chapter eleven: a sense of the quotidian

After the Athens trip, Percy clings to the latent feeling of belonging that's arisen from the days he spent there with the others. Being away from home has been a strange but beautiful fever dream, and he knows it never could've lasted. He returns to work, to the early mornings and late nights and gruelling shifts that take up almost every spare second that he's not at school. He makes time for Annabeth, though—he'd hate for her to accuse him of being a stranger again.

Before long, spring melts into summer and Virginia's heat arrives like a tidal wave. The school's AC breaks, and sitting for hours on end in their stuffy classrooms becomes a cruel kind of hell. Percy's sitting in English class, head beginning to ache with the signs of an oncoming migraine. It's got to be over a hundred degrees in Miss Rayner's classroom. He's trying his damnedest to focus on the Macbeth extract they're supposed to be annotating, but it's proving to be impossible. The words float and merge into each other, incomprehensible as a foreign language.

Bored, he lifts his head up and glances across the room to where Annabeth's working, head down in perfect concentration. He wonders how she can form a cohesive thought in this weather, then decides there's no use wondering. Annabeth is a species of her own. He watches as she tucks a nagging curl behind her ear, holding it for a few moments before leaving it. The tips of her freckled ears are flushed, the only indication she's struggling at all in the heat. She spins her pen once, twice around her fingertips.

Percy drags his gaze away, settling it once again on the Shakespeare in front of him. Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him, he reads, then carefully highlights the line in stark neon. She's talking about Duncan, right? The old king. Just as he presses his pen to the paper to add an annotation, the bell goes. Relieved, he sweeps his work into his backpack as Miss Rayner hurriedly reminds everyone of the homework. "It's due next Monday, everyone. Remember, please!"

Annabeth catches up with him as he walks out of the classroom, thumbs slipped under the straps of his backpack. "Hey," she says, bumping her shoulder against his. "How'd you find the extract? We've gotta write an essay on it next week."

He shakes his head, letting out a ragged breath. "All I got from it is that Lady Macbeth's gone insane."

She grins. "That is the gist of the scene, yeah. Don't worry, I'll help you out with it when you come to mine after your shift tonight."

"Thanks," he smiles. "You're singlehandedly saving my grade."

She shrugs. "It's all selfish, really. Just a chance to flaunt my knowledge."

"And the sad thing is you're not even joking," Percy mutters. They walk out of school together, heading into the shade cast by the sycamore tree by the front gates. Leo and Piper are already standing there, arguing animatedly about something. Percy's not concerned; they argue a dozen times a day yet have never fallen out. "Those two have gotta be some sort of scientific fallacy," Percy says to Annabeth. "How do they disagree on everything and still like each other?"

She laughs. "I know—it's insane. You know, Helen called them platonic soulmates one time."

"Pfft. 'Course." As they walk up to Leo and Piper, he calls, "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much," Leo answers. He narrows his eyes at Piper. "Just that Piper thinks Alladin Sane wasn't Bowie's most iconic alter-ego."

Piper rolls her eyes. "Fine, we'll agree to disagree." She turns to Percy and whispers, "Ziggy Stardust was better, right?"

He grins. Percy only knows, like, three Bowie songs. "Sure, Pipes."

The four of them walk up to Annabeth's estate, dragging their feet. "God, it's so hot," Annabeth complains. "It must be illegal to make us sit in school without any AC."

"If it gets hot enough, it will be illegal," Leo tells them. "Jeanne was having a right go over the phone to the elementary school about it this morning—one of the newbies passed out in class yesterday. Their school gave them the whole week off."

"Really?" Piper asks. "Note to self: Use passing out as an excuse to get out of class."

Rolling her eyes, Annabeth says, "You're rubbish at acting. Remember the school play last year?"

Piper nods sorrowfully. "Yeah, I could never be a triple threat."

As they walk up the path to Annabeth's estate, a fluffy, golden ball leaps out of the front door and barrels towards them. "King, wait—" Percy protests, but is cut off when Annabeth's dog flies into his legs. Percy laughs as he falls back, letting King lick his face. "Who's a good dog? Who's a good dog?"

Annabeth crouches to pet King. He turns and paws at Annabeth, panting. "It's so not fair that he loves you more than me," she complains.

Percy gets up, grinning. "What can I say?"

