Hello, my lovelies!
It has been quite awhile since I last posted, and I'm sorry for being so...inconvenient. This is the rewritten version of 'To Heal and To Love'. I think I did mention that I would be rewriting? Anyways, things are quite different in THIS NEW VERSION!
I'm kinda excited for how this is gonna go, but I know you guys will be honest with me and tell me how to improve.
Thanks a lot for your support and I hope you will like it!
I give youuuuu...
Chapter 1
So It Begins...
Percy POV
"Ah, the cool weather, this awesome drink, and the amount of designer stores! New York can't be any better! " Rachel, my half-sister, grinned appreciatively at her bottle of blue Cherry Coke.
AN: In my story, the characters are AU, so don't judge :)
I rolled my eyes.
"That's cause your brother is helping you carry your load of shopping bags! What on earth do you buy in those designer shops? Bricks?" I grumbled jokingly. She glared at me through her double-lidded, moss green eyes.
"You're the man, so you should help! Besides, if you keep acting like this, you're going to be single forever!"
I chuckled. "I'm celibate, so I'm quite alright with that."
Rachel frowned in curiosity. "I know you and Calypso broke up 4 years ago, but what on earth did she do to hurt you so much till you can swear off women forever? You've never told me the details."
I froze. My heart flared in pain and ached with hurt.
"Rach..." I whispered as I remembered what had happened on that fateful night when I made that oath that changed my life.
"Bro, you okay?" She waved her polished nails in front of me. "Perce? Percy!"
I blinked away the tears the had sprung into my eyes. "Yeah, Rach, I'm okay. Let's go back to Mom. She's cooking her specialty: chicken and mushroom pizza, topped with olives and extra, EXTRA cheese!"
Squealing with glee, Rachel ran all the way home in those Versace heels of hers.
Later that day, after a very fulfilling lunch with Mom and Rachel, I drove my silver Porsche 918 Spyder back to the training building that the Sharks and I called home.
The Sharks is the name of America's national swimming team. I was their Captain, and highly respected worldwide. We were the most feared swimmers in the world, as no one has beat us since this team was formed 3 years ago. It was said that I had just raised the bar for national solo swimmers, as I had beaten records all over the world and raised them till no one could even come close to it.
It was funny, as I had never taken swimming as a competitive sport, and more of a relaxing thing to calm me down. According to my mom, Sally Jackson, I had inherited the love of water from my dad, Poseidon Jackson. I looked like him too. Same jet-black hair and sea-green eyes that sparkled when pleased, and stormed when angry. Unlike my dad, I was patient, collected, determined and a confident speaker, which were traits I had inherited from my mom.
I loved both of them very much, and I felt proud that I had a part of both in me. They were wonderful to each other, and to Rachel and me. When I was 3, Mom, Dad and I had been strolling in Central Park when we caught sight of a girl with fiery red hair and moss green eyes staring up at us. My parents felt an instant attraction to her, and when we realised she was orphaned and thrown out since her parents didn't want a girl, Dad immediately adopted her.
We named her Rachel, because Mom had wanted a name that started with the letter 'R' to match her red hair. Since then, Rachel had grown and blossomed under my parents' sweet care to become a beautiful and humorous sister.
Many stare at us when we stroll around together, because we are quite a striking pair: me with my 'drool worthy' features, and Rachel with her model-worthy body, according to the magazines. Many times, I had to play the protective brother and fend off any of her admirers. She was currently looking for a job in the model department, and was applying for different agencies. Her dream was to become like Annabeth Chase, the top model for the 3rd year running. Her face was featured on every model magazine. Rachel owned the whole collection herself...
"Yo, ma boi! Heads up!" My head and right hand snapped to the right and I caught the basketball hurtling towards me. I smirked.
"Gotta try harder than that, Grover." I taunted.
"Hey, man, I let you off easy." Sarcasm dripped off him as he emphasised on the word 'easy'.
"Yeah, right. How was your break?"
