A/N: I had midterms and state testing recently, so I've been very busy. I'm really sorry about not updating for so long. I'll try to make sure this long break of no updating never happens again. Hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: All rights remain.
Annabeth sat in front of her laptop, chewing her bottom lip- a bad habit of hers when she was nervous, overworked, and on a deadline. The white screen illuminated her tan, stony face, casting shadows upon her face and making her appear more tired than usual. Footsteps padded softly behind her but she couldn't find it in herself to tear her eyes from the screen, even if only for a second. "What?" she muttered out to the stranger. Large, warm hands covered her grey eyes, offering warmth she didn't know she needed.
"Guess who?" a soft voice asked, the smile in their voice obvious. Annabeth rolled her eyes under the hands, but bit her lip to keep from smiling.
"What do you want, Jackson?" she asked, feeling the hands uncover her vision when she uttered his name. Her eyes remained glued to the screen. Percy began talking about something, but she wasn't really listening; she was so focused on her work.
"Chase?" his voice mumbled after some time. With a start, she realized he'd asked a question.
"Hmm? Ask Piper," she muttered offhandedly. She could practically feel his frown on the back of her head. He began talking again, but to her it was just her and her computer screen, he sounded like he was talking underwater, sounded like the adults in Charlie Brown; incoherent, indecipherable, unimportant.
"Chase," Percy's tone was sharp.
"Mhmm, sure," she mumbled, brushing off whatever he'd said. All of a sudden, his hands spun her chair around and she shrieked slightly under her breath in surprise.
Percy had an iron grip on her hands and his sea green eyes gazed intensely into her own orbs. Annabeth squirmed uncomfortably and tried to pull out of his grip, slightly fearful, but his hold on her was too strong, he was too strong. "Wake up, Annabeth," he said sternly. Percy saying her first name sent involuntary shivers running down her spine. "Wake up." And then his hands released hers and he was walking away.
Annabeth swallowed hard and felt a prickly sensation in her throat. Wake up? What did he mean? She was already awake, as awake as she'd ever be. But her own voice in the back of her head nagged her.
You can't work forever, Annabeth, there's more to life than this...
She remembered the way his hands had felt, shaking her awake. "Wake up, Annabeth, Beth, wake up, wake up! Wake up!" She felt herself being violently shooken now. She almost wanted to scream at cryptic Perseus to leave her alone. But the voice sounded almost feminine now and the hands were a lot daintier and smaller than Percy's had been...
With a jolt, Annabeth snapped awake banging backwards into something warm and soft followed by a shriek from said object. "Ow!" Piper shrieked, rubbing her arm where Annabeth's hard head had hit her. "Jeez, Annie, didn't mean to interrupt a good dream," her best friend pouted slightly. Annabeth blinked the sleep out of her eyes and stared up at the gorgeous Native American girl towering over her. Annabeth stood up from her chair to be at eye level with Piper.
"What the hell, Pipes?" she grumbled, slightly irritated.
Her glamorous best friend shrugged, her ivory white fur coat slipping down her shoulder a little to reveal the bronze strap of her silky slip dress. "You promised you'd go clubbing with Jason and I tonight," she pointed out, smiling slightly.
Annabeth groaned. "Ugh, but I hate doing that. It's third wheeling," she informed Piper, with a sour expression on her face. Piper just laughed, clearly amused.
"Oh c'mon, it's not that bad. All sorts of people come, I'm sure you'll find somebody to talk to," she winked suggestively, causing Annabeth's scowl to deepen. "You need to have fun! Besides, if you don't like third wheeling, I can always find you a date, a friend of Jason, like last time," Piper smirked and Beth glared. They both knew how badly the last set up date had gone for Annabeth. It wasn't her fault! It's just... they're all idiots and Annabeth can't stand somebody who cannot match her wit and turn of phrase. Piper shrugged nonchalantly. "Make all the faces you want. You promised and we're going," she smiled brightly, much to Annabeth's dismay.