Leo and Piper take turns cuddling him. "He must be boiling in this heat," Piper points out. "All that fur."

Leo groans. "God. I'd almost forgotten how much I was sweating until you said that."

"Kids!" Helen yells from the door. She's wearing an apron, and her hair is tied up in a ponytail. "Come in and have some lemonade before you catch heatstroke."

Percy kicks off his shoes on the mat and heads into the kitchen before the others. When Helen passes him an ice-cold glass of lemonade, he smiles gratefully. "Thanks, ma'am. Is this homemade?"

Helen ruffles his hair. "Of course, darling!" As Leo and Piper walk in, she hands them their own glasses. "How was school, you two?"

"Awful," Leo tells her. "Mr Parris gave us a Maths test, but I couldn't think straight 'cause the AC's broken."

"I really can't believe they're still making you all go in," she mutters. "Well, you guys can go sit in the shade for a while to drink your lemonade. Oh, and Percy?"

"Yeah?" he says, taking a sip of his drink.

"What time's your shift, darling? I'm taking Bobby to his piano lesson at five so I can drop you round if you like."

"Oh, I don't have one. The machine shop's shut," he says. "Lucy's out of town and she said she might as well give us the day off 'cause of the heat."

"That's one good thing, at least," Helen says with a smile.

The three of them sit down in Annabeth's sprawling garden under some dappling shade. Leo and Piper lean against the trunk of a tree while Percy just lays on the grass. The ground is cool under Percy's skin, which feels like heaven on such a sticky day. A moment later, Annabeth joins them. She's fiddling with a small radio, tuning it to the right station. "What are you putting on?" he asks.

"Just a sec," she mumbles. A second later, she finds the right station and an old pop song that Percy can't quite place comes on. Satisfied, Annabeth sets the radio on the grass and flops down next to Percy. A fine bead of sweat traces the side of her temple. "Why the hell is it so hot?"

"'Cause it's June in Virginia," says Percy. "I don't really mind it, to be honest. I'm just glad we finish school this week."

"Amen," Leo agrees. He's got his cap propped up on his face and his hands behind his head. "I'm gonna skate so much this summer—it's gonna be fucking beautiful."

"Yeah, same," Percy murmurs. "Maybe I'll finally master a 720 gazelle flip."

"I thought you already managed that one?" Piper asks.

"The 360. Not the 720."

"They all blur together after a while," Piper says absently. She picks a blade of grass and tears it into little pieces, white-painted nails flashing in the light.

"Hey, I could always try teaching you a few tricks," Percy offers.

"Nah. I've gotta learn guitar this summer if I ever wanna get anywhere with my music," she muses.

As she speaks, the song on Annabeth's radio changes. "I remember, I remember when I lost my mind…" the singer croons.

"When'd this come out?" Leo asks.

"March," Annabeth replies. "I dunno what to think of it, really."

They all fall silent, listening to the strange song. Percy finds himself swaying his head to the beat, fingers tapping on the moss below him. "This always plays at the machine shop," he says. "I guess Lucy's music taste is kinda questionable."

Annabeth turns her head. "Are you working there most days this summer?" she asks.

"Yeah. Lucy's letting me take some harder jobs now, which is cool. It's a chance to make some more money."

She smiles. "That's good."

Behind them, Leo gets up. He drinks the rest of his lemonade, then sets the glass down next to Piper. "Hey, where are you going?" she asks. "I was using you as a headrest!"

He stretches. "I'm gonna get up onto that branch." With that, he jumps up and grabs it, swinging on leg around it. "Oh, Christ," he curses as he agonisingly hauls himself up. "Ah, there we are."

Piper stifles a laugh. "I thought for sure you'd break a leg."

Leo lays back on the branch, one leg relaxed and hanging off it. "Ye of little faith," he murmurs, putting his cap on his head again.

"You better stay down here," Annabeth threatens Percy. She lays her head on his shoulder and closes her eyes. "Wake me up in like five minutes." Her blonde, curly hair tickles Percy's cheek, but he doesn't mind. His pulse quickens, and he has to bite back a smile as Annabeth closes her eyes.

