Encounters
AN: Hey lovelies! I hope this was a quick update for you guys compared to my last one! If you all are lucky, I might update again this same week before I go off to camp! I know that lately my updates have been really slow, but don't worry, I'm not abandoning any stories, I promise. I actually have a really good idea for another one, but I'm not starting it till I'm done with this story and FFG. Anyway, reviews- which I didn't get many of :/
TheOneThatSitsAndLISTENS: Thanks! It was pretty great to write.
Guardian'sDragonOfDeath: Thanks!
Crie13:I can't confirm or deny any of your guesses, sorry! I want you guys to try and figure it out until I reveal- which might be happening in a couple chappies. Thanks so much, though, I'm glad you like how it's playing out! I worked prety hard on all of these.
WTC: I can't confirm or deny it yet, sorry! But keep reading, maybe you'll find out soon.
Fri0003: Thanks so much! And I can't tell you, you'll have to figure it out!
AwesomeTooAwesome: Thanks, it was mine too!
Rocketgod123: I can't confirm or deny that guess, but you'll find out soon if you're right or not! I'll try to update FFG soon, but right now I'm kind of blocked for that one which is why I'm trying to work on this one to compensate. But I'm flattered you think my writing is addictive!
Zammy987: Thanks! I hope you read my review! And I can't confirm or deny your guess yet, but keep reading to find out!
Alright, here you go!
Annabeth
"So how was your night?" Thalia asked me the day of the lock in as we, accompanied with Piper, walked around the grounds of the nearest mall.
When Thalia had woken me up in the morning with her loud, My Chemical Romance- Teenagers ringtone and informed me that I had two hours to get ready before she dragged me to the mall with her, I was instantly suspicious. I mean, Thalia didn't go to the mall unless her life counted on it. As soon as I was in the car, however, she made it clear that the only reason I was being dragged along to the mall, was because she was also being dragged along to the mall by Piper, and she'd rather drag me through hell with her than suffer alone.
"It was the way all my friday nights are. Tiring, and spent washing off my makeup alone. Malcolm wasn't home last night, apparently he was spending the night at Percy's." I said the last part in the most un-bitter way I could manage, but my words still dripped with metric tons of acid. The two girls next to me said nothing for a matter of seconds, until Thalia looked up from her phone and met my eyes.
"I'm sure he was fine Annie. Don't worry so much, you'll get worry lines." I nodded and played with the end of the shirt I was wearing, fixing my glasses- which I was forced to throw on as even though Thalia had given me a two hour warning, I only slumped myself out of bed ten minutes before she arrived and didn't have have enough time to carefully place my contacts in- and trying to remember the advice Percy had given me the week before. I needed to trust my brother. He was probably just being a guy, doing guy things, with, well, guys.
Percy and I had started to get on a lot better, only arguing with each other a handful of times through the week. I was still extremely distant because of the feud though, but I was slowly starting to agree with him, even if I wasn't willing to risk my spot on the team just to be friends with him. Without fault, though, he'd always try to be around when Malcolm wasn't, and he was quickly turning into more of a brotherly figure for me than I was willing to admit.
"Mmmhmm." Piper agreed, and I glanced over at her to see her glancing around quickly, and not so subtly biting the insides of her cheeks. I eyed her warily and fiddled with a piece of my hair.
"You guys are probably right. How was your night?"
"It was okay. Didn't get much sleep, but you know, whatever." Thalia answered. I nodded in agreement and turned to Piper.
"And you?" I asked as we passed an American Outfitters store. I only had about three hours till I had to head off to Goode, and there was no doubt in my mind I'd spend all three hours trailing behind Piper, and eventually carrying some of he bags because the amount of bags she had on her arms now in adittion to the bags of clothes she hadn't purchased yet, would break her arms off.
"Uh, you know, fine, just doing normal things. And stuff. Yeah." Piper answered in a high pitched voice, and I stopped in my tracks to stare at her. Her hands were fiddling around with each other, and the blood that had rushed to her cheeks made her look like an adorable tomato.
"Okay, what's up with you? You've been acting strange the whole morning."
"Yeah," Thalia bit out, sending her a look with narrowed eyes. "What's up with you?" Piper tucked some hair behind her ear and looked away quietly.
"Nothing, I'm just really tired, yup. Yup, yup, yup."
"I don't believe your bull-" I started but Thalia cut me off by screaming her brother's name and pointing straight. That's when two very odd, and unplanned things happened. We ran into two football players, one of them my former crush, and the other, a guy who had spilled coffee on me not too long ago.
