Hey guys! Sorry about the slow update to that chapter. But, hear me out because I have several reasonable explanations why I couldn't post it right away 1. I was getting my inner Demeter on and helping my mom plant our new garden, 2. The chapter was pretty long, ( I think you'll agree,) and finally... let's face it, I was just too lazy to update it. But, I'm starting this chapter right after, so enjoy!
Percy's POV
I woke up to the constantly annoying and high-pitched beeping of my alarm clock. I turned that off, Sat up forcibly, and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. Then the realization hit me: it was Friday. The day of the dance... PANIC! I still hadn't figured out how to get out of the house dressed up all fancy just to go back to school, without Gabe to stop me! I'm screwed!
Annabeth, I thought. Do this for Annabeth.
Right. So, I guess I'll just have to insist on going out, even if Gabe has to give me a black eye for it. I am going to that dance for Annabeth. Even if I had to wear nice clothes, (which I didn't have much,) I was still going.
With the dreadful thought of Gabe in mind, I got up from my bed, hobbled over to my dresser and pulled out a black T-shirt, jeans and one sneaker, (courtesy of my foot being wrapped super tightly in a bandage,) and got dressed. I picked up my crutches with some difficulty, collected my things in my bag, and opened my bedroom door a crack and peeked out. I looked both ways, making sure Gabe wasn't passed out drunk on the couch, which, thankfully he wasn't, and I left the apartment.
I struggled down the stairs, (and, personal record! It only took me twenty minutes!) throughout the lobby, and out onto the street.
Not too long after, I arrived at the school. I cut across the lawn and looked around at the people. Before school let out yesterday, Annabeth had told me to meet her at the bench in the morning, which is why I woke up super early. As I was looking around at the group's of kids, I noticed they all seemed more happier, jittery, excited. There were girls fussing with each other, squealing and laughing. There were boys punching each other in the arms, walking over to a few girls and talking to them. There seemed to be a lot more energy buzzing around on the field. I figured it was because people were getting all excited about the dance tonight.
Annabeth had told me that the theme was 'Fancy,' so she asked me if I had any fancy clothes. I don't have a suit or a tie, or even very nice dress shoes, but I told her I'd manage.
I hate these dances. I hate dances in general, and I haven't even been to one! All the drama and fights that break out there... no thank you. And, what kind of theme is 'Fancy?' That's not fun. Fancy isn't what I do. I know it's not what Annabeth does either, but if she's gonna be optimistic about it, I'm gonna be optimistic about it too. For her.
I looked around some more until I heard Annabeth's voice.
"Percy!" She shouted. I looked in the direction of the bench, and sure enough, there she was standing up and waving at me. I hurried over there as much as my disabled ankle would allow me.
"Hey Annabeth," I greeted.
"Hi," she said, smiling. "Have a seat."
I walked to the seat across from her, set my crutches on the ground, and sat down.
"I'm glad you're here early," she said. "There's something I need to talk about."
"Yeah?" I asked.
"Okay, so... about the dance tonight..." She began. "How do you want to get there? I mean, I could have my dad drive us there, or I could pick you up at your house and then we could walk there, or would that be too hard on your ankle?" She asked.
"Oh no! Not at all! Uh... You don't have to pick me up at my place. I can just walk to your house and we could go from there," I suggested. No way in Hades would I let Annabeth find out the truth about where I live.
"Oh, okay. That works. What time do you think you'll get there? 'Cause, the dance starts at six thirty, so when would you be leaving?" She asked.
I thought for a moment. "Uh... maybe... six o'clock sharp. I think that'd be enough time with... You know," I gestured to my ankle.
"Yeah, totally. That'd be fine," she agreed. "What about clothes? Have you picked them out yet?"
"Jeez, Annabeth, relax! You'd think we're planning for a trip to Florida or something. It'll be fine!" I assured.
She looked doubtful. "I don't know. Knowing how you are, Seaweed Brain, you tend to miss things," she smirked.
"Oh, come on! I do not!" I argued.
She raised her eyebrow.
"Okay fine. Maybe once in a while, sure, but I won't this time. I promise. I'll be there to pick you up, I will not look like a hobo, and we'll have an amazing time. That, I can assure you," I said.
