*Due to horrible writer's block on A New Change, I'm starting this. I have to be honest and say I have no idea on what to put, I'm just going to write the story idea I have in my head and build up on it from there. I also got this idea from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, since I am currently rereading it. Well, on with it, then. (Omg, I'm starting to talk like a british person! Stupid Harry Potter! lol) Yeah . . . sorry if I type odd things like 'brilliant.' Haha. Please review and comment, but no flames! Thanks a bunch. :)

-Loads of Percabeth, of course! -

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Rick's or J.K. Rowling's, I just got the idea from J.K. and is using Rick's characters. XD*

The Olympian Ball

*Chapter 1 - A date for the Ball*

(Percy's POV)

"You going to the Ball, Percy?" Grover asked me. We had given up trying to get the Aphrodite girls to climb the lava wall, as they would ruin their 'perfectly manicured nails,' so we were talking about an upcoming event - the Olympian Ball. It was, apparently, a major god and demigod event that Aphrodite had somehow convinced Zeus to do every year during the summer. Not that I fancy it much, anyways.

"No way," I said. "I don't do dances, and I couldn't dance if I tried."

"You'd danced with Annabeth twice," Grover pointed out smugly.

I resisted an urge to smack him. He was right, of course. I'd danced with Annabeth at Westover Hall, this school Annabeth, Thalia and I had gone to find Nico and his sister, Bianca. Bianca had died on a quest after she joined the Hunters, and Thalia joined later on Olympus, where I'd danced - probably a whole lot better - with Annabeth after we saved her.

"Yeah, well, this is different. This is a Ball. Where we have to dress up. I don't own a tuxedo, man," I said.

Grover grinned. "Ah, see, that's actually where the girls come in . . ."

"Girls?" I asked suspiciously.

"Annabeth, Katie, Juniper, and Clarisse. They know us, Travis and Chris were going to try to bail, so they're getting us tuxedos and forcing us to go."

"What?" I moaned. "But I don't even have a date!"

Grover clapped me on the back and grinned. "Then you'd better ask someone soon, dude, or all the good ones will be gone."

I shifted weight nervously. "So, uh, does Annabeth have a date, by any chance?"

Grover raised an eyebrow. "Nope. Not yet. But I heard Will Solace from the Apollo cabin was going to ask her."

I nodded indifferently, but my heart was beating hard in my chest. "Oh."

"Why?" he asked suspiciously.

"No reason! I mean, I was just wondering," I said quickly.

Grover nodded, but he was smiling like he didn't believe it. "Uh huh. You want to ask her, don't you?"

"No!" I said. My face felt hot.

"Then why did you ask?"

"Because . . . because I was just curious, okay?"

Grover grinned. "Sure, man. And, um, if you want to know, I heard from Travis and Connor that a lot of girls here are waiting for you to ask them to the ball," he whispered.

"Really? Brilliant!" I said. "Maybe now I can get a date." Because that didn't mean I wanted to ask Annabeth. I mean, I don't want to . . . she was my best friend. I couldn't. Could I?

Grover's rumor appeared to be true. As I entered the Big Hall, I saw a cluster of Aphrodite girls looking at me and giggling. I blushed and sat down at the Poseidon table, trying to eat and ignore the stares. When I was finished, I left for the beach. It was always most quiet there. Ways away, near the Athena cabin, I saw that Annabeth and the others were back and huddled together, talking and laughing about something.

Curiosity getting the better of me, I hid behind the Athena cabin and listened closely.

"Oh my gods, this is going to be so much fun!" That was Katie's voice.

"Yeah, it's so much fun to dress up only to embarrass yourself in front of everyone." Deffinitely Clarisse.

"Just because you can't dance, Clarisse-" Juniper's voice said, but another cut her off: Annabeth.

"Juniper! It's okay, Clarisse. We'll teach you how to dance. And when Chris sees you in your dress, he's not going to be able to take his eyes off you," she said.

I'm pretty sure Clarisse rolled her eyes then. I had a sudden thought, of Clarisse in a strapless red dress with matching shoes, and I shuttered. Now, that was something I thought I'd never see - or even picture in my head - in a milion years. Juniper's voice brought me back to the conversation.

"Well, I'm going with Grover. Katie's going with Travis, and Clarisse is going with Chris. Who are you going with, Annabeth?"

My heart skipped a beat.

"No one, yet," she replied. I almost nearly sighed in relief. Until she started speaking again. "Well, I heard from Grover that Will Solace was going to ask me."

"Will? Oh my gods, he is gorgous!" Katie gushed. I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

Annabeth laughed. "Yeah, I know. But if he does, I'm turning him down."

"What?" Juniper, Katie and Clarisse all cried.

Annabeth sighed. "I know, I know. But, well, I'm waiting for . . . someone else to ask me."

"Who?" Katie asked.

There was a pause, then Juniper squealed so loudly she almost burst my eardrums. "Oh my gods, you want to go with Percy!"

"Juniper! Lower your voice!" Annabeth said. "Spill it out to the world, why don't you?"

"Gods, Annabeth," Clarisse said.

I didn't hear anything for a while after that. My brain was completely fuzzy. There was a buzzing in my ears, but I figured that was just the sound of blood rushing to my head.

She'd been waiting . . . for me to ask her? All this time?

