Chapter 9
Annabeth
Annabeth didn't even know Luke was going to be at this dumb party. She hadn't planned on breaking up with him that night, hadn't planned on even talking to him at all that night. She just needed a break, a chance to unwind, before having to deal with the repercussions of that night.
The last couple days had been hard - extremely hard. She made up excuses about how she was busy, or had lessons, or was going to help on the ranch a little extra that afternoon to avoid seeing him. He had seemed to buy it for a while, but he texted her that night like he always did, asking her where she was, who she was with. Thalia had always told her it was unhealthy, had tried to warn her but Annabeth ignored her - blinded, really, by Luke and his antics, the constant checking in, the whining, the guilt - she had no idea - why, did it take her so long to realize that he had been controlling her. In the back of her mind somewhere, she knew the logical term for it - grooming, emotional abuse. But to Annabeth, it was a sign of weakness, a sign of the fact that she couldn't take care of herself that she felt she needed Luke.
Her whole life, she had walked around in this delusion that she was strong and independent and smart and attractive and somebody everybody else wanted to be. Now, there was nobody else in the world she pitied more than herself.
She wondered what the others would say, at school, when Luke spun the story of their breakup. Telling them she was annoying, a cheater, a liar, an idiot, anything but the truth. There was no way anybody would listen to Annabeth. Luke had everybody spun around his calloused fingers, entwined like spider silk. They would listen to him, follow his lead. Just like Annabeth had her whole life.
Her whole miserable, disgusting life that she had wasted away with Luke fucking Castellan.
Thalia had made sure she wasn't going to miss the annual abandoned house party. Always the first weekend in June, it wasn't something any high schooler usually would miss for any reason but Luke seemed a pretty good reason to skip. Thalia had begged and begged and begged claiming it would be good for her, that Luke wouldn't be there because he had graduated, that it would be her chance to see how she didn't need him. So of course, Annabeth finally agreed.
It was probably the worst decision of her life. Or the best. She couldn't decide.
The party started out normal enough. She and Thalia got themselves a beer and ditched the boys which Annabeth was grateful for. She already had enough going on with Luke, she didn't need Percy there confusing her and making her head spin in a way that was surely from the pure disgust of being around him. He made her skin crawl and her stomach ache, and just the thought of him made her feel like she had to vomit. Thalia grabbed herself a beer and Annabeth a White Claw and they set off to find Piper and Hazel. Unfortunately, while making there way through the crowds of kids dancing, they ran into Luke.
"Annabeth!" He said with a drunk smile. "Didn't know you were going to be here."
Annabeth ground her teeth. "Yes, you did."
He took a drink of beer, wavering slightly on his feet. "Well," He shrugged. "Since you've been avoiding me I have to find other ways to see my girlfriend apparently."
Thalia took a step towards him, "Back off, Luke."
Luke snorted, "Like you're one to talk. You've been holding her back, Thalia, and you know it." Luke grasped her chin, twirling a thumb around her jawline. Annabeth tried hard not to shiver, to show fear. "Annabeth is beautiful, smart, destined for greater things. We could've ruled this school, this town, Annabeth." He said, his eyes drifting from Thalia back to Annabeth. "Thalia, though, is keeping you holed up in the horrifying cycle of Bridgeport. We, though, Annabeth can have it all. We can escape this town." He whispered, his eyes glinting in the moonlight. He was horrifyingly beautiful, but also the ugliest thing she had seen in her life and something clicked in Annabeth. She could do this.
She could be free of him.
The thought made her insides burn and her head spin and she felt strong for the first time in a long time. Thalia took another step towards Luke, but Annabeth put out an arm to hold her back. "Luke," Annabeth grinned, giving him a sickly sweet smile. He bought it, luckily, the alcohol most likely helping her. "Should we go outside. Talk, maybe?" She cocked her head, sticking out her hip.
Luke smirked. "Course," He said, throwing a knowing look towards Thalia who was vehemently protesting. Annabeth ignored her, though, taking Luke's wrist and leading him back out the front door. She was in control, she could do this, she could be done with him.