Her discerning look eased a bit, and she seemed to relax more. "Okay," she agreed. "But, you will need my address, which I have already provided," she whipped out a yellow sticky note with some numbers on it. I looked it over and nodded, even though I hadn't completely figured it out yet considering my dyslexia.
"Got it," I said. "I will pick you up, at six thirty," I assured. She nodded.
"Okay. Thank you," she let out a big breath and relaxed her shoulders. She leaned her elbows on the table and crossed her arms. "I really appreciate this, you know," she added, her voice turning serious. "I haven't done anything like this since when I was still dating Luke... not fun, she frowned.
"Can I ask, what happened?" I asked cautiously. I knew this was a touchy subject for her.
She took a deep breath and began. "Um, it was the first, (and last) full month we'd been dating, and I had started to notice some changes... in him. His attitude, his behaviour. All changing. And not for the better. It was at a school dance like this one that he had broken up with me... for... Nancy," she paused, then continued. "Um... when we were first dating, he had been so funny and nice, but he'd always been a bit controlling. Too controlling, in fact. I remember one night that I wanted to go hang out with Thalia, and that we'd already made plans to hang out the day before, but then the next day at school, Luke had wanted to go out on a date. I told him that tonight didn't work... and he got mad. He- he grabbed me by the shoulders tight... way too tight, and he started shaking. His nails were digging into my arms. Then, I dumped all my plans with Thalia to go on the date with him. Then, a few weeks later into the month, we went to a dance together, Nancy was there, and he cruelly dumped me," she finished. As she was telling me this story, my hatred for Nancy and Luke only grew stronger. She didn't look me in the eyes, instead fiddled with her fingers. She then looked up at me after a few seconds of silence.
"I'll kill him," I growled, glaring at nothing in particular. Annabeth's eyes widened.
"Percy! Jeez! You don't need to kill the guy! Look, I appreciate your sympathy, but... maybe a bit too extreme. Ya think?" She managed a small smirk.
I was still frowning in disgust. "But, he did that to you, he treated you like crap, and you're telling me that I shouldn't kill him? And Nancy, what about her, huh? You hate her. She rubs it in your face everyday! She stole your boyfriend! No wonder you hate the two so much," I figured.
"Yeah well," she shrugged. "That's why Luke keeps bugging me. Well, used to, anyways. He told me in a text message not too long after we broke up, that he was sorry and wanted to get back together. I said no, I stood my ground, and everything's fine now," Annabeth said.
I still wasn't convinced. I growled.
Annabeth chuckled. "Look, I appreciate the fact that you want to kill him, but we don't want you kicked out of another school, do we? So just... forget it," and smiled. "Tonight is supposed to be fun, and we don't want any bottom-feeders like Luke and Nancy to ruin it, do we?"
"No. You're right," I mumbled.
"Of course I am, Seaweed Brain," she joked.
I chuckled. "Whatever Wise Girl. Let's just go to class," I suggested. She picked up her backpack, I picked up my crutches, we got up from the table, and headed to our lockers.
When we got to the locker area, I was putting my stuff away when Annabeth said that she had to go to the bathroom. I told her I would be here when she came back, so she hurried off to the girls' restroom.
A few of the students came in from outside, also heading to their lockers. I looked up and noticed a group of girls looking in my direction, whispering to each other. I noticed that Gwen was one of them. Her friends were whispering in her ear, saying something that made her blush. She looked over at me. Before she would think that I was a creep that was staring at her like a psychopath, I looked down and continued to unpack supplies from my bag to my locker.
A few more books and planners later, I noticed something walking toward me slowly and cautiously. I looked up. It was Gwen. When she saw me looking, she smiled and hurried over to me.
"Hey Percy," she greeted with a smile.
"Hey Gwen," I said, returning the smile.
"How's the ankle doing?" She asked.
"Oh, it's fine," I repositioned my arm on the crutch. I had the left crutch resting against the lockers so it was easier to unpack my things.
"Good... That's good," she said distracted. She looked down for a moment, then seemed to snap herself out and looked back at me. "Um, so listen. There's a dance coming up today at six, and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me. You know, if you... didn't already have a date," she asked slowly.
