Chapter 14
(Annabeth's POV)
Hold it together, Chase. Get everyone out, and then come back for Percy. Everyone's watching. Don't let them know how heartbroken you are. Leaders can't be weak. Nobody will take you seriously if they see a pretty blonde girl crying over a boy. I'm tired of nobody taking me seriously. I have to make a plan, I repeat in my head, over and over, like a mantra as I pace across the stage. I got something!
"Okay, Nico, Frank, Callie, I need you to lead everyone out of the emergency exit in the left corner of the building. Thalia, Hazel, we're gonna get Percy back. You guys'll get weapons and knock Gabe out, and I'll buy us some time. Piper, Jason, I need you to swipe some chemicals from the science labs and draw as many goons outside as possible. We've only got one shot, so we need to do this right," I say as everyone huddles around me.
"Hands in?" Frank asks. Everyone puts their hands in the center of our small circle.
"Okay. we can do this," Callie says.
"Ready, break!" Thalia says.
"Catch you on the outside!" Piper says, saluting before running out of one of the auditorium entrances, Jason hot on her heels.
"We'll take care of the people in the locker rooms. Now go," Hazel says, shooing Nico before stepping into the hall. Thalia and I follow, sneaking past the armed guards. I poke my head into the boys locker room.
"Hello?" I say, stepping inside. I gag at the odor. I can only describe it as moldy pizza, wrapped in gym shorts and an overload of cologne. Ugh. Percy so owes me for this. At least I didn't end up coated in sewage this time. A huge group of fully dressed boys is huddled in a corner.
"Ah! A girl!" one of them yells, flailing wildly.
"A really pretty one," another says.
"Hey, back off! She's Percy Jackson's girlfriend!" one of them says.
"I am right now, if he hasn't been killed yet, but Percy sacrificed himself so we can all escape. Go! Now!" I say.
"But what about you?" a freshman asks, as Thalia starts pointing the girls in the direction of the exit that the guys have opened.
"I'm going to get Percy back," I say, cracking my knuckles.
"How? You're just one girl," a boy stammers.
"Based on what I know about these goons, they always underestimate the little blonde girl. Now go, before anyone finds you," I say, watching Hazel smash the padlock off of the closet door with a metal water bottle. She grabs two metal bats and tosses me a broken wooden bat.
"Let's do this," Thalia whispers, as we dive into a locker room to hide as a bunch of guards run towards an explosion in the distance.
"Pipes really came through, didn't she?" Hazel says as the last set of feet pass by.
"Alright. Percy's held in the front office," Thalia says.
"You incapacitate the abuser. I'll get the Seaweed Brain," I say, as we run down the hallways.
"Stop!" A lone guard says. I hurl my broken bat and watch its splintered surface smack the man in the temple as he turns to call for help. I jog over, grab the man's arm, and toss him into the girls bathroom.
"Okay. I'll go in first. I'll scratch the back of my head when it's time for you to knock out the leader," I whisper.
"Okay," Hazel says.
"In case this goes horribly wrong, and I die, it's been a pleasure working with you. Wouldn't trade it for the world," I say, before slowly opening the door and slipping in. The air is thick with blood, and I see the three secretaries sprawled across the carpet. I check their pulses. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I hold back a sob, and I hear a loud crack. Percy screams. No God, please no! Please! Please let that be a broken arm or something. Anything other than a life threatening injury, I think. Now to draw Gabe out. I quickly throw a chair at the wall.
"Who's there?" A gruff voice slurs. Footsteps. He shouldn't be armed, I think, squatting in a corner where Gabe's back should be to the door. "Oh, a little pretty blonde! What do you think you're doing? Rescuing this punk? Yeah, right," he says, standing in front of me. I scratch the back of my head, signaling the girls to come in.
"No, sir! It's just, you said that when Percy Jackson turned himself in, you'd let us go. Well, he did, and I was sent to check if the people who were shot survived," I say, watching Thalia and Hazel sneak up on Gabe. Thalia slams the tip of her bat into his temple as Hazel swings and hits him in the gut, causing him to double over. Thalia brings her bat down on the back of his head, knocking him to the ground. I kneel on his back and pinch the veins on either side of his flabby neck. He flails for a moment, maybe two, then he stops.
"I'll guard him! You get your boyfriend out of there" Thalia says, readying her bat to swing again, should Gabe attempt to stand up. I run towards the room Gabe came out of, attempting to avoid the puddles of blood. I throw open the door and gasp. Percy's arms are tied around a chair, with his legs tied to the front legs of it. There's a deep cut across his forehead, that's dripping blood into his eyes. His shirt is torn and bloody, probably coming from the gash across his chest. His breathing is ragged and shallow, and he winces with every rise and fall of his chest.
"Annabeth?" He hisses, looking up and squinting through the blood. He winces again.
"Yeah, I'm gonna get you out, then we're going to the hospital, okay? We're gonna get you fixed up," I say, untying his hands.
"Why'd you come back?" He coughs. Blood comes from his mouth too. Oh god.
