Author's Note: Hey, this is a pretty long chapter. Hope you like it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson, obviously, unless I was Rick Riordan, which, unfortunately, I am not. This is going to be the only disclaimer for the entire story. Somehow I don't find the appeal in writing a disclaimer in every chapter. :P
What Thalia had said didn't make any sense. It didn't have a drop of logic in it, and yet…Percy felt his heart leap hopefully, and pray, that maybe, just maybe, Thalia was right.
However, it seemed so unlikely. But then again, Luke coming back was also unlikely, and it had happened. So why not Annabeth being hit by an arrow of Eros? At least, that was what Percy's heart hoped. It pleaded with his brain, shouting that yes, yes, this was why Annabeth had kissed Luke. Percy's brain fought back, arguing that there was no reason for Eros to shoot her, and that is was a stupid idea.
"The arrow of Eros?" Percy asked reluctantly, acting like he was skeptical, which he was deep down. But as they say, the eyes are the gateway to the heart. And his eyes were bright with optimism, that this was why Annabeth had done what she had done. No, she would've never kissed Luke on her own accord. She still loved Percy…she still loved him. The thought of this made Percy feel lighter than usual, and like he was floating up to heaven. It was probably the best news he had ever received. He reiterated in his mind, hearing the thought bounce around excitedly – she loved him, she loved him, she loved him…
"Yes, Percy." Thalia said, biting her lip. "But why?" She echoed the very question that Percy's practical side was screaming. "Why would a god get involved in an insignificant love story?"
"Hey…" Her words stung just a little, but Percy knew she was thinking deeply, and when she did so, she didn't care about others' feelings. But the sting of her words was nothing, nothing, compared to the flying joy his heart was experiencing. She still loved him…
"Well, it's not really insignificant." Thalia was thinking out loud, and this was generally when her best ideas hit her. "You are one of the most powerful demigods alive…you know, next to me, Nico and Jason. And Annabeth…she's pretty powerful too. But why would they interfere in your relationship?"
Percy shrugged, externally appearing indifferent, but on the inside he was jumping with excitement, a wide smile plastered on his face. She still loved him…
He climbed in the driver's seat, and Thalia followed his suit, still thinking deeply. Now she was whispering to herself, causing Grover to stare at her with a concerned face.
"Thalia, you okay?" Grover asked, his brows furrowed.
"Yeah, yeah." Thalia went back to her aloud thinking.
Grover looked to Percy for an explanation of what had happened outside the car. Percy explained to the best of his ability without exploding of delight. Grover's eyes went wide, and he soon was too mulling over this possibility. But, to him, it didn't make any sense.
"That's a little…far-fetched, don't you think?" He asked, doubtful.
"We're the children of Greek gods and you're a satyr." Thalia raised an eyebrow. "That's not far-fetched, Mr. Hooves-instead-of-feet?"
Grover raised his hands in submission, while Percy grinned. Thalia's argument was becoming stronger by the second, her evidence solidifying.
"I mean, Eros could just be having fun. He's known to do that." Thalia said, while Percy nodded enthusiastically on the inside. "Or maybe someone made him do it?" This was a strange option that made them go silent. All of their minds drifted towards the dog and the dead souls they had encountered only a few hours back.
"It's possible." Grover said simply, still unconvinced.
"Then maybe…Luke was also shot." Percy heard Thalia's hopeful voice utter these words quietly, so Grover wouldn't hear them. But Percy didn't heed her words. He left her to think about this on her own.
So Percy just sat there. His mind was floating off towards Annabeth, and how she loved him. Oh, how he loved the sound of those words together in his mind. She loved him.
He thought of her lovely eyes, her golden hair billowing behind her, as he had seen on the Statue of Liberty in his vision. Luke was also present in this memory, but he no longer bothered Percy – after all, their love wasn't real.
'But it could be.'
His dream-shattering, practical, and pessimistic thoughts broke into the daydream, scattering Annabeth into a million fragments. No, no, it must have been Eros, for sure.
'You don't know that. And it is far-fetched, you know it. She loves him.'
It was the same thought repeated in his head, except this time the 'him' referred to certain blonde man by the name of Luke Castellan.
'She kissed him, remember? And why in the world would Eros do something like that?'