Dammit! I already did have a date! I like Gwen; she's sweet and nice and funny, but I was going with Annabeth, and I didn't want to say no to Gwen when she was looking up at me with puppy dog eyes. I just had to let her down easy though. No way around it. Plus, Annabeth might come back and see me talking with Gwen and pummel my butt.
"Uh... Sorry Gwen. I'm already going with somebody else. I totally would have said yes though," I apologized.
She looked down in disappointment, but her sad look quickly turned back into a smile. "Oh, that's okay. Who are you going with?" She asked.
"Annabeth," I answered. Her eyes sparkled.
"Aww! Really?! You guys would make such a cute couple!" She exclaimed.
I didn't really know how to reply to that, so I just smiled, looked down, and hoped I wasn't visibly blushing.
"Well, I'd better get back to my friends. It was good talking to you. I'll see you at the dance tonight, eh?" She asked, walking away slightly.
"Definitely," I confirmed. She winked, turned around, and walked back to her group of friends.
That wasn't so hard. No, not at all. It was only like beating a puppy with a stick. Nope. Not bad. Not bad at all.
Thankfully, not much happened throughout the day. Everybody was talking about the dance though. They were all bragging about who their dates were, what they were wearing. A couple of people actually asked me and Annabeth if we were going together, which I found a little odd. I didn't think they would care.
Classes passed by like a blur. I found that more towards the end of the day, I was getting more and more nervous. I just told myself to relax, and forget about Gabe, which was the biggest part of my worries. By the end of my last class, I was a mental wreck of nerves. I figured I should stay by the bench with Annabeth and everyone to work off my nerves a little bit.
When we did sit down at the bench though, it seemed happier than the few times I've been here. Everybody just seemed to be radiating a buzz of excitement.
"So, who's going with who?" Piper asked. Everybody looked around the table for a few seconds. Then Hazel spoke up. "I'm going with Franky," she mused, leaning on her boyfriends shoulder.
"Nico, Grover. What about you two?" Piper asked.
The boys just looked down.
"Are you not going with anyone?" Piper asked. She definitely seemed way more into this 'love stuff' than the rest of us were.
"Well, I am," Grover spoke quietly.
"Who?" Annabeth asked. She seemed surprised.
"Juniper," he mumbled.
"Juniper?!" Piper squealed.
"I always knew you liked her!" Hazel exclaimed.
"Yeah, well..." Grover trailed off.
"Nico, what about you?" Jason asked. Nico shook his head.
"What?! You are going with anybody?" Frank asked, puzzled.
"No. Dances aren't my thing. Plus, what's the point of even going if you're going alone?" Nico mumbled sadly.
"You won't be alone. You can hang out with all of us," Jason suggested. "But, you know... Thalia doesn't have a date," he hinted with a smirk.
"Jason!" Thalia snapped, blushing. Nico turned almost as red as a tomato. He looked down again.
"Reyna?" Annabeth asked.
"Im not going," she answered curtly.
"What, why not?" Piper whined.
"Because, I hate those things. I don't care who's available or not. I'm not going. Get over it," Reyna grumbled. You see, Reyna was more open with her feelings and insults. And, telling somebody to back off was no problem for her.
"Okay..." Piper said.
"Leo, you?" I asked.
Leo grinned. "Calypso. That girl is smokin!" he exclaimed.
"I thought she didn't even like you?" I countered.
"Ah, water under the bridge, ya know. She only pretends to hate me, but in retrospect, she really does like me," he said.
"Whatever man," I chuckled.
"Okay guys, so about the whole theme thing..." Thalia paused. "Eye have to dress fancy, right?" She asked, a faint grimace growing on her face.
"Yeah. I think that's kinda stupid. I mean, its cute and everything, but it's not prom! It's just another high school dance. We have these like, every month," Hazel groaned.
"I know! It's completely stupid! One of the main reasons why I'm not going!" Reyna protested.
"Oh, quit complaining you two," Piper piped up. "It's not gonna be that bad. It'll be fun," she said, smiling.
A few protesting grumbles from Reyna.
"Well, I think mom will want us home, ya think, little brother?" Thalia asked Jason.
"I told you not to call me that," he grumbled. The Grace siblings got up.
"Bye you guys. See you tonight!" Thalia waved. They turned around, and walked away.