"How far do you wanna go?" He leaned down into her ear, breath smelling of beer, words slurred from the alcohol. "We can go all the way down to the creek, or stay here. It might be… fun, to be in danger of getting caught."
Annabeth tried not to vomit. Instead, she looked up with him with what she hoped were loving eyes instead of the disgust she was feeling. "Right here is fine," She said with a smile.
He grinned. "Great." He said, leaning down and closing his eyes.
She tried to cover up her laugh, the one that almost escaped her lips even though this wasn't a funny situation in any way, before saying, "Right here is also a good place to break up."
His eyes shot open. "Excuse me?" He sputtered, reeling back.
"I'm done with you, Luke." She snarled. "I'm done with looking at you and you telling me what to do and you pretending to love me and the controlling and - and I'm just done."
"No," He insisted, his body frozen.
"No?" She asked incredulously. "No? You mean you had no idea this was coming. You've been controlling my life for the past three years - three fucking years Luke, and I am done with you - done with it, done with everybody around me seeing right through your act and me being the only one to fall for it."
"You don't know what you're talking about, what you're saying," Luke insisted, shaking his head violently.
"Yes, I do." She said, and despite the uncertainty of her entire life right now, this entire situation, she had never been more sure or stronger or in control of anything in her life. She was Annabeth again, the little girl she used to be, the one who was fearless and rode bareback at seven, the one who never let anybody control her, threatened to run away at any sign of pushback from her parents when they didn't let her do what she wanted. She took a deep breath, continuing, "I realized something, Luke. I don't love you. I never have. This entire relationship, if you can even call it that, was based on you wanting to control me." She pushed back on him, the tip of her finger digging into his chest. He stumbled, before quickly regaining his posture.
"You're never leaving me," He remarked, calmly - too calmly. "Annabeth, please." He sounded close to begging, but no - no, Luke Castellan would never beg.
"Enough," She stood firm. "This is over," She reiterated, taking a step back from him. "I'm going home. Don't follow me." She watched him, eyeing his face one last time because however much she knew she needed to do this, however much she wanted to do this, but it hurt - it hurt and she hated how much it hurt her to see his eyes, to think about their kisses, to think about how this had all started. The smiles and smirks in middle school turning into those looks that ended in blushes to their first kiss behind the bleachers after a huge win when he was just a baby freshman.
Annabeth took one last look, committed him to memory then turned away. Her boots sunk in the mud, but she didn't hear the squelch of his shoes following her. Good. She reminded herself. This was what she wanted.
Thalia was there when she got back. Her best friend who knew this was going to happen, who might as well have been able to see the goddamn fucking future. Annabeth took the beer from her gratefully, gulping it down.
"Did you…?" She trailed off, her black hair in tangles down her back.
"Break up with him?" Annabeth's head spun but she tried to come across as nonchalant, like it was no big deal. "Yeah." She shrugged, reaching for the emergency pack of cigarettes she kept in her back pocket. She needed a release, a break from the stress, just a slight head rush, one to make the world pause for a minute.
Thalia breathed out a sigh of laughter, "You're kidding - I mean, Annabeth!" She laughed, outright again and lit both of their cigarettes for them. Thalia took a drag before continuing, smoke curling into her hair, "Annabeth, that's amazing!"
It wasn't amazing. It wasn't cool. She was sad, and it didn't matter how much anybody hated Luke, or how much she realized he was terrible, but after that whole ordeal all she was was empty. The party was barely there, just background noise. Thalia's voice, droning on and on and on about how great this was and how much fun they were going to have this summer was drowning, not quite reaching her ears before drifting into the music.
"Shut up," Annabeth whispered. Thalia didn't. "Shut - shut up!" She screamed this time, throwing her cigarette to the ground half gone, stamping on it and running out the door. She wasn't sure if Thalia followed her since the sounds of the party were still going on all around them, but she didn't care. She needed air - right now - or she surely would faint.
And then Luke was there all of a sudden, a violent, a fire in his eyes, one she had never seen before, one that scared her, and he was roughly grabbing her wrist, pulling on her and her throat constricted. He dragged her out the door, around the corner and she was sure he was going to hit her.
