Note: Thanks for the massive support on the first chapter. I felt super happy to see that so many of you enjoyed it. SurprisinglyStillActive requested that I update quickly, so I did my best and here is the second chapter! Hope you enjoy.
Endless Love
Chapter 2 - "Forgive, don't forget"
Present Time, St. Lauderdale, New York, 2017
Percy woke up when a blinding light invaded his dream. His eyelids slowly opened, letting the sunlight that beamed through the curtains hit his pupils. For a moment, Percy had no idea where he was. The room seemed vaguely familiar, but it didn't feel like his own. He tried to roll over in his bed, but ended up rolling straight down onto the floor. The harsh thump woke him up properly.
Percy pushed himself up from the floor. He sat down onto the edge of the bed and rubbed his eyes to shake away the last remnants of his dream. Now that he was fully awake, he did recognize the room. It was his old room that he had slept in when he had still lived in St. Lauderdale. He was amazed that his dad hadn't thrown out a single thing he had left behind. The room was exactly as he remembered it from eight years ago.
His old medals he had won back in high school were still hung on the wall over his bed. His old wardrobe still stood where it always had - on the left hand side of his bed - and it still had the same mirror that was cracked from the lower right corner. Even his old school desk had stayed untouched. His old laptop was collecting dust in the middle of it, and a picture of Percy with both of his parents was sitting at the corner of the table. Percy recognized the photo.
It had been taken when he had been twelve and they had been out for a picnic at a nearby lake. They were all smiling so happily at the camera that Percy felt sick to his stomach. He missed his mother and he wasn't exactly close with his father. Looking at the picture was like looking at a dream he could never achieve.
Percy yawned heavily. He grabbed his bag that he had laid on his night desk. He opened the black gym bag and took out a fresh pair of white sneakers, a clean white T-shirt, a pair of ripped jeans and his trusty leather jacket. He had carried the black jacket around with him ever since he had bought it from a local tailor in Italy. It had a few marks of wear and tear on it, but for a six year old jacket, it was in great condition.
It didn't take long for Percy to change into his clothes. Before he headed downstairs to grab himself some breakfast, a strange desire struck him. Percy walked over to his school desk and opened his old laptop's lid. The laptop had been top of the line eight years ago when he had gotten it as a graduation present from his uncle, Travis, and he was curious to find out if the old machine even worked anymore.
He pressed the power button. Nothing.
He pondered for a minute. He looked around and spotted a power cable coming out of the laptop that wasn't plugged in. After plugging in the stray cable, he tried again. This time the computer let out a small beep before the screen turned from black to blue. Some white text and a progress bar appeared onto the screen. "Updating windows - Please do not turn off the computer."
'Eight years of windows updates?' Percy thought. 'Yeah, I think Im going to grab breakfast in the meantime.' He joked internally.
He headed out of his room, leaving the computer running alone.
Percy glanced down the hallway. Not much had changed here either since he had left. The only new addition to the second floor hallway was the new beige carpet running from one end to the other. He headed down the stairs, which brought him into the downstairs living room. The house was designed on an open floor plan, something Percy had learned from Annabeth back in the day, so there were no actual walls splitting the rooms apart from each other. The living room, kitchen and the dining area, were all a part of the same big room.
Percy walked into the kitchen and grabbed a cup from the drawer. He looked out of the window and peered at the garden. It was clearly not looked after. There were no more roses and the various different flower arrangements that had been there before were now overrun by weeds. Percy filled his cup with coffee. Before he had more time to ponder on the fate of the garden, someone spoke.
"Morning Percy." His father said. He was sitting at the end of the dining room table casually reading a newspaper and sipping away on his cup of coffee. Percy looked at the clock that was hanging on the kitchen wall. It was 9:00AM. He must have fell asleep straight after the memorial service yesterday and slept right through the night. It was understandable though. Before he came to St. Lauderdale, he hadn't slept for more than a few hours for three days straight as he was finishing up his tour. He hadn't even slept during the ride from New York to St. Lauderdale.
"You slept like a log. Didn't want to bother you, so I didn't come tell you that breakfast is ready." His father continued nonchalantly, flipping over to the next page of the newspaper. Percy heard his stomach growl. He walked over to the dinner table and started preparing a few sandwiches for himself. Percy didn't really know what to say, but the atmosphere felt awkward so he muttered out the first thing that came into mind.
"What happened to the garden?" Percy asked while he spread peanut butter onto his loaf of bread. His father laid down the newspaper onto the table and took the last sip from his coffee before he stood up.