"You'd do the same for me," I say, untying his legs. "Are you okay to walk on your own?" I ask, cringing as he moves painfully slow. I drape his arm over my shoulder. "Thals! Can you come help me with Percy? He's been injured badly enough that he can't move very fast on his own," I call. Thalia comes in and drapes Percy's other arm over her shoulder and starts walking. Hazel brings the bat down on Gabe's head another time before coming up to us. Another muffled explosion.
"We need to get to the fire drill lines. That's where everyone else is except Jason and Piper," she says. It's silent for most of the time, then I hear police sirens in the distance as people come into view.
"Hold on, Percy, we're almost there, okay?" I whisper.
"I think I can stand on my own," he gasps, moving his arm off of Thalia's shoulder. She goes to find Nico, and Hazel calls Piper to tell her to come back. Percy and I stagger after Thalia. Percy's getting paler and paler, and while we're talking to our friends, he collapses.
"Someone call an ambulance!" I cry, kneeling down over his limp body. Hazel, Piper, and Jason run over and stare in horror. Sirens. Cars drive up. Cameras flashing. Sally, Paul, Poseidon and Amphitrite come over,
"What happened?" Poseidon yells. By this point I'm using my jacket in an effort to stop the flow of blood.
"Gabe hurt him, and he just collapsed! Please, somebody help me! He's lost a lot of blood, and Gabe broke one of his bones, but I don't know which one!" I sob. More flashes.
"Can you guys go away?" Poseidon bellows. The paparazzi turn and leave.
"This is all my fault," I gasp as an ambulance screeches to a halt in the parking lot.
"No it isn't, Annabeth," Sally says soothingly.
"He sacrificed himself so we could get out, and nobody stopped him! Granted, he snuck out while we were sleeping, but nobody stopped him!" I sob. Paramedics rush over and load his body onto a stretcher.
"Miss? Can you tell us what happened to your err- friend?" a paramedic says as I walk alongside them.
"So, his crazy abusive ex stepfather took our entire school hostage. I don't know why, but the police are bringing him out right now," I say, pointing as two police officers are dragging Gabe out of the front doors of the school.
"So he did this?" the paramedic asks, opening the door and allowing me inside the ambulance.
"Yes. my friend sacrificed himself so everyone else could escape. He called and told us to get everyone else out, and that he could handle himself. Three of our friends went around to get all the other people out of the school, two of our friends distracted all the guards with guns and led them to the cops, and I took two of our friends to free him. When we got there, I heard a crack, and my friend screaming. When I got in there, he was bleeding really heavily. I think the crack was a bone breaking, but I'm not sure which one. I know it wasn't his arms, legs, back, or nose, but that's all. I helped him get out, but he said that he could stand on his own, so I let him. He was talking to our friends and doing okay, but he was getting really pale. Then, he just collapsed. I think the blood loss finally got him," I say.
"And what's the bloody bundle of fabric you're holding?" the paramedic asks.
"Oh, my jacket. I used it to try and staunch the flow of blood," I say.
"We'll meet you at the hospital!" Thalia shouts as the doors close. The ambulance starts moving, and I hold Percy's pale and cold hand.
"I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm sorry I couldn't get there sooner," I say. His pulse is faint. The ambulance screeches to a stop, and a doctor throws the door open. I help them pull the stretcher into the hospital, and I sit down in the waiting room next to Percy's family and call Mom. "Hey Mom, it's me. We made it out okay, but I'm in the hospital with Poseidon," I say.
"Get away from that asshole, Annabeth!" She cries.
"No! Percy's in the hospital, and we're here for him!" I say.
"Oh great, so now you just socialize with my worst enemy?" She says.
"Will you let it go? It's been 25 years! I'm done with this. Call me back when you swallow your pride and call a truce," I say, hanging up.
"Annabeth, thanks," Poseidon says.
"For what sir?" I say.
"Being there for Percy for all these years despite your mother and I arguing constantly. I know it couldn't have been easy," he says. The door flies open, and Thalia, Piper, Hazel, Callie, Nico, Jason, Frank, and Leo tumble in.
"He's done the same for me. Remember, we're best friends first, and a couple second," I say, watching as a nurse looks around the room.
"Jackson?" the nurse yawns. We scramble over to him, and Sally squeezes my hand. "Percy's awake now, and he's lost a lot of blood, so we're giving him a blood transfusion. Thanks to Miss Chase's description of the event that led to his injuries, we were able to find that he has two fractured ribs. You can go in, but don't touch any of the equipment." I run for the room while everyone else is celebrating.
"Hey you nerd," he croaks.
"Goddamit Percy! What were you thinking? You could have died!" I say, plopping down in the chair next to his bed and intertwining our fingers.
"I didn't want to lose you again. You already left once, and I couldn't let it happen again," he croaks.
"Gabe's back in jail again. He won't hurt you. You're gonna pull through, and I'll take you out for lunch when your ribs heal," I say.
"You're on," he says, clearing his throat. I hear footsteps, so I lean down and kiss him quickly before Percy's parents come in.
"Love you," I whisper.
"Love you too," he mutters. Poseidon, Sally, Paul, and Amphitrite come in.
