Disclaimer: Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus characters all are owned by the one Rick Riordan. Plot outline based on the French film Des Vrais Mensonges. The chapter name belongs to the respective artist(s), in this case Fifth Harmony.
Thanks to: Sora Loves Rain, Mr Invincible, Thanatos Grim, alyaJackson, Creamoe, Oruno
Percy, a handyman, sends an anonymous love letter to his boss Annabeth. After initially throwing it away, she forwards it to her separated aunt to cheer her up. Mistakes, misunderstandings and marriage (or absence of). Rated T for topics discussed and swearing. Based off French film Des Vrais Mensonges. AU.
Chapter 4 – Miss Movin' On
Annabeth
I wasn't scared.
I wasn't scared of a man who could destroy me. Definitely not.
The phrase 'sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me' has applied to almost every situation in my life, but this one doesn't break the trend.
Normally it's because I usually have the upper hand in wordplay fights but physical violence is just - .
There a fine and already blurred line between abuse and casual fooling around.
But abuse is where there is intent behind it, and fooling around is well, fooling around.
And I wasn't at all scared that Percy could do the same to me. No way.
Okay, maybe.
But right now is not a time of self-reflection, or anything savvy like that. No, I was doing some apologising, and expecting some.
Yes, I had been in an abusive relationship. No, I still couldn't bring myself to trust anyone. I was scared because Percy the Prick was too close to the barbed wires of my heart. Because he was too close that when/if he hurt me, I'd be even more hurt on the inside.
My mantra of the day: conceal, don't feel ~ don't let them in. Oh, and I'm also concerned because he's also very good at fighting.
My new title: Chase, Annabeth ~ co-founder, Leader of Obvious Statement-Making and CEO of the Athena Architectural Company.
Omniscience
There is a time and place for everything, and Annabeth felt it was time to start and end a lot of things. She needed closure, though, on many of them and just before Christmas was, in her mind at least, a great time to start things afresh for the New Year. Armed with ballistae of ugly Christmas sweaters, she rapped twice on the door of Luke and Thalia's apartment badass cave.
Desperation was something Annabeth hated. It was a weakness. It meant you needed trust and had to depend on somebody. None of which she was ready to do.
But she was ready to kick some ass. So desperate or not, she needed to ask Thalia for kickass lessons, starting from number 1: self-defence.
Nope, it had nothing to do with a certain green-eyed man.
After a bit too much conversation, food (or junk that was almost non-passable as food) and alcohol she was beat. They'd decided to rearrange sleeping arrangements ('no way in all of the 50 states will I let you out like this back to your flat, you deranged psycho').
"Careful who you're calling a deranged psycho," was her only response.
Thalia and Annabeth had stripped the bed of its sheets, washed them and put new ones on. Also included in the renovation project was the replacement of the duvet cover, pillowslips, installation of the mattress topper she had delivered 2 years before that Luke and Thalia had forgotten about and the freshening of the room, in Annabeth speak.
Basically tidying up, washing everything and cleaning the heck out of everything and everyone to you and me.
Annabeth and Thalia would share a bed, and Luke would retire to his room. They wouldn't lock the doors, but they would use a chair to bar the door from the inside in case they, in their drunken haze, would forget to knock. Oh, and the technical placement of sneakers by the bed in case of an apocalypse.
"If everything is too your liking, Ma'am, I'd like to hit the rather nice-looking mattress topper that you gifted us because today, well, has been long."
Indeed it has.
Not only had she severed all romantic notions with him in several quick speeches, she had reaffirmed their friendship status with a quickness that they both took comfort in, resuming their assumed Platonism that had been going on for most of their lives.
"Now, spill on Thalia."
Let me reassure you that Annabeth, next to Thalia, was the last person to act girly. As was Luke. But a late night goss sesh wasn't below them as they crawled out of their beds with popcorn and cocoa.
"I think she's seeing someone," said with considerable irritability. This was theonly response she received.
"Get off your high horse, Mr 18th-Century Englishman and tell me about this rival of yours."
"Nice of you to assume we're together."
"Hon," she said, her voice coated in more maple syrup than their pancakes combined, "what's he like? She's probably not thought about you that way… especially as you've been… with… so many of her friends she's probably assuming that you haven't thought about her like that either."
"Don'tlikeher."
"Mhmm… Don't like her my ass. Anyways, what's he like?"
