Back again with another installment. Sorry, I've been busy with school and such.
On another note, I AM IN AN UTTER DEPRESSION. NARUTO WAS AMAZING. (I couldn't bear not putting it in this chapter) I really couldn't believe it ended. If you haven't lived through a fandom ending, you are lucky. Naruto has taught me so much. It was so inspiring, and moving, and I'm happy to walk with Naruto on his journey. If you haven't tried reading or watching it, I recommend it.
(Especially, people who like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson :))
In this chapter, a sneak peek of Leo. It's another fillerish chapter. Explaining the situation. Next chapter will have some more stuff. More interesting stuff than this chapter, anyways, in my opinion.
Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson, and if I did, I would die happy
"Percy," Mrs. Jackson narrowed her usually kindly eyes (or so Percy assumed, kindly). "Where have you been, may I ask?" Her voice dropped to almost a dangerous whisper, almost making the hair at the back of his neck stand. "Your face is red, my dear. What have you been doing? Running?"
"Something like that," he muttered.
"Tell me the truth, Percy Jackson," she commanded. "What happened?"
He shuffled his feet.
"I went on a walk," he replied swiftly. Not a lie, he knew, but not exactly the truth either. "Just a walk. With Annabeth," he added after a split second. "That's all. I found my way home. By myself. There."
"I'm just going to buy it," she sighed. "You're not going to tell me, are you? By the way, is there something going on between you two?"
Percy stopped in his tracks. His brain still fizzed from his lack of direction.
"No," he finally forced. "Nothing."
"It's okay to tell me," his mother urged. "I can help you. You don't have to avoid me, just because you're a teenager now."
"It's not that," he assured her. "I… there's nothing, 'kay?"
He couldn't see her, but he felt her eyes on him. Almost like a laser, probably, if he ever got looked through with lasers.
"Fine," she sighed. "Just… just stay safe, okay?"
Percy nodded to the direction her voice came from, or rather, he might have nodded off to something in the middle of nowhere. He didn't really care at the moment.
He trudged to his room and jumped onto his bed, making a nasty creaking sound he was glad his mother couldn't hear from the first floor.
He squished the pillow into his face, trying to rid it of heat, to no success.
"Am I going to show up to school like this tomorrow?" he asked himself, now panicked. "Mom said my face was red…"
"It sure as hell is."
"What the fu-"
"Calm down, bro. You just butt dialed me, Mr. Jackson. Been on for a minute or so. Just didn't talk to see your reaction. But if I could really, my laugh would have powered me to Jupiter."
Percy rummaged through his back pocket. His face contorted when he found the phone hot.
"Are you Leo? Leo Valdez? I can tell, your voice is still annoying as ever. Puberty hasn't done you well, I can make that much out. You can't see me-"
"Yeah, well, if your mom says your face is red, it better be red."
"How could I have butt dialed you?" Percy yelled furiously into the speaker. "I can't even see where all the numbers are!"
"Maybe your eyes can't see, but your butt can."
"You are such an insufferable-"
He heard a funny scratching sound from Leo's side. "Well, you probably forgot that we exchanged numbers. I mean, it was sixth grade, everybody forgets stuff that happens in sixth grade. Like, it's not first grade, or eighth grade, or twelfth grade. And besides, sixth grade was boring as heck."
Percy grunted. He didn't want to go there.
"So, bro, how's school going? Picked up any girls yet? In elementary and middle, you were pretty popular, right?"
"I was?"
"Why else? Would they be whispering about me? Good things about me?"
"But…" Percy protested. "Annabeth said I was far from fat...but isn't being too skinny really bad too? And aren't my eyes really ugly-ish? Like aren't a lot of blind people's eyes look kinda blankish? Or at least some? Or is it just mine? Because I think I'm really ugly, I swear. I don't know why anybody'll like me, you dig? Some people say I look really good, but aren't they trying to make me feel better, since I can't even see myself? Like I'm annoying, almost as annoying as you, but not quite, and I'm totally ADHD, so I can't shut up, like right now, and I'm dumb, and stupid, according to Annabeth, anyways, she always says that, and now she calls me Seaweed Brain, nickname's kinda legit, though, I gotta admit, and the rest of my class-"
"Whoa dude," Leo's voice piped from the other side of the line. "You're totally ranting right now. And Annabeth Chase? That real scary blonde girl that was like, really smart? I remember her clearly, for some reason. I think she beat me up before."