"I'll let you hang out with your parents," I say, waving as I leave the room. Thalia waves me over, and I sit on the ground next to her.
"So how's the boyfriend doing?" Thalia cackles.
"He's awake, and he's talking. Since he has broken ribs, they just need to bandage him up, give him some pain meds, and then he can go home," I say.
"We're all going in after his parents. Do you wanna come with?" Hazel grins.
"I've already gone in," I say. A sickly-looking little girl wearing a thick pink beanie comes up to us.
"Um… I'm a huge fan. Can I get an autograph?" she asks, holding out her white stuffed rabbit.
"Sure! What's your name sweetheart?" I ask.
"Valentina," she giggles. I sign her toy, and pass it over to Thalia, Hazel and Piper, who all sign it.
"To Valentina. Keep on rocking," Thalia says, handing the toy back.
"Thank you!" She chirps.
"Valentina! C'mon you need your chemo!" a woman who I assume is her mother says.
"Bye! Get well soon!" Piper says.
"What a cute little girl," Calypso remarks, as Percy's parents return to the waiting room.
"They're bandaging him up. He'll be allowed to leave in a half hour," Amphitrite says.
"We'll be right back," Leo says, turning back to face me as my friends jog towards Percy's room.
"Sally, are you okay?" I ask, watching her wipe away some tears.
"Huh? Oh yeah! I'm just so happy that everybody's okay!" she hiccups. I hear laughter coming from Percy's room, and I crack a smile.
"Is Percy still allowed to go to Winter Ball if we keep an eye on him? The girls and I are supposed to perform, and since it was supposed to be at the Inn downtown, we probably can still go," I say.
"Yeah, he can go, as long as he avoids confrontations that could mess with his ribs," Paul says.
"Great!" I say as the others come back. Piper's scribbling furiously in her songbook, Thalia's texting somebody, Jason's laughing at something Leo's saying, while Hazel's gesticulating wildly as she tells Frank a story. Nico's frowning as he tries to brush a short chunk of hair out of his face. Calypso is braiding her hair and humming softly. I smile and start mentally going over our set list for the dance.
(Percy's POV)
"So, Mister Jackson, your umm, friend? Girlfriend? What's your relationship with the girl who was trying to help you when you collapsed?" the doctor starts.
"She's my girlfriend," I say, assuming that they're going to ask about what happened.
"Alright, your girlfriend, Miss Chase, already told us what she knows, but do you have anything to add?" The doctor says.
"She saw all of my injuries, but in case it helps, I was attacked with a knife. That's what caused all of the bleeding. He also punched me many times. I think that's what got my ribs broken," I say.
"Okay. Do you want to press charges against Gabriel Ugliano?" She asks.
"Yes. This is the second time he's tried to kill me, and he deserves to rot for it. He won't escape again, right? I don't want him to attack my friends and family again," I say.
"Alright. For broken ribs, we insist that you take these painkillers. Don't do anything that could impact the healing process, such as standing up too straight, and most types of swimming. Somebody needs to keep an eye on you the first time you use the medicine to make sure that you do not have an allergic reaction to any of its ingredients. The symptoms of allergic reactions include hives, vomiting, and sensitivity to light. You should come back every other week for x rays so we can check your bones. If you feel severe pain, you should also return," she says, giving me a bottle of pills as a nurse bandages the back of my hand, which is where the IV was attached.
"How often should I take these?" I ask.
"Once every six hours," the doctor says.
"You're free to go," the nurse who was working on me says. I get up slowly and stagger out of the room. My painkillers are working. The ache in my ribs is nothing more than a dull throb. Annabeth looks up, and her grin widens as she sees me shuffle over to her. She walks over and grabs my hand.
"You okay?" She whispers.
"Yeah. Just need to be careful for a while. I'll see if I can get Butch to demonstrate certain things for swim, since I can't really do much until my ribs heal," I say. Annabeth smiles.
"Good. Now if you ever try something like that again, I won't hesitate to rip your arms off," she says, still smiling sweetly.
"Got it. no heroic sacrifices," I say, smiling.
"I'm serious. You could have been seriously injured!" She says.
"Oh god, now you sound like Grover or Juniper," I groan.
"Speaking of Grover and Juniper," she says, twisting a curl around her finger.
"You didn't," I say in horror. She only nods.
"If they weren't looking for honeymoon locations, they'd be here to smack you. They're going to come visit you tomorrow," she says.
"Annabeth, can you watch Percy to make sure he doesn't have an allergic reaction to the medication tonight?" Mom says.
"Uh, sure?" Annabeth says.
"Can we get out of this hospital? They make me nervous," Nico sighs.
"Let's go then!" Paul says. I climb into the backseat of the girls' limo after all of my friends, and I curl up against the window.
"You okay?" Jason asks.
"Just exhausted," I yawn.
"So, can somebody explain what the hell happened while I was gone?" Leo asks, twiddling his thumbs.
"I need to process. Tell you tomorrow?" I mutter.
"Yeah. I guess we should wait until we've had time to process what happened. Maybe we should sleep on it, then see if talking about it might let us heal," Calypso says.
