Okay, so this idea is totally random, and came out of nowhere. It's Jacey (or whatever the heck you want to call it). And I figured most of you would probably like it since you like every other different paring story I write. So, let's strap ourselves in and get ready for this wild ride, yeah?

…

Percy's POV

…

To say I hated Jason Grace would be putting it mildly. I positively loathed him. And I had no idea why. Perhaps it was because he was the typical high school jock, the one with all the friends and the girls at his beck and call, and I was the lowly drama geek who had about five friends in total excluded all the other fellow drama geeks. Or perhaps it was because he managed to get straight A's and I could never get above a C. Actually, I think I got a B- at some point, but that's not the point of the story. To make a long story short, I loathed Jason and everything about him. I'm pretty sure the feeling was mutual, because he tended to steer clear of me as well.

Mrs. Arnald's Physical Science class was one of the few classes I had him in. He sat about five seats away from me, and I was glad for the fact. I'd vomit if he sat any closer. He always smelled like he'd dumped a bottle of cologne on himself before leaving the house. I sat next to Grover Underwood and Annabeth Chase, a couple of other drama geeks. They were pretty cool, but I didn't talk to them much.

"Alright class," Mrs. Arnald said, standing at the front of the room. She had everyone's attention instantly. It wasn't really because we all liked her (but we did), it was mostly because she was pretty. She was in her early twenties, with elfish features and soft caramel brown hair and kind hazel eyes. She was pretty, but not my type. I swung for the same team. "Today we'll be starting our big assignment, mouse trap cars!" There was a buzz through the room. This is the lab everyone had been waiting for. "I've already picked your partners…" she added, and everyone groaned. "…so you can meet new people. Let's see. Annabeth Chase and Will Solace." The two blondes eyed each other warily. "Jake Mason and Grover Underwood. Jason Grace and Percy Jackson…"

"What?" I blurted before I could stop myself. Twenty pairs of eyes turned to look at me. "Mrs. Arnald, if I may interrupt," I said, blushing. "Could I perhaps have a different partner?" Jason frowned in a thoughtful way at me, and my insides boiled. What did he expect? We hated each other!

"Now Percy," Mrs. Arnald said sweetly, which is how I knew that she was pissed. "I've already assigned everyone partners. You wouldn't want me to switch up two groups, would you?" I would very much liked that, but I shook my head all the same.

"No ma'am," I mumbled. Jason smirked, and I wanted to punch him in the face. How dare he smirk at my embarrassment? I didn't pay attention to the rest of the list, but I did take notice of everyone getting up to sit with their partners. I didn't want to move, but I rose and made my way over to his table. He gazed up at me.

"Hello," he said coldly. "So you're Percy."

"And you're Jason," I replied in the same tone of voice. "I guess we're going to be working together." Not that I like that, I added silently. "I had some basic plans worked out beforehand," I added, sitting down on the opposite side of the table and fishing around my backpack. I found my science notebook and flipped open to the pages covered in designs. Jason took the notebook from me and studied the plans.

"It's cute," he said at last, handing the notebook back. "But it won't go far. The front's too heavy. The mousetrap will release the rubber band, but it'll just sit there." And now I felt stupid. "It's a good design though," he added hurriedly. "And if we tweak it a bit, I think it'll be the best in the class." I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

"Class," Mrs. Arnald said, and we all turned to look at her. "You have two weeks to complete this. It may be beneficial of you meet up with your partners outside of class to do extra work." I groaned. More time with Jason? Wasn't it bad enough that we were lab partners? Now we had to spend time outside of class together too. Jason looked like someone had just told him that he had to wash his grandmother's back this weekend. I probably had a look along similar lines. "Have fun with this project," she told us. "It's all about being creative and blending scientific ideas." As if Jason was any sort of creative. Having a creative mind was one of the reasons I was in drama. In addition to acting, I painted sets and backdrops.

"So, do you want to get an early start?" Jason asked me, ripping a piece of paper out of his notebook. He scribbled something on it, then handed it to me. I stared at the paper uncomprehendingly. "My number," Jason explained, tapping the paper with his pen. "Text me when you can work on the project. Or don't. I don't give a shit."

"You may not," I retorted. "But I do. I have to pass this class, and this is my last chance at a good grade. I'm not being kicked out of drama because my so called partner doesn't want to do shit." Jason turned his icy blue eyes on me and glared. I wasn't intimidated. Have I mentioned I loath Jason?

…

"How did you get paired up with Jason Grace?" Annabeth asked me at rehearsals that night. "Did you bribe Mrs. Arnald? Did you say you'd clean white boards for a month? What did you do?" I wrinkled my nose in disgust. It was major set night, so we were busy putting together a giant ship. We were doing Robinson Crusoe for our spring play, and we were all excited. Malcolm would be Robinson of course. And Annabeth would surely be his mother. I was going to try out for the captain. Next to Robinson, it's one of the biggest parts. I hefted a board over my shoulders and carried it out onto the stage.

