Percy
Chapter 19
Percy fished his phone out of his pocket, sending off a quick text to his dad as he reclined comfortably against one of Annabeth's pillows - a cream colored one, with a knit weave running through it.
Staying at a friend's tonight. Percy sent, a thumbs up appearing on his phone barely ten seconds later. Percy winced at the lie, but deemed it necessary. He doubted Poseidon would be very happy to hear that he was at Annabeth's, not Jason's or Leo's.
To be fair, it's not like she wasn't a friend. She was, in a way. In a lot of other ways, though, she wasn't anywhere near that title.
He groaned audibly, listening to the soft patter of the shower hitting the floor, dreading the moment that sound disappeared and she walked out. He should - he should leave, go, let her be alone. It's probably what she wanted anyways. There was no way Annabeth wanted his pity, the concern that he had tried to keep from lacing his voice.
But he was - concerned, that is. Luke had said… disgusting things. Vile, awful things about her. In front of everybody, no less. And the broken look in her eyes was enough for him to pause a second when he had been so angry at her. Percy wasn't angry at Annabeth, not really. Sure, it had been kind of irritating that she had purposely paraded Percy like a toy in front of Luke, but how could he stay mad at her after the show Luke had displayed for everybody?
He sighed again, running a hand through his hair and closing his eyes. The water shut off, and he could hear her soft footsteps as she dried off and changed. Everything in him was telling him to run, that this could only end poorly for the two of them, but he couldn't bring himself to get off her bed. He kept his eyes closed, though, wanting to avoid her initial stare that was sure to be harsh and unwelcoming.
The bathroom door clicked open, and he could feel her gaze on him and he couldn't - he should keep his eyes shut, pretend he was asleep - but he opened them, expecting to find the angry girl he had become so accustomed to, the one who consistently shut him out. Instead, her eyes shone with something he couldn't read. She wasn't angry, frustrated, irritated. She looked almost blank, her eyes taking him in but not seeing him. Her rims were tinged red, like she had spent most of her shower crying, and the thought made Percy want to land five more punches on Luke.
"You're still here." She commented quietly, finally moving from the doorframe she had been leaning casually against. Her hair was dripping wet behind her back against an oversized t-shirt that hit just at her thigh. Percy had a feeling she wasn't wearing anything underneath, but he shoved that thought forcefully out of his mind.
He shrugged, trying to seem casual about the situation as he sat up in her bed. "I said I would be."
Her eyes met him again from across her room as she threw her dirty clothes in a laundry basket. "Yes, but…" She trailed off, that same blank look on her face. "I didn't think you actually were going too."
A flickering of pain appeared in his stomach. It occurred to him that she might not have ever had anybody stay. And then another part of him blushed, the part that he tried so hard to shove down around her, the part that screamed attachment and commitment at him, scary things he had never let himself even fathom around a girl.
He pushed those thoughts aside, scooting over in the bed to make more room for her. "Do you want me to go?" He asked, eyeing her wary gaze as she stood over the bed, chewing her lip.
Annabeth shook her head. "No." She decided, and crawled under the covers, facing away from him. He watched the rise and fall of her stomach, the slope of her hip that was raised under the covers, the t-shirt that was sliding off her visible shoulder, the sharp rise of her tanned collarbone peeking out at him. And then he rolled on his back, trying to avoid the cold shower he was going to need if he kept staring at that.
It didn't help though, so he just sighed and readjusted the covers. He wanted to say something - anything, but he really didn't have anything to say. "I-" He started, then stopped, realizing there were no words to come after that. She didn't respond though, didn't give him one of those weird looks or an eye roll so he figured she was asleep.
"Goodnight." He decided on, his voice barely a whisper. It wasn't until it had been silent for at least half an hour - in which he couldn't for the life of him find sleep - that he heard the shaky breath she exhaled, the quiver of her body as she lifted her hands to her face. Percy rolled over, and before he could think better of it, wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her hips closer to him.