"She doesn't beat people up anymore," he said. "Except for this one kid, apparently, she said that I was her friend and beat him up for talking shit about me-"
"Don't let your mom hear you say that," Leo mock whispered. "Still Almighty Annabeth, huh? That was my nickname for her way back when," he amended hastily. "So do you like her?"
Percy stuck out his arm and pulled the phone away from his ear. His heart was beating like an erratic drum.
I think I'm gonna spaz out…
"Uh...I-"
"So, yes, right?"
"Maybe."
"So, yes, right?"
"Possibly."
"So, yes, right?"
"Yes," he gritted, finally. "What do you want?"
"Everything!" Leo's voice rose an octave, or so it seemed to Percy. "What did you do? She like you back? She reject you to homecoming or something?"
"I was with you at homecoming," Percy reminded him. "We were the only ones alone."
"Why did you have to remember that?" Leo said. "That was embarrassing as heck! Number one on the list of ways to be forever alone. Except you're totally beating it right now."
"I'm not," Percy sighed. "Do I damn look like I am?"
He could almost hear Leo slapping a hand on his forehead. "Well, for one, you can't see yourself-"
"Whatever," Percy hissed. "Nice talking to you anyways."
"What a great way to end this conversation," Leo's voice was garbled. "To put me in such an ample amount of pain."
"Apparently, your definition of ample is different than mine."
"Well, good luck with your girl, I gotta catch a new episode. Love hurts, Percy, remember that. I've been rejected enough times to know. Besides, it's in all the movies. When two dysfunctional kids like each other, it never turns out good."
His phone grew hot and beeped, and Percy stared into the empty void.
It's not going to end in tragedy, is it?
"Hey...Wise Girl. You're there right?"
Annabeth turned. "How do you know? I didn't say anything."
"Your presence. You smell better than a lot of girls. I think my nose is going to burn from the perfume one day."
She laughed, a big laugh he relaxed at when he heard it.
"You're weird, Percy."
"I get that one too many times."
She quieted. "So, what did you call me over for? It must be important, knowing you."
Percy fidgeted. "Um, yeah, it might be. No, actually, it is. Well, to me anyways, maybe not you, but…" He shifted his gaze to the ground. "Uh...about the-"
Her face immediately turned hot. He could tell. She clapped her hands to her cheeks when it did. The sound gave it away.
"No," she said quickly. "It was nothing, I was out of my mind."
His brain bounced in confusion, then deflated in realization.
"Uh, it's not about that, though." He felt his own face grow warm. Percy wanted to slap himself, but not in fear of losing his ego. "M-my birthday is going to be Saturday, so you want-"
"Yes," was her reply, almost like it was natural. "Anything to get away from home. And anywhere with you," she added, but it must have been his ears playing a stupid trick on him, he thought.
"So...it's at my house, you know where that is, right?"
He could almost feel her roll her eyes. "You moron, of course."
"Then, six-thirty is okay…?
"Any time is okay," Annabeth said slowly. "Just any time to get out of that hellhole and have some fun with you, it's all okay. I love hanging out with you."
Percy felt giddy.
He knew he was stupid, so he waved it off.
He couldn't pay attention in class, more so than usual, anyways. Some part of his mind wanted to squirm out and dance.
"Mr. Jockhole," Mr. D reprimanded twenty minutes into history. "Would I kindly ask you to remove yourself from my presence. Your entire face is more unfocused than usual." After turning his drunken gaze on Percy, Percy heard the familiar flapping noise of his arms when he turned back to the board. How he managed to remember events from the past and not their names, was always a mystery for him.
