DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters. That right belongs to Rick Riordan.
"I'm Annabeth, by the way," the grey eyed girl said as she unlocked her apartment door. Her short blonde curls swished as she moved. Before Percy could respond, Annabeth was pulling him into the dark apartment.
Percy stood in the doorway and watched as Annabeth turned on the lights and took off her jacket. She yanked off her boots and let them drop near the door. She plopped down on a worn down ugly brown couch and he watched as her body slowly untensed.
Her intense eyes bored into his for a few seconds more before dropping her head into her hands. He heard her take a deep breath before running a hand through her princess curls and getting up.
"Y'know, usually when people go on a food run, they come back with milk and eggs. Not odd boys."
Both Percy and Annabeth turned to the source of the words. Another girl stood in the entrance of a darkened hallway. She stood with her arms crossed in front of her chest with pursed lips. And she didn't look happy to see Percy, an odd boy, standing in her living room.
Annabeth sighed again glancing between the two of them. "Piper, this odd boy is Percy." She gestured to him with her hand. "Percy," she said now gesturing to Piper. "This is Piper, my roommate."
When Piper met his stare with her own cold one, he was surprised by how quickly she glanced away. But before he could apologize for his intrusion she began to speak.
"Why is he here, Annabeth?"
"He's here because he's in danger."
Piper's eyes darted back to him. "Is the one that they've been talking about on the news?"
Annabeth's eyes slip to him as well. "I'm not sure, but I found him hiding in an alley while the cops looked for him. Almost got himself caught."
Percy stood awkwardly trying to avoid their gazes. He shifted from foot to foot as the silence grew around him. It was almost suffocating. It didn't matter how much power he possessed, here, these girls had all of it. They could either give him sanctuary or turn him into the officials. Percy hoped for the latter.
"What have they been talking about on the news?" Percy said, interrupted the silence.
Both he and Annabeth looked to Piper for the answer. Piper twiddled with one of the few small braids in her hair as she spoke, refusing to look at Percy.
"Apparently, all the piping and plumbing in a dinner exploded. Injured some people. But it was supposedly caused by a person. A person with abilities."
She finally looked at him as she spoke the last sentence. She thought he caused that, no she knew. Because who else would be on the run and hiding from the cops?
"It was an accident," he confessed, focusing his eyes on his run down sneakers.
Percy thought back to earlier that day. It started like any other, except that he had a double shift at the diner he'd been working at since he started high school. He didn't have a problem with his job, just a few misunderstandings with the new owner. Whenever he came in, the man always found something wrong with Percy's work. Percy had a feeling that he had it out for him and he finally got his way. After continuously lecturing Percy on everything he had done that day, Percy snapped. And with him went the piping.
Piper let out a low whistle. "You did a lot of damage, dude." And then, to his surprise, she smiled.
Annabeth and Piper then proceeded to have a silent conversation. Percy watched as eyebrows were raised and heads were nodded. They had decided something. Whatever it was he hoped it was in his favor.
"Alright, Percy -" Annabeth began before Piper interrupted.
"Can we do this in the kitchen? I'm starving." She then proceeded to make her through a shadowed entrance to the right of the living room.
A light came on revealing a small kitchen. A counter separated the two rooms. Percy followed Annabeth into the room, but stayed standing in the entrance. Anxiety was once again gripping his throat. He needed to get his emotions under control or he might just snap again. And he didn't want to snap in front of the people who could turn him in.
Annabeth spoke over the sound of the other girl's rummaging through cabinets. "Piper is like you. We know others like you." Her tone was serious. She was sharing very dangerous information. He was finally able to swallow the anxiety filled lump in his throat. They trusted him. They weren't going to give him up.
"There's a place. A safe haven of sorts. I can bring you there."
Percy stared at Annabeth with disbelief. But her grey eyes assured him that she was absolutely serious.
Piper has stopped her rampage through the kitchen and was now leaning against the counter with her arms crossed. A granola bar was gripped in her hand. The air was tense.
"It's not too far from here, but it's going dangerous and we can't do directly there."
Percy nodded as Annabeth spoke about a place where he could be free from the government.
Abruptly Piper crumbled up the wrapper and loudly tossed it into the trash. She began to make her way out of the kitchen. When she passed Annabeth, she laid a light hand on her friend's shoulder. And to Percy's surprise when she got to the entrance, she offered him her fist. They lightly knocked closed fists together before Piper bid a goodnight to both of them. The remaining two watched as the girl made her way to the hallway she came out of and soon disappeared behind a door.
Annabeth let out a sigh and laid her head against the white counters. The longer Percy stood in between the living and kitchen the more he noticed the bareness of the apartment. Even with the worn look of everything, it still didn't have the feel of his home. Definitely not like his mom's apartment.
"We'll have to leave tomorrow. And early," Annabeth said as she removed herself from the stool she had been sitting on. She made her way down the hallway that Piper went down, where Percy assumed was where the bathroom and rooms were. She came back to the living room with a blanket and pillow. "The couch is yours. Um. Make yourself at home."
She glanced around the apartment once more before turning off all but one of the lamps next to the couch. A grim smile passed her face before she went to turn in for the night.
Sighing, Percy readied himself for bed. He didn't expect to get much sleep, but the minute he was under the heavy blanket and the lamp was off, he was out. His long day had a bigger effect on him than he thought.
A firm grip on his shoulder awoke Percy. Annabeth's grey eyes bored into his green ones.
"Time to go."
hey guys! I hope you're liking this so far. the reviews and favorites and follows are much appreciated thank you so much. i apologize for the shortness but they will get longer in the future.
hope your holidays are going well so far:)