He shook his head and patted his stomach. "Amazing, man. Juniper stuffed me with her enchiladas." Laughing, I slung an arm around his shoulder. "Don't gain too much, Vice Captain. I need you here."
Grover was the Vice Captain of The Sharks, and my best friend. We had gotten scouted together, and knew each other since high school. Jason and Nico, my cousins, had joined us along the way. Grover had met Juniper 2 years ago, and they have been dating steadily ever since.
"Are Jason and Nico here too?" I asked. Grover nodded. "Warming up."
I nodded in approval. Jason and Nico were my cousins, but they were the fastest swimmers after Grover and I. They had been put in the speed relay races. It was no wonder that they were warming up.
As we were headed out to see their training, a familiar voice crackled via the intercom.
"Jackson, report to Coach's Office in 5 minutes."
I raised my eyebrows in confusion. Grover looked at me similarly. What was going on?
I rapped 3 times on the polished door before opening it and stepping into Coach Hedge's office. He was flipping through training schedules and name lists of next year's trainees. He smiled when he heard me enter.
"Take a seat."
I complied obediently.
"Why have you asked for me?" I questioned curiously. Coach looked towards the name lists before sighing.
"Percy, I know you're busy, as Christmas is approaching, but...I need you to do something for me."
I scrunched my eyebrows in curiosity. "What?"
To answer my question, he pushed the name lists towards me. I scanned the lists. There were more than 20 trainees, over two times of what we could take in last year!
"This...this is impossible, Coach! We don't have enough space for this many trainees, as well as The Sharks, and our current trainees! That isn't even inclusive of our housekeepers!"
He sighed wearily. "I know, which is why I called you here. I need you to find an architect from Athena Associates, the most famous and reputable architecture firm worldwide. The architect will build a new building for us as our HQ. Make sure you request that Athena give us the best of her people. Thanks."
With that, he got up and left, presumably to check on the training sessions.
What on earth?
Shaking my head, I walked out of his office, already composing the email I would have to write to Athena Chase.
"Kronos, put down that gun. You don't want to do this." Luke Castellan's voice rang through the room, clear and determined. Kronos laughed hysterically.
"You and your partner will never get me. I will shoot you first!"
"Luke? He's in there?" Frederick Chase called out.
Luke pulled the trigger just as he saw Kronos release the bullet.
"Frederick! Don't-" Luke's voice died as the bullet hit him and he crumpled on the floor, motionless.
"Luke?!" Frederick rushed into the room just in time to see Kronos pull the trigger on his gun with all his strength, the barrel of the gun facing Frederick.
"NO-" Frederick, too, collasped on the floor.
When the rest of the police came in seconds later, guns at the ready, they saw blood splattered everywhere, and three bodies sprawled on the floor, dead.
Annabeth POV
I was just unlucky, I guess.
A month ago, my husband and father, Luke Castellan and Frederick Chase, had died in the middle of some shootings. They had been in the Police Force, and was caught up in a murder case. They had been shot upon confrontation with the murderer. Thankfully, the murderer was killed too.
After the shootings, I had moved out of Luke and I's house into a mansion near my worldwide famous modeling agency, On the Runway. My manager, Silena Beauregard, was living with me. She had scouted me when I was wearing my first ever Versace dress, and on my way to a party. Convincing me that I was going to be bringing in the big bucks, I signed on to the reputable modeling agency: On the Runway. I have never regretted trusting her since.
Apart from modeling, I also worked in Athena Associates with my mom, Athena herself. Athena Associates was a globally famous architecture firm, and I excelled at architecture. I loved both my careers, and they had made me rich and famous, so I wasn't complaining.
"Annabeth!" Silena's voice rang through the house.
"Yeah?"
"I'll get going to work first, meet me in my office for a debrief of the interview tonight, would you?" She instructed.
"Sure! I'll bring your favourite cookies while I'm at it." I said.
"Awww, thanks girl. See ya!"
