thebonggirl

Her tutoring sessions with Sieun continued as usual. No, she hadn't stopped trying to decipher his gaze, even though it was rarely directed at her unless she'd made a mistake in a math problem. The awkwardness existed entirely on her side. For some reason, she found it surprisingly difficult to move past something so trivial when she'd survived far more embarrassing moments before. Like the time a girl had quietly pulled her aside to let her know one of her bra straps had slipped off her shoulder. Compared to that, this was nothing.

After rethinking a dozen times whether she should continue sitting behind Sieun, she concluded that he had no idea about her embarrassment, so nobody really cares. 

"We have a new student." The teacher's voice drew everyone's attention to the front of the classroom, where a frail-looking boy with glasses stood beside her. "Please introduce yourself."

"Hello. I'm Oh Beomseok."

He looks like the perfect candidate for Youngbin's next target.

And just as expected, the boys gathered around him the moment the teacher stepped out of the classroom. "Where are you from?" Youngbin asked.

"Mungang High School," Beomseok answered.

Youngbin let out a chuckle. "Born with a silver spoon, huh? You know Jiwon from Mungang? We're best buds."

It was no surprise that the kind of friends who flocked around Yeongbin would be exactly like him. Beomseok just confirmed the fact with his stutter and body language.  With a quiet sigh, she looked away and found Suho asleep at his desk, his head resting on his folded arms. She poked him relentlessly until he clicked his tongue in annoyance. Amusing.

For someone so terrible at framing sentences, Suho was surprisingly good at reading her mood. She remembered him waiting outside after her shift the previous evening.

"Come on," he'd said. "Do you really think Sieun actually overthinks things the way you do?"

She'd genuinely tried to stay annoyed with him. It hadn't worked. He just had some misconceptions about how she had a crush on Sieun, but that's understandable when she barely talked about anyone else. Or to anyone else.

"You stare at him a lot," Suho muttered without lifting his head.

Y/N leaned over slightly. "Do you think he knows?" she whispered.

One eye slowly opened, followed by a grin. "Wow." He looked almost impressed. "So we're finally past the denial phase?"

Before she could defend herself, she saw Sieun enter the classroom which shut her up pretty quickly. Not just because he was the topic of discussion, but because Youngbin was currently sitting on his desk.

"Move," Sieun said evenly. "That's my seat."

Youngbin turned around with a glare and said, "I don't want to."

Oh, fuck.

Y/N noticed Sieun lower his gaze for a brief moment before picking up a pen. When he looked back at Youngbin, his expression hadn't changed. "I said move."

Youngbin clicked his tongue and got to his feet. "I'm getting real sick of your attitude." The others stood up beside him. Y/N instinctively started to rise from her seat, already thinking of how she could stop this before it escalated. But Suho beat her to it.

"Why are you guys so chatty these days?" he mumbled. "I'm trying to sleep." He lazily lifted his head from the desk. "So... can I go back to sleep?"

Youngbin scoffed, but he and his friends backed off almost immediately. For all the trouble they caused everyone else, they seemed to know exactly where to draw the line when it came to Suho. Y/N didn't know whether Suho always interfered because he didn't like bullies, or if he sensed the anger Sieun carried with him. 

She was about to send the most risque text she had ever sent to anyone.

"Oh my God, are you shitting me?" Before she could react, Suho snatched the phone from her hand and quickly typed something.

"Hey!" She grabbed it back just as fast and stared at the screen.

"You do realize you're technically making me text myself?" Suho groaned, glaring at her.

The mock test is the day after tomorrow. She needed tomorrow to revise everything on her own, without Sieun's help. Which meant today was her last tutoring session with Sieun. Assuming she passed, there wouldn't really be a reason for them to keep meeting after this. The thought left an odd feeling in her chest. She wanted to spend a little more time with him...just today. Which meant she actually had to ask, and it wouldn't be possible if she didn't make any plans.

"So?" Suho asked, "Did I fuck it up?"

Y/N looked down at the message and frowned, "I... don't know. Is it weird to ask for more tutoring when he's already covered everything?"

When she looked up, Suho was smiling. A little too knowingly. "So?" he asked. "Why are you so nervous?"

"Well... after the stunt you pulled yesterday—"

"No." He cut her off. "Why does it feel like you're about to lose him?"

Y/N froze. She lowered her eyes to her phone again, avoiding his gaze. She didn't want to answer that. But it's no use hiding anymore.

"Okay, fine," she sighed, dropping her forehead onto the desk. "I just think he's cute. That's all. He has pretty eyes, okay?"

"You can see those pretty eyes every day in class."

"...Not up close." A small smile escaped before she could stop it. When she looked back at Suho, he was already wearing that irritatingly smug I-knew-it grin.

"But something feels... off about him," Suho said after a moment, the teasing fading from his voice. "Just be careful."

Y/N nodded and raised her eyebrows, "I know what you mean. He's kind of scary."

Suho looked offended. "Am I not scary?"

"No." She rested her chin in her hands. "You're more like a dog. And before you yell, that's a compliment."

Ting. 

Both of them looked at her phone. Suho immediately dragged his chair closer. "It's happening." Y/N opened the message. 

Sure. 

One word. That was all. Yet somehow, it was enough to make her smile. Suho burst into laughter and raised a hand for a high-five. "Am I not the greatest wingman ever?"

"Anything else?" Sieun's voice pulled her back to reality. His eyes bored straight into her soul.

Good Lord. Two hours had gone by, and she'd run out of excuses to keep the tutoring session going.

"Are you stalling on purpose?"

Y/N flinched. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. Instead, her eyes drifted to the fading marks around his neck. "Did you... not apply the medicine?"

"I did."

That was it. She couldn't take the awkwardness anymore. Suho was right. She could always see him in the classroom. Slowly, she packed her books into her bag.

"Um..." She hesitated. "Do you want to grab dinner together?"

Sieun stood up, packed his things, and slung his bag over his shoulder. He didn't answer and simply started walking toward the exit. Y/N smiled to herself as she hurried after him. Close enough.

The evening air was cool as they walked in silence. After a while, she glanced sideways at him. "I feel like you're entering dangerous territory," she said. "Youngbin is one step away from becoming a criminal."

"So am I."

Y/N stopped in her tracks. Was...Was that a joke?

A laugh escaped her. "You know," she said as she caught up to him, "I think I'm starting to understand you better."

Sieun, who had been walking a step ahead, slowed down and looked back at her. There was something about his eyes, or maybe the way he said it. Whatever it was, she could feel warmth creeping into her cheeks. Either in embarrassment or in fear. Maybe both.

"Same goes for me."

Y/N's heart skipped a beat.

Surely he didn't mean that the way she thought he did...right?

next: chapter five >

invisible

"She kept DM-ing me, so we went to eat for like one time." Suho finally straightened up in his seat. "But she's not my type."

The situation somehow escalated into the group of boys charging at Suho with baseball bats, only to get thoroughly—and quite embarrassingly—beaten by him. She'd always been confident in his abilities, but seeing him in action was an entirely different experience. Y/N rubbed her forehead. One of these days, he was going to send her blood pressure through the roof. 

"Are you okay?" she asked afterward.

Suho looked offended.

"Did you see me get hit?"

"Yeah. Back when he shoved the bat into your chest and—"

"Oh, did I do that?" Suho interrupted her and turned back to face Sieun, who was staring at him. He accidentally knocked off his pencil case.

"...Oh." Suho immediately crouched down. He gathered everything and carefully placed it back on the desk. "Sorry, man. My bad."

"Why do that in a classroom?" Seiun responded, turning back to his work.

