-Annabeth-
The sun was setting by the time Annabeth stepped through her front door, with the New York City skyline emphasized by the orange and red of the fading light. Annabeth often felt that she took the city for granted; because she'd lived here all her life she never really appreciated the spectacular sights and attractions, simply because she saw them an awful lot. It was part of her regular routine, wake up and see New York. She imagined people who lived in London or Paris felt similar, ignoring their world famous city without even realizing. But such was big city life; Annabeth would still have rather lived nowhere else. Yet she imagined someone like Percy lived in a very different New York City, and that served as a reminder to Annabeth. She enjoyed her New York, but millions of other New Yorkers did not live her life, and did not see New York through Annabeth's rose tinted glasses.
As she walked in, the first thing Annabeth noticed were the noises coming from the kitchen.
"Mom? Dad?" she called out pointlessly. They were never home before at least nine o'clock.
"In here Annabeth!" came a voice from the kitchen, a voice Annabeth recognized instantly, and one that made her suddenly, extremely warm and happy. She quickly slipped off her shoes and ran across the marble tiles, bursting into the kitchen.
Standing over the cooker was an elderly woman, seemingly preparing multiple meals at once. The familiar smell of home made apple pie, as well as an assortment of other wonderful aromas, filled her nostrils. Annabeth was amazed how this smell always made her feel younger, more innocent. It seemed clichéd, but she couldn't help it.
"I'm glad you're home sweetie" the woman said, her voice as soft and sweet as ever, as she stepped back from the cooker to embrace Annabeth, who had rushed into her arms.
The woman was Annabeth's grandmother, Demeter. For a woman her age, she held up well. Her hair was still a light blonde, with the occasional streak of grey. It was long and flowing, not too different from the dress she was wearing. Her eyes were a warm, comforting brown that mimicked the homely fire she stood over, preparing meals for whoever wanted them. She was slim and tall, and looked as elegant as she ever had, Annabeth having been stunned by her beauty in old family photos. Demeter had lived a relatively interesting, undeniably luxurious life.
She married young, to a rich as Croesus, old money Democrat from Massachusetts, and spent many of her younger years lounging around the finest mansions New England had to offer. Seeing as her husband was never around, Demeter was alone, and as such valued the company of others, some friends and family, some not. Despite this, she did have two children, Annabeth's Aunt Persephone, and Athena, Annabeth's mother. Persephone was the absolute apple of both her parent's eyes, until she did what all privileged trust fund babies seem to do and rebelled, running off to marry a rock star. That left Athena as the sole beneficiary of both her parent's attention, and not to mention their money.
When her husband died, Demeter left New England to move closer to Athena, by this time living in New York City. Nowadays, she lived slightly north, in an enormous house lakeside of Lake Ontario, where she did pretty much what she'd done for years of her life before: lounge about a huge house, drinking cocktails and generally socializing with her rich friends. Except that every month or so, she would travel down, to visit her favorite granddaughter. This was one such occasion.
"Demeter, when did you get here?" Annabeth always called her grandmother by her first name; she thought it was beautiful, and Demeter looked far too young to be a 'grandma'. She pulled away from the hug and laughed, a rich laugh of someone who's had a life of little worry. She flashed Annabeth that million-dollar smile she still had, even though she was into her seventies. This was a woman who kept up her looks, and didn't look a day over fifty. If you'd told Annabeth she was a goddess, she might've believed you.
"Around midday." She spoke with a thick mid-Atlantic accent, "I've been up at the lakes for a few months now, and I thought it was about high time that I came down and paid my favorite granddaughter a visit." She spoke slowly, and her voice was soothing. Annabeth had always had a huge amount of love for her grandma. "Also your brothers, but mainly you," she added, with a sly smile, before chuckling lightly. She made her way back to the cooker.
"It's fantastic to see you" Annabeth exclaimed, and she meant it too. Demeter, the matriarch of the family, was also Annabeth's favorite relative.
