Author's notes: It's time for some movieverse fic ya'll. One of the recently released previews had a like two second scene with Annabeth and Percy together by a pool, and ever since I saw it, I have not been able to get this scene out of my head. This was originally supposed to be short and sweet, but then Annabeth took over and it became a monster of a fic. I loved writing it because it gave me a chance to explore the characters we know and love in a different universe, and maybe explore how the movie is going to treat the Percy and Annabeth relationship. Guess we'll find out in a couple of weeks, huh?

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians in any way, shape or form.

Redux

After they've crossed over into Arkansas, leaving the remains of the Nashville Parthenon far behind them, and they're sure they haven't been followed by any government agencies of any sort, Grover begins moaning and groaning that he's too tired to drive any longer and that they're going to have to find a place to spend the night.

Annabeth immediately begins looking for a campground or some sort of abandoned lot where they can ditch the car she hotwired (she blames Luke and the Hermes cabin for teaching her that trick) and catch the bus the next morning, but it's Percy who leans forward from the backseat and asks, "Can't we just get a hotel?"

Annabeth looks up from the pile of maps on her lap, and glances over at her shoulder at him in disbelief. He has soot and sweat smeared all over his face, and his hair looks like something had crawled in it and died. Most of all, he just looks exhausted, which tends to happen when you spend most of your afternoon fighting for your life against mythological creatures that are trying to eat you like certain giant, fire-breathing hydras she could mention.

But she and Grover are dirty and tired and were almost eaten too, so she doesn't exactly feel sorry for him. They're all in the same boat, and no one is going to get special treatment, no matter how powerful their father happens to be.

"That's actually not a bad idea," Grover says as he maneuvers the car into the passing lane. "I could use a bed after today…"

"Sorry, but you boys are going to have to rough it. We don't do hotels," she says evenly, glancing back at her map. "We're on a quest, not a sight-seeing trip."

Percy makes an irritated sound in the back of his throat. "I know that, Annabeth. I just think it's stupid to sleep on the ground or in the car when there's probably a cheap motel with beds and running water ten miles down the road."

Annabeth grits her teeth, something she's been doing a lot of since Percy Jackson wandered into camp a couple of weeks ago. He's entirely the most frustrating person she's ever met, and he's not even trying most of the time.

"You just don't get it, do you, Seaweed Brain – "

"Stop calling me that!"

" – we just can't mosey on up and rent a hotel room, especially when your name is plastered over the news every night. We're trying to keep a low profile from mortals and monsters alike, remember? That means no paper trail. Besides, we're all underage and it'd be illegal."

She catches Percy's look of absolute disbelief in the rearview mirror.

"You're kidding me. We just destroyed a national monument today, and you're worried that we won't be able to pass off fake IDs?" he asks. "Besides, Grover's 32 – "

"In satyr years!" the other boy pipes up indignantly from the driver's seat. "I mature half as fast as you, remember? I am not that old."

" – he could pass for eighteen and I'm sure if we pick a seedy enough place, they won't really give two shits about who they're letting stay there, so long as we give them the money."

"Well, I hope pulling money out of thin air is one of your super powers because we don't have much left," Annabeth interrupts, digging through her bag to find the wallet. "We barely have enough for bus tickets to get the three of us to L.A. tomorrow, so if you really want to splurge on the hotel, I guess we can go without eating for a few days and get stuck across the country with no way home when we're through. That sounds like an excellent plan to me. Really well thought out there, Jackson."

She hears Percy sigh and then he begins rustling in his own backpack. After a moment, he leans forward and tosses a wad of cash in her lap.

"Will that pay for it?"

Annabeth gapes, spying at least a couple of fifty-dollar bills amongst the twenties and fives he's thrown at her. Briefly, she wonders if he's been holding out of them the entire time, waiting to for them to get down to the last bit of their cash before breaking out his secret stash, but she dismisses that thought after a moment. Percy may be annoying, but he's not a jerk.

