Which is writing.
And you!
Okay lol that was cringey so I'll just let you read now.
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(Disclaimer: I don't own these characters)
ANNABETH POV:
It was awkward.
That kind of went without saying.
Two people who just kind of broke up on a double dates with different people?
I didn't see how that could end well.
But when I saw Percy talking to that pretty brunette, I couldn't help myself from blurting out that I had a date as well.
I needed to hurt him. I knew it was screwed up. But oh, man. I hurt.
I hurt more than I ever had before.
I didn't tell Luke that I was sort of using him.
And what was the harm in giving him a chance?
Percy was obviously moving on, so why couldn't I?
"This place is nice," Luke said to break the silence.
I gave him a small grateful smile, and saw Percy's eyes darken in my peripheral vision. He glared at Luke.
"Yeah. I heard the food is really good, too," Calypso said, with her gorgeous smile.
Gods, did she have to be so perfect? It was infuriating.
"Where'd you hear that, babe?" At Percy's pet name for her, I almost exploded right there and burst out of the restaurant.
But I forced myself to subdue my grimace of… I didn't even know.
Anger? Heartbreak? Betrayal?
I couldn't choose.
"The Olympus Tab. The campus newspaper? I do the creation section for it."
"Oh really? What do you write," I asked, aware that my voice was getting kind of bitchy. Not that I cared.
"Um, I mostly just review art shows and gardens and book stores around here."
"Cool," I said, narrowing my eyes at her.
Her coffee colored eyes were met with my stormy grays, and I wasn't backing down.
She wasn't intimidated by me, and I respected her for it. She kept her face casual while I glared.
I knew I didn't have any good reason not to like Calypso.
She was nice, smart and interesting. She was cultured and gorgeous.
But it was hard to see Percy with someone else so soon, and I really thought I was in love with him.
I felt a small nudge under the table and saw that Percy had tried to kick me.
I almost growled at him, and raised an eyebrow.
He had never liked Luke, how was this any different? Seriously. What a jerk.
It didn't help that he looked so good in a suit that it should've been illegal. Not that I noticed.
I glared openly at him. "Do you have something to say, Percy?"
He glared back. "Nope. Do you know what you're going to get?"
"Maybe the seafood scampi," I said.
He flinched, and I internally smiled.
I knew his hatred for anyone eating sea creatures. He had a connection to the sea like nothing I'd ever seen before.
"Sounds like something you would do," he said bitterly.
"Excuse me?" I crossed my arms, while Luke and Calypso made worried eye contact.
"Hey Annabeth, how do you say 'bad friend' in Italian?"
My nose twitched with anger. He thought I was a bad friend?
He sent me mixed signals and then abandoned me! I had been abandoned five too many times in my life, and Percy's burned even more than my mother's.
"Cattivo amico," I said through gritted teeth. "It seems it would apply to you, doesn't it?"
"I'd disagree," Percy replied, raising an eyebrow to meet me. He was so unfairly sexy.
"Really? I recall you abandoning someone after confusing them greatly."
Percy showed his first sign of remorse. Christ. He was actually oblivious. "Abandon?"
I glanced down, not wanting to show him the pain in my eyes, not wanting to let him win.
"I- I didn't do that."
"Didn't you?" I forced myself to look into his gorgeous eyes and it almost killed me to see the pure sincerity in them. I held my ground, though. He knew what he did. He had strung me along.
It didn't matter that his sea green eyes were as honest as I'd seen them.
I couldn't afford to fall again, I couldn't afford to forgive and forget.
"Anna? Are you ready to order?"
Luke's voice shook Percy and I out of our bubble.
I had honestly forgotten that anyone else was in the restaurant, and it seemed like Percy had too as he jumped a little.
"Uh, yes. I'll have the eggplant parmesan please."
"Eggplant… parmesan," the waitress repeated while she jotted it down. "And you, sir?"
Percy turned to her. "I'll have the same. I don't suppose you have any food coloring in the kitchen?"
I forgot that he had broken my heart, I forgot that we were in a fight, I forgot that we were here with dates that weren't each other.
I forgot it all and I laughed out loud.
The small quirk of Percy's was so endearing and hilarious that I couldn't help it.
"I don't think so," the waitress said slowly as I tried to stop laughing.
I finally stopped when Calypso looked at me curiously. She tilted her head, with a glimmer of a smile.
It wasn't in a judgmental way, because she was too freaking perfect to be judgmental.
But it reminded me that Percy was into her, that he had her number and that he would probably walk her back to her place later, maybe lean in for a kiss, maybe… more.
And suddenly I went from laughing out loud to wanting to cry. Piper had said that I should expect moodiness and sudden bursts of craziness, but I didn't think that it would actually happen to me.
I guess I should've listened to Piper.
"You okay?" Luke whispered in my ear, his lips slightly brushing the shell.
"Yeah," I replied a little too brightly, faking a smile. "I think I'm just hungry."
"I always get a little crazy when I'm hungry," Calypso said good naturedly.
"To being crazy," Luke said, raising his glass of white wine. We all clinked glasses, exchanging 'cheers' before taking a sip.
I noticed that Percy's sip of sour alcohol was considerably longer than our dates'. I guess for good reason.
"This was super fun," Calypso said as we said goodnight.
"Yeah," I lied, leaning into Luke for comfort. He put his arm around me.
I could see Percy's eyes shift to a deep pine green as I did even in the dimly lit night, the only light provided by the nearby stores and soft moonlight.
"I guess we should head back," Luke said as he smiled down at me.
"Yeah."
"Us too," Calypso beamed. Percy nodded, and my heart squeezed. I didn't want to think about what they would do when they were alone.
"Have a good night," Calypso said, giving me a meaningful look that was too quick for me to understand.
"You too," I said softly. Percy nodded solemnly.
"Goodnight, Seaweed Bra- I mean, Percy."
I saw his wince, even though he hid it well. "Yeah."
And then he walked away.
Okay, the end of chapter 15!
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