After work, Y/N found herself wanting to talk to Sieun. Maybe he deserved an apology. Indirectly or not, she'd played a role in making him Youngbin's newest target. The problem was finding a way to bring it up. Most of their conversations revolved around math. 

"Y equals—" Sieun sighed, "What?"

Y/N blinked, "What?"

"You haven't been listening."

She pressed her lips together before meeting his gaze. "You know... I wanted to apologize."

"What for?"

"For earlier."

Sieun waited.

"Maybe we should've been more discreet or something."

"And that would've solved the issue?"

She paused, "...No."

"Then why apologize?"

Fair enough. Neither spoke for a moment. Then Y/N leaned back in her chair.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You just did."

She rolled her eyes. "Why do you keep poking the bear?"

A small crease appeared between his brows. "Do you think he'd stop if I didn't?"

Y/N opened her mouth, then closed it again. Because unfortunately, he had a point. The rest of the session passed in relative silence. Which was what confused her. Wasn't he supposed to be annoyed? His tone hadn't changed. His expression hadn't changed. Nothing about him suggested he was upset. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. He wasn't glaring. It was just...A normal conversation.

That realization felt strangely comforting. And before she could think better of it—

"You wanna..." She suddenly felt a bit conscious, "...have dinner together?"

"Couldn't you have done some research before going on that date?" Y/N asked the next morning. She shrugged, "Then again, she's single. It's not like you needed to know who she liked."

"Something feels different." Suho narrowed his eyes, "You're cheerful."

Y/N nearly choked, "What makes you say that?"

"You haven't complained about me once today."

"Oh, shut up." She smacked his arm, and Suho immediately started laughing.

"What?" she asked.

"Did you get his number?"

"Nope." She popped the 'p' loudly. That earned her a deeply confused look.

"Then what's going on?"

Y/N hesitated. "He's just... not what I expected."

"Right." Suho nodded, "I have absolutely no idea what that means."

"Good."

"But I'm pretty sure you like him now."

"No?!" Her voice squeaked. Unfortunately, that only made Suho grin wider. She immediately looked away.

Okay. Maybe she spent a lot of time looking at him. Maybe she thought about him more often than she should. Maybe she was happy things weren't awkward anymore. Maybe conversations didn't have to be entirely about math now. But that didn't mean—

"You're blushing."

"I'm not."

Before Suho could continue ruining her life, the sports teacher blew his whistle. "Three laps. Go." Saved.

Y/N immediately started running. The first lap wasn't bad. The second was annoying. By the third, she remembered she didn't care enough to run fast. This wasn't the Olympics. Nobody was handing out medals. Training with Suho had improved her stamina. Unfortunately, it hadn't improved her enthusiasm. 

As she jogged, her eyes drifted elsewhere. Specifically toward Sieun. Who was currently in last place by a considerable margin. He wasn't even running anymore—half jogging, half walking and entirely miserable.

Honestly, he needed the self-defense lessons more than she did. At least she could finish three laps. By the time she finished, she practically collapsed beside Suho. Meanwhile, her eyes continued tracking Sieun. Sweaty, out of breath, but still refusing to quit.

"What a sexy sight, huh?" Suho teased, poking her with his elbow.

"Oh my god, I knew this was coming," Y/N groaned, "I told you I was observing!"

"Observing what?" He pointed, "He's literally just running."

Y/N stood up, "He needs water."

Suho stared at her, smirking.

"What? It's just water. I'm a decent human, you know?" Y/N sighed and added, "He used to faint before."

Suho stared at her with a smirk. "So you've been keeping count?"

She abandoned the conversation entirely and walked away.

Y/N hadn't expected much to change after yesterday. Unfortunately, she was wrong. The situation somehow managed to get worse. As she returned with the water bottle, she noticed a crowd gathered near the boys' locker room.

Students whispered among themselves, watching and waiting. Then the crowd began dispersing. Youngbin and his friends emerged first, laughing on their way. Youngbin spotted her immediately. A grin stretched across his face. Then they turned the corner and disappeared.

A few seconds later, Sieun stepped out. His eyes were red, and so was his face. And despite the way he tried to carry himself normally, she knew something had happened. By now, she had gotten better at reading him. Not perfectly, but enough.

Quietly, she fell into step beside him. Neither said anything for a while. She held out the water bottle, and Sieun accepted it.

"You want to go to the nurse?" she asked.

"No." His answer came instantly. "It's bothersome."

Of course it was. Y/N sighed and continued walking beside him anyway.

She didn't expect him to continue tutoring her. Honestly, she expected him to take a break. Any normal person would do the same. Any normal person would've. When she brought it up at the end of the day, Sieun answered her concern with a question of his own. "Are you making up an excuse?"

At some point, she'd decided it was perfectly reasonable to bring him medicine for the bruises on his neck. Along with a strawberry milk. The marks were impossible to miss. Courtesy of Taehoon, who had apparently tried to choke him. Whether Sieun had said something to provoke them or not was anyone's guess. Then again, Youngbin and his friends had never needed a reason. Sieun's existence seemed to be reason enough. Talking back probably hadn't helped.

By the end of their study session, Y/N slid the medicine and strawberry milk across the table. They stopped beside his notebook. His eyes shifted from the items to her. 

Y/N pointed at her own neck. "For those."

For a moment, he simply stared. Then he quietly picked both up and slipped them into his bag. No refusal or complaint. No monotonous "no need" response about them.

The library closed shortly after, forcing them outside. The evening air was cool as they walked in silence. Y/N shoved her hands into her pockets. "Did Youngbin throw your uniform away today?"

No answer. Not that she expected one, but anyway, she was hoping for one. She sighed. Now I am poking the bear.

They continued walking as the bus stop came into view ahead.

"Come on," she said. Sieun glanced at her. Y/N shrugged, "Let's get dinner."

A pause. "You don't have to," he said.

"Good thing I wasn't asking. And it's not just for you. I need a break."

For a second, she thought he might refuse. Then he simply kept walking beside her.

Which, coming from Yeon Sieun, was close enough to a yes.

Morning went as usual. Her parents called. As usual.

Y/N had already told them about the tutoring sessions and her part-time job. There was no reason to mention the self-defense lessons with Suho. They'd panic and immediately decide he was some kind of delinquent.

The day got slightly more interesting when she received a text. A very confusing text.

Sieun here. Save my number.

Y/N stared at the message. That...Didn't sound like him at all.

Which was why she decided to ask him directly. As soon as she entered the classroom, her eyes found him.

He was studying. 

For a moment, she considered sitting behind him. Then reconsidered. Would that just give Youngbin another excuse? Although if she was being honest, she didn't think she was the reason anymore. She was just the easiest thing Youngbin could use to annoy Sieun. And judging by Sieun's reactions, he couldn't care less. Her existence didn't exactly register as a threat or anything particularly important. With that cheerful thought in mind, she dropped into the seat behind him.

"Hey," she called him, putting her bag on the table behind him. "Did you...text me yesterday?"

Sieun looked up from his notebook and stared at her. His expression remained blank. Y/N immediately regretted asking.

"No?" she said awkwardly. She pulled out her phone. "Is this your number?"

Sieun glanced at the screen, then sighed. His eyes shifted past her. Toward the back of the classroom, where Suho was asleep with his face planted on the desk. With that one word and no explanation, he focused on his notebook again. 

Y/N slowly turned around and narrowed her eyes.

Did this idiot do something?

"Oh yeah," Suho admitted during lunch. He shoved another piece of meat into his mouth. "I accidentally ended up at his apartment while doing a delivery."

Y/N stared. "And?"

"And he gave me water."

"...And?"

Suho pointed his chopsticks at her. "So I told him not to leave you hanging."

