A/N
Hey guys! I just thought that I'd post this because I haven't updated in a while, and also because I just thought of another idea and I really want to start writing the next chapter. So without further ado, here it is!
Enjoy!
Annabeth's POV
"Who even likes classical music? You're crazy!"
"At least it doesn't have people screaming every five seconds-"
"That's a stereotype, none of my songs have screaming in them, you just generalized a genre. I hope you're happy with yourself," Percy accused, struggling to keep his eyes on the road.
Five minutes into the car trip, we'd discovered that the two of us had...different musical tastes, to say the least. I argued that classical was fine because if we were going to talk, you don't need someone else singing in the background. Percy, on the other hand, was trying to show me the mix tape he'd made once because there was this one song I really have to show you. I was skeptical.
Our argument was interrupted by Percy's phone ringing and he raised it to his ear. "Hello?"
"You can't call while driving!" I berated him, trying to pluck the device out of his hand. "You'll crash. Let me talk."
But, being stubborn as he was, he dodged my hands. "Hey, mom. Yeah, she did. We're driving over now...um, yes?" I watched as he chewed his lip and sighed. "Yeah, okay. Here, Annabeth, take it," he said as he handed me the phone.
"Hey, Sally," I greeted, sending a smug smirk in Percy's direction.
"What on earth is my son thinking, calling and driving?" She asked me incredulously, and I hid a grin.
"I don't know. He can be pretty dense sometimes," I supplied, pretending not to notice the scowl Percy shot me.
She chuckled. "That he can. I was just calling to let you know that Paul and I are here, and we've set up Percy's room and the guest room for you. We may not be there when you arrive, so don't worry about us being kidnapped or anything," she added jokingly.
"I'll keep that in mind. And thank you, Sally, for letting me come. I really appreciate it," I said honestly.
"Oh, don't mention it. Percy never brings anyone out here, so it's nice to see you tagging along."
"He said that Paul calls him a hermit," I told her. She immediately burst out laughing.
"That's what Percy wants him to believe. I know some of the things my son gets up to and frankly, I wish I didn't." Percy glanced over at me curiously when I started laughing.
"I'll let you go now, Paul wants to know why Percy isn't actually a loner. Wish me luck!"
"Bye," I chuckled, before placing the phone down at my side.
"Why were you talking about me with my mom? That's weird," Percy complained. I pointed to the road, which resulted in him turning back to stare at me.
"Watch the road, Seaweed Brain. I don't feel like dying today." I watched as his hand reached out towards the radio. "Oh, no you don't!"
"But Wise Girl!" He protested, sticking his lower lip out. "It's my car! Please?"
"Don't try and guilt me into...okay, fine, three of your songs than three of mine, does that work?"
"Yes!" He exclaimed, actually jumping in his seat. He pressed a button on the stereo and some song I'd never heard before started blaring from the speakers.
"Jeez, turn it down!" I yelled, slapping my hands over my ears. "I can't hear myself think! Or talk, for that matter!" He turned it down, but only a few decibels. I rolled my eyes at his affronted expression.
"You have to have it loud, otherwise it doesn't have the same effect!"
"Yeah, well, I don't really want to go deaf by the end of this trip, so-"
"You won't be deaf. So maybe it's louder than normal but-" And so the rest of the drive was spent arguing about music.
...
"Did we really argue the whole time about whose music to play?" Percy asked me as he pulled down a dirt road.
"Yeah, we really did. Of everything we could've talked about," I mused. He pulled the car over and parked, the radio shutting off. I'd just managed to turn it to a somewhat bearable station, too.
"We're gonna have to walk for about ten minutes, so I hope you like nature," he announced as he climbed out of the car. I opened my car door and stepped out, glancing around as I did so. We were in the middle of a clearing, and tall trees surrounded us on all sides. I could just barely make out patches of sky through the intertwined branches.
"C'mon, Chase, there's a better view when we actually get to the beach." I brought my eyes down from the treetops. "Or personally, I think the view is standing right in front of you," he said, winking.
"Ha ha, very funny," I said wryly. I noticed that he'd grabbed my bag from the backseat and was offering it out to me. "You're taking my bag? Cool, thanks so much." Without another word, I turned around and headed down the path which presumably led to the cabin.
"How'd she even know which way to go?" I heard Percy mutter under his breath behind me. I grinned widely, breathing in the fresh air as I did so.
