disclaimer: characters be not mine :)
Percy was wrenched from sleep by an incessant ringing in his ear. He bolted upright, rubbing his hand across his face, probably spreading ink all over it if the smudged, crumpled papers he was drooling on were any indication. He hand slammed blindly around his desk, searching for the offending item. He squinted at the caller ID before giving up on his eyes and pressing the answer button.
"Percy Jackson," he mumbled, laying his head back down on the desk. His neck was cramping big time and he knew he would be suffering a major headache because of it in the morning.
"Percy?" a soft voice rang through the phone.
Percy shot bolt upright, banging his forehead against the bookshelves that lined the top of his desk. "Shiiiiivers… ouch. Sorry. Yes, yes that's me. Percy."
A laugh floated into his ear and he pressed the phone closer to his ear like an idiot in an effort to keep the sound there longer. With his other hand he gently massaged his forehead. That was going to bruise so badly in the morning.
"Good to know I have the right number, Seaweed Brain." Her voice was stronger, steadier than it had been that afternoon, and Percy was relieved to hear it.
"Think I'd lie to you, sweetheart?"
"I wouldn't put it past you." A silence stretched from her end. "Hey, um… about that- that offer…"
"Oh, don't worry about it if you don't want to or anything, I…it's all good, I just thought, you know- if you needed or anything-"
"I want to take you up on it."
"No, that's perfectly fine, thanks for letting me…" Percy paused, Annabeth's words registering as his mind flipped them over again. "Wait… what?"
"I want to take you up," Annabeth repeated like he was stupid, "on your offer."
"Oh…"
"Unless, you know, you don't want to…?"
"No, no, no, no that's okay. Uhhh…" Percy rammed his fist against his head, trying to get a sentence out properly. Annabeth was right, he had kelp for brains. Come on neurons, don't fail me now. "I'll meet you there in an hour." He thought again. "Bring a towel."
Annabeth chuckled, "Sure thing. See you in an hour."
Percy hung up the phone as fast as he could, flinging it onto the bed like a hot potato. He took in a deep breath, steadying his head in his hands. Nymphs of the Styx, what had he gotten himself into?
Annabeth's little… problem hadn't exactly been anything he'd thought it would be.
She'd needed swimming lessons.
Freaking swimming lessons.
Apparently she'd never learnt as a kid and no one had ever bothered to teach her and some kind of big day was coming up that involved swimming or something or other and Percy kind of lost the story about there because she had looked so distressed and insecure and terrified and… swimming lessons?
Seriously?
Something didn't quite add up, didn't quite sound right, but Percy wasn't going to push it. He, more than anyone, understood the need for secrecy, for withholding the whole story. Obviously Annabeth didn't just need swimming lessons. She could've gotten that from anyone. But he wasn't about to question it, either.
Casting his eyes over his desk, he stared in despair at the piles of paperwork still to go. He'd never get it done alone; unless…
Biting the corner of his lip, he scooped up the remaining papers, shoving them into a backpack along with a towel. He grabbed his swimmers, slipping them on quickly and silently so as not to wake his mother in the next room.
He had thought to ask why Annabeth needed him to give her lessons in the middle of the night, but he had held his tongue. Who was he to judge? He had spent endless nights walking the suburban streets, staring at the stars and wondering why it was always the best people that got the worst luck. Every now and then he'd work a nightshift pulling crates of potatoes and bananas from trucks into awaiting stores, but once he'd hit eighteen, they couldn't afford to pay him proper wages and finding street work had gotten harder.
So Mr. Bacchus' it was. Especially with Percy's less than stellar record around town.
So what if he accidentally burnt the canteen down? It was an accident. He didn't know the toaster was plugged in when he tried to clean it. And how was he supposed to know that pouring water on an electrical fire would actually make it worse?
Okay, so he should've known that one. But everything else was just blind bad luck.
Blind bad luck that had gotten him expelled and had followed him around ever since.
