Chapter 18

Annabeth

"Do you think they would let us order margaritas?" Piper questioned, squeezing a lemon into her water.

Leo scoffed. "We've been going here since we were babies." He responded. "That's a definite no, unless they want our parents taking away their liquor license."

Piper rolled her eyes. "I don't know, maybe if I pulled my shirt low enough."

Annabeth shot her friend a look. "We're just here to eat." She reminded. "There will be plenty of beer at the bonfire tonight."

Piper sighed, but didn't broach the topic any longer. Instead, she kept glancing at Annabeth with a disapproving look. If Percy wasn't so oblivious, it wouldn't have taken much to figure out something was off.

Her and her friends were seated at the long, rectangular table in the middle of the town's mexican restaurant that Friday night, like they did most Friday night's before heading to the creek for a bonfire. They hadn't in a while though, mostly because he came on Friday night's too. Annabeth used to go with him, of course, arms linked, hands intertwined, looking like the perfect small town couple.

She almost laughed at the thought. They had been anything but.

Annabeth had slid into the booth next to Percy, who looked slightly surprised she had decided to sit next to him, since they hadn't really said anything about spending the last week together. It wasn't that they had really meant to keep it a secret, but when everybody knew you hated each other it was hard to admit you might have been acting a little ridiculous.

Of course, Percy didn't know the real reason she had forced herself into the spot next to him.

Annabeth fidgeted in the seat next to him, twisting the stack of gold rings Piper had insisted on her wearing that night. She wasn't generally a huge fan of jewelry, but Piper usually had some sort of new necklace or earrings for Annabeth to try on.

"You okay?" Percy asked, his voice dropping to a whisper as laughter and conversation raged on around them. He was glancing over at her, enough concern written all over his face for a strong pang of guilt to hit her. Maybe he wasn't as oblivious as she had originally thought.

She gave him a wavering smile, hoping it was convincing enough. "Yeah. Just tired."

He gave her a look that clearly said he didn't believe her, but dropped it when Frank asked if he was free to come over tomorrow and play video games with Jason and Leo.

"We'll probably order a pizza. And fuck around." Leo offered, giving Percy a grin.

"And generally try to make Jason feel like a real human again." Frank finished.

Percy nodded. "I'm in. What time?"

Annabeth's thoughts didn't stay around long enough to catch the end of that conversation. Instead, her gaze flickered to the clock on the wall, watching the long hand turn painfully slow as it neared closer and closer to seven. They always showed up at seven. Always.

Twenty minutes after they were showered and ready from football practice. And although football might not be happening now, people in this town were creatures of habit. Him and his ugly friends would be here at seven.

Four minutes. She thought, trying to not break out in sweat. This was a disaster - an awful, terrible, disgusting idea. What had she been thinking?

She glanced over at Percy, his face broken out into a wide grin, hands gesturing wildly as he told some story - probably one she wasn't in, she thought bitterly. She couldn't hear him - why couldn't she hear them? - the sound around her fading as she took him in. Annabeth had no idea how she hadn't realized how… how full of life he was, how his green eyes brightened when he was the center of attention, how his black hair that desperately needed a haircut was always falling in his face, how he was… he was -

He was beautiful.

She sucked in a large breath, loud enough for him to give her a weird look as conversation chattered again, whatever he was saying long over.

"Percy," She breathed, gripping his hand tightly under the table. He looked shocked, but didn't pull away. "Percy," She tried again, struggling to find the words. All Annabeth knew was that they had to get out of here - she had to get him out of here.

"We have to - you - we need to -" She stumbled over herself again, Percy's face growing in concern with each syllable.

"Annabeth?" He asked, his hand reaching up to brush a curl away, but stopping himself. She almost sobbed at the gesture.

If she… if she couldn't get the words out, she could drag him out of here. She pulled on his hand, starting to stand up when - shit.

The bells above the door jingled happily as Luke walked in. First, of course, followed by five of his worst friends.

Annabeth's chest tightened. She couldn't - wouldn't breathe. She was gasping for breath, and felt each one harder and harder to inhale. Percy was gripping her hand harder, his eyes searching hers.
She barely heard him utter one word, "Breathe."

It wasn't seeing Luke, though. No, that wasn't the problem.

She had taken Percy here willingly, wanting to push him in Luke's face like a fucking toy.

