Break a Leg… Literally

A/N: Hello hello! This Christmas my best friend suggested that we give each other prompts and pairings to write a one-shot as our presents to each other. This was my fic to her, which as a bonus she was able to edit. I will also be posting the fic she wrote for me later today so you can get a look at it. Enjoy! xoxo

Prompt: We hate each other, but we're romantic leads so let's make the most of it.

Pairing: Percy/Annabeth

Word Count: 2,507

Annabeth could not believe that they cast Percy Jackson—of all people—as her onscreen love interest. She was sure that he would flop at his audition because his ego was higher than his skill, but it turned out that he was just that talented. She should've known, but she supposes her discomfort with him clouded her judgment of his abilities. Now he was the warrior love interest to her war strategist in the newest book-to-movie fantasy thriller.

"Looks like we'll be seeing a lot of each other now, Chase. I think we'll make a good team," a voice behind her mused. Annabeth turned around and the eyes of Percy Jackson looked back at her.

Annabeth narrowed her eyes into her signature glare. "Yes, how unfortunate that I have you as my counterpart for this movie."

"Now, now, Chase, don't be getting so riled up here. Don't you remember when you guest starred on the last season of my show? We worked pretty well there, right?" Percy raised a challenging eyebrow.

"And that was before you became whatever... person you are now," Annabeth argued, spitting out the word "person." She went on: "You used to be so nice, humble and genuine. Now you just treat acting like a game just to play to your advantage and not care for the rest of us. You're just an act masking everything that made you big. I like my costars authentic and unapologetically themselves." Annabeth left a gaping Percy Jackson and went to go meet with her manager to discuss the shooting schedule.

The first month of shooting was okay for Annabeth because all of the battle scenes were shot first. Annabeth saw very little of Percy, considering their characters weren't battle partners.

The times she saw him the most were when they filmed the strategy meetings her character was in charge of. And after the director would call cut, Percy would rush back to his trailer. Annabeth wouldn't lie—she was somewhat hurt by this because she was used to his constant presence and annoying qualities from their past works together.

And… Annabeth missed him—almost, but she told herself not to worry about it. She would have hated to have him around her at all times now that he was acting like a pompous brat. Besides, it gave her more time to focus on her role, even if it would have been better to practice lines with Percy.

Annabeth dreaded the coming weeks when they filmed the more emotional, private scenes between their two characters. Annabeth knew she and Percy had great chemistry in past products. She was even fooled to think it went off-screen as well back then, but she was sadly mistaken.

•••

Three years ago, on their last movie together, she thought a relationship had been developing between them. He had asked her to guest star on the last season of his show. They wanted to spend more time together working, and Annabeth loved being on set with the other cast members in the Parks-and-Recs-like show. She loved the writing, the staging—the everything.

But one night everything changed. Percy and Annabeth were supposed to attend a benefit together, but Annabeth's manager, Daisy, told her Percy had cancelled. Annabeth didn't think much of it, but was offended Percy hadn't told her himself.

Percy didn't speak to her for two months before they ran into each other at an awards show that she went to with her costar at the time, an actor named Luke Castellan. Percy saw her with Luke, and she saw hurt flash through his eyes before they became cold and he masked his face with fake happiness. He shook Luke's hand and briefly spoke with the pair before going off to get a drink from the bar.

Weeks after the awards show, Luke decided he was going to pursue a relationship with Annabeth, but she declined because he acted like a brat all the time that expected to have everything handed over to him. Annabeth hated that in a person. So she did what he needed: she told him no.

Annabeth hoped that, once their press tour finished, she could ask about Percy and see if they could work something out. However, the next time she saw him he acted like Luke, and she gave up on him.

He made his choice and she guessed she should, too. She would never work with him again unless he earned his role fair and square. She would only do it if she had no choice but to acknowledge his talent.

And she had hoped that wouldn't happen anytime soon.

