Two days passed ever since the school burned down. No one blamed the Stolls even if some of the teachers tried to because they knew that they were feeling guilty about it even if they were planning for it for such a long time. Percy's wounds have healed pretty quickly but you could already see the scar that was replacing it. And every time that I would look at the entire thing, how I let him to suffer so much physical pain, I would start crying, at least start tearing up.
"Why don't you just take this seriously, Seaweed Brain?" I sighed in exasperation, placing my Biology book on the table. "You're not even trying!"
He looked as if he was about to argue but the sudden knock on the door forced him not to. "We're not decent!" he screamed with a knowing grin on his face and I smacked him upside the head.
"I don't care." The familiar voice said. "I'm going in any other way"
"What is it, Thals?" I asked, looking at her with lingering annoyance in my features.
For the first time in so many years, Thalia Grace looked as if she was about to cry which surprised me because when she talked like thirty seconds ago, her voice was completely steady, as if it was another typical day (and I strongly believe that it is). But now, now that you look at her, it made everything that you know about her dissolve and be replaced with her broken figure. "Thalia?"
"Jason's in the hospital" she choked the words out too fast for us to understand but the moment that we did, we simultaneously screamed,
"What!" Percy was the one who looked most affected, worried as to how his younger cousin was sent into this situation in the first place.
My best friend shook her head. "They don't know what happened. There was an accident when he was dropping off Piper and I guess the driver of the other car was drunk so he didn't notice him crossing the street and… and…" she took a deep breath. "It's pretty bad"
"When did this happen?"
"Two hours ago"
Our eyes met with the same look that was asking just one question: How come we didn't know about this sooner? Was Percy's parents informed of the accident? Does Piper know? Is she safe? What if she's still at home doing whatever she does and she's completely oblivious to the fact that her boyfriend may not make it to their date later tonight?
The moment we reached the hospital, Thalia dragged us to one of the rooms where hundreds of nurses were crowding to help just one man. Thalia explained that he was just sleeping but there was a possibility that when he wakes up that his memory would be affected. Percy had the decency to dial Piper's number and tell her to come, explaining his situation as of the moment.
I have never seen someone in a worse state than Jason is right now. Even through the stitches you can see the many wounds that were on his face. At least it wasn't as bad as the rest of his body and I refused to look at it, knowing well that I would just feel so much grief and guilt and everything because I always liked blaming myself even for the things that I didn't do. But I know that there was just something, even just something small, that I did to contribute to this.
But the worst thing I had to see that day was Piper McLean's face the moment she stepped foot in the room.
She never left his side. Even when her sister begged for her to come home even for a while and just go back later, she refuses. He stirs every once in a while but he never woke up. Thalia was busy pacing and I was surprised that she hasn't made a ditch there yet from the many times she walked around. Percy and I were just watching them, him telling me that it was going to be alright and that Jason was just as strong as he is so he would live through this.
It was the next morning that he gave signs that he was about to wake. At first, there was nothing but when he started groaning, his eyes tightly shut as he twisted and turned in the small hospital bed, I knew that he was ten seconds away from screaming like the ones in horror movies that involved a very bad nightmare.
"Jason?" Piper whispered smoothly, her tone peaceful even though you could see that she still has tear stains on her cheeks.
I was thankful when he finally opened his eyes. "Ugh, where am I?" he sat up and felt his head, noticing the many needles in his arms.
"Hey, bro" my boyfriend said in practically the same tone, heading over to where he was. "How are you feeling?"
"Like hell" he replied, stretching his muscles. "What happened anyways?"
This time, Thalia smiled and sat beside him. "Don't worry about that now. You need your rest. Sally and Poseidon will be here in a few minutes. Their just talking to the doctor about your x-rays"
He nodded in understanding before turning to the girl beside him, "You've been crying?" it came out more of a question than a statement but Pipes let out a shaky laugh, wiping away the leftover tears.
"I'm fine" he looked worried about her and that made me smile because it was supposed to be the other way around, since he was the one in the hospital bed in the first place. "But you're not. Thalia's right, Jase, you should rest"
Jason tried to argue but the lack of strength in his body won't let him so he plopped back down on the pillows, muttering curse words under his breath. "Anything serious?" he asked his sister.