Y/N's chopsticks slipped from her fingers and clattered against her plate. Heat immediately rushed to her face. "You said what?"

Suho blinked, "What?"

"Did you actually phrase it like that?"

"What?" Suho looked genuinely confused. "What's wrong with that?"

"Did you specifically tell him not to leave me hanging?"

A slow grin spread across his face. Y/N immediately knew she wasn't going to like whatever came next.

"Oh." Suho said, "I told him not to make you worry."

Y/N covered her face. As if that was any better. Across from her, Suho looked incredibly pleased with himself.

Now she had his number. Technically. The problem was that she had absolutely no idea what to do with it. Could she text him? Would that be weird? Would that cross some invisible boundary she'd spent days trying not to cross? The questions bounced around her head for the rest of lunch.

Almost unconsciously, her eyes drifted toward Sieun. He was exactly where he always sat. Earphones in and having his lunch. Completely unaware of the crisis occurring across the room. Or maybe aware. It was hard to tell with him.

What bothered her wasn't the number itself. It was something else. Something small and embarrassing. A tiny part of her had assumed things were different now. Not drastically. Just...Different. Enough that he might've asked for her number himself.

What if she got sick? What if she couldn't make it to tutoring? What if he needed to reschedule? Normal people exchanged numbers for those reasons all the time. The more she thought about it, the more ridiculous she felt. Maybe she'd imagined progress where there wasn't any. Maybe she'd mistaken familiarity for closeness.

Maybe—Maybe it was just all in her head.

next: chapter four >

invisible

"With who? Actually, never mind. I probably don't know her anyway."

"Son Naeun. She kept blowing up my phone." He glanced at her. "By the way, did you get his number?"

Y/N froze.

"Shi—"

Y/N's phone rang for the fifth time that day. She ignored it.

Well, mostly. She had already answered her mother's call earlier that morning. This one was from her father. And she knew exactly how it would go if she picked up. Her mom definitely snitched on her.

Not that it was her fault they had decided to cut off her pocket money.Honestly, she was enjoying the slight change in her life. The job didn't require much interaction, but it gave her plenty to observe. Different kinds of people. Different personalities. Different drama for sure. 

Suho was not nearly as careless as she had first thought, either. He knew exactly how to handle people. And judging by the number of girls who conveniently found reasons to stop by, he was very aware of the effect he had on them.

Yawning, Y/N stepped into the classroom.

There he was. Pretty ey— As in her tutor. He was bent over a notebook, writing something down. Does he ever do anything else? She walked towards her seat, which, now that she thinks about it, wasn't far from his. If she sat any closer, would that count as invading his personal space?

Siuen slowly looked up from his notebook and turned to her direction. The same bored, mildly irritated expression greeted her.

Oh right! She immediately looked away. He had specifically asked her not to stare.

"I am gonna head out first," Suho said after school.

"To your date?" Y/N asked. "Are you not gonna dress up at least?"

"Maybe after work." His eyes flickered toward Sieun for a brief second.

"Yeah, text me later and tell me how it went," Y/N said, taking an exit, following Sieun.

She could probably recognize him in a crowd just from the way he walked. Eyes forward. Earphones in. Completely uninterested in the rest of humanity. Quickening her pace, she caught up to him. For a second, she considered tapping his shoulder.

Instead, she poked him. As if that's somehow less annoying.

Sieun pulled one earbud free and glanced back.

"I was thinking about a tutoring schedule," she said, meeting his gaze. "Something you are comfortable with." 

A pause. "Also, give me your number."

His eyes shifted back to the road ahead. "Every morning. Before class."

"But what about the other students? I will not understand anything if it is noisy."

"That is why I said early morning."

If she had known someone like Sieun existed nearby—someone willing to teach her every day without being excessively nosy about why she didn't have friends—she would have asked for help much sooner. It did help as he didn't have any either. 

Not only did she learn math, but also how to appreciate the bed she has. Where she was barely getting any sleep.

Her schedule had become ridiculous - morning tutoring sessions, classes, part-time work, and then studying everything else at home. She was running almost entirely on determination.

Sieun was not the type to criticize people. He did not lecture. He did not sigh dramatically. He did not say anything about being disappointed. His eyes handled all of that for him. She still remembered the first day he had given her a test to assess her level. After looking through her answers, he stared at the paper for an entire minute.

"...You need to start with the basics," Sieun muttered.

At the time, she had genuinely thought he was about to give up on her. Instead, he did exactly what he had said. They started from the basics. Maybe he treated tutoring the same way he treated everything else. Like an assignment he refused to fail. To be fair, she had done her part too. Mostly by making sure their conversations stayed strictly related to math. Math and nothing else.

Progress came gradually. Not just in mathematics, but with him, too. Y/N had to give credit where it was due. At some point, he had quietly moved their sessions from the classroom in the morning to a public library in the evening. He never explained why. But she guessed that he understood. 

He understood what his student needed. Sometimes she did not even have to say anything. He would slow down when she looked confused. Repeat explanations when she seemed uncertain. Find a different method when the first one did not work. He was becoming surprisingly good at reading her. Which was irritating. Because she had been the one trying so hard to figure him out. Trying to figure out what's behind those eyes.

It also meant she spent more time looking at him than she would like to admit. His features were not...Well, they were not bad if she was being honest.

Did she get his number?

Nope. She had intended to ask by now. But somehow it felt like crossing a line. Things were going well. She did not want to ruin that. Sure, that was the reason.

Definitely.

Besides, she had already asked once. She did not want to seem desperate.

Y/N couldn't hold back her smile. She was improving.

12 out of 20.

Sure, it was not amazing, but she had passed! She glanced toward Sieun with a smile. Maybe she'll treat him to dinner today as a gesture of gratitude. 

"Everyone," the teacher announced, "two students received awards in the Intramural Mathematics Competition." The classroom quieted. "Yeon Sieun. Jeon Youngbin. Come up here."

The room erupted into cheers, followed by a round of applause. Which was exactly what Y/N did not understand. Most of it was reserved solely for Youngbin, and what part of him deserved cheering? If he were not such a bully from some rich family, and surrounded by people desperate to stay on his good side, nobody would have cared.

"Yeon Siuen, gold prize," the teacher read, handing him a certificate, "This student received the above prize at the Intramural Mathematics Competition."

Y/N started with a loud clap, although it died midway when she realized no one joined in. A few glances came her way, including Sieun's.

"Jeon Youngbin, bronze prize. I'm handing you the same certificate," the teacher said, which was once again followed by hoots and cheers.

Maybe she should not have clapped for Sieun. Or maybe she should have clapped for both. Because that awkward moment was the beginning of something she had been trying to avoid.

The bell rang, indicating the end of the math class. Youngbin was, as usual, busy bullying a kid. And she expected it to continue that way.

Then a paper ball smacked her in the head. She turned to look in their direction.

"Look who's mad," Jungchan snickered. Y/N rolled her eyes and reached for the textbook for her next class. She could hear several footsteps approaching her desk.

Great.

"A little birdie told me you've been out on dates with the nerd," Youngbin grinned, "that clap was quite loud."

The boys around started hollering as if he had cracked the funniest joke. "You passed your test, too." He leaned closer. "He is fixing you up good?"

How about you fix your eyebrows?

Y/N bit her tongue. Responding would only encourage him, and she didn't need any extra event in her life. It worked, as getting no reaction bored them enough to leave.

SMACK. "You should have aimed better, asshole," Youngbin laughed. "You hit him." She could see a slipper missing from Jungchan's foot. 

Of course. If they couldn't get a reaction from her, they would find someone else. She felt a tinge of guilt when she realized who his next target was.

Sieun. Who had already pulled one earbud out.

"I am sorry about that. Go back to study," Jungchan said.