•••

Which takes her back to the present: the first time they would be possible costars since everything happened, he blew his audition out of the water and took the part alongside Annabeth and she couldn't object. He'd earned his role.

Annabeth was in her trailer when she heard a specific knock that only belonged to one person: Percy Jackson. "Come in," she said uneasily.

Percy walked in with the sheepish smile she hadn't seen in two years. "I thought that we could practice he scene for tomorrow. It's been awhile since I had to kiss you," he winked, and the masked Percy returned—the Percy who wasn't the one she'd once known. Annabeth kind of missed him more than she'd like to admit.

"Sure, but you have to be on your best behavior. I don't like dealing with whiny children," she said. Annabeth knew that she needed to work on this scene, but the Percy that was in front of her now was not who she wanted to work the scene with.

"Yes, ma'am," Percy smirked and Annabeth cringed inside.

They ran through their lines twice without actually kissing each other, just to get used to the atmosphere of the scene. The plot was fairly simple: After Percy's character, named Manson, broke down because his brother was taken as a prisoner of war, Annabeth's character, Elisene, had to comfort him as she vowed that they would go find him and rescue him.

"I'm the best strategist this force has and you're the best warrior in a thousand years. We can do this, Manson."

"Are you sure?" Manson asked softly.

"As sure as I've ever been," Elisene replied and gently kissed his lips.

Annabeth pulled back and saw Percy with wide eyes staring back at her. This was the rawest she'd seen Percy since the awards show, and she couldn't help herself.

Annabeth pushed her lips against Percy's parted own with a need she didn't know she possessed. Percy surprisingly returned the kiss, and he brought his hands to frame her face. Annabeth melted further into him until she had to breathe and pulled back. Percy's eyes were questioning her and he opened his mouth to speak but no words came out for a long time. Finally: "Why?"

Annabeth stared back. "What do you mean?"

"Why would you kiss me if you didn't like me? I don't want a repeat of what you did to me two years ago, Annabeth. Besides, it's not like you've been totally kind to me since we started this project together. Why do you want to keep hurting me?"

"Hurt you? Percy, we were going to that benefit together and you told my manager to tell me you weren't going. And then you don't talk to me for months, just to run into me at an awards show and get hurt that I attended it with my costar? Then you turn into this pompous jerk that you're not and makes me hate working with you! You're one to talk, Percy Jackson!" Annabeth was on the verge of tears at this point with her hands against Percy's chest, almost pushing him away. The nerve!

Percy's face screwed into confusion. "You weren't dating Luke?"

Annabeth recoiled. "No! I thought I was about to date you! But then you put me on the silent treatment and I had no choice but to go about my business and get through my press tour for the movie with Luke."

"And Daisy told you that I wasn't going to the benefit? No reason? You thought things were still good?" Percy questioned her.

"Yes!"

"Well, Daisy told me that you didn't want to go to the benefit with me anymore and that you had started seeing Luke after you'd spent time together on set. She said you couldn't stomach telling me yourself so she had to be the one to break the news. I decided I wouldn't go to the benefit at all if I couldn't go with you," Percy confessed.

"Are you serious? I would never date Luke! And I liked you, and I also wouldn't do that to someone ever. I—of course I would have told you in person. You deserve real and genuine." Annnabeth paused. "Why would Daisy do that?" Annabeth's world had been turned upside down. Her manager of five years had betrayed her for reasons unknown and ultimately delayed her relationship with Percy 2 years. Daisy, who she considered a close friend, who comforted her when she was stood up by Percy—she was the reason Annabeth was stood up by Percy.

Annabeth has to sit down for this. Percy followed her to the couch near the door of her trailer.

