Sorry, I couldn't update because of my end semesters. But now, let's not waste any more time...
"Go away… And don't come back. Percy isn't here…" She slammed the door shut, leaving me baffled, torn and lost, but most of all, empty. The tears coming out of my eyes were unstoppable now.
I was on my bed crying. I had missed school today. Sally never did open the door. But most importantly, I didn't meet Percy. Sometime, in between my tears and screams, I had wandered back home.
I had expected my home to give me some comfort, but instead, I was barraged by dad's questions.
"Where were you? Why weren't you at school?"
"Dad, I don't want to talk about this now."
"What do you mean you don't want to talk about this? You skipped school and now you want to avoid a conversation about it. You were at Percy's weren't you? I thought that boy was a good guy." His words struck me in the heart.
"HE IS… dad." I started walking towards my room.
"Yeah, then why weren't you at school? I tried to call his mother, but even she won't pick up. Your mother was right." I stopped in my tracks. How was Mom involved in this?
"Athena was right, that Poseidon's kid isn't good for you."
"DAD, YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING…" I couldn't take it any longer. "You don't know anything that has happened in the past few weeks. You don't know that my whole world has flipped around just because I had done one crazy thing. I kissed one wrong guy, for a prank and then Percy disappears. And then Jason and Nico start avoiding me. Finally, when I catch one of them, I find out that Percy loves me, and all this while, I had discovered that I too was in love with him. Yesterday, I had gone over to Percy's hoping that I could see him and apologize. I stay at Percy's door, hoping I would see him again… but… but…" I lost it… I ran up to my room and crashed on my bed, tears pouring out uncontrollably.
I don't know how much time I had spent crying like that, but after what felt like a few hours, the step monster, Hannah walked into my room. I was too tired and worn out to argue with her.
"Annabeth, dear, it's dinner time, you have eat something…"
"…"
"Annabeth, I know you are scared for Percy. I'm sure that he'll forgive you when you apologize to him."
"I can't find him…"
"What…"
"I can't find him… His mother pushed me out saying that he wasn't there… and that I shouldn't… I shouldn't come back for him." I could see her eyes soften up. Until today, I had seen her as a monster, but now, she cared for me.
"Oh dear… Don't worry girl, you'll find him. It'll be fine." She wrapped her arms around me, while I cried out on her shoulder.
"Now you just wait, I'll go get you something to eat. Tomorrow, you should go to school, perhaps you will find something there."
"Okay…" She kissed my forehead and walked out of the room. I walked over to my bookshelf and pulled out that architecture book that Percy gifted me last year for my birthday. Hannah came back in and passed me dinner. I quickly finished my dinner, and lay down to sleep, the architecture book still tightly wrapped in my arms.
I woke up and carried myself to school. I completely avoided my father on the way, but I spent a lot of time with Hannah in the kitchen. Since the incident with dad yesterday night, she had come and checked on me at least 10 times, and she even helped me choose something to wear today morning. She planted a kiss on my forehead as I left for school. The step monster had now become my biggest source of comfort. I remembered that I share my Maths class today morning with Percy. I hoped that he might magically appear in math class today morning, though I knew it was impossible, especially after yesterday's incident… and Percy hates math.
I walked through the front doors and WHAM!
I fell backwards and bag fell to the floor. I looked in front of me and found Nico staring back at me. Hope swelled up in my heart. Nico might have some answers about Percy.
"Nico… Do you know anything about P-"
He cut me off. "No… I don't know anything. Don't ask me again." Only now did I notice the expression on his face, not of shock, or agitation, but rather… fear. He ran away before I could say anything more.
I stared out into the open space where Nico had stood, trying to comprehend what had happened before I shrugged off that awkward situation and made my way to Math class. As I entered the room, I could feel something missing, and I don't even have to think to remember what it is… Percy. The thought brought tears to my eyes. His absence had left me bare. I had never believed that someone could occupy so much in someone else's life. The old saying is true, you have to feel its absence to know of its true value.
I had not realised that I had zoned out until Thalia came up from behind and nudged me.
"Annie, class is about to start, don't stand there like a statue." She walked past and turned around to face me, with the usual smile, and the hard, unforgiving glare. But the moment her eyes fell on, her gaze softened.
"Hey, what's wrong? You look terrible. Is it Drew? Is she trying to bully you again?" I shook my head lightly. She had no idea.
