What's up ma peeps! Lol I'm so weird and awkward. Anyway, I'm super excited to write this chapter, I've had the idea for it (or at least the second half) for weeks - ever since I started the story. The song used in this chapter is 'Must Have Been The Wind' by Alec Benjamin. Thank you dodoking666 for the suggestion! (I'm also slightly obsessed with the song now and have listened to it at least six times in the last 24 hours.) There is (non-graphic) reference to domestic abuse in this chapter, so I figured I should just put a little warning here in case that's a trigger for anyone. I hope you all like the chappie, let's do this! Also, who thinks Piper is going to win the bet? Or has she lost ten dollars?
Annabeth's POV
"Yo Annabeth! Wake up!" Piper whispered, shaking my shoulder.
"Go away, I'm sleeping." I ignored her and snuggled back into my beanbag, relishing in the warmth.
"Okay...but you should know that you're sleeping on Percy."
"What?" My eyes snapped open and I realised she was right - the warm beanbag was Percy's chest. I sat up, slightly too fast, because it caused Percy to stir in his sleep.
"Well that was entertaining, but you have work to go to."
"Oh shit, right." I stood up, and went to my room to get dressed.
"Hey Percy." I knelt on the ground next to Percy's beanbag and tapped his arm.
"Hm?" He groggily opened his eyes and sat up. His hair was perfectly messed up and his beautiful sea green eyes were as bright as ever.
"Sorry to wake you up, but I'm going to work, do you wanna come with me?"
"Um yeah. Yeah, of course." He stood up, then held out his hand to help me up too. I gladly accepted it, enjoying the touch of his calloused fingers. "Shall we go?"
"Yes we shall." I grabbed my bag and walked out the door, waiting for Percy before walking down the hallway.
I unlocked the coffee shop door and went in, dumping my coat on the counter, before walking to the coffee machine. "Since you're going to work here now, do you want me to show you how to use the coffee maker?" I asked, turning to Percy.
"Sure." He stood up from the chair that he had sat down in, and walked behind the counter. "So how do I do this?"
I gave him a lengthy (and possibly over detailed) explanation of how to use it, while making myself a coffee in the process. "Now you try."
"Okay..." Slowly, he made a hot chocolate, looking very nervous while he did it. Cautiously, he took a sip. "I did it!" He smiled, looking like a proud kid who had just successfully written his name for the first time.
"Congrats! Come on, let's go bake. You can show me how to make brownies." I said, walking to the back of the cafe.
"Awesome! Can we make them blue?"
"No."
"What, why not?" He pouted, and I resisted the urge to laugh at the cute expression on his face.
"Well Percy, you may like blue food, but not everyone likes food colouring."
"Fine." He whined, upset.
"Here Silena." I handed Piper's sister her coffee, before the timer on my phone went off. "Percy that's for the brownies, can you go take them out of the oven?" I asked the dark-haired boy. I still had another customer to serve, so I couldn't get them myself.
"Yup." He jumped off the counter from where he was sitting, and disappeared into the back of the shop. I served the customer, and Percy came back holding a the tray of brownies. "Tadaa!"
"They smell amazing!" He set them down on the counter and I grabbed one, before taking a bite. "And they taste great too!"
"Oh yeah?" He plucked the brownie right out of my hand and bit into it. "They are good."
"Hey that's mine! Give it back!"
"Make me!" He yelled, then ran off, laughing maniacally.
"I will!" I ran after him, chasing him around the coffee shop. Luckily, the only customers in the cafe were Silena and Beckendorf, and they didn't spare us a second glance, too captivated by each other. We ended up back behind the counter, where I managed to tackle him. I landed on top of him, my face a centimetre away from his. "Give me back my brownie."
"No." Most of the brownie had been lost in the chase, but Percy shoved the tiny bit that was left in his mouth. "It's my brownie now."
I pinned both of his arms down, smiling evily. "You're going to pay for that."
"Oh really?"
"Yes really."
"What are you gonna do?"
"I'm gonna-"
"Hey guuuuys... Whatcha doing?" Thalia appeared, leaning over the counter.
"Thalia!" I scrambled to my feet, my face turning as red as a tomato. "What are you doing here?!"
"Well Annabeth, I was on my home, and I decided to stop for coffee. But you guys seem to be a bit busy." She said, looking down at the startled Percy who was still on the floor. "You alright there Perce?"
"I'm just great cuz." He said sarcastically, getting to his feet. "What do you want to drink?"
"I'll have an iced latte."
"It's November."
"So?"
