A/N I don't own PJO or the Characters.
Annabeth peacefully woke up Sunday morning in her room at her mom's house. While some students stay in the offered dormitories right on campus Annabeth stays with her mom during the year. A mere 20-minute drive and her mom's old Subaru allowed her to live at home. That being said it wasn't exactly a normal household. Annabeth's parents had split when she was young, leaving her with her mother for the school year. Her father had remarried and while he still made an effort it was tough to not feel left out when she stayed with him, his new wife and their two young boys. She didn't resent her parents for splitting up nor her father for remarrying, she had seen the two interact and that relationship was beyond repair. This was simply the best choice for both parties. Logically she understood that, but sometimes she can't help but wonder if they gave up too soon. So she lived in a nice two story house with her mother who worked as a architect for a large firm in the city but catered to the entire region. Causing her to frequently travel for a couple days at a time. As it happens she just returned for a trip to Philadelphia late last night.
Looking at her phone at seeing it was a little past ten Annabeth decided to roll out of bed lest she hear from her mother that she's 'sleeping all day.' She doesn't want you to get the wrong impression about her mother, sure she was pretty strict but not to an unreasonable level, and she definitely loved her, she just wanted what was best for her and had a narrow vision on how to achieve it. So when Annabeth got dressed and headed downstairs to greet her mother, she was at the kitchen counter mindlessly sipping coffee and reading her tablet. She had a natual beauty to her along with fierce, calculating grey eyes and long straight blonde hair, the same as Annabeth's. "Hi mom, how was your trip." She asks stepping into the kitchen. Her mother's eyes lifted up and slightly softened.
"Oh Annabeth good morning, it was fine but it's good to be back." She said slipping out of her chair to give Annabeth a warm but slightly awkward hug which Annabeth returned. "But anyway, how did your game on Friday go?" She asked making her way back to coffee while Annabeth raided the fridge.
"It went well. We won 55 to 40. The other team was pretty young though, we'll have to beat teams a lot tougher than them going forward. I played well I guess still things to improve of course" Annabeth explained. Her mother seemed pleased.
"Well congrats, I'm glad you're not getting ahead of yourself. Long season and all. And your friends, Thaila and um Piper, right? They played as well?" She asked, her eyes now back to her tablet.
"Yeah mom, they played well too, everybody did really. Like I said the other team wasn't especially strong." Annabeth replied, smiling at her mom's effort to connect with her by asking about her friends. Once she was down getting her juice and some breakfast Annabeth was ready to leave but her mom called out one more time.
"Oh, one more thing. I noticed on Friday as I was leaving that you had already left for school. Any reason you needed to get to school so early?" She asked mildly concerned.
"Ahh yeah so I actually got to school early to go to the gym and shoot around with the season starting and all I was feeling a little stressed, so I started doing it last week and I guess it helped." Annabeth lamely explained unsure of how to precede.
"Hmm" Her mother responded not expecting that kind of answer. "I suppose that's fine, is this something you intend to make a habit out off?" She inquired.
"Well the thing is it did really help and its one of the few times I can practice alone during the week. So yes I was going to continue." Annabeth said feeling more confident in her choice.
"Are you getting enough sleep?" She asked narrowing her eyes.
"Yes I always get at least 7 hours usually 8." Annabeth answered unflinchingly, used to her mother's inquisitions.
"And breakfast, it's the most important meal especially for student athletes, are you eating before you leave?"
"I grab a bagel or an apple before I leave, and the cafeteria has breakfast available for students before class starts."
Annabeth's mother stayed quiet for a moment, considering what she's heard. "Alright then, you are old enough to make these kinds of decisions, I trust you to not let it interfere with your schoolwork." Her mother reasoned, relenting. Annabeth nodded and before exhaling a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "I didn't even realize your school would have the gymnasium open that early." She commented off handedly. "Is there anyone else there at that hour?"
"Umm yeah so they open the gym and the recreation center for the students that live on campus early every morning and yeah there are sometimes people there. This one student on the men's basketball team is usually there, Percy Jackson." Annabeth explained in one breath, unsure why she felt the need to mention Percy.
"Ahh yes is that the boy who the interviewed in the newsletter? The big star of Goode Academy." Her mother recalled, seemingly dismissing the article and it's subject. "Just another empty-headed jock who's being praised for the wrong things." Her mother lamented. Feeling the need to defend her friend and crush Annabeth chimed in.
"Don't you think that's a bit harsh mom, I mean he's just a teenager and he's not so bad."
"I suppose. I just wish they paid more attention to what's going on in the classroom, you're just as good a player as him I'm sure and you maintain a high GPA while taking several AP courses, but just because he's a boy he receives all the attention." Her mom commented, speaking with years of experience of having to work twice as hard to get half as much. Annabeth was stunned, that was not only one of the nicest things anyone had ever said about her but her mom didn't even notice, she said it as if it was an already agreed upon fact. It was something Annabeth couldn't help but blush at.
"Thanks mom," she said leaving the room to hide her blush. Her mom barely noticed and continued to sip her coffee and read her tablet.
Sunday morning Percy woke up in a daze as the sun powered through his dorm room shades and interrupted his sleep. Probably for the best he thought as he slowly woke himself up and saw that it was a little past ten. After grooming himself, Grover walked through the door.
"Mornin' Percy." He said in his normally chipper self.
"Hey man, you eat already?" Percy said gathering his things.
"Yeah sorry, I figured you were sleeping in today."
"No worries, I'll just grab something in the city." Percy explained
"Oh, that's right you going to your moms place today."
"Yeah so you got the place to yourself for the day. Ill be back late tonight so take care." He said grabbing his backpack and heading towards the day.
"Ok see you later."
