ONE: Meet Percy


ANNABETH

When I got home from school, the house was noisy. My brothers were loud as usual and I tried to keep them quiet from time to time. But that wasn't the cause of the loudness. My mother had visitors.

I knew them. Sally Jackson was one of my mother's high school friends. I should know because mom always told me about her own life. Sally had also brought her son over our house. He had sea-green eyes and jet black hair. He'd look like a great model if he was normal.

Too bad he isn't.

Sally said that he suffered from an accident and it caused him his mental health. He suffered autism since five years ago, according to Sally. Oh, and his name is Percy. He's actually the loudest one here. He made jokes and laughed at his own. He played with my brothers and giggled like a girl.

"Annabeth," my mom called. "Could you over them for a while? Sally and I are going out."

I groaned. I could hardly control Bobby and Matthew. And now that five-year-old?

"Please," my mom pleaded, putting on her ivory coat and grabbing her bag.

"Fine."

After a few kisses on the cheek and goodbyes, they were out. I closed the door and leaned on it, gazing at the three kids building Lego. Percy looked at me and smiled.

"Hey Annie," he greeted, "Want to join us?"

"No thanks." I rejected and plopped down the cream couch. I brought my Math textbook over my nose and started reading advanced lessons. Halfway through a certain topic, I felt the couch spring up and down as someone sat. Looking over the book, I saw Percy gazing at me with twinkling eyes, a wide grin etched on his face.

"You're pretty."

I stopped reading my book and stared at one space, frozen. Did he just call me pretty?

"I like your hair." He reached to touch my golden curls but I slapped his hand away.

"No," I scolded, "only Luke can do that."

I immediately regret what I did when I saw his eyes water up, his bottom lip bulging up.

"I just wanted to touch your—UWAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

My eyes widened. Did he just cry?

Of course he cried! I scolded myself and panicked. "No," I pleaded. "Don't cryyy."

"UWAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"Don't—"

"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Please stop—"

"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"PLEASE STOP CRYING, PERCY~" I reached up to him and hugged him, patting his back as he hiccupped.

"C-can I touch your hair?" he asked innocently. I just nodded and in a second his fingers were playing with my golden curls.

Oh my gods kill me now. He's too fucking cute!

His eyes lit up as he blew my hair, laughing as it swayed sideways. His fingers circled my curls and he giggled, I don't even know why he giggled. "Am I too handsome?" he blinked, his eyes were suddenly on me.

My eyes widened as he gazed at me. Suddenly, he was not a five-year-old anymore. He looked at me with adult eyes and drew me into his sea-green ocean. We stayed like that for minutes, I didn't dare take my eyes off him. He was such a different person.

And slowly, his head leaned closer to mine until we were inches apart.

.

.

.

.

.

"I'm hungry." He barked, suddenly back to his five-year-old self. He babbled on blue food and how his mom cooked blue waffles and pancakes every morning and even baked blue cakes on his birthdays.

What's with this guy?