Grover glances away from the road briefly and lets out a low whistle at the sight of the money.

"Percy, where'd you get all of that?"

"The Parthenon gift store," he says with a shrug. "The hydra smashed the register during the fight and it was just lying all over the place, so I figured…"

He trails off, as if he's suddenly unsure he did the right thing and if they're going to yell at him. Annabeth and Grover exchange glances, and then Grover lets out a loud laugh.

"Oh man, I knew letting you hang out with the Hermes cabin was a bad idea," the satyr says, shaking his head. "They're rubbing off on both of you in the worst possible way. I think I'm going to have to lock up my reed pipes so they don't get pawned off overnight."

"So it's enough to cover a hotel room then?"

"We're not going to spend all of this on a hotel," Annabeth replies, but she counts the money anyway, and then recounts it one more time to be sure. As much as she loathes to admit it, there's definitely enough money to splurge a bit. "If you can find a motel that will give us a room for under a hundred bucks, then yes."

"Sweet," Percy says and turns to Grover. "G-man, be on the lookout for the cheapest-looking motel on the road you can find. With a pool," he adds hastily.

"No pool," Annabeth replies instantly because she'll let them have their stupid hotel room, but she'll be damned if this quest turns into some sort of cushy, cross country road trip. If anyone at camp finds out she – they whimped out and took the easy route, they'll never be taken seriously again. Provided, of course, they manage to make it back to Camp Half-Blood alive and intact.

"An outdoor pool," Percy says pointedly, and that sets of their argument that lasts until Grover pulls into motel parking lot ten minutes later and tells them both to shut up while he goes and rents the room.

They don't listen to him, of course, and they keep at it until he returns, keys in hand.

"One room, two beds, seventy-five bucks, and," he holds up a hand and pauses for dramatic effect, "And there's an outdoor pool. Who's the best satyr ever?"

Annabeth groans as Percy and Grover exchange dorky high-fives. She doesn't know how Percy keeps managing to win these little spats, and she doesn't like it one bit. She never lost arguments until he came along, and it's putting her in a bad mood.

"You don't mind sharing a room, right Annabeth?" Grover asks, almost as an after thought as he holds out a key
for her.

Annabeth just gives him a look because, hello, she's shared a co-ed cabin for the last five or so years of her life and she's accidentally seen enough of naked boy bits on her half-siblings to last a lifetime and he knows that. Why is it that Grover suddenly forgets he's one of her good friends when he's around Percy?

"It's fine," she says, forcing out a strained smile and grabbing her key from him.

Their room is clean, at the very least, although there are watermarks on the ceiling and Grover says he can smell the asbestos in the walls. The beds are a little lumpy, the sheets are a disconcerting off-white color, and Annabeth swears there's mold growing in the shower, but when she thinks about complaining, she remembers this wasn't her idea in the first place and she has a feeling Percy will say something like, "Well, there's a nice parking lot out there you can camp out on instead," in that stupid, sarcastic drawl of his in response.

What she does say, once she's claimed a bed and the boys have thrown themselves on the other, is, "I'm going to get more towels."

The boys grunt in agreement – Grover has already turned the TV on and is flipping through the channels, while Percy has buried his face in the comforter like it's the first bed he's seen in years.

Annabeth grabs the key and heads down to the desk, where she proceeds to get into an argument with the desk clerk, because he doesn't seem to understand why two paper thin towels for three people just won't cut it and is reluctant to part with more than one extra to an obnoxious sixteen year old. She wins this argument (finally!), then makes a stop at the vending machine to get a can of Diet Coke, and when she gets back to the room, Percy is missing and Grover has finally settled on Jersey Shore as his program of choice.

"You've got hydra guts on your hooves, Grover," she says casually, knocking his legs off the bed as she walks by. She sets the towels and the Coke on her bed, and reaches up to shake her hair free from her ponytail. "Where's Percy?"

Grover gestures to the ajar patio door, which Annabeth hadn't noticed before. "Swimming."