Thalia shook her head, leaning on the chair. "None so far. They're not yet done in the first place but I think you just broke your arm and dislocated your shoulder. And I think your skull's cracked but not enough for it someone to do something about it. They were all actually really surprised because the impact was very strong, according to one of the bystanders"
"I do remember flying through the air and landing at least five feet away from where I was"
"Don't worry about it, man. The doctor said you're going to be fine. You should trust them"
"That's the first time I have ever heard you say that" he chuckled lightly and moved so he was facing me. "Annabeth" he mused "Could you call Poseidon please."
I had this weird feeling that he said that because he wanted to talk to Percy, Thalia, and Piper alone. There was something about my relationship with Jason that told me that he didn't trust me enough for something as serious as this. Or maybe because I don't have enough knowledge on the subject that I would annoy him to death with all of my questions. "Mr. Jackson?" I called, heading to where he is.
When I finally saw him, I really wished that I didn't. He and his wife was in a full on make-out session, much more complicated than Percy and mine will ever be. And that's saying a lot because if our kisses would grow deeper, he would be literally swallowing me. "Um…" I cleared my throat but I don't think that was enough for them to even hear me. "Poseidon?" I squeaked, bouncing on my heels.
"Yes, Annabeth?" he asked, finally acknowledging my presence.
"Jason wants to talk to you" I muttered, embarrassed. I could have been blushing right now.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sally straightening her shirt and fixing her hair, smiling at me with her bruised lips. I was having this mental argument with myself if I would tell Percy this or not but there was this sense of urgency that he should know because he might as well be expecting a younger sibling by the end of next month. Not that I'm against that since his family is more than capable of providing for them but I think that it must be already a handful with Thalia, Jason, and I living with them.
The moment I returned, I was deafened by loud laughter. Since I came at least five minutes after Mr. Jackson did because I had a very deep conversation with my future mother-in-law, I didn't know why they were doing so. It got me curious but made me feel awkward at the exact same time. Thankfully, Percy saw me and he smiled playfully, wrapping an arm around me. "Why are you laughing?" I asked, looking desperately at him. I hated not knowing something, hated the exact idea of it.
"It was just a joke Jason made. Don't worry about it, Wise Girl." He mumbled, placing me on his lap as he sat down.
There was this side of me who wanted to say something in return but I opted not to, remaining silent as he traced patterns on my arms. "They're planning to release him by tomorrow so he can go home." He told me, beaming.
"That's good." I replied, placing my head on his shoulder. "So his condition isn't that bad?"
"It was a miracle actually. The doctors said that he was very lucky that he wasn't that affected and not any major part of his body was injured."
I nodded in understanding, smiling inwardly to myself at a thought that I refused to share with you. Something about this position made me so comfortable, with his steady heartbeat on my back, his breath on my ear, and his arms around me. It would kill me if we have to move from our spot. "Do you remember the dance they're proposing that we have in a few weeks?"
Percy seemed a little too nervous for my liking. I didn't mind though, knowing well that this was his first dance and he never had to ask another girl before this. "Remember, Seaweed Brain, I'm part of the committee." he looked as if he was about to face palm but our position prevented him not to.
"Oh yeah" he mumbled, blushing. "But you see, um, I was planning to ask you"
"You know you don't have to" I turned to him and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "I think I'm smart enough to figure out that we're going together"
He sighed in relief and pressed his lips to mine. "Thanks" he mused, "For saying yes"
"I didn't technically say that but I did technically agree to it." I replied in a very official tone. "But you're welcome"
Mr. Gristle was voting to cancel the dance because there was no venue but we decided that we could rent a hotel with the help of some sponsors. Rachel's dad was enthusiastically volunteering his company and our dearest principal was taking it to consideration but I couldn't organize a prom wherein everything was coming from her dad! That is against every rule I have made for myself and some others I haven't even published yet. "Look, Annabeth, we don't have much of a choice. You wanted sponsors and Mr. Dare gave you one of the largest sponsorships this school has ever seen."
I groaned in frustration, crashing on the sofa. "As much as possible, please don't let Rachel ruin the prom for everyone" was the last thing I said before hanging up, massaging the bridge of my nose.