"Yeah. Sorry," Youngbin added, mockery dripping from his voice.

"Next time, be careful."

Y/N blinked. Did Sieun just answer him? And she recognized that tone. The exact same one he had used when telling her to stop staring. He returned his attention to his notes.

Youngbin did not appreciate that, as expected. He got up and walked over. "I said it was a mistake."

Sieun slowly looked up. "Be careful," he continued with a pause. "Not to make more mistakes."

Y/N sat up straighter. This was new. She did not know Sieun had this side to him. He kept talking back. Which was definitely going to make things worse. But what was she supposed to do?

Youngbin dropped into the chair across from him. "Hey, you know what? Everyone thinks you are full of yourself."

Sieun said nothing.

"No matter what you say, you somehow make it sound irritating."

It's the pot calling the kettle black.

The next words out of Sieun's mouth made Y/N decide she needed to step in. Somehow.

"You must be bored." He looked directly at Youngbin. "Why don't you go expand your vocabulary?"

"Hey," Youngbin said, glaring at him, "Do you have a death wish?"

Wonderful. Y/N could always make herself the problem instead. Since she seems to be great at it anyway.

Hopefully, if she interrupted, Youngbin would lose interest. Maybe getting Sieun's attention would work. Sure, it might annoy him. But that felt like a much smaller problem right now.

After all, he wasn't the one in the wrong here.

next: chapter three >

invisible

"Aren't you getting your answer sheet for the surprise test today?" she remembered her mother asking during an early morning phone call. Her mom never failed to keep track of every little thing she did.

"Yes," she'd replied.

"And your self-defense classes? Your instructor asked me to call her back today."

"I go there every day, Mom." Y/N sighed. "Do you really need to cross-check everything that comes out of my mouth?"

"You'll understand when you become a mother."

Yeah, right. Classic.

She wasn't going to be the kind of parent who had a "golden child." The one she preferred spending time with because the child who got into medical school apparently needed more attention than the one who barely understood half the things she was studying.

"Oh, I won't be able to come this weekend. Your sister—"

"I'm getting late. Bye."

Y/N ended the call before her mother could finish. It was expected. Nothing new.

"Y/N L/N." The teacher's voice pulled her back to the present. Right, maths. She walked to the front of the classroom to collect her paper. Even before taking it from the teacher's hand, she could see red ink scattered across the page.

3 out of 20.

Taking the paper from her teacher, she returned to her seat. Great. There was definitely going to be another lecture waiting for her at home. Why did her father even bother calling?

Y/N could hear Youngbin and his followers mocking her from somewhere behind, but she couldn't bring herself to care. For God's sake, what was she supposed to do? She had scored above seventy percent in most subjects. Except math.

Unfortunately, cramming didn't work nearly as well when numbers were involved. At the very least, she had expected to pass. Frowning, she stared at the corrections covering her answer sheet. The mock tests were only a few weeks away, and she couldn't even pass a surprise test. 

The final bell rang, and students immediately began packing their bags. Her gaze shifted from the paper in her hands to the student who always ranked first.

Maybe she could get some help?

The thought disappeared almost as quickly as it came. The guy barely spoke. He always had his earphones in. And he definitely didn't seem like the type who would waste his time helping a lost cause.

Sighing, she walked out of the classroom. Now it was time for self-defense class. Who the heck was she supposed to fight? Her math teacher? Her parents?

"Are you serious?!"

Y/N yawned as her mother's voice blared through the phone. Keeping the call on speaker, she continued making dinner. At this point, the yelling had become background noise. It would honestly feel strange if it didn't happen.

"And your instructor said all you do is dodge! You're falling behind, Y/N!"

"Well, sister already covered being the best for you," Y/N replied.

Silence followed from the other end of the line.

"I mean, why do I need to learn how to hit people in the first place?" Y/N continued. "I can just dodge and run away, Mom."

"You're not getting any pocket money from now on."

Y/N paused. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. Nothing besides the basic necessities until you fix this."

"Yeah, because cutting off my pocket money is definitely going to improve my self-defence skills," she replied with a scoff.

"I'm serious." The call ended.

Wow, lovely conversation. She stared at the phone for a moment before setting it aside. She didn't feel particularly upset. Sure, no more junk food. No more movies. No more comics. Well...That was pretty much the entire list. Still, it was all she had.

"I can get a part-time job, I guess." The thought immediately made her frown. That meant losing a large chunk of her time instead of spending it studying.

Not that she liked studying. She hated it. But she was willing to do it if it meant getting into a decent college. The problem was math. No matter how much she crammed and revised, she couldn't seem to understand it on her own.

Perching herself on the kitchen counter, she poked at her dinner while thinking. 

Now, who could get her a job?

"Aren't you gonna treat me to something at least?"

Y/N sighed. "Dinner."

Suho grinned immediately. "Great! So where are we going?"

"Home."

"What?"

"I don't have money."

Suho looked personally offended.

"I'll buy you something after I get paid." Y/N said, tuning out his endless complaining.

Her parents weren't going to like this.

Then again, they rarely liked anything she did. So...

The day after getting her failed paper back, she'd casually asked around about part-time jobs.

Somehow, Suho had overheard.

"I can get you one."

That was all he had said. Now she spent her afternoons washing dishes at a restaurant. Apparently, that was enough for him to decide they were friends. At least she thinks so.

"Y/N."

"What?"

"Are you always this moody?"

She looked at him.

"Why?"

"You've been zoning out."

"I've got a lot on my plate."

"Such as?"

"Self-defense."

Suho nodded.

"Fair."

"And failing math."

His face brightened instantly. "Oh! I failed that too!"

"Why are you laughing?" Y/N snorted. "I'm hoping to pass."

"I can help with self-defense," Suho offered, "And my good friend Sieun can help you with math."

Y/N stared at him.

"...Suho."

"What?"

"I don't think he even knows you."

Suho's words lingered in her head long after that conversation. Long enough for her to spend the next week observing the first-ranked student, Yeon Sieun.

Was it creepy?

Maybe. But it was informative.

A genius, always studying something. Wears earphones when he isn't. Uninterested in everything else, no friends (got something in common). Never talks more than necessary, so won't be nosy about her. No emotion or expression. 

Despite having pretty eyes.

Y/N cleared her throat as if someone could hear her thoughts. That was very inappropriate of her.

"Either you ask him, or I will."

She nearly jumped. Turning around, she found Suho staring at her with visible disappointment. "It's not the end of the world to ask a math genius for help. You've been gawking at him the whole week."

"I wasn't staring."

"You absolutely were."

"I was observing."

"That's somehow worse."

Y/N smacked his arm. "You make it sound weird."

"Because it is weird."

The classroom door slid open. Their teacher walked in. Y/N quickly turned back around, eyes momentarily shifting towards Yeon Sieun.

Who was already looking at her. No. Wait. Was he glaring? Or had he heard Suho?

Those damn eyes. Math wasn't the only thing she found unsolvable now.

Yeah, he definitely heard them.

As soon as class ended, Y/N packed her bag and headed for the exit. She had already stopped attending self-defence classes. They felt pointless. And she didn't have the time.

Stepping into the hallway, she accidentally walked straight into someone. Apologizing, she looked up to realize a familiar pair of eyes staring down at her. Pretty ones.

"Stop it." Sieun muttered.

"What?"

"The staring."

Heat immediately rushed to her face.

Suho, who was waiting outside, quietly walked away, throwing finger guns at her, as if doing her a huge favor. Leave it to him to make things awkward.

"Stop staring at me."

"If you tutor me, I will," Y/N said, with a rush of confidence, trying to hide the embarrassment she felt from his words.

