Annabeth
I wake to the sound of the phone ringing. Groaning, I lift my head from the pillow, wiping the corners of my mouth which have gone tacky. My vision, obscured by rough blonde curls, clears with a swipe of my hand. Percy, the orderly, awkwardly holds the noisy device out towards me.
I lift the receiver. I miss my cell phone. "Hello?" My voice sounds thick with sleep.
"Annabeth. It's so, so nice to hear your voice again." Of all the voices I wouldn't want to hear on the other end, my father tops the list. Him and his new wife, and the two little brats. Them and the mom who abandoned me and never looked back.
I don't say anything, so he continues. "Listen, honey, I know you're a little bit mad, but we were thinking maybe you could come home for a day or two. I've already talked to Hera about it, so if you want to you can."
"Why would I want to?" I snap into the phone, knowing I sound ungrateful and bitchy but not caring in the slightest.
He sighs. "Annabeth, it's a just a few days. Your mother and brothers miss you."
"They're not my brothers. And she's not my mom."
"Annabeth, you're being childish. And 'she' has a name, that you should be using."
I scowl, even though he can't see me. I can feel Percy's eyes burning into the side of my head and shift moodily on the sheets. "If you want me to come home, I will, but I'm not coming back here."
He pauses. "Okay," he finally says. "I'll come up and get you this afternoon. I love -" I hang up before he can finish the sentence, slamming the phone so hard onto the stand that the whole thing tumbles off of the bed and lands with a crack on the tile floor.
Percy lifts an eyebrow. "Trouble in paradise?" I shoot him a look.
"If this is paradise, you may need a brain exam." I run my hand through my hair, fingers snagging on knots. I pull them out halfway through, softening a bit. "No, my dad wants me to come home. He's getting me today."
"I should pack, then." I eye him strangely.
"Why?"
He stands, brushing invisible dirt from his pants. "Hera said you might be going home for a bit. She said an orderly has to go with yo, and since I've been assigned to you, it's me." A dark look crosses his face when he says the word 'orderly.'
"Oh," is all I say.
His lips pull in. "I could drive us. So you dad doesn't have to."
I think about it. Either an awful hour in the car with Dad, plus traffic, or a silent and less awkward ride with Percy. "Okay."
"I'll let him know." Percy pushes the chair back to the desk and leaves the room, casting an awkward half-smile at me before the door clicks back into place. I jump out of bed, wincing as the impact of my feet on the tile sends pain prickling up my shins.
I shrug my shirt off over my head, pull of my pants, and grin at myself in the mirror. "I'm leaving," I tell my reflection, and I swear to God, the girl in the mirror winks.
Maybe I am crazy.
The door opens quickly and I jump back, realizing I'm only wearing my bra and underwear. They don't even match, says the annoying voice in my head. Pink and white, Annabeth? Really? Percy stands in the doorway, his face beet red. "I'll...I...come back...later," he stammers after a few seconds, his eyes suddenly flicking up the ceiling. Wear were they before? I smirk. He's blushing up to the roots of his hair.
"No, it's okay. What's so urgent that you burst in here like you have the Minotaur chasing you?" He dutifully looks me directly in the eye.
"Your father knows about the driving arrangement," he says mechanically, and then turns and closes the door as fast as he possibly can. It slams shut, rattling the few things adorning the surfaces in my room. I burst out laughing as soon as he leaves.
Maybe this car ride won't be so boring, after all.
"Call me," moans Piper, crushing me in what feels like the thirtieth bone-crushing hug. I awkwardly pat her back.
"Of course I will, Pipes." She pulls away and grins at me.
"Can't believe my little Bethy is growing up sooo fast," she croons, pinching my cheek. I slap her hand away, but I'm grinning. I really will miss Piper.
A beat up looking sedan pulls up behind me with Percy in the driver's seat. Piper bends down to look inside. "Damn, Annabeth, is that your dad? If so, I want to come over."
I laugh. "No. That's the orderly they're sending with me because I am severely troubled and need supervision. His name is Percy."
She throws her arms around me one last time. "I'll miss you," she says into my hair.
"You too." We separate and I pick up my backpack off the ground, slinging it onto one shoulder as I turn to get in the car.
"Ready to go?" Percy asks. I nod, dropping my backpack by my feet. Piper waves goodbye out the window as we pull away from the home. I can't say I'll miss it.
The inside of Percy's car is messy. Like, really messy. There's a pillow and a couple of blankets stuffed into the backseat, a stack of old magazines, and a framed picture of a pretty middle aged woman. I pick it up, being the nosy bitch I am. "Who is this?"
He glances over, and his eyebrows pull together. "My mom," he says. I nod, even though he doesn't see it. I turn to look at him while he drives. He really doesn't look any older than 24. His messy hair is black and shiny, like a crow's wings. His eyes are the kind of green the sea is on the hottest day, ringed by enviable dark lashes. He has an angular nose that would look odd on anyone else but fits him well. His lips are slightly chapped and full, the kind that make you want to stare. He turns his head towards me and flashes me a cocky grin.
"What are you staring at?" I lift my chin.
"I wasn't looking at you."
"Sure."
I smile at him before looking out my window, nestling my head into the seat belt and falling asleep.