"Well, I think with that in mind, I'd better get going too," Hazel said. She and Frank got up as well, with the rest of us following their example.
I wanted to walk home with Annabeth, when I remembered we live in completely opposite directions. I waved her goodbye, and started home.
Once outside my apartment, I fiddled with my keys until I found the right one. I inserted it into the lock, and slowly turned the handle, trying to make as less noise as possible. I opened the door a crack, and peeked in. So far, no sign of Gabe, which is good. I fully opened the door, wincing every time there was a creak.
I hopped inside, and closed the door behind me gently. I looked around again: no sign of Gabe. Awesome! He must be out at a bar or at the store buying smokes. This is my lucky day!
I quickly scurried to my room as fast as I could. I rummaged through my dresser and tiny closet to see what dress clothes I have to wear.
I sorted through my closet for about fifteen minutes until I found something that struck my mind: it was a nice, long-sleeve dress shirt. It seemed in pretty good condition. I mean, it was pretty much all white with very few mold stains on the back, so that's good. I would have to cover up the mold stains though, won't I?
I rummaged through my closet a bit longer. Miraculously, I managed to find an actual vest! I don't even remember getting it, but my mother must have gotten it for me when she was still alive.
I put it on and surprisingly, it fit! It was plain in color: just black, not much to it. It did have little buttons going along the front of it, which was nice. It would definitely be able to hide the mold stains, so that's a plus. As I was examining it, I noticed it had white thread weaving in and out for the seams, which I liked. This was good enough.
I went back to my dresser and looked for a pair of nice pants, or at least jeans without any holes in them. I wanted to find a pair of black dress pants, but I only found a pair of un-worn jeans. I examined them: they were a dark blue, almost black, with little brown seams decorating the pockets. They looked like they would fit, so I went with it.
I gathered all of my new found clothes, and headed into the bathroom, (which was very difficult: you try walking with crutches while you're balancing a pile of clothes. Yeah, not easy.) I locked the door behind me, and set down my clothes on the floor. I wanted to take a shower, but I couldn't means that Gabe never pays the water bill, so we can only use the sink... when it wants to work.
I turned on the faucet, and a nice stream of water came out. I tested it with my hand, and it was cold, but there wasn't much I could do about it: more than half the time, our hot water didn't work.
I ducked my head under the flow of the water, and shook my head around to get all of it wet. You see, this is what I have to do every morning for a shower. How pathetic is that?
I made sure to get all of my hair wet, and turned off the faucet. I grabbed a towel near the counter, and I scrubbed my hair with it. When I pulled the towel away, my hair stuck up in all different directions. I chuckled.
I grabbed a brush from the cabinet in the mirror and managed to tame it down some. I knew it was pointless to try to control my hair, as it would just go right back to an uncontrollable mop. Worth a shot anyways.
I unlocked the bathroom door, and limped out and to my room. I took off my original shirt, and struggled to put on my white dress shirt, which had so many buttons, I almost gave up trying to button them all. After I finally did manage to button it up however, it felt pretty good. It wasn't too tight, and it wasn't too loose.
Next, I tried getting my black vest on, which worked out just as well as with the dress shirt: a lot of buttons, but felt good. I looked at myself in the mirror. For once, I didn't look like I came from the streets. Yay, mission accomplished.
I started working on getting my pants on now, wincing every time I accidentally nudged my foot. I pulled on the new pair of jeans, and I've got to admit, I didn't mind having a nice pair of pants that didn't look like a five year old kid with scissors crossed my lap. It was nice, I guess.
After I was done changing, I examined myself in the mirror again, fixed a few folds, and began searching for a pair of somewhat decent shoes. I couldn't find any in my closet, and I knew Gabe wouldn't have any for me to borrow. But why would I even want to borrow them if I had the chance? I'm pretty sure Gabe's feet would smell like roadkill considering the rest of his body smelled like roadkill in a dumpster. So, I'll pass, thank you very much.
I gave up trying to find some shoes after what I guessed was at least fifteen minutes. I looked at my clock. I'm pretty sure it read 5:30, or something like that. You know, dyslexia.