Sieun shifted his eyes away from her and walked away. Nope, she HAD to get this done.

"You'll be able to revise too!" Y/N hurried after him, matching his steps, which wasn't that hard.

"I don't have time-"

"Please," Y/N stepped in front of him. "I promise, I won't be a bother. Just an hour, please. I just need to understand, nothing else. As long as I get a passing grade, I won't bother you anymore."

"Go to cram school."

"I did," Her voice softened. "I didn't understand anything among so many students."

Sieun sighed. For some reason, getting her to leave seemed like more work than helping her.

"An hour," he said.

next: chapter two >

invisible

"Luke must have known about the Labyrinth entrance," Annabeth said. "He knew everything about camp." She still had a little pride in her voice like she still loved the guy, evil as he was.

Juniper cleared her throat. "That's what I was trying to tell you last night. The cave entrance has been there a long time. Luke used to use it."

Silena Beauregard frowned. "You knew about the Labyrinth entrance, and you didn't say anything?"

Juniper's face turned green. "I didn't know it was important. Just a cave. I don't like yucky old caves."

"She has good taste," Grover said.

"I wouldn't have paid any attention except...well, it was Luke." She blushed a little greener.

Grover huffed. "Forget what I said about good taste."

"Interesting," Quintus polished his sword as he spoke. "And you believe this young man, Luke, would dare use the Labyrinth as an invasion route?"

"Definitely," Clarisse said. "If he could get an army of monsters inside Camp Half-Blood, just pop up in the middle of the woods without having to worry about our magical boundaries, we wouldn't stand a chance. He could wipe us out easy. He must've been planning this for months."

"He's been sending scouts into the maze," Annabeth said. "We know because...because we found one."

"Chris Rodriguez," Chiron said. He gave Quintus a meaningful look.

"Ah," Quintus said. "The one in the...Yes, I understand."

"The one in the what?" Percy asked.

Clarisse glared at him. "The point is, Luke has been looking for a way to navigate the maze. He's searching for Daedalus's workshop."

Percy remembered his dream the night before—the bloody old man in tattered robes. "The guy who created the maze."

The discussion that followed included a bunch of questions and assumptions. Well, that's how most of their quests work. 

Firstly, no one knew if Daedalus, who was surrounded by rumors, was actually alive. Including one about how he disappeared back into the Labyrinth toward the end of his life. Chances are that he might still be there. If he did, they need to prevent Ariadne's string from falling into Luke's hands. 

Secondly, Percy suggested blowing up the entrance, which was quickly shut down by Clarisse who confirmed how the results weren't effective. Another suggestion was to set up a defensive line and wait for them with bows. It was already refuted by Clarisse, supported by Chiron who explained how, if the army with Luke is strong enough to break into the camp protected by magical borders which kept the camp safe for hundreds of years, then the army is strong enough to defeat them.

"We have to get to Daedalus's workshop first," Annabeth insisted. "Find Ariadne's string and prevent Luke from using it."

"But if nobody can navigate in there," Y/N said, "what chance do we have?"

"I've been studying architecture for years," she said. "I know Deedalus's Labyrinth better than anybody."

"From reading about it."

"Well, yes."

"That's not enough."

"It has to be!"

"It isn't!"

"Are you going to help me or not?"

Y/N realized everyone was watching Annabeth and her like a tennis match. It was already going around how both of them were fighting against each other for 'Percy' as if she would even fight with a friend for a boy. No one knew the whole story and Y/N didn't feel the need to tarnish Annabeth's reputation either. You can say that even the smallest of their bickering was now out into the spotlight for gossip. Mrs. O'Leary's squeaky yak went 'EEK!' as she ripped off its pink rubber head.

Chiron cleared his throat. "First things first. We need a quest. Someone must enter the Labyrinth, find the workshop of Daedalus, and prevent Luke from using the maze to invade this camp."

"We all know who should lead this," Clarisse said. "Annabeth."

There was a murmur of agreement. Everyone knew Annabeth had been waiting for her own quest since she was a little kid, but she looked uncomfortable.

"You've done as much as I have, Clarisse," she said. "You should go, too."

Clarisse shook her head. "I'm not going back in there."

Travis Stoll laughed. "Don't tell me you're scared. Clarisse, chicken?"

Clarisse got to her feet, as if she was going to pulverize Travis, but she said in a shaky voice: "You don't understand anything, punk. I'm never going in there again. Never!"

She stormed out of the arena.

Travis looked around sheepishly. "I didn't mean to—"

Chiron raised his hand. "The poor girl has had a difficult year. Now, do we have an agreement that Annabeth should lead the quest?"

All nodded except Quintus. He folded his arms and stared at the table, something no one probably noticed except for Percy.

"Very well," Chiron turned to Annabeth. "My dear, it's your time to visit the Oracle. Assuming you return to us in one piece, we shall discuss what to do next."

Waiting for Annabeth was hard. And it was a little bit awkward standing with Percy after their last conversation.

The day before, when Harris pointed out about Percy's eyes on them, Y/N looked at him. She definitely expected him to just turn away like it happened in the past. But this time, it was different. He wasn't looking away. His eyes were fixed on them like they were committing a crime. Well, specifically, his eyes were set on Harris's arm on her shoulder. 

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, she looked away. But for the rest of the time, she could still feel his eyes on them. There was a change in Percy's attitude, she could tell. Now, it was as if Percy didn't care about what she thought of him since she knew the truth and wasn't afraid to show his hatred for Harris openly.

Besides, she wasn't so suspicious of Annabeth and his actions lately. Although all of their actions were looked at differently by the rest of the campers, she could feel the loathing atmosphere whenever she was around them. Sure, they were still friends and Y/N was still a bit doubtful about Percy's feelings for Annabeth being completely eradicated, but she could sense the distance between them. Like the time when Percy was missing with Annabeth for an hour but when they were back, looking at the condition they were standing in, it was obvious that they weren't exactly making out. Clearly, they were in some kind of life-threatening situation.

Mostly though, she felt a tension in the air after he uttered some hurtful words to her. She knew he didn't mean to hurt her and it was probably for the best that he straightened out the facts, but still, she didn't expect him to be so brutally honest. The conversation after he asked about her and Harris went like this:

"This is the second time I am hearing this question from you," Y/N said, "What exactly is it that you want to hear?"

"I don't think I asked anything hard for you to answer," he said, pulling her closer, "Are you both dating?"

"....And what if we are?" Y/N asked, her temper rising and probably affecting Percy even more than before, "Just because you had a breakup doesn't mean I need to limit myself for you. If you need some attention, go look for it somewhere else."

"You think I am really looking for attention from you?"

And that was the end of their conversation. Before she embarrassed herself even more than she was, she pushed him away and returned to her cabin. 

"Listen, I didn't mean what I said yesterday," she heard Percy say while waiting for Annabeth, "...It's just that time is running out and I think I was too tired."

Y/N didn't have the nerve to face him. She continued looking at the distance and answered, "No it's fine. It's the truth I needed to hear anyway."

Percy clenched his fists as he saw her once again creating a wall between them. He sighed, in irritation. He really didn't mean to say it the way he did. It's just that....he didn't expect himself to be caught so soon. And by Y/N herself.

"You didn't object when Annabeth was suggested to lead the quest," he said, trying to change the subject.

"And why would I do that?" she asked.

"No...it's just I didn't expect you to even join us in the first place."

"Me neither, but I know no one can make this quest possible unless it's her."

".....So you guys are friends now?" Percy asked, feeling a bit dejected. It felt like he was the only one who kept messing up. Although, he truthfully felt that most of it was Annabeth's fault. Why can't Y/N see that? All it takes is some lousy apology from the blonde for her to consider her a friend?

