Annabeth's Mortal Friends

Chapter Thirty

Caleb Pierson POV:

I slid my binder into my backpack, half-hanging off of the edge of my chair. The second that bell rings, I'm out of here. I've kind of had to avoid the entire friend group today. I've gotten this far, so it'd be nice not to see them at all for now. I'm already on thin ice with Emma — she seems to deny ninety-five percent of my accusations against Percy, and I haven't been able to figure out why. No matter the reason, it's pretty clear that Emma and I aren't on the best of terms at the moment, so she's not someone I'd want to be alone with. Andrew will always have my back in one way or another, but he and Emma are pretty much glued at the hip. If I want him, I have to have Emma too.

As icing on the cake, that confrontation at Annabeth's house couldn't have possibly gone worse than it did.

Just when I start thinking Jordan and I are on the same page, suddenly we're fighting again. I don't know what I did wrong, but she was clearly upset the last time I saw her. It was probably Percy's fault.

Speaking of Percy, he's a mystery on his own. If it wasn't obvious, I hate the guy, but I can't ever tell how he feels about me. He starts off nice, attacks me as soon as I discover what he did to Annabeth, acts nice to me in front of people, but stares me down angrily at every other moment. I can never tell what he's thinking.

Of course, there's also Annabeth. I've made it very clear how I feel about her, and I think she's made it clear how she feels about me. Well, maybe not with words, but we all know those are Percy's words coming out of her mouth. I'll figure out how to save her eventually, but for now, I just need to get out of this building.

The bell rang, and I was out the door. The hallway was basically empty, which meant I had plenty of time to make my escape.

Or so I thought.

Jordan stepped out of a door at the far end of the hallway, and she gave me a look that very obviously said "Get over here right now."

For obvious reasons, I didn't want to do that. I instead chose to duck down the opposite corridor, blending in as the crowds erupted into the once-empty space. Jordan was far from sight, but that didn't mean I was safe from everyone. I walked as close to the wall as I could, making sure to keep my head down and my earbuds in — the perfect excuse to ignore someone.

I was 20 feet from my locker. 15 feet. 10 feet. Another classroom door opened a few feet in front of me, but I kept by head down. 5 feet away.

I had just passed the open classroom door when I felt something grip the backpack on my shoulder, yanking me through the open door. I stumbled inside, catching myself on a desk as the door shut behind me. I dusted myself off, turned around, and my neck tensed.

Percy Jackson stood by the door, dropping his hand from the door that he pushed shut. Ah, shit.

"Can we talk?" Percy asked, although it sounded more like a demand than a request. I gulped, glancing as he leaned against the wall by the door. It was clear I wouldn't make it very far if I tried to run for it.

I shoved my hands into my pockets, meeting his eye. "Sure, man. What do you want?" I tried to sound bold, but I honestly needed to do my best not to push this guy's buttons. Speaking from past experience, he's clearly unstable.

"I heard your conversation with Annabeth."

I gulped. "Yeah?"

Percy drummed his fingers against his arm. "Let me get everything straight: You're accusing me of attacking you, hitting Annabeth, and, based on a few outdated news articles, being a terrorist."

I shrugged my shoulders, nodding. "Yeah, that pretty much sums it up."

Percy sighed in frustration. Most people wouldn't take a criminal accusation so lightly, but to Percy it seemed more like an inconvenience than something to be worried about, which further proves my point. He's crazy.