"So why are you back so late? I thought school finished hours ago?" her grandmother enquired, not looking up from the food she was preparing.
"It did, I was with a friend." Annabeth replied, sitting on one of the high chairs at the kitchen counter.
"And tell me," Demeter smirked, "was this friend of the male species?" Annabeth had to smile; her always-inquisitive grandmother had little concept of personal information. To her, gossip was fun, and should be shared. Annabeth saw little point in lying. She knew Demeter would get the information from her eventually.
"He was… is… his name's Percy. We really get on." She rarely said anything like this out loud; only Thalia and Silena actually knew the two were dating.
"Percy eh?" Demeter looked up to face Annabeth, her radiant smile still plastered across her face, but hinting at mischief. Annabeth was suddenly slightly worried. "That's actually quite funny, because a boy stopped by the house earlier, asking for you. Tall, handsome, blonde hair… Name was Luke. Said he was your boyfriend, here to surprise you." Demeter was still smiling mischievously, not too similar to how Annabeth would occasionally.
Under her grandmother's gaze, Annabeth was unsure how to act. She felt a small, slow panic creeping over her, and couldn't quite bring words to her mouth, couldn't vocalize her thoughts. Why the hell had Luke even come round? He was never one for surprises. Usually if he wanted to talk to her, he would call her iPhone or message her. And what must Demeter be thinking? That question was made even harder to answer by the fact that Demeter had not stopped smiling. Was this even an issue? Her grandmother answered that question for her.
"Relax Annabeth." She spoke calmly, "we're all allowed a little fun aren't we? You think your grandfather was the only man I was ever with?" She laughed that rich laugh.
"God…" Annabeth muttered, not too pleased with the sudden mental image of her grandmother and gentlemen suitors.
"I certainly wasn't the only woman he was ever with" she added, as if that made it better. "Just be careful. If that's the road you're going down, tread lightly. Most people don't share my liberal views." Annabeth was unsure that she would call them 'liberal'. After all, despite her actions, she did not typically condone adultery. Her situation was complicated, but she would fix it soon.
"I don't enjoy it," she replied, "I want to end things with Luke soon, I just haven't found the right moment."
"Oh don't pussyfoot around it child." Demeter spoke with an authoritative tone: "trust me, you'll be much happier if you get it over with. Just tell this boy you find him boring and want to move on, rip off the proverbial band aid, so to speak."
Annabeth pondered this. Her grandmother made a lot of sense; it was probably best if she didn't keep putting it off. As she sat on her chair at the counter, watching Demeter prepare a lobster, her thoughts began to wander. Why couldn't she actually be like her grandmother, strong and to the point, instead of just acting like it? It shouldn't be hard to break up with Luke; after all, her whole reason for dating him was because she didn't have feelings for him. Was she worried what people would think of her?
"Honey, dinner won't be ready for about half an hour." Demeter's soothing voice broke the silence that had engulfed the room. Evidently, this woman felt no awkwardness in any situation. "Go upstairs, lie down for a bit." Her advice sounded quite appealing. Annabeth nodded and stood up, going to the living room instead of her bedroom, straight for the sofa. She practically fell onto it, completely lost in a world of comfortable cushions.
Both Athena and Frederick Chase came home early that day. They'd heard Demeter was staying and decided to have a family meal. Demeter had prepared a New England Clam Bake, with baked beans and Anadama Bread on the side. She absolutely loved preparing Traditional New England cuisine, and the family always ate every last spoonful. However, family dinners at the Chase household weren't always enjoyable, often ending with Annabeth and Athena arguing, and the former storming out. Annabeth hoped this one might be an exception.