Laughing to myself, I rushed up to my walk in closet and began to get ready for work. I picked an Elie Saab knee length royal blue dress which came with a golden buckle at the waist. Pairing it with a pair of Louboutin Lady Peep 150 Black Patent Leather Heels, I whisked off to change.
As I finished touching up my makeup, I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled in satisfaction. The dress was tight and showed off my curves and ass nicely, and the belt showed my flat stomach and slim waist. The heels made my legs look longer than usual and my blue eyeshadow made my grey eyes pop!
Deeming myself ready for work, I picked a white clutch studded with blue diamonds to complement the dress, and grabbed my keys, makeup pads and phone before heading off to work.
"Hey Sil. What's up?" I asked as soon as I entered her office. She glanced up and smiled in approval as she gave my outfit a once-over.
"Perf theme going on today, as usual! Great job!"
I beamed at her praise. "Thanks. Back to business. The debrief on the interview tonight?" Silena nodded.
"Yes, I need to tell you something very important about your interview."
I raised my eyebrows at this news. "What is it?"
She took a deep breath. "During the interview, you must inform the audience that you will be leaving St. Francisco for 6 months." My eyes widened.
"What do you mean? I'm not getting fired, am I?" Panicking, I fumbled with my dress.
"What?! Of course not! The agency would be foolish to fire you. You're our most successful model yet!" She reassured me that I wasn't getting fired, and I sighed in relief. But I remembered what she had instructed, and became curious.
"Hey, Sil...why would I be leaving St. Francisco? Where am I going?" Her sky blue eyes sparkled with contained glee.
"Annabeth, we are going to scout for three trainees from that city we're leaving for. Hazel, Reyna and Katie are getting transferred, so we need three more trainees to model the outfits. The three new trainees will be working with you to showcase the new rack of outfits we've just received." She reported happily, and I could tell she knew what I was going to ask next.
"Sil...where exactly are we going?" At that, she squealed. And I knew where our next destination was, just like that.
"No way!"
"Oh YES WAY, ANNABETH! WE'RE GOING TO THE BIG APPLE!"
"Oh Sil! My mom, Thalia and Piper are there! OH! We could ask Thalia and Piper to be our trainees! They're hot as fuck, and perfect to work with! What do you think?"
Her delighted face said it all. I squealed and hugged her tightly.
"I love you so much, Sil...thanks for everything."
Silena brushed away a tear that escaped her right eye, and hugged me back even tighter. "I love you too, Annabeth."
I rushed back to my house after a late day of preparation for the interview tonight. I couldn't wait to Skype Thalia and Piper to tell them about the good news! I turned on my laptop, and reminisce about our friendship while waiting for it to start.
I hadn't seen them since last Christmas when I flew back to New York to spend it with them. I've known them since high school, and we've become the best of friends. We've been through thick and thin, love and war and I absolutely couldn't wait for the day after tomorrow when Silena and I would be flying off to New York!
As my laptop came on, I hurriedly pressed Skype and willed for it to hurry up. Just then, I heard a ding, signalling that I had gotten an email from someone. "Probably Silena, asking me to rest up before the interview." I thought to myself as I clicked on the notification. Then, I realised it was sent from my mother, Athena Chase. My inside thrust into turmoil as curiosity overwhelmed me.
Mother hardly emailed me but I didn't blame her, she was very busy as the successful CEO of Athena Associates. She still made time to call me over the weekends and sent presents through airmail. What on earth could be so important that she would email me? Scanning through the particulars section, I scrolled down and read. She had forwarded an email by...Percy Jackson?! The hottest national swimmer to walk the planet? What on earth was going on here?
The email from Percy read:
Good afternoon Athena. I hope you are well.
I am writing to request for a favour.
You see, Coach took in more than twice the number of trainees we can accommodate. Our current HQ has no more room for them, but we can't reject them now, can we? Foolish of Coach, I know.
He instructed me to request for one of your best architects in Athena Associates to work on a bigger, more spacious and better building as our new HQ. He would like the building to be done in 6 months time, so do try to finish the blueprints in a month or so.
Sorry if I was a bother.