The flooding of the gym… check.
The crash of the schools computer network… check.
Peanut butter clogging all the water fountains… okay, he still didn't know how that one even came about but… check.
His mother getting a call from the doctors…
He didn't know if it was fate or destiny, but whoever it was sure had a sick sense of humour.
He shut the thoughts down before they could take a darker turn, hauling his backpack onto his shoulder and slipping out the window onto the ivy that trailed up the side of the small house. He slid down the lattice as quietly as he could, the vines cutting into his palms like they always did, and landed in a heap on the ground. Front doors were definitely invented for a reason.
Shaking himself off, he darted around to the front yard where his bike lay against the shed wall. His mum had tried to buy him a car when he turned seventeen, but he had opted for a bike, saying that it kept him more fit anyway. No way was he going to tell her that he needed that extra money to pay for medicine. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep the full cost from her… she was always sneaking around, poking her nose in the bills despite his assurance that he would deal with them and she didn't need to worry.
His mother was never good with numbers.
To be fair, neither was he, but… he could make do. He worked for an insurance company for crying out loud.
Plus, if it kept her from worrying, Percy would carry the world on his shoulders.
The icy air nipped at his cheeks as he silently sped down the deserted road, the odd yellow street light blinking ominously.
Percy felt his lungs expand as he breathed in deeply for the first time all day.
Nothing beat the rush of wind in his hair, the smooth glide of the bike, searching out the dulled stars on the horizon.
Nothing.
Except for mum's warm hugs. And maybe a certain blonde.
He felt a blush creep up his neck at the mere thought. Gods, he was an idiot. And a perve. Agree to give a girl swimming lessons at two in the morning? What the Hades, Percy? That's so creepy.
He almost stopped the bike, his mind turning the inevitable outcome over and over in his head: arriving at the pool. Waiting at the pool. Waiting some more. Waiting until he realised that, duh, he was stupid, and duh, of course she wasn't coming, and then he would walk into Bacchus' tomorrow (even though he wasn't rostered on, the twerp) just to hand in half finished, half drooled on paperwork that would surely get him fired, so he couldn't pay the bills, so his mother would find out the debt, so that…
He skidded the bike to a stop, clenching his fists around the handlebars. Stop it, Jackson. It'll be fine.
He became aware that his breathing was bordering hyperventilation and made an effort to calm it. In for five, hold for five, out for five. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat…
He ripped his helmet from his head, threading his hands painfully into his hair at the feeling of his control spiralling away from him. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't…
"Fuuuuuuudge." It was more a whine than a word, rasped out between his teeth.
He let the bike fall to the pavement, falling from its seat onto the ground, where he clutched his head between his knees, scrunching his eyes shut.
No. No, this hadn't happened for months. Months.
Not now, not now.
He slammed a fist into the concrete, relishing in the short burst of pain that grounded his mind back to his body. The edges of his vision slowly lost the fuzzy edge to them, and his heart felt like a lumberjack hammering inside his chest just a little less than it had the second before.
He reluctantly raised his head from his knees, taking in his fallen bike, the blood on the side of his fist- accompanying the cuts he had acquired at the park the night before- and the dull throb of his brain behind his eyes.
Shit.
He hadn't had a panic attack in forever. He was so sure they were gone.
Dammit. At least it wasn't a bad one.
His fists curled of their own accord and he tilted his head back slightly, swallowing loudly. Get up, Percy. Just get the hell up.
In a minute… he mentally held the finger up at himself, collapsing onto his back and hoping to all the gods that a car didn't decide that tonight was a good night to go for a late night drive down a backroad.
The stars were pretty, he noted absently; glowing, twinkling.
He could see the stars.
Always a good sign.
He twitched his pinkie finger, his arm, his big toe, turned his neck. Working, working, working, fine, fine, fine, you're fine. Mum in bed at home, safe. Annabeth, probably also at home in bed whilst he paraded the streets like a dork, also safe (not that he cared, or anything). Okay, okay, okay, okay.
