A/N: Hi guys.. I'm sorry haven't updated so long. I have no excuse, other than the fact that I recently started watching Grey's Anatomy and that kind of takes up time... Part 2 of this will be up April 1st!
Dedicated to ImpossibleThings12 for being awesome.
pril Fool's Day is coming up," I told Percy, my husband of approximately one year. I placed the milk on the table and sat down.
"Uh-huh," Percy mumbled, shoving pasta in his mouth.
"Chew, Seaweed Brain!" I reminded him. Although, if Percy ever did choke, I do know the Heimlich Maneuver.
"Sorry," Percy said, swallowing. "Anyways, about April Fool's Day. What were you saying?"
"We should prank people this year," I said. "I'm tired of letting the Stolls have all the fun," I glanced at Percy. He raised an eyebrow, wondering why I was acting so strange. I still never got the Stoll's back for that spider. Is revenge wise? No. But Athena always has a plan.
"Oo-kay," Percy said. "Why are we pranking people?" I punched him in the gut. "Ow!"
"Sorry, but you're not paying attention!" I cried. He rubbed his side.
"I think we should go to Camp and prank everyone there," Percy said.
"Nah, too mainstream," I complained. "Everyone does that," And I mean everyone.
"We could prank my mom!" he suggested.
"What? No! She's nice!" And my mother isn't. Perhaps kindness isn't wise? Is wisdom kindness?
"Ooh, i know! We could prank your brothers!" Percy said. I shook my head.
"They live too far away," I sighed. "I'm not driving to San Francisco!" Yeah, right! We have jobs! (And maybe I want to stay in a place where I don't have to think about my missing childhood, or how it was partly my fault that I missed it.)
"True," Percy muttered. He brightened up immediately. "You know what? I have a great idea!"
"Mm-hmm," I said, curious to hear what this so-called "great idea" was. He sat there, grinning like the Seaweed Brain he was. "Well, go on," I prodded.
"What if," he said a bit too dramatically. "We prank each other?"
And that is where my plans, my flawless plans (or so I thought) that I had stayed up to midnight creating, thanks to insomnia, went wrong.
But Athena always has a plan. And sometimes a plan B.
I came up with a strategy during a flash of inspiration at the breakfast table, while I was eating my Lucky Charms (and that is the last time I ever let Percy do the shopping).
"Hmm," I muttered, grabbing a piece of paper and a pencil and writing whatever came into my mind. "This could work,"
I decided that maybe I should eat Luck Charms more often, and I was about to go refill my bowl when a sudden wave of nausea passed over me.
"Oh great," I muttered, jogging to the bathroom. I vaguely remembered someone at work saying something about the stomach bug going around...
Thanks a lot! I silently cursed as I threw up my breakfast.
Why couldn't somebody else get sick instead? Self-centered, I know.
And suddenly, I was six years old again, banging on the bathroom door. "Let me in," I cried. "I have to brush my teeth!"
"No," I heard my stepmother, Helen, say from inside. "No, no, no, no. It's too early. They can't be coming. It's TOO EARLY!" She muttered something under her breath. I remember being astonished to hear Helen, perfectly poised Helen, swear. "No no no no no. Oh no."
I sat down against the wall, covering my ears and squeezing my eyes shut, because maybe that would make Helen stop screaming. Maybe if I closed my eyes long enough I would wake up and this would all be a dream and I would be at home with just my dad and me.
"Annabeth," my dad shook me, panting. "What's wrong? Why is Helen screaming? What's going on?"
I squeezed my eyes harder, because if I did, maybe he would go away too.
I heard my dad bang open the door. I heard him call 911.
I watched, through my small, chubby fingers, as paramedics put Helen on a stretcher, my dad running after them. No paid any mind to the small girl sitting next to the door.
When they were gone, I remember walking into the bathroom to brush my teeth, all the while trying to avoid the puddle of blood in the middle of the room.
And then suddenly, someone was lifting me up and covering my eyes with their hand.
"Come on, Annie," my father said. "We have to get to the hospital."
Fact: We've never talked about it since.
Ten hours later, on May 12, my brothers were born at 30 weeks gestation.
They were so early. And so fragile that it scared me to touch them.
So, when Helen told me I wasn't allowed to be near the babies, I listened. I listened, and I pretended not to mind.
Fact: I didn't always listen.
Sighing, I grabbed my cell phone from my purse and dialed work to tell them that I was sick, that I wasn't coming in. They seemed pretty understanding (NOT!). Something about "You need to make a better effort to come in," or something like that. I wasn't really sure, because a pounding headache had taken over my senses.
I laid down on the couch, feeling downright miserable.
Twenty minutes later, I found myself running to the bathroom yet again.
Ugh...