"Hey, Percy, can we go meet Eros?" Thalia asked out of the blue, bringing Percy back from his thoughts, which were sending his hope and happiness spiraling down at an alarming rate. It took him a second to absorb her question, and come out with the answer.
"No. Annabeth first." He said firmly, cutting off the protesting Thalia. "Annabeth first."
The famous New York City skyline, complete with millions of multi-colored lights, had appeared on the horizon a few minutes ago. Percy's heart thumped happily against his chest, knowing that somewhere among those lights, was Annabeth, perhaps thinking about him, waiting for him. Thalia was quiet too, and Percy knew she was thinking about Luke. Her eyes were glazed over, looking off into a distance, breezing over all of the beauty that was NYC. It made no difference to her. All she wanted to see, all of the beauty in the world to her, was Luke. How did Percy know? He felt the same exact way about Annabeth. He wasn't here to see NYC's amazing sights. To him, the most amazing sight in NYC at the moment was simply a girl, with strong grey eyes, and beautifully curled tendrils of yellow hair.
Lost amidst the thoughts of their loved ones, Thalia and Percy were completely silent, much to Grover's annoyance.
"You all are too serious." He exclaimed, slouching in his seat, pouting. "You haven't spoken a word since we left Bloomsburg." He looked ready to burst into a tantrum like a five-year-old. This made Thalia laugh and Grover smiled. This was his true intention all along. Now, about Percy…
Percy had just been driving, eyes focused on the road, brain focused on Annabeth. Grover tilted his head at him, and waved a hand in front of his face. The car swerved dangerously.
"Grover!" Percy said furiously. "What are you doing?"
"Trying to get you to talk." Grover stated. "And I succeeded."
Percy stared at him, glaring for a second. But he couldn't hold it. The intimations of a smile pulled up the corners of his lips. They all burst into laughter, and Percy didn't stop smiling the entire ride into downtown NYC.
The city was just as beautiful as he remembered it. It was close to 10 o' clock, and, of course, that was when the city was the most exciting. The traffic was as if it was rush hour on a weekday, but then again, it was always like that.
"This is taking too long." Percy grumbled, sticking his head out of the window. The road was stuck in a never-ending traffic jam for as far as he could see. The cars were honking and the lights were flashing, overwhelming his ears and eyes.
"Oh, relax, Percy." Grover said, looking around as if he'd never seen it before.
"Yeah, relax, Percy." Thalia smirked, knowing exactly why Percy couldn't relax. "Annabeth's not going to go anywhere."
"Oh yeah?" Percy retorted. "Well, she left pretty suddenly a couple of days ago, and I wasn't expecting that either." He went back to restlessly sticking his head out of the window, and shifting his hands on the steering wheel.
"You wanna walk?" Thalia suggested jokingly. To her horror, Percy bit his lip, thinking hard.
"You know, that might actually be quicker."
"Percy!" Thalia cried out, practically outraged. There was no way she was walking all the way to Annabeth's house. "No!"
Percy sighed. She was right – where in the world would they keep the car?
Grover hummed, indifferent to the postponement. That was expected – he didn't have somebody waiting for him, only a few minutes away.
As soon as the jam cleared, no less than twenty minutes later, Percy stepped on the pedal with all of his might.
"PERCY! Calm down!" Thalia screamed, trying to keep her voice even as they bounced over the rough NYC roads. He didn't pay attention to her, and at last, in ten minutes, brought the car to a screeching stop in front of an enormous, expensive-looking house. Grover gaped as Thalia's jaw dropped.
"This is where Annabeth lives?" Thalia choked out, staring at the windows that made up the walls, and the sprawling garden that was in front of the house, consisting of dozens of brightly colored flowers that seemed washed out in the light of the streetlights. "It's so…big." It seemed as though her shock had reduced her vocabulary temporarily.
"Yep." Percy said shortly. He had seen pictures before, and his reaction had been the same as theirs was right now. "C'mon." He started up to the entrance, a large mahogany door with etched glass in it.
"Wait, man." Grover stopped him, grabbing his shoulder. "It's like 10:30. Do you really want to disturb them?"
"Disturb them?" Percy laughed. "Who goes to sleep at this time in New York?" He pointed at the lights that were on inside of the house. "And I've driven all this way to see Annabeth. So I will." His resolved unbreakable, he rang the doorbell twice. A light switched on in the lobby a few seconds later, and Percy could see a man in a robe heading for them. The door swung open to reveal Annabeth's dad.