"Seaweed Brain? What are you doing on the ground?"
Percy bolted upright, squinting into the silhouette of Annabeth, cascaded in faded yellow light from a lamppost.
"Just… resting," he mumbled, coughing awkwardly, "obviously."
Annabeth raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. "Do you have the keys?" she asked instead.
Percy nodded slowly before his brain caught up to him and forced him to his feet, fumbling for the keys in his pocket. "Uh, yeah… they're… they're…"
"Don't tell me you forgot them."
"Well, maybe a little… but- wait! No. Here. They're here." He held up the silver key with a grin, feeling altogether too proud of himself for not being a complete loser.
Get a grip.
Annabeth nodded, her mouth set in a determined line. "Do I pay you now, or later?"
Ahhh, there was the kicker. Percy felt like a douche. An absolute douche. A douche sandwich that asked his friends (well, as close to friends as he had) to pay him for swimming lessons that they should have gotten as kids.
But…
"You can pay me after, it's all good." He needed that extra money.
"Okay," she nodded with a small, hesitant smile.
"Let's go," Percy tipped his head towards the end of the street, where the local pool was.
Annabeth's smile disappeared, replaced briefly by a raw look of trepidation and then cold, hard nothingness and determination. Annabeth- the master of keeping her heart off her sleeve. One of the many reasons Percy always felt like an emotional moron next to her.
Scratch that. Percy always felt like an emotional moron, no matter the company.
He pulled his bike upright, attempting to appear as though he had lain it down in the middle of the road on complete purpose and not because he was having a mild mental breakdown whilst driving (steering?) a vehicle. With wheels. Gods, could he get fined for that?
Knowing his luck, probably.
Annabeth glanced at him oddly before turning on her heel and leading the way towards the building, Percy stumbling awkwardly in her wake. When she reached the door, she spun expectantly, holding out her palm out flat.
Percy gave her a high five.
Annabeth rolled her eyes.
"The key, Seaweed Brain."
Oh.
Percy dropped the keys into her palm, stepping back out of the doorway as she turned the lock. The screech of the doors echoed on into the empty space inside, making Annabeth cringe back a little.
"Don't worry," Percy tried to sound assured. "We're allowed to be here." Sort of.
Percy's swim coach had given him the set of keys when he had gotten sick and tired of Percy staying late to practice extra hours and to teach the kids that came down for lessons after school. His five years on the swim team had served him well and the keys had been handed over almost without any hesitation.
Of course, Percy was not usually known for breaking into buildings with pretty girls, intent on giving them a swimming lesson. Known for many other things, such as burning down houses, sure. But not breaking and entering. Though was it really breaking and entering if you had the key?
He kept his mouth shut, figuring that little detail may derail Annabeth's intentions.
He took the lead, weaving through the corridors of lockers and into the big expanse of the main pool. Percy closed his eyes, taking in the scent of chlorine. The only thing that could beat that smell was salt water.
And blue cookies.
"Alright, sweetheart. Let's get started." He attempted (and desperately hoped he succeeded) in sounding confident.
Come on, Jackson. This is your home turf.
Annabeth nodded, slipping off her shorts and hoodie to reveal a modest, obviously never been used one piece.
Thank the gods. Percy thought he may have been in danger of spontaneously combusting if she had worn a bikini. And that certainly couldn't be healthy.
She bounced a little on her toes, the nervous energy seemingly flying from her fingertips. She let out a deep breath. "So… do I… do I hop in, or…?"
"Uh, yeah," Percy conceded. "Let's start in the shallow end."
He pulled off his T-shirt, throwing it to the side, and dropped himself into the water. He immediately relaxed, the feeling of being immersed flowing through his blood and into his muscles. He looked up in time to see Annabeth not-so-gracefully plonk into the pool.
Percy bit his tongue to keep from chuckling. He had decided that it was ultimately best to keep his testicles and head firmly attached to the rest of his body.