Annabeth tried to brace herself. The only thing keeping her from passing out was the sheer embarrassment of doing that in front of Luke. Instead, she calmed her face not five seconds after they walked in, steadied her breath and shook off Percy's hand, giving him an I'm fine glare.

One of the guy's - Ethan - whistled at the sight of Annabeth, her and Percy's hands suspiciously under the table where they had been entangled just a few seconds ago.

"Looks like your girl found herself another little piece of shit to fuck around with." Ethan snarled, eyes focused on the small distance that the two of them sat apart.

Piper sighed, pressing her napkin tight in her hands. "Ethan, shut up." She said, her voice calmer than Annabeth's would have been. "Go get a beer - oh, wait - you've already had ten by now."

"You little -" Ethan started, sauntering over to their table, but Luke pulled him back. Ethan grumbled, but he knew his place. The five idiots Luke had brought with him went to sit at their normal table as Luke set his eyes on Annabeth with a chilling grin.

Annabeth steeled herself as he neared, as he grabbed a seat from a nearby table, swinging it around so his legs were wrapped around the chair. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.

"So," He drawled. "The rumors were true."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, trying to look indifferent. "Rumors and facts are two different things, Luke."

"Hm." He said, casually. Too casually. "Looks to me like you two are getting pretty cozy."

Annabeth shrugged. "Maybe." She said. The look Percy threw her was enough for her to know that he knew what she was trying to do now. Why she had insisted after weeks of avoiding this place, to eat dinner here tonight. The others sat still around the table, not wanting to get involved. Honestly, she didn't blame them.

"Mhmm." Luke hummed. "Well, I could give him some pointers, you know. We were together for three years." Percy stiffened beside her, but Annabeth tried to remain relaxed.

She scoffed. "Yes, Luke. I'm sure everyone here would like to know about how you couldn't get me off."

Luke's cheeks turned a bright red, and Annabeth almost smiled. At least she had struck a nerve. "Really?" He started again. "I mean, as I recall you were into interesting things. I wonder if Percy knows how rough you like it."

Annabeth's eyes grew wide, not expecting that response. She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. She made frantic eye contact with Piper across the table, but she looked just as stunned as Annabeth.

"I mean, there were some times… the handcuffs, the -" Luke stopped, bringing his hands up around his neck in a crude gesture.

Annabeth was burning red, from the tips of her ears to the bottom of her neck. She could see his friends, snickering, laughing at her. They - they knew. He had told them all about this - these private things, their private life. She sucked in another breath, her stomach churning. She was - she was going to vomit - she needed -

"Enough." Percy snarled, speaking up from her left where he had been quiet the entire time.

"Oh, look!" Luke laughed humoressly as Percy stood. Annabeth was still frozen, her hands twisting her napkin into shreds. "The boyfriends' gonna -"

There was a loud crunch as Percy's fist connected with Luke's jaw. Luke stumbled off the chair, but before he had a chance to get back up, Percy hit him again, knocking his head against the floor. Blood pooled by Luke's lip, and Percy's arm drew back again and -

"Percy!" She heard herself call out, surprisingly, pulling out of her seat and grabbing his arm in midair, his skin slapping her fingers from the force. Percy twisted to look at her, the vile look in his eyes softening as her eyes found his. "Stop." She said, quieter this time. "Let's go."

He tore his wrist from her, and Annabeth was afraid he was going to go back to throwing punches but he just stood, one foot still on Luke's chest. "Don't ever talk to her like that again." He snarled, before grabbing Annabeth's wrist and dragging her out of the restaurant before he could get swarmed by the rest of Luke's friends.

"Percy!" She called after him as he dropped her wrist from his hand, stalking ahead of her to his truck. Annabeth rubbed the raw skin on her arm, looking down to see a red circle appearing.

"I'll drive you home." He stated bitterly. Another stab of guilt hit her, knowing that part of his anger right now was directed to her.

"I didn't -" She stuttered, cutting herself off. Didn't what? Didn't completely set that whole situation up? Didn't ask for it? She might as well have begged at Luke's front door, begged him to come humiliate her in front of the entire town.

Annabeth opened her own door, Percy not bothering to get it for her - a first, she realized with a sinking heart.

He started it up, turning the key aggressively and gripping the wheel so tight his knuckles turned white. He flew out of the parking lot, turning the car fast enough that Annabeth had to hold on to the door. She wanted to say something, but she was afraid if she did they would get in an accident.