"Swimming?" Annabeth repeats, a little angrily. "What does think this is, vacation?"

Why is she the only one taking this quest seriously? The three of the might just decide the fate of Western Civilization and Percy Jackson, their leader, is going swimming. She knows he's the son of Poseidon and everyone at camp thinks he's the best thing since sliced ambrosia, but seriously. He just can't change thousands of years of quest rules because he wants to; it just doesn't work like that. Did Jason and the Argonauts stay at a five star resort with spa treatments? Hades no!

She has worked for the last five years to go on a quest like this, and she is not going to let anyone screw it up, least of all him. She wants to come back a champion, someone her mother can be proud of, and at the rate this is going...

"He likes the water, for obvious reasons," Grover replies, shifting on the bed. "He told me once swimming helps clear his mind."

"Of what? There's nothing in it to begin with," Annabeth replies, sitting on the edge of bed.

It's mean, but true. Mostly true, anyway. Percy's a nice guy and everything, but he's slow on the uptake, he's fresh and clumsy on the battle field, and the only time he ever uses his brain is when he tries to think of something witty to shout at whatever monster is attacking them at the moment.

"Someone's sure cranky tonight," Grover says, reaching for the remote to turn the volume on the TV down. "Percy's not that bad, you know. You just need to get to know him better."

Annabeth huffs, cracking open her pop. "I know all I need to about Percy Jackson, thanks."

"Have you even talked to him outside of training sessions?"

She opens her mouth, ready to provide an example for him, but finds that she doesn't have one. The truth is, she's never actually talked to Percy without Grover or Chiron or Luke hovering nearby, and when they have been alone, all they've talked about is the quest and the gods…the safe subjects. She's kept him at an arm's distance, just like she does with everyone else, and she doesn't necessarily think that's a bad thing. Annabeth's not a big fan of people – they tend to let her down far too easily.

She pursues her lips and says nothing, staring ahead at the TV screen. Grover chuckles under his breath – whether it's because of the shenanigans going on in the Jersey Shore house or because he knows he's right, she's not sure.

"Thought so," Grover says, the mattress creaking as he props his hooves back up on the bed. "You should talk to him. It might make hanging out with you two a little more bearable."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, like you don't know. You two have been bickering like an old married couple since we left camp. The tension between you is downright suffocating."

Annabeth whips her head around to stare at him. Tension? Between her and Percy? He doesn't mean – he can't mean that sort of tension –

"Yes, that's the sort of tension I mean," Grover continues, grinning at her cheekily. She glares at him, hating that he knows enough to tell her moods from her slightest change in composure. "I know you Athena kids don't like to think about that sort of stuff, but we satyrs got an internal radar for it. And it has been clear from the get go that Percy likes you."

"He does not!" Annabeth protests immediately, her cheeks flushing in spite of herself.

"He doesss," Grover's voice rose in pitch and became a little sing-songy. "He was checking you out the second he was out of the infirmary and once you kicked his skinny butt, the boy was smitten. Why else do you think he keeps putting up with you every time you bite his head off?"

"Because he's clearly a masochist?"

Grover has no idea what he's talking about because, even at Camp Half-Blood, everyone knows that the girl who beats you up and is smarter than you is not the girl you want to date.

"We all become a little bit of a masochist when it comes to love. And don't deny it with your tough girl act, you totally like him too."

Annabeth makes a disgusted noise and, shoots to her feet, grabbing one of the towels.

"You are so full of it, Grover," she says, pointing at him with her Diet Coke can in hand as she backs toward the patio door. "Percy and I don't like each other. Gross. And I am getting out of here before you infect me with your crazy."

"Yeah, right. You're going to go join lover boy in the pool," Grover says mockingly, his grin practically splitting his face in two. He clears his throat, and begins to sing, "Annabeth and Percy, sitting by the pool, K-I-S-S – "

Annabeth steps outside and slides the patio door closed, cutting him off mid-song. She can feel the heat on her cheeks and her face looks absolutely red in her reflection in the glass of the door. She curses Grover under her breath; sometimes that satyr has the maturity of a twelve year old, and he always knows how to get under her skin with his ridiculous little comments.