"Cold," she gasped.
Percy glanced at her, forgetting that the water didn't have the same effect on everyone as it did him. He couldn't remember the last time the temperature of water had bothered him- but then again, he was probably too busy relishing in it and swimming to really take notice.
"You'll get used to it," he tried to grin reassuringly.
Annabeth rolled her eyes.
He waded over to her, making sure to keep a couple feet distance. Just because she had sought his help didn't mean that she was suddenly going to trust him completely and be okay with actually being close to him.
Percy didn't mind. After all, he had an aloof reputation to keep up. Being seen as too soft could ruin his image.
He mentally scoffed. What image? Being a moron?
He shook himself free of his thoughts, turning his attention to the shivering blonde who, even in the shallow water, looked to be out of her depth.
"Have you ever tried swimming before?" he asked gently, trying not to activate her notorious attitude.
"Of course I've tried," she huffed, her eyes darkening in a glare.
Attempt failed.
Percy held his hands up in surrender. "Alright, cool. That's great, actually."
The glare didn't lessen.
"So we're just gonna duck down a little and keep our chins above the water, okay?" He wished he could dive straight under the clear water and swim to the other end of the pool away from her frosty eyes, but his resolve kept him there.
Don't be a wuss, Jackson. Man up.
Man up. Not really one of his fortes in life.
She did as he had asked; bending her knees slowly until only her chin was above the water.
"Now stand up," he instructed. He needed to show her that she was in control of her movements in the water; that she could still stand if she got anxious. There was nothing worse than trying to haul out a swimmer who thought they were drowning in waist high water. Too much splashing and whacking to the face involved.
She stood, rolling her eyes like the majesty that she was.
"Good," Percy nodded. "Again."
"Is this really necessary?" she bit out.
No, it absolutely was not. But it was funny.
"Vital," he said with a straight face.
She huffed, but repeated the movement again. And one more time, you know, just for luck.
Percy clapped his hands, motioning her to the pool edge.
"Face the edge, hold onto it, and try kicking your legs out behind you."
She struggled to manoeuvre into position, making it look far more painful and awkward than it really was. Sooo not a water baby.
"Like… like this." Percy stretched his body out, his fingertips gripping the edge of the pool whilst his legs kicked lethargically behind him, creating small ripples.
"You make it look so easy," she huffed.
"You make it look so hard," he retorted.
The glare returned.
Percy gulped, facing back towards the wall and waited for her to attempt to resume the exercise.
After much splashing and twisting, she was kicking out with uneven, erratic spasms next to Percy.
Progress.
"See? It's not so bad."
"Says you," she snarled. "You're not the one that got chlorine up your nose."
"Sorry, your highness, but I thought a Wise Girl like you would know better than to breath in the water."
Her icy glare gave the wall frostbite.
"Hey," he said in a slightly gentler voice, coaxing the frosty glare onto himself. "You're really not doing half bad. You wanna try letting…?"
"Full sentences, Seaweed Brain."
"The wall. Do you want to let go of the wall?"
"Absolutely not."
"Oh. Uh, ok. Sure. We can just… stay here then."
"You bet your foot we are." Her knuckles tightened on the pool's edge.
Well… progress is progress.
Xxx
An hour later and Annabeth's knuckles still had the pool's edge in a death grip.
Percy sighed, having given up kicking alongside her forty minutes ago.
"Do you think you're getting the hang of it yet?" he asked.
"Not yet."
Percy rolled his eyes. Only Miss Annabeth Chase could be perfection enough to need to perfect every skill before she even thought of moving on.
He should've thrown her in the deep end.
Edging closer, he came to where her fingers were gripped against the side. He gently placed one of his hands over hers, easing her grip away.
"What are you doing!?" she shrieked, legs flailing as she tried to stand back upright.
"Teaching you to swim," Percy mocked, gripping the hand in his own so she was forced to let go. "Other hand too, please," he requested.