"I just couldn't keep up with it." He sighed, as he headed to the kitchen sink to wash away the dishes. It didn't take him long to wash his coffee cup clean.
"So, im going to go now, but I'll cook us supper when I get back." Peter said, as he grabbed his jacket from the rack in the hall. Percy stopped eating and turned around.
"You're just going to leave? Now? How am I even supposed to get around?" Percy spat out.
"You left for eight years without a word and I can't leave to work?" Peter huffed. "Besides, I think your old bike is still in the garage." He continued as he took his keys from the kitchen counter. "As I said, I'll cook us up some dinner once I get back. If you're still around." His father said blankly. Peter stepped out and closed the door behind him. Percy heard his father's truck start up and soon after he saw the old hunk of metal leaving the driveway.
Percy sighed. "Bike it is." He muttered to himself.
He finished up his meal and headed back upstairs. He glanced over at the computer. It was still updating. Percy walked over to his night desk and took his phone, dialing in the number of his manager. The phone rang a couple of times before a very upset Beckendorf answered.
"Where the hell are you Percy?!" He shouted. "Do you have any idea what -"
Percy drew the phone back from his ear and waited until he couldn't hear anymore shouting through the speaker. When he moved the phone back to his ear, he assumed Beckendorf had calmed down enough to listen to what he had to say.
"Im in my hometown. My best friend from High School just passed away and I attended his memorial service yesterday." Percy stated calmly. Percy could hear the change in Charlie's tone almost instantly.
"Oh shit. Im so sorry Percy." Beckendorf mumbled over the phone, clearly embarrassed that he had yelled over the phone to a person that was mourning the loss of their best friend. "Anything I can do to help?" He asked after a moment of silence.
"Yeah. I need my credit cards and my wallet, I only have the twenty bucks I had in my pocket when I left." Percy said over the phone. "And I also need a car." He continued, almost laughing out loud at how stupid his own requests sounded.
"Sure, I'll overnight your wallet and credit cards to you, and I'll make sure you'll have a car by this time tomorrow. Just text me your address." Beckendorf replied without ever questioning Percy's requests.
"Alright." Percy replied, ending the call.
'Well, I guess I have no choice.' He thought as he headed out of the house and grabbed his old bike from the garage. It was in surprisingly good shape considering it's age. Without further thought of where he was headed or what he was doing, Percy got on the bike and pedaled towards town.
Present time, St. Lauderdale, New York, 2017
When he arrived to the local supermarket no one seemed to notice him. No one seemed to care that he was there, heck, no one seemed to be aware that he existed.
'Well, that's a change from the norm.' Percy thought as he locked his bike. Usually, wherever he went there was always a huge crowd of people or paparazzi following him, or at the very least there were people who asked if they could take a picture with him, but here he was left completely unbothered. It was a strangely unnerving feeling to not have people notice him the way he was used to. He couldn't decide whether it was nice or creepy.
Percy made his way inside the familiar supermarket. Once inside, he headed straight for the beverages section, where he picked up bottle of beer, after which he headed towards the checkout. When he got close to the counter and could see who the cashier was, his jaw dropped.
"Grover?" He asked in disbelief. The brown haired man sitting on the other side of the counter looked up to him. His brown eyes bored into Percy's and Percy found it incredibly hard to hold his gaze.
"Im surprised you still remember my name." The cashier replied dryly while he read the barcode from Percy's product. "That would be $2.99" He continued nonchalantly. Percy handed him the twenty dollar bill he had in his pocket. When Grover grabbed it Percy noticed something strange about Grover's hands. The caucasian complexion of his skin was broken by a few nasty scars on both palms of his hands.
"So, uh.. You work here?" Percy asked. Grover looked up at him with a blank expression. "Im on leave from the local police force until the scars on my hands heal. Dealing with armed robbers is the nasty part of the job." He replied while handing Percy his change. "I decided to do some volunteer work here in the meantime. Gets me out of the house." Percy felt flabbergasted.
"You stopped an armed robbery?" He asked in disbelief. He could never look at his old friend the same again. "Grover that's huge. You must be a hero."
Grover shrugged.
"It's what I do. I help people, because I care about them." Grover replied, putting emphasis on the word care. Percy knew what his old friend was referring to. Percy had abandoned him and everyone else in the town for his own selfish needs.
Percy cleared his throat.
"Yeah.." Percy started, when an idea popped into his mind. "You don't happen to know where Annabeth lives or works, do you?" Percy asked.
He knew it was a long shot, but it was the best plan he could come up with for the moment. Grover handed Percy his beer that he had put inside a paper bag.