"Leave me alone," Annabeth pleaded, but his grip just strengthened.
"No," He snipped, "You're mine and you're not leaving here without me."
"No," She whimpered, sounding pathetic even to herself but she could feel the tears spring to her eyes involuntarily. "Luke, stop. I just want to go home."
He cornered her against the wall, pushing her back, cornering her, caging her in like an animal, "You're gonna leave us - Annabeth, we're not - you can't." He was slurring his words again, and a single tear slipped down her cheek. She swiped at it with her free hand, but the movement caused Luke to pin both her arms down. He was volatile like this, dangerous. He had always been an angry drunk, but that anger had never been directed at her. Now that it was, she saw why he ruled this dumb town in the first place - he frightened people.
"Let me go," She tried to insist again, fighting against his arms but his grip just tightened.
His eyes flickered at her fight, body tensed against hers. He hated it when she talked back, she knew that, she shouldn't push him right now. He opened his mouth, hot, alcohol infused breath spilling out onto her collarbone. "No," He snarled, "You're not leaving, because you'll just come running back like last time. You can't be alone Annabeth. You need me." He was close, too close, and Annabeth let out a strangled gasp holding back hot tears and then it all happened so fast.
"I don't, Luke. I don't need you anymore." She managed. His veins tightened. Adam apple bobbed uncomfortably. "Please," She implored, pouring her emotions into the word. Somewhere, deep down, he had to care about her. Something inside him, had to have loved her during all these years.
It happened so fast. His tongue darted out, licking his lips before speaking. "You-you bitch." He rasped, his voice tight. His hand raised and she barely had time to duck before she heard the slap, registered the sharp sting on her cheek. Someone - her - let out a yelp. Her hand went to her cheek, the warmth slowly seeping into the injury.
Not two seconds later, Annabeth noticed the blur of black hair first, the wild, harsh, green eyes, ones she almost didn't believe belonged to him. And then another fist was raised, but no, not Luke's, because suddenly Luke was on the ground, blood pouring from his nose, the bones crooked, his face imperfect, deformed.
"Percy!" She screamed, and the tears spilled, creating wet spots in the dusty dirt surrounding the house. He raised his fist again at Luke, but she said his name again, implored him, to step away. Luke was down, Annabeth could see enough through her tears to know that. The alcohol plus Percy's strength was enough.
"Right," She heard him breath. His hand was on her wrist, then, not unlike Luke's minutes earlier, but gentler, circling her skin delicately but with urgency. "Let's get you out of here."
She nodded in numb agreement, allowing herself to be led vacantly through the parking lot, Percy dodging cars for them left and right, skipping around people who wanted to get a closer look. She was vaguely aware of Percy yelling at Jason to pass him the keys, telling Thalia he had one drink, they would be okay, stay here and clean up this mess. Annabeth shut her eyes, tightening them, not wanting to see another minute of this stupid party.
She was slightly more aware of the feeling of his hands on her hips, lifting her into the truck passenger seat. Annabeth slid into him as he climbed into the driver's seat, her head dropping to his shoulder.
"Don't worry," He murmured, maybe to himself, maybe for her. "I'm gonna get you home."
Annabeth didn't know if it was the night, or the year she had had, or how genuine Percy sounded, how caring his words were, how she realized that she had never felt that kind of concern from Luke in all three years of their relationship, but the spell broke and then she was sobbing. Ugly, big, heaving sobs of pain and distress and he didn't say a word. Stroked her hair, her knee, her wrist, but he let her cry and Annabeth had never been more appreciative of anything in her life.
Okay, yes, Annabeth and Luke are officially over. There will obviously be aftermath to all of this because she was suffering a form of abuse which is no joke. I want to make her girlfriends the most supportive during this time, so although there is some slight Percabeth at the end here, it will be a lot of Piper and Hazel and Thalia. Which, will also be fun because we haven't seen a lot of the first two on her yet so I am excited! I also want to develop Percy's relationship with his dad a little more, and stabilize that slightly before they come together. So, there will be more Percabeth, I promise, but most likely in a few chapters not immediately. Anyways, this is a long A/N so I apologize. Love all of you, and review!
-a
