chapter nine: almost like purgatory
The next morning, Percy cycles over to Piper's house and slides into the backseat of Tristan McLean's car. It's a thing of beauty—all sleek, shimmering surfaces and dark leather seats that feel smoother than glass beneath Percy's hands.
Piper leans around from the shotgun seat, grinning. "You alright?"
He manages to mirror her smile, trying to push down the sickly, unexplainable guilt that rises in his stomach like bile. He feels like a pretender. "Yeah, fine."
Tristan's assistant, Lacy, places a hand on the wheel. She glances up into the rear view mirror, raising a brow. "Seatbelt, please."
Once they've picked up the others, they settle in for a long drive. The boutique Tristan's booked them in at is a few towns over, so it'll take about forty-five minutes to get there. Annabeth and Leo spend almost the entire drive fighting over the radio, which almost ends with a casualty when Annabeth lunges forward to change the station and narrowly avoids socking Leo in the eye, hitting his jaw instead. He groans, clutching it. "Wow, Annie. That was one hell of a punch."
Annabeth grins, entirely unapologetic. "Thank you."
Percy, meanwhile, spends most of the journey obliterating Piper at I-Spy. As they pull up outside the boutique, Piper rattles off, "Shoes. Socks. Uh, skin."
"Wanna give up?" Percy teases.
"Ugh, fine. This game is beneath me anyway."
"Shoelaces."
Piper curses. "Mother—"
Lacy clears her throat. "We're here."
The four of them climb out of the car. As they follow Lacy through the boutique's revolving doors, Percy's breath leaves his lungs. Within, rows upon rows of crisp suits and shimmering dresses are hung up. The boutique is decorated in a vintage style—analog clocks and ornate mirrors line the walls, making Percy feel like he's stepped into an old noir movie. Anxiety begins to ripple through him as that feeling of un-belonging once again washes over him. He shares an apprehensive glance with Leo, who looks just as overwhelmed. Leo mouths what the hell? at him. Percy relinquishes a grin. Somehow, it calms his nerves to know he's not the only one who feels like this.
A man appears from behind a rack. His hair is dyed a shocking cobalt blue and half-shaved, which couldn't have been more out of place in the setting if he'd tried. Flashing them a winning smile, he rolls up his white sleeves. The name-tag tidily sewn onto his shirt reads Matt. "Hi, there," he says, accent crisply British. "What can I do for you?"
Lacy gives him a smile. "We're booked in under the name McLean."
"Lovely." He turns, ushering them into the boutique. "Follow me, everyone."
Matt leads Percy and Leo through a door to the gentleman's fitting rooms, handing the girls off to a different assistant. They follow Matt into a waiting room, wide-eyed. "Sit here, please," he tells them, gesturing to a velvet chaise. "I'll be just a moment." He disappears off, leaving Percy and Leo to their own devices.
"Do you know what kind of suit you're gonna ask for?" Leo asks, collapsing on the chaise without hesitation.
Shaking his head, Percy sits down slightly more delicately. "I don't know," he answers. "I guess I'll just trust the guy's opinion." He adds, "I mean, he is a tailor."
"I think I want a blue suit," Leo muses. Then, excitedly, "Actually, maybe a red one?"
Percy can only nod. He looks around the room, gaze catching on the over-filled haberdashery on the other side. "Do you think—" he starts, but cuts himself off as Matt walks back in.
"Right, who'd like to go first?" he asks.
Leo glances at Percy. Percy shrugs with indifference. "Don't mind."
"I'll go, then," Leo decides. He stands up and follows Matt through a dark, shining curtain that hangs over a doorway with the sign Main Fitting Room. Suddenly alone with his thoughts, Percy heaves a sigh. Absently, he wishes Annabeth was here—just so he'd have someone to talk to.
About half an hour lapses. Percy's beginning to consider taking a nap on the chaise, but thankfully he doesn't have to as Leo and Matt reappear a few moments later.