"Fine," Annabeth begrudgingly gave in, knowing that fighting Piper on this would be damn near impossible.
"Great!" Piper's eyes lit up. "Let's go get dressed then," she hooked her arm through Annabeth's elbow and linked them together, starting towards the front doors of Annabeth's building. Piper dragged them out into the cool evening air and hailed a taxi to her mansion. Annabeth was not excited. At all.
"Hold still!" Piper chided, working makeup on Annabeth's face expertly. Annabeth grit her teeth and resisted the urge to smack the fake lashes out of Piper's hands before she applied them to Annabeth. "There!" she announced after a few minutes and backed up from Annabeth to admire her masterpiece. "Flawless," she declared.
Annabeth peered into the mirror at herself, her jaw dropping as she examined herself. She looked way more mature just based off the way Piper had painted her face. Piper smirked, slightly smug and pleased at how it had turned out. Annabeth was however, frowning at her dress. It was a simple halter style grey dress, but too Annabeth it was too short. It wasn't of course, but Annabeth was too stuck up and poised and professional for this. "It's too short," she complained.
"It's fine," Piper assured her, slipping into a burgundy dress of her own and finishing painting her own face. "Jason said he'd be here in a few minutes," she announced, looking up from her phone with a smile. Annabeth groaned in reply sending Piper into a fit of laughter.
Jason pulled up in the backseat of an Uber, smiling charmingly. He kissed her girlfriend's cheek as both girls slid into the backseat after him. Jason's father Zeus owned a rival record company of Stone Records. Annabeth had gone to their record company for business and Piper had tagged along, unknowingly meeting her future boyfriend then. Jason had put to run the company by Zeus not too long ago, therefore ending the rivalry due to the rivalry being between Athena and Zeus, not Athena and Jason. Jason was on rather good terms with Annabeth currently.
Annabeth as well as Jason remained silent during the ride due to Piper babbling about something she was excited about. Annabeth silently observed the way her best friend's eyes lit up as she talked, the way the corner of Jason's mouth quirked up in a slightly amused manner as he watched her talk, not really listening to what Piper was saying, but the passion with which she spoke. Annabeth longed to be as innocent as Piper, as content as Piper, as unworried as Piper. Alas, she was burdened with stress, worries, problems, and real life to play barbie in a dream house like Piper McLean. Annabeth tore her gaze off the Native American beauty, choosing to peer out the window instead as they pulled up to the club.
Jason slid out first, opening the door for Piper and Annabeth. He helped Piper out like a typical gentleman would. No, Annabeth thought, typical Jason. It was too perfect and she didn't like it. Annabeth got out the door he held open after Piper all by herself, not bothering to take his hand. Jason knew she wasn't being rude though, that was just the way Annabeth was. He softly shut the door behind the tall girl.
Piper opened the door and Annabeth as well as Jason followed the rainbow-eyed girl into the club. Music pounded into Annabeth's heart and soul the moment she walked in. Immediately Piper grabbed Jason's hand and shot a wink towards her best friend and nudged Annabeth out into the crowd. Annabeth almost yelled at Piper, but was unable to due to being split up from the two of them. Annabeth sighed knowing Piper wanted her to mingle. Fine, she could mingle.
Annabeth made her way to the bar first. Like hell she'd be able to tolerate mingling unless she was somewhat tipsy. "I'll take a Cosmo," she said confidently to the barista. It seemed Annabeth was almost incapable of mumbling or sounding shy sometimes. The barista nodded and went to make her drink. A minute later the pink liquid in a martini glass with a lime slice adorning the rim was handed to her. "Thanks," she said putting her rosy lips to it. Annabeth's back was to the dance floor and music.
Somewhere across the dance floor Percy Jackson had entered the club, dressed in nothing too fancy, just something to help him blend in. With the music blaring, nobody seemed to notice. Percy made his way to the bar, sitting at the other end of the counter, not noticing Annabeth sitting down on the other side. Her blonde curls covered her face and she her head was tilted down, focusing solely on her drink, so he didn't notice. "I'll take an Old Fashioned," he told the barista.