Annabeth didn't say anything, just took her own hand and wrapped it around his, pushing her body back until they were entangled. Percy, with a mouthful of Annabeth's lemon hair, was asleep within minutes.
-0-
Percy didn't stay long in the morning. Actually, he didn't stay at all, which he felt kind of like an ass for. He was an ass, but that didn't mean he wanted to be one.
It had been almost eleven by the time he had stirred, the mental exhaustion from last night causing him to sleep in. Annabeth still slept soundly before him, her head curled around their interlocked hands, breath spilling out onto his fingertips -
"Kid," The bartender snapped impatiently, fingers drumming on the counter. "What'll it be?" He asked. Percy didn't know why he was in such a hurry. There was only one other guy in here, a hitchhiker.
Great. That was apparently the kind of company Percy was now hanging around with on a Saturday morning.
"Bud." Percy responded.
"You old enough?" He asked, looking severely skeptical.
"That say twenty one to you?" Percy knew he shouldn't act so irritated, especially when he was showing this guy a fake that said he was from the suburbs of San Francisco.
The bartender snorted. "Ain't nobody in these parts from San Francisco, kid. Cop comes in here, blames on you and your California bullshit."
Percy shrugged. "Fair enough." He had driven out - east, from Bridgeport, needing air, needing a - a break. He texted his dad, letting him know he was okay, and then he had found himself in this dingy truck stop shithole of a town. The bar was called Two Moons, but he didn't know the name of the actual town.
He took the first beer, downed it, then ordered another.
The bartender frowned at him again. "Good looking guy your age shouldn't be here on a Saturday mornin'. Where ya from, anyways?"
"New York." Percy said, taking the second beer a little slower.
"City?"
"Yep." Percy replied.
The dude whistled. "Jesus, kid. What're ya doin' here?"
"I'm living over in Bridgeport for the summer." Percy finished the second. The guy brought him a third. "My mom shipped me off to live with my dad."
"What'd you do?" The bartender asked, grabbing another beer for the hitchhiker.
Percy shrugged. "Girls. Partying. Drugs. I don't know - I just pissed her off."
"What're you sittin' here for?" He asked, hesitating as he waited for Percy's answer before he brought the guy another drink.
Percy glanced sullenly down at his drink. "Girls, I guess. A girl." He added.
The bartender raised his eyebrow, gave the drink to the other man and came back behind the bar. "Sounds to me then that you shouldn't be sitting here on your ass, sulking about it."
Percy gave him a glare, but his heart wasn't in it. "Maybe not."
"Girls are somethin', let me tell ya," He said, shaking his head as he cleaned up a spilled drink. "But you find the right one -" He paused, pointing a weathered finger at Percy, "She'll make you a man. You hear me?"
Percy just looked at him. "I hear you." He said. And then he stood, throwing down a twenty for the drinks and headed back out to his truck.
-0-
Percy soon realized he wasn't in any shape to drive. The road slightly blurred, red lights seemed nonexistent and he had already been honked at once for almost swerving into the other lane. So he pulled off the highway, taking a two lane backroad home. It would take him twenty minutes longer, but at least he was only in danger of killing himself, not others.
He passed the county line, marked with a dull green sign that read Welcome to Bridgeport! Glad to have ya. And then he hit the slums. Dingy houses with ratty animals out front. He passed one property with an older woman smoking a cigarette. When she saw Percy's eyes on her, she flipped him the middle finger. Another house, this one with peeling blue paint. Two kids in the front yard were playing with a rifle, their father drinking - or downing - a beer in the window.
He thought of Piper and Leo and all his friends who lived over here. He hadn't actually ever driven through or even really thought much of it, but the difference was eye opening. He wondered how the town had gotten this segregated, how these people had ended up with such different lives. Annabeth probably knew, but she probably was never talking to him again after he had up and left this morning without a word. Something had changed between them last night and it was making his insides churn and his head spin and he didn't like it. He focused on heading home, taking corners a little too fast in an effort to distance himself from this other world.
Percy meant to go home. Drove right there… and then drove past it, down the road and to the blinking yellow at the intersection. Took a left, and ended up screeching his truck tires on the dusty road that led up to the Chase's barn.