Leo's grinning, looking victorious. "That was so cool," he tells Percy. "I felt like some sort of Victorian noble."
Matt smiles. "Well, I'm glad we found a suit for you. Percy, you ready?"
A little dumbfounded at being addressed by name, Percy only manages a shaky upward jerk of his head. Steeling himself, he gets up. "Yeah."
"So, have you thought about what style you might be interested in?" Matt asks as he sorts through a box of tape measures.
"Not really," Percy admits. "I've got no idea what looks good."
"Well, I've got some ideas," Matt interjects, smiling warmly. "A structured silhouette rather than a fitted one. Single-breasted, certainly. And how do you feel about ties…?"
Matt curates a few suits for Percy to try on, building on Percy's somewhat vague comments to find the styles Percy likes. It takes a while, but soon enough Percy is standing in front of the floor-length, ornate mirror wearing a structured, jet-black suit with a matching black shirt. It clings to him, complimenting everything from the planes of his shoulders to the way he holds himself. Only the sleeves are a little long, but Matt tells Percy that he'll fix that in alterations. Around his neck, Matt fastens a dark, emerald green tie. Its material half-shimmers in the dim light. He grins. "What do you think?"
Percy's throat is dry. The reflection in the mirror lifts their arms to straighten their lapels, then brushes a fingertip against their tie with some kind of reverence. He doesn't know who they are, but they're someone he wants to be. They're powerful, high-status, everything Percy knows he's not. Slowly, he breathes out. He doesn't mean the exhalation to be an admission, but it is. "I like it," he says, slowly, like this new universe will melt away if he's not careful. "I look…"
"Magnificent," Matt finishes. "This is the one, I think. Yeah?"
Percy nods. "Yeah."
Once he's changed back into his usual clothes, Matt lets him know that the suit will be ready for collection in a week. "Suits can feel amazing. Incredible, even," he tells Percy. "But remember that the suit is made for you. You're not the one that's made for the suit." He pauses, then smiles. "So there's no need to look at your reflection like you're scared of it."
Two weeks later, the day of The Shallows premiere dawns. After a long flight across the country and two taxi rides, they're only two blocks away from the ArcLight—the theatre wherein The Shallows is premiering. From this distance, Percy can already hear the roar of paparazzi. He pulls the sleeves of his suit over his knuckles, trying to quell the nerves threatening to take hold of his breathing.
Leo prods Percy. "Alright?" he asks. He's bouncing up and down in the seat beside Percy, the excitement in the air making him even more fidgety than usual. In the crimson suit he and Matt chose, Leo looks somehow nothing and everything like himself.
Percy nods, exhaling. "Yeah. I'll be fine when we're there."
"Of course you will," Piper tells him with a smile, glancing back from the shotgun seat. She's wearing a shimmering, gold slip-dress with a cowl neck. She looks comfortable and stunning, every inch a movie star's daughter. Percy sees now that she's made for this life.
Tristan meets Percy's eyes in the rearview mirror, mouth tugging into a smile. "Just smile and keep your back straight," he advises Percy. "Nothing can hurt you out there. You're invincible." Leo laughs, but Percy knows Tristan isn't kidding.
Beside him, Annabeth gives Percy a gentle nudge. "Stop worrying so much," she says. "It's gonna be fun." With her bangs framing her face in styled ringlets and clad in a silky, lilac dress, she's breathtaking.
Percy laughs, tearing his gaze away from her freckled shoulders. "I know it'll be fun. Sorry," he mumbles, "I didn't mean to bring the mood down."
Annabeth rolls her eyes. "Don't apologise." Suddenly, she sits upright in her seat and bursts into an excited grin. "Look, there's the theatre!" Ahead, a crowd is gathered outside the ArcLight. The entire affair is a light show of dazzling camera flashes as the paparazzi all clamour for the perfect shot. Percy realises his hands are shaking. He closes his eyes for a moment, repeating Tristan's words silently to himself again and again and again. Nothing can hurt you. Nothing can hurt you. Nothing can hurt you.