"No," Y/N muttered, "Although I said I would forget it...if I am being honest, I can't just overlook the actions of someone whom I trusted the most. And when she fully knew how much it would hurt me."

Okay, maybe not. Percy just felt a sense of relief knowing he wasn't the only one in the red zone for Y/N. And talking about 'hurt'...this was the first time she actually admitted her feelings for him. She probably didn't even realize...or maybe didn't feel the need to hide it.

Good.

Percy jolted physically after he thought of the word. It didn't matter how much he denied it, the bottom line is that he did enjoy her attention and was starting to feel greedy. He needed a distraction and decided to focus on his surroundings instead.

Chiron was deep in conversation with Quintus and Argus. It looked like they were disagreeing about something. Quintus kept shaking his head. On the other side of the arena, Tyson and the Stoll brothers were racing miniature bronze chariots that Tyson had made out of armor scraps.

"Come on," he said and left the arena, followed by Y/N. He stared across the fields at the Big House’s attic window, dark and still. What was taking Annabeth so long? He was pretty sure it hadn’t taken him this long to get my quest.

“Hey,” a girl whispered.

Juniper was standing in the bushes. It was weird how she almost turned invisible when she was surrounded by plants. She gestured them over urgently. “You need to know: Luke wasn’t the only one I saw around that cave.”

“What do you mean?”

She glanced back at the arena. “I was trying to say something, but he was right there.”

“Who?”

“The sword master,” she said. “He was poking around the rocks.”

Their stomach clenched. “Quintus? When?” Y/N asked.

“I don’t know: I don’t pay attention to time. Maybe a week ago, when he first showed up.”

“What was he doing? Did he go in?”

“I—I’m not sure. He’s creepy, Percy. I didn’t even see him come into the glade. Suddenly he was just there. You have to tell Grover it’s too dangerous—”

“Juniper?” Grover called from inside the arena. “Where’d you go?”

Juniper sighed. “I’d better go in. Just remember what I said. Don’t trust that man!” She ran into the arena.

They stared at each other for a moment and turned to look at the Big House, feeling more uneasy than ever. 

"If Quintus was up to something…" Percy started saying but was interrupted by Y/N midway.

"We need Annabeth’s advice. She might know what to make of Juniper’s news. But where the heck is she? Whatever is happening with the Oracle, it shouldn’t be taking this long."

Percy couldn’t stand it anymore. "I know it's against the rules, but then again, nobody's watching." He stared at Y/N as if waiting for her approval.

"Oh what the hell, fuck it," she said grabbing his hand, running down the hill and heading across the fields.

next: chapter seven >

book four: the battle of labyrinth

percy jackson x reader series

"AWWWWW!" everybody complained.

"Your goal is simple: collect the gold laurels without dying. The wreath is wrapped in a silk package, tied to the back of one of the monsters. There are six monsters. Each has a silk package. Only one holds the laurels. You must find the wreath before the other teams. And, of course...you will have to slay the monster to get it, and stay alive."

Y/N could already sense a bit who she was about to be paired up with. "Hey beautiful," Harris walked towards her smiling. She clicked her tongue at the cringy nickname and said, "Thank god you're with me. I can't handle the stares anymore."

He chuckled and put an arm around her shoulder, slowly pulling her closer. "And does that include him?"

Y/N looked into his eyes, followed the direction he was looking in, and saw the obvious pair of eyes looking at them. "No, we are just friends now. And have decided to start over, forgetting everything," she said and smiled at Percy, who seemed to be in a trance. Was he even looking at them or was he just zoned out? It was surprising how he can be zoned out with a partner like Annabeth, who wants her plans to be perfect and win the game. But well, it's Percy.

While Y/N started chatting with Harris, holding his hand that was hanging over her shoulder, Percy was busy glarin- ahem, observing them. He couldn't just smile back at her at the moment when he was too focused on how close they were standing. Y/N's face was literally inches away from Harris's face. One accidental push from someone and they would literally kiss each other.

Although that won't be required going by the way Harris is eyeing her.

"You look constipated seaweed brain," Annabeth said, "Can you stop being so embarrassing and quit staring at them like an idiot?"

He could sense the disgust in her voice. Well, he knew how embarassing he was being and in any other normal situation, he wouldn't even think about looking at them this way after being discovered by them...or anyone. But somehow...he just didn't care.

Let them look. Let them know how he's irritated.

"You're being creepy," Annabeth sighed, "I get you find him annoying but you can't be possessive about someone who isn't yours in the first place."

This seemed to get his attention, finally breaking away from the trance he was in. "Don't be ridiculous. You act like you're not possessive of her."

"I am, but I know my limits."

"Oh yeah, sure you do," Percy scoffed. It was pretty annoying to think about how he now has to spend time obeying all of Annabeth's orders.

Well, that wasn't the worst part either. It felt like the whole world was against the idea of clearing out the misunderstanding Y/N had with Annabeth and him.

Well, he was certainly right about the world being against him.

The roof slid open and Percy saw the night sky, stars blazing. It was a lot darker than it should've been. Metal ladder rungs appeared on the side of the wall, leading up, and he could hear people yelling their names.

"Percy! Annabeth!" Tyson's voice bellowed the loudest, but others were calling out too.

He looked nervously at Annabeth. Then they began to climb and made their way around the rocks. They ran into Clarisse and a bunch of other campers carrying torches, including Y/N. She looked distressed.

"Where have you two been?" Clarisse demanded.

"We've been looking forever," Y/N said.

"But we were gone only a few minutes," Percy said.

Chiron trotted up, followed by Tyson and Grover.

"Percy!" Tyson said. "You are okay?"

"We're fine," he said. "We fell in a hole."

The others looked at him skeptically, then at Annabeth. 

Shit.

It looked like something else. Like he wandered off with Annabeth to spend some time alone or something. He looked at Y/N immediately to observe her reaction. Thankfully....she wasn't eyeing them suspiciously like the rest of them.

"Honest!" he clarified. "There were three scorpions after us, so we ran and hid in the rocks. But we were only gone a minute."

"You've been missing for almost an hour," Chiron said. "The game is over."

"Yeah," Grover muttered. "We would've won, but a Cyclops sat on me."

"Was an accident!" Tyson protested, and then he sneezed.

Clarisse was wearing the gold laurels, but she didn't even brag about winning them, which wasn't like her. "A hole?" she said suspiciously.

Annabeth took a deep breath. She looked around at the other campers. "Chiron...maybe we should talk about this at the Big House."

Clarisse gasped. "You found it, didn't you?"

Annabeth bit her lip. "I—Yeah. Yeah, we did."

A bunch of campers started asking questions, looking about as confused as Percy, but Chiron raised his hand for silence. "Tonight is not the right time, and this is not the right place." He stared at the boulders as if he'd just noticed how dangerous they were. "All of you, back to your cabins. Get some sleep. A game well played, but curfew is past!"

There was a lot of mumbling and complaints, but the campers drifted off, talking among themselves and giving Percy suspicious looks.

"This explains a lot," Clarisse said. "It explains what Luke is after."

"Wait a second," Percy said. "What do you mean? What did we find?"

Annabeth turned toward him, her eyes dark with worry. "An entrance to the Labyrinth. An invasion route straight into the heart of the camp." 

After the explanation, the rest of them started going back to their cabins as well.

Y/N turned around to leave along with Harris when she felt a tug on her arm. This was happening way too often. 

"What?" she asked, trying to put her best smile.

"It wasn't intentional," Percy said.

"You don't need to explain it to me," Y/N said.

Percy looked at Harris who was still standing close to her. 

Annoying.