As school draws to a close, the heatwave falls resentfully back into normal, less stifling summer warmth. Percy resigns himself to a summer of work, grateful for the chance to forget about school for a while. Thankfully, Gabe hasn't pressed any further about the money he makes at the machine shop and hasn't yet found out about the diner, so Percy's moving out fund steadily grows. It's small, but it's there. The idea of making it out of the trailer is what keeps him focused, his head down, his hands moving. His bruises ache with ceaseless vigour, but the discomfort they cause him is nothing but a superficial monster that pales in the face of Percy's naive, wishful hope.

To his surprise, Annabeth drops by most days to come and hang out with him at the machine shop. She always brings him a coffee or a hot chocolate, then leans against the car he's working on and begins talking endlessly about nothing and everything. He only punctuates the conversation with a few words of his own as his concentration has to remain on the mechanical problems before him, but that doesn't matter. He just likes being near her.

It's ten at night, and Percy's shift is nearly over. Annabeth's been there for most of the evening, editing photos on her new phone. She's getting so good at photography that it's kind of scary. "Do you prefer this one with increased saturation?" she asks, showing Percy the photo in question as he locks the receipt cabinet.

He doesn't know much about photography, but Annabeth just likes bouncing her thoughts off him. "Yeah, that looks good," he tells her. He scrubs his wrist over his forehead, then smiles tiredly. "Alright, I'm done. We can head off."

Percy cycles Annabeth home on his bike. The gravel path below them is rough, but Percy speeds over it with practised ease. Across the field, the sun crests the horizon, turning a brilliant crimson. Soft light pours over them, the last exhalation of a harsh summer day. Annabeth's arms are warm around his waist, and he can feel her gentle breathing ripple over the back of his neck. She whoops and throws back her head as Percy puts on speed, laughing.

When they reach her estate, she gets off his bike with a gentle thud of heels. "Thanks, Percy," she says, quietly but not tentatively.

"I should be the one to thank you," he grins. "For keeping me company."

She shakes her head. "Well, I should apologise for being a distraction." They both laugh, caught up in an inside joke that neither of them quite understand yet. After a heartbeat, she hugs Percy, but pulls away too quickly. His hands find her wrists, gentle as they slip away.

"See you tomorrow?" he asks. "My shift's at seven."

"I'll be there." They're both still for a moment, in the clutches of a spell. It has to break, though. Annabeth steps back, waving as she turns. She opens the gate and walks through, calling, "Bye, Percy."

One hand still on his bike's handlebars, Percy raises the other to wave back. "Goodbye," he whispers. For an infinite moment, he watches Annabeth until she disappears around the bend.

The summer slips through Percy's fingers like sand through an hourglass. He's around Annabeth and the others most of the time, which is nice. It's easy to lose himself to the inoffensive routine of work, of skating, of staying up late reading comics and graphic novels. Summer has always been his favourite season.

The final few days left in August roll around before Percy realises it. The hot, stifling weather that's characterised the recent months fades away, twisting brutally into rain. It hits Virginia hard. Leo and Percy are at the skate park early on a Sunday morning, laughing and messing around on the ramps when the first dredges of rain slip from the sky. At first, they put up with it, but soon enough the concrete surface of the ramps are slick enough that keeping control of a skateboard on them is a game of chance.

As the rain turns into hail, Leo curses. "Let's get out of here."

Raising his board above his head to protect his face from the sharp, stinging hail, Percy yells, "Seconded." The pair of them sprint for shelter as the hail keeps coming down, brutal as ever. Completely soaked, they stumble under the leafy canopy of a low-hanging tree to wait out the hail. Percy holds his board close to his chest, trying to stop himself from shivering. "Well, that came out of nowhere. I don't think the weather's ever been so unpredictable in Virginia before."

"Climate change, probably."

Percy nods, gaze vacant as he watches the hail. Eventually, it turns into sleet and then melts back into heavy rain. He lays his board down on the muddy grass and sits on it, letting out a sigh. "Guess we're trapped here." Past the dry ground under the tree, raindrops patter hard and fast.

"Hopefully, the rain will stop soon," Leo says, gaze tilted up towards Virginia's grey skies. His words are almost drowned out by the cacophonous rain. Absently, he picks up a stick and draws a face in the dirt. "Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"I really wish we didn't have to start school in a few days."

Percy grimaces. "I know. But after this year, we'll start high school. Everything will be better."

"I hope so."

After a moment, Percy grins and nudges Leo. "Hey. Let's skate in the rain."

Leo shoots him a look. "But it's freezing—we're only in T-shirts!"

"So?"