"How long have you been coming out here?" I asked, dropping back so Percy could catch up. He slung my bag over his shoulder and used one hand to scratch his forehead.
"Since I can remember, really. I stopped coming as much when the gang stuff became really overwhelming."
"You mean the random missions they send you on almost every night?"
He nodded in response. "Yeah. Like, even now, Dionysus is gonna be pissed at us, well mainly me, for going away, because then he has to find someone to fill in for me that's just enough of a pushover to do anything he wants them to."
I frowned. "You're not a pushover."
"Maybe, maybe not." He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, his mind in a completely different place. He blinked and the expression dropped immediately. "So, are you excited to see the beach?"
"Yeah," I said, gladly taking the subject change. "I mean, I've seen pictures, but they don't even begin to compare to the real thing, right?"
"No, they really don't," he replied, and we fell into a comfortable silence. I didn't really feel the need to talk, I was happy with my excited thoughts. Going to the beach was something I'd always wanted to do, but I'd just never built up the nerve to go alone, and my mom wasn't all that big of a fan of the ocean. Something about this guy she'd met once who loved it and she'd hated him.
About five minutes later he stopped me, moving to stand in front of me. The trees had begun to thin out and I knew that we must be close. "Are you ready to see the most amazing thing ever?"
"Sure," I answered, shrugging. His eyes narrowed and his lips pursed together.
"Annabeth Chase, this is your first time seeing the beach, and that's how enthusiastic you are?"
"You know the word 'enthusiastic', I'm impressed," I said, trying to peer over his shoulder.
"Now I'm gonna ask you again and you're gonna answer properly," he said seriously. "Annabeth Chase, are you ready to see the most amazing thing ever?"
"Sir yes sir!" I shouted, mock-saluting as I did so.
He nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Good. Now...observe!" He pulled back the branches in front of me in one fluid motion, revealing the sand beyond. I raced out from the forest and stopped dead in my tracks when I was nearly blinded by the sun.
"Ack!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms up to cover my eyes. I felt fingers tug at my hands, pulling them away from my eyes and I knew that Percy was behind me. When my senses had adjusted, I let my eyes slowly open. And was gobsmacked at the sight in front of me.
The sun was in the process of setting, painting the sky a multitude of pinks, purples and yellows. The ocean below was a deep blue, but also reflected with shades of indigo and violet. Waves lapped against the shore gently, the crashing sound of them oddly soothing. I instantly understood why so many people were in love with the beach. I knelt down to untie my Converse and once I kicked them off I buried my feet in the sand, letting it fall between my toes.
"I see why you love it here so much," I said finally, taking it all in. "It's so beautiful."
"It really is," he replied, staring out at the horizon. It made me wonder if he was thinking about his father. I didn't want to risk asking, but it was brave of him to keep coming back to the ocean, even though it's what took his father from him. If my mother had embarked on a boat and never come back, I would have avoided all things water related at all costs. But then again, maybe it made him feel closer to his lost parent.
The ocean really reminded me of his eyes. I'd made the connection before, but now that I'd actually seen the sea in real life, the resemblance struck me more vividly. Like right now, for example, the water was incredibly calm. Percy seemed to be peaceful, the most peaceful I'd ever seen him. His eyes reflected that, a deep green with a hint of blue, and I smiled to myself. It was so relaxing out here, so different compared to the normal chaos of our lives in Manhattan.
"Percy, Annabeth, is that you?" Both of us turned in unison to face Sally and Paul, who were heading our way. "We're just heading down to see the Mayfairs." I was confused but since Percy nodded, I figured they must live out this way.
"Cool," he replied. "Tell Andrew I said hi."
"Will do. You two have fun!" Sally said before the two adults turned and headed towards the path Percy and I had just come from.
"You have two choices: go swimming now or wait 'til tomorrow," he informed me. "This is a big decision here, Chase, I'm expecting a good answer."
"As this is my first time seeing the ocean, I believe it would be a good idea to not leave myself in suspense overnight and simply go now," I replied, my lips quirking as his eyebrows furrowed slightly.
"That was...kinda hard to follow but okay!" He grabbed my arm and pulled, beginning to walk to a lone cabin which looked to be just under a mile away. "So, this is our humble abode when we want to get away. Don't get too excited, it's pretty lame."
"I'm sure it's great," I assured him, relishing the feeling of sand under foot.
"You're the first person other than me, mom, Paul and my dad to see this place. Wow, that's weird," he mused. "Maybe Paul's right. I literally had no friends before you."