"Cal, you sound like a therapist right now," Nico deadpans, staring blankly out the window.
"Well, my best friend's mom was a therapist, so I probably picked up a lot from her. Anyway, sleepover this weekend?" Calypso says as we pull into her driveway.
"You're on," Piper says.
"See you then, since winter break is coming early while the police investigate what happened. Bye," Calypso says, getting out of the car. It's quiet in the car. Too quiet. An image of those secretaries laying dead on the ground flashes through my mind. Annabeth feels me stiffen, and she says nothing, just squeezing my hand. Piper writes in her songbook, and Jason silently watches as rain splatters against the sunroof. Hazel is drumming her fingers on her jeans, Thalia's texting Nico, who got out of here about two minutes after Callie. Frank is chewing nervously on his thumbnail, and Leo is carefully watching all of us in an effort to make sure that we're all okay. The car pulls into Frank's driveway, and he silently slides out of his seat, stepping through puddles to get into his house. As soon as he disappears from view, Hazel's small smile drops off of her face. Jason holds onto Piper's hand, almost as if he fears that she'll disappear if he lets go. Annabeth looks pale, and absolutely terrified. I can assume that I don't look much better.
"Guys. it's okay. You're alive. You survived. You made it out," Leo says nervously. Hazel looks up, and chokes out a sob.
"You weren't there Leo! You don't know how horrible it was!" Hazel cries, tears streaming down her face.
"So much blood," Annabeth whispers, a vacant expression on her face.
"Hey, babe, look at me. Focus," I whisper, waving my free hand in front of her eyes.
"We heard them die Valdez!" Thalia gasps. Jason stiffens. Piper starts to shake.
"It's all my fault," I whisper. My vision starts to blur. When it finally comes into focus, my friends are gone. Gabe is hitting me, slashing at me with a knife. There's blood everywhere. I think it's mine. I try to run, but I can't. I can't get out of his throwing range. The knife catches me in the small of my back, and I fall. I can't move. Gabe waddles closer. I can't get away. I thought I would be safe when he went to jail, but I was so very wrong. I can never escape Gabe. he will always be looming over me. I can't forget. I may never be able to forget. I shake my head. Everything's back to the way it was, except Jason's gone. Must have been a flashback.
"Aquaman? You in there?" Leo says.
"Oh, sorry," I say.
"Anyways, I was asking why you think this was your fault," he says.
"The kidnapper was my ex stepfather. He killed those innocent people to get me to turn myself in. I should have died in that building," I sigh. Annabeth's hand comes up and slaps me across the face.
"Perseus Jackson, don't you ever say something like that again! This is not your fault. Gabe's a monster. And besides, we'd all be heartbroken if you died," she says.
"Yeah Kelp Head," Thalia mutters. Their house comes into view, and the driver pulls into their driveway as far as he can. We get out, trudging through puddles. The snow is finally starting to wash away.
"See you tomorrow," Piper yawns as she walks up the stairs, still writing in her book.
"You guys go to bed. It's been a rough day." Leo says before flopping onto the couch.
"Try not to be too noisy. I need my sleep," Thalia grumbles.
"I'm gonna go call Apollo and tell him what happened," Hazel sighs. Annabeth leads me up the stairs and into her room.
"So what do you wanna do?" she asks, closing the door behind us.
"Well, I don't know," I shrug. Annabeth turns on a radio that sits on the edge of her desk.
"We can't do much. You're injured," she says.
"I know, but it's fine! We could watch Netflix on your laptop, or board games, or-" I stutter.
"Percy, can you do me a favor?" she asks, grabbing the collar of my shirt and pulling me down almost to her level.
"What is it?" I whisper.
"Shut up,"she whispers, before planting her lips on mine. I grab her waist and turn us so that her bed is behind her, there's the crunch of tires on road salt in the distance, but I don't care. Her hands find their way into my hair. I'm running out of air in my lungs, but I don't want to stop. Her tongue swipes across my bottom lip. I can barely hear footsteps over the music playing in the background. Annabeth steps backwards until the backs of her legs hit the bed. She pulls back with a small pop, and our heavy breathing is all I can hear.
"What was that for? Not that it wasn't nice, because it was, but a little explanation would be great," I pant, flopping onto the bed next to her. My hair probably sticks up in every direction, and both of our lips are swollen.
"No reason," she pants, rolling to face me. I smile, because even with messy hair and swollen lips, she's easily the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on. "Why are you staring at me?"
"No reason. You just look absolutely stunning right now," I whisper, grabbing her hand.
"Aww, thanks babe,"she mutters, before kissing the tip of my nose. She curls up into my chest, and I kiss her forehead.
"How does sleeping sound right now?" I ask.
"Eh, I can wait," She says, inching up the bed so that her eyes are in line with mine.
"Love you. Sorry about today," I whisper.