"Fine, you weirdo." I took the money from Thalia as Percy made her drink, already getting the hang of the coffee maker. He gave her her drink, and she went to sit down, keeping half an eye on me and Percy.
A few hours later, I was at home, in my bed, watching random YouTube videos on my laptop. I was still thinking about the weird moment with Percy earlier. What was I even gonna say? I'm gonna...what? Ugh! I put my head in my hands, before my phone chimed with a text.
Seaweed Brain
Hey
Are you free?
Can you come by the swimming pool?
I wanna talk to you about something
Did we not talk this morning? Couldn't he have asked me about whatever this is earlier? Not that I'm complaining or anything, I'll quite happily go and talk to him.
Annabeth
Sure
What time?
Seaweed Brain
Just as soon as you can
Annabeth
Ok
See you soon
Seaweed Brain
See you
What does he need to talk to me about? And why so urgent? I put my phone in my pocket and got up, grabbing my coat from it's place on my floor. "Piper I'm going out." I told her, as I passed the sofa where she was sitting.
"Where you going?"
"The swimming pool - Percy wants to talk to me about something."
"About what?"
"Don't know. Bye." I closed the door behind me and started walking to the pool.
I got to the pool and went in, looking for Percy. I spotted him in the pool, swimming lengths. I watched him for a while, standing at the end of his lane. He swam up to me, and surfaced by the wall of the pool, his wet skin glistening under the LED lights.
"Hey Percy." He looked up, surprised. He hadn't seen me yet.
"Annabeth!" His face broke out in a grin and he climbed out of the pool, water dripping off of him. "Hi!"
"What did you want to talk to me about?" I asked, glancing at his very, very toned abs. God he's hot.
"You're coming to my house for Thanksgiving." He stated, running a hand through his hair.
"What?"
"You're coming to mine for Thanksgiving, I asked my mum already, she's super excited about it." He smiled, and my heart performed a little dance routine in my chest. At my lack of a response, he started to get nervous. "Unless you don't want to, I-"
"No I'd be happy to come!" I smiled, "That'll be much more fun than my Thanksgiving plans."
"Great! I'll tell my mum."
"Cool."
"I should probably...get back to..." He gestured to the pool, seemingly not able to find the right words.
"Oh right! Yeah of course." He turned around, about to get back in the pool, when something caught my eye and I gasped. "Percy!"
He snapped his neck around, concerned. "What? What's wrong?"
"Um nothing, it's just-" I glanced down at the scar that I had noticed. It was an ugly white scar that was about ten centimetres long on the small of his back. He followed my gaze and a look of realisation crossed his face.
"Oh. That." He didn't meet my eyes. "I'll explain, just, let me get dressed - I'll meet you outside."
"Okay, I'll see you in a sec."
"Yeah." He looked down at the ground, then started to walk in the direction of the showers.
Percy's POV
I saw Annabeth standing by the door to the pool, patiently waiting for me. "Percy!" She said, when she saw me coming towards her.
"Come on." I led her to my car, she got in without hesitation, and we drove back to my place in silence. Why was I so stupid? I shouldn't have told her to come to the pool - of course she was gonna see the stupid, stupid scar. And now she's going to figure out that I lied to her. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! I mentally slapped myself, I'm such an idiot.
"Percy why-" She started to ask as we got out of the car, but I cut her off.
"I'll tell you everything in a minute, just follow me." We walked up the stairs to my apartment, and awkward tension in the air. "Jason? Nico?" I called as I opened the door. No response. Good. I dumped my bag on the floor and grabbed my guitar from where I had left it leaning against the wall.
"You don't ha-"
"Please just...sit, and listen." I told her, so she sat down on the sofa. I sat on the coffee table in front of her, our knees touching. I gently plucked the strings of my guitar, checking it was in tune. It was, so I started to play a song that I had sung countless times before.