After a second of deliberation, a smile tugs at Leo's mouth. "Alright. Fuck it." The pair of them grab their boards and take off for the road, their laughter a brace against the cold. Percy kicks down his board and pushes off, water lancing up around him. He does a toe flip without hesitation, barely managing to steady himself on the rain-slick pavement.

They skate for a while in the rain, using up their last dredges of adrenaline. By the end of it, Percy's knees are scraped and his skin is tinted blue from the cold. He can't stop smiling.

Honestly, starting school again isn't quite as brutal as Percy expected. It's irritating to not be making as much money as he's been able to over summer and the homework is more horrendous than ever, but none of that matters as much as getting to see Annabeth all the time in class.

Still, like clockwork, something has to go wrong. Gabe's been in a piss-poor mood all week and it's been exhausting trying to fly as low under the radar as Percy possibly can. His stepfather will find any excuse to vent his bitter complaints about the state of the trailer, about Percy's constant laziness, about whatever his fucking good-for-nothing cow of a boss did this time. Whenever Gabe goes into one of his drunken spiels, all Percy can do is nod and stare fixedly downwards, afraid to move even an inch.

That week, Percy tries to stay out of the trailer as much as possible. He finds himself hanging out with Rachel late in the evening after work, sitting outside her trailer to procrastinate going inside his own. He never wants to face Gabe's fickle irritation.

It's the end of the week. Percy and Rachel are leaning against the steps of her trailer, enjoying the yogurt cups Rachel's mom gave them. Percy's so tired that he could fall asleep where he's sitting, but every single one of his instincts warn him to wait a little longer before going inside. He spoons more yogurt into his mouth, letting it melt on his tongue. His jaw's been bruised all week and chewing kinda hurts, so he's grateful for the easy food.

Beside him, Rachel hums in appreciation. "God, I love strawberry."

He leans his head against the wheel of Rachel's chair, staring up at November's darkening, violet skies. "Yeah," he answers. He doesn't think he registered that the yogurts were strawberry-flavoured. Absently, he scrapes up the last of his yogurt. "Rach?"

"Uh huh?"

"What day is it again?"

"Friday," she replies.

"Oh," he answers, almost soundless. "I'm so tired. I guess I'm just burnt out."

Rachel puts down her yogurt cup and nods, reaching down subconsciously to massage her unmoving calves. Percy wonders if they hurt at all, or if they just feel empty. "I'd be, if I were you."

If Percy was any more present, he wouldn't say what he's about to say. But he's exhausted, so he says, "Can I ask you something?"

Rachel looks at him, pale green eyes like glass in the dark. "Sure."

"You never told me how you broke your spine," he says, quietly.

She looks—not surprised, exactly. "You never asked." Then, "I don't mind telling you." Percy says nothing. She looks away again. "I got pushed down the stairs."

Percy takes an unsteady breath. "What happened?"

Rachel stares down at where her hand rests on the arm of her wheelchair. Her chipped, cherry-painted nails stand stark against her freckled hands. "I was five. My mom and dad were recently divorced, and they were arguing upstairs. Fighting. There was, um…there was shouting, so I went up. I crashed into my dad storming through the hallway. He took me by the shoulders and told me that they'd used to be happy, that this was all my fault, that everything had been better before." Her voice is halting. She sighs. "Then he pushed me down the stairs. I was in the hospital for three months."

A hot spike of pain twinges in Percy's gut. Rachel's too good to have had that done to her. "I hate your dad," he says to her. Carefully, to hold back the rush of vehement anger that threatens to swell up and swallow him whole.

Rachel's gaze flickers back to his. "And I hate yours," she says—slowly, blankly. Somehow, Percy knows she isn't talking about his birth dad. He leans his head against her wheelchair again, and the two of them sit in charged silence for a while longer.

Annabeth goes away to a family friend's house for Christmas. Gabe's out drinking on Christmas Day, leaving Percy to his own devices. Unsure where to go, he cycles over frost-covered paths to Leo's group home.

He skids to a halt outside and peers up into the top window—the room Leo stays in. Thankfully, Leo's sitting at the window, a pair of bulky headphones over his corkscrew-curling hair. Percy cups his hands around his mouth and yells, "Valdez!" Leo doesn't react, just continues bouncing his head to whatever song is playing in his ears. Percy resorts to drastic measures and chucks a pebble at the window.