"I love you too," she says, before pulling me back in again. In a small corner of my mind, I'm aware of how bad this could look, since at this point, I'm holding myself up over Annabeth, but the rest of me is too preoccupied with the feeling of Annabeth's lips against mine. There are footsteps on the stairs. Probably just Leo heading to bed, I think as Annabeth wraps her legs around my waist. The footsteps grow louder. Annabeth starts kissing my neck. I bite my lip in an effort to hide my groans. Footsteps are coming close now. Annabeth pulls back, breathing hard.
I lean in and kiss her again. Her eyes flutter shut. The footsteps abruptly stop. Huh… I guess whoever it was finally got where they needed to go. The doorknob jiggles. Oh no.
"Did you?" I start, breathing heavily. I can feel Annabeth's breath on my lips.
"Mmm, I think I locked it,"she mutters, before I kiss her again. The doorknob jiggles again. I hope she locked it. How humiliating would it be if someone walked in on us?
"What on earth is going on here?" A stern female voice says. Oh shit!
"Mom?" Annabeth says incredulously.
"I come visit to surprise you, and you're making out with some boy in your bed?" Athena yells. Oh god why? I roll off of Annabeth and turn to face Athena.
"Umm, hi Athena. Happy holidays?" I say, awkwardly rubbing the back of my neck.
"Ah, hello sea spawn. May I ask why you are in my daughter's room at 10:00 on a school night?" Athena says, her voice deadly calm.
"Uh… school got canceled until the end of winter break, and we were... studying for midterms! Yeah.. studying for midterms," I say, praying desperately that Annabeth can pick up on the lie and help make it more believable.
"Err, yeah! And he started tickling me? I wrapped my legs around him to try and flip him over so I could tickle him in revenge," Annabeth continues.
"Then what's that mark on your neck?" Athena says. Shit shit shit we've been caught.
"Silena, the band's official stylist, was practicing makeup and wanted to see if she could create a realistic looking hickey. I was the guinea pig?" I say.
"Yeah! The makeup was that 24 hour eyeshadow. We tried to wash it off, but this is what's left!" Annabeth says.
"Alright. I just wanted to check in on you after today," Athena says.
"Hold up. Did you end the feud yet?" Annabeth says, crossing her arms.
"Annabeth-" Athena sighs.
"No, mom. You end the feud now, or you can stay far away from me," Annabeth sneers.
"Babe, I already-" I say.
"Percy, look. I know you want the feud to end, I want the feud to end, hell, even your father wants it to end! You're a sweet guy, and if Mom refuses to see how much you mean to me, then she doesn't deserve to be in my life," she says, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Annabeth, I can't let you do this. Your mother takes priority over me, anyways. I can work around the feud," I say.
"This is my decision," Annabeth says.
"I- I need time to think," Athena stammers, running out of the room. I hear the front door slam, and I wait a minute before turning back to Annabeth.
"I can't believe your mom bought it? Tickle fights, studying for midterms, the hickey being makeup? Seriously! We pulled that story out of our asses!" I chuckle. Every laugh hurts, but I can't let Annabeth know.
"I know! Like if she actually bothered to think about it, she would have realized that I wasn't laughing, and we were both panting!" Annabeth snorts.
"Honestly, I thought I was going to die of shame right there. Rest in peace Percy, you'll be dearly missed," I say.
"Hey, we actually should try and get some sleep. Sally won't be too happy if I let you go home dead on your feet. Paul already suspects that we're -you know-, and we don't need Sally on that list," Annabeth says, tangling her legs with mine and sighing.
"Good night, Wise Girl. See you tomorrow," I whisper, pulling her into my chest and kissing her forehead. I feel her breathing slow, and I shut my eyes. Gabe's gone. He won't hurt me. Nobody's going to touch Annabeth. You're okay Percy. I finally drift off, with a smile on my face, because in spite of everything that's happened, I'm still standing.
(Rachel's POV)
Our car is parked about two blocks away, so we walk quietly up the driveway. The streets are silent. It's three am, so our town is asleep. Hopefully, we can catch some embarrassing pictures of the nerds, and ruin their already suffering reputations. Reyna outright refused to come, saying that her dad was crazy strict and she didn't want to risk it. Khione somehow opens the back gate of their backyard, and we sneak through the melting snow to the back door. Drew removes a pin from her flawless hair, and hands it to me. I pick the lock and we slip inside.
"You go get the pics of Annabitch. Khione, you get pics of the punk chick. I'll take care of the witch girl," Drew whispers. I sneak upstairs, looking forward to humiliating that bratty nerd for daring to touch my Percykins! I hear soft snores from a bedroom. Who is that? I open the door slightly and see that chick who took Valdez out of school yesterday morning, snuggled up to a muscular man. Her hair covers his face, but I can tell that he's the one who's making that noise. Not who I'm looking for. I can see a door held ajar by a jacket I vaguely remember to be Percy's. Oh, SHE gets the jacket after a month and a half, but I dated him for six months and got jack shit! I fume. I tiptoe into that room wincing as the wooden floor creaks under my weight. When I look around, I have to shove one of my gloves into my mouth to quiet my scream of rage. On the bed is Annabeth, but she's wrapped tightly around Percy. As she wiggles around, a lock of her hair moves away from Percy's neck, exposing the purple bruise on his throat. That slut! Annabeth starts to stir. I dive into her closet, peeking out nervously.
