Hey! Don't ask where this came from, because I have no idea, but I've been having a bunch of ideas for one-shots lately, so maybe they'll end up being written soon!

Enjoy!

There was a knock on Annabeth's door. It startled her, because Percy wasn't supposed to come until 5, and it was 4:30. Annabeth's best mortal friend (aside from Rachel, because she didn't count) was having a sleepover with some of their (her) friends, which meant that unless it was a half-blood from camp looking for either a place to crash or help on a quest, there should be no one knocking on Annabeth's door at all.

So she grabbed her knife and looked through the peephole first. It was a girl, with a bag slung around her shoulder, and Annabeth thought she was slightly familiar. From school, she guessed. Okay, Annabeth thought, Maybe she needs help on some homework or something like that? She glanced at the clock. She had time before Percy came. After all, he was almost always late.

"Hey." She said as she swung open the door. Then she noticed what she hadn't seen through the peephole –a group of around six girls, all with bags, from school, were standing in the hallway in front of her apartment. What was going on?

"Hey, Annabeth." Annabeth's best mortal friend from school, Abby, spoke from the back of the group.

"Abby? What's going on? I thought you were having a sleepover…" Annabeth trailed off as she connected the dots. "You're not staying at my place." She said firmly. "I'm not allowing it, and anyway, I'm not going to be here."

"We just need to borrow your living room." Abby insisted. "We want to watch a movie. But we'll be out when we're done with your TV!"

"Why don't you just use someone else's TV?" Annabeth suggested.

"No DVD player for the ones who do, plus if you don't want to watch, you can just stay in your room, can't you? My roommate put her foot down when we chose what to watch."

"What're you going to watch?" Annabeth asked suspiciously. Then she glanced at the clock. 4:50. "Never mind, come on in. I'll be going soon, though, so just… Make yourself at home, don't trash the place." She stepped back to let them in.

They immediately sat down, and a round of introductions were made, of which Annabeth tucked into her 'names of people in school' folder in her mind. She'd remember when she needed to.

Somehow, the conversation turned into actors in the movie they were going to watch, random names that Annabeth did not know in the least, without ever letting her find out what movie they were watching. Not that it mattered, since she was going to go, anyway.

"So, when do you have to leave, Annie?" Sarah asked from the couch.

"Five, but it'll be more like five fifteen." She responded. "Anyone want anything to drink, eat?" A round of answers came and she and Abby went in to get food and drinks.

"So, what movie are you watching?" Annabeth asked Abby.

"High School Musical. We'll be watching all three, hope you don't mind."

Oh, she minded.

"Three?" They were going to be watching until twelve! "Well, you're in charge of getting your own food." They headed out to the living room. "I rarely eat here during the weekends."

"Sure." Then, addressing the group of girls, she said in a loud voice, "Okay! Who wants pizza?"

A chorus of 'me's and 'sure's came, and then the unmistakable voice of a certain black-haired boy came from the doorway.

"Pizza! I love pizza!" He said gleefully. "Although I love blue cookies more. My mom's blue cookies."

There was silence.

"Um… Annabeth, there's a stranger in your apartment. How'd he get in, and why is he even in here?" Sarah asked.

"No stranger." The 'stranger' said cheerfully. "I'm Annabeth's boyfriend."

"Who's early." Annabeth remarked, glancing at the clock.

He regarded her with a contemptuous look. "I'm on time." He replied.

"Right. You've just been late so often, I hear 5:15 when you say five."

Being the mature and finally-on-time-for-their-date boyfriend he was, Percy stuck out his tongue. "I'm Percy." He said to the girls sitting on the couch.

"Wait, can I just get this straight?" Abby said from beside Annabeth. "You're Annabeth's boyfriend." She said, pointing to Percy. Percy and Annabeth nodded. "You have a boyfriend." She said again, pointing to Annabeth this time. She gave Abby a look that clearly meant Seriously? "And you never thought to tell anyone?" Abby finished, incredulous.

"Oh." Annabeth blinked. "I keep forgetting it's not common knowledge."