He hopped out, leaving his keys in the ignition. This was stupid. This was… reckless - what was he even going to say to her?
He looked first in the barn, but all he saw was her upstart little brother. "Any idea where Annabeth is?" Percy asked. He didn't know which kid it was.
The boy turned, his blonde hair flopping in the wind. "Who's askin'?"
Percy tried not to roll his eyes. "Percy. I work here. So where is she?"
"Do you actually?" The kid - Matthew, Percy decided, based on the freckle on his cheek that Annabeth had once pointed out when he was confused - was pissing him off. "Or are you Annabeth's new boyfriend? Because Dad always says she hangs out with boys too much so if you don't actually-"
"I do work here." Percy ground out. "Where's Annabeth?"
Matthew rolled his eyes. "Sure. She's out at the west end of the property. By that tree she likes I think. South side of the river."
Percy nodded in thanks, grabbing a saddle for Blackjack.
"The farmhands aren't supposed to take our horses though. Are you even on the clock?" Matthew questioned.
Percy audibly groaned and shoved his hands into his pockets, bringing out a wallet. "Here. Ten bucks and you keep your mouth shut. Go buy yourself ice cream or something."
Matthew stared at it. "Cool!" He said happily, and left the barn.
Percy finished up with Blackjack. He ran into the bunkhouse to grab his hat, glancing at one of the gross pictures the guys had up in here. This girl was blonde, with a cowgirl hat and her tits were spilling out of the piece of cloth she had on. Her eyes were so light they could have been gray.
Percy ripped it to shreds, threw it in the trash and kicked Blackjack into a canter as he left the barn.
It took him a few tries to find the "tree" Matthew had so loosely mentioned. First, his sense of direction wasn't nearly as good as he thought it was because he went Northwest instead of South. When he reached the river, it was flowing downstream, so he turned around and led Blackjack to the trail that ran along the water. He then veered off course several times, glancing at old willows that he thought Annabeth might be under. Eventually, he ran into her. Almost literally.
"Are you kidding me?" She squealed, scrambling out of the way, a huge novel in her hands. She stood, dusting the dirt off the back of her jeans.
"S-sorry, I - I was just-" Percy stumbled, sliding off Blackjack and giving her a hand.
Annabeth waved him off. "It's fine. What are you doing here anyway?"
Percy stiffened. He hadn't actually come up with anything of substance to say. "Uh… you're brother said I could find you here."
Annabeth gave an amused smile. "You had Blackjack in a run."
That threw him. "Huh?"
Annabeth gestured to the horse. "We haven't gotten past a trot in lessons. You looked good, though. I mean," She blushed. "You weren't about to fall off, I mean."
Percy glanced at Blackjack, wondering if his new found skill was more due to the horse and not Percy's sudden expertise on riding. He didn't say that though - he hadn't come here to make small talk, even if he didn't know what he actually wanted to say. "Listen," He started. He watched the smile fall from her lips, and he rushed on, desperately wanting her to look at him like that again. "I shouldn't have left this morning. That was a… an asshole move."
She shrugged. "It wasn't a big deal. I didn't really expect you to be there anyways." Her eyes were down, but Percy saw the disappointment in her face.
He stepped closer. She didn't look up. "I should've been there." He took her chin in his hands, gently pushing her head up until her eyes flicked to his. "I will be there."
Her chin trembled, and Percy's eyes dropped to her lips, his tongue darting out to like his own bottom lip.
"Percy." She breathed. The sound of his name off her lips made him shake, his knees trembling as he slipped a hand around her waist, tentatively gripping her against him. Gods she was… he would…
Fuck it.
He put his forehead against hers, sharing her breath, her eyes still open, locked on his. "Annabeth." He whispered. And then he kissed her.
Hey y'all, sorry this took me so long to get up. It's been crazy packing up for college right now! Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed :))) Hopefully I can get another chapter up this week before I leave for school. Love you all and always feel free to PM me about when the next chapter is coming!
-a