Sincerely,
Percy Jackson
To say I was stunned beyond belief was an understatement. Why would Athena send this to me? Unless...my heart jolted in excitement. Could it be?
Anxious to see if I was right, I scrolled down to the bottom of the email. There was a short paragraph from my mother.
Darling Annabeth,
How are you? I haven't seen you in ages! You ARE coming back for Christmas, aren't you?
I think you would've read Percy's email, yes? Well, I think you are well up to the task! What do you say, dear?
Do reply me soon.
Lovingly,
Your mother, Athena Chase
I jumped up from my bed and squealed with glee. I had a new architecture project! Oh, how fun it sounded! To be able to design the secret HQ building for The Sharks...how wonderful that would be. I couldn't wait! Hastily, I replied her and assured her that I was more than happy to accept.
Pumping with excitement, I tuned in to Skype and searched for Thalia and Piper. I fidgeted as it tried reaching them. How should I tell them? Should it be a surprise? Or a- "HEY ANNIE!" "ANNABETH!"
I gasped in shock and turned towards the screen. "PIPES! THALS!" The three of us squealed in unison, making us giggle. Oh, I've missed them so much.
"Hey gal! Gosh, it's been three months, six days, seven hours and 18 minutes since we last skyped!" Piper exclaimed, frowning indignantly at me. Thalia's face mirrored hers perfectly.
"Yeah Annie, you need to make some time for us too! We miss you lots, you know." Thalia stated. I giggled, thinking of what I was going to drop on them soon enough. They wouldn't miss me anymore, because I'll be right there with them in New York!
"Annabeth? Why are you laughing? Omg, are you possessed? I knew Sil worked you too hard!" Piper huffed playfully as she thought of her elder sister.
Silena and Piper had the same mom, Aphrodite Beauregard-McLean, but they had different dads. Piper had got thrown out by Mr. McLean as he didn't want a child, so Silena's dad had adopted her. Thankfully, they didn't hold anything against each other. Piper was immensely grateful towards Silena's dad, whom she loved as her own, and he loved both Silena and Piper equally.
Piper and Thalia were currently working at a hair salon, but they hated their jobs a lot. Their boss was mean and biased, and she didn't treat them well. They had been talking about quitting for a long time, and they were going to resign soon. The timing fit perfectly, because they loved modelling and fashion. They could join us without a hitch!
We talked happily for the next 2 hours about our lives, catching up and threatening me to go back for New York for Christmas and New Year. I laughed so much at that one, because it was hilarious to see how they didn't know that I'd be out there for way longer than that!
Soon, I had to leave and freshen up for my interview on a talk show tonight. I was about to shut off my laptop when I heard Piper say something, so I stopped.
"Gods, I wish to heaven and back that you could be with us here in New York..." She pouted and sighed, probably thinking that could never happen. I realised that this was the perfect moment to drop the bomb on them.
I took a deep breath, and said happily, "Well, it's a good thing I'm going to see you guys in New York the day after tomorrow!"
There was silence for awhile, before the world went into chaos. Thalia and Piper squealed and yelled.
"WHAT?! Did you mean that?"
"ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS, ANNIE?"
I laughed in exhilaration before nodding vigorously. Squealing and cheering, we celebrated and slowly calmed down.
"Why are you coming at this period of time? And how long are you staying for?" Thalia asked. Piper nodded in agreement.
"Sil wants to scout for new trainees, and so we're going to you guys! How do you feel about achieving your lifelong dream of becoming models?" They're jaws dropped.
"Oh. My. God."
"What? Really?!"
I nodded again. "Yeah! Girls, we can be a team again! Just that we need one more person." I wondered aloud.
Confused, they asked, "Wait. Woah woah woah. Hold up for a sec. We're really gonna be able to be models? And what do you mean by we need another person?"
I laughed. "Yes, you're really gonna be models. On the Runway has wanted you guys for a really long time. They'll be delighted to have you guys! As for what I said, On the Runway requires three new trainees, so we'll need another one other than you. The four of us will be working together, under Sil of course, to model the new racks of designer clothes!"