"Shh, babe, go back to sleep. I'm alive. It's okay," he whispers as she shakes. Annabitch starts crying quietly. That weak brat!
"Gabe, h-he got you, and you died before I could save you," she hiccups. Percy sits up.
"It was just a nightmare. I'm right here. See?" he says.
"How long do these things last? I don't know if I can deal with nightmares forever," she sighs, curling up and leaning on Percy's shoulder.
"I don't know. The nightmares never really go away. Eventually you get some happy dreams, but the nightmares never truly disappear. It's been nearly four years since Gabe got locked up the first time, and I still have nightmares about the stuff he'd do to me. Trust me, it doesn't go away, but it gets easier. We're gonna get through this together, okay? We're gonna stick to the plan," Percy mutters, gripping her hand tightly. What's the plan?
"I thought that plan went out the window when you nearly died," Annabeth sniffles.
"Nah. You and me against the world, remember?" He says. Annabeth yawns.
"Sorry, just tired," she says, falling back onto her pillow.
"Go back to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up," he says, curling up next to her. Honestly, what a clingy bitch! I wait until I hear their breaths slow to sneak out. I sneak down the stairs, where Drew and Khione are waiting.
"What took so long?" Khione hisses.
"The bitch woke up," I shrug, as we slip quietly down the street.
"So, what'd you get?" Drew cackles.
"No pictures, but apparently, she hooked up with Percy last night! It was disgusting in there. They were all cuddled up, Annabitch's sweater was halfway off, and Percy had a huge ass hickey on his neck. I honestly gagged," I say.
"Gross! Why would he pick that nerd when he could have had you?" Drew says. Maybe because Annabeth's not a ruthless bully, my subconscious says. I shove that thought down and focus on tearing that bitch to shreds.
"Honestly, she looked hideous! Was that hair, or a rat's nest?" I say.
"Well, look at this picture I got of the punk bitch sleeping!" Khione says with glee, shoving her phone into my face. Thalia is sprawled across her bed, with two drumsticks tangled in her hair, and wearing a varsity soccer sweatshirt and a pair of shorts with ghosts drawn all over them.
"Is that Nico's sweatshirt? And are those boxers?" I ask.
"Yep. those are Nico's too. I've seen them on the floor of his bedroom before," Khione says.
"So you think Grace and Di Angelo are banging each other?" Drew asks. Khione nods.
"What'd you get of Hazel?" Khione asks.
"Just her sleeping. She literally did nothing interesting, so I checked on Dumpster Queen, and took these," Drew says, handing her phone to Khione, who busts out laughing before handing the phone to me. Piper's wearing a huge kangaroo onesie, and her laptop is open to Jason's Skype profile, meaning that they were skyping before she fell asleep. Her mouth is open slightly, and she curls around her laptop.
"Oh my god, this is great!" I gasp, holding my sides. My house comes into view.
"Lunch at 1:30?" Drew asks.
"Of course," I say, throwing the door shut and tiptoeing into the 's quiet. Mom and Dad are asleep. Percy really does love that nerd. Maybe he just has a thing for blondes! Yeah, that's it! He's a blonde type of guy! That's why he dumped me! If I dye my hair blonde, maybe it will win him over! Oh, who am I kidding? Percy doesn't want me. He wants Annabeth. Maybe he doesn't want vapid, shallow brats, my subconscious sneers. I push it down. Dad's alcohol is all in the basement, I think. I sneak down there, open the door, and start grabbing as much alcohol as I can fit in my bag. Drink till I get shitfaced. Forget Percy. Forget those brats who ruined everything. Just move on. I gulp down the first bottle, and I pry open the second as I sneak up to my room. I turn on the tv, and it's playing a Luke Castellan movie. He's after Thalia. If he and I work together, we can both get what we want,I think as I take my first swig of whatever's in this bottle. I think it's tequila. It tastes nasty, but I want to 1forget my current hardships. The room is swaying back and forth. I collapse onto my bed and gulp down the last of the bottle. The last thing I see before I black out is Percy's stern face. It's over, he says. I feel the floor drop out from under me. I'm falling, falling with nobody below me to help me up.
(Silena's POV)
I wake up with the sun and slip out of the bed. I hear Charlie showering, so I wander down the hallway and check on the girls. Thalia is awake, and watching something on her computer, as Hazel doodles absentmindedly, staring at whatever's onscreen. I keep walking down the hall. Annabeth's door is wedged open with a blue sweatshirt. That's not hers. I silently push inside, and nearly squeal with excitement when I see what's going on in there. Annabeth and Percy are wrapped around each other, both with content smiles on their faces. I can see a large hickey on Percy's neck. Damn! Somebody had some fun last night, I think as I walk past Piper in the hall.
"Girl, you need to get Thalia, Hazel, and Leo into Annabeth's room right now!" I whisper. I sneak back into the room, and everyone follows behind.
"That thing's huge!" Leo says. Annabeth sits up.
"Huh, what?" She says, her eyes still shut.
"No, go back to sleep," Percy groans, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back down. That's adorable.