"You made that choice, didn't you? It wasn't because you were socially inept," I said.
"Yeah. I didn't want anyone getting hurt because of me. At least with you, I know you can hold your own." He twisted the door handle experimenting, scowling when it didn't open. "Seriously, Paul? Why'd he lock it when he knew we were coming?"
"I assume you have a spare key?" I questioned, amusement creeping into my voice. Percy must've caught it because he shot me a glare.
"Yeah, apparently we do. I don't know, I've never had to use it because Paul never locks it." He crouched down and lifted up the doormat, but there was no key under it. "Why now? Why can this not happen when I don't have anybody here with me?"
"Are those your swimming trunks?" I asked suddenly, gesturing to his shorts. He nodded suspiciously. "I'll just go behind the cabin and get changed, then come back round. No biggie."
"Are you sure? Cause I can probably just kick the door down or something-"
"Percy! I'm not letting you vandalize your own holiday cabin. It's fine. Just...stay here, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm gonna try find the stupid key," he told me, and I picked up my bag and wandered around the side of the cabin. I changed into my one piece quickly and shoved my clothes into my bag. Even though there was no one else around, I felt strangely exposed. I shook off the feeling and picked my way through the bush, back to where Percy was still trying to find the key.
"No luck?" He jumped at the sudden noise and I had to stifle a grin.
"Nope," he replied, pressing his hands against the sides of his head. "Maybe we never had a spare."
"Well, it doesn't matter now. I just wanna go swim. So let's go, Jackson," I said, already beginning to walk towards the water.
"Whatever, Chase." He didn't say anything for a few beats. Then, "I just realized I don't have a towel."
"How long do you think your mom and Paul will be?" I asked him in disbelief. "Not that long, right? They'll be back by the time you'll be wanting to dry off, probably."
"Oh no, you've never seen Mrs Mayfair talk, they won't be getting back for at least three hours."
"That'd make it about eleven. Are you sure there's no spare key?" I asked.
"Not that I can find."
"I'm sure there probably is one, then."
"Hey! I'll have you know that-" The first warning sign was when he abruptly cut himself off. The second was the smirk that split across his face.
"Uh, Percy..." The third and final signal was when he began walking towards me with his arms outstretched. I knew what he was planning on doing and I started to back away, almost tripping over my own feet. "Oh, no. You really don't want to do that."
"And why not?" He returned, one eyebrow raised.
"Because you'll feel bad?" I tried, stopping once the waves were lapping against my ankles. "Because it's not chivalrous? Because it's not-" Despite my attempts to deter him, he still picked me up and waded out further into the water. "Put me down," I said, my voice deadly quiet.
He leaned down and whispered in my ear. "Bad choice of words, Chase." Then he dropped me into the freezing cold ocean water.
Percy's POV
After laughing for a solid thirty seconds, it occurred to me that, hey, it had been thirty seconds, and she hadn't come up to breathe yet. "Oh, shit. Annabeth?"
We'd only been here for like ten minutes and I'd already managed to screw up? Jeez, that had to be some kind of record, even for me. "Annabe-" I was cut off by someone tackling me from behind, which took me completely off guard. I stumbled, trying to keep my balance, but it proved pointless and I ended up toppling over into the water.
When my head broke the surface, Annabeth was doubled over and laughing. I hadn't seen her properly laugh in forever. "You're gonna pay for that," I said, pointing a threatening finger at her.
"That was me getting back at you for dumping me in the water, so I'd say that the karma's already been dished out," she rationalized, holding out her hand. "Truce?" I reached out to shake her hand, and was completely taken off guard when she judo flipped me, which I didn't think was the point of a truce. But hey, maybe that's just me. I may or may not have let out an undignified squawk as she flipped me over her shoulder, which sent her into hysterics.
"I thought that was a truce?" I asked, trying to regain my composure.
"I'm sorry, I just had to take the opportunity," she replied, grinning at me. I stood up and shook my head, droplets flying from my hair. "Hey! You're not a dog, you don't need to do that."
"Woof," I deadpanned, biting down on my lip to keep a straight face.
"You're not funny," she informed me, and I splashed her with a flick of my hand. I laughed at her affronted expression. "Do you really want to challenge me, Seaweed Brain?"
I pretended to think for a second. "Yeah, I think I do, Chase." Before I could do or say anything else, she darted forward and tapped me on the shoulder.