Everyone was seated around their huge dining table, the adults at one end, and Annabeth and her brothers at the other. They were talking about some video game they played together, while Athena and Frederick were comparing their days. While the room was filled with chatter, Annabeth felt lonely, which she hated. She had nothing to say to her brothers that might lead to an interesting conversation, and her parents didn't seem to care how her day had been at all. She wished Thalia and Silena were here right now, just so she could have someone she got along with present. She'd even put up with the twins ogling them. Or Percy, now that was a recipe for an interesting dinner. Laughing slightly, the image of Percy meeting her parents, but more so the looks on their face, were, in her head, priceless. He could scare them all with tales of the darker side of New York, the side her parents never told her about. He could be a role model for Bobby and Matthew, and maybe teach her mom that grades aren't everything, because Percy wasn't considered academically clever, yet he was one of the brightest people Annabeth had ever met. But alas, this was a family meal, and as distant as they were, that still meant family only.
Annabeth was delighted when Demeter finally came in with the food that she'd been preparing all day, looking exhausted, yet also perky and cheerful. That woman was seriously superhuman; nothing stressed her out. From a young age, she'd been Annabeth's absolute role model, and that affection showed no signs of waning any time soon. As she seated herself at the head of the table, Bobby and Matthew dived in for the food.
"Ah ah ah," their father said, halting them in their tracks, centimeters from the steaming pile of seafood, "what do you say to your grandmother?" He looked at them as if they were much younger than their 13 years, and Annabeth was reminded how good a parent her dad was, despite not being around much.
"Thank you grandma" the boys chorused together, and Demeter smiled.
"Thank you to you too my darlings, now dig in" she commanded, and with that, the boys filled their plates. Athena then served her mother and husband, before serving herself. Annabeth, as usual, was last, serving herself the less juicy remains. She was used to it by now; it didn't bother her.
Athena spent a good chunk of the meal telling them all about her plans at work, about how her company was going places and about the large sums of money she was in control of. It was glorified bragging, trying to show to her mother that she was successful in life. Demeter nodded every so often, and made the appropriate remarks when necessary, but it was clear to Annabeth, as well as just about everyone around the table, that she didn't care one bit. Everyone, it seemed, except Athena, who did not notice any of her mother's eye rolls. It was actually quite amusing; Annabeth felt a sense of satisfaction at watching her own aloof mother practically crave her own mother's approval, without even realizing. Even her dad noticed, smiling slightly as Athena went on and on and on, boring the room with talk of plans no one was really concerned about.
"…and because of that, we are being strongly considered to plan a new building for the New York City skyline. It could be my biggest project yet" Athena announced with pride, looking around for admiration.
"Darling." Demeter's voice had a much more comforting tone than Athena's, and instantly Annabeth felt relieved, as though she never had to hear her mother talk of papers and plans ever again. "You've done nothing but talk about your work since you got home. Now you know how much I love your talk of architecture, but I haven't even had a chance to ask Fred how he's been, or how Bobby and Matthew's school is going, or learn the ups and downs of Annabeth's social life." Although that wasn't strictly true, Annabeth appreciated her grandmother attempting to change the subject. If she had to hear about planning, designing or constructing one more time, she might go completely insane.
"Well, Annabeth's social life should be of little concern," her mother retorted, sharply, "she's focusing on studying for good grades this year." Athena spoke about her daughter like she wasn't even there.
"Focusing on grades?" Demeter suddenly started laughing, and in a second, any joviality that had been in the room was sucked out. Athena was visibly tight and tense. Everyone could tell. Demeter's laugh echoed around the large room, ringing in everyone's ears. Annabeth glanced at Bobby and Matthew, who were both staring at their plates. Her dad had a resigned look on his face, as if he were preparing for the ensuing argument that was undoubtedly about to come. The family menfolk would be of little use here, as the matriarch of the family and her own daughter were clearly ready to clash. So much for hoping for a normal, stress free family dinner.
"What is so funny?" Athena demanded, cutting Demeter's laugh short. Despite her daughter's obvious attitude, Demeter carried on smiling. She actually, strangely, reminded Annabeth of Calypso. During the argument they'd had in Percy's apartment, she had not stopped smiling, savoring every moment. That was the exact same look Demeter had. Combine that with Athena's temper, and this would not end well.