"You don't talk about me all the time?" Percy whined in a mock-hurtful face.

"You want me to?" Annabeth challenged. "I have tons of stories of you doing the most idiotic things in the world, and hundreds more."

"Yeah, yeah, okay, you win." Percy grinned. "Go get your stuff, and we'll leave." Annabeth went into her room as Percy began chatting to the girls.

Suddenly, a shriek came from the living room. Annabeth, who had been throwing ambroisa and nectar into her purse, sprinted outside–she recognized the voice as Percy's. She was met with a hyper Percy, jumping up and down and a group of hysterical girls.

"What just happened?" Annabeth voiced.

"THEY'RE WATCHING HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL!" Percy shouted in a voice that sounded an octave higher than he should have been able to produce (especially now, since his voice had lowered).

"Oh my god!" Annabeth started laughing along with her friends. "I'm dating a seventeen year old girl!"

"We have to stay and watch!" Percy said. Annabeth stopped laughing to give him an incredulous look.

"No! Percy–"

"Annabeth, they're watching all three! I haven't even seen the third one! We have to watch!"

"There is not way I'm watching High School Musical."

"It's the gem of our generation!"

"The what? No!"

"Well, I'm watching, you can go ahead and leave." He crossed his arms like the child he was.

"Right, fine. I'll be in my room." Annabeth turned around, back into her room. She couldn't believe he was going to watch High School Musical instead of going on a date with her.

Suddenly, someone's arms snaked around her waist, stopping her from continuing to her room.

"But I want you to watch with me." Percy whispered in her ear with a semi-babyish voice.

"But I don't want to watch it." Annabeth whispered back.

"Please? I don't want to watch with a bunch of girls I don't know."

"You're watching High School Musical."

"And I want to watch it with you."

Annabeth sighed and turned in his arms, so they were facing each other. "Percy…"

"It is so normal. I mean, it's annoying sometimes and super stereotypical, but it's like a breath of fresh air. People being normal in a way we could only hope to be."

"That's all the reasons I don't want to watch it. People are so oblivious to the world around them."

"Ignorance is a bliss."

"That's maybe the first wise thing I've heard you say in a long time." Annabeth smiled wearily. "Fine, but only for you."

"Yes!" Percy kissed her cheek and practically dragged her over to a spot on the couch. "I want you to know, that I will not allow you to fall asleep during one of my favorite movies."

"I thought Finding Nemo and Hercules were your favorites?" Annabeth teased as he pulled her onto his lap. She snuggled happily into his chest and decided it would work as a very nice pillow.

"Those are different."

Annabeth tried not to notice how her classmates stared–had they never seen a couple show affection before? –And dutifully closed her eyes as the movie started. He had specifically told her not to sleep, so of course that was open invitation for her to take a nice nap. Anyway, he was making her stay here, watching the movie, so she might as well make it worth her time, and stay up later to do more work.

Percy was watching High School Musical so intently, he hadn't even noticed Annabeth was asleep until Gabriella Montez was singing what Percy dubbed as her 'break-up song' and he glanced down to see her reaction. He didn't watch much more of the movie after that, but it was okay, because he had seen it ten times already, and Annabeth was always beautiful, especially when she slept.

He could not, however, let her sleep through more than one movie. He shook her awake before the second one started, much to her annoyance, and made sure she didn't fall asleep again. Annabeth, who had been forced by her brothers to watch the first one, was being forced by her boyfriend to watch the second, although it was all so funny how seriously they were taking it–the audience, the actors, everyone. She couldn't think of ever taking the movies seriously.

The second ended, and they took a small break, chatting about the movies and how hot and how well Zac Effron could sing.

"Yeah, he totally should've sung in the first." Percy agreed with them, "He was so much better than the person they got to sing for him."

"How do you even know this?" Annabeth asked him, amused. He ignored her.

"Although, I mean, I guess it was his choice." Percy shrugged.

"And he is so hot!" Jessica squealed.

Annabeth glanced at Percy, trying to judge whether he was going to squeal like the seventeen year old girl he was and agree, but he just grinned down at her and winked.

