Disclaimer: I don't own PJO characters

Chapter Fourteen

That night, Annabeth lay curled up on the couch with the curtains drawn over every window in the house. All the windows and doors were locked but she still fretted it wasn't enough. The lighting in her living room was a dim yellow and some old 90's romance film played on her television; Helen had a strange obsession with black and white movies and kept an entire stash of them.

It felt lonely. Annabeth thought she'd spent the night cracking up at Leo trying to fit an entire can's worth of whipped cream in his mouth. She thought maybe even Percy and Jason could join in and they could all forget who was a genie and who was human. For once, they could be just friends. Instead, Leo hadn't answered her fifteen calls. Jason and Percy spent almost three hours talking, and the second Annabeth walked in on them, Jason disappeared. His lamp was stashed in her room upstairs somewhere. Annabeth had no ambition to bring it downstairs.

Percy's lamp, on the other hand, was in the kitchen. He had been spending his days training Blackjack to carry his lamp from one place to another. Of course, what else did Annabeth think he'd spend his time doing when she was at school? The second Jason scrammed, Percy took out a cookbook thicker than Annabeth's arm. Annabeth didn't know what he was making. But she wondered why he hadn't done it in his own kitchen in the lamp.

Annabeth fought the urge to check outside the window. Was the woman still standing there? Annabeth already knew the answer.

"Hey."

Annabeth lifted her gaze to meet Percy's from where he stood by the kitchen doorway.

"What are you thinking?"

"That depends."

"On?"

"What are you making?"
Percy smiled. "Cookies. Blue cookies."

Annabeth quirked an eyebrow.

"I just put them in the oven." Percy started towards her; his arms instantly jerked towards the kitchen, and he fell on the ground cursing. For a moment, his chains became visible again before they became smoke. He whistled for Blackjack who went bounding from on top of Annabeth to pick up Percy's lamp with his teeth. Blackjack dropped the lamp in front of the couch.

"Percy, I'm saying this for the third time. If your dog has an accident on my carpet, you're cleaning it up."

"It'll only take one touch and it'll be clean, darling" Percy promised. He threw himself over the couch. "What are you watching?"

Annabeth glanced at the television once and then at the phone in her hand.

"Leo still hasn't answered you, huh?"

"No. Gods, I'm terrified I lost him. I keep forgetting how guarded the rest of the world is of genies. My own parents gave me a million warnings before I got you."

Percy's eyes bore into her. His expression was somewhere between sadness and hope, it wasn't easy to tell. He went sombre, pulling his legs up to his chest and burying his legs underneath Annabeth's. His warm touch left tingles going up her body.

"Don't you get tired of not having someone you can trust?" Annabeth asked, draping herself over the back of the couch. "You and Jason…"

"Have a mutual understanding," Percy filled the blank. He gave her a half-smile. "There was a time I would do anything for Jason, but we haven't seen each other in three years. We need to time to build trust again. I've realised that there are a few things you humans do right. I don't know if it's always been so hard to trust anyone back where I came from, but it was what I grew up into. Besides, it's not like I have no one to trust. I would lay my life down for my mom. Or my baby sister. Although, I suppose now she's a lot older than a baby."

"But here, in your lamp, you're all alone."

Percy shrugged. "I'm lucky, angel. I have you. I have Blackjack. Jason doesn't even have a pet. Maybe that's why he's ended up so much crueler than he was three years ago."

Annabeth hummed as Percy turned his attention to the television. She watched as his forehead creased in confusion. She'd known Percy's sea green eyes were unique and in some ways, alluring. He looked content sitting there on the other end of the couch, legs curled up against Annabeth's, cookies in the oven, and dog grovelling on the carpet nearby. He was handsome, sure, Annabeth had noticed that the second he came out of the lamp. But Percy was sweet too. It didn't always come through with his smirks and dumb petnames, but Annabeth knew he cared.

A bing came from the kitchen and Blackjack barked.

"The cookies." Percy was up in seconds, his lamp in Blackjack's teeth, hurrying to the kitchen.

Ten minutes later, he came back with a metal tray with an array of misshapen blue chocolate chip cookies littered on it. Percy grinned at her, offering her the biggest one in the middle.

Annabeth swallowed her first bite. "They're delicious."

"And they're blue."