"It's the girl's last year of high school Athena, she should be out having a great time, making memories and experiences, before she goes off to college."
"She-" Athena began, but was quickly cut off.
"No, you let me finish" Demeter spat, a small grin still on her face. Yet she was being completely serious. No one else around the table was moving; you could barely tell they were breathing. "Don't force your plans onto Annabeth. She is her own person, who is old enough to be trusted to make her own decisions. You still treat her like a child, because you can't bear the thought of someone not doing something your way. That's always been your problem; you have to do things your way. Christ Athena, she's nearly eighteen years old! She'll be an adult who can vote and get married and all sorts if she wishes. No eighteen year old should be as stressed out as you make her." Athena was clearly bubbling with rage; no one ever talked back to her like that before.
"Just because you married dad at eighteen and got to live a carefree, lazy existence, doesn't mean everyone should do that. I've worked hard every day of my life, and I'm where I am now because of it, and Annabeth will do that too, so that she can make something of herself, become a professional."
"You don't get it, do you?" Demeter was actually sounding annoyed now. Everyone in the room was simply staring the unfolding battle of words. "You need to give your daughter a choice. If going into business and architecture isn't what she wants, then she shouldn't be forced to pursue that by her belligerent mother."
"That's coming from a woman whose hopes and dreams as a child were to get married, have kids and stay at home. No, my daughter will be more than a housewife, more than a slave to a husband." Athena was so passionate, but she was acting like her daughter wasn't even there. After all this time, it still hurt Annabeth that she could so easily snub her feelings.
"You're no better than people who think like that" Demeter responded. "You're forcing her to fit your own ideals. Just because they're different and more liberal than my generation's, doesn't make it any better that you're doing it. I gave you and your sister choice. Persephone chose to run away and get married, while you chose to advance your career. Nothing is wrong with either. You must give that same choice to Annabeth; otherwise she will grow to resent you. I thought I raised you to know better."
"Oh, you want to talk about how you raised me now? Shall we go into it? Who were those strange men who visited when dad was away? Why did I spend more time with the nanny than my actual mother?" Annabeth could suddenly see her mother attempting to change the subject, which infuriated her. She was going to make herself out to be a victim, and Demeter would look like the bad guy. Without quite knowing what she was doing, Annabeth stood up and shouted.
"I am here you know!" A sudden silence overwhelmed them all, so she continued. All eyes, Athena's included, were on her now. "I have been the whole time. Mom, you talk like I'm not even here. Demeter's right, you don't give me any choice in my own damn future." Athena's stormy grey eyes were burrowing into Annabeth. In that moment she looked ready to explode, that's how intimidating she was. "I told you a while back that I was rethinking your plans for me, and you just brushed it off. All I'm asking for is that you let me decide what's best for myself." No one was moving, no one was blinking, Hell, no one was even breathing. The silence was deafening, and it felt like it lasted forever. Demeter had an encouraging smile on her face, her father looked sympathetic, and Bobby and Matthew weren't even looking up. Athena, however, had pure hate in her eyes. Annabeth wouldn't have imagined in her worst nightmare a mother could look at her own child like that, but she knew what she saw, and it was far from motherly. Slowly, Athena began to speak.
"If you," she began, spite in her voice, "want to end up like your grandmother, scrounging off of someone else's hard work, then by all means, find a rich socialite to marry. I just thought you'd have more self respect." Demeter laughed at the insult.
"At least I see Annabeth as who she is, not who I want her to be."
"Believe it or not Annabeth," Athena completely ignored her mother, turning her back on her, "I know what's best for you. It may not seem like it, but you'll thank me in ten years."
"But what about now?" Demeter pestered Athena, who was growing visibly frustrated. "You should want your child to be happy all the time, not just in ten or twenty years time. That happiness can't help her now." Annabeth realized she was standing still, but she didn't care. She had only one more question, and she had to ask it now.
"Mom, do you love me?"