He pulled her arm to bring her closer to himself, eyes fixed on Harris, he said, "We need to talk. I have to tell you about the dreams I've been having. Just us. No outsiders."

Y/N felt embarrassed. Harris shouldn't have to deal with this situation. She tried to free her hand from his grip but heard him say, "Well, you can take your time Y/N. It's getting late anyway." She watched him walk away to his cabin. It felt like someone placed a rock in her heart. 

Snatching her arm away, she asked, "Why do you act like an asshole with him?"

"I don't know," Percy tried to calm his nerves but failed, "His face just manages to bring out the worst in me."

"Shut up," she asked, "What did you wanna talk about?"

Oh. Right. The dream. He filled in the details and watched her reaction.

"So...that's the same Labyrinth Nico was talking about right?" Y/N asked.

"Yes," Percy said. He was trying his best to be decent but these days, especially today, he was way too tired to force himself to be decent. Maybe it was how just when he was about to enjoy her attention, Harris seemed to crawl and snatch it away like a little bug. So he blurted out the first question pestering his mind.

"Are you and Harris a thing now?"

next: chapter six >

book four: the battle of labyrinth

percy jackson x reader series

Everyone knew the rumors: Luke and his army of monsters were planning an invasion of the camp. Most of them expected it to happen this summer, but no one knew how or when. It didn't help that their attendance was down. They only had about eighty campers. Three years ago, Y/N started, there had been more than a hundred. Some had died. Some had joined Luke. Some had just disappeared. 

"This is a good reason for new war games, "Quintus continued, a glint in his eyes. "We'll see how you all do with that tonight."

"Yes..." Chiron said. "Well, enough announcements. Let us bless this meal and eat." He raised his goblet, "To the gods."

All of them raised their glasses and repeated the blessing.

Y/N took her plate to the bronze brazier and scraped a portion of her food into the flames. "Apollo," she whispered, "Give me a sign of what I should do...."

There was so much to worry about, and she could've stood there all morning, but she headed back to the table. She couldn't just stand there ranting about her pathetic feelings and friends when there was no guarantee they would survive the prophecy. She wanted to be the bigger person and just forget any of those things ever happened. But easier said than done. One look at their faces and it felt like the day they confessed to her. Even with Grover in her mind, all she could feel after looking at their faces was irritation. 

Still...even after all this, her eyes still seemed to search for the seaweed brain. It was getting annoying at this point.

Once everyone was eating, Chiron and Grover came over to visit Percy. Grover was bleary-eyed. His shirt was inside out. He slid his plate onto the table and slumped next to him.

Tyson shifted uncomfortably. "I will go...um...polish my fish ponies." He lumbered off, leaving his breakfast half-eaten.

Chiron tried for a smile. He probably wanted to look reassuring, but in centaur form he towered over him, casting a shadow across the table. "Well, Percy, how did you sleep?"

"Uh, fine." Percy wondered why he asked that. Was it possible he knew something about the weird Iris-message he'd gotten? 

He saw Nico in it, and he was talking to a ghost. Nico was looking for a way to bring back his sister, which was almost impossible. Almost. The ghost seemed to know a way to bring her back, but just as they were about to discuss the plan, the message requested for another drachma. Unfortunately, he didn't have that and the message disappeared. The ghost also said something about how it helped Nico by saving him several times, leading him through a maze, and teaching him to use his powers. Well, he wasn't so focused on that.

"I brought Grover over," Chiron said, "because I thought you two might want to, ah, discuss matters. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some Iris-messages to send. I'll see you later in the day." He gave Grover a meaningful look, then trotted out of the pavilion."

"What's he talking about?" Percy asked Grover.

Grover chewed his eggs. He could tell he was distracted, because he bit the tines of his fork and chewed those down, too. "He wants you to convince me," he mumbled. Somebody else slid next to him on the bench: Annabeth. 

And almost instinctively his head shot towards the direction of the Apollo cabin's members. Oh...she wasn't looking. He didn't know whether to feel good or bad about the situation. It would make matters worse. Y/N would probably absolutely ignore their existence after this.

"I'll tell you what it's about," Annabeth said. "The Labyrinth."

It was hard to concentrate on what she was saying because everybody in the dining pavilion was stealing glances at them and whispering. And Annabeth was right next to him. With the amount of whispers, he was sure it would reach Y/N's ears. He didn't want her to hate him. 

But wait...shouldn't she be understanding about the situation too? Grover was here too, so maybe Y/N wouldn't mind all that much. And besides, after the commotion with Grover, she would absolutely understand if they held a discussion. 

Percy sighed. He knew how much of an insensitive jerk he sounded like, but...still, it's not like he said something illogical either. For now, he needed to shoo away the main culprit of the situation. 

"You're not supposed to be here," Percy said.

"We need to talk," she insisted.

"But the rules..."

She knew as well as everyone else, that campers weren't allowed to switch tables. Satyrs were different. They weren't really demigods. But the half-bloods had to sit with their cabins. I wasn't even sure what the punishment was for switching tables. He'd never seen it happen. If Mr. D had been here, he probably would've strangled Annabeth with magical grapevines or something, but Mr. D wasn't here. Chiron had already left the pavilion. Quintus looked over and raised an eyebrow, but he didn't say anything. 

"Maybe Annabeth deserves a punishment," Percy thought.

"Look," Annabeth said, "Grover is in trouble. There's only one way we can figure out how to help him. It's the Labyrinth. That's what Clarisse and I have been investigating."

He shifted his weight, trying to think clearly. "You mean the maze where they kept the Minotaur, back in the old days?"

"Exactly," Annabeth said.

"So...it's not under the king's palace in Crete anymore," he guessed. "The Labyrinth is under some building in America."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Under a building? Please, Percy. The Labyrinth is huge. It wouldn't fit under a single city, much less a single building."

He thought about my dream of Nico at the River Styx. "So...is the Labyrinth part of the Underworld?"

"No." Annabeth frowned. "Well, there may be passages from the Labyrinth down into the Underworld. I'm not sure. But the Underworld is way, way down. The Labyrinth is right under the surface of the mortal world, kind of like a second skin. It's been growing for thousands of years, lacing its way under Western cities, connecting everything together underground. You can get anywhere through the Labyrinth."

"If you don't get lost," Grover muttered. "And die a horrible death."

"Grover, there has to be a way," Annabeth said. He got the feeling they'd had this conversation before.

"Clarisse lived."

"Barely!"Grover said. "And the other guy—"

"He was driven insane. He didn't die."

"Oh, joy." Grover's lower lip quivered. "That makes me feel much better."

"Whoa," Percy said. "Back up. What's this about Clarisse and a crazy guy?"

Annabeth glanced over toward the Ares table. Clarisse was watching them like she knew what they were talking about, but then she fixed her eyes on her breakfast plate.

"Last year," Annabeth said, lowering her voice, "Clarisse went on a mission for Chiron."

"I remember," Percy said. "It was secret."

Annabeth nodded.

"It was secret," Annabeth agreed, "because she found Chris Rodriguez."

"The guy from the Hermes cabin?" he remembered him from two years ago. They'd eavesdropped on Chris Rodriguez aboard Luke's ship, the Princess Andromeda. Chris was one of the half-bloods who'd abandoned camp and joined the Titan Army.

"Yeah," Annabeth said. "Last summer he just appeared in Phoenix, Arizona, near Clarisse's mom's house."

"What do you mean he just appeared?"

"He was wandering around the desert, in a hundred and twenty degrees, in full Greek armor, babbling about string."

"String," he said.

"He'd been driven completely insane. Clarisse brought him back to her mom's house so the mortals wouldn't institutionalize him. She tried to nurse him back to health. Chiron came out and interviewed him, but it wasn't much good. The only thing they got out of him: Luke's men have been exploring the Labyrinth."

