A/N: Sorry I wasn't able to update for a while. Hopefully I'll be able to update on a regular basis now...
"I can breathe!" I shout dramatically when we get back to their dorms. I quickly exchange my skirt for shorts.
"Well you did great." says Piper.
i raise my eyebrow. "I was performing?" I ask her.
"Of course you were, and you know you were." she's right. I do and I did. I giggled unnecissarily, and did lots of other unnecessary things. This is basically how it went:
We got there five minutes late.
"Really, Annabeth? why do you always have to take your sweet little time?" complains Piper.
"Because. I'm used to having it." i respond smartly.
"Shame on you."
"Why?"
"Because we might make a bad impression."
"And who in hell gives a damn?" I ask her.
"You're right, you're right."
So we walk into the conference room, where there are a lot of balding men. I kind of thought only old people were elected for this kind of thing. But I never knew for sure until now. Of course, as Piper promised, they all noticed our outfits, if they eve qualify. One man even has to excuse himself to the bathroom, saying he's sick and he would sit this one out.
"So, Annabeth and Piper, what do you plan on doing after you get out of college?"
"Well," chirps Piper. "We hope to be on the official squad of the New York Jets."
"Do you?" asks the man. "Well, we'll try to make that happen." they ask a few more questions, and don't seem to notice, all I do is smile and add a perky 'yeah!' or, 'OMg, I would love that!' here and there.
"I'm going out." I say.
"Oh," says Piper suggestively, "With who?"
"No one, myself, me, I, moi, any word to get you to understand ME."
"Okay, okay." she concedes the point. i really, obviously don't plan on going somewhere by myself. But I ho down to the parking lot and get into my convertible, and drive to Panda Express. I grab some food and walk the short ways to Nico's building. I start buzz the intercom at the door, but someone opens it, and i just walk through. I go up to the penthouse. and knock on the side of the elevator when I get there.
Percy comes through the doorway, his raven hair disheveled. "Hey," he says.
"Hey," i respond. i never know what to do with him. We can talk, as been seen before but it's hard to deal with the opening ceremony.
"If you're looking for Nico, he went out."
"Oh, that's okay." I say, nonchalant. i lift up the Panda. "You want?"
"The hell I do, come on in!" he says brightly. I can't resist a laugh. We sit on the sofa, and the TV's on, but nobody's watching it. We're focused on the food, and trying ot figure each other out. Finally he speaks up. "I can't figure you out." Just the way I like it. "But could you please tell me? Just about you?" I try to say no, but those green eyes are unwavering.
"Fine." I say. "My mom is Athena Chase, even though she divorced me dad years ago, I guess she never could give up the name. I stayed with my dad until I was about seven. Then my step-mom couldn't deal and she sent me away. I was in the systems a while, but got into the habit of seeing my mom regularly. Eventually it got to the point where she said, 'No daughter of min is going to feel this way.' and took me in.
"Turns out I have a brother and a couple of other siblings. But only my brother lived with my mom. I grew up pretty happy after that. Up until I was about 15. It was the annual family reunion, and my mom had to host it that year," i pause. this is the worst part. "My family kept saying I was growing up, and growing up nicely. Then my Uncle John told me I was filling out nicely, I had a nice body.
"At some point that night, somebody pulled out the beer and everyone got drunk. But not my uncle or two of my aunts. But while my aunts were trying to sedate the other adults, my uncle came and grabbed me. He took me up to the attic and forced me onto one of the sofas up there. he ripped of my clothes and-" I choke,m remebering that terrible night,"and he raped me.
"After that, I really didn't give a fuck anymore. My life was getting hard, and I was just like, 'What the hell?' I swear my dog had a better chance of getting into a decent school than me. But my mom pulled some strings, even though I told her not to. And we're basically to the present." i tell him,
"Basically?" he asks.
"please. i can't take much more." He nods.
"My turn."
A/N; What'd you think? Please review.