This was it. Annabeth had been wondering for some time now. She'd always just assumed her mother had a weird way of showing it, but recently, her attitude, combined with that look, had Annabeth seriously doubting that there was any love on her mother's part. Of course, she loved Athena; she was her mother. No matter how difficult she was Annabeth loved her. That's why she did nearly everything her mother demanded. For what seemed like the hundredth time, an awkward silence surrounded the room, as everyone now looked at Athena.
"How could you ask something so ridiculous?" Athena retorted, shaking her head and looking away. Not good enough, Annabeth thought.
"Mom," she said again, "do you love me?"
"I'm not answering something so stupid."
"Mom," this time, aggressively, "do you love me?!" This time there was no reply. No answer was all the answer Annabeth needed.
"Athena…" Frederick uttered in disbelief, his first words in a while. Even Bobby and Matthew looked shocked. Demeter had a look of absolute disgust on her face, which did not suit her warm, kind features. Annabeth could no longer take the tension. Immediately, she bolted from the room, and up the stairs, not waiting to hear protests from her family.
Once in her room, Annabeth slammed the door shut. Immediately she grabbed a bag, and stuffed some clothes into it, a few shirts, pants, underwear and socks. Then, she pulled on her hoody and shoes, picked up the book she was currently reading, and headed to the window. As it swung open, one last check of the phone was made. Luckily it was well charged, and with that, Annabeth climbed out from her window and down the tree nearby, landing softly on the grass below. Inside the house, she could almost make out the figures pacing around the dining room, but the blinds were closed. She'd be back, Annabeth thought; she was by no means done with her mother. However, something new had come over her. In that moment, when all that filled her ears was the lack of reciprocation of love from her mother, it had all clicked. She had to start taking charge of her own life. Clearly, her mother was inadequate when it came to such a task, and as much as she loved both her grandmother and father, what she wanted, no one could give to her. She had to take it. She wasn't sure how long this new found determination would last, but she was ready to utilize it immediately. Turning her back on the precious house her mother had designed, she walked off into the night, not entirely sure when she'd be back. She had something she had to do.
It was getting close to 11:00 when Annabeth walked into the practically empty café. It was one of those places that stayed well into the night, which was convenient for anyone who felt like having the rush of energy coffee gave you when they should be going to sleep. As soon as she'd left the house, a wave of hunger had crashed down on Annabeth. She realized that she hadn't actually eaten anything at dinner, due to the slight distraction of a possible relationship-ruining argument with Athena. A place like this, a small Greek café close to Annabeth's neighborhood, was a godsend right now. Without wanting to break the peaceful atmosphere, she quietly ordered her coffee and sat down at the table nearest to the front window. There were a few people scattered around the room, a woman writing on a notepad in one corner, two gay men chatting close to Annabeth, and an attractive guy, early twenties at the most, reading a book near the counter. As she stared out of the window, Annabeth thought back to her argument earlier.
She'd finally confronted her mother, and gotten all the answer she needed. It seemed certain now; her mother did not love her. At least not in the natural, maternal way any mother loves their daughter. But instead of facing her daughter, admitting such a hard truth, she had remained in denial, and shut her daughter out, acted like she had asked her nothing. If that's how she wanted it, that was fine with Annabeth. It hurt her, definitely, but for now, she was strangely okay. At that moment, her mother had lost all power she had over her daughter. Annabeth no longer felt inclined to give into Athena, because surely it could never win her love? No, that woman was not meant to be a mom, yet she'd ended up with three children somehow. It almost seemed unfair to Annabeth, there were plenty of potentially brilliant parents who couldn't have kids, yet Athena Chase, who practically admitted she didn't care for her own child, had three. Isn't life cruel, Annabeth thought?
Now, here she was, on her own in this café, late at night. Since leaving Percy, her day had become a series of unpredictable events. She silently wondered if his night had been as strange, after all, he had run away to respond to his cousin's desperate call. An overwhelming feeling of regret swept over Annabeth, wishing she'd made him stay, and that the two could still be frozen in time on that park bench, with nothing but each other's company. But alas, that wasn't how life worked. She was almost glad actually, because now she was finally here, doing something she should've done a while ago. That was when she saw him walk up to the window. He waved slightly, as he walked through the front door.