She caught a glimpse of his metallic blue lamp on the ground. "Do you bake a lot in your lamp?"

Percy shook his head, taking a cookie for himself.

"Thank you. I love them."

He gave her a tight-lipped smile that didn't reach his eyes. Percy turned his head towards the television once again. "Well, they do say the fastest way to a girl's heart is to bake her some cookies."

Annabeth froze, cookie halfway to her mouth. Percy went on staring at the television like he hadn't said anything. Something foreign, and strangely warm, bubbled in Annabeth's stomach. She breathed out forcefully, stuffing the cookie in her mouth. Percy was a flirt. He had always been a flirt. That was all this was.

aoaoaoaoaoaoaoao

Annabeth was going to school without crutches for the first time in over a month. Each leg had braces on, but at least it was better than walking with two crutches. She sat on her bed, gingerly tugging at the straps of her backpack. Jason and Percy sat on the ground in front of her, cross-legged and muttering to each other in low whispers. Jason was leaving today, and they weren't sure when Jason would return. Annabeth, on the other hand, was pleased to see Jason go. The blond genie made her nervous, especially after the fiasco with Leo seeing them.

"Thanks, Annabeth," Jason said. He gave her a genuine smile. "You truly made my week. Seeing Percy again… I don't think I can thank you enough."

"Maybe don't mention any of this to Frank."

"I promise he won't know anything. Please make sure Leo does not tell anyone either."

Annabeth pursed her lips. "He's trustworthy. He won't tell anyone."

A few minutes later, Percy was standing by the side as Jason disappeared into his lamp. Annabeth knelt and scooped up Jason's lamp, tucking it into the front pocket of her backpack.

Percy gave her a long face. "Take him back safely."

Annabeth nodded. "Nothing will happen to Jason." She remembered when Percy told her not to trust Jason. It didn't mean, apparently, that Percy didn't still care about Jason. Honestly, genie customs and habits were confusing for Annabeth.

Getting to school was the easy part of her morning. She was nervous about the genie she knew was still following her Annabeth around. But then, Helen offered Annabeth a ride in the car. Half an hour before school started, she was opening Frank's locker with a bobby pin and her face hidden in a hoodie. She pushed Jason's lamp exactly where she saw last time. She faltered, her fingers skimming the surface of his smooth metal. Annabeth should be doing something to save Jason from Frank. Maybe that's why Jason was so adamant to kill Leo: because he had spent the last three years being treated like crap. Maybe if Jason had a human like Annabeth, who broke all the rules without hesitating, the poor guy would be kinder.

"Good luck," Jason's voice projected from the lamp. "If you succeed, come back for me?

"I will."

Annabeth shut the locker closed, standing still for a second. She heard footsteps down the hall and immediately spun away from the locker on shaky legs. Far down the hallway, she stripped the hoodie off her and threw it in the nearest trash can. By luck, no one would know she stole someone else's lamp. It hadn't struck her how dangerous what she did was. Flashes of heat waves ran up and down her body.

Annabeth stood by her favourite tree in the garden, scanning the crowd around her for Leo. Class was starting soon but she couldn't see him anywhere. Her heart plummeted.

By the time Annabeth entered her first class of the day, biology, Rachel was already seated. Piper was absent, sick at home, so Annabeth ended up lugging herself to the seat next to Rachel.

Rachel sat up straighter, instantly reaching out to yank at one of Annabeth's curls. "Princess! You have white hair!"

Annabeth stared at Rachel gurgling on about her hair. She felt dizzy all of a sudden, remembering how Percy sang the same song Rachel sung over and over again.

"Yeah, Rachel," Annabeth murmured. "We've established that."

"I have black hair!"

"Red, actually."

"I dreamed of genies last night! They scared me so much, Annabeth, I wanted to hide."

"We all have nightmares sometimes."

A tear slid down Rachel's cheek and she hugged herself. "I miss home. I miss it a lot. It was scary there, but I had my magic! I could snap my fingers and make things appear all the time. I still can, but it's so limiting! I can barely do half the things I used to be able to do."

Annabeth frowned. She hadn't thought about it before but now it was wounding its way into her head. Was Rachel a genie like Luke and Percy? It would explain some strange things Rachel did, but it still wouldn't explain some other things. Genies weren't mad like Rachel was. But if Rachel was a genie from the homeland, maybe she knew Percy.

