I would like to thank the spider that was on my ceiling a few days ago for being the inspiration for this story thing. I would also like to thank my mother for killing the spider...

Disclaimer: Don't own.

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Annabeth's Spidery Skirmish

or

Percy Pulls a Romeo

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I was stretched across my bed, reading A History of Architecture, when I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. It was nothing the common person would be concerned about, yet I still let out one of those high-pitched, girly screams you hear in horror movies. On the wall of my room was a black spider, about an inch wide. I jumped off of the bed and ran to the other end of my room.

"Dad! Bobby! Matthew!" I shrieked at the top of my lungs. I didn't care who killed it as long as someone did. I was not going to touch it, or get any closer than I had to. No one was answering my call.

I muttered Greek curses under my breath. I vaguely remembered my step mom yelling up the stairs something about grocery shopping about a half-hour ago. Why did everyone have to go shopping right when I needed them the most? I edged my way around my room until I was able to reach the telephone.

Picking up the receiver, I dialed my dad's cell phone number. It was completely useless, as I could hear it ringing in his study. I made a mental note to remind him to always have his phone on hand. Next I tried my stepmother's number. She did not pick up, and I didn't bother to leave a message. Finally, as a last resort, I dialed Percy's home phone number.

Ring.

Ring.

"Hello? Jackson residence," a woman's voice answered the phone.

"Ms. Jackson?" I asked, "Is Percy there? This is Annabeth."

The voice came over the other line again after a few seconds pause, "Yes, he is…is everything okay? Your voice sounds unusual."

"No, Ms. Jackson, I'm fine. I just really, really have to talk to Percy."

"Okay, just a moment," she sounded unsure.

I waited. It felt like forever, holding the telephone to my ear and keeping an eye on the spider to make sure it didn't go anywhere.

Relief washed over me when Percy's voice flowed from the receiver. "Annabeth?"

"Percy? Where are you?"

"I'm at…home," he said slowly.

Oh, right, that was slightly obvious.

Wait. He was at home? New York City.

In all of my excitement I had forgotten that he lived on the other side of the country. This created yet another problem.

"I need your help."

"What is going on? Why didn't you send me an Iris Message?" his voice was genuinely concerned.

"There. Is. A. Spider. On. My. Wall. I can't leave or it will get away," I said, enunciating each word of the first sentence. I heard his muffled laughter on the other end. I glowered at the telephone. I could imagine his mother standing next to him, a look of worry plastered across her features while her son laughed at his best friend in her time of great need.

When his laughter subsided he said, "Can't someone just kill it for you?"

"They aren't here; they went to the grocery store."

"Everyone?"

"Everyone."

He sighed when he said, "Are you sure you can't get it yourself?"

"Positive."

"Annabeth, I can't come all the way across the country to kill a spider for you." Though I felt better for my imaginary Ms. Jackson—she would now understand that Percy wasn't laughing at me about a monster, I still became immensely annoyed with him.

"Why not?" I wined. Then I gasped loudly when I saw the spider move it's leg a fraction of an inch, "Percy, you don't understand. This is not cool. No one will be home for at least another two hours. They take forever at the store."

Percy sighed once again.

"Don't you have a…I don't know a pole or something you can squish it with?"

At this I almost went crazy, "You mean…you want me to…squish spider guts into my wall! And why on earth would I have a pole in my room? That is the stupidest idea you have ever had, Seaweed Brain! What is it, bonehead day?"

"Okay, Wise Girl, what do you want me to do?" Percy inquired.

"What kind of question was that? You know exactly what I want you to do! You need to get your butt down here and kill this spider!" I yelled at the telephone.

"Your family will be home by the time I can get to San Francisco!" he roared back.

"Ugh! Seaweed Brain! You are such a pain!"

We were in an all out shouting match, now. Neither one of us was backing down.

Finally, after shrieking into the phone because the spider had crawled up the wall six or seven inches, Percy finally gave in.

"If there is no way for me to get there in the next forty-five five minutes," he said, "I'll call you back, so stay near the phone."

"Okay," I replied, I was calmer now, "And Seaweed Brain?"