So, maybe when I was in like, eight grade I had like the biggest crush on Jason Grace. And maybe I never told Thalia that that crush had carried on to high school. And maybe I told Piper, the only person who ever knew about my crush, that I had totally moved on because he'd become a football player and I'd just joined the cheer team, and it was totally forbidden for me to even think of him that way. But that didn't mean I still didn't feel a little twinge in my chest every time I saw the guy, and that didn't mean that when he caught me that one time when I fell off the pyramid it took all my will power not to jump around like a little wuss. But obviously, I'd totally moved on.
Jason caught my eye for the following reasons: We were kind of friends. I mean, I had come over to his house enough that I knew his favorite ice cream flavor was cookie dough. I knew him enough to find out that he was the only one who was almost as good as me at video games, and who was capable of matching my kill streak perfectly when it came to shooting games. He was so smart, we were almost tied for ranks at Goode, with him being number two, and me being number three. And lastly, and most importantly, he saved Piper's life. He helped keep one of the most important people who helped keep me at ease, who helped me breath easy, who helped me in general, stay alive. And I could not be more grateful to him.
But obviously nothing could occur between us because he completely friend zoned me- as he should've considering the feud-, we were on opposing teams, and he was my best friend's brother. It would've never, in a million years, worked, and Thalia would've never let it happen. So of course, when I saw the two guys, I took two seconds to rake over Jason and die a little inside before I switched my eyes over to Percy and tried to plaster an uninterested look on my face.
"What the fuck are you doing here, Jace?" Thalia barked out, detering the awkward silence that was about to make itself known.
"Coach sent us to go get some sports equipment." Jason explained, stuffing his hands in his pockets and pressing his lips together. I quirked an eyebrow and crossed my arms over my chest.
"And you thought the best place to come get sports equipment was the mall?" I asked, genuinley curious as to why he would come here. He made eye contact with Piper and blood rushed to her face as I bit my lip so hard it hurt.
"Yeah. I did." He said in the most serious tone you could imagine, not once ripping his eyes away from Piper, and for some reason, I had a feeling there was an unspoken meaning behind his words. Finally, after my spirits shattered and he broke eye contact with Piper, he gave me a once over and his eyebrows scrunched together. That's when the second unplanned thing occurred.
"Why are you wearing a Goode Football shirt?" Cue my eyes widening in shock. Because of the fact that I'd decided to drag myself out of bed only a matter of minutes before I was picked up, I threw on the first pair of shorts and the first shirt I could find without even looking at them. Now, thinking back it, I realized I never gave Percy fucking Jackson his football shirt back from the week before, and apparently Piper hadn't noticed because she didn't comment on it. Percy and I locked eyes for half a second and I opened my mouth before accusations could be thrown.
"It's Malcolm's." We both said at the same time, and we stared at each other as everyone else looked confused. I dug my nails into the palm of my hand and began.
"Last week after the game, Malcolm said he was going to Wing Stop with some of the football guys, and he asked me if I could give Percy a ride home."
"When we got to my house," Percy continued, "It was storming really bad and so we got drenched and she asked me if Malcolm had left any clothes at my house, and so I gave her his football shirt." I let out an internal sigh of relief at the fact that he knew well enough to leave out the part where I stayed the night and slept in the same bed as him. We both knew that this shirt was his, but nobody else did, so this story was perfectly plausible. Jason and Piper looked convinced, but Thalia was eyeing my shirt like she didn't believe a word that came out of my mouth.
"Speaking of Malcolm, how come you guys' coach didn't ask your captain to go get the stuff?" Piper asked, accepting the excuse I'd given.
"He didn't show up to the meeting this morning." Percy explained. I drew my eyebrows together and stopped what I was doing.
"Wait. But Malcolm told me he was staying the night at your house." I said confused, and a fleeting look of annoyance and anger flashed on Jason's face before he squeezed the bridge of his nose and let out a puff of air.
"That idiot." He whispered, and I instantly turned to him.
"Do you know something? Do you know where he is?"
"Annabeth, I... I have to go get the gear, Piper, can you do me a solid and show me where it is?"
"Wait, you know something! Where's my brother?!" I practically screamed, and all the pent up frustration I had in my body was slowly starting to make itself known. Before I could chase after Piper and Jason, both Thalia and Percy grabbed one of my arms and held me back.
"Annabeth calm down! Anna!" Thalia tried, her voice quavering and making me stop in my tracks. I glanced at her and my eyes widened as I saw her eyes clouding. I think the only time I'd ever seen Thalia cry was when Piper had tried to off herself. Other than that, she'd always been the strong one. But now here she was, almost crying for some unknown reason and I didn't even know why.
"Annabeth, come with me, we'll talk, and we'll figure everything out." Percy assured, rubbing circles into my left arm. It felt strangely soothing, but I was too focused on Thalia to care. She lifted her chin and let go of my arm.
"He's right, babe. I know you don't even wanna be here, why don't you let Percy take you home? You need to grab your stuff for the lock in anyway."
