"Percy, what…what are you doing here?" She heard herself ask.
"I—I live…" He gestured towards the ceiling, unable to finish his sentence.
Annabeth composed herself quickly; putting on a tight, fake smile and placing a hand lightly on his upper arm.
"How…how have you been? Wanna come in for some coffee?" She asked, holding the door open. Stunned, he took a cautious step inside, and she shut the door behind him. "First thing I unpacked was the Keurig. Can't do without my coffee!" She murmured nervously. Most people clammed right up in tense situations; she made small talk.
As he sat down silently at the tiny oak table, she brought over two steaming mugs of coffee, and hurried back to the fridge for some cream and sugar. Gods, she hated herself right now. If not for inviting him in, then for hurrying around like some fake Martha Stewart.
"So, you live right upstairs, and you've got a dog. How have you be—" She began to ask.
"Oh, cut the crap, Annabeth. Look, small talk is beneath you. It's too…fake, and it dances around the point." He exclaimed, raising an eyebrow. She smiled lightly, shutting her mouth.
"And what, may I ask, is this point that I am supposedly dancing around?" She asked, taking a swig of coffee.
"Why'd you do it?" He demanded in an even tone. "And don't pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about."
"Really? You come in here and that's the first thing you think to ask?" She muttered, staring down into her hands. "Well, like I told you; I was going through some major changes, and you—you were off to your dream school, where you had a scholarship and your whole life ahead of you. It had nothing to do with me not loving you…just…loving you too much." She rambled. They sat in silence for a few minutes, blinking and avoiding looking each other in the eye.
"So…you have a kid." He finally said, looking up.
"I have a kid." She echoed, a small smile playing across her full lips.
"What's his name?"
"Casper." She smiled. "You wouldn't believe it; he's so smart and—and perfect. I don't know where he gets it."
"Really? Sounds pretty familiar to me." He said lightly, tapping her on the shoulder.
"Please," She snorted, "I am anything but perfect." They sat through another moment of silence, sipping their coffees and watching the young boy play with the dog.
"I have to ask: I overheard you calling your dog…why'd you name him Dorian?" She said finally, turning to face him. He smiled at the quizzical look to her face, which made her cheeks light up red. She quickly turned her attention to the suddenly fascinating packet of Splenda.
"Well, a year or two ago—I'm not really good with dates—I was going through an old box of my camp stuff, and found a certain novel by a certain Irish poet."
"Oscar Wilde? The Picture of Dorian Gray? I've been looking everywhere for that! It's my favorite!" She exclaimed, turning back to face him. Had he really named his dog after her favorite novel?
"Yeah, you used to read it all the time! Always pestering me on how much I should just read it!" He laughed, rolling his eyes. "So, when I found that old dog eared copy that must've gotten left in my cabin, I decided to read it. Flew through it in a couple hours."
"Must've liked it, for your attention to have stayed on it for so long!" She laughed.
"Gods, it was great! Anyway, that afternoon, I went out and got myself this guy from the pound and named him Dorian. Never looked back." He smiled.
She shook her head, tilting it back to laugh as she thought of her silly, impulsive seaweed brain. Only he wasn't hers anymore. Her fingers twitched towards his in longing. No. She thought. I can't. She pulled her hands into her lap and picked at her nails.
Just then, they heard the front door click open, and in walked, or, rather, flew a mass of dark, curly hair. Behind it came a lean body clothed in dark jeans and a leather jacket.
"Thalia!" Annabeth exclaimed, jogging towards the door. Thalia brushed her wild hair back with her hands, flicking her bright blue eyes over the apartment. She wiggled her freckle-covered nose and her eyes wandered over to the kitchen.
"Nice place, chica! That coffee I smell?" She asked as she headed towards the kitchen. She stopped dead in her tracks as she reached the doorway, her eyes flickering with electricity.
"Percy? What in Hades are you doing here?" She asked, her voice jumping over the syllables in his name as if they were foreign.
"I—uh live right upstairs. Came down to…introduce myself to the new neighbor, and, well, the rest is history." He said nervously. Thalia spun around on her boot-covered heel, facing Annabeth.
"Need me to get him out of here?" She whispered, though not quietly enough for Percy to not hear it. With one look over at Percy, Annabeth shook her head, giving Thalia a smile. "Good." Thalia answered, spinning back around and making her way to the coffee maker. As she grabbed a mug and filled it with coffee, she looked over her shoulder at Percy.
"So…long time no see, cuz." She finally said.
"Yeah, well, I…avoided camp after…you know." He said with a small smile. "Nice to…see you, though. You leave the hunters? You look…different."