As Tristan parks at the entrance to the red carpet, security form a ring around their car. The car doors are opened for them by the staff, and Percy mumbles a word of thanks as he steps out. The crowd screams as Tristan sets off down the carpet, shoulders square and smile winning. As he raises a hand in greeting, some form of hysteria ripples over his audience.
Piper and Leo have set off, already deep in conversation with one of the staff. Percy still hasn't moved. Smoothing out his lapels with trembling hands, Percy tries to remember the reflection he saw in the mirror. The boy who was powerful. The boy who was invulnerable.
"Percy, are you okay?" Annabeth asks from beside him. The red carpet stretches out before them like a river of velvet, beckoning them forward.
"I think so," Percy breathes.
"Good," she says with a smile. "You ready, then?" She offers him her arm.
After a moment of hesitation, he slips his own through it. "Yeah." Using Annabeth's warmth and steadiness as an anchor, he lifts his chin and summons a smile. With that, they begin to walk.
The Shallows is incredible. It's a beautiful mess of violence and blood and romance; Percy's heart rate soars as he watches it, eyes glued to the silver screen. Percy's enchanted by the slow, gut-wrenching descent into madness that Tristan McLean's character endures and by the end of the movie, Percy feels like he's been re-forged in a crucible. The whole audience rises to their feet for a thundering standing ovation and Percy claps louder than any of them. He didn't know it was possible to be so affected by something that's nothing but a well-edited work of fiction.
"That was insane," Leo tells Percy as they clap.
He nods, breathless and smiling, smiling, smiling.
Afterwards, the four of them pile back into the car, still swept up on a wave of elation. "Piper, thank you so much," Annabeth bursts out, throwing her arms around Piper. "That was the most amazing gift ever. Seriously."
Piper rolls her eyes, but she hugs Annabeth back. "It wouldn't have been any fun without you guys," she admits.
"That was probably one of the best nights of my life," Percy sighs, collapsing back on his seat.
Leo shakes his head in stunned disbelief. "Craziest movie I've ever seen."
Tristan's assistant, Lacy, glances back from the driver's seat with a warm smile. She'd be the one supervising them until they got back as Tristan's staying in Hollywood for various cast parties over the next couple of days. "Well, I'm glad you kids had a good time. We've got a long drive to the airport ahead of us, though. Seatbelts on, please."
For a while, they keep loudly laughing and discussing the movie as they drive through the darkness. Soon enough, though, their exhilaration fades away into blissful contentment. Percy's the last one to be left awake. He stares out at the highway's soft, floating lights as the first few dredges of rain begin to fall and trickle down the car window. Beside him, Annabeth's inaudible breathing keeps making a strand of blonde hair flutter up and down, caught by each soft exhalation.
It's not long before sleep seizes him, too.
Every year, Percy's school sends their students on a history trip to a country relevant to their studies. This year, it's Athens. Talk of it is rife in their air as everyone in his year slowly becomes infected by the hysterical sort of excitement that comes with the impending adventure of leaving your home for a week to go to a different continent.
Even Piper, Annabeth and Leo are swept up in the haze of it; all they can talk about is what they're going to pack, who they want to be in a dorm with, what music they need to download for the long-haul flight, etc. It's all very tiring—because Percy's not going.
At least, he doesn't think it's possible. There's no way in hell Gabe would sign the permission forms and Percy could never fund the $900 trip by himself, especially now that Gabe's found his savings jar. Listening to his friends talk about it is the most painful thing in the world. He thought that maybe Leo wouldn't go, at least, but Jeanne's managed to pool some money together for him.
It's all completely shit. Percy wants to go so badly that sometimes his chest aches with it. With a last push of determination, he resolves to ask his tutor the next day before class starts. As one of the staff listed to supervise the trip, he hopes she'll have some answers.
He approaches Mrs Abdullah's desk the next morning and waits by it, trying not to fidget. She glances up from her computer. "Ah, Percy! How can I help you?"
