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CHAPTER TWO : I DITCH STUDYING FOR THE ARCADE

Percy Jackson was hard to avoid. They had all their classes together, so Easton had to see him there. However, the dude decided he was going to sit next to her in all of them. She didn't understand why, especially with the way she had ditched him and Rachel during lunch.

This happened all week. Their classes didn't have assigned seating, so whenever Easton tried to move to a new seat, Percy followed. He tried to talk to her as well, but Easton had only shrugged or did one word reply and Percy would get awkward and then shut his mouth. Easton also saw Rachel in the hallways throughout the time as well. The redhead had acted nice, smile and waved, and Easton had given her a nod because she didn't think she needed the niceness. Not with how she had, unintentionally or not, been rude to the girl.

Still, Percy was persistent. He clearly wanted to be a friend or something and Easton had never had anyone so determined to be her friend. She had friends, she did. Most of camp got along with her and thanks to the one idea she got that took her the forge at camp, Beckendorf and her were attached at the hip most of the time. But, Percy sought her out and tried to talk and get to know each other. He had spent ten minutes explaining his favourite colour, blue, but he was trying to romanticize it in a way that Easton couldn't help but snort and then tell him her favourite colour was lavender.

She sat in the bathtub in her en suite, staring at the taps that would turn on the tub, and scrubbing a hand over her face. "I just don't know how to act around him! Why would Perseus Jackson want to be my friend now, after knowing of my existence for three years and doing nothing about it then?"

Aphrodite was picking at her nails on the other side of the Iris Message, before she started to file them down again. She hummed, and Easton felt herself drawn over to look at the goddess. The goddess always looked like what Easton thought Erika in real life looked like from Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper. That, and then sometimes she started to look faintly like Scarlett Johansson from the Perfect Score."Maybe he never had the chance to do it before?"Aphrodite had a look about her, like she knew something. Easton found herself narrowing her eyes at her. "Or maybe he was intimidated by your beauty?"

"What did you do?" Easton sat up more in the bathtub. Aphrodite had a look on her face that made Easton know that this was probably part of some godly scheme and she felt her own hackles raise. "Aphrodite," she ignored the thunder that happened in the distance at the invocation of the name, "Don't tell me this was all you!"

"Oh, by the Fates, Easton," Aphrodite giggled. Easton definitely didn't believe anything she was about to say, as much as she was fond of the goddess. "Not everything that happens is done by us. Sometimes the Fates have already weaved your story alongside another's."

"Where's Ares?" Easton said, crossing her arms over her chest and not looking at the woman on the other side of the Iris Message. "He would tell me to fight Percy for him and show them what his family's made of. I'd rather deny that than listen to you lie."

Aphrodite gasped, placing a delicate hand on her chest in mock-hurt. "My dear, Easton! I would never lie to you! I didn't have anything to do with how much Percy Jackson is trying to be your friend. However, I may have had a hand in your mother's new job. But just a smidgen, a drachmas size."

"I hate you," Easton groaned, starting to get up. It was probably time for her mom to call her for dinner anyway. Her and Aphrodite had been talking about her school week for a while anyway. It was probably time the two of them got on with their lives. Easton had homework she needed to do and she needed to revise some of her notes and make them more neat.

"No you don't," Aphrodite sing-songed, before she was smiling gently at Easton, who was now standing in front of her. "Maybe try to get along with him, Dear. He may be a little shit to us gods, but he has a good heart."

"Yeah yeah, whatever. I'm only taking Iris Messages from Ares from now on," Easton grumbled, lifting her arm to disconnect the call as Aphrodite scoffed.

"Who will talk about what you're gonna wear then?" Aphrodite raised an eyebrow.

Easton shrugged, "Ares can gift me some good looking leather armour. Bye, Aphrodite." And she swiped her hand through the Iris Message from the goddess, dispelling it. She looked around her bathroom for a second, wondering if she should jury rig some way to get a misty rainbow the way Beckendorf taught her to talk to said boy. If she was going to listen to anyone's advice, it was going to be the older half-blood.