Annabeth groaned into her hands. Gods, she was getting sick of it. The mystery was consuming her but her legs reminded her that at the end of the day, Annabeth was only human. She couldn't get involved. She wouldn't come out alive, otherwise. One day, her luck will run out.

aoaoaoaoaoaoaoao

Eventually, Annabeth did see Leo. He was walking swiftly past the garden tree, back into the building, holding a poster almost as big as he was. It wasn't the poster that made Annabeth's jaw drop when she saw him.

Leo was all decked out in a formal suit with the dress shoes and black coat. Annabeth watched, stunned, as a few strands of his neatly combed hair danced as he made his way up the stairs and disappeared into the building. Her arms dropped. Annabeth didn't know if he was simply ignoring her or if he was busy, but Leo still hadn't texted her back.

"Annabeth!"

Rachel stood by one of the tables, waving her arms in the air for Annabeth to see. She gave a small smile, motioning Annabeth to the table. "Come eat with me!"

Annabeth cautiously made her way to Rachel and slid into a seat. Seconds later, Thalia Grace marched up to the table and sat across from them. Her khol-lined eyes met Annabeth's and immediately, Annabeth wanted to shrivel up into a ball. Today, Thalia had streaks of blue in her hair.

"How was social studies?" Thalia asked Rachel.

Rachel grinned. "I loved what we did today. We had a debate about the line of middle east conflicts and I had so much to say."

Thalia snorted. "I should have expected that. The teacher loves you."

"She calls me a genius," Rachel said. "But let's be honest, seeing my grades in calculus, calling me a genius is a little out of the way."

Annabeth faked a laugh. What she found creepiest about Rachel was how quickly the red-head could switch from sane to insane.

A couple more minutes went by with Thalia outright ignoring Annabeth and Rachel rambling on and on. Sometime along the way, Rachel started singing again. "I followed the stars to a place I don't know."

"Rachel," Annabeth cut in. "Where did you learn that song?"

"Do you want me to teach you?"

"No. I'm asking where you learned it."

"I'd love to teach you!" Rachel reached out to touch one of Annabeth's curls.

Annabeth grabbed Rachel's hand and slammed it on the table. Something clicked in her in that second, something so desperate and frustrated. "Tell me where you heard that song for the first time."

Rachel promptly burst into tears.

"Rachel," Annabeth snapped. "Where did you hear it?"

Rachel's voice choked with saliva and tears. She wailed loudly, thrashing her limbs in every direction. She tried pulling away from Annabeth's iron grip around her wrist but Annabeth only pinned Rachel down further.

Anger pulsed through Annabeth. Her vision tunnelled on Rachel and the fat tears streaming down her face. She crawled closer, ignoring how silent the people around her had gone. "If you don't tell me where you learned this song Rachel, I swear I'm going to something I'll regret. Don't pretend like you're some mental girl looking for pity. I know what you are."

"Annabeth!"

Someone grabbed the back of Annabeth's shirt and yanked her away from Rachel. Annabeth stumbled, her leg braces digging into her knees. She gasped in pain, her legs knocking into themselves and completely failing. Annabeth fell to the ground but the person who pulled her off Rachel went on dragging her to some secluded corner of the school.

Annabeth stood up slowly, spinning around to see who it was. Thalia was a starved animal behind Annabeth. Her lips were twisted into some cruel shape, and her electric blue eyes were filled with disgust.

"There's something wrong with you, Chase," Thalia spat on the ground. "First, you walk into a genie lair. Then, you willingly steal someone else's genie lamp and keep it for a week. Now, you're demanding Rachel answer you. Rachel. An insane girl who can barely think for herself. When will you learn?"

Annabeth's mouth dropped open.

Thalia slammed Annabeth into the rock wall behind her. For a second, Annabeth saw stars before she registered Thalia's hand around her neck. Annabeth coughed, fighting for air.

"You stay away from Rachel," Thalia hissed. "You hear me? Stay away. Or I'll show you what happens to people who cross me."

Annabeth nodded, clawing at her throat. Thalia let go of Annabeth and she slumped down, sucking in every oxygen molecule around her. She coughed into her hand, alarmed at the small droplets of red on her palm.

Annabeth sneered. "You bitch."