"Ah, screw it," I said aloud, and slipped on one of my sneakers that I wore today at school. I know, I know: for a teenager going to a dance themed 'Fancy,' you'd think he'd have a little more class as to wear tennis shoes they weren't completely falling apart at the seams. But, hey, go easy on me! I don't really have the money to wear nice expensive dress shoes, and its not like I would wear them anyways.
After putting on one shoe, adjusting the bandages on the other foot, I was ready to go. I wanted to leave before Gabe came back, wherever he was. So, with that in mind, I grabbed my apartment keys, and hobbled out of my apartment, down the stairs, and outside.
The sun was still up, but it was lower than when I came home.
Walking as fast as I could on my crutches, I headed over to Annabeth's house.
Annabeth's POV
We all know how I'm not one for actually wanting to dress up and eventually enjoy it, but I've got to say: I was loving this!
The dress my step-mom gave me fit perfectly. And it looked amazing on me. The blue was so beautiful and deep that it reminded me of the ocean. The ocean reminds me of Percy. In retrospect, the dress reminds me of him. The rhinestones all sparkle and shimmer like his eyes. The dress in general just gives out an aura that reminds me of Percy. I think he'll like this dress. Hopefully he will...
And, not to mention the shoes. Lords of Olympus, they were comfortable! On the outside, they seemed like they would crack your ankle from taking half a step, but it actually felt like walking in slippers, just prettier. Sure, I had to work on balance for a while with the heel, but once I got that mastered, I was fine.
The ring and earrings I've also received yesterday just complimented the entire outfit perfectly. With every turn, the earrings jingled and sparkled. And the ring was just so beautiful on its own. This is the first, (and probably the last,) time I will ever say this, but... I've never felt so pretty in my life. And I actually liked dressing up like this.
Wow, a dress really can change a girl. I never would have said that before! Honestly, I didn't mind it much.
Not too long after I had finished putting the earrings in, my step-mother came in my room.
She gasped when she saw me. Her hand covered her mouth, and she looked like she was on the verge of tears.
"Oh Annabeth," and gasped. "You look... incredible." She came over to me and wrapped her arm around my shoulder. She looked at me proudly.
"You are such a beautiful young lady. And I'm proud to call you my daughter," she said smiling.
"Aww! Thanks mom!" I hugged her gratefully. Ever since our little talk yesterday, she seems more open to me now. And I guess I opened up a little too. Sure, she isn't home most times, and she tries to make me act the way she does a lot, but regardless I was lucky to have her as a step-mom.
After a few more seconds of hugging, we pulled apart.
"So, what're your plans for tonight?" She asked.
"Oh, well, Percy's picking me up in about..." I glanced at the clock. "Half an hour, and then we're gonna walk to the school together and meet up with everyone there," I explained.
"Oh, I see," she looked down. "Well... just have fun. Be safe. He's coming in half an hour, did you say?"
"Mmhmm," I hummed.
"What're you gonna do with your hair?" My step-mother asked. I knew the look on her eyes, and that meant she wanted to go all 'Professional Hairstylist' on me. Not a good sign.
I rolled my eyes. "You wanna fix my hair, don't you?" I asked, although I didn't really even need to: I already knew she wanted to.
Her eyes brightened. "Would you let me?" She asked hopefully.
I signed."I'll let you, but on one condition," I paused. "You can not turn me into a Barbie doll from the eighties, alright?"
She looked somewhat sad for a millisecond. But then, her eyes perked up immediately. "Okay," she said. "I'll just do something simple... and not too eighties-style beehive-ish," she chuckled.
I laughed. "Sounds good," and with that, she led me over to my stool in front of my dresser, and began to fix my hair before Percy arrived.
Sorry that that chapter took so long to update. It's been raining and our internet has been going out. But, here it is, what you've been waiting for! The dance finally approaches! But while I was writing this chapter, I realized how different Percy and Annabeth really are in this story. I mean, Percy has to scourage his apartment for clothes that look somewhat decent enough to wear, and Annabeth is just over here like, "I got myself a Costume Director... my mom!" And I think this chapter just really shows how Percy and Annabeth differ... Well, one of the ways, actually. But, yeah! I hope you enjoyed that chapter, and hopefully I will be able to post very very soon if the sky quits being such a jerk! It is April, after all. This is DemigodUndercover, signing out!