✞ Chapter Two: Train Ride ✞
"You sure you're ready?" A middle-aged woman wearing a starry blue skirt and a red-and-white striped blouse with the words, 'Sweet on America' stitched onto her blue apron teased the hemming of her front pocket, scanning the baggage that her son hefted.
Tears brimming her glacier-blue eyes, Sally Jackson tucked a lock of raven hair behind her son's ear, caressing his tanned cheek as she did so. The junior pulled away from his mother's touch, watching as she smiled ruefully as the clamored voices approached.
Before they knew it, the train station of Manhattan filled to its peak, New Yorkers waiting for the next train to arrive. "Please, please be safe."
Smirking, the adonis shifted the strap of his duffel bag, leaning against a brick column as he clenched his chiseled jaw. "It's not like it's the first time I'm leaving for Maine - or Gabe's house." His vibrant green eyes fluttered into something deadened, watching as bypassers glanced in his direction.
"Just like when you were fourteen, right?" Pursing her lips, Sally nodded, unaware of the morbidity lingering in her son's averted gaze. "I'm sure he misses you," the mother idly remarked, straining for the sound of the distant train over the voices.
"I'm sure he does," the sixteen-year-old distastefully muttered out, the tone unbeknown to his mother as he kicked a pebble from the ground. "I'm sure he does."
Swallowing, Sally turned toward the adonis, eyes vibrant as she bolstered a smile, "You'll be joining the swim team, right?" Nodding, the teenager continued to clench his jaw, surveying the terminal for the train, "Just no funny-business like Westover Hall."
Nudging his arm, Sally stared sternly at the junior, "Seriously, I don't want to have to get a call from Goode saying you for fighting or back-talking, or anything else."
Looking towards a group of thug-looking teenagers smoking feet away, the mother inched closer to her kindred. "And in any case, I'm sure no one will remember you from Westover, they're quite the distance apart." That's not reassuring.
Looking rueful, the teen just nodded, his brow slightly furrowed, the corners of his mouth upturned in irony. God, when I thought I'd be safe in Manhattan, away from Gabe, I get my ass kicked out of Eastside.
Just then, the screeching of the train came, stopping directly in front of the duo. Easing away from the wall, Sally embraced her son, cupping a hand on the nape of his neck as she inclined her head to look at him.
"Make sure to call me every Sunday." Pulling away, the raven-haired teenager flashed a half-hearted, lopsided smirk once more shouldering the duffel bag.
"Love you, Ma."
Pouting, Sally placed a hand on her hip, conspicuously frowning as she watched her son's retreating form, "No alcohol, drugs, or smoking!" His back still faced away from her; the teen saluted before disappearing behind the door.
As much as it could've been the humid air of August, the mother felt something ill-fitted rivulet down her spine. The sun penetrated through the clouds as she watched the conductor take New Yorkers' tickets - her son's included. What's wrong?
Unbeknownst to Mrs. Jackson, it was the same feeling she experienced just two years ago when her son was, once again, shipped off to Goode Highschool.
Now, as the woman watched the train started once more, Sally felt the intimate lurch of her heart as the train began to migrate down the railing.
"Please be safe, Percy, please."
Percy Reuben Jackson was just fourteen when he had moved to Westover Hall, a school in Bar Habor, Maine, designated for troubled teenagers. He'd been dwelling with Gabrial, or Gabe Ugliono, Sally Jackson's former husband, during his stay throughout the summer.
Westover was a military school he'd gone to after being expelled from his previous boarding school. Returning home, Eastside Catholic had been the only school willing to accept the troubled teenager, despite the family's religion.
It was distinctive. The students there were different, the teachers, the faculty, all of it. It oozed of pristine and wealth, something Percy hadn't been used to yet. The majority of the students in his graduating class were ranked highly, taking college-preparatory courses and having an impression of a career ahead of them.
To his peers, Percy was a 'social-experiment' between the wealthy and the 'lesser' with the tuition having lowered to a more plausible amount and additional help in subjects he didn't know as well.
He made friends, relationships, and had even managed a part-time job with mediocre grades.
Naturally, when summer came, the Headmaster had explained to Sally that they wouldn't be able to allow him as a junior with a lowered tuition, leaving Goode Highschool to be the next option.
Despite its immense revere, the Jackson's had been holding off on the preparatory school because of its notable location, Camden, Maine.
However, after a few calls between Gabe and Sally, both had agreed that Goode was the best option for Percy. It offered a free enrollment due to the junior's athletic abilities that qualified for the Olympics. It was a huge convenience as well since Gabe had moved in with his new girlfriend, who lived in the heart of Camden.