"Tag." With a snicker, she sprinted out of the water and towards the other end of the beach. I watched in stunned silence as sand flew around her before I snapped back to my senses and took off after her.
"You can't outrun me!" I shouted as I raced after her, my feet pounding against the sand. I'd been going to the beach for long enough that I'd gotten pretty good at running on sand. As I ran, I could feel my worries and tensions back home start to fade away, until I could almost forget them altogether.
...
After an hour or two of swimming, we ended up sitting with our backs to one of the sand dunes, watching the sky grow darker. Mom and Paul still hadn't returned, so we were still locked out of the cabin. I didn't know what time it was, or how long we'd been sitting there for, but time had seemed to stop. This moment felt like it was frozen in time.
"It's really peaceful out here. It's so...strange," Annabeth spoke up suddenly, her voice breaking the previous silence. She had the clean towel draped over her shoulders, because what kind of guy would I be if I let the girl freeze? I'd pulled my shirt back on once I'd dried off a bit, but I could still feel the fabric clinging to my skin.
"How so?" I asked absentmindedly, inspecting a piece of driftwood by my hand.
"Because the past week, I haven't really given myself time to think, or relax, or just...take a step back from my life," she explained. "And now that I have some breathing space, I'm just thinking about everything I was avoiding back in New York."
I kept my eyes on the horizon. "What were you avoiding?"
"My mom, the Half Bloods," she said, and I could see her hands gesturing at nothing from the corner of my eye. "Even you."
"Me? Why were you avoiding me?" I asked, turning to glance at her. She focused her eyes on something in the distance.
"So we wouldn't have to talk. Because we both know there's something that we need to discuss." At my blank expression, her eyes rolled. "Oh my gods Percy, do you really need me to spell it out for you?"
"Um, yes?" I answered sheepishly. She shouldn't be surprised. I mean, I am pretty dense. And now I'm insulting myself. Brilliant. Just because I wasn't very perceptive didn't mean that I had to...what, bully myself? Was that even a thing? It probably was-
"Percy." I blinked, snapping out of my daze. Annabeth was waving her hand in front of my face, staring at me with an eyebrow raised.
"Oh, uh, sorry," I said. "You were saying?"
She pointed to each of us as she said our respect fake names. "Pierre. Beth. That whole situation."
"I like how you're calling it a 'situation'," I mused, tapping my chin with my finger. "But yeah, I guess we should probably talk about that."
"I'll tell you what I propose, then you can tell me whether you agree with it," she began. I nodded in response. "Okay, so. I think we should just...start on a clean slate. Because we got off to a shitty start as Percy and Annabeth, and Annabeth and Peter got into a fist fight when we were like seven, and with Beth and Pierre it was a completely different story altogether. So I say we forget all that and just completely start over."
I mulled that over. I did want to forget about when we first met, because I was a royal asshole and I took everything too far, all because I wanted to protect my reputation. And the whole fight 'Peter' and Annabeth had gotten into? That was stupid. It was just another one of our petty fights. But I didn't want a complete clean slate.
"I'm going to start this off with an apology. Annabeth, I'm really sorry about how much of a dick I was to you when we first met, I was just...caught up with reputations." She nodded, which I took as a gesture to keep talking. "But I don't want a clean slate. I think we've been through too much to just pretend it never happened. Just...god, I can't get over how big of an asshole I was."
"I forgive you," she replied, which surprised me. "Because I know that you've changed. And...I guess you're right. We've done so many things together that I don't really want to forget. But some of those memories..."
"Whenever you start thinking about those, just remember that one time, I nearly kissed a mummy."
"Oh my gods!" She exclaimed, barking out a laugh. "That was hilarious!" Then she fell silent, her eyes glazing over slightly. "That's what we should probably talk about next. The...the reason you nearly kissed a mummy."
"Because I was trying to kiss-oh. Oh. Right, yeah," I finished awkwardly, cursing myself for how lame I just sounded. "About that..."
What was I supposed to say? Or, no, screw that. What did I want to say about it? Because that week had just been a distraction, something to get away from the chaos that was my life. Oh jeez, I didn't want to talk about this.
"Look, we were both looking for a distraction and we used each other to achieve that. So it wasn't...it didn't mean anything." I was surprised by the stab of disappointment that hit me. Why was I disappointed? The answer to that question terrified me, so I tried to push it out of my mind. But when there's something you really don't want to think about, it seems to become all that you can think of. It's ridiculous.
