percy told me it was a way to communicate with other demigods. I caught him once talking to his mom about me.

"You don't get it, Mom!" he had said, and ran his fingers through his hair. I figured out that that was the first sign of stress for him.

"I know, Percy, it's okay. I don't mind." I was standing right outside the cabin door, peeking through a crack. Percy's back was to me, and he stood in front of the fountain.

"He left you! Clyde's just a few months younger... AND he kissed Annabeth."

"Percy, honey, I know you're mad right now, but Paul and I are going out..."

"Oh, okay then. Bye, Mom." He swiped his hand through the mist and disappeared from my view. I could hear the springs on his bed squeak, and that's when I went in and pretended nothing happened. After watching him admit that he wasn't really mad at me but his - I mean, our - dad, because he must have left his mom for my mom... all of it was so complicated, it made my head hurt.

Annabeth.

I had to make Percy forget about Clyde. We snuck out for pizza, driving now Percy's car. It was his step dad's, so it was a little old, but I wasn't complaining.

The ride there was silent, as well as getting to the shop. It wasn't fancy at all, but definitely Percy's kind of place. There was a candle at every table with the lights dimmed, giving it a romantic setting, but with the pizza smell, it wasn't formal at all.

"One small cheese, extra sauce," he said to the waitress, and she smiled at him, nodding a little too much.

When she walked away, I muttered, "Back off, girl."

"Now you know how I felt," Percy said, and gave me a weird look. "What?"

"You know I didn't want to kiss him," I told him, and I tried my hardest not to glare.

"Yeah... I'm sorry." He leaned his forearms against the table and hung his head. The date I had planned was not working. "He's still a jerk, though."

"Agreed." I put my hand on his shoulder so that he would look at me. I grinned. "No wonder he's your brother."

He smiled too, but it had a little sadness in it. "Too far, Chase. Just a little too far."

We just looked at each other for a while, and when the pizza came, I didn't think about the girl. I muttered a thanks or something like that, and Percy knitted his fingers with mine. I kissed him then, because I didn't want to after I got pizza breath, and it was the best date ever.