However, her mother called her for dinner, like she thought she would, before Easton could come to a decision. She sighed as she made her way to the pristine dining room, looking at the too long table and giving her mom an awkward, tight lipped smile. Diona didn't even seem to notice the slight tension that always permeated the space between them. Her mother asked about her school mostly, as they served themselves, and after Easton gave her the standard response that highlighted she was doing her best, the two of them ate in silence. Easton didn't even try to ask about her mom's job, because she already knew the response. Her mother took the patient-doctor confidentiality very seriously. She wouldn't share anything with Easton.

After they finished, Diona went to get ready for bed, announcing that she was on call at the hospital, and Easton loaded the dishes into their dishwasher. She then got herself some ice cream from the freezer and went back to her room, setting up her desk to do her homework. It didn't take her very long to finish the assignment they had in the math workbook. The longest part of it was any of the word problems, which she had to sit and parse through so she could understand what it was asking her.

When she was done, she turned on her phone, which usually sat on her bedside table. Easton never carried it around, mostly because it was a beacon for monsters, especially when it was on. It got her scolded half the time, her mom telling her she needed to have it in case there was an emergency and they needed to get in contact with each other. However, her mother has never once needed to call or text her, so she didn't see the problem with leaving the thing that might potentially get her killed at home.

There were a couple texts, mostly from Beckendorf and Will. She responded to Will's first, reading about his day and telling him about her's. The two of them had the smallest conversation, a little check in with each other, before wishing each other good night. Easton then clicked on Beckendorf's text chain and was surprised to see he had sent her Percy's number and was telling her to text him.

To: Beckendorf

I knew you were friends with Percy, but this is a glowing recommendation!

From: Beckendorf

I can hear the sarcasm. Just give him a shot, East, he's a cool dude.

To: Beckendorf

Fine. But if he actually sucks, you owe me an energy drink from the Stoll bros.

From: Beckendorf

Yeah, okay

But he's not going to suck.

So, Easton found herself texting Percy, on Beckendorf's recommendation. It took him a little bit to respond, probably because he had his phone off like she had. And, Easton had to begrudgingly admit, Beckendorf was right. Percy wasn't terrible to talk to. He was pretty fun and charismatic and Easton found herself talked into going to the arcade the next day (which was Saturday). And, they even chatted a bit more, until Percy seemed to begrudgingly admit he still had to do some of his homework and wished her a goodnight.

Easton hated to admit it to herself, but she turned off her phone and felt herself smiling to herself as she tucked it away again.

Her mother stopped her the next morning, a frown seen in the middle of her eyebrows. Despite the fact that Easton would love to sleep in on her Saturday, all her homework done and handed in, it was a rule in the house that they had to eat breakfast together. So, she was awake earlier than she wanted to be, but she was getting ready for her hang out with Percy. Her mom was staring, narrow eyed, at her half finished face.

It's not like Easton had to try a lot to look good. She was blessed by Aphrodite with beauty and she's sure her natural good looks came from her father (not that her mother wasn't pretty, she was, she just didn't want it to define her). So, she wasn't doing a lot, just something naturally enhancing.

However, the way her mom was staring at her, the almost concealed look of disgust on her face, Easton felt like she was wearing bright blue eyeshadow and purple lipstick. Easton found herself slowly lowering herself into her usual spot around their too-big dining table, meeting her mother's gaze head on.

"What are you doing?" Easton blinked at her mom as she reached for the cereal in the middle of the table and a bowl. Diona sipped at her smoothie and sighed. "Why are you doing that to your face?"

"Because I have plans later," Easton said slowly. Her and Percy had agreed to meet at a McDonald's near the cafe and then head to the arcade for however long it took for two ADHD kids to get bored. Whether they continued to hang out after that, she wasn't sure. Easton would be happy either way, depending on if Percy didn't "suck" like she had accused him of with Beckendorf.