I heard a glass shatter on the wall in the apartment above mine
At first I thought that I was dreamin'
But then I heard the voice of a girl
And it sounded like she'd been cryin'
Now I'm too worried to be sleepin'
So I took the elevator to the second floor
Walked down the hall and then I knocked upon her door
She opened up and I asked about the things I've been hearing
She said, "I think your ears are playing tricks on you"
Sweater zipped up to her chin
"Thanks for caring, sir, that's nice of you
But I have to go back in
Wish I could tell you about the noise
But I didn't hear a thing"
She said, "It must have been the wind, must have been the wind
Must have been the wind, it must have been the wind"
She said, "It must have been the wind, must have been the wind
Must have been the wind, it must have been the wind"
So I was layin' on the floor of my room
Cold concrete on my back
No, I just couldn't shake the feeling
I didn't want to intrude 'cause I knew that I didn't have all the facts
But I couldn't bear the thought of leavin' her
So I took the elevator to the second floor
Walked down the hall and then I knocked upon her door
She opened up and I asked about the things I've been hearing
She said, "I think your ears are playing tricks on you"
Sweater zipped up to her chin
"Thanks for caring, sir, that's nice of you
But I have to go back in
Wish I could tell you about the noise
But I didn't hear a thing"
She said, "It must have been the wind, must have been the wind
Must have been the wind, it must have been the wind"
She said, "It must have been the wind, must have been the wind
Must have been the wind, it must have been the wind"
Aim my boombox at the roof, I'm playing "Lean on Me"
Just so that she knows that she can lean on me
And when she hears the words, I hope she knows she'll be okay
Aim my boombox at the roof, I'm playing "Lean on Me"
Just so that she knows that she can lean on me
And when she hears the words, I know exactly what I'll say
Promise I'm not playing tricks on you
You're always welcome to come in
You could stay here for an hour or two
If you ever need a friend
We can talk about the noise, when you're ready, but 'til then
I'll say, "It must have been the wind, must have been the wind
Must have been the wind, it must have been the wind"
I'll say, "It must have been the wind, must have been the wind
Must have been the wind, it must have been the wind"
I couldn't bring myself to look up at Annabeth, instead choosing to stare down at the words on my guitar 'Brace Yourself'. Thanks a lot Dad. The one piece of advice you left me with, and it was pretty much useless. How could I? How could I have prepared for any of this? How could I have prepared myself for Gabe? For Annabeth even? How could I have known any of this would happen? And now, I'm sitting here, across from a beautiful girl who I like so, so, much, but how could she ever like me? I'm just an idiot who couldn't stop his mum from getting hurt.
"Percy." She whispered my name, but I didn't look up. She took my guitar from me and placed it on the floor, before moving over to sit next to me, hugging my arm, and laying her head on my shoulder. "If you want to talk, I'm here. If you don't, that's okay." How does this woman exist? She's too perfect for this world. Too perfect for me.
Ten minutes passed, and neither of us said a word. I just rested my head atop hers, and treasured her company. A tear rolled down my face, and dropped onto her hair, but she didn't move, she continued to hug me in silence. I took a deep breath and moved away from her, wiping the water off of my face with the sleeve of my hoodie.
"Okay...I'm ready to talk."
"Are you sure?" She looked up at me, her usually strong storm grey eyes soft and comforting.
"Yes." I nodded, I want to tell her. "You remember that stepfather I told you about?" She nodded, so I kept going. "My mum married him when I was 9 years old. At first, he seemed like a really nice guy, he took care of my mum, and I could tell she was happy when she was around him. But...he started to change. He was drunk all the time, spent any money my mum earned, and constantly had 'the guys' come over to play poker. I'm not sure when it began, my mum never told me, but he started to hit her."
"That was what the nightmare was about." She stated, looking at me with so much concern, it made me like her even more.
"Yeah, it was."
"You could have told me."
"I know and I was going to...but I didn't really want to think about it any more than I had to." She surprised me by taking my hand, and I continued the story. "So, my mum shipped me to boarding school upon boarding school, I never stayed anywhere longer than I year, and I didn't have many friends because of it. I only had Jason, because his dad payed for the schools, and always sent Jason to the same one as me. When I was eleven, I came home for Christmas, I can't remember what I did to anger him, but that was the first time Gabe hit me. Then, the following summer, I came home again, and Gabe hit me again. My mum was scared for my safety, so she sent me to a summer camp with Nico and Jason, that's also where I met Grover. When I got back from the camp, Gabe was as drunk and useless as ever. I got mad, and so did he." I turned around and pulled my shirt up so Annabeth could see my scar. "In the middle of the argument, he threw a bottle at my back."
"Oh Percy." She whispered, as she gingerly touched the scar. The pressure of her fingers sent tingles up my spine, and I felt like I had been shot with a taser.
"I had to be taken to hospital, and when the doctors asked my mum what had happened, she told them. The worst I had ever gotten from Gabe before that was only a few bruises, but when I got seriously hurt, my mum gave in. She told the doctors everything, and then they had her tell the police everything. Gabe was arrested, and we were free of him. I started going to school in New York, after a few years my mum remarried, and we were happy."
I paused, but Annabeth looked suspicious. "Why does that not sound like the end of the story?"
