29. Percy. Percy. Percy. Percy.
Her hands instinctively reached up and wrapped around his neck, as if she had done it many times before, and pulled him closer as his hands slid down to her waist; their lips moving in synchronization, as if they had been made for each other. And it felt good. You're kissing Percy… She gasped and pulled away, leaving Percy wide-eyed.
"You kissed me back," he said in shock, but the corner of his lips began to pull up into a smile.
"No!" Thalia lied. But who was she kidding? She knew she did and she couldn't believe it herself.
"No, no. You kissed me back!" Percy said again as if he had just made some grand discovery. Thalia was horrified.
"I-I-I have to go," she stuttered as she turned and ran away. She heard Percy call after her, but she kept going. She ran up the steps of her building and slipped inside before Percy could stop her. She jogged up the steps (an exercise her thighs will never get accustomed to) and burst into her apartment. She pressed her back against the cold wall and slid to the floor, letting her head fall in her hands.
"Oh my god, I kissed him," she said to herself. "I kissed him – back."
"Oh no," she moaned as she dragged her hands down her face. What is wrong with me?! She touched her lips and recalled the kiss. How he grabbed her and pulled her toward him, their lips crashing and falling into perfect rhythm. And that's why she hated it. The kiss had been perfect! Kisses are never perfect! They're either too slobbery, or too chaotic, or too dry, but this one… was just… right. And she still couldn't believe she had actually kissed him back. Since when does she do that? This wasn't even a real date, at least, not for her. What was she going to do now? Pretend it never happened? Yeah. I'll do that.
She crawled to the couch and lay down, staring at the ceiling. Her heart was beating just a little faster than normal and it kind of felt good… for the first time in years, as much as she hated it. She removed a few items of clothing, grabbed the blanket folded on top of the couch, slithered under the cover and closed her eyes. Maybe she could just sleep it away.
She awoke the next morning, feeling more refreshed than ever. She stretched, feeling every bone crack.
"Nothing like a good stretch," she moaned as she reached upward as far as her spine allowed her. She slouched back down and stared blankly at the floor until her eyes widened.
"Oh my god," she whispered again as she remembered that unbelievable event that had taken place last night. She sighed, stood up and walked towards her room, dragging herself along the wall to feel the coldness against her legs. She stumbled sleepily into her room and her eyes landed on the giant chest in the far corner of her room.
She chewed on her lip, wondering if what she was thinking about was a good idea. It almost seemed to be calling out to her. So she didn't think anymore. She fished for the key to the chest from her drawer and kneeled in front of the chest. She looked at the lock a little more, second guessing herself. But she plunged the key into the lock and turned it. The lid popped. She lifted it up and stared inside. She exhaled deeply.
Inside, there was a large case with the letters TG, Thalia Grace, engraved at the bottom. She pulled it out and set it on the floor and sat on the floor against her bed and studied it. You could tell it was several years old and that it had gone through a lot. It had nicks and scratches all over it. She leaned forward and unlocked it. And with slightly trembling fingers, she opened it. In front of her was a perfect wooden guitar. It was smooth, glossy, a little dusty with a black dragon slithering across one side.
She reached in, grabbed it by the neck and pulled it up across her lap as she sat down on her bed. Its side felt cold against her bare thighs, but she didn't mind. She was breathing slowly as her fingers hovered over the strings. She was nervous, as odd as it was. She hadn't played in years and she wasn't sure if she should start again. But closing her eyes, she started strumming. She was a little rusty at first and not really thinking of playing anything in particular, but the music took a form of its own. It echoed softly through the room and a heat wave travelled from her ears to her feet. She took a breath, and started singing.
"Sucked into another black hole. Drags me further down the road. I can't keep from feeling… Time drags me down the line. And gets me closer every time, 'cause it's you I'm missing… You're my angel without wings," she sang, the words soft, but clear. Her entire body tingled and her voice was a little gruff at first, but it got easier as she kept singing. "Don't need them. We're high enough. You're flying above –" she stopped abruptly when she heard a door slam. She quickly put the guitar back in its case, closed it and slid it under her bed. Pulling on a pair of shorts, she poked her head out her door.
She heard cabinets being slammed and the fridge being opened and closed, opened and closed and her mother's voice as she mumbled to herself and grunted in frustration. Thalia walked down the hallway and found her mother walking around the island, pulling at her hair.
"You okay?" Thalia asked, as she came to the island and sat down in one of the high chairs. As her mother passed her by, she could tell she was sweating and she was slightly shivering and her eyes seemed a little red and puffy.
"I don't feel good," she whined. She moaned as she hit a cabinet and slid to the floor, rocking back and forth with her head between her legs. "I don't feel good!" she said again, but angrier. Without saying anything, Thalia grabbed a wash cloth, soaked it in cold water and knelt next to her mother.