"Is it Kelp head?" My breath caught up in my throat. She noticed that. "I'll murd-" But she was cut off by the entrance of Mrs. Kerns, our math teacher. Thalia sent me a silent 'we'll talk' look before walking over to her bench at the back of the class. I sat down at my bench in front, next to Percy's place, and picked up my pen, staring at the nib.
Mrs. Kerns walked in and placed her books on the table. "We have a small announcement today, before we begin class. Percy Jackson-" I jerked my head around. "-will be transferring out of Goode." My pen slipped out of my hands and fell to the desk. I could feel a few eyes on my back, but I paid no heed to them. Instead I spent the rest of the class just blankly staring at my book.
After class, I rushed to the door to avoid any questions. Unfortunately for me, Thalia was faster. "Spill…"
"Thals, I have a class…" I tried to walk past her, but she wouldn't let me.
"We both know that you don't have a class now, and I'm not letting you go without an explanation." The look of determination in her eyes was enough for me to know that there was no escape. I pulled her out to the back of the school, near the soccer field. The tears started pouring uncontrollably. I hugged Thalia and cried on her shoulder.
"Annie…"
"Thalia, he… I wanted… say sorry… he's gone…" I thought I was done crying, apparently not. So much for being the unbreakable one.
"Calm down… Sit down, wipe your tears away and tell me everything…" We sat down for my entire free hour. Thalia ditched her Greek Myth class, and I told her everything, of the prank, the stuff Jason told me, Sally's reaction, about my step-mom and even the incident with Nico this morning.
I turned to face Thalia, but before I could ask her, she screamed, "DI ANGELO!" and walked off. I took off after her. "Thalia, where are you going?"
"Annabeth, wait. I'm sure my boyfriend knows something, but he doesn't want to tell you. So I'll get it from him and then relay it to you. Now go to class, and meet me at our usual spot after school. I'll tell you then." She walked off stomping her feet, muttering something about secrets and unfaithful boyfriends.
I whispered a silent 'okay' before carrying my ghost of a body back to class.
I lie in wait of Thalia under our tree near the school entrance. My advanced architecture class finished 10 min early, and that left me with a lot of time to worry about what frightening news Thalia might bring. It also made me excited to learn of any good news. The two sides of my brain faced each other in battle, desperate to win. It just resulted in wet eyes and a headache.
I knew Thalia's last class was English, and I also knew some of the students who she had her class with her. I looked over to check of her arrival, but no luck. Once her entire class had dispersed, she still hadn't come out. I saw, Mr. Stevens, her English teacher walk out, but still no Thalia. 'She got detention.' 'She doesn't want to tell you.' 'She has good news and wants to surprise you.' My brain started again. I was just about to crack my skull open and destroy it, when I saw Thalia walking towards me. She didn't look too happy. She looked sad, and angry.
I ran up to her and asked her "Anything?" I was hoping she was sad because of some detention she had achieved. But Thalia wouldn't get upset because of detention. She would be pissed, but not angry.
"Nothing…" Liar. My face dropped in fake sadness.
"He d-didn't say a-anything? B-But you were so sure. Tell me, even if it is depressing. I need something… happiness or depression… Please, don't leave me empty." I screamed. Why was she lying to me? One side of my brain screamed in triumph, the other, despair.
"Annabeth… I don't know anything…" She was lying. I knew her long enough to know that she was doing it.
"LIAR! You're lying. You can't fool me. It is bad news isn't it. That's why you look so sad."
"HAVE IT YOUR WAY! I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO YOU AGAIN! SO FUCK OFF, YOU MURDERESS." She walked out of the school grounds and disappeared behind her car door.
I sunk down to my knees. Now I lost my best friend too. Okay, my next best, after… after… him. I held back the tears. I must have looked terrible because some of the super nerds who stayed back to play 20 questions with the teachers, started to divert their attention from their book and look at me. I looked around for any teachers who might come over and ask me what's wrong. I certainly didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment. I quickly gathered my stuff, and trudged down the road, and made my way back home.
Once I reached home, I didn't stop to talk to anyone. I made my straight to my room, and closed the door. I needed to be alone. To gather my thoughts, to stop the war in my head, to sort out my feelings and to decipher 'THE MURDERESS'.