It bounces off, and Leo jerks his head in Percy's direction. He mouths something before seemingly realising Percy can't hear him, and reaches down to drag open his window. Sticking his head out, he calls down, "Hey! What are you doing here?"

Percy drums his cold fingers on his handlebars. "Got some time to kill," he shouts back. "Are you busy?"

Leo turns back into the room for a moment to talk to whoever's behind him, then answers, "We've gotta stay in 'cause it's Christmas, but you can come up here if you want."

Percy thinks for a moment, then nods. "Alright, yeah!"

After Percy locks his bike up outside, Leo opens the door for him. "You look fucking freezing," he observes.

Percy's teeth are chattering slightly. Sarcastic as anything, he retorts, "No way."

They head up to the room Leo shares with two other kids. He's got his own corner, stacked high with comics and sketchbooks. Percy perks up when he notices the small, silver radio on Leo's bedside. "That's new."

Leo grins. "Got it for Christmas. Jeanne pulled through, huh?"

"Yeah, it's real nice." The pair of them flop down on Leo's bed.

"How come you're here, then?" Leo asks.

Percy fiddles with his fraying shoelace, fighting back a grimace. "My stepdad's out," he answers. Leo, like the others, knows nothing about Gabe and Percy wants to keep it that way.

"Ah, right." Just then, one of the younger kids opens the door, a toothy smile on their face. He's wearing a reindeer beanie. "What, Marcus?" Leo asks.

Marcus bounces up and down on the balls of his feet excitedly. "We're playing Uno! Do you wanna join in?" A pause, then, "It's Christmas. Please?"

Leo gives Marcus a long-suffering look, but his integrity cracks as he sighs, nodding. "Sure, fine. We'll be there in a moment."

Five minutes later, Percy's sitting awkwardly on the floor of the group home's living room, surrounded by a few other kids. A girl who looks a little older than Percy and Leo has seemingly also fallen prey to Marcus' charms. Her black hair is buzzed close to the scalp, and a silver septum piercing adorns her nose. "No, Marcus. You have to shuffle first. Look—" She gently takes the cards off him and expertly shuffles them with a dealer's grace.

"Wow. You're pretty good at that," Percy remarks.

The girl, Lila, flashes him a grin. "Used to work in a casino." Quickly, she deals the cards into five stacks. Everyone takes their cards. "Daniel, you start."

Percy gets sucked into the game quickly. Once he understands the rules, it turns out he can be a brutal player. He wins three hands in a row, much to Leo's chagrin. "You're evil," Leo groans as Percy lays down a seventh plus-four.

Percy grins. "C'mon. Pick up."

He spends the rest of the day at Leo's home, swept up in the holiday spirit. Of course, the atmosphere isn't great—there's a few explosive arguments between the older kids—but it's nice to hang out with Leo. Some of the kids are really funny, and he can see how this could be an okay place to live.

Once it's dark outside, Percy heads out into the bitter night towards his tied-up bike. Lila lent him a pair of black gloves to wear home upon noticing his cracked, dry hands. "Buy some fucking moisturiser or something," she's ordered him, rolling her eyes. "It costs, like, a dollar fifty."

Leo follows him out, standing by his bike as he climbs on. "It's been great seeing you, Jackson. Get home safe, yeah? It's icy out there."

"Yeah. Thanks, Leo." He smiles and waves a gloved hand, kicking off into the all-encompassing dark.

Percy's standing outside Annabeth's church, skateboard tucked under his arm. The battered watch on his wrist reads nine 'o' clock, and the sun has already risen. Its light glances off the church's stained glass windows, fracturing again and again into itself. Winter is long gone—it's May, now. Percy sighs, tapping his foot against the gravel floor of the parking lot outside. Against the backdrop of the ancient church, the lot somehow feels out of place.

Eventually, Mass finishes and people begin to trickle out the church's doors. Percy watches expectantly, craning his neck. It's not long before he spots a familiar head of blonde hair walking out of the church, head bowed in conversation with Bobby. When she looks up, though, a grin splits her face. "Percy!" She runs to meet him, cornflower-blue dress rippling around her knees. Seeing Annabeth in her Sunday best knocks the breath out of him every time. "How are you?"

"I'm good," he answers. "How was church?"

Annabeth glances back, shaking her head with a laugh. "Long. Sort of a piss-take." She pauses. "I always like it, though."