I can't live with him. I can't.
"Can I call you tonight?" A bubbly, seductive voice intersected with Percy as he stared out the window, pine trees rolled onto hills racing past his vision. Looking up, he heeded the girl seated in front of him, her sky-blue eyes gazing into him as she leaned against the seat.
"W-what?" It hadn't been the first time a girl this attractive had asked him. But for certainty, she was one of the prettiest girls he'd seen. She wore a faded-orange tank top and cutoff shorts with waves of brunette hair reigning her scalp, slick, tanned skin that glimmered as the sun scattered through the windows.
"Aphrodite," she remarked, still leaning over the seat in front of him, her pearly-white teeth beaming as she smiled elegantly. Her lips tinted pink; Aphrodite carelessly twirled a lock of her hair, still simpering as the highschooler grinned charmingly.
"Percy," he replied regarding her over once more.
Smirking, she smiled vibrantly once more and quirked a brow, "So, do you?" Looking away, Percy noted the meadow that began to blossom outside, pine trees still swaying in the distance, "I don't see why I shouldn't." Giggling, she handed him her number, a heart written beneath it, before she got up. Sitting in the empty seat next to him, Aphrodite sighed and ogled at Percy.
"So, where are you from?" He asked as she continued to gawk, turning his torso to her, "I'm returning to Augusta, I presume you're from New York, with the accent and all?" The junior blushed and nodded, his sea-green eyes flitting between the passing greenery and Aphrodite's enthralling gaze.
"Very alluring, if you ask me," she commented, inching closer to him, enough for Percy to smell mint and vanilla. Chuckling as his back pressed against the train's window, Percy fidgetted under her stare, his heart skyrocketing as she moved closer. Inch by inch.
The hours passed with the lowering of the sun and rising of the moon as their only clock. Few passengers lingered between the sea of leather seats as Percy and Aphrodite talked about school, career plans, and the fleeting scenery beguiling both of their interests.
"So, what school do you go to?" Percy had asked as their eyes began to droop, waiting as Aphrodite stared straight ahead, a delicate smile adorning her graceful features. "Richmond Academy," she murmured, her voice having dipped to a softer tone. "How 'bout you?"
"Goode Highschool." With that, Aphrodite's eyes widened as she stared at Percy with awe, "An athlete?" Clamping a nicely-manicured hand over her mouth, she blushed. "Not to assume, but you don't come off as a scholar." God, that was so blunt, Aphrodite! I shouldn't have assumed it! But it was somewhat obvious.
Quietly snickering, Percy nodded, his eyes trained on the silhouettes of trees, the moon swirling in the haze of clouds as it penetrated through the sky. "Yes," he said, smiling as he did so, "-a swimmer."
Relieved, Aphrodite sat back, briefly closing her eyes before slipping a glance at Percy; his jet-black hair tousled as it differed with his sun-kissed skin, accompanied with features that would make any girl swoon. A chiseled jaw and plump lips, with a button-nose that hunkered adorably on his symmetrical face.
With a slightly parted mouth, Aphrodite could see his small smile as his eyes explored the darkening sky. His eyes. To put it, regardless of one's sexuality, they could make anyone melt. It was one of the first things the sixteen-year-old had noticed about Percy, as they ranged from sea-green to emerald.
That and his lean figure, and when Aphrodite heard him explain he was a swimmer, she wasn't surprised in the slightest. Who would be? With a body like that-
"Its gorgeous, isn't it?" Percy, who had been seemingly asleep, craned his neck to get a better view of the full moon, the hood of his jacket slipping from his head. Is he telepathic? Shi-!
The junior blushed, startled, "Uh, well yeah, I-I mean-" stammering, Aphrodite flashed an embarrassed grin as Percy smirked curiously, his brow knitted before continuing to inspect the dazzling sky. "Yes, most definitely." she sighed, her face heated as she turned away from the fellow junior.
Bringing her legs up to her chest, Aphrodite continued to stare longingly at the teenager beside her, heart thumping against her chest as she buried her face in her scuffed knees. "G'night, Percy." She murmured, her mind reeling as she struggled to find fatigue. When was the last time she felt such emotions for someone?
Months years possibly? It was hard to tell, admittedly with all the relationships; she has had. God, fall asleep, Aphrodite!
You sleep around with just about everyone!
A/N: Ayyye, yes, I just had to make a girl named Aphrodite love-interested in Percy. Thank you for checking this out, hope you enjoyed it!
Song Recommendation: Ivy - Frank Ocean