They clapped and laughed. We settled the admin stuff and meeting time at the airport before I ended the call and went to freshen up.
"And now, I give you the one and only...ANNABETH CHASE!" Smiling, I squeezed Silena's hand and walked on stage.
"Good evening to you, Ms Chase! Welcome to St. Francisco's Number One Talk Show, Spilling the Beans!" Laughing merrily, I sat down and waved to the audience and camera.
"Good evening to you, Mr Peterson! I'm honoured to be on this interview tonight."
"Ah...and she's polite too. She looks stunning tonight, doesn't she?" The crowd cheered and clapped thunderously, making me blush and beam at them.
"Thank you so much! So, Mr Peterson, where shall we begin?"
"Ms Chase, call me David. I think we shall be well acquainted for the show tonight, yeah?" He waggled his eyebrows humorously and I laughed.
"Of course. Call me Annabeth, David."
"Oh, the pleasure." He mimed fainting and the crowd roared whilst I giggled.
He went on asking me a few questions about my career, how On the Runway was doing, and my opinion on some global fashion affairs. Finally, he came to a topic about travel.
"So tell me, Annabeth, are you going anywhere soon?" I smiled and clasped my hands together.
"As a matter of fact, David, I'm leaving St. Francisco for half a year. I shall be going to New York to work on a project with Athena Chase, my mother, as well as The Sharks. I will also be scouting for three trainees, because, as you must've heard, Reyna Avila, Katie Gardner and Hazel Levesque will be transferred soon. Two of these positions have already been filled, but one more place is left! If you're interested, do look out for notices soon!"
David looked crestfallen. "Well, Annabeth, I'm sure I represent St. Francisco when I say that I'm sorely disappointed to see you go, but I wish you the best of luck for your projects in New York!" And, just like that, his face brightened again.
Soon, the interview came to an end. "It was pleasant chatting with you, Annabeth. I hope to see you here again! Good night, St. Francisco and watch out for the next session of St. Francisco's Number One Talk Show, Spilling the Beans! Goodbye!" David and I waved at the audience and walked backstage, where we shook hands and he left.
Silena was at my side in an instant. "Congrats, Annabeth! You were amazing out there! Now come on, let's go back and we can start packing!" Grinning at each other, we skipped towards the limousine outside, hand in hand.
Two days later...
"Oh Annabeth, aren't you excited? I can't wait to see Charlie again!" I giggled at her contagious excitement. Charlie was her boyfriend and they had been dating steadily for three years now. He was in a famous repair shop with his father, Hephaestus Beckendorf, and they were stationed in New York. The timing had been perfect.
We had touched down in New York five minutes ago and were chatting while waiting for our luggage. Spotting my black and white striped one and Silena's hot pink one, I went over to get them off the belt. I could see fans pointing at me and Silena, but all I cared for at the moment was getting to Thalia and Piper.
Pushing our luggage on a trolley, we entered the main waiting hall and exit. Scanning the surroundings and waiting lines, I caught sight of Thalia's shoulder length jet-black hair. "THALIA!" I shouted over the ruckus. She spun towards me, dragging Piper towards us.
"ANNIE!"
"ANNABETH! SILENA!"
I hurtled towards both of them and flung my arms around them. "Thals, Pipes. Gods, how did I survive without you guys?" I hugged them even tighter before Silena pried Piper away and squeezed her so hard Piper gasped. "Hey sis! I missed you so muchhhh!"
Our happy reunion was filled with happy tears, much laughter and the sisterly love that filled the gaps between us all.
It was this kind of love that would never be broken.
END!
How was it? Did you guys find it okay? I thought it wasn't as shitty as the other attempts I made.
Oh, I didn't do a summary yet because I didn't have time so I'll probably post it in Chapter 2 or Chapter 3.
Hope your like it!
Don't forget to smash that favourite button, review on my story and I'll see y'all next time so BYEEEEE!
Love,
ASP