Luke Castellan.
His blonde hair was uncombed, and he looked incredibly tired, or stoned, or both. You never really could tell anymore when it came to Luke. At this time of night, it could be either. Annabeth guessed he must be quite confused, after all, he rarely got a message from her late at night asking to meet at a café. Maybe he thought they would head back to his and hook up. Alas, that was far from the case.
After all, she'd called him here to break up with him.
Yes, she was finally doing it. She'd been nervously putting it off for about a month now, always reasoning with herself that it wasn't the right time, that next week would be better. That attitude was counter productive, and not a good one to have in life in general, not just when it came to a relationship. The burst of confidence she'd gained tonight was her savior. She'd practically forced herself to call him, and had arranged to meet up. This place was sufficiently empty, so if it went as planned, and they were both adults about this, then no one would even notice. Unfortunately, break ups were rarely that clean, and especially if Luke was on anything, this could be bumpy. He tended to get his way, and didn't appreciate when he didn't.
As he meandered up to her table, smiling, he pulled up his chair and sat down lazily, stretching his legs out. Surely he must be asking himself why Annabeth had called him out here? Why did he look so calm? Never mind, Annabeth thought, that doesn't change why she had arranged this.
"Hey babe, how are you?" he asked, quietly, picking up a small menu from the table before discarding it carelessly. He clearly wasn't here to eat.
"I'm not great actually, that's kind of why I asked you to come" Annabeth responded truthfully.
"Hey, how's your evening been?" Luke spoke up, completely ignoring her. He was looking around, not making eye contact, as if he were bored and didn't want to be here. This was very peculiar.
Slightly puzzled, Annabeth replied. "Well it hasn't been particularly enjoyable. Like I said, I'm not feeling great right now. I think-"
"Oh no, what happened?" Luke interrupted, completely ignoring her again. This was getting very annoying now. Annabeth was sure that he was almost mocking her. His tone of voice had been deadpan, no sympathy at all. Luke could be an asshole sometimes, but this was not like him, especially towards her. He'd always practically worshipped Annabeth. His rudeness was strange.
"I, uh, I had a massive fight with my mom. I kinda stormed out of my house." She confessed, now slightly self-conscious. This was not going as planned.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. How was the rest of your evening though?" He asked again, this time looking directly at her. There was something penetrative about his eyes, and a look in them that was almost angry. What on earth was Luke's problem?
"Luke, I don't understand. Why do you keep asking me about my evening? Don't you want to know why I've asked you here?" He just laughed and shook his head. This was worrying. The event had not gone down like this in Annabeth's head. Then again, when does any situation?
"To be honest, I don't care" Luke said bluntly. He again looked away, as if holding eye contact with her was a struggle. When he looked back, that angry expression was in his eyes again. Except this time, there was an element of disgust to it. Annabeth wasn't sure what was going on in Luke's head, but she felt slightly upset, and slightly offended too. "Where were you at around five thirty?" He asked inquisitively, still with that look of disdain.
"What?" was all Annabeth could reply with. It was a strange question that caught her off guard.
"You heard me, where were you at around five thirty?" he repeated, assertively.
"At my house" she replied simply, still perplexed by the turn this conversation was taking.
"That's funny," Luke laughed under his breath, "because I stopped by your place, and you weren't there. Your grandma practically told me to scram. I don't think she liked me much." Shit, of course. Annabeth remembered Demeter telling her that Luke had stopped by. Why had she not remembered? This was suddenly a much more awkward situation.
"Oh yeah she told me. I was at Silena's." She quickly lied, aware Luke was staring at her. Her face gave away no hint that that was anything but the truth. "I must have gotten the time mixed up in my head. I'm sorry I missed you" she added, hoping he might relax. Alas, he didn't.
