Chapter Text
October 15, 2013
“Single file at the door please!” The teacher's sweet voice carried through the classroom with ease as each student hurriedly pushed in their chairs and headed towards the door. Percy, only five years old, squeezed in line behind his friends, ready to head outside for recess.
As soon as he settled in he felt a shove on his left shoulder, and a harsh, but all too familiar voice filled his ears, “Hey watch it you’re in my way.” He turned and spotted the curly haired girl, only slightly taller than him, staring him down with her dark brown eyes as if he was the worst human on the planet. As soon as they locked eyes he knew no matter what he said, there was gonna be a problem. Clarisse was tough in that way.
Percy and Clarisse had been friends since birth. His mother, Sally, and her father, Ares, had been friends since high school, and ended up living only a few houses down from each other. Clarisse and Ares would come over for dinners, or lunches, or just simple play dates. Although with Clarisse the playing was never simple, it was always rough, and slightly dramatic. So maybe friends wasn’t the word to describe their bond, but they were around each other enough to know they couldn’t be civil. At Percy’s 4th birthday party, Clarisse had the audacity to blow out his candles as soon as everyone stopped singing. He looked to his mom for some form of encouragement, but was only faced with a suppressed smile. He knew at that moment he would never be able to escape the tornado that was Clarisse La Rue.
“Sorry Clarisse, you can stand in front of me if you want I didn’t mean to-“ He was swiftly cut off as Clarisse easily stepped around him, his face now square with her back. He brushed his blonde curls out of his face with a huff, and waited for the teacher to start their walk. He wanted to tattle on her, to get her in some type of trouble. Unfortunately he knew that if he tried to rat her out, her behavior towards him would only intensify, and he was okay with what he currently had. So instead of causing a scene he allowed himself to follow the class out of the room, and out into the cool autumn air towards the playground.
Once they stepped foot outside, everyone dispersed to their designated play areas. Percy stood and watched as Charles and Travis ran towards the sports ball box. He watched Katie and Silena make a run for the picnic table, already holding the exact toys they needed to host a proper recess feast. His eyes kept scanning the playground looking for one little boy in particular. He almost stopped searching until his eyes spotted a girl he had never seen on the playground before. She was sitting all alone under a tree, her dark skin shimmering in the sun, her big brown eyes staring intently at the dirt. She looked as though one wrong move would cause her to sink deeply into the depths of the earth. Percy knew he was staring, but something about her made him unable to look away, that was until he felt his best friend grab his shoulder, tearing his gaze away from the girl under the tree.
“We should totally head straight for the sandbox, I saw Ms. Demeter putting in some new toys yesterday!” his best friend Grover, now bouncing up and down excitedly, appeared at his side as if it’s right where he belonged, which to both of their knowledge, it was. “Or we can play at the slides too but that’s usually where Clarisse goes so maybe we avoid that today. What do you think?”
Percy met Grover at the beginning of the school year, as Grover had just moved into town. They were seat partners and Grover’s loving self immediately made nice with Percy. Percy was a little overwhelmed with him at first, but eventually grew to adore the excitement that radiated off Grover at every moment. Grover sometimes helped Percy with certain assignments, but mostly was a good friend for him to travel around the playground with at recess. As if remembering where he was, Percy immediately was brought back to the present, staring out at the bustling playground.
Percy thought about his options for a second. He really did love the sand box. He loved the feel of the sand between his fingers, finding hidden rocks and shells scattered around the area. He did also enjoy the slides, but Grover was right and he knew he wanted to avoid Clarisse until they had to walk home. Instead his mind kept wandering to the mysterious girl staring at the dirt, and before he could think about it, he spoke
“We should see what she’s doing.” Percy pointed easily to the girl, hoping Grover would join him on his mission to uncover the girls identity. Grover looked at the girl and, with a small shrug of his shoulders, immediately started towards her. Percy stood stunned for a second as he watched his friends' dark curls bounce in determination, equally as intrigued as he was to befriend the girl under the tree.
The girl sat easily on her feet, crouched down with her arms slung over her knees, with one hand hovering over what looked like… a worm? Percy thought the girl didn’t notice as the two of them approached, still enamored with the worm twisting around in the dirt. Just as he was about to open his mouth to speak, he was cut off by a small voice,
“Wait! Don’t step there. Come around behind me.” The girl waved her hand in a beckoning gesture as the two boys circled around to her back. They both crouched and stared at the little creature. “I noticed it on the blacktop and brought it over here so nobody accidentally stepped on it.” She finally looked up at the two boys now on either side of her, and was confused at the sight. “Wait, you’re not Malcom and Connor. Who are you guys?”
“Oh right, sorry. Uhm I’m Percy, and this is my best friend Grover!” Percy pointed between the two of them in a kind gesture.
“We noticed you hovering over the dirt and wanted to see what you were doing! We’ve never seen you out here before and wanted to know more!” Grover explained, clearly overjoyed at the idea of having a new friend in their duo.
The girl stared at the two of them for a moment longer than necessary, and Percy almost started to apologize for bothering her, getting ready to stand up. But before he could that voice came again,
“Oh, alright then. I’m Annabeth! You don’t see me out here cause I’m from the other kindergarten class. I just came around for Mister Wiggles here. That’s what I named the worm by the way.” Annabeth stood and straightened out her jeans, looking out at the sky before turning back to the boys.
“I think it’s really nice you went out of your way to save Mister Wiggles. Not a lot of people would do that. I’ve had to take away plenty of bugs from Leo before he does something not nice to them. I’m glad to meet someone else who cares just as much as me!” Grover could no longer contain his excitement as he explained his love of nature to Annabeth.
Percy just quietly watched as the two of them continued talking about all different types of bugs and plants, occasionally chiming in with his favorite of each. The three of them got along very easily, as if they were almost destined to meet and become friends. The three of them spent the entire rest of the recess period looking around the blacktop for more rogue bugs to return to the grass. As soon as the bell rang to signal the end of the period, the three of them immediately slumped. Percy was the first to speak up before they split,
“Why don’t you meet us over here again tomorrow and we can look for more bugs!” He absentmindedly played with the hem of his t-shirt, scared to hear what the girl had to say. But his spirits were immediately lifted as he watched a huge smile grow on Annabeth's face.
“I would love to! You guys are my new best friends!” She grabbed the two boys and quickly engulfed them in a group hug. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow!” Before anyone else could say anything, she turned and skipped away towards her class. Percy and Grover turned and smiled at the image of their new friend being equally as excited to continue this friendship as they were. They all turned to look at each other and wave goodbye once more before returning to their respective classrooms.
Just as they promised, Annabeth, Percy, and Grover met under the same tree the next day and spent the afternoon searching for bugs. This tradition of theirs continued all school year, and by the end of kindergarten they were inseparable. Many play dates were held between the three throughout the year, which only resulted in their friendship becoming stronger. The three of them clicked so easily it was almost scary how much they belonged with each other.
At the beginning of first grade they all made a promise to stick by each other's sides no matter what. Now being in the same class meant being even closer than before. They knew bullies and fake friends would come and go, but the three of them were forever. And that pact held strong all throughout elementary, middle, and high school. Everyone knew them as a trio, as they spent all their time together. Even though they weren’t involved in all the same extracurriculars, they still showed up when it mattered most. Percy and Annabeth would always show up for Grover's biggest debates. Grover and Annabeth were always in the stands cheering on Percy at every swim meet. And Percy and Grover always attended every student council event to support their president.
Nothing ever got in between the three of them.
Until something did.