"If by different, you mean that I no longer wear silver, then yes. I wanted to go to college and experience the real world. Lady Artemis was upset, of course, but understanding of the need for education. I'm free to go back whenever." She answered, narrowing her eyes at him. She chugged down the last of her coffee; black, just the way she liked it; and made her way towards the living room.
"There you are, you little nut job!" She exclaimed, holding her arms out for a hug from Casper. He jumped into her arms willingly, and nuzzled a small face into her shoulder. "Ready for that movie I promised you last week?"
"Yeah!" He exclaimed excitedly as she put him back down, his green eyes excitedly jumping around the room. Thalia ruffled his crazy mass of blond curls.
"Thalia? What in the world…" Annabeth stepped forward, her eyes questioning.
"Look," Thalia began, lowering her voice as she helped the boy into his coat. "You gotta talk to Percy, and it'll be better if the two of you are alone." Annabeth nodded solemnly, crossing her arms against her chest defensively. Her head filled with a million different things as she frantically searched for a sensible, practical plan. By the time she thought to turn her head back towards the door, Thalia was already gone, the door slamming lightly behind them. Sighing, Annabeth spun back around and made her way towards the kitchen. When she got there, though, she found Percy with an open photo album on the table.
"Hope you don't mind." He said, looking up. "I just—I just found this in a box marked 'camp stuff' so I decided to take a look through it." He rambled, flushing slightly at admitting to being nosy. She giggled, taking a seat next to him and looking down at the photos.
"Must be from after I left." He murmured, never taking his eyes off the page. "I don't remember some of these people."
Suddenly, both their eyes landed on a picture of four people: Thalia, Grover, Nico, and a very, very pregnant Annabeth. Her face flushed entirely, and she was sure that she was comparable to a giant tomato. He laughed, but it was empty and bitter.
"You…find something funny about…this?" She asked quietly.
"No…just that…I keep thinking, if I had done something differently, or been a better person, I—I could be as happy as you are, right now. I could, have kids and not have to worry about dying an old spinster!"
"Percy, it wasn't anything you did wrong! Yeah, you've made mistakes—blowing up mount Tam was one of them—but in this case…you made no mistake. It's not your fault." She said, placing a hand on his arm and rubbing it comfortingly.
"This isn't gonna be like Good Will Hunting, where you keep saying it's not my fault in an attempt to get me to open up, is it?" He laughed quietly. She smiled, shaking her head no.
"Percy, I loved you then, and…and I love you now. You'll always have a place in my heart, because, deep down, we'll always be soul mates. Aphrodite told me herself." She smiled.
"Wow…that's really…cliché." He laughed lifting his head.
"Yeah, it is," She agreed, joining in. "They're clichés 'cause they work, though!"
Then, their eyes met, gray against green, and their laughing slowly died down. They held eye contact before slowly, but surely leaning their heads together, meeting in the middle for a light kiss. They continued on, deepening the kiss, until Percy scooped Annabeth right out if her chair in a romantic, chivalrous gesture, and carrying her off into the bedroom.
As he carried her there and lay her on the unmade bed, she couldn't help but think of how wrong it all was, and how much of a terrible person she was for doing this all to him again. She crushed those thoughts, though, shoving them to some desolate corner of her mind so she could just…be selfish and enjoy herself.
After a time had passed, they lay in the bed with a light blanket covering them. She had her head on his bare chest, and her blond curls sprayed out behind her. He laid a protective arm around her, tracing her curves with light touches of his fingertips. Though it was so perfect, she couldn't help but think it was just the calm before the storm. She was right.
As if on cue, they heard the front door swing open once more, though, instead of hearing the peals of laughter of Thalia and Casper, they heard Dorian growl loudly, barking at whomever had just entered. Instantly, Annabeth sat up in bed, pulling the blanket around her chest. Her eyes widened, anticipating the words she knew were sure to follow.
"Annie, I'm home!" Came a deep man's voice echoing through the apartment. Percy's eyes widened in fear and horror. Annabeth quickly threw on a sweatshirt and pair of jeans, tossing Percy's clothes to him.
She flung open the door, slipping out to meet the mysterious person, and, as he heard harsh words being exchanged, Percy slipped on his clothes, muttering swears the entire time. Then, as he prepared to turn the doorknob and pretend that he had been, 'just putting in some shelves!', he heard, as clear as day, a slap; skin against skin; ring out through the place. And that was when he threw open the door and booked it to the source of the noise: Annabeth.
A/N: Sorry for all the cliffhangers, but I promise that all the questions will be answered in the next chapter or two! Thanks for reading, don't forget to review, if you've got some good ideas, or if you need anything cleared up. Casper's father will be revealed in chapter 5, as will the identity of the mystery person. Promise!