"What's wrong?" Travis asked. Is he that stupid not to realize what my main problem is? At least my boyfriend had the decency to keep his mouth shut when everything was clearly laid out in front of him. He was blind enough not to see that coming.
My glare immediately shut him up. "Let me see, what's wrong? Firstly, the dance is in a week and we barely even know the venue, much less decorate. Second, I don't even have a dress yet. Third, Rachel Dare's dad is sponsoring the entire thing so I have absolutely no control on what will happen."
"Well, I could always ask my dad to help out" Percy suggested easily, placing a hand on my lap. "He could give a much bigger amount to Mr. Gristle so he would overlook Mr. Dare's company and focus mainly on ours. And since you're my girlfriend, they would definitely make you in charge of everything"
By the end of the sentence, my jaw was to the floor. "Perseus Jackson! That is probably the best idea you have ever had in your entire life!" I squealed in delight, kissing him full on the lips.
The Jacksons were very cooperative. They gave a fifteen thousand dollar check to the school, much bigger than the amount the other company gave, and so they were eternally grateful. Also, Percy agreed to give all the credit to me because if it wasn't for me, and I quote, "…this dance wouldn't even exist."
He asked me out to dinner the very same day. It was just for us to give time for ourselves, give time to breathe after everything that just happens. Silena, well, she was panicking over what I'm going to wear maybe because this was technically our first date. I don't want to admit it but ever since Percy and I started going out, we didn't do much but make-out. If not, we would be at least cuddling.
"Come on, Annabeth" she whined, "Do it for Percy"
I hate it when she says that, when she would force me to do something and use my boyfriend against me. Right now, I'm wearing a bathrobe and was practically forced to sit on my chair. She was forcefully doing my hair, making sure that my grip on the arm rests become tighter and tighter than it should be. "God, Silena, this is torture!" I screamed out.
"Well it shouldn't be when you brush your hair daily"
"I do. I just don't do it like this" I gritted my teeth.
Percy Jackson will forever be my hero. Apparently, he heard me screaming from his room and he wanted to see if I was alright. And when he saw what Silena Beauregard was doing to me, I guess he just had enough. "What's going on here?" he asked, his arms crossed as he leaned on the doorframe, a small smile plastered on his face.
"Well, your girlfriend won't cooperate" she said smugly, taking another painful brush stroke.
He shook his head, moving towards me. "You do know you brought this to yourself, right?" he whispered to my ear, playfully taking a small peck.
"What? You're not gonna help me?"
"Nah" he mused, sitting on my bed. "I think you deserve it"
I growled deeply at him. "I hate you" I said, my nails clawing at the hard wood.
At this, he laughed and placed a hand on Silena's shoulder, motioning for her to stop. She was rather hesitant at first but noticed that look on his face and nodded, placing the brush on the table. Thankfully, she left the room with a smirk, closing the door behind her. "Did you enjoy watching my torture?" I asked bitterly, rubbing my scalp.
"Not really" he muttered with his lips on my neck, mouthing the words. Honestly, even though I was mad at him, I couldn't help but mumble some sweet words I never thought I would ever say in my entire life. He smiled and encircled his arms on my waist, pulling me up so that I was facing him.
Percy started running his hands through my hair, untangling it in the gentlest way. Drowning in pleasure, I placed my head on his chest, allowing him to continue what he was doing. "I love you" he told me
"I love you, too" I breathed in the scent of him and smiled. "I'm sorry I got mad at you"
"I'm sorry that I didn't stop Silena the moment I got here" I was a little amused by his apology but otherwise accepted it. "Plus, it's not like you need to get ready. You're already so beautiful to look at." The comment was a little too much for me to absorb but when I thought I did, I blushed.
"Thanks, Seaweed Brain" I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him softly with him placing me gently on the ground.
I finally decided that I would go simple. Since Silena would probably grow overboard again, I didn't ask her for help. Don't get me wrong, she gives great fashion tips but I always thought that I wouldn't need it. Anyways, I dug around in my closet until I found what I think is the perfect outfit for tonight. Sadly, after five minutes of nothing but going from one rack to another, I couldn't.
"Hey, Wise Girl" Percy called from outside.
"Yeah?" I replied in the same volume.