"Detention is what I mean," Mr. D said nonchalantly. "Go now."
"Detention is after school," Percy blurted.
"Thirty more minutes for that," Mr. D cut across him like a knife through butter, and Percy felt a flicker of impatience. "This is my class, I have my own rules. Off you go."
Percy kicked the wall outside the class, which made Mr. D stop. He was sure the ratty old man would come out waving a club.
He bolted.
He wished Annabeth was there.
Or not, otherwise his body would explode.
Percy felt around in the abyss before he found himself a small niche in the side of the building. He remembered Annabeth told him about it once. She hid there when she thought her class was getting too dumb, according to her, anyways.
He crouched with his back to the open and put his mouth to the speaker of his phone.
"Call Leo Valdez," he enunciated slowly. "Leo Valdez."
He froze in his tracks, and hearing no footsteps, he shoved the phone against his ear.
"Leo, can you hear me?" he whispered violently, almost. "Pick up, pick up."
"Ditching school, are we?"
"Shut your mouth, dumbass," Percy hissed. "You hypocrite."
"Nup," Leo popped the "p." "We have a long weekend, bro. Reading stuff on the computer for fun." There was a muffled sound. "DAMN IT! MY LIFE! STOP! PERCY, DON'T TALK TO ME! I can't believe I woke up to this."
"Shut up!" Percy seethed. "They're all going to hear you! And what's going on?"
"Naruto ended," Leo said thickly. "Bye. Don't talk to me. I need to mope, in peace, I would prefer. I am in a considerable amount of pain and sorrow."
Percy twitched. "Look, Leo, this is important-"
"Naruto is important!" Leo protested. "I've been following it since I was like six! Nine years of my precious life!"
"I would argue against precious."
"Hey!"
"Just kidding, you should know," Percy replied impatiently. "But anyways, so Annabeth-"
"The ending was so bittersweet." Leo's voice was growing even thicker. "But fine, tell me. Let's give each other some therapy."
"I think I love Annabeth," Percy said, and he immediately felt like he dropped a bomb.
Leo took a breath. "Look, Percy, go for it. That's all I gotta say. If you keep on groveling, is she gonna come to you? Nuh uh. Hinata wooed Naruto in the end, let's see if you can do it."
"Do you think I know who they are?"
"You should," Leo finished with an airy tone. "It's amazing, that is."
"Help me, Leo," Percy said. "She kissed me."
"She WHAT?" Percy winced at the sound of his voice. It rose two octaves higher than usual, which almost burned his earbuds to a crisp.
"Shut up, Leo, you're going to make me deaf on top of blind!"
"That's what you get for calling me so much! Are you that desperate to hang out with me?"
"It's my second time, moron!"
"And then, you did what?" Leo pressed. "Did you sprint for the opportunity? Or what? Tell me everything."
"She told me it was a mistake," Percy shifted his non-seeing gaze to the ground. "I was hoping she was kidding. Then she acted like nothing happened."
"Dang, you got one of them hard ones," Leo whistled. "You have work to do. Give her another opportunity."
"Leo," Percy closed his eyes and opened them in a frustrated manner. "Does it look like I can flirt?"
"You gotta try," Leo insisted. "Your birthday's coming soon. She's invited. I'm psychic, I know. You wouldn't miss a chance to hang out with her, I get it. And don't try to be buff or manly. Be yourself. She kissed you already. Another one is bound to come. There's never just one kiss, you know. You're all gonna be so giddy and happy, it's going to happen, confess, bam, match made. Harder than it sounds. Unless she approaches you first, which I doubt, but anything can happen."
"How, exactly?" Percy whined. He sounded desperate, which he hated himself directly after for.
"You sound desperate and pathetic, but I do too, so I'll say this. If you really love her, show her that. Not physically, we're trying to stay pure for longer. She won't ever know if you never show her."
The line went dead, and Leo left Percy feeling even more stupid than when the day started out.