Ten minutes later, I decided to call my father to see what he used to give me when I was little, before Helen came along. I vaguely remembered drinking some kind of broth as a little kid.
And, not that I would ever admit it, but I wanted an excuse to hear his voice.
Ring...
Ring...
Please answer, I begged silently.
Someone on the other end picked up the phone. "Hello?" said a voice that I recognized very well (or, as well as you can recognize someone's voice when you've missed half of their formative years). "This is Panera. Can I place an order for you?"
"Give the phone to Dad, Bobby!" I yelled.
"You sound like you need a cookie," my 14-year old half-brother said.
"Bobby," I warned, getting annoyed. "I'm serious,"
"You want chips with that?"
"You're making me mad. Are you sure you want to go there?" I questioned.
"All right, listen up lady. It's, like, a crime to assault an employee, so..."
"Bobby," I said. "This isn't funny,"
"Um, lady, I'm not Bobby," he said. "Do you want to place an order or not?"
"Matthew!" I sighed.
"...I'm not Matthew, either,"
"Wait, seriously?" I asked.
"Yeah, I think you have the wrong number," he said.
"Are you sure you aren't my brother?" I said, knowing full well that this was exactly the sort of thing Bobby or Matthew would do.
"Um, I think you have the wrong number. Do want to order something or no?" the guy on the other end said. Awkward silence. I sighed, feeling slightly guilty.
"You know, do you guys still have that soup?" I stated. "You know, the really good one?"
"We have, like, five kinds of soup,"
"Okay, you know what?" I cried, realizing that I was actually really hungry. Like, really, really hungry. I decided I wasn't sick anymore. "Can I just order all of them? Ooh, and maybe one of those bread bowl things?"
"The soup comes in the bread bowl..."
"Okay! Then put it in the bread bowl!" I said. Seriously, why were mortals so stupid?
"You want five different kinds of soup in five bread bowls? Okay..."
"All right! Thanks!"
"Wait, what's your name?" he said. "I need it to place your order."
I gave him the information and hung up.
"Percy," I said into the phone. "Will you go to Panera? I need you to pick up an order me,"
"I have to work, Wise Girl," he sighed. "Otherwise I would! I promise!" I heard muffled voices in the background. "Sorry Annabeth! Got to go!"
The line went dead.
"What?" I yelled. "Percy! You can't hang up on me! I need my Panera!"
Too late.
why was I always too late?
1. Park the car.
2. Walk inside and get the food.
3. Drive home.
Athena always has a plan.
After about ten minutes, I decided that driving to Panera to get my food would be worth it.
I walked into Panera. "Excuse me," I said to the first person I saw, a skinny-looking guy of about twenty with dark brown hair and blue eyes. "I ordered through the phone. Where do I get my food?"
"Uh... what's your name?" the guy sighed lazily. He subconsciously played with his nametag, which read HI, I'M JOE.
"Annabeth," I replied. He perked up immediately.
"Did you really think I was Bobby?" he cried.
"Um, yeah." I said, slightly annoyed. "Can I have my food now?" He pointed to the shelf in the middle of the room.
"Right there," he said. I grabbed the brown paper bag, and was about to go pay for it when I noticed two very familiar faces in the room.
"STOLLS?" I yelled. "What are you doing here?"
They grinned sheepishly at me. "Believe me when I tell you that you don't want to know," Travis sighed.
"Because you seriously don't," Connor said. Travis rolled his eyes.
"Dude, that sounds stupid!"
"It does not!" Connor cried, crossing his arms. His brother sighed.
"Whatever. Come on, we have to go!"
They made a beeline for the exit, but I grabbed the back of Connor's shirt before he made it out the door.
"Hey!" he said, tried to twist himself out of my grip. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't letting go.
"Annabeth," Travis said, looking me in the eye. "You are going to seriously going to want to let go because-"
A giant cloud of smoke fell from the ceiling. No, not smoke, it was-
SPIDERS!
"Too late."
There were spiders everywhere. On my clothes, on my arms in legs, in my hair!
"Get them off!" I screamed. "GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!"
"I'm trying!" Travis yelled, picking the spiders off of me one by one, and ignoring the spiders on himself. Connor grimaced, pulling the spiders off of his arm.
"TRAVIS STOLL! YOU GET THESE SPIDERS OFF OF ME RIGHT NOW! OR I WILL PERSONALLY MAKE SURE THAT YOU NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY AGAIN!"
"Wow," Connor breathed. "She's mad,"
"You think?" I screamed. Travis flinched, shaking his head. Spiders were all around the store, but I wasn't noticing them.
"What is going on?" Joe yelled. "Why are there spiders everywhere?"
I pointed at the Stoll's, grimacing. And suddenly, I couldn't breathe.
"Dude, is she hyperventilating?" Connor said. And that was when I fainted.
A/N: Please review!