So she sat there, hands folded primly in her lap, ankles crossed, looking bitterly down at her red chipped nail polish. Percy's driving relaxed but his demeanor didn't and it wasn't until they were pulling into her driveway twenty minutes later that he finally spoke.

"You knew." It was a statement, not a question.

Annabeth gulped. "I didn't - I had no idea it was going to turn out like that."

Percy shook his head, foot tapping frantically against the car floor. He opened the door a second later, climbing out of the truck and stalking towards her house. She almost tripped over herself, falling after him.

"Percy, wait!" She called out again. She could feel tears threatening to fall but she couldn't let him see that. She didn't want a fucking pity party. She didn't deserve a pity party.

"But you - you - was this last week just a game to you? A sick joke? A way to get back at Luke?" He said, turning around and giving her a violent glare. But it wasn't the anger that made her wish she never would have asked him to hold up. It was the underlying sadness, the quiver of his own lips that made a tear spill over her eyelashes. Her chin trembled, and she found it almost impossible to speak, but she couldn't let him think that.

"No!" She protested, stomping her foot like a little kid. "Of course not, Percy. I - I liked spending time with you - I-"

"But it was a convenient opportunity." He stated again, kicking the dirt. "Two birds with one stone, kinda thing?" He asked, looking up at her again.

He was right. "I'm sorry." She muttered, but it wasn't good enough. It was pathetic, really, but she couldn't think of anything else to say - there wasn't anything else to say.

They stood there for a minute, her staring at her feet, him staring at her. Then he turned again, threw open the door and took the back staircase up to her room. She followed him, unsure why he was even in her house right now.

"What are you doing?" She asked. The stairs turned and he glanced down to look at her.

"Making sure you're okay." He said plainly. As if it were the most simple thing in the world. There was still anger in his words, but it slowly disappearing.

She blinked. "What?"

Percy sighed, opening her bedroom door for her. He didn't respond, instead piling her pillows on her bench and pulling back the sheets for her. She stood in the doorway, mouth chewing on an already ripped nail, watching him as he disappeared into her bathroom and turned on the shower. She listened to the water splash on the tile, and the steam starting to curl out of the door.

"So are you?" He asked plainly, returning from the bathroom. Upon her blank stare, he refigured the sentence. "Are you alright?"

She opened her mouth, then closed it again, completely unsure of what to say. "I - nobody's ever done this kind of thing for me." She blurted out.

Percy blushed. His previous anger was replaced by something worse - disappointment. It made Annabeth's heart hurt. "Yeah, well," He shrugged, kicking off his shoes. "Nobody deserves to be treated like that. Even ones who are as frustrating as you." He said with a smirk, but she could tell he didn't mean it. The corners of his mouth turned upwards as he struggled not to smile at the half-hearted joke, and she gave him a soft smile in return. They would be fine. It might take a few more apologies, but at least he wasn't still violently mad at her.

"I'll wait for you." He said, dropping the smile. "Just to be sure you don't need anything else."

She blushed, but didn't protest. Gods, the thought of her parents coming up here and finding Percy on her bed… she pushed the thought out of her head. The chances of them bothering to see her were slim. "Percy." She said suddenly, turning in the bathroom door to face him. He had propped himself up on her bed, eyes closed as he leaned back with his arms behind his head. "Why are you here?" She asked, the words spilling out of her before she could stop herself.

She wasn't sure why she asked him that… but - but she needed to hear him say it, she needed validation for the ache she felt in her chest around him, the goosebumps that raised on her arm when he had touched her wrist earlier that night, needed to hear that she wasn't alone in this - this unknown, this feeling.

He opened one eye, staring at her, looking tense despite his relaxed posture. "Because, Annabeth." He said, closing his eyes again. "I care about you."

Annabeth was suddenly glad his eyes were closed when something low in her stomach stirred and a blush so deep it spread far below her neck.

Hi y'all sorry for the long wait. Wanted to do a second chapter in Annabeth's perspective, but next will be Percy. Don't have a ton of excuses for where I've been but I've been packing for college and moving into a new apt so it's been kinda crazy lately. Anyways, it won't be that long before the next chapter but if you guys are ever wondering what the progress update is, just PM me! Hope y'all enjoyed this one.

-a