"It'll pass," she said as she lifted her mother's head and pressed the moist cloth against her sweating forehead. She shivered under the touch. Though Thalia didn't always enjoy seeing people suffered, she saw this as a good sign. If she was going into withdrawal it meant she wasn't drinking. Her mother started crying. She was getting moody and being pregnant wasn't helping the situation. She was a rollercoaster of emotions. Her cry grew louder as she leaned into Thalia, her head falling on her lap as Thalia awkwardly held her hands up. This was probably the first real contact she's had with her mother and she had no idea what to do.
"Uh…" Thalia hesitantly patted her back as her mother sobbed. The house phone rang and she gasped in relief. She slowly pushed her mother, still sobbing pointlessly, off her lap and back against the cabinet and ran for the phone.
"Hello?" Thalia answered a little too eagerly. She cleared her throat and tried again, "Hello?"
"Hello Thalia, it's Sally!"
"Oh hey! Whataya need?" Thalia said, trying to sound a little upbeat.
"I was hoping you might be able to babysit for me again?" Sally asked shyly.
"Yeah, no pro –" she was cut off by her cell phone ringing. She ran for her phone and fumbled around in her bag for it as she tried to keep her mind set on not sounding distracted.
"Yeah, so what day?" she asked, as she held the phone between her ear and shoulder. She grabbed her phone, but ignored the call as soon as she saw who it was, The Chosen One. She left it in her bag, but as she stood up the phone rang again.
"Wednesday," Sally answered.
"Uh-huh, time?" she asked before she heard a beep-beep-beep. "Could you hold that thought a moment? Sorry," she said. Sally said okay and Thalia switched lines.
"Hello?" she answered as she looked at her cell phone again. It was a different number. Hmm, I wonder who it could be. But she answered it anyways, just in case.
"Good morning Thalia, it's Ms. Whirly," a soothing voice said.
"Oh-hey, hi, what's up?" Thalia answered as she answered her cell.
"Hello?" she said softer.
"Thalia, don't hang up!" a familiar voice said immediately.
"Percy, I don't have time for this!" she turned back to her house phone.
" – I was wondering if you could come by," Ms. Whirly was saying.
"What day?" She asked, until she remembered Sally on the other line. "Keep that thought, can you give me a second?"
"Sure –" Ms. Whirly said as Thalia switched lines again.
"Yes, time?" Thalia asked Sally, as she heard Percy's distant voice; Would like to know why you kissed me back and ran away.
"Possibly around 6 o'clock?"
"That's perfect!" Thalia said, as she made a mental note of it. She could still hear Percy rambling on.
"Shut it!" she hissed into her cell.
"Excuse me?" Sally asked curiously.
"Nothing! I'll see you Wednesday at six?" Thalia tried to fix.
"All right, bye," she chuckled as she hung up.
"Percy, please! It was a kiss nothing more!" she growled.
"Excuse me?" a woman's voice said. Thalia's face went red and she couldn't begin to explain how embarrassed she felt.
"I am so sorry, Ms. Whirly! It's just –"
"Boy problems?" Ms. Whirly chuckled. Thalia laughed.
"Yes…" she said. Ms. Whirly giggled.
"Good luck! But remember, a little fight is what makes the romance. Now, could you pass by Friday evening around 6:30?"
"I'd love to. See you there," Thalia said, not feeling as embarrassed.
"See you there," she said happily, as if she knew something that Thalia didn't and she couldn't wait to share. She hung up and with a huge, exasperated sigh as she placed her ear to her cell phone.
"And I think we should talk –"
"Percy."
"Because you're sending mixed signals here, and I'm not good at reading signals –"
"Percy."
"Because, I don't know if you've ever noticed, but I can be pretty clueless –"
"Percy."
"And if you stop being sarcastic, I could probably understand you –"
"Percy!"
"And maybe – what?" Thalia couldn't help but laugh, but she quickly cleared her throat.
"I get what you're saying," she began. "But I think we should just forget about it."
"Let's just talk," he pleaded. "Can we talk Wednesday?" A very small part of her really did want to talk, but she thought it would just be safer not to. She was curious herself why she had kissed back, but she would figure that out by herself. Talking just wasn't her thing.
"I can't, I'm busy."
"Doing what?"
"Babysitting you." Percy scoffed.
"You almost got me…. Almost."
"Sure Percy, whatever you say."
Hello guys! Sorry I took so long! Thanks for the reviews :) I hope this chapter came out well. Let me know what you think! Hope you enjoyed :)
Disclaimer: I do not own the lyrics. Credit goes to Angel Without Wings by Saving Abel.
P.S.
So, I'm planning on writing a new story, but I would like to collaborate with someone. It would be about Percy Jackson, of course. So, if you'd like to help, let me know! Thanks.