The murderess… No… Did she mean…
I couldn't stand anymore. My feet crumbled beneath me, eyes let loose their waterfalls, and my brain went dead. It felt like someone stabbed my heart.
"He won't leave me like this… He just can't…" But everything made more sense now. Sally's reaction… "Oh my god, Sally… He wouldn't… His mum… I don't believe it…" I found all the facts supporting it, but somehow, in my heart, it didn't feel right. He can't be…
I felt… no, I knew he was alive. I had to go see his body myself. His body, his death place, the trip. I had to find out where he had travelled to. I knew I couldn't ask Jason or anyone else. I am sure they accuse me of being reason for his… I decided that I was alone.
Where could he have gone? He wanted to take me along, but he didn't want to take anyone else. He waited until the day before we left, so I knew I had been to this place before, and it isn't far away. But no one else knows where we go…
It was all hazy for a second, and I couldn't find any exit. But then all of a sudden, the answer struck me like lightning, and I knew where he had gone...
The one place which only his mum, him, and myself go to. The place which we go to every summer, and sometimes during winter. The place which no one else in the school know that we go to, not even Thalia. The one place we truly had to ourselves…
"Montauk" I breathed.
I quickly picked up my jacket and backpack and ran downstairs. "Hannah, I'm going to Montauk. It's for him. Please do something about it with dad. I really have to…" She seemed to understand what I was trying to do. I would hug her and maybe even kiss her for this when I get back, if I ever got back.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, I'm taking Dad's car. I know to drive and I swear I'll bring it back in one piece. Please…" She seemed a little more reluctant at this but in the end she gave way. I'm definitely going to have to kiss her for that. "But be careful"
I picked up the keys, hopped into the car, and made my way to Montauk.
"Percy… I know you didn't leave me... I will prove it to the rest of the world that you didn't." I said to myself.
The journey to Montauk was tiring. Three hours of excruciating travel. I made my way to Percy's place in Montauk.
I walked over to their house to check if there was anything strange. The place appeared rather clean. As if someone was here a few days ago. That confirmed my theory that Percy was here with his mom a few days ago.
I decided that there was no reason for me to search the house anymore. I knew Percy was here a few days ago…
"Seaweed Brain…" I breathed. My eyes started to wet, but I had to stop myself from breaking down here. "No" I said to myself. I had to find him. I couldn't break down now. After taking a few minutes to calm myself, I decided that the next thing I had to do was fish out some information. Surely someone must know about Percy's visit.
I walked over to our favourite place to eat. It was a small diner about a mile down the road from Percy's place. Percy had a friend named John who worked there. I could contact him.
"Pop's Place" I read out of the signboard. I pushed open the door and scanned the place. I found John almost immediately. He was chatting with a customer at the end of the table. I strode over to him.
"Hi John…" He looked at me quizzically.
"Annabeth…" I nodded. His eyes widened, and he reached over, grabbed my arm, and dragged me out of the place. I followed him in shock.
"GET OUT OF THIS PLACE, AND STAY OUT." I turned my head away in guilt as screamed at me. "BECAUSE OF YOU, PERCY…" he suddenly seemed to remember something and he held back the words. But that sentence startled me out of my shock.
"What did he do? TELL ME JOHN… PLEASE…" I pleaded. I was crying… again. Silence…
"John, I beg you… Please tell me…"
"He… He j-jumped off of a c-cliff and d-died…" John turned back around and ran back inside. I knew he was crying too.
But I couldn't care less. The only thing that registered in my mind was that Percy committed suicide.
I walked back to my car, and slumped down onto the driver seat. A part of me knew that this could be the reason, but I had hoped it would be something else…
"How does he know that Percy… Seaweed brain could have just tripped over a rock and fallen off." I said to myself. "There must be something… Something that told them it was a suicide. A note maybe… That would be in…"
I quickly started the car and rushed back to Percy's place. I had to get in… I had to see if he left a note, assuming and hoping that Sally didn't take it with her.
I took the spare key from underneath their entrance mat and opened the house. Quickly, I started to search for any such note. I turned the house upside down searching for it, but in vain. After hours and hours of fruitless searching, I sat down on the couch with a noisy, whup!, lied down, and tried to sleep. It took another few hours of sobbing, banging my head, rolling and at least an entire stash of half a dozen chips packets to get me to sleep.