Percy
She makes no sound while she sleeps. The only thing letting me know she's awake is the slight rise and fall of her shoulders as she breathes. A stray curl has tumbled over her face, and sways with each small exhale from her slightly parted lips. I reach over and gently tuck the curl behind her ear, running my fingers down the smooth lock.
She doesn't wake up. Chastising myself, I turn back to the road. My fingers grip the steering wheel until they turn white. The image of the road falls away as my memory pulls up a different image - Annabeth, defiant with her arms crossed, long legs and tan stomach bare. Stop it, I tell myself. I clench my jaw. My fingers tingle, and I pretend I can still feel her hair between them.
She sighs in her sleep, and I use it as an excuse to look back over at her. She has sharp features mixed with soft, gentle ones. Her high cheekbones slope delicately to her eyes, giving way to her slightly pointy nose and full lips. I wish her eyes were open. I can't decide if they're light blue or gray.
My throat closes when I see the picture of my mom, smiling and healthy, from my eighteenth birthday two years ago. The last time I saw her was last month, on my twentieth birthday - stuck in her hospital bed, wires and machines plugged in and whirring. I hate hospitals, doctors, all of it.
And naturally, I get to be one. Well, sort of. Mom calls orderlies "soft doctors."
I shake my head. I need this job to pay her medical bills. "Nuh-nuh-no," whimpers Annabeth in her sleep. I turn to look at her, but she doesn't speak again.
The strap of her thin white tank to slides off of her shoulder, dropping to rest at her elbow. I lightly grasp the soft fabric and slide it back up her arm. Her eyes flutter open and she lifts her head.
"Already trying to undress me?" she says in a spunky, sleepy voice. A shiver runs down my spine when her eyes connect to mine. Gray. Her eyes are definitely gray.
I snort. "I'm sure you'd love to think that," I retort. In the back of my mind, Hera is yelling at me for thinking about Annabeth, for talking to her like this. Hera's not here. She can't see.
"We're close," Annabeth says, and when I look at her she seems worried. Her hands are clenched and she's biting her lip. I let my eyes linger on her lips for a second too long before turning back to the road.
"Are you nervous?" I ask, unable to hold my tongue. I'm ADHD. Never been good at it.
She gives me a quizzical look. "None of your business," she snaps.
I must look hurt, because she continues. "Sorry. Yeah, a bit."
I nod without saying anything, not trusting myself to look back at her. The navigation beeps and blares directions in a robotic female voice. We drive in silence, only broken by the mechanical voice, until we pull up to Annabeth's house.
Or should I say estate?
It's a giant gray and white stone house with a circular driveway complete with a white marble fountain set back on a rolling green lawn. Trees line the road to the house, swaying delicately in the breeze. The air smells like freshly cut grass and wealth. Rose bushes bloom robustly in front of the house, and a set of stairs leads up to the wide double front doors. "Wow," I say.
She scowls. "It's impressive until my dad lives here."
I park the car where Annabeth tells me I can, in front of the large, five car garage. Apparently, all of the spots in the garage are full. My old car looks shabby and out of place next to her mansion.
The front doors swing open to reveal a man who must be Annabeth's dad. He doesn't look anything like I thought he would. He's a thin man in brown slacks and a blue striped button up, only half tucked. He had black loafers and slightly messy salt-and-pepper hair. His face held a wide grin. Behind him comes a pretty older Asian woman with red hair and two boys with their father's dark hair who looked around ten years old.
"Annabeth!" He calls, holding out his arms for a hug.
She eyes him carefully. "Hi, dad." She doesn't take the hug. He puts his arms down and turns to face me. "Who's this?"
I extend a hand, which he shakes. I've always hated shaking hands. It never feels sincere. "I'm Percy Jackson, the orderly assisting Annabeth while she's here. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Chase."
"Please, call me Frederick." He gestures to the woman and children, who stand behind him, staring at Annabeth likes she's an alien. "That's my wife, Lucia, and our two kids, Matthew and Bobby. Boys, say hi to Mr. Jackson."
"Call me Percy," I say automatically. I hate being called by my last name. The two boys, looking entirely like hey'd rather be doing anything else, slouch up to me.
"I'm Bobby," says the taller one. "I'm 11."
The shorter one elbows his brother out of the way. "I'm Matthew and I'm nine." Losing interest, they turn around and go back inside. I glance back. Annabeth is busying herself with her backpack's straps.
"Hello. So nice of you to come with Annabeth, to keep an eye on her." Lucia extends a hand to me, and I shake it awkwardly. "Make sure she doesn't go out past nine, and doesn't do anything undesirable. She'll have a bad impression on the boys." I decide I don't like her the second she talks about Annabeth likes she's not five feet away.
"Nice to meet you," I say quietly. Annabeth pushes past me and goes into the house. I follow slowly, suddenly realizing how she must feel here; trapped in what most kids would cal paradise, with no way out.
Next chapter will be...interesting (insert slightly evil laughter here). Annabeth's eighteenth birthday is coming up, so you can expect some birthday drama to go down. More on Percy's backstory, too.
More characters from the book will be making guest appearances in the story as it goes on, so keep reading to see who will show up.
Again, don't own characters, just the plot.
