Annabeth's Mortal Friends

Chapter Six

Caleb Pierson POV:

I stood in front of the mirror in my bathroom, groaning in frustration and pulling the jacket off of my chest. I walked back to my room, tossing the jacket on my bed and staring in my closet again. It was weird, because I never really care about what I wear, but I had to do something to impress Annabeth's parents. I didn't want them to get the wrong idea about me or my intentions with their daughter, since I'll be alone with her for hours to work on this project. Shaking my head, I grabbed the jacket again and put it back on. I'm overthinking this, as long as I'm a good guest, my outfit really won't matter that much.

I hopped in my car, shutting the door and staring through my windshield, drumming my fingers against the wheel. Sighing, I rested my forehead on the backs of my nervous hands.  I really shouldn't be freaking out this much.  Annabeth and I have known each other for what feels like forever, going to her house isn't going to change anything.  There's nothing to freak out over.  As a sign of approval toward my personal pep talk, I brought my head up again, started the car, and headed off to the address Annabeth had given me earlier, which I may or may not have already memorized.

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I stared at the front door for a few seconds too long, messing with my hair and my jacket, trying to make it seem like I didn't put in as much effort as I actually had.  Sure, I wanted to look nice, but I didn't need to look so proper for what is technically just hanging out.  I raised my hand to the door, taking a deep breath and shaking my head a bit, knocking a few times.  You know, for how long I've known Annabeth, you would think that I would've been over to her house by now.  I wonder why that was...

I cleared my throat as the lock on the front door clicked.  The heavy wood swung open, revealing Annabeth with a bright smile on her face.  She was wearing a baggy grey sweatshirt that paired perfectly with her eyes, and a pair of shorts that showed off just enough leg for my liking.  God, she was gorgeous.  Her hair was tied up in a half-up half-down bun, with a pencil sticking through the bun.  It gave her a more intelligent look, which only made everything better.

"Hey Caleb!  Did you bring your books and stuff?"  Annabeth asked as she grabbed the sleeve of my jacket, lighting tugging me inside and shutting the door behind me.  I nodded, patting the bag handing off my shoulder.

"Everything's in here.  Are we going to work in your room?"  I asked, mentally kicking myself for making the words come out with such a hopeful tone.  Sure, they were definitely hopeful words, but I didn't need Annabeth to know that.

She shook her head, pointing toward the living room. A few couches surrounded a coffee table in the center of the room, facing away from the door. Over the backs of the couch, I could see a few loose papers sprawled out near a laptop. It was obvious that Annabeth had gotten a head start without me, which I'm totally fine with, given that she could ace a mythology test without any studying at all. Just another thing about her that puts her above any other girl.

"You can go ahead and toss your stuff down on the couch, I'm just going to grab some water from the kitchen. Do you want anything?" She asked, gesturing over her shoulder to what I assumed was the kitchen.

"Water would be great!" I responded, walking over to the couches and setting my bag on the floor, glancing around the room at the pictures on the wall. There were a few of Annabeth and her dad when she was little. Later, there were pictures of Mr. and Mrs. Chase with two boys, but Annabeth was nowhere to be seen. After those was a photo of Annabeth in an orange T-shirt and a Yankees baseball cap. The words on the shirt were slightly cut off by the frame. I could make out "camp" but I had no idea what the other word could be. I'm assuming this picture is from her infamous summer camp, which I swear is her favorite place on Earth.