"Oh, you found a study group already," Diona looked happy upon her wrongful discovery. Easton found herself wanting to roll her eyes as she shoveled some of her chosen cereal into her mouth. She didn't, of course, because her mom would make her study some insane subject and put on a presentation for her due to her perceived attitude problems, So, Easton found herself shaking her head as she swallowed her mouthful of food.

"No, a friend wanted to show me around New York. They've lived here for all of their life, so we thought it would be fun," Easton made a point to not tell her it was a boy. Her mom would probably freak about the fact that it could be a perceived date and that Easton had no time for boys.

Diona had planned Easton's life in her head. Easton knows that she's still hoping that the summer camp thing will fizzle out and instead of going to Long Island during the summer, she'll go to science camp or something like that. Something that will help her learn skills that she will need for a successful life in something science or medicine. And, ironically, despite the fact that they ruined her life, Easton found herself wanting to know everything there was to know about Greek Mythology and Classics. She loves going to the museum and spending hours learning and reading about all the artifacts and would love to help curate something like that.

She just doesn't have the heart to tell her that. That despite being only fifteen, she was drawn to this stuff, even if the gods were massive assholes that sat on their cloud-top mountain and watched over everything.

"Oh. Well, please do some studying or something when you get back today," it was said in a curt, no argument kind of way that Easton knows if she doesn't look like she was studying, she will be getting grounded. Easton nodded, shoveled the rest of her cereal in her mouth, which she had been eating throughout the conversation, and got up, taking her bowl and her mother's glass to put in their dishwasher. Then, she wished her mother goodbye and a good day of work and went back to get ready in her room.

After she finished doing her makeup, she got dressed. She found herself pausing in front of the mirror with only her bra and pants on, prodding at the burn scar that was on her side. It had been the result of staying in the tree she had been perched in while Kronos' army had invaded from the Labyrinth and threw fire at the trees. Everyone else had bailed while Easton had stayed perched, shooting one last arrow as the tree she was in caught flame.

She had healed, but she was now hiding the scar from her mom. And everyone who didn't know about it. And so she was stuck wearing swimsuits that covered everything until she was ready to admit she was hurt. It wasn't the only scar she had. All of the small knicks and scratches that seemed so small now, but weren't when it happened came from monsters. She had a habit of taking the hits and surprising her opponent, rather than dodging or parrying. Easton never did it around Chiron during training or she knew she would be scolded for it.

After a moment, she pursed her lips at herself in the mirror before putting on a shirt. Then, she grabbed one of the few fantasy books in her room and started reading it, trying to waste time until her and Percy's agreed meeting.

Easton, oddly, couldn't focus on the book. She was lying to herself when she said she wasn't nervous about her plans. As much as she liked to play it off, she never had very many friends in her schools. It was weird that Percy was in her class, and even weirder that he wanted to be friends with her. She'd talked to him a few times at camp, but he had been a certain way there, especially when his life was uprooted most of the time and he was sent on life endangering quests every summer (or he snuck onto them during winter breaks). The only people who she could really say she was close to were Beckendorf, who had taken her under his charismatic wing and tried to train her in the forge (though that didn't happen), and Will Solace, who was just as likely to lecture her on her injuries as he was to make plans to practice archery together. And Malcolm Pace, but they always got so caught up in talking about strategies that they would almost be considered work friends than anything.

When it was time to go meet Percy, Easton put her book back, grabbed her bag, and went to the agreed meeting place. It was some sort of deli, she thinks, as she stares up at the sign lit up overtop the entrance. She's not sure if Percy wants to get something to eat there or not, but she waits patiently. There's a part of her that wishes she had bought a coffee from somewhere, but she knows it's too late, if Percy decides to get there on time.

Easton hears the sound of tires on concrete and turns to see the boy she was just thinking about riding towards her on a skateboard. She finds herself feeling surprised. In hindsight, it made perfect sense for Percy to be a skater, but seeing him slice through hellhounds and turn monsters to dust just made it seem strange for her to see him doing something so mundane on the weekends.