Bunching his knuckles in the sleeves of his sweatshirt, he hesitates. "Uh, hi. It's about the Athens trip?"
She nods politely. "Yes. What about it?"
His eyes flicker to the window, then flit back to her scrutinising gaze. "Well, I really want to go," he mumbles. "But it's too expensive. I don't know what to do."
At that, Mrs Abdullah's expression softens. "I see. Well, I can definitely do a little digging for you." She pauses. "You're a bursary student, right?"
Percy nods. "Yeah."
Mrs Abdullah hums. "Then you'll be eligible for the school to pay a significant portion of the price. The total should only come to about a hundred dollars."
A hundred dollars. It's better than Percy could've anticipated. Money might be tight for a while, but he knows it'll be worth it. "Thanks, ma'am," he grins.
She smiles. "No problem, Percy. Now, go sit down—the bell's about to go."
Over the next week, Percy waits for the best time to ask Gabe about the trip. If he's in a bitter mood, the question would receive a harsh No at best and a physical reply at worst. He waits until Friday night, when Gabe returns home in good spirits after an evening of drinking with his work friends. Percy tells him that the school are paying for all of it and that he won't have to lift a finger. Gabe's reaction is a relief to Percy; he seems to enjoy the idea of not having to deal with his stepson for a few days and signs the form gladly.
Percy clutches it with white knuckles once it's handed back to him, stupidly terrified that it'll be snatched away again.
It's the start of April and the Athens trip has finally, impossibly, arrived. Everyone that's going on the trip is waiting outside boarding in Norfolk International Airport. An air of excitement, of anticipation ripples amongst them all. Their plane's been delayed by a few hours but it does nothing to dampen their mood; the sheer exhilaration of the wait is too intoxicating.
"How long do you reckon it'll be now?" Leo asks Percy, a slightly unhinged grin on his face. Worryingly, he's holding a fourth cup of coffee—and caffeine paired with his hyperactivity is always a devastating combination.
Percy glances up at the departure board hanging above them. All the bright orange text reveals is that their flight is delayed. He shrugs. "Not sure. Mrs Abdullah said it'd probably be at least an hour."
Leo nods, taking another gulp of his coffee. He makes a face. "God, I hate coffee."
"Want me to cut you off if you go for another one?"
"Yes. Definitely."
Leo casts his gaze across the lobby. "I wonder who we'll be in a dorm with." They'll both be in a dorm together as they put each other's names down when asked to pick a friend, but whoever they're placed with will be random.
Without warning, someone behind him lays a hand on Percy's shoulder. He flinches away with his entire body as fear sizzles through his nerve endings.
"Hey, it's just me!"
He spins. When his eyes lock on Annabeth's concerned face, he relaxes. "Sorry. You startled me, is all."
She half-smiles, and suddenly everything is alright with the world. "Here, I brought you a croissant. The staff are handing them out." She offers him the croissant. It's wrapped in a navy-blue napkin.
Grateful, Percy takes it. "Thanks. Oh, where's Pipes?"
"She went to the restroom." Noticing the coffee in Leo's hand, Annabeth raises a brow. He's started bouncing on the balls of his feet and humming along to a song playing in his earphones, which is only slightly distracting. "Why'd you let him buy another coffee?" she sighs.
"What? He's not my responsibility."
"Yeah, he is," she rebukes.
Leo takes out an earphone. "What?"
Percy and Annabeth share a glance, then burst into laughter. "Nothing. Don't worry," Annabeth reassures him. "What seat number do you guys have, by the way? I've got 36A."
Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out his crumpled ticket. "Um…35A."
Her face lights up. In excitement, she throws her arms around him. "You're in the seat behind me!"
He smiles. "You'll have to give me some of your Pringles, then."
"Oh, I definitely will. Helen packed me way too much food for one flight."
"To be fair, it is thirteen hours," Leo says. "Can I have some Pringles, too?"
