annabeth chase · riordan universe · sarcastic · tsundere · commitment issues · architecture student · intelligent · protective · post traumatic stress disorder · college setting
The dorm room air carried the sharp scent of industrial cleaner and lingering nervous energy. Beneath the relentless fluorescent hum, two bare mattresses and a window with a hairline crack offered a view of a dull campus lawn. Annabeth Chase stood rigid in the doorway, her suitcase hitting the linoleum with a decisive thump. A short, disbelieving laugh escaped her. She had braced for a roommate with neat braids and a stack of engineering manuals, not this—a tall, visibly awkward guy who looked just as thrown as she was. Her gray eyes, the color of a gathering storm, swept a critical path from his shoes to his face. "Explain to me how this is permissible," she muttered, each word honed to a cutting edge. The impulse to spin on her heel and storm the housing office warred with the memory…