She doesn't like Percy, and probably never will, even as friends. She'll tolerate him, sure, but she doesn't think their relationship will last after this quest. They just have such differing personalities and interests, and he's just so frustrating to be around. Besides that, he's a ridiculous son of Poseidon and even if it's been decades since one of them has walked the earth, she knows no daughters of Athena ever got along with any of them. Not even if they have really nice green eyes and a cute smile.

She shakes her head, not knowing where that thought came from, and turns, avoiding stepping in the pile of cigarette butts near the edge of the door, and steps off their room's patio, glancing around the courtyard. Really, there's only one place to go and that's the chained off pool yard, and she sighs in annoyance. Well, she supposes she should check on the poor kid anyway, and make sure he hasn't drowned himself in some supremely cosmic act of irony.

The pool yard looks a lot more decent than she expected it would, considering the state of their motel room and the rest of the motel. It's fairly well sized, and it has a nice atmosphere – there are a few deck chairs scattered around and strands of white decorative lights have been left in the fake trees, probably left over from a wedding or holiday party that the owners have forgotten to take down, and Annabeth has always liked the ethereal blue-green glow the underwater lights of the pool creates. The pool itself is empty, or so it seems.

She doesn't see Percy in the water right away, but she notices his shoes, jeans, and shirt in a pile in near the edge, and she prays that he is not skinny dipping because catching a glimpse of a naked Percy Jackson will just be the topper to her completely crappy day.

It takes her a moment to spot his blurry form at the bottom of the deep end, and it looks like he's sitting down there, but she can't quite tell. She waits a few minutes for him to surface and when he doesn't, she slides off her shoes socks, and sits down at the edge of the pool because she has a feeling she's going to be waiting for a while. She rolls her jeans up to her knees and then dips her feet into the water, sucking in a breath at the chilly temperature.

She leans back on her elbows, letting her legs dangle lazily, and glances up at the dark sky. She can't see many stars, thanks to the motel's buzzing fluorescent lights, but this is the first night there's been clear skies since the quest started. The gods must not be fighting tonight, probably because their children are doing enough of it for them.

She lets these and other thoughts dance around in her head, and by the time Percy's head breaks the surface on the other side of the pool a few minutes later, the tension has gone from her body and she's the most calm she's been in days.

"Hey," Percy says, running a hand through his wet hair and causing it to stick up everywhere. "Something up?"

"No. Grover's just being obnoxious, so I came out here," she replies, a little defensively. "Is that a problem for you?

"No, just making conversation," he says as he swims over to her. "Is that a problem?"

"Maybe it is."

Annabeth frowns, wondering if they're ever going to be able to have a conversation without leaping at each other's throats first. It's usually her fault, considering she's always on the defense, looking for some excuse to hide away, and she always manages to find one.

"Sorry, that was unnecessary," she says with a sigh, pulling her legs out. "I'll go."

"Don't," Percy replies, leaning on the pool edge beside her. His green eyes are imploring and just a little sad, and she knows if she does leave, this something that's between them, whatever it is, will disappear and never come back.

So she puts her feet back in, and Percy smiles at her like he's never seen him smile before. She hopes its dark enough that he won't notice her blush.

"Never thought I'd see the day when you'd listen to me," he says jokingly, putting his forearms on the concrete beside and leaning his chin on them so he can stare up at her. "I must be doing something right for once."

"Don't think it had anything to do with you, Jackson. It's a nice night out, that's all."

"Yeah, it is," he agrees, eying her speculatively. "So are you going to get in or you just going to sit there? 'Cause the water feels great."

"I'm sure it does, but I think I'll leave the swimming up to you," she says. "Some of us didn't bring our swimming suits on this quest, after all."

"It never hurts to have one handy. I bet you're regretting it right now."