"Hi, my name is Percy…" Six year old Percy said to the six year old me.
I remember that day. The day we first met. We were in the same class in first grade. I had recently moved over here from San Francisco. This was my first day at school in New York. I hated the transfer, so naturally I hated the place. Dad asked me to make new friends. But I didn't want to. I wanted to go back to San Francisco. So I tried, I went up to group of people and asked if I could play with them. But 5 minutes later, they laughed at me, called me a know-it-all and walked away.
"Are you here to laugh at me like they did? Call me a know-it-all?" I scowled.
"No… That was Drew's gang. They always laugh at everyone. Don't let them brother you. I like you. You are smart, and pretty." You could see a faint blush on my six year old cheeks.
"It's bother not brother…"
"That's what I'm talking about. Be my friend. Pleeeeaaaseeee…" Percy pouted.
The scene changed. We were in 3rd grade now. It was the last day before summer. Percy walked up to me during lunch.
"Wise girl, can you come with me to the soccer field?"
"Why?"
"I have to tell you something, in secret." The word 'secret' bought it for me. Percy's face was beaming all the time as I stuffed my mouth as much as I could and dropped the rest of the food in the trash, before following him to the soccer field.
"What happened?"
"You are coming with me to Montauk. Mom spoke to your dad about it. He agreed. We will be spending our entire summer in Montauk, together. I go there every year with Mom. But this is the first time I'm taking someone with me. So you have to keep it a secret. Promise?" He held out the little finger of his right hand.
"Promise…" I held out mine and joined it to his.
The scene changed again. This time, we were at Montauk, 14 year old Percy was dragging the 14 year old me to the cliffs. I had been to Montauk every summer since third grade, all except for when I was 13. That time, I had to stay home. I was infected with chicken pox. It took a lot of phone calls, but somehow, I convinced Percy to go to Montauk that year.
"Wise Girl, wait until you see what I found last year." We were getting closer to the edge.
"Seaweed brain, where are you taking me? It is dangerous to be near these cliffs. What if we fall off? We won't survive with those rocks down there."
"We won't anywhere here, except at one place." He pointed to the highest point of the range.
"Are you crazy?"
"No, I found out. Only at that place, there aren't any rocks below. What's more, I found something else below. Come on, let me show you."
"Wait, you want to jump?"
"Yes"
"And you want me to jump too?" We were near the edge.
"Yeah…"
"I think you hit the rocks with your head the last time you jumped."
"Come on, wise girl, I'm sure nothing will happen." I was still reluctant.
The scene dissolved away, and I woke up as I rolled off the couch and fell to the floor. My shoulder hurt a little from the fall.
Even though it only seemed like minutes, that dream lasted all night. Dawn had cracked outside. I turned back to look at the couch, and that's when I noticed the small paper sticking out from in between the cushions. It was a note… A suicide note… Percy's suicide note… Addressed to his mom.
Hi mom,
I'm sorry. I know this note will not make you happy. I will never forgive myself for what I am doing to you. But I can't take it any longer. I can't watch Annabeth do it anymore. Once was quite enough. I just have to go. And please don't come after me. Marry Paul. Please move on. Do not try to find me, I would have been gone before you can get to me. Please hide this from her, all of it. If she finds out, she might follow me. I'm sorry.
Goodbye,
Love, Percy.
I must not have noticed it in the darkness yesterday, but now it was there. I had proof of Percy's suicide. But for some reason, it didn't fit. He never mentioned a word of his…
He was also afraid that I would follow him. Into death… no. Follow him somewhere only I could.
John mentioned that Percy jumped off of a cliff. A cliff… my dream… the highest point…
I hadn't jumped when I was 14. We argued for an hour on top of the cliff, but in the end, I convinced him not to. After that, he seemed to have forgotten about it because he never asked me again.
I ran out of the house and ran down to the place. I knew that I couldn't take my car there, because of the terrain. I ran as fast as I could, and made it there in 5 minutes.
I knew it was too cold for a swim, but if Percy was down there, he could get hypothermia if I didn't get to him fast enough. He must have already been there for days. And Poseidon save him if he forgot where his hiding spot is.
I walked up to the very edge of the cliff and looked down. I saw that he was right, there a small clearing between the rocks below. I took a deep breath, prayed to all the gods and jumped.
SPLASH!