She folds her arms. "What seat are you in?"
"21B."
She grins. "Sorry, that's too far! It's not safe to stand up during a flight."
"Screw you," Leo mutters.
An hour and a half later, their plane is ready for boarding. Mrs Abdullah and the rest of the staff guide their whole year onto the plane. When Percy collapses into his seat, he lets out a slow, steady breath. He has the window seat, which seems like more of a curse than a blessing—being able to look out them will probably only make him more panicked. He hates flying.
The plane starts moving along the runway, causing the chatter of Percy's classmates around him to become even more frenzied. Percy stares forward and focuses on trying to steady his breathing.
"We're gonna die, aren't we?" mumbles Rose, the girl who's sitting beside him. She seems even more terrified than Percy is.
"Probably," he answers.
"What do you think the chances are of surviving if we crash?"
He swallows. "Pretty low, I think."
"God, you two are such wimps," crows Karim, who's sitting on the other side of Rose. "You do realise the chance of a plane crashing is only one in five million?"
Rose narrows her eyes at him. "Wow, thanks." Her voice drips with sarcasm. "I feel so much safer."
Being that one in five million sounds exactly like Percy's luck, if he's honest. Furtively, he risks a glance out the window. The plane's speeding up, but they're not airborne yet. "Annabeth?" he calls. When she doesn't answer, he lightly kicks the back of her seat.
A second later, Annabeth's freckled face peeks around the side of her seat. Instantly, Percy feels a little calmer. "You okay?" she asks. Her words are muffled around the strawberry lace in her mouth.
Percy nods—a messy jerk of his head. "I'm scared."
Annabeth gives him a warm smile. "I can't help with that, but do you want a strawberry lace?"
"Yeah, okay," he answers. When she holds out the packet, he murmurs a word of thanks and reaches out to take one. Before he can, however, the plane shudders and lifts off from the ground. There's general commotion from the rest of his classmates as they soar upwards, but Percy can't think or move or breathe. Utter terror seizes him and even though it's been almost a decade since Percy last prayed, he thinks for a delirious moment that his life is in God's hands now.
"Percy?" prods a familiar voice. He returns to his terrifying reality and locks onto Annabeth's quietly constant grey eyes. She offers him the strawberry laces again, and he realises he forgot to take one.
He laughs, a strange sound. "Thanks," he says, accepting one. As they ascend up and up into the clouds, the sweet taste of it on his tongue is the only thing he knows.
The rest of the flight feels almost like purgatory. Annabeth talks loudly and obnoxiously to Percy in an effort to distract him, and when the lights dim to allow the plane's passengers to sleep, she talks quietly and softly to him. The pit of anxiety in his stomach slowly begins to lessen. He's not sure what he'd do if not for Annabeth.
The two of them are awake long after most people have gone to sleep. For Annabeth, this is due to her insomnia; for Percy, it's due to his fear. To combat these things, Annabeth passes back one of her earphones to Percy. "Do you want to listen to music with me?" she whispers.
He nods. The earphone lead barely stretches back to Percy, but he doesn't mind. He casts his gaze out the window. Right now, they're sailing high above the ocean. If Percy looks down, he can watch the black, metallic waves of the Atlantic at night shifting and roiling far below the plane. Silver flecks ripple on its surface, reflecting the unquiet stars. It's terrifying to think about how far away he is from Virginia. After a lifetime of never leaving his town, he's somehow found himself thousands of miles away from it.
With one of Annabeth's strange, melodic songs playing in his ear, he closes his eyes and wishes for a dreamless sleep.
and they're off to Athens! percabeth listening to music together is just :,) let me know what you thought!
speaking of music, I made a playlist for this fic last night. it's very all over the place but I think you'll like it! here's the link, you'll need to take all the spaces out and remove the first four dots! I know it's annoying but FFN won't let me link the playlist otherwise:
h . t . t . p . s : / / open. spotify playlist / 1TbiwaeLDwS7u7sHtBfevu