He paused. "You know what Daisy tried to do after that? A few weeks after the benefit, she came over to my house and tried to—to seduce me. She told me that you didn't deserve me and how rude what you did to me was. I was so hurt I didn't realize what was going on at first. I—I wanted someone to just comfort me, but then I knew she had a different reason to be there and I told her I wasn't interested. She got angry and left and told me she was happy you'd left me because I was—was scum who didn't appreciate what was in from of him. Then I saw you with Luke and just assumed that kind of guy was what you liked, you know, and so I started to kind of follow after him in hopes you'd see my efforts and come back to me. After I thought you and Luke broke up I took that as my chance, but you just turned your head up and at me every time I saw you until we got this movie together and you told me you hated people who acted like that so I just left you alone until we absolutely had to work together," Percy told his story to Annabeth with a shaky voice. The ending was rushed and he barely took breaths. Sometime during his account of the events, she had reached to hold his hand and he was stroking her thumb with his in an attempt to calm himself down. He wasn't looking at her.

Annabeth started her own story. "Daisy always told me that it wrong for you to stand me up like that and she always supported my partnership with Luke, but when I turned him down, she told me I'd made a mistake and that I had given up something really valuable. During my time working on the movie with Luke, I noticed him and Daisy hanging out a lot, and I always assumed that they would end up as something, right, but then you left the picture and Luke swooped in on me and Daisy… swept in on you, I guess. Now that we have both sides, part of me thinks that they were plotting to end what we had and get us for themselves. Daisy always talked about you before that and told me how lucky I was to be so close with you and that it was amazing that our relationship was beginning," Annabeth said. The gears were turning in her head and it seemed Percy was working through everything himself.

Percy built off her train of thought. "You know, when Luke still worked on my show, he would say pretty cryptic things about you that always rubbed me the wrong way, but I thought nothing of it until he worked with you. I was worried something—something would happen to you and I wouldn't be able to stop it. After you ended things with him, he told me that you were a rude brat and that I could keep you, which I never quite understood… but now I do," Percy deduced.

Suddenly there was a knock on Annabeth's trailer door and Daisy walked in. She looked over to see Percy and Annabeth sitting together on the couch holding hands.

Daisy narrowed her eyes and glared at Percy. "What are you doing here? And why are you holding Annabeth like that? Get out before you hurt her again!" Daisy went to pry his hand out of Annabeth's, but they both pulled away from her.

Annabeth seethed. "Don't put your hands anywhere near him! I know what you did, Daisy. How could you? Did you want him for yourself? Promise Luke you could make sure Percy would never have me? Formulate a plan so you both could have us?" Annabeth had gotten closer and closer to Daisy and pointed an accusing finger at Daisy's chest. Annabeth's eyes flared with anger and it was all she could manage not to slap the girl in front of her.

Daisy glared back at Annabeth. "Well, you were never supposed to find out! You were supposed to date Luke and I was supposed to get Percy! But you ruined it all! Percy was too hurt thinking about you to see me standing there waiting for him. And Luke! You didn't even give him a chance, Annabeth! You acted like such a brat to him!" Daisy argued.

"I acted like a brat because he was a jerk, Daisy! An egotistical jerk! And I didn't give him a chance because he wasn't Percy! I wanted Percy and I would never let him be taken from me, let alone by you," Annabeth was seeing red by this point. "You're fired."

Daisy sputtered. "W-what?"

Annabeth pointed to the door. "You heard me. Now get out of my trailer."

"Good luck finding a new manager," Daisy seethed as she exited the actress' trailer.

"Oh, don't worry," Percy mused. "She can use mine," he said as he wrapped an arm around Annabeth.

•••

Six Weeks Later

"Costars Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson Get Cozy in Central Park"

"Hollywood's newest couple took a weekend trip to the Big Apple to visit his mother! It must be getting serious for them to meet the parents. All we can say is that their casual stroll in Central Park shows how nothing has to be extravagant to be meaningful. I mean, their smiles say it all. They are absolutely in love with one another and we can't wait to see the movie that brought this it couple together. The Strategist's Dagger opens in theaters on January 15th, so don't miss it!"