"Because it's not." I sighed, after years of trying to push these memories down, I was suddenly thinking of them all at once, and it hurt. It really, really hurt to remember everything because, no matter how much I tried to ignore it, I was still the scared little ten year old who wished that he had never let his mum marry that horrible man.
"You don't have to tell me the rest if you don't want to." Annabeth said when I didn't start talking again.
I took a deep breath, and kept going. "One day, I got a letter. Gabe was still in jail, but somehow he had gotten our new address. He said that I had to get him 1000 dollars, or he was going to send someone to hurt my mum. She was 8 months pregnant at the time, and I didn't want to stress her out, so I didn't tell her. I just ignored the letter, what was Gabe gonna do? Then, a week later, I got a text. It was a picture of my mum and my stepdad, Paul, shopping for baby clothes. This time, I took the threat seriously. The only problem was, I had no idea how I was going to get the money. I was trying to figure out how to get it, when Paul walks into my room. I tried to hide the letter, but it was no use. It had been lying on my desk and he saw it as soon as he came in. He showed the letter to my mum, made me tell them everything that had happened, and then reported it to the police. Gabe was transferred to a different prison, had a few more years added onto his sentence, and that was the last we heard from him. But I was still terrified, so, when the opportunity came up, I went to college in San Fransisco. The only problem was, I was completely miserable. I barely saw my family, all my friends were at different colleges, and I was lonely. My mum could tell I was miserable at New Rome University, so after a lot of persuasion, she finally convinced me to transfer here."
"And that's why you write songs, because of him?" She asked, putting the pieces together.
"That's why I write songs, that's why my mum wrote those books. I did tell you they were an escape." I laughed, but there was no humor in it. "They were my own personal therapy, I got emotional about something, I channeled it into a song. It was the only way I managed to cope with life. I was really depressed for a while, and it got so bad that I considered killing myself at one point, but songwriting got me through it."
Annabeth didn't say anything, she just hugged me, and I was grateful for it. "I'm glad you're okay now." She whispered in my ear, and I was so thankful that I had met her. So thankful that I walked into the coffee shop that day, and stuttered when I locked eyes with a pretty girl.
And we are done! I have had this chapter planned out in my head for ever and I'm so glad that I finally got to write it. Also, It's nice and long, so yay me! Thanksgiving may or may not be the next chapter, I'm not actually sure yet, I might write another chapter in between this one and Thanksgiving, but I'll figure it out tomorrow! Hopefully I can keep updating almost every day, but I do have a load of schoolwork due in tomorrow, so we'll see, I might not be able to write a whole chapter. I hope you all liked the chapter and please remember to follow, favourite, and review!
Replies to Reviews:
Krutarth: You're guess was right! And don't worry there will be plenty of embarrassing. (Annabeth might even need her King of Sparta ;-) ). I finally wrote the heart to heart I promised you (yay) and we got some serious Percabeth bonding! (double yay) I'm glad you liked the chapter, hope you liked this one too!
MaddieJackson: No problem! Sorry I didn't use your song for this chapter, but if you've got any more suggestions for songs I'll definitely try to use them. (They should probably be love songs though because I don''t know if I'm gonna need anymore abuse songs.) Hope you liked the chapter!
Yoshi133: Thank you! Sorry, I didn't use your song, but I might be able to use it in another chapter. I love that song, I used to listen to it all the time when it first came out. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
LukeBoy23: Hey Luke, I can only imagine how weird that must be, I'm glad you love the story! Hope you liked this chapter just as much!
Pandas Are Squishy: It might be wishful thinking, or maybe Piper is always right like she says.
Potatoqueensnow: She'll be happy to hear that!
dodoking666: Thank you so much for your song suggestions, you have now got me hooked on Alec Benjamin!
SeaMaster: I'm very sorry, just be glad I didn't leave another cliffhanger in this chapter, I was very tempted to stop it at 'Okay...I'm ready to talk.' But I'm sure you're glad I didn't. Thanks for the song suggestion, sorry I didn't use it, but I might be able to in one of the future chapters.
DaughterofBlueFood: Thank you! I hope you liked what Percy's plan was.
TheLonelyViolist: Thank you! Don't worry about the short review, I hope you got enough sleep!
NoAccount: Yes someone could most definitely try to abuse it, and maybe they will... Or maybe they won't - I don't even know yet. Thank you so much! I'm glad you love the story. I'm not sure if it really is a Christmas movie, but Santa's in it, there's snow, and it came out right at the end of November, so Imma count it as one. (Plus, for some reason, it was the first thing that popped into my head.) Thanks for the song suggestions, hopefully I can use them in another chapter.
SuperPotatoMan: Hope this was soon enough!