"Exactly like her. Both like Green Day, although their opinion of Boulevard of Broken Dreams can differ on it being 'the best' or 'the worst, if they had a worst'. Loves wearing black. Slightly scrawny and pathetic." Pause. "Broken on the inside. Orphan, no family. Wimpish."
"And I thought my life was an oxymoron… Clearly I was wrong and need to up the game."
"Shut up, Chase. All's fair in love and war. Your turn."
"You mean, in my case, void and absolutely negligible in love."
"I hear that Thals' hunk of a cousin has been rather close to you recently. Helping you out on personal issues." Cue the winking.
"Percy's related to Thalia?" Cue the confusion, anger and resignation.
"Apparently the resemblance is uncanny."
"Are you snickering?! You idiot!" She lunged at him.
His face comes to a deadpan.
"He tries anything on you and he's dead." Overprotective family syndrome.
"You try meddle in my life and you're dead."
"I have no doubt in your excellent fighting abilities," seeming unperturbed.
"That's the problem."
She knows she shouldn't be telling him this, considering his history, but she can't hold it in any longer. Game plans have long changed since she found out Grace's and Jackson's relationship.
"He's a skilled fighter. Trained in dozens of things I don't know about. Hid it from me." The panic ensnares her throat easily and a thick bubble of phlegm covers her larynx for a prolonged period of time.
Luke doesn't know what to say at this point, because there's nothing that can be hid from Annabeth Chase, the person who knows all.
"Come here, smartass. You need some humble pie and that's what I'm getting you."
This matter-of-factness cleans her up straightaway and she follows him into the car where they pick up a piece of cold, fake pie from the 24/7 store and realises that no longer being in love with someone doesn't mean you ever stop loving them.
Annabeth
The next morning, it's almost too predictable. Nothing like sorting out issues with your besties, but dealing with them brutally with your oldest family/friends/protectors comes a close second.
"I'm almost 99% sure that they gave us bill-sorting before our accounts-checking meeting so we would actually look forward to it. I mean. Seriously. This spells B-O-R-D-O-M."
Classic Thalia.
"It's spelled B-O-R-E-D-O-M."
Classic Annabeth.
"See what it's done to my brain?"
Yes, I thought. I do. And I was having a peaceful monologue in my head before this, but anyhow.
"We need to get ready."
My voice feels like a baby bird spreading its wet wings for the first time.
"Operation Wake Me Up, commences…now!"
It was an important matter, getting ready for Boredom & Hell All In One Meeting. I picked Thalia to join me, 'cause I'm evil like that.
Ha.
Ha.
Ha.
"Hey Thalia," with a vulnerability that makes her head swoop in one swift motion, "can you give me some lessons?"
"Depends," she said, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.
"Fighting. Self-defence. Retaliation. Revenge."
"Listen, Annie. Is this about Percy?"
"Of course it's about him."
"For a person who supposedly hates him, a lot of your life is spent fixating over him."
I scowl at her. Humph. Whose side is she on, anyways?
Then she dropped the bomb.
"You should apologise. Scratch that, you need to. It's keeping you both too occupied and frankly, you've been a condescending bitch."
Ouch. I think I need ice for the burn.
"You've been nothing but inconsiderate. 'Course, Percy was being an idiot but I expect that out of him. You're the most successful woman of our age, and degenerating onto his level is too much. You're turning into the person you hate the most, Annie. And you both need closure."
I'm the smart one. I'm the one who's supposed to be giving lectures. But yeah, she was right. I had been... Well, I need to fix this.
"Tell me, oh wise one, what I need to do."
"He loves water. What's the most unconnected thing to water that is still blatantly obvious so he'd get it? That is date-worthy?"
"Ice skating?"
"Yes ma'am. The 8th wonder of the world, Ms Chase, has regained consciousness from her momentary bitch-lapse."
"Thalia, don't you think it's a bit... couple-y? I don't want to give him the wrong idea..."
"Of course your ice skating date is couple-y. That's the point. And you won't give him the wrong idea, because you hate him, remember?"
Cue Thalia's wiggling eyebrows.
A/N: Sorry for the delay, I'm in Austria right now (I travel a lot) so it's a little hard to post. Happy holidays :)
I've received a few reviews on how my FF is confusing - is it the writing or the plot, or both? Thanks for the reviews and please continue to do so in the future -
Love, Balletomane0606 the Review-Starved Whiner