Wednesday - Annabeth's POV:
"Piper!" I groaned. "Get up!"
"No!" She rolled and turned over on her side, pillow over her head.
"Piper!" I groaned again. "You said you'd come with me to the studio today!"
She sat up, extremely dishevelled. "I did, didn't I? Ugh, sometimes I hate that I'm such a nice friend."
I looked closely at her. There were bags under her eyes, and recently she had been wearing a worried expression. I felt an immediate pang of regret for waking her up to drag her somewhere. "Actually Pipes, you don't have to go. I can go by myself, no biggie."
"It's alright 'Beth, I'm awake now." she tried to clamber out of bed, but tripped over her own feet and fell backwards.
Struggling to hold back my laughter, I said: "Seriously, just get some rest. You need to rest those vocal chords of yours."
"Are you sure? Cause I can-"
"Just sleep!"
She obliged happily, and within minutes she was snoring softly. Quietly, I got dressed and grabbed my car keys. I walked out into the early morning sunshine, and drove to the studio.
As soon as I got there, I headed to my favourite place, the library. I don't know why they have a library in a recording studio, but apparently my mother demanded one be placed when they first built this place. I asked her for a favour a couple years back, if she could arrange for it to be soundproofed. She agreed, probably because she wanted me to stop bothering her. Motherly love at its finest.
So I grabbed my guitar from Piper's recording and practicing room, and headed to the library. Honestly, I was feeling so tense. I had an interview with a major architectural firm, and even though I know I am good, I couldn't help feeling apprehensive. Music helps me unwind though, so I figured I could help Piper out by writing a couple of songs before I started my new job. I already had some lyrics planned out, so all I had to do was come up with a tune.
I started the lyrics for that particular song back in middle school - it was a first draft for a poem I wanted to submit for English class. I ended up scrapping it for whatever reason, but kept the draft, because I did like some of the stanzas. I continued it and turned it into a song a couple of months ago, when I met Luke. Cheesy, I know, but I really did fall for him hard when I first met him. And I completed it a couple of nights ago, based on a dream I had. The finished effect gave the words a bit of an eerie and supernatural feel, so I needed to create some calming music.
About half an hour later I had made some awesome music to fit the lyrics. Actually, I had just randomly touched the guitar strings until I found something I liked. Works every time.
I ducked my head out of the room to check that no one was in the hallway, then sat back down with my guitar and began singing softly.
"Oh today I'm just a drop of water
And I'm running down a mountainside
Come tomorrow I'll be in the ocean
I'll be rising with the morning tide
There's a ghost upon the moor tonight
Now it's in our house
When you walked into the room just then
It's like the sun came out"
I was lost in the song, the music lifting my spirits and calming my brain activity. I wasn't aware of someone quietly entering the library and listening to me play.
"I'm an atom in a sea of nothing
Looking for another to combine
Maybe we could be the start of something
Be together at the start of time
There's a ghost upon the moor tonight
Now it's in our house
When you walked into the room just then
It's like the sun came out
It's like the sun came out
I poured my energy into the song, singing passionately, oblivious to the eavesdropper.
And the day is clear
My voice is just a whisper
Louder than the screams you hear
It's like the sun came out
It's like the sun came out
It's like the sun came out
It's like the sun came out..."
A slow clap sounded through the library as I wheeled round to see the source. A gothy-looking girl was standing there, raising a dark eyebrow. She stared at me with electric blue eyes, hand on her hip. She looked extremely familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it. "That. Was. Mind-blowing."
I smiled. "Thanks, I suppose. I've heard better."
She stepped closer. She had a 'death to barbie' shirt on, and a black leather jacket. That, her spiky black hair and thick eyeliner created her gothic look. "I doubt even I could've done better. You wrote that yourself?"
"Yep. But I wrote it for my friend, not me."
"Who?"
"Piper McLean."
She didn't look surprised. "It's not Piper's style. She's a great singer, but she wouldn't do it justice."
"Ugh." I muttered to myself rather than the girl. "I need to make it more powerful."
The girl stepped closer and shook her head. "No. It's powerful enough, in its own way. It's your song, a reflection of your creativity. There's only so far that someone else can carry it."
"Deep." I said, a bit stunned.