She watched him put his foot down, then launching one side of the board up for him to catch the wheel tracks in his hand. The skateboard looked fairly new, with only a few stickers on the bottom of the board, though it seems Percy was starting his collection.

Percy checks his watch on his wrist, which Easton just noticed. It looked like a quite complex one, but Easton knows that Percy doesn't come from wealth. She wonders if it was a gift from Rachel. Then, she shakes the thoughts from her head, it's really none of her business. Not as much as Percy blushing at the glance at his watch.

"You're early," he says, clearing his throat, though he's still pink. Easton understands why Rachel, Annabeth, and that nameless girl in class have a crush on him.

"So are you," she shrugs, taking a look at the surroundings around them. It's a pretty busy day and there's a lot of foot traffic on the New York sidewalk. Easton wasn't used to as many people, a lot of them doing things on phones or just being human. She turned back to Percy, "To the arcade then?"

He nodded. Then, he turned to face one of the ways, picked up his skateboard to walk comfortably with it, and then the two of them started to walk together. Easton's not very good at small talk, but she indulges in it with Percy. They talk about their mornings, and Percy's is a lot more exciting than hers. Apparently, he's been secretly starting to pack up his room, or at least sorting it. His mom recently got engaged (or was going to be?) to one of the English Teachers at Goode and they were probably going to be moving soon into a bigger apartment or house. And, he had breakfast with his mom and her boyfriend? fiance? and felt smug about the fact that he knew something amazing that was going to happen to his mom.

Easton couldn't help but smile at him. His excitement was contagious and they talked about random things until they arrived at the arcade. When inside, they each got their own coins for the machines, exchanging some bills for the quarters needed to play.

Easton sucked. She found herself mashing buttons more time than not and lost so quickly against Percy that the boy took pity and they started playing the co-op games. Percy still carried them though, but they were having fun. They jeered playfully and laughed, and Easton found herself shoving the boy when he made a comment about her gaming skills, the two of them laughing despite it making Percy loose. In the end, Percy ended up taking over playing as Easton watched and shouted orders at him. It was the best situation, because Easton wasn't good with the controls, but could see the best way to win. Percy could also see ways to win, but he was way better with the buttons.

They spent a lot of time hogging the Pac-Man and Space Invader games when they moved on from the co-op games. And when Percy had beat one of the higher levels in Pac-Man, taking the highest score from the previous owner, Easton found herself cheering and throwing her arms around the boy. Maybe she was a little too into it, she realized, as Percy caught her and pulled her flush against him as they jumped around happily, noticing the stares from the other kids and teenagers. But, Percy was warm and solid in her arms and he was just as excited, which made her pull back and smile widely at him. He was pink again with a blush, but his sea green eyes were sparkling and his black hair was tousled from their jumping.

Easton is, once again, struck with how attractive Percy is. And she finds herself coughing, turning away, searching her pockets for another coin. "I don't have anymore quarters," she announces after a pat down on her pockets and searching her bag.

After Percy finishes searching his own pockets, he sighs, "Me either." They stand in the silence between them for a minute, the sounds of other people's laughter and the music playing over the overhead speakers filling it. Percy checks his watch, frowning slightly at the time.

Easton finds herself scanning the room, in case there were any monsters, but she couldn't see anything. Then, she found herself saying, "I don't wanna go home yet."

"Me either," Percy repeats, then thinks for a second and says, "wanna go grab some food."

Easton nods. They start making their way out of the arcade, smiling and waving at the guy that works at the front. The walk to the closest McDonalds isn't far and Easton insists on pay as a treat for Percy's victory over the ghosts in Pac-Man. Plus, it's not like it's expensive. And, Easton was never going to admit it, especially not to Beckendorf, but Percy Jackson doesn't suck as bad as she had initially thought. 

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so, i just think they're neat.