"Thanks for shopping at Bailey's." Grover replied with a forced smile. Percy just huffed and grabbed the paper bag.
'So much for helping out an old friend' Percy thought as he stepped outside of the supermarket. It was a hot day. The air felt still and kind of pressuring. Percy guessed it would probably start raining or thundering later. He sat down onto one of the benches that were located at equal intervals throughout the sidewalks that lined the main street. Percy sat there for a good while, sipping away at his beer. He waited for someone to notice him, for someone to recognize him and come ask for a selfie with the famous Percy Jackson, but no one ever came.
Percy glanced down the street. It was like looking back in time. Most of the buildings that lined the main street were old wooden houses that had been restored and were now used as various different storefronts. You could find everything you needed on this one street. A supermarket, a flower shop, a tailor & clothing shop and the local bar were just some of the idyllic buildings located on either sides of the main street. Beautiful flower arrangements were laid out on most of the terraces, and the american flag was hanging from the flagpole of the local restaurant. It was as if a piece of american history had been preserved in perfect condition. It would have been like a postcard view straight from the 80s if it wasn't for the modern gas station at the edge of town.
Percy gulped down the remains of his beer and stood up. He didn't know exactly how long had passed, but judging by the position of the sun he guessed it was probably a little over noon, which meant it would be lunch time soon. If old habits really did die hard, he knew where he would find Annabeth at this hour.
Percy walked over the street to the diner that was located opposite to the supermarket. It was nothing fabulous, just one of those good old roadside diner's where people came to grab a bite of lunch and where the local youth hung out in the evenings. He was just about to walk in through the sliding doors when a car beeped it's horn right behind him. Percy jumped a little. He hadn't expected the sound at all, since when he had crossed the road he hadn't seen any cars around at all. Percy looked over his shoulder and could spot the tail lights of a mustang heading away from the town center.
While still trying to peer over his shoulder at the distancing car, Percy walked forwards. He had forgotten that there was a small ledge at the edge of the diner's entrance and because he wasn't looking, he tripped on it and was sent tumbling forwards. As if the universe was set on making everything as hard as possible for him, Percy managed to bump into Annabeth, whom was carrying a takeout coffee cup in one hand and a stack of papers in the other. When Percy crashed into her, the papers flew out of her hands and her coffee spilled all over Percy. Some of it even landed on the papers that now laid on the floor.
"We seem to meet under the weirdest of circumstances.." Percy mumbled from the floor. He looked up at Annabeth who fumed with anger.
The beautiful blonde was dressed casually in a pair of jean shorts and a white shirt, and she had tied her long hair onto a ponytail with a white bandana. When she finally opened her mouth, the ice cold tone she spoke with sent shivers down Percy's spine.
"Good job." She started sarcastically. "You just managed to ruin a month worth of progress in a matter of seconds." She continued, pointing at the coffee tainted papers laying on the ground. Now that Percy had a closer look at them, he recognized them as blueprints.
"Im sorry, Annabeth, I didn't mean to -" Percy muttered. Annabeth shushed him with a single glare. She knelt down and started picking up the papers. Percy started to collect some of the papers too and to his surprise, Annabeth didn't stop him.
"So ugh, you're an architect now?" Percy asked as he handed the last of the blueprints to Annabeth. They both stood up.
"Yeah, I am. I actually did something with my life after you walked out on me." She said, looking him dead in the eye. "After you abandoned us." She finished.
"Us?" Percy asked, realizing what she had meant too late.
"The whole town. Your friends, your family, me." Annabeth snapped. "Here in saint we have each other's backs. The old you would have known that. He was the most loyal and trustworthy people I knew." She finished, with a sliver of sadness edging her voice. "But now -" She said, regaining her ice cold tone. "I don't know who you are anymore." She finished. Before Percy could reply Annabeth tried to walk past him. A blueprint slipped out of her grip though and landed near Percy's feet. He bent down and picked it up.
Percy studied the coffee tainted blueprint. It was a blueprint of a house. A big one at that. One that a family of three or four could comfortably live in and still have space for a guest room. "You designed this?" He asked half mindedly, never looking up from the blueprint. The floor plan was genius, revolutionary even. He had seen his fair share of houses and flats during his eight years of fame, but the space management displayed in this blueprint was something he had never seen before.
Only when Annabeth snatched the blueprint away from his hands did Percy wake up from his thoughts. He looked up at her.