After grabbing a bite on his way-out Percy called an uber and It was one of those times he was extremely grateful for uber because it means he didn't have to take an hour-long ride on a greyhound bus, and you know how often those things breakdown. So, he headed back home towards the apartment he and his mom, Sally Jackson, had lived for nearly his entire life. For the last 5 years it's been the two of them, before that there was his mother's old boyfriend, but he doesn't like to think about that. Soon enough he reached his childhood home. Of course it was no big deal as he visits his mom every couple of weeks. Knocking on the door before using his key to let his mom know he was coming in. He opened up expecting to find his mom running to the door like she normally did when he came home after a long break but she was nowhere to be found. He looked in the kitchen and in the living room, she was nowhere to be found. Well that's probably an exaggeration he really only looked in the one room, the kitchen/living room, as it was a fairly small apartment. The next and obvious step was to yell out for her which he did.
"Hey mom I'm home!" he shouted, he heard a rustling in his mother's room, the door was close which was odd. He faintly heard his mothers voice, followed by her yelling.
"One second honey," She said from behind the closed door, he then heard she talk again presumably on the phone with someone. She came out of her room a little flustered. "Sorry Percy I didn't hear you come in. Welcome home sweetie I've missed you." She said before wrapping her son in a big warm hug.
"I missed you too mom" Percy said sharing the embrace. "Who were you talking to in there?" He casually asked. But his mom had a really strange reaction … she Blushed.
"Who that, oh it was nothing, just boring adult stuff. Nothing you need to worry about sweetie." She nervously explained before trying to change the subject.
"Wait why did you get super weird just then." Percy asked confused.
"It was nothing Percy, just someone from my writing class asking me a question. Seriously its no big deal." Sally replied, hoping to drop the subject. Which her son reluctantly accepted. The two sat down while Sally pulled out some old sugar cookies. "So, tell me everything, whats happening at school, and you friends, And of course the team." Sally happily questioned her son who was taken aback by the whirlwind of questions but shouldn't have been surprised knowing that its been about a month since he has seen her. For as long as he could remember he never kept secrets from his mom, they were in this together, so Percy had no qualms about sharing the going-ons of his life.
The two sat there, as Sally put some cookies in the oven, Percy told his mom everything that has been happening for the last couple weeks. Everything from the early excited surrounding himself and the basketball team, to his struggles in the classroom with his English and Physics courses, finally to revelation of Jason starting a relationship with Piper.
"Ohhh I'm so happy for Jason, young love is truly a wonderful thing." Sally gushed while her son was made visibly uncomfortable. "What about you honey, anybody catching your eye?" she teased. Poor Percy didn't stand a chance as his bright red blushing face gave him away. "Oh sweetie you don't have to be ashamed you can tell me" His mother swooned seeing her normally passive son like this for the first time, but after a second of thought and a the look of terror on her sons face she exercised restraint, "You don't have to tell me if you not ready, just know that your feelings are completely normal and no matter what I love and accept you." Percy thought she may have gone a bit overboard with her reassurance but appreciated it nonetheless. After weighing the pros and cons in his head he decided it wouldn't be so bad to let his mom know the subject of his feelings, especially after his conversation with Grover was less than helpful.
"So, umm the thing is, there may be someone that I could possibly see myself potentially liking but also maybe just as a friend and especially with basketball and I don't know if I even want that. Plus, that doesn't even factor in what she thinks which I have literally no clue, what if she wants something different? Like that would change everything …" Percy continued to ramble semi-coherently until his mother stopped him.
"Perseus!" Sally yelled to get her son to pay attention. Percy was so surprised to hear his mom call him by his real name that he immediately stopped his nervous babbling and looked up. "Honey, you lost me a bit but lets just take it one step at a time." To which Percy nodded with his flushed face, embarrassed by his inability to articulate his feelings. "Good. So, I heard 'she' is this girl that's got you all railed up?" She patiently asked.
"Uhh yeah." Percy nodded dumbly, when his mom waited for more details he continued. "So, her name is Annabeth, she is actually on the girls' basketball team she's real good too. Oh she's friends with Thalia, you may have meet her at Thal's party last year. Yeh high, tan with blonde hair." Percy described holding his hand to about 5'6.
"Oh oh oh, that pretty blonde girl that wore that cute orange top." Sally asked excitedly.
"What? I don't know!" her son said incredulously "ya know what not important. Probably." He decided on to which his mom nodded in agreement. "Well I have always kinda known her, I mean her and Thal have been close friends for a minute, but we've been seeing a lot of each other recently and I don't know I guess I'd say we have been getting along. Jason and Grover think I have a crush on her and maybe I do. But I don't know if I wanna date her or anything. cause that just opens up a can of worms. I just feel like being close with her is that wrong?" He asked out of breath from his monologue.
"Well of course not honey, I understand that your feelings are confusing and you're under a lot of stress, so my best advice is just to talk to her. Explore your feelings together. It doesn't have to be this all or nothing thing. If you like talking to her continue to." After a moment to collect her thoughts on the matter, Sally offered this to her son. "The point is you don't have to decide anything right now, but communication is important so if you want anything more out of the relationship than you currently have, you have to be upfront about it." Sally wisely informed.
"Uhh ok, thanks I guess." Percy responded, trying to work everything out in his head. "I guess I still need to think about it more." He jokingly commented. With the ding of the timer Sally jumped up.
"Ok now whos ready for some cookies" She said with a brilliantly warm smile. Percy, despite the confusing thoughts swirling around in his head couldn't help but smile back.
"Thanks Mom."
A/N I'm back, im sure you've all missed me dearly, Anyway kind of a transitional chapter here as we move into the next phase of the story. So strap in, BIG things happening for the next few chapter of which I will eventually get too. leave a review if you feel like it. Peace.