I didn't...like Annabeth, did I? I just felt attached to her because she was the only real friend I've had for years. That was it. It had to be. I didn't...no, I couldn't like her. It just wouldn't work. Besides, I hadn't genuinely liked a girl since Rachel. There were times with Calypso when I thought that maybe, maybe I could love her. But I got scared of that and broke her heart instead.
Wow, I was a dickhead.
"So, a mostly clean slate?" She questioned, tilting her head to one side. I stared as her hair fell over her shoulder, then blinked furiously to clear my head. What was wrong with me? Jeez.
"A mostly clean slate it is," I agreed, tearing my gaze back to the ocean. The sky had darkened to a deep, dark blue. If I wanted to be poetic, I'd say that it bore a striking resemblance to my soul. Yeesh, even that last sentence was borderline sap. Let's forget about that, shall we? "How are you doing, by the way?"
"What?" She blurted, and I could feel her eyes on me.
"With your mom. You seem to be handling it okay but, well, you never know what a person's really going through," I added, my eyes flicking over to her. She tried to force a smile, her lips pressed tightly together.
"I collected her ashes the other day. I don't know what to do with them, though."
"Where did she...like to be, whenever she could?" I asked gently.
"That's the thing," she began, pressing her palms to her face. "I never really knew her well enough to know that."
"I'm sure you'll think of something. You're the smartest person I know," I assured her. "And trust me, I know a lot of people."
She cracked a smile at that before a shiver racked her body. "The temperature's dropping and I'm still pretty cold. I hope Sally and Paul get back before we get hypothermia."
A light bulb went off in my head. "Why don't we just sleep in the car?" Annabeth stared at me, her eyes seeming to say what a dumb idea."You can recline the two front seats, and it's better than hypothermia."
"Good point. Lead the way."
Once we reached the car, I pushed the seats back to clear up some more space. The car was a decent size and without the seats in the way, there was definitely enough room for at least four people to fit. I glanced over my shoulder to see Annabeth's reaction to my ingenious plan, and found her mock frowning.
"Surprised I had a plan?" I questioned, leaning back against the car and crossing my arms. She grinned drily back at me, folding her own arms.
"No, coming up with a plan isn't that hard," she said, but opened her mouth again before I could make my smug comment. "I'm surprised that you came up with a good plan."
"Well, whatever," I said, opening the door for her. "After you, milady."
"Again, this isn't the 1900's," she commented as she climbed in. I shuffled in next to her, and leaned back against the beat up seats. I was expecting us to fall into silence, but she didn't seem to have the same idea. "Thanks for inviting me here. Really, it means a lot. I don't really get away much."
Both of our gazes were glued to the roof of the car, each of us lost in our thoughts. "Hey, don't worry about it. Just between you and me, it's nice having someone else out here other than Paul and my mom. I think I would've drowned myself if I had to hear Mrs Mayfair talk about that one summer carnival back in '58 one more time."
She laughed, and I let my head turn slightly so I could glance at her from the corner of my eye. Her blonde hair was still slightly damp, and it was spread around her head like a halo. Her eyes were closed, her expression serene. I found my gaze dropping to her lips.
"Night, Percy." I was jolted from my daze at her words, blinking rapidly to try and clear my head. Had I really just thought about kissing her?
"Night, Annabeth," I replied, closing my eyes. I couldn't believe it. Well, actually, I kind of could. The reason I hadn't allowed myself to have many friends over the past few years was because I got attached easily. And now after spending so much time with Annabeth, I'd let my guard down and started to open up.
I wasn't even going to deny it, I liked her. As more than a friend. I liked Annabeth Chase.
Well, fuck.
The next chapter will be up soon, I promise! Within the next two weeks, okay? You can hold me to that (probably).
Reviewer Replies:
1quintisfan - I'm glad you liked it, and I'm also glad that the range of emotions came across too! I always try super hard to get it right but I swear I never do
JC RH - I know, right? I think I tried to make it complicated, because I thought that it wasn't, and I just ended up making it super confusing. I do that a lot, actually. I'm glad you like the interaction between Percy and Annabeth too! You don't know how awesome it is to have people say that
Cinder Luna - Thanks so much! Honestly, I try so hard sometimes to make the characters seem realistic and I know that I am, and writing shouldn't be forced which is why I barely ever update. Stoked you like it!
Hoped you liked the chapter, and until next time,
HV