"I didn't do anything," I said to her. She followed behind me with some of our platform legs. "I'm just that lucky." My voice oozed sarcasm. "I hate that guy. I don't know why he's so great." Annabeth gazed at me, her mouth open in shock. "What?" I asked her.

"He's Jason fucking Grace!" she exclaimed. "How can you not like him?"

"He's the spoiled jock that everyone loves to love," I replied through gritted teeth. "I don't see him here, helping us put the set together. He won't be auditioning. Hell, he won't even come to the performance. Why? Because he's a jock. He has the right to miss such things." Annabeth opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but then she closed it again. Apparently, I asked he questions she didn't know the answer to. "Exactly," I said to her. "So I don't see what's to love about Jason Grace."

"He's hot," Annabeth pointed out. "Not even cute. He's hot. Have you seen his beach blonde hair? Rumor is he did it out in Cali over the summer. And his tan. And my god, his eyes!" Annabeth squealed, and if I didn't change topics soon, she was going to be a Fangirl puddle on the floor.

"He's not that cute," I protested. "That tan is probably fake. As for the eyes, I'm pretty sure he wears contacts. No one's eyes are naturally that bright a blue." Annabeth put her hands on her hips and jutted her lip out, studying me.

"Is the reason you're saying all this because you like him and don't want anyone to know?" she asked me. I laughed like a manic. Where the hell did that come from?

"No," I said as calmly as I could. "I don't like Jason. I loath him. I don't want to be his lab partner and I certainly don't want to spend time with him outside of school. I'd rather burn my eyeballs out with the fire poker." Annabeth gaped at me.

"Holy shit you're serious," she said. I nodded. "Well, like it or not Perce, you have to spend some time with him. Remember what we say in the theater?" I sighed.

"'Always look forward to a new opportunity,'" I quoted. "I know that Annie. But that doesn't mean I like it. He's just so…perfect." I winced as Annabeth smiled triumphantly at me.

"So there's the truth," she said. "You don't like Jason because he's everything you want to be." I sighed. "He's smart, he's funny, he's popular, he's good at sports…"

"You know you're not helping, right?" I asked her, taking the hammer and nailing the board to the platform. "Just talk to him. Maybe you'll find he's not as bad as you think. Maybe you'll actually like him!" I turned to look at her.

"The day I like Jason Grace is the day it snows in Hell," I said.

…

I collapsed onto my bed after another busy day. But I was happy. Set went so well, we were close to half-way done. Hey, that's good for us! We were looking to paint the entire set by the end of the week at the rate we were going. After my conversation with Annabeth, Malcolm and Connor Stoll entertained us all with crazy antics. And we ordered Domino's Pizza for dinner. All in all, it was a good night.

I worked the stiffness out of my limbs and heaved myself to my feet. I was not passing out in my set clothes again. I went to remove my sweatpants when something crinkled inside. I reached inside and pulled out a piece of paper. I unfolded it and stared at Jason's number for about ten minutes. I didn't want to put his number in my phone. That meant actually acknowledging the fact that Jason was my lab partner. I wadded the paper up and tossed it onto my desk. I didn't have the heart to get rid of it either. Like it or not, I had to work with him, and I had to get ahold of him somehow. I slipped on plaid pajama pants and crawled into bed. But suddenly I felt full of energy, like I'd drunk a sixteen ounce coffee.

"What the hell?" I asked myself, rising and walking to the window. "Why can't I sleep?" But I knew the answer. It was Jason fucking Grace, on my mind, and not for the first time. Every time he came to my brain, I couldn't sleep. He gave me energy I didn't want. It was probably energy spent hating his guts. I gripped my windowsill and let my unusually long hair fall into my face. It was almost down to my shoulders now. Why the hell did Jason have to pop into my mind now?

Maybe Annabeth had a point. If I really thought about it, Jason was everything I wanted to be. I wanted friends like he had. I wanted the athletic ability and the drive to do sports. I wanted the ruggedly good looks he had. And I wanted his easy way with people. I was socially awkward, and talking with new people always left me tongue-tied. I sat down heavily on my bed and rested my head between my knees. Why was I comparing myself to Jason Grace? I was better than that! Maybe not him, exactly, but I was good looking, in my own way. I was sociable in my own group of people. I was athletic enough.

I rose again and paced my small room. Stupid Jason! I knew there was a reason I loathed him. He gave me low self-esteem. Okay, I know what you're going to say. Only you can do that to yourself, blah blah blah. Jason certainly didn't help, did he? Next to his godly appearance, I appeared average, and not even the good average. I looked like someone who spent a lot of time inside. I did, but I wasn't going to tell him that.

"Percy, go to sleep!" mom called softly from her room. I winced. I forgot she was going to be going to work early tomorrow. I stopped pacing and crawled under the covers. But I still wasn't tired. Far from it. I was going to spend the remainder of the night thinking of Jason, the boy I wished I could be.

…

Not a bad start. But not a great start either. I don't know. What do you think?