Percy shivered, though he wasn't exactly sure why. Poor Chris...he hadn't been a bad guy. What could've driven him mad? I looked at Grover, who was chewing up the rest of his fork.

"Okay," he asked. "Why were they exploring the Labyrinth?"

"We weren't sure," Annabeth said. "That's why Clarisse went on a scouting expedition. Chiron kept things hushed up because he didn't want anyone panicking. He got me involved because...well, the Labyrinth has always been one of my favorite subjects. The architecture involved—" Her expression turned a little dreamy. "The builder, Daedalus, was a genius. But the point is, the Labyrinth has entrances everywhere. If Luke could figure out how to navigate it, he could move his army around with incredible speed."

"Except it's a maze, right?"

"Full of horrible traps," Grover agreed."Dead ends. Illusions. Psychotic goat-killing monsters."

"But not if you had Ariadne's string," Annabeth said. "In the old days, Ariadne's string guided Theseus out of the maze. It was a navigation instrument of some kind, invented by Daedalus. And Chris Rodriguez was mumbling about string."

"So Luke is trying to find Ariadne's string," Percy said. "Why? What's he planning?"

Annabeth shook her head. "I don't know. I thought maybe he wanted to invade camp through the maze, but that doesn't make any sense. The closest entrances Clarisse found were in Manhattan, which wouldn't help Luke get past our borders. Clarisse explored a little way into the tunnels, but...it was very dangerous. She had some close calls. I researched everything I could find about Daedalus. I'm afraid it didn't help much. I don't understand exactly what Luke's planning, but I do know this: the Labyrinth might be the key to Grover's problem."

Percy blinked. "You think Pan is underground?"

"It would explain why he's been impossible to find."

Grover shuddered. "Satyrs hate going underground. No searcher would ever try going in that place. No flowers. No sunshine. No coffee shops!"

"But," Annabeth said, "the Labyrinth can lead you almost anywhere. It reads your thoughts. It was designed to fool you, trick you, and kill you; but if you can make the Labyrinth work for you—"

"It could lead you to the wild god," Percy said.

"I can't do it." Grover hugged his stomach. "Just thinking about it makes me want to throw up my silverware."

"Grover, it may be your last chance," Annabeth said. "The council is serious. One week or you learn to tap dance!"

Over at the head table, Quintus cleared his throat. Percy got the feeling he didn't want to make a scene, but Annabeth was really pushing it, sitting at his table for so long.

"And did you talk to Y/N?" she asked, eyes looking for some hope.

"I tried..but," he looked in her direction, "she won't listen and doesn't want to be involved."

"Clearly you don't know how to convince her," Annabeth said, eyes furrowed in irritation.

"Well, why don't you give it a try then?" Percy said, a little too loud. 

"Alright, we'll talk later," Annabeth squeezed his arm a little too hard. "Convince Grover and I'll convince her."

She returned to the Athena table, ignoring all the people who were staring at her. He didn't know what kind of confidence suddenly took over Annabeth, but he just hoped for it to work. She was good with words when it came to certain situations. He wished he had even a little bit of that talent, then maybe Y/N would've already been convinced. It felt like somehow it was becoming a competition between him and Annabeth of who is closer to her. 

And he didn't like the way all his paths were coming to a dead end.

Grover buried his head in his hands. "I can't do it, Percy. My searcher's license. Pan. I'm going to lose it all. I'll have to start a puppet theater."

"Don't say that! We'll figure something out."

"I have to leave," Grover said miserably. "Juniper's waiting for me. It's a good thing she finds cowards attractive."

After he was gone, Percy looked over at Quintus. He nodded gravely, like they were sharing some dark secret. Then he went back to cutting his sausage with a dagger.

Around the afternoon, when Y/N was busy reading a book near Canoe Lake, she felt a presence behind her. A well-known presence she wanted to ignore. 

Annabeth sat beside her, which made her shift away a bit immediately. "We can't do this without you."

Sighing, Y/N closed her book and looked at her, "There are plenty of healers, you can just ask one of my siblings."

"You know it's not the same as going with you. We know how we work around each other in dangerous situations. Besides, it would...feel empty without you."

"Look, I don't want to be tossed around and used whenever you all feel like it. I don't trust you or him."

"I am sorry for what I did! I wasn't thinking straight. I...lost someone precious and I didn't know how to handle it!"

"Oh, and the only way you thought of handling it is by playing with his emotions and breaking my trust?"

"It wasn't intentional."

"It was though, Anne. You knew the way he looked at you and decided to take advantage of it. How would you feel if Luke asked me to join them, that he would date me if I wanted to get over both of you and I accepted it?"

"You wouldn't and I know it."

"See?" Y/N chuckled, "You don't even have to think twice about this. I didn't either. But after what you did, I don't think anything is impossible."

Annabeth stayed silent for a while and said, "You know, Percy is not at fault here. It was news to him too. So...maybe you should atleast-"

"You don't need to tell me that. I know. It's just...feels awful to know how he knew everything but continued to lead me on instead of turning me down."

"He was overwhelmed. It was a first-time situation and he didn't know what to do. You know that better than me," Annabeth sighed, "Please just talk to him."

"Fine, I will." Y/N said massaging her forehead,"....And what about Grover?"

"....So you're in, right?"

Walking towards the Pegasus stables, she found Percy just as Annabeth said. Percy seemed to be talking to his friend Blackjack. She waited for him to finish. It didn't take much time as he shot his head to look in her direction after a while.

A group of younger campers came into the stables to start their riding lessons and started whispering amongst themselves. Clearly, the news of their fight was all over the camp. As Percy started walking towards her, she heard one of the campers say something along the lines of "he isn't even that good-looking." 

"Mind your own business," she spoke, looking over at them. Sure, she might be having a fight with him, doesn't mean they get to insult him in front of her. 

An action that made Percy smile a bit. He didn't know why but it made him feel giddy how Y/N was defending him. He observed her expression - how her ears were turning red in anger, and she scrunched her nose while furrowing her brows. 

How cute.

"Come on," she muttered, walking away from the stables.

As Percy started following her, he said, "I'm guessing you talked with Annabeth?"

"Yes, she filled me in about whatever happened," Y/N said and licked her lips. This is awkward. Knowing he knew about her feelings, it was getting difficult to talk to him about how she wanted to forget everything and start over the friendship.

Sighing, she mustered up the courage and said, "Look, I'm here because I feel like I'm not being fair to you. I know, you were hurt by Annabeth's action as much as I did. But I was too busy feeling betrayed to even hear you out. So...let's just forget everything and start over like nothing happened."

"Sure," he said, "And during breakfast Annabeth just came to my table to talk about the events and also, you. Nothing else...in case you are wondering." With the way the campers were talking, he didn't want her to misunderstand. He didn't know why but he wanted to make it clear as soon as possible. Annabeth was nothing more than just an awful friend. 

"Didn't ask, don't care," Y/N said. 

Percy looked at her demeanor. She looked...nervous. And she still wasn't looking at him. It still felt...awful. He wanted the old Y/N back. But, it did feel nice how she reached out first. Probably because of Grover's situation. He didn't exactly have the place to complain about it.  A small smirk took over his lips, as he put his arm around her shoulders and started walking towards the Canoe Lake. She looked like a deer in headlights. Maybe he did get some of the confidence Annabeth had.

Thinking back on his conversation with Y/N, he was a bit disturbed by the last line. Act like nothing happened? It might be a bit selfish of him but...he didn't want her to forget.

The feeling of getting her attention was starting to get addicting.

next: chapter five >

book four: the battle of labyrinth

percy jackson x reader series