"I'll be in the living room when you're done. Just go down"
The moment I yelled back my reply, I noticed something that was hiding behind the many piles of clothing on the floor. I wasn't the kind of person that keeps an entire department store in their closet but maybe this was an exception. Silena might as well have been shopping for these clothes just for me before I moved in here.
I picked the dress up and my eyes widened in shock. How didn't I see this before? It was perfect! The black fabric was soft to the touch, the length decent enough to wear for the evening, and the silver highlights would match my eyes and the purse that I was planning to use. I disregarded the many other articles of clothing and wore that specific dress, moving in front of the mirror.
It was unlike me to wear something so beautiful. Although I would never admit it to myself, all of my boyfriend's compliments about how I look were true. The dress was tight so it showed all my curves in all the right places, my hair cascading down my shoulder in perfect curls. And trust me, that wasn't because of Silena's constant abuse on it. My face was flawless, my lips wine red, my eyes shining in the moonlight. Something told me that this wasn't who I was, someone who would never leave the mirror, someone who would praise herself daily, someone who was vain and selfish. I wasn't that and I promise myself that I will never be like that.
I stepped out of the wardrobe and closed the double doors behind me, eventually walking towards the front of the mirror and taking the make-up kit Silena left behind maybe intentionally. Before I could do anything, I stared at myself and looked for features that need a little work on. I decided that I should at least put color to my lips. Other than that, there was nothing else. Plus, I don't think Percy would mind if I don't wear that much make-up.
Maybe it was because of the dress or because it was my lucky day but I couldn't stop staring at myself. My eyes were full of obvious wonder as it saw the beautiful woman in the mirror, following my every move. "God, that's me" I gasped. She followed me as I walked away, heading towards the door.
"Oh, you done?" he hasn't dare taken one look at me yet, busy answering a text from Nico.
"Yeah" I said, my voice unusually smooth. This caught his attention, taking one glance at me.
If it was a normal day, I would have laughed at his reaction. His phone dropped to the pale carpet, his jaw fell to the ground, and his beautiful sea green eyes were staring at me as if I wasn't real. "Annabeth?" It was a question.
"Percy?" I mimicked, smirking as I sat on his lap.
"You look stunning" he praised, moving those talented fingers to my cheeks. "Absolutely beautiful"
Somehow, I kept my modesty. It would be impossible for a girl, specifically someone who was dating Percy Jackson, to keep her dignity when it comes to his wonderful comments. Maybe it was because I had training for that specific situation or maybe it was because I knew the truth about myself and this one night is the only exception to it.
"We're going to miss our reservation if we're going to stay here any longer"
He snapped out of his trance and nodded, heading towards the car with me at his tail. I just can't stop smiling whenever he would steal glances at me, shaking his head and muttering words under his breath. "Can't keep your eyes off me, now can you?" I teased as I entered the car, with him sliding over the hood just so that we could leave faster.
"You could say that" he gave me a smile that made my heart and the rest of my well being melt at the warmth of it.
It took at least ten minutes for us to reach the fanciest and most well known restaurant in New York. "I could've brought you to France but mom said that I could do that some other day" he sighed, disappointed.
"Don't worry about it, Seaweed Brain." I laced my fingers with his, tugging his hand to the direction of our table. "Now, why don't we just enjoy tonight and maybe you can make up for it when we get home?"
We talked and he would bring up how I looked every two minutes. Then he would tell me about the dance and how everything was pointing towards that night, where we would dance until the end of time with his handsome face as the last thing I would see. It would probably be the most amazing thing, the most perfect thing if that would ever happen.
Right after dinner, we walked around Central Park, holding hands and enjoying the silence. The moon was full, shining almost as bright as the morning sun. The eventual sound of crickets chirping or owls hooting would usually catch my attention but he would take it back again.
Once, I made the mistake of taking a look at him and found myself transfixed by his beauty. Thankfully, he wasn't looking at me but at the night sky, counting the few stars that were present. His eyes were bright, smiling as his grip on me tightened. Since the start of our date, I never once looked at what he was wearing, putting all my attention on his face. Now that I see it for the first time, I realized how wrong I was not to do so.
It was a simple white button-down shirt, tight around his torso just to state how muscled it is. The suit jacket he was wearing was now around my shoulders because I was stupid enough not to bring my own. Even though it was simple, it suited his persona perfectly, as if made for him and not just bought for the sake of buying. "Annabeth?" he asked, studying my face curiously. "Are you drooling?"