Percy nods, though he's unable to imagine enjoying anything to do with church. "Let's go, then."

The pair of them head off, walking shoulder-to-shoulder down an overgrown cobblestone path. Their voices are quiet, echoing out into the crystallised morning. "I don't know where the fuck we're going," Percy admits. "I've never been down this way before."

"Don't worry. I know the way," Annabeth reassures him. She pushes through some greenery as the stone path narrows, overgrown with foliage. At last, they emerge into open air once again. Bright sunlight washes over Percy's face, and he has to shield his eyes.

The path opens up beside a riverbank. Leo and Piper are stretched out on a picnic blanket beside it, talking animatedly. "Hey, we're here," Percy calls.

Leo and Piper's heads turn towards Percy's voice. Leo yells, "How was church, Annie?"

Collapsing on the picnic blanket, Annabeth shoots Leo a dirty look. "Don't be annoying. I told you not to call me that."

Leo grins. "But I like Annie."

"Well, I don't," she complains, smoothing out her blue dress. She perks up when she notices the wicker basket that lays open beside Piper. "Oh, what'd you bring?"

Piper smiles, reaching into the basket. "I made éclairs last night, so I took some with me. And…" She pauses for effect before pulling out a bottle of wine. "My dad's finest Merlot!"

Percy gapes. "Are you joking?"

"Of course I'm joking," she laughs, rolling her eyes. "He bought it for us from the ten dollar bin. I made some sandwiches, too—I thought you guys might be up for a picnic."

"McLean," Leo says, deadly serious, "I'm always up for a picnic."

Annabeth smiles warmly. "Thanks, Piper. This is gonna be really great day. Oh, and—" She flips open her satchel and withdraws the new camera that she got for Christmas a few months, which is a pretty huge step up from her old analog camera. It's a Canon, with a silver scope that gleams in the morning light. "I need to take some photos today, as well. The lighting's too good to miss."

"Need to?" Percy asks.

She rolls her eyes. "Okay, I want to. Besides, I've gotta start building a better portfolio—we're starting high school in the autumn."

"I think they'll let you take photography no matter what, Annabeth," Piper grins.

Annabeth heaves an irritated, long-suffering sigh. "Why can't you just let me overachieve in peace?"

As the day waxes into noon, the four of them lay beside the river, enjoying Piper's homemade éclairs and sipping Merlot from plastic cups. The familiar guilt about drinking alcohol twinges in Percy, but he pushes it away; he's not letting Gabe ruin their day out. Once they're bored, they all change into their swimmers. Percy leaves his T-shirt on. There's a bruise on his side that he doesn't want the others to see.

He dips his toes into the river and hisses, quickly drawing it back out. "God! It's freezing."

"Wimp," Leo accuses. "I bet it's not even cold."

Percy raises a brow. "Jump in, then."

"But we don't know how shallow it is! There might be rocks."

With a grin, Percy shoots back, "Oh, so you're the wimp here."

Leo narrows his eyes at Percy and points a finger at him. "You drive a hard bargain, Jackson." With that, he takes a few steps back from the riverbank and exhales. Without hesitation, he takes a running jump and leaps into the air, drawing his knees to his chest. He screeches as the cold water encases him, sinking with momentum. When he resurfaces, he's shivering and thrashing wildly for the riverbank. "Jesus, it's fucking cold!" The rest of them burst into laughter.

It doesn't take long for them to grow accustomed to the harsh water temperature. With the sunlight warm on their faces, they're quickly swept up in the fun of swimming and splashing each other.

Annabeth's the first to climb out, skin ice-hued and freezing in only her bikini. "Where's my towel? Where's my towel?" she shrieks, running to her satchel.

Percy follows her out of the water, wringing out the sodden hem of his T-shirt. "Did you remember one for me?" he asks.

Annabeth nods, teeth chattering as she pulls two pink fluffy towels out of her satchel. She hands Percy one and hauls the other around her own shoulders, snuggling into it. "Ah, thank God."

Without thinking, Percy pulls off the T-shirt he swam in and scrubs Annabeth's towel over his wet hair. Gaze snapping to his bruised side, Annabeth's brow furrows. "Hey, what happened?"