"Really? You see, afterwards, I messaged Silena and Thalia, because I assumed you were with them, telling them to tell you to call me, seeing as you barely reply to my messages lately." Dammit, Annabeth thought, she'd dug herself into a hole with this one. Luke continued. "They told me they hadn't seen you since school finished earlier. So you see, you can't have been at Silena's, can you babe?" He was smirking now.
Great, how was she going to get herself out of this one? Or maybe she shouldn't. This clearly wasn't going to end well in terms of their relationship. And she did intend on breaking up with Luke herself. Perhaps this was simply a spell of luck, meaning she didn't have to awkwardly explain why, after more than a year, it was no longer working out between them. Then again, maybe she had to do that. After all, owning up to one's mistakes and facing problems is important. She decided she'd stay silent and see how the next few minutes went.
When she didn't answer, Luke became irritated.
"Where the hell were you Annabeth?" He was still quiet, but there was an edge to his voice, it was laced with malice. She hadn't seen him like this in a while. "Do you want to know what I think?" he asked, with an unkind smile. Without waiting for her to answer he leaned in and spoke. "I think you're cheating on me."
All at once, Annabeth felt panicked and calm. She panicked because she had gone to great effort to hide her and Percy's relationship, and if Luke could find out about it, then so could many others. However, she also remained calm, both not to give anything away to him, and because she had accepted that Luke wouldn't be her boyfriend past this day, so she wasn't bothered by what he thought of her.
Realizing she was not talking, Luke continued, more frustrated now.
"You've been ignoring me for like a month now, we never hang out, and now I find out you lie to me about where you've been. It all adds up. You're seeing some guy behind my back." Annabeth wasn't quite sure that it was that obvious, she could just like being alone, but a jealous guy like Luke would clearly jump to infidelity. It was so that he could deflect any blame for a bad relationship from himself and onto her. It was all her fault. While it most definitely was, at least in part, her fault, that didn't make Luke blameless. Instead of being up front and honest with her, he was angry and hurtful, trying to upset her.
Annabeth's silence was clearly getting to Luke now, as he slammed his palm on the table surface, causing a few of the heads in the café to turn. "Jesus fucking Christ!" he hissed, "Will you fucking talk to me?"
"Why, so you can be rude to me some more?" she quickly retorted, not hiding her own annoyance.
"Are you cheating on me?" he asked, aggressively. When she just sighed and looked away, he kicked the table stand, causing Annabeth to jump slightly. "Answer the fucking question Annabeth!" he demanded, careful to keep his voice from getting too loud. They were getting a few odd glances from the other occupants.
Should she tell him, or simply keep her mouth shut? If she remained quiet, who knew how angry Luke would get, whereas if she owned up, admitted her 'mistake', they could maybe be grown up about this. With that resolve, she spoke up.
"Alright Luke, yes, I've been seeing someone else." It felt as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders, one she hadn't even noticed she was carrying. Similar to when she first admitted to herself that she had feelings for Percy. In that moment, she actually relaxed a bit. No longer was she keeping her life a secret. Looking at Luke's face, she wasn't quite sure what she expected to see. Maybe happiness, at her honesty? Or anger, at her unfaithfulness? Perhaps disgust, or pain, or anything other than what she actually saw. She saw a look of indifference in his eyes, as if he didn't even care.
"Who is he?" he immediately spat venomously. This just proved it; Luke didn't care about their relationship either; he just cared about his reputation. A real partner would be more concerned with the fact that their other half was unfaithful, not who they did it with. That would be a secondary thought. Luke probably wanted to know so that he could threaten them, and prove how masculine he is. Annabeth realized in that moment that Luke never truly cared for her, the same way she never truly cared for him. He just wanted to show off that he could date the most popular girl in school. He probably thought that he had her wrapped around his finger, just as she thought. Now that the shoe was on the other foot, Annabeth felt the pain. Was this how she had been treating people?
"Fuck you Luke" she replied almost immediately.