The girl chuckled and stuck her hand out. "Thalia, Thalia Grace."
And suddenly it hit me. All the posters I had seen, her voice on the radio, her face in random patches of music videos. "Thalia? As in, Thalia of the Hunt?"
The Hunters were another group that was part of Olympus Records. One of the managers, Artemis, created a band called The Hunt. She appointed Thalia as the leader, and since then they have been making some pretty cool music.
She grinned again. "Yep, that's me, Blondie."
"Wow. So, um, can I help you?"
"Nah, I was just looking for a book. Thing is, I can't even remember what I was looking for anymore. Your song was that amazing."
"Well thank you."
She grinned and walked out of the room. She stopped suddenly by the door and spoke. "Oh, by the way, we could use a musician like you on our team. Give me a call if you want." She brought out a card from her pocket, then flicked her wrist and sent it spinning at me. I caught it midair. "Nice catch."
"Nice throw." I called after her as she left the room.
...
The morning events had excited me, and all apprehension had deserted me as I walked into the cool, air-conditioned building. I was no longer worried, so I confidently walked up to the front desk. "Hello." I said to the smiling receptionist.
"Hello. Can I help you?"
"Yes. I have an interview with Ms Johnson."
"You must be Miss Annabeth Chase. Mrs Johnson is waiting for you upstairs. Her room is at the end of the hallway, on the right.
"Thank you." I followed the man's directions and knocked on Mrs Johnson's door.
...
I was smiling happily as I walked out of the glass revolving doors of the architectural firm. Mrs Johnson was unconventional, but I had assumed so before hand. Not many big important bosses interview potential new employees. She was incredibly kind, asking me about what I hoped to gain from the job, why I like architecture, etc. She then offered me the job and some tea. So win-win.
I checked my phone and opened a text from Piper. "I'm so sorry I couldn't come today! Come and meet me at the park when you're finished. I brought coffee and Leo's bringing tacos."
I drove to the park that Piper and I always went to. Since forever, we've always been obsessed with that park, because it's where we met.
When I got there, I headed for our place, a little spot by the lake, shaded by trees. Piper was there, sat on a picnic blanket chatting to Leo. She was lying down on her back and smiled when she saw me approaching. "Annabeth!"
"Hey Leo. Nice hair, Phoebe." I commented as I sat down. Piper was sporting her 'Phoebe' outfit, a black wig and brown contacts. This was so she didn't get stalked by paparazzi all the time.
"Thanks. Want your coffee?"
"Yep. Gimme."
She passed over a caramel frappe and I sipped it, stretching out on the blanket.
"So, I assume you got the job." said Piper.
"Of course she did." snorted Leo. "That girl had a scary amount of brains."
I rolled my eyes. "Thanks, Leo. And yeah, I got the job."
Leo whooped and Piper clapped. "Well done Annie! But I am going to miss you being with me all the time."
"Me too Pipes."
Leo passed tacos round and we lay in the sun for a while. "Guys, we need to find an apartment soon."
Piper nodded. "Yeah, we've been staying in hotels for weeks now. Annabeth, we've been invited to go look in an apartment this afternoon."
"Ok cool."
...
I was pleasantly surprised. We had been to see about seven other places and had managed to find a lot of faults with all of them. The apartment we saw was actually beautiful. The thing I liked about it was that the rooms were unfurnished. Plain white walls, ceiling and floors. The kitchen was spacious and there were plenty of windows letting in lots of light. My inner interior designer was coming out. We also had a balcony, four bedrooms with ensuites, and a laundry room. I already had a plan formulating in my head of where everything could go.
"You know guys," said Piper. "I think this is the one. Spacious, clean and it's near the recording studio."
"I'm in." said Leo. "It's near the workshop. Annabeth?" They turned to me. So far, on our apartment hunt, I had been the 'pickiest' by far.
"You know, it's alright." I said, and they jumped up and down with excitement.
...
Percy's POV:
I was leaving my apartment to go to the grocery store when I heard a familiar voice coming down the stairs.
Her mesmerising gray eyes locked onto mine. "Percy?"
Aha Percabeth is coming! Sorry for the late update and lack of Percabeth in this chapter, but I just want there to be more depth to Annabeth's character before we get there. Please revie and thanks so much for reading!