There was a higher probability that I died from the cold than from the drop. The temperature must have been below the 40s. I wonder how Percy survived this…
"P-Percy…" I sputtered. Suddenly, I had a newfound determination to survive, and to search for him. I turned around, searching for any signs of him or a secret pathway. I looked at the rocks nearby.
I noticed something, but it wasn't a passage. Instead, it was something red on a nearby rock. I waddled over to it. "B-Blood…" Pain struck me in my heart. "Percy…" I searched around for any more blood stains on the nearby rocks.
I found one… no some. Each with just a little blood. "He m-must have t-taken the s-supp-ort of these r-rocks to reach the s-spot" I looked around for a little more, and I was right.
I found that the end of the cliff below didn't go into the water. Instead, formed sort of arch, which anyone could swim under. I gathered all of my strength and swam underneath the arch, and found that it opened up to small covered platform. A place sort of like a small cave room, which could only be reached through the water. And on that platform, I found something, no someone lying on the ground.
My heart sped up as I swam over to the surface, climbed up and ran over to a blood covered, sleeping, but still breathing Percy. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
I tried to wake him up, but I couldn't. I knew he was a heavy sleeper, but now was definitely not the time for him to be doing this. I decided that there was only one thing left to do.
I kissed him…
The reaction was instantaneous. His eyes shot open, he sat up and stared at me with his blue-green orbs. "Annabeth…"
I felt all the sadness, anger, worry, love that I had felt over the past week hit me all at once. I didn't know whether to slap him, hug him, punch him, scream at him, kiss him senseless, or throw him into the water. So I just sat down, waiting for him to say something.
"How did you…"
"You left me all those clues, I could find you easily. Percy… Why? Everybody up there thinks you're… you're…"
"Dead" I nodded. The tears now just waiting to slip out of my eyes, yet again.
"Annabeth, I couldn't bear it. If you're here, that means you must have read my note. I couldn't bear to watch you kiss someone else. After staying here for those few days, I couldn't bear the thought of seeing you kiss him again, or kiss anyone that isn't me. I loved you too much. And if you are trying to convince me to come back and watch you kiss him again, then just let me stay back here and die in peace." My throat hitched at the word 'die'.
"Percy, I'm sorry…"
"No Annabeth, it wasn't your fault, you fell for him. That wasn't your mistake."
"No, you see, it was a prank."
"WHAT?" He sounded surprised. I explained everything to him, about the prank, the confession Jason gave me, my realisation that I love him, my step mom, incident with Sally, bumping into Nico, fight with Thalia, and what I did here in Montauk, before I jumped.
When I finished, I expected him to scream and shout at me for doing that, but instead, he starts laughing. He starts laughing out so loud, I almost thought he'd gone insane.
"Percy, aren't you angry at me?"
"Oh yes, wise girl… but most of all, I'm happy. I'm happy that you love me too." In that moment, when he reacted like that, I knew that I had fallen a little more in love with him than before. I leaned over and kissed him before I wrapped my hand around his bloody shoulders…
His bloody shoulders… I leaned back to see Percy wince in pain as I touched his left arm and shoulder.
"Percy. What happened?"
"The fall. I think I broke my arm, and a few more scratches as I hit a rock when I fell." He said bluntly.
"I told you it was dangerous, I'm calling for help right away…" I brought out my dead phone. I frowned at it before throwing it angrily at the cave wall.
"It's okay Annabeth, we can swim over to shore and then ask for help. We can get there with the help of the rocks and my swimming." I decided that this was probably the best course of action.
"Okay" I said.
"Well, I'll get myself ready then." He said.
I looked back at him and thought about the breadcrumb trail he left me. He designed it specifically for me, so that only I would find it, and that too I would follow only if I had feelings for him. I knew it would be bad for his ego, but I just couldn't resist it.
"You know Seaweed Brain, you are actually much smarter than everybody gives you credit for."
He chuckled. "I guess you could say that you are rubbing off on me, Wise girl." I smiled at that.
And that is how I realized my love for Percy. It was all because of one small prank. One day, our daughter would be listening to me telling her this story, though Percy still argues that we will have a son.
I know that it was a rough start to the story, but I hope that the end would cover up for it. I never realized it would turn out to be so long. I though it would end under 4000 words but no, my brain dragged it on for so long. This would most likely be the end of the story. So please, Read, Rejoice & REVIEW.