pjo/hoo/toa & more

“That’s just hurtful.”

Annabeth cracks a grin.

“Why did you steal it?”

“You stole my title,” Annabeth explains. “So I stole your jacket. It seems like a fair deal, don’t you think?”

Percy leans against the wall to let one of the freshmen walking down the hallway pass by. “Have you considered that maybe I didn’t steal the title? Maybe I just did a better job decorating.”

“Maybe,” Annabeth gives him. “Doesn’t mean you didn’t cheat.”

“I was bound to cheat at some point,” Percy says. “You’ve won the decorating contest five years in a row. You really should have expected this.”

Annabeth bites her lower lip in a smile. “So you did cheat.”

“Again, I can’t confirm, but—”

“I’m going to report you to the principal,” Annabeth says. “And the police. You’re going to jail. I will make sure of it myself.”

“Kiss ass.”

“Cheater,” Annabeth spits back.

He shoves her shoulder lightly. He doesn’t say anything else, and she doesn’t either. They just stare at each other, and Percy’s eyes keep darting down to his sweater she has on. She hadn’t given it much thought as to how it would look to other people. She had just wanted to get a rise out of him, and it had. It just wasn’t necessarily the one she expected.

“I’m going to need you to explain it again,” Percy says suddenly. His hand grabs hers for a moment before moving to the sleeves that fall below her fingers. “How exactly does me beating you in the decoration contest correlate to you wearing my jacket around the school?”

Annabeth blinks. “Um.”

“Because I’m starting to think that it doesn’t correlate at all, and you just wanted to wear my jacket.” “Why would I ever do that?”

“Because it smells like me. I thought you liked that smell.”

Annabeth groans. “That was not what I said.”

“It is quite literally what you said.” Percy laughs in her face when she rolls her eyes. “Is that why you’re wearing my jacket?”

“No.” She runs her hands over the front of it, feeling the bumps of the printed reindeer. “I just liked the picture so I stole it. It looks better on me, anyway.”

“It definitely does.”

Annabeth pauses to look at him. He doesn’t seem to be ashamed or embarrassed by his words. Instead, he looks like he’s taunting her, with that troublemaker smile and his sparkling eyes. He’s waiting to see how she’ll react, she thinks.

“What did you just say?”

“I said it looks better on you than it does on me.”

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to say to that.”

“You’re not supposed to say anything,” Percy tells her. “You’re supposed to drag me to the nearest mistletoe and make out with me. It’s the rule.”

“It’s a rule if you’re already standing under mistletoe, which we are not.”

“Let me show you my classroom,” Percy says. “I think I put some mistletoe up in there somewhere.”

“Oh, really?” Annabeth muses. “Did you put it up there, or did Piper?”

Percy’s face falls. “She told you?!”

“Of course she did! I haven’t lost this contest in five years, and suddenly you’re stealing first place? She let up the second I questioned her.” “Okay, but what exactly did she say?”

Annabeth eyes him, a mix of disappointment and amusement. “Using the rich kid to decorate your classroom is a new low for you, Jackson.”

“It never said in the rules that I couldn’t.”

“They probably thought it was common sense not to exploit your students.”

“But technically, I didn’t cheat. I used my resources wisely, according to Piper.”

“According to Piper,” Annabeth mocks. “And you used my favorite student to cheat. I’ve been betrayed by both of you.”

“Piper will do anything you say, unless it comes to the two of us getting together,” Percy says. “She was adamant about that. There is mistletoe in every possible spot of the room just in case you walked in. That’s what she said, anyway.”

“Hm. I’m going to have a chat with her.”

“And the principal?”

Annabeth sighs. “I suppose not with the principal. You’d get fired, and then you’d never be able to see how hard I’m going to kick your ass next year.”

Percy grabs her hand now, and Annabeth focuses on how normal it feels for the two of them. His hand is warm, and she never wants to let go. “Come on. After you get over your anger of not winning—”

“—Of you cheating—”

“—You’ll be really impressed by my room.”

Annabeth doesn’t want to give in out of pure spite, but another part of her wants to take his hand and never look back. She gives in.

“I’ll look at your room.”

Percy grins.

“But I will not kiss you under the mistletoe. That’s embarrassing.” Percy gasps playfully. “I think that it’s adorable, but fine. You can always give me that kiss now, though. A little congratulations for winning?”

Annabeth rolls her eyes but steps onto her toes to give him a quick kiss. He’s ready for it, his hands sliding behind her back, and it makes her smile into it.

When she pulls away, he’s looking at her in adoration. His voice is cute and excited when he says again, “Let me show you my room.”

And so she lets him pull her down the hall with a smile plastered to her face.

He turns to look at her over his shoulder and says, “I still expect those mistletoe kisses, though.”