"The floor plan on that blueprint is genius Annabeth, you know that, right?" He stated. Annabeth looked off guard. She hadn't expected his compliments. "And the sleek lines you had sketched for the forefront of the house were amazing too." Percy continued, not sure where he was going with it. Annabeth looked at him curiously.
"You really liked them?" She asked silently. Percy only nodded in return. She looked down for a moment and Percy saw a small smile flash on her lips.
"Could you maybe design a house for me?" He asked bluntly. He hadn't thought about what he was about to say before he had said it, but the truth was that he had been thinking of building a house of his own for a while now and perhaps more importantly, this could be the only way he had of talking with Annabeth, so he had to take it.
The smile from her face faded as quickly as it had appeared. "Percy, I can't -" She started, but was interrupted by the cheerful voice of a little girl. Percy turned around and spotted the same girl he had seen come into the church with Annabeth yesterday.
"Mommyy!" she yelled as she ran over and hugged Annabeth.
"Hey, Sweetheart." Annabeth replied with a forced smile on her face. It was obvious that Annabeth was happy to see her, but the nervous glances she took at Percy were snapping away from that joy. "How did you get off school so early. I was supposed to pick you up in a few hours, wasn't I?" Annabeth asked.
"We got out early!" The girl replied cheerfully. "We didn't have PE today at all, because Mr. Blofis was sick." She explained, while shifting her attention from Annabeth to Percy. "Who's he?"
"Just a friend - a Customer" Annabeth and Percy stammered on top of each other, sharing a quick glance. Percy looked at Annabeth trying to wordlessly say 'I got this', but he had no idea if Annabeth got the message.
Percy knelt down and held out his hand. "Im Percy. Percy Jackson." He said, shaking the young girls hand. "Im an old friend and -" He paused for a moment. "- Ugh, a customer of your mom's." He finished, looking over at Annabeth whom was practically dying of anxiousness, if Percy could still read her expressions right.
"Im Sally." The girl answered. "Aren't you that same singer my mom sometimes listens to?" She asked. Percy felt flabbergasted. He didn't know how to reply and looked over to Annabeth in surprise. She was red hot in the face.
"I sometimes have the radio on. Sometimes." She stammered, turning her gaze away from Percy.
"Oh.." He replied, still unsure how to continue. Annabeth addressed the little girl.
"Sweetheart, would you like to go get some ice cream? Luke is inside there, im sure he'd be delighted to buy you some ice cream." Annabeth asked, trying hard to force the softness into her voice. The girl hugged Annabeth again.
"You're the best Mommy!" She said, almost rushing away from Annabeth and Percy, but Percy had one more question.
"Hey Sally.. Before you go, how old are you?" Percy asked. A horrific thought had popped into his head and he needed to make sure that what he has thinking wasn't true. Sally looked shyly at Percy with her gray eyes.
"Im really small for my age, and my baby teeth still haven't fallen out like my classmates, but im seven." She said. Percy nodded, silently giving the child permission to leave. Even before Percy looked over at Annabeth he knew the answer to the thought that had popped into his head. When Percy finally mustered up the courage to look at Annabeth the answer was written all over her face.
"Seven, huh." Percy stated. "That means that she was conceived -" Percy cut off.
Annabeth stayed silent for a moment.
"You wouldn't answer my calls." She finally spoke with a hushed tone. Her answer laid the final nail into the coffin. It was now clear what the voicemail from eight years ago had been about. It was Annabeth calling him, that she was pregnant.
Sally, was his daughter.
So. Sally is not Luke and Annabeth's kid, but in fact, Percy's.
But, are Luke and Annabeth together, why didn't anyone tell Percy before that he had a daughter, how will all this affect Annabeth and Percy's already cold relationship? I guess you guys will have to wait and see.
Let me know what you guys thought by leaving a review or sending me a PM!
On a side note, I often update old chapters / earlier chapters with some fixed descriptive writing (for example, I played around with some paragraphs in Chapter 1) if I feel like something in them feels a bit off, or that they could use some polishing. Just a heads up, if you ever re read the story and find some new descriptive writing. The updates dont change the main plot at all, just adds more detail into the story in general. Anyway, hope to cya all soon!
Disclaimer There is no copyright infringement intended in this story to any owners of the original content that has inspired this fanfic.
Replying to reviews;
SurprisinglyStillActive; I loved hearing that you liked the first chapter.I tried my best to update as soon as I could. I hope you like it!
WisePhoenix; I know! It's sad isn't it, but I had to kill off someone and it couldn't be Grover since *spoiler alert* he will play a major role later. Im glad to hear you liked the liked the first chapter, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the first!