I heard a new voice, a very familiar voice, and I tuned back in to the conversation.

"So, um, Annabeth, I was just wondering . . . would you like to go to the ball with me?" Will's voice asked.

I could hear my heart beating again, almost as if it were trying to jump out my chest.

Annabeth cleared her throat. "Um, actually, Will, I-"

"She's going with Percy!" Katie blurted.

"Katie!" Annabeth said, blushing. She turned back to Will. "I mean, not yet, but-"

Will smiled. "Yeah, I get it. You want to go with him."

Annabeth smiled back apoligetically. "Sorry, Will. Really, I appreciate you asking anyway. I'm sure there are plenty of girls here that would love to go with you."

"I highly doubt that," Will sighed.

"Dude, don't judge yourself too harshly. I'm pretty sure you can," Clarisse said. Katie and Juniper smirked.

"No, that's not what I meant. Annabeth, if I were you, I'd ask Percy as soon as possible. A lot of guys are having a hard time getting dates because all the girls want Percy. A lot of them are going to ask him tonight," Will said.

"What?" Annabeth nearly shouted, standing up. Juniper and Clarisse quickly grabbed her wrists.

"Calm down, princess," Clarisse muttered. "Don't get so heated up. Knowing Prissy, he probably doesn't even have a date yet."

"Thanks, Clarisse," I muttered, much too low for the others to hear.

"Wait, how do you know their going to ask him tonight?" Katie asked Will.

Will rolled his eyes. "What, you all haven't heard them? It's all the girls have been talking about. Kind of hard to miss, actually."

Juniper frowned. "We haven't heard about it."

Will shrugged. "Well, just giving you a heads up, Annabeth. A lot of girls will be swarming him the next couple of days, so I'd get a move on if I were you. The longer you delay, the more he'll think you don't want to go with him, and-"

"He'll eventually say yes to someone else," Annabeth whispered.

Will nodded. "Yeah. Well, um, I'll see you later. I have some girls to attend to." He trotted off.

Annabeth sat down again, looking pale. She stared at the ground. "What am I going to do?"

"Get a move on, that's what!" Katie said. "Go on, before it's too late."

Annabeth sighed and looked at her. "You think?"

"We know," Juniper and Katie both said. "Now go get your guy before someone else does."

Annabeth took a deep breath and stood. "Alright. Okay, I will."

She walked towards the Poseidon cabin, and I panicked. How was I supposed to slip away when Clarisse, Juniper and Katie would be able to easily see me?

A god, one probably in a really good mood for some reason, must have helped me out, because the girls were all suddenly getting up and leaving. I quickly rushed to the Poseidon cabin before one of them turned around and caught me sneaking away.

As I was ten feet away from my cabin - I was so close - a voice stopped me. "Percy! Just the guy I was looking for!"

I turned, and Drew from the Aphrodite cabin was strolling towards me.

"Hi," she purred. "Um, I've been meaning to ask you something."

I was eagar to get into my cabin, but I took a deep breath and put on what I hoped was a normal smile, not one that said Go away.

"Hey, Drew. What's up?"

When she spoke, her voice was soft and purring. "I was just wondering, would go to the ball with me?" She put her hand on my arm gently, almost seductively, and I couldn't help but notice how warm her skin was, or how her pink eyeliner was really distracting.

I couldn't find words at first, so when I finally said something, I must have sounded like a kid who'd hit too much of the 'happy juice.' "Urm . . . urg . . ."

Drew laughed softly. "It's alright. Boys do that alot around me. So, is that a yes?"

I don't think I could have - or would have - answered anyway with Drew's fingers moving softly down my arm.

Unfortunately, Annabeth had to walk out of my cabin just in time to see Drew's hand on my arm. I didn't even want to imagine what my face must look like right about now.

She looked back and forth between us. "Percy?" she asked, frowning at Drew. She must have known what Drew was asking me as soon as she saw Drew's hand on my arm.

I cleared my throat and stepped back from Drew until her hand was no longer in contact with my skin. Her hand dropped back to her side as she glared at Annabeth.

"What do you want? I was asking Percy a very important question," Drew snapped at Annabeth.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Oh yeah? Well, Percy, what was your answer?"

"He already chose me, so don't even bother!" Drew huffed, also crossing her arms.

"Umm, actually Drew . . . I'm sorry, but I kind of was about to ask Annabeth," I said awkwardly.

Drew's brown eyes narrowed. "I see. Well, I'll already have another date, but if - when - you get tired of her-" She nodded towards Annabeth, "-then I'll save a dance just for you."

She turned on her heel and walked back to her cabin. I took a deep breath and turned back towards Annabeth, who was working hard to hide a smile.

"You were really going to ask me, Seaweed Brain?" she said.

I swallowed. "Well, yeah. But I figured you already had a date."

She ran into my arms. "No. I was just waiting for you to ask me," she murmured.

I felt a thrill go through me. I had a date to the ball.

The thrill quickly vanished, and I groaned.

Annabeth looked at me. "What's wrong?"

"I have a date," I said.

Annabeth raised another eyebrow. "So?"

"That means I have to actually go to the ball."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "I've been to one before. It'll be fun, you'll see."

"Doubt it," I muttered.

Now I had one big problem to deal with. Making it through the ball without completely embarrassing myself.

*Chapter 2 coming soon. :)*