"Tell me the fucker's name." He replied, being suddenly very loud. Everyone in the room was looking now.
"I don't need this" Annabeth muttered, deciding in that moment to just ignore him from now on. If he was going to behave childishly, then she had no time for him anymore.
"Hey. Hey!" Luke was shouting at her now, trying to get her attention. All of a sudden, he stood up and flipped the table between them on its side. It landed on the floor with a loud crash that caused everyone to turn their heads. Immediately Annabeth jumped back, suddenly worried about what Luke was planning to do.
"Who the fuck is he you lying whore?!" he bellowed. Chairs were strewn across the floor, and the owner of the café was rushing towards them.
"Oh grow up Luke. No one's impressed" she responded, and in a flash she felt a grip on her arm. Luke was grabbing her, trying desperately to pull her close to him. She resisted and broke her arm free. Just as she did that, she saw Luke get pushed back against the window by the attractive guy she'd noticed earlier. He was slightly bigger than Luke, and had a hard look in his eyes.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he yelled, with a deep voice.
"Fuck you asshole!" Luke replied pathetically, pushing the man off him. By this point, the owner was next to the man, and yelling at Luke to leave.
"Man, you were going to hit your girlfriend, I had to stop you." The man spoke calmly.
"She's not my girlfriend anymore asshole, you can have her. Just remember, she's a skank, probably be an easy lay."
"Way to make a scene Luke" Annabeth replied. Then it hit her, he'd said she wasn't his girlfriend anymore. That meant they were no longer a couple. Finally, she had done what she'd been meaning to do for a long while. Sure, it had been messy, and had not gone as she'd planned, but she'd come clean with him and broken it off. It was actually a surprisingly good feeling.
"You, get out of my place. I don't want to see you here ever again." The owner was yelling at Luke.
"Alright, I'm leaving." Luke shuffled out slowly, knocking over another chair on his way out. He really was acting about five. Walking out of the door, he didn't even spare Annabeth a second glance. That upset her. Even a look of hate would imply he had some emotion for her. The indifference hurt. She silently vowed to never treat someone like that again. She watched out of the window as Luke walked away into the darkness.
Once Luke was gone, Annabeth picked up all the tables and chairs, and apologized profusely to the owner for Luke's actions. He was cool with it, and everyone in the room went back to minding their own business, often giving a quick glance Annabeth's way. It didn't bother her; she was more focused on her own problems.
No more Luke. There were no longer any obstacles between her and Percy. She may give it a while, let the situation cool down for a while; after all, Luke and Annabeth breaking up would be bound to fuel gossip around the school. That was just the way Goode worked. Then again, she may just be open about it on Monday. She was not ashamed, and it would most definitely annoy Luke immensely, which after his performance tonight, he most definitely deserved.
She checked her watch, and it had just gone midnight. Isn't that poetic, Annabeth thought. It was a completely new day, where she could now be a completely new person. It seemed as if in one night, her entire outlook and attitude had changed. She'd stood up to her mother, and broken up with Luke, seemingly losing the two burdens that had been bothering her for a while now. She felt good, but also exhausted. Doing so much self-improvement, it seemed, was tiring. She briefly considered calling Percy, but then remembered the phone call from his cousin earlier. It had sounded important, and she didn't want to bother him. Also, he lived quite a while away, in a dangerous neighborhood to be in at night. Instead, she dialed Thalia's number.
"Hey Annie," Thalia answered, "what's up?"
"It's a long story, but I need a place to crash tonight, maybe the whole weekend." She realized how strange she must sound. "I'll explain it all, I promise."
"Sure, no problem" Thalia responded. "Both my parents are out anyway. I'd like some company."
"I'll be there in like fifteen minutes" she replied happily, before hanging up. Explaining it would definitely take a while, but Thalia would understand. Standing up, Annabeth shouldered her backpack, and waved goodbye to the owner before heading out of the door and into the night, leaving all the day's problems behind in that café. She didn't look back.