Luke Castellan was a coworker of Annabeth's. Athena seemed to like him more than her own daughter, to be honest. He was a manager at Stone Records as well, but adored by the owner, unlike Annabeth Chase. Annabeth despised him with a fiery passion, for she knew it was all a facade, his nice act. Of course Athena loved him, of course. Annabeth loathed him, he was constantly flirting with staff and making rude remarks. Unfortunately, Annabeth wasn't an exception of his flirty ways. Of course Luke wanted to earn Annabeth's adoration, but Annabeth would never let him. He could kiss up to her all he wanted, he'd never win her heart, not like he easily won Athena's favoritism. No way in hell.
The tall blonde man snuck up on Annabeth like a sly panther and sat down next to Annabeth real suave. "Hey," he grinned at her. Annabeth mentally groaned seeing Luke here. Annabeth did not reply to him and instead engrossed herself in her Cosmo. "It's considered rude not to acknowledge me," Luke replied easily.
"It's also considered rude to hit on a girl who's made it obvious she's not interested on numerous occasions," Annabeth said sassily, giving him a pointed look. Luke continued to grin as if it didn't affect him.
"I admit, perhaps you and I did not start off on the right foot," Luke began. Annabeth mumbled something incoherent and most likely rude into her drink as he spoke. Luke dutifully ignored her and continued talking. "How about I pay for your drink and then we dance, get to know each other properly?" Luke suggested, his white teeth gleaming. Annabeth rolled her eyes, she hated the way Luke constantly harassed her.
"Just let me be, Luke," she said casually, but there was a hard undertone to her voice that tried to mark the end of this conversation. Luke didn't care and continued to try and win Annabeth's affection.
"Oh, come on, Annabeth. Don't be so stuck up, let's dance," he smiled at her. Annabeth glared in response, finishing her drink. Luke stood and held her hand. Annabeth immediately tried to pull her hand away, but his grip was too strong.
"Let. Go. Of. Me," her eyes shot daggers at him.
"Oh, stop," he laughed. "You'll enjoy this, I promise," Luke began to dance with her, much to her dismay. Annabeth tried to pull away, but every time she got close Luke pulled her closer. His hand slithered down her back to the small of it and Annabeth felt bile rise in her throat. Let go of me! she wanted to scream. The pounding music, the flashing lights, the way Luke was pressing against her despite her obvious uncomfortableness, Annabeth felt like she couldn't breathe. She was drowning, she was drowning... Annabeth gasped for breath, squeezing her eyes shut. Let me go, let me go! Please! Let go of me! Nobody around her seemed to notice the distress in her eyes and on her face.
"Let go," she croaked, finding her voice.
"What?" Luke smirked, looking at her.
"I said let go," her voice quavered. Luke was taller than her, so much taller that it scared her now. "Please, Luke, let me go." He pushed up against her even more and she felt tears forming in the corner of her eyes as his hands traveled dangerously. "H-help," she croaked now, knowing where this was going and not liking it. It didn't help that she was tipsy and Luke was sober. He's easily be able to... Annabeth shuddered, knees buckling underneath her. His fingers revoltingly slipped underneath her dress and a tear began to roll down her cheek now. Luke didn't stop, Luke grabbed her by the wrist tightly and subtly dragged her to a corner of the club.
Tears streamed down the once proud girl's face. Annabeth was too tipsy to properly fight Luke, besides Luke was much too strong, much stronger than her. Annabeth began hyperventilate as his cold finger shimmied up her skin, touching her, grabbing her. It hurt, it hurt so much. Annabeth gasped in agony.
"S-stop," she whimpered, grey eyes pleading.
Luke didn't stop.
A/N: I know I promised there would be tons of angst in this chapter, but I already hit 2,415 words and it was getting to be too long so I decided to stop here and push the angst over onto the next chapter. I'll update asap, I'm really sorry for the long wait! Hope you enjoyed and please review if you liked it. And if you didn't, review and tell me why. :) Bye, guys.