"Hello." He looked slightly confused by the trio that was standing outside of his door at 10:30 p.m. They looked exhausted, like they had been traveling for an extremely long time. "May I ask who you are?"
"Oh, yeah." Percy had been so preoccupied with meeting Annabeth, that he had forgotten than her father didn't even know who he was. "I'm Percy Jackson, and this is Thalia Grace and Grover Underwood." They both nodded their heads, and said hi.
"Percy Jackson." Annabeth's dad thought over this name for a second – it sounded familiar. "Are you a friend of Annabeth's?" He inquired, seeing that Percy looked like a college student.
"Yeah." Percy knew he was more than a friend, but he said it anyways, not wanting to explain their intricate relationship to her father, of all people. "Where is she?" Percy rushed to ask, and then added an obligated 'please'.
"Uh, she's with a friend." Her dad was still confused.
"You mean she's not here?" Percy couldn't believe it. Thalia squeezed his shoulder, warning him to calm down a little.
"No, she hasn't been here since noon."
"Well, could you tell me where she is?" Percy asked, his patience teetering on the edge. If he didn't get to see Annabeth after nearly a fourteen hour drive, he was going to blow up.
"Um, yes, I can give you the address." Her dad shuffled back into the house as they stood there. He looked back at them, and beckoned for them to come in. "Come in, it's fine."
The three of them entered the ostentatious lobby, awe in their eyes. Percy hadn't seen the inside before.
"You have an amazing house, Mr. Chase." Thalia said politely, and truthfully.
"Oh, please, call me Michael." Her dad was rummaging through some papers on a table. He pulled out a small, dirtied piece of paper. "Ah, here it is." He grabbed his cellphone, and began to dial the numbers meticulously, squinting at the small font. Percy tapped his feet impatiently, and Thalia gave him a very mom-like look to stop. Michael pressed the call button at last, and it began to ring loudly.
Many rings passed, and Percy's heart was slowly dropping to his stomach. He wouldn't get to meet her.
"Hello?"
Percy heard Annabeth's voice crackle through the phone. His heart leapt and his eyes hopeful. A few days without her voice had had him craving for it, more than he had known.
"Annabeth?" Michael said into the phone. "Yes, where are you, Annabeth?"
"At Luke's, why?"
Thalia's eyes went wide, and instantly began to fill with tears. So, he really was back. All this time, a sprout of doubt had been in her heart, that maybe Percy's vision had been false, and untrue. But no, he was here. Luke was alive.
As for Percy…well, he wondered what the hell Annabeth was doing at Luke's at this time of night.
"What's the address?" Michael asked. "You have some friends here to visit."
"Friends?' Annabeth's voice was confused.
"One is…Percy Jackson." Michael said slowly, as Percy mouthed his own name to him over and over again.
There was an uncomfortable silence over the phone, and Percy heard Annabeth take in a breath to start a sentence and then stop.
Percy's face fell – this wasn't what he expected. He hadn't expected her to not say anything. He had expected, no wanted, her to scream with joy, and demand that he come to Luke's immediately. He had wanted her to run into his arms, but seeing as she wasn't here, it wasn't possible.
"Okay." He heard Annabeth's shaky voice say. "Anyone else?"
"Thalia…Grace…And Grover…Underwood." He strained to remember the names, and Percy whispered them to him.
"Oh, okay." Annabeth's voice was now considerably happier, which made Percy confused, and slightly angry. She proceeded to give them the address of Luke's house, which apparently, was only a few blocks away. "They can just come over here. Luke won't mind."
"Who's coming, sweetie?" They could hear Luke's faint voice in the background.
Percy heard a tearful choke escape from Thalia, hearing Luke's voice for the first time in years. But Percy wasn't paying attention. How dare he call her sweetie? She didn't even love him. Not truly, anyways. Percy shook his head, enraged. In a few minutes, everything would be alright. Annabeth would be his again.
"Thalia and Grover." Annabeth answered Luke, leaving Percy's name out completely. Percy's jaw dropped, his eyes furious and pained at the same time.
"Okay, bye, Annabeth, they'll be over soon." Michael hung up. "Well, you can go now."
"Thank you, Mr. Chase." Thalia said quickly, and dragged an infuriated Percy out of the door. She immediately took the keys from him, and slid into the driver's seat, after pushing Percy into the backseat.