She snorts. "As if. What were you doing down there anyway? Becoming one with the pool algae?"

She's teasing, of course, but Percy's face turns contemplative and serious – a rare expression for him. He turns his head away, glancing at the pool, and the underwater light dances off his wet skin, making him look out of this world.

"Do you know I can breathe underwater?" he asks quietly, turning back to her. He's not really focusing on her or anything in particular in that moment. "I mean, I always thought it was freaky that I could hold my breath for, like, ten minutes, but I was at the bottom of the pool for God – gods know how long without taking any sort of breath beforehand and I'm fine. Absolutely fine. And – and that's not even the weirdest thing I can do, you know? I'm a freak amongst the freaks."

He looks so lost and so lonely in that moment that Annabeth's heart almost breaks because she remembers exactly what it is like discovering the truth about yourself and not quite liking what you found right away. Sometimes it's easy to forget that Percy's only just found out about all of this and hasn't had any time to adjust. He was barely beginning to fit in at camp before he was blamed for something he clearly didn't do and was thrown on a crazy adventure that he's no where near ready for. All of that, on top of losing his mother…

Honestly, she's surprised he hasn't cracked just a little before now, not with the way she keeps pushing him and making his life difficult. She wouldn't have blamed if he had. But if there's one thing she's learned about Percy, it's that he keeps his head up and he doesn't let the bad things in life win. He keeps the grin on his face no matter what, and Annabeth admires him for that.

"You're not a freak, Percy. You're just you," she replies, leaning forward and touching him on the shoulder comfortingly. His skin is surprisingly warm and she can feel the goosebumps under her palm. "And if being you means you can breathe underwater, then that's really all that matters in the end."

When he looks at her, there's something in his gaze that makes her heart pound a little harder than necessary; no boy has ever looked at her with such intensity before and maybe…maybe there was some truth to what Grover had said, on both sides.

Maybe that's why she thinks he's so annoying, so frustrating, because he's the only person who she could possibly… possibly...

"You give out pretty good advice, you know that, Wise Girl?" Percy says, smiling warmly at her. Her chest squeezes involuntarily.

"Wise Girl?" she repeats curiously. She pulls her hand away, setting by her side again.

He shrugs. "I've been trying to think of a counter to Seaweed Brain all day, but the only ones I've got are Owl Head and that one. And you really don't look like an owl, so Wise Girl it is."

"You really know how to compliment a girl, Percy," she says with a roll of her eyes. "But I like it, I guess. The Wise Girl and the Seaweed Brain. Sounds like a crappy band name."

"Well, if we're going to go on tour together, does that mean you're finally going to throw aside that whole 'my mom hates your dad, so I can't like you' complex you've got going on and be nice to me?"

"Don't plan on it," she says, grinning at him. "I wouldn't want to make things too easy for you."

She swears he's blushing, but it's hard to tell in the darkness, and she doesn't know what she could've done to cause that. He makes it clear in the next moment.

"You should smile more often," he says softly, moving in front of her. "You don't always have to be so tough all the time, you know?"

Annabeth isn't used to letting people get close to her, not after everything that's happened in her life, because they'll walk away with her heart in pieces. She uses her logic and her battle skills to keep people out and away from her, and it figures that the one person she's been waiting and searching for since she arrived at camp would be the first one to see right through her defenses. What surprises her, though, is she really doesn't mind that he does after all.

"Like I said," she replies, her heart beating loudly in her ears. "You'd have it too easy if I was nice to you all the time. You need a challenge."

Annabeth feels electricity run through her body as Percy reaches out a hand and wraps it around her wrist gently, lifting away from her side. He moves closer, that vulnerable look coming back in his eyes, and she can't help but lean forward just a bit more. For one hazy, impossible moment she thinks he might just reach up and kiss her, but then –

Then he smirks and says, "Don't worry. I don't want things to be easy."

And he yanks her into the pool.

That stupid, no good, rotten, son of Poseidon. There's no way she's going to be his friend now.

Thanks for reading, and please review.