I immediately felt self conscious as I felt my bottom lip, finding what he said true. A blush crept up to my cheeks as I turned away from him, crossing my arms just to feign annoyance. "Definitely not!" I snorted and started walking away in a pace that is not very comfortable.
"Admit it" he mocked, using his strength to turn me around against my will. "You were drooling!" He looked very triumphant on his discovery and I have to say that he was very right.
But I wasn't going to give him that today. The last time that happened was on his birthday and it's only that time of year which I make as an exception. So on the way back to his car, I completely ignored all his desperate attempts. This got him very frustrated with me so it was probably one of the very few silent trips back home.
It was my mistake, I admit that. He was just teasing but I took it more seriously than I should have. It was my mistake to just start ignoring him because I knew that I offended him in a way that I once found invisible. I was stupid and reckless and I ruined one of the best nights of my life just after it started. In my room, we argued, screamed at each other like we did before. And my heart was set on apologizing to him before it even happened. I guess I just forgot the moment he stepped foot on my bedroom floor with that very intimidated look on his face.
"Why can't you just accept the fact that I can be right?" His eyes flashed dangerously and my heart froze when I realized that he was giving that look to me. Not my mom or Thalia or Jason or Nico or anyone else. It was me.
"Why are you making such a big deal out of this?" I shot back at him, feeling that I was in the verge of tears. I hated it when we fight; having to hear the pain and anger that was in his voice. Because I knew that he hated it too. And I brought this up to myself.
He groaned in frustration, his fingers digging to his scalp. "Because you never give me the chance to be right for once!"
That hit me hard. It wasn't only true. It became a hobby for me, something that I do for a living that when I don't, I would never feel complete. I was selfish, blinded from how he felt by my fooling around. I thought that it was only teasing, watching him laugh at me either heartily or mockingly but I didn't know that some part of him stung so bad because he thought it was true.
"Look, Annabeth, you may be smarter than me but that doesn't mean you have to rub it in my face. I'm not a rocket scientist to figure out when you're just showing off. I thought I knew you ever since we were kids and I've been living with your constant teasing that I will never be smart enough to graduate college. I know that's true." He paused, looking at me straight in the eye. "But you don't have to pretend that what I can clearly see isn't true. I'm not that stupid."
Before he could leave, I grabbed his wrist. "Do you think I would ever do that to you? I do that because I want to make you better than you already are." I told him
"Don't even try to tell me that. You think that I'm not good enough for you." He took a deep breath. "Look, Annabeth. I love you so much but if you're just going to keep acting like that, I don't think we're supposed to be together."
I might not have been crying before but the moment he finished that statement, tears were streaming down my eyes with me unable to control the constant flow. "What are you trying to say?" I moaned, pushing myself very far away from him. "Are you breaking up with me?"
His eyes widened in shock. "No!" he said, taking one step closer to me. "Of course not!" Then he was kissing me, his lips moving with mine in perfect harmony. Probably from the many months of experience, I learned to stop trying to stop him because I knew that for such a long time, I've been dreaming about his kisses, wanting him to do that to me ever since. "I will never break-up with you" he said, pressing his forehead to mine. "I will never leave your side until you want me to"
I nodded, pulling him close to me as I sobbed on his shoulder. "Never think that I'm smarter than you are. You may think of yourself less than you should but you're perfect, Seaweed Brain. You're smart and handsome and nice and brave and loyal and… and…" But he placed a finger on my lips, kissing the top of my head lightly.
"I love you," he whispered, "And I will make this relationship last forever."
"I love you, too" was my only reply.
We slept peacefully that night, forgetting about why we fought and what brought us into that conversation in the first place. When I woke up by 1:00 am, I just watched his face for me to drift off again. His arms around me were tight, to state that he will always keep his promise of never letting me go. Whatever happens, we will go through it together. "I'm sorry, Seaweed Brain."
"You don't have to be" I heard him say. Huh, he wasn't asleep in the first place. "It was my fault for overreacting"
"I'm just glad that it's all over" It came out as a whisper and I smiled when I realized that his response was no more than a hum, closing his eyes once again.
Soon enough, I followed his lead.