"It's okay, Percy. She was probably just shocked." Thalia reassured him, worried, because he looked as though he was about to break the door handle of the car. She accelerated and took the designated turns to Luke's house.
"PROBABLY!" Percy shouted, making Thalia and Grover jump. "I hate that word." He growled.
"Percy, it's fine!" Grover said loudly.
"No, it's not." Percy was beginning to break down a little. The winds outside were picking up – after all, he was the son of the god of hurricanes, also. "Why are we even going, guys, let's just go home."
"You're being unreasonable, Percy." Thalia said firmly. "It's fine."
"It's all fine for you, isn't it, Thalia?" Percy spat. "You get to see Luke and you're happy as anyone could be."
Thalia threw him a disgusted look. "You seem to forget he likes Annabeth. So, just shut up, Percy. You're not the only one who's angry. You're just the only one who can't control it."
She stared ahead now. Percy stared at the back of her head, silenced completely, but the anger hadn't quite receded yet. Grover stared at them both, astounded by what had happened here, but not wanting to ask for the sake of them all.
Thalia pulled up to a house, which was averagely sized, and comfortable-looking from the outside. "We're here." She said, expressionless.
They all scrambled out of the car. It was beginning to drizzle, and the winds were blowing wildly, due to the combined resentment of Thalia and Percy. They all ran up to the door, and Grover knocked a few times.
And the door opened.
Percy, who was standing behind Thalia and Grover, furthest from the door, saw Annabeth standing there, her beautiful grey eyes pleasantly surprised to see her friends, even though she knew that they were coming.
"Thalia!" She squealed, and hugged her tightly. "Grover!" She gave Grover a short hug, laughing happily. Percy watched the proceedings with expectant eyes, waiting for her to notice him. Annabeth ushered Grover and Thalia inside, and then her eyes flicked to Percy.
It was as if the world stopped. Annabeth scrunched up her face, innocently confused. Percy just stood there, examining every little detail of her breathtaking face. Her hair was a little messy, but to him, it had never looked better. Her eyes were blank and stormy, as always. Her lips were set in their most comfortable state, pouting slightly, her golden hair blowing into them. She raised a hand to brush her hair out of her face.
They were both frozen, watching each other.
"Come in." Annabeth said simply, much to Percy's disappointment. Why was she acting so indifferent?
Inside, the room was dimly lit by two lamps, and the table had clearly been set for a romantic dinner. Percy's blood boiled a little, and took a place in the room, standing near Thalia.
"She acted like she doesn't know me." Percy muttered, heartbroken. But, Thalia didn't acknowledge him. She was craning her neck around every corner, and Percy knew she was looking for Luke.
"Luke!" Annabeth shouted over her shoulder, a fondness in his voice as she said his name. "They're here!"
"Coming." Luke's voice echoed through the house. Thalia almost squealed, unable to keep the grin off of her face.
He came around the corner, presumably from the bedroom, and he looked older, as he would've if he hadn't died so many years ago. Thalia cried out, and rushed towards him, as Annabeth looked on with affectionate eyes.
"Luke!" Thalia tackled him, and he laughed, hugging her back tightly.
"Thalia." He said softly, and closed his eyes. They hugged for a while, and after a few moments, Percy realized that Thalia was crying, sobbing practically, into Luke's shirt.
"Hey, hey, don't cry." Luke said quietly, and rubbed her tears off. Annabeth put a comforting arm around Thalia.
"I just can't – can't believe you're – you're here." Thalia hiccupped, her tears streaking into her smiling mouth. Percy smiled a little, seeing how happy she was. But he couldn't handle it anymore – he needed to talk to her.
"Annabeth." Percy blurted out, destroying the moment. She glanced up at him, with that same confused look.
"Yes?"
Percy couldn't help but notice that she shrunk into Luke's body when he said her name. Percy didn't know what he wanted to say, he hadn't prepared a speech or anything. He had just been expecting her to be ecstatic by his return – a little egotistical, now that he thought about it.
So he just raised his arms, a hopeful look on his face. "Hug?" Gods, he felt like a little kid.
Annabeth blinked, and shrunk back more into Luke, who wrapped an arm around her, letting go of Thalia slowly. "I'm sorry." She said, blinking innocently, but Percy could, unfortunately, see a slight revulsion on her face. "I don't know you."