"Me?" Thalia scoffed. "You were practically tearing into that poor girl. She'll be the first one dead. Let her enjoy the life she has left."

"Well, seeing how I'm surrounded by genies in this school, with one following me everywhere I go, I beg to differ."

"I'm not a genie."

"You work with Luke. He wants me dead. His spy probably told him I left Percy at home so I have no one to save me."

Thalia scowled. "I'm not a fucking genie."

"Could have fooled me. Kill me already. What are you waiting for? Why the game?"

Thalia knelt down to where Annabeth was crumbled on the ground. "I'm a human. All I want right now is to survive this, which is exactly what you want too. So you stay out of my way. I'll stay out of your way."

"Survive what? All I want is to help my genie out of his lamp. Everywhere I go, there are genies popping up. They all want me dead. Yay. What did I do to have a bounty on my head?"

Thalia stared at her. "You're human. That's all genies want, these days, to kill us."

"But I'm trying to help my genie. I'm on the genies side. Not the human side of this mess."

"There is no human side."

"Can you seriously stop talking in riddles? I think I'll go crazy if I don't get some answers."

Thalia gritted her teeth. She grabbed Annabeth's arm and hoisted her up. Annabeth stiffened at Thalia steadying her from falling. Thalia turned to leave but Annabeth cried out before she turned away completely.

"Please," Annabeth said. "I have some questions. I can't ask my genie. He doesn't have a clue what's going on. Luke… he wants me dead. There's a genie lady following me everywhere and I'm scared out of my wits. I wanted answers from Rachel because my genie sang the same song to me a couple nights ago and claimed no one else knew the song. Help me. Please."

Thalia stood still for a moment, glaring at Annabeth. Then, her gaze softened. "You don't actually know about the rebellion."

Annabeth's breath hitched. "I guessed that genies were rebelling against humans, yeah."

"No," Thalia studied Annabeth. "It's genies rebelling against genies. And we humans are caught in the cross-fire."

"What?"

"I suppose us humans have to stick together through this," Thalia muttered. "Come to my place tonight, Annabeth. You know where I live. And don't, for gods sake, bring your genie with you. I'll tell you everything if you promise to keep that dumb mouth of yours shut. No more outbursts like the one with Rachel."

Annabeth straightened. "I promise."

Thalia muttered at the sky. Without saying bye, Thalia walked away. Back to Rachel, probably.

Annabeth sat there for another twenty minutes. She was still breathing hard, heart beating so fast she worried it would run away. Her chest hurt. It felt like someone had shoved a metal pipe down her throat and she was sitting there, trying to breath all through the pain. She coughed into her hand again, wiping away the blood on her jeans. Still, though, relief flooded through her. Someone was willing to talk to her. Thalia was the last person Annabeth thought she'd get help from, but it was still help no matter who it came from.

"Annie?"

Annabeth lifted her head.

Leo stood in front of her in his crumpled suit. A black and blue shade outlined his right eye as if someone had punched him.

"Leo."

"What happened to you?"

Annabeth pointed at his eye. "What happened to you? Did some girl reject you? Thalia?"

"No. I walked into Beckendorf and Silena half-naked in the janitor's closet and apparently they can't take a joke."

Annabeth found the mental image so ridiculous, she laughed. She was coughing up blood, there were bruises on her neck in the shape of Thalia's hands, she was going crazy, and yet, she found the energy to laugh. Leo slid down on the wall next to her as Annabeth's laughs turned into tears and she sobbed into his shoulder.

They ended up skipping next period, and the period after that too. Annabeth spent the time curled up into Leo's side while he told one stupid story after another. Neither of them brought up the genies or even acted like any of that ever happened. She cried, laughed, ranted. Leo cried, laughed, ranted. Really, all Annabeth wanted in that moment was to be safe. Leo gave her that, her best friend, along with his stupid humour and elfish grin.

ahh i'm late again :( I really wanted to a "thank you" thing today for all the amazing people encouraging me to keep writing since I've hit a 100 reviews (i love you all) but I have to run 'cause I'm late for my dance recital. So I'll save that long list of "thank you"s next time!

Review, Fav, and follow!

~Ami

P.S:

kingmicheal: Actually that would be kinda cool! Idk if I'm going to do that in this story but you'll just have to wait and see! :)