"Huh?"

"Thanks," with that said, I turned off the phone.

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Forty-four minutes and fifty-five seconds later, I was sitting on the floor of my room and staring defiantly at the spider on the wall, waiting for Percy.

Ding-dong: the doorbell rang.

"Come in!" I yelled, hoping he heard me. I assumed it was Percy. He had a knack for getting places right in the knick of time. I waited and waited for him to come through my bedroom door.

A small stone struck the glass part of my window. I inched my way to the window and shoved it open. Percy was standing below on my front lawn.

"The door is locked!" he shouted.

I should have seen this coming.

"Did you try the back door?" I retorted.

He nodded, "And the garage door is closed," he added.

For the first time in an hour I took both of my eyes off of the accursed spider, and stuck my head out the window. I scanned what I could of the house, trying to find a way for Percy to get in. Since I wasn't about to leave my room, and I knew no one else would have their window open, I could only count on Percy being able to climb up the side of the house and through my window. I told him his two options: (a) he could climb up the tree outside my window and attempt to swing in the window, or (b) he could somehow climb onto the roof of the front porch and lift himself through the window by his own strength.

Personally, I hoped he chose the latter. He wouldn't be very graceful if he had to swing through my window, and I wondered if the top of the tree would be able to support a teenage boy's weight.

"Are you sure you don't have a ladder available, or something?" he called.

"Yep," we had one in the garage, but he couldn't get in there unless it was open. Which it wasn't.

I turned my attention back to the spider. It was slowly creeping up the wall.

"Hurry up, Seaweed Brain! It's going to crawl away any second!"

He muttered to himself as he ascended up the trellis on the side of the house. Quickly, I saw his strategy. He hopped off the trellis and was on top of the porch roof. He then made his way until he was underneath my window. I had to wonder how it would look if any of my neighbors looked out their windows as I helped him through my own.

"Percy! Percy! Get the spider! Hurry!" I said to him hysterically, as he toppled through the window. I noted how much less poised he could have looked if he had jumped through the window.

"Nice to see you too, Annabeth," Percy walked out my door, "I'll be right back."

"Whoa, wait, where are you going? Don't leave me here!" I shrieked at him hastily.

"Relax, I'll be right back."

He returned nine seconds later with a wad of white toilet paper in his hand. From there, he climbed on my bed and picked the spider off the wall with it. I followed him as he walked out of my room and towards the bathroom. He dropped the wad in the toilet and asked me, "Do you want to do the honors?"

I shook my head, "No, just get rid of it."

It felt like Artemis had just lifted the burden of the sky off my shoulders again as I watched the spider swirl downward towards it's watery grave. I breathed a sigh of relief.

A small chuckle escaped Percy. I looked over at him, "What?"

"You're just weird, that's all," I glared at him, and he said, "Don't look at me like that! I just traveled across the country to save you from a spider!"

"How did you get here, anyway?" I wondered aloud.

He shrugged, "My dad."

"Ah," I paused for a moment, "What made you come?"

He blushed, "You're my best friend," I smiled to myself when he said that and hugged him unexpectedly. He stood there awkwardly when I pulled away.

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Percy and I were sitting in the kitchen eating Oreos when my family got home from their grocery run. They were all surprised to see Percy sitting across from me.

"Is everything all right?" my dad asked. The first time Percy showed up unexpectedly at our house, it was to tell him that he and a few others were going to try to rescue me from Mount Tam.

Percy and I exchanged glances and Percy said, "We just ran into a bit of an emergency," seeing the look on my dad's face, he added swiftly, "Nothing serious."

My dad scrutinized our faces, and deciding that we were telling the truth, he said, "I'm going to help take the groceries inside. You can stay for dinner if you like Percy; just call your mother first, okay? Annabeth can you get the phone for him?"

"'Kay, Dad," I turned to Percy before getting out of my seat, "Really, Seaweed Brain, thanks, and I mean it a lot."

He smiled and said, "Your welcome."

I knew I could always count on Percy Jackson.

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Corny last line, I know. I couldn't think of anything better.

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