He tenses, trying to school his face into an unbothered expression as he dries himself off. God, why didn't he think? "Crashed my skateboard," he explains, fighting not to pull away as Annabeth reaches out and gently traces the sprawling, purple bruise. It's been healing for a while.

"It looks bad," she murmurs. As though realising what she's doing, she jerks her hand away. "When did you do it?"

"A week ago," he answers. A rigid half-smile is all he can muster. "Don't worry. It doesn't hurt."

Annabeth looks unconvinced. "You should put some Arnica on it," she tells him.

"Okay. I will."

She holds his gaze. "There's some back at mine. You can use that. If you want."

He smiles again, more softly this time. "Okay. Thanks, Annabeth." Turning around, he rummages in his backpack for a fresh shirt. He pulls it on, threading his still-damp arms through it.

For a moment, Annabeth's expression is cloudy. She shakes her head, as though repelling a thought. Then, she says, "Can I take some photos of you while your hair's wet?"

A little blindsided, Percy nods haltingly. "Yeah. Alright."

Quickly pulling on her dress over her bikini, she grabs her camera from where it lays on the picnic blanket. Barefoot, the pair of them walk across the grass to look for a good spot. Annabeth shields her eyes against the sunlight, turning in a semi-circle. "Okay. Here's good."

Self-conscious, Percy runs a hand through his damp hair in an effort to tame it. Over in the river, Leo yells and scrabbles up the riverbank as Piper tries to drag him back in. Percy laughs. Before he can look back, Annabeth's camera clicks. "Hey," he protests as she admires her shot.

"What?" she grins. "I like candid photos."

He rolls his eyes. "How do you want me, then?"

"Shoulders back. Smile a little more." Then, "No, not that much. Okay, turn to the left a bit." She raises the camera to her eye again, adjusting the lense. This time, Percy's expecting the sudden click when it comes.

They take photos for a while, occasionally pausing to stand close together over the camera to see if they've got any good ones. Percy thinks all of Annabeth's photos are great, but she never seems quite happy with them. At one point, Percy grabs the camera off Annabeth and sprints away, taking blurry photos of her chasing after him over his shoulder. He lets her catch up, fingers closing around the hem of his shirt. But just as she grabs Percy, her foot snags in a rabbit hole and they tumble together into the long grass, laughing.

Rather than helping each other up, they just lie on their backs for a moment. Grass tickles Percy's neck. "I was gonna give it back," he tells her, grinning.

Annabeth doesn't respond, only lets out a contented sigh and closes her eyes. "I can't believe it's already May. We're about to start high school."

Percy nods, but he's too busy focusing on the way Annabeth's wet hair clings to her neck to entirely take in what she's saying. The freckles on her nose and cheeks that faded during the winter months are now beginning to emerge again. Slowly and quietly, he raises the stolen camera and carefully takes a photo of Annabeth—her side-profile, framed by grass.

When she hears the click, Annabeth's eyes fly open. "Percy!" she complains, snatching her camera off him. "You didn't even tell me you were taking one."

"Well, I like candid photos," Percy mimics, teasing her.

She opens the camera gallery to look at the photo he took. When it comes up, she laughs. "It's barely in focus!"

"Whatever," Percy sighs, flopping back down on the grass. He adds, "It's not like I'm the photographer here."

Annabeth laughs. "You sure aren't." She moves to rest her head on Percy's shoulder, exhaling quietly. "I really like it here."

Percy's heart stutters slightly. "I do too," he murmurs, smiling dazedly. The wine has fogged up his head slightly, slowing his thoughts. "Hey, Annabeth."

"What?"

"I think this is the first time I've actually been excited about school."

Annabeth shuts her eyes again, nestling into his shoulder. "How come?" she asks. He thinks she might be falling asleep—and in such soft grass and warm sunlight, he doesn't blame her.

"I don't know. I've just got a good feeling," he answers, giving in to the desire to close his own eyes. The sounds of the birds and Annabeth's steady breathing are enough to drain the tension from his bones. For the first time in a while, he allows himself to be content.

and that's a wrap on Act One! let me know what you've thought so far :D from now on, the story is going to shift into a darker direction. there will (of course) be some cute romance, but there's also gonna be a lot of shit they'll need to overcome. I'm so excited for everything that's going to happen—even though I might get yelled at in the reviews for making y'all cry lmao.

while we're here, I just want to thank you guys for reading, reviewing and generally supporting this fic! love you all so much holy crap.