"Somebody had some fun last night!" Thalia cackles.
"Thalia, can't this wait?" Annabeth groans. At least, that's what I think she said. Her face is buried in Percy's chest.
"Not until you explain what happened to Percy's neck," Piper says. With that, Percy sits up, rubbing at his eyes. He tries to move, over for a bottle of pills on the nightstand.
"You okay?" Annabeth says, watching him choke down a pill.
"It's fine. Really, I'm fine! No need to worry about me!" Percy says.
"So now that you're up, what happened to Percy's neck?" Hazel says. Percy and Annabeth share a look.
"Annabeth kicked me!" Percy blurts out.
"Only because you started tickling me! It was self defense, really!" Annabeth says. That could actually make a lot of sense.
"Hmm… That doesn't look like the side of a foot," Leo says. Percy's face turns a bit red as he pointedly stares at Annabeth's alarm clock.
"It's almost as if the bruise is really a hickey!" Piper snorts.
"Yeah, you got something to tell us?" Hazel says.
"Wow, look at the time! It's time for me to drop Percy off!" Annabeth says suddenly, grabbing his arm and pulling him out of the room as they hurriedly put on shoes.
"See you around!" Percy calls as the front door slams.
"Tickle fight my ass! Something happened in here, and we're going to find out what," I say.
"Wait, there's a security camera on the balcony. At that angle, it should have filmed everything in between Annabeth's laptop and the balcony itself, as long as the curtains weren't drawn!" Leo says.
"I'll go check that feed. You guys go work on whatever you need to do. Get some songs done before the label asks for them. Leo, your brother wanted your help fixing up an old car," I say. We split up, and I head down to the basement, where Argus sits, watching over several cameras at once.
"Hey, Argus, can I have a copy of the feed from the balcony of Annabeth's room last night?" I say. He nods. "Great, thanks Argus! I'll be down to pick it up in three hours!" I say, skipping out of the room and upstairs. Alright, Miss Chase. Let's see what you got up to.
(Annabeth's POV)
"That was a close one," I say, drumming my fingers on the wheel as I turn down the long road that leads to Percy's house.
"Yeah. I'm going to have a hell of a time explaining this giant ass bruise to Mom and Dad today. Did you have to make it so huge and noticeable?" he groans.
"Sorry," I shrug. His house comes into view.
"Do you know how awkward it's going to be? I share a house with a seventeen year old guy who has a thing for you, and a five year old boy with no filter! There's no way to hide this thing from my parents!" He says, running a hand through his hair.
"Aww, you're cute when you're worried. Your eyebrows get all scrunched together. Just deny everything, okay Seaweed Brain?" I say.
"Alright. I can do that. If Tyson tells my parents, I'll just tell them that it's from Gabe, and it will fade in about a week," he says. I pull into his driveway.
"Good. I'll go up there with you, since I need to talk to Poseidon about an idea I have to end the feud," I say, turning off the car.
"What's the plan?" He asks, opening the car door and clambering out.
"I'll invite Mom out for lunch while your father is still here, and I need you to get there a couple minutes after us. I'll invite you guys to sit, and you, me, and Poseidon will have to convince Mom to end the feud," I say.
"Hmm, that could work. I'll tell him when he wakes up, because he enjoys sleeping really late," he says as we walk up the stairs.
"Cool," I say. He leans down a bit, and my eyes flutter shut as I feel his breath on my lips.
"Percy's home!" I hear a high pitched voice squeal. My eyes suddenly open, and Percy facepalms.
"Dammit Tyson," he huffs.
"It's fine. I'm used to it. See you on the twenty eighth?" I say.
"Yeah, but you're coming inside first," he says.
"Fine, but I can only stay for a little while. We've got practice, and I need to finish writing a love song for our next album," I sigh as he opens the door.
"Works for me," he says.
"So, Delphin, if we add another 50 ships to our fleet in the next ten years, our annual revenue should increase by 35 percent," I hear Poseidon say somewhere in the house.
"Dad, I'm home!" Percy calls, grabbing my hand and dragging me around.
"Oh, good morning Poseidon!" I say, as we pass by the room where he appears to be on a video call with two men in suits.
"Hello Annabeth," he replies.
"Percy slow down!" I say, stumbling behind him. He lets go of me. Tyson immediately runs at his legs, so Percy scoops him up. "I'll hold him. You don't want to mess up your ribs, do you?" I shrug as I hoist Tyson up and balance him on my hip.
"Hi Annie!" Tyson says.
"Hi Tyson. C'mon Percy, I need to talk to your father," I say, walking into the room.
"Delphin, Oceanus, meet my second son, Percy, and his girlfriend, Annabeth Chase," Poseidon says.
"Hello," I say as Percy waves awkwardly.
"Chase, as in Athena Chase's only daughter?" a man with greyish hair says.
"Yes sir," I say.
"But what about the feud?" A man with oddly greenish hair says.
"Annabeth's been in his life longer than I have. And besides, she makes him happy. That's all I really care about," Poseidon says.
"Now, if only Athena felt the same way," Percy grumbles.