"I know I'm hotter babe." He said teasingly. Annabeth rolled my eyes.

"Please." She muttered. "Can we just get the last one over with?" She said out loud for everyone to hear.

They started the movie, which was absolutely absurd like the other two. It was more serious, though, and less funny, which brought the level of entertainment down by a lot. But, oddly, even thought it was probably the worst of the three, she felt drawn to it.

A really smart girl, smart enough to get into Yale early. Her boyfriend, who she loves, who is going to get a scholarship for basketball–swimming, for Annabeth. The conflict between staying with the one you love and going to the school you've always dreamed of. Drifting apart because of it.

Percy tightened his grip around her each time there was something going on about colleges and Sharpay sabotaging, and let out a sigh of relief when he saw Troy appear in front of Gabriella for his prom.

"You know, I'd do the exact same thing." He said in a low voice into her ear. And the scary part was, he would.

"I don't want you to give up your dreams for me." Annabeth said as the final song came up. She turned so that she was facing him.

"But that's the thing, love. You are my dream. As cheesy as that sounds, it's true. I'd never thought about my future until I'd already met you, and you're in every single one of the happy situations I can think of. I don't think I'd like to go anywhere if it meant being away from you."

Annabeth didn't answer him, and soon her friends were leaving, saying goodbye, and heading to whoever's dorm they were sleeping over in. Percy decided to stay and sleepover at her place, and they were so nonchalant about it, Annabeth's friends stopped asking, only giving them strange looks and a whispered "Be careful."

"We'll have to talk about it eventually." He said finally, when they had sat in silence for a while.

"I don't want to live in New Rome." She said it quietly, almost not believing it herself, yet knowing it was true, and wanting to take it back, for him to not have ever heard it. But he did, and he answered.

"I know." There was silence again, the two of them caught up in their own thoughts. "And the truth is, I don't care to be in New Rome in particular. I want to live in a place where I will be able to be safe, go to college, get married and have kids. I want to live in a place where the kids can grow up with two stable parents, know about who he or she is, and grow up safe, strong, and ready for the world. I want grandchildren, even, and I want to see them grow up just as well. And I want this all with you."

They were seventeen, not even out of high school, and in a normal high school couple, they would be uncomfortable saying things like that, telling them that the other was in their dreams, getting married and having kids. But Annabeth already knew this. She already knew Percy was a family guy, who wanted kids and even grandkids, and wanted the best world possible for them to grow up in.

"Me too. I mean, I might want kids. I know you do. I do want to get married, and if we have kids that's the way I'd like them to grow up. But I feel like it's such a waste, just living in New Rome. We've beaten the odds so many times, gone through Tartarus and back, through the Underworld. It seems a waste to end it all in a safe, secluded area where we'll raise kids in a way we've never gotten to experience. They'll be too sheltered, Percy.

"And I want to go to college. I want to go to college in the mortal world, because I feel it'll be more of a challenge, it'll be laughing at the odds again. That's what we do, beat the odds."

"Alright." Percy whispered. "We'll see where you go and I'll try to get into a school as close to yours as possible." Annabeth opened her mouth. "No, Annabeth, trust me, I really don't care where I go for college. Heck, in the end, if I find a good enough job, I might not even go to college. The only reason I am is so that I can get a good job, and so that your mom doesn't think me an idiotic and uneducated sea spawn. Well, any more than she already does. And with you, anyway, I'll be able to graduate college, I know it."

Annabeth smiled and leaned forward, pressing her lips against his.

"So," He muttered, still so near her that he could feel her breath on her face, "I told you High School Musical was good."

He slept on the couch that night.

Oops. This was supposed to be funny and only a slight bit of drama… Do the last two sentences sound too forced? I wanted to end on a happy note, and about high school musical.

Sorry if I got any of the facts wrong, just tell me, I've watched the third thrice and none of them recently… (actually, my sister's watching the second right now…) Everything said here about HSM is basically my thoughts on HSM, both Percy and Annabeth's thoughts.