"No. Absolutely not."
"Trust me."
He got daggers in response.
"Or don't trust me, whatever," he relented, snatching her other hand from the wall as well.
Annabeth spluttered, her breathing speeding up as she desperately tried to keep her face above the water.
"Calm down, Wise Girl, you're okay."
"I'm drowning, you moron!"
Percy chuckled under his breath, kicking a knee out in front of him when she tried to stand on her feet. "Stay up. It's time to move from the wall."
Annabeth grumbled, but kept her hands in his and kicked, allowing Percy to drag her out further from the safety of the wall. "I hate you," she muttered.
"Noted," he smirked, pulling a little faster.
"Stop! Stop. That's enough."
Percy stopped where he was, his chin just above the water. "Stop kicking for a moment."
She did, her legs immediately sinking downwards.
"Try to float. Deep breaths." He took an exaggerated breath in example.
"Not helping." Her teeth were clenched so tightly that Percy thought she might break a tooth.
"You gotta relax, sweetheart. Feel the water underneath you."
She looked up at him hesitantly before taking in a large gulp of air, spreading her body out so she floated near the surface. Her hands held his for dear life.
Percy smiled. "That's it."
Gently, he dragged her through the water back to the edge. "Here you go. That's enough for tonight."
She released a pent up breath, pulling her hands away from Percy's and standing in the waist high water. She cleared her throat, avoiding his eye. "About time, Seaweed Brain."
Percy felt a smile tug at his lips and lifted himself out of the pool, sitting on the edge whilst Annabeth hauled herself out.
He looked up at her briefly, "Go dry up, I'm gonna do some laps."
She gave a small nod, turning on her heel and snatching her towel from the ground, and made her way to the changing rooms.
Percy sighed, waiting until she disappeared behind the wall to slip himself all the way in and under the water.
Bubbles floated around him up to the surface as he lazily pushed from the wall, dolphin kicking along the bottom of the pool. Everything within him slowed to match his steady heartbeat, the blood rushing through his ears the only constant noise. He had always found that he could hold his breath for obscene amounts of time, swimming along for at least a lap and a half of the fifty metre pool before his lungs ordered him back to the surface. He lifted his head up just enough to take a sip of air before diving back down.
Nothing could touch him here. Nothing could follow him down to the depths of the water. His mind stopped spinning for a few treasured moments 'til only his heart beat remained, echoing in the water. Ba boom. Ba boom.
Finally, he could breathe.
Only as well as you can breathe water, you dimwit.
Percy figured that was beside the point.
Pulling away from his minds reverie, he kicked off the bottom of the pool and broke to the surface to find a very drenched Annabeth sitting directly in front of him.
"Six minutes, ten," she whispered. "How the Hades…?"
Percy just shrugged, pushing himself onto the ledge. "Practise."
"Teach me," she urged.
Percy looked at her, surprised. "What?"
"I hate being under the water, where I can't control anything; where I can't breathe. You can help me." She looked crazed, obsessed almost. And fearful.
He blinked. Only if you stop refusing to let go of the wall.
"Next time, sweetheart." He left it at that, pushing to a standing position and striding towards where he had left his bag and shirt in a heap. He checked the clock on the wall. 3:45.
"We'd better get going," he mumbled, gesturing with his head for Annabeth to grab her stuff and follow him. She trailed behind him, watching as he flicked all the lights and double checked the doors.
"How much do I owe you?" she questioned.
Percy glanced at her, then down to his feet. Gods, he was a douche. "Um, actually… you know what? First lesson free." He gave her a small grin.
"Don't be ridiculous." Annabeth crossed her arms over her chest, eyeing him. "I have to give you something. I woke you up at two in the morning for gods' sake."
Percy raised his hand to wave away the offer when he remembered the rather pressing task in his backpack he still had yet to do.
"Actually… there might be something," he started, scratching the back of his neck. "How much do you know about numbers?"