"Hey, we're working on it!" I say, bouncing Tyson up and down.
"Did you see that death glare last night? Or what about before we told her that we were dating, and she threatened to castrate me and feed me to wolves? The sooner we end this stupid feud, the better," Percy says.
"Percy said a bad word!" Tyson calls, hopping out of my arms and running towards the kitchen. Triton walks into the room, gulping down a glass of water.
"Perseus Allen Jackson, you did what?" Sally shouts.
"He called the Athena and Poseidon feud stupid," I shout back.
"Thanks Annabeth," Amphitrite shouts.
"Well, well, well. Look who's out of the hospital," Triton says, ruffling Percy's hair.
"With only 59 stitches and two broken ribs," I say.
"Jackson you gotta stop doing this kinda stuff! I get that you're annoyingly loyal, but you nearly died! If Annabeth hadn't stepped in to stop your bleeding, I would have been down an annoying little brother!" Triton says.
"Triton, I'm only a year and a half younger than you," Percy grumbles. My phone goes off.
"Hey, I gotta get to practice. See you on the twenty fourth? Oh no, wait. Friday, since you're helping me out with Winter Ball," I say, as Percy and I walk towards the door.
"Yeah. See you Friday," he says.
"So, what are we doing for New Years Eve? It's technically our two month anniversary, although you probably want to spend it with your family. If you want to spend it with your family, I'm okay with that. Just let me know in advance," I say.
"Look, I'll come over. You can see the park from your balcony, right? They're holding fireworks there," he says.
"Cool. See you Friday," I say, getting into my car. He waves as I drive away. I see several of my classmates wandering down the sidewalk, chatting animatedly, pausing to look over their shoulders every once in awhile. Their smiles don't quite reach their eyes anymore. I find myself wanting to talk to Gabe, to get some closure for what he did. I cut the engine as soon as the car returns to its normal spot, and I rush inside to grab my songbook and run to practice. When I get there, Piper's laying down on the couch, tuning her guitar as Hazel sits in a large padded chair, warming up on piano. Thalia is rewrapping her hands in an effort to avoid blisters as she breaks in some new drumsticks for the dance. "Okay everyone! Let's get to work! I've got the love song essentially done, and we need to run through our set list. You all want to go out and have fun, right?" I say.
"Yeah. let's get to work," Thalia says as I go through some vocal warm ups.
"Okay, so the love song I have done is called A Thousand Years, and Thals, I didn't have time to write out a drum part yet, but I assure you, you won't have to play drums the entire song, since it's kind of a slow song. Let me know if I need to change anything, okay?" I say.
(Annabeth, Piper, Thalia, Hazel, All)
Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave?
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?
But watching you stand alone,
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow.
One step closer
I have died every day waiting for you
Darling, don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
Time stands still
Beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything take away
What's standing in front of me
Every breath
Every hour has come to this
One step closer
I have died every day waiting for you
Darling, don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
One step closer
One step closer
I have died every day waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
"Okay, I think I know where to play," Thalia shrugs.
"Good job Owl Head!" Piper says.
"Listen, I want to go visit my dad today, so can we hurry this up?" Hazel says politely.
"Yeah. I kind of need to visit my father too," I say. Piper's phone rings.
"Hello? Oh, hey Dad. hold on, you got the director to do what? And you're going to be here for the holidays? That's great! Oh, yeah. We're okay. Percy broke two ribs and needed, hang on, how many stitches was it, Annabeth?" Piper says.
" 59," I say.
"Okay. Annabeth says it was 59 stitches. And if he ever tries that again, Annabeth's gonna kick his ass. Your private jet is landing at Groton Airpark at ten on Saturday? Well, we've got a performance scheduled for Friday night, but I'll try and get there by then! Bye dad!" she says.
"Okay, so we need to run over our set list, right? We're only performing three songs, then the flashmob," Thalia says.
"Alright," Hazel groans.
(Athena's POV)
I sit on the edge of my bed, staring at my phone. You're doing this for your daughter. You can do this Athena. I know that this is unpleasant, but you have to do it for Annabeth. Just dial the damned number!
"Hello, is this Poseidon Olympiad?" I say, swallowing my pride.
"Yes. May I ask who's calling?" he says.
"It's Athena Chase. I wanted to talk to you about possibly ending the feud. Don't get me wrong, I still despise you, but I want to end this for our children. Now that they're uh, you know," I start.
"Dating?" he finishes.
"Yeah. I think that it's in our best interest to put this behind us. Let's meet for dinner tonight to iron out details. Bring Percy, and I'll bring Annabeth," I say.
"Where should we meet? Percy says there's a great burger place about five minutes outside of town," he says.
"Where would that be?" I ask.
"He says he'll text Annabeth the address," he says.
"Great. See you at about 6: 30?" I reply.
"Yep! Goodbye," he says, before hanging up on me. Do it for Annabeth. All I care about is her being happy. If being with the son of my worst enemy is what makes her happy, then so be it. I've got five and a half hours to get ready to possibly change the fate of my company. I can do this. Eyes on the prize. Annabeth is worth sacrifices.