"But what about you, Thalia, I don't wanna leave you here."
"I have to go grab my brother anyway. I'll be fine, I promise." She turned and started walking away, but stopped abruptly and met my eyes. "I'm sorry for everything." And then she walked away before I got a chance to respond. I ripped myself away from Percy and walked to the exit of the mall, clenching my fists and biting my lip.
"Annabeth, wait up!" I ignored him and rushed towards the dark blue truck I knew was his, shutting myself inside of it, and tasting blood in my mouth. He started the car and let out a breath.
"Annabeth, you'll have to talk to me eventually. I'm not leaving you alone until you do." He informed me as we pulled out of the mall and into the street.
"I need to cool down right now, okay? So, just be quiet. I'll talk to you when I'm feeling better." And we left it at that. We stayed silent for the rest of the ride, only listening to each other's breaths and the low humming sound of the car. He parked outside my house and I was dismayed to find out that Helen and Dad were still there. Once the car shut off, neither of us made a move to get out. They might've been the longest minutes of my life. And then he spoke up.
"You wanna talk about it?"
"Inside." Was my only response before I walked around to the back yard and started climbing up the straight ladder. I could hear screaming from inside and I quickened my pace, hearing the old wooden ladder rungs creak underneath my feet.
Now, quick note. I've had a ladder leading up to my balcony since before I could remember. We never changed the ladder. So, if we're thinking about it, this ladder was as old as I was. Which meant it was sixteen years old. Which meant it was old. Which meant it was weak. But of course, those thoughts didn't really run through my mind before I decided to use a ladder that I hadn't used in ages. And of course, I didn't think about the possibility of two people climbing at the same time being too much weight on this poor old ladder. So of course, when two ladder rungs snapped underneath my feet, I was totally caught by surprise, and I had no time to react before I was briefly free falling towards the ground. But I say briefly for a reason because the person under me caught me in mid air.
"Woah, you okay?" He asked, one hand wrapped around my torso and the other holding the ladder rung above him. I knew it was only a matter of time until that one snapped, so I tried to ignore the way my waist felt like it was on fire and nodded quickly, skipping up to the next ladder rung and crawling up to my balcony. I grabbed his hand and helped him up, making him crash into me slightly but not caring enough to say sorry before I barged into my room and listened to the yelling from down stairs.
"Helen, these are my children! That's not what you promised me in the beggining! You said they'd have a normal life, you said you'd leave them alone!" Dad yelled, and I stilled. I had no idea what he was going on about, but it was the first time I'd ever heard him stand up to Helen.
"I can do whatever I fucking please, Frederick, and if that means sending them on an airplane, I'll do exactly that and you won't have anything to say about it."
"But you know how they feel about flying, you know how it brings back memories of Athena-"
"Don't you even dare bring her up. I'm dying to spit on that bitch's grave, I don't see why I haven't already."
"Helen! You've done enough! She's dead! So just leave her out of this!"
"Don't defend her! You love me now, she's out of the picture. You chose me. You love me. Not her. Right?" There was a long pause, and I covered my mouth with my hand, clamping down on my lip so hard it hurt. I couldn't process what I was hearing.
"Of course. I love you." My dad said, loud enough for me to hear, but sounding like he didn't believe what he was saying himself. "But Helen. I'm begging you. Don't put them through anymore misery. I've seen the bruises you've given Annabeth. I saw the scar. And I know that you've got Malcolm paranoid. Just please, leave my children out of this. Don't do this to them. Please."
"That little fucker deserved every bruise she ever got from me. Your children are disgusting, and brats, and a disgrace to humanity. Of course, any offspring of Athena is horrendous. So, they will go on the plane, and if I hear one more peep about the flight from you, I promise I'll give Annabeth more bruises than she can count. Maybe I'll start back up on Malcolm again too. Now let's go, before we're late to the movie." And then the front door slammed shut and Percy and I were alone in a house that held more secrets than even I knew about.
I stood there, holding my hand to my mouth for what seemed like the longest time. He knew about the bruises. He realized they were there. Why couldn't he do anything? Nothing made sense, it was like I had a thousand puzzle pieces sitting in front of me, but I couldn't fit any of them together. Before I could move a muscle, Percy grabbed my hand and dragged me to the upstairs bathroom, flipping the light on as we went inside. He let go of my hand and looked at me expectantly.
"Show me. Show me the bruises. Show me the scar."
"Why would I show you that?" I asked in the blandest tone I could manage, but inside I felt like everything was collapsing around me.
"Because I care. So let me." I let out a breath and shook my head.
"They're gross. It's really not even-"
"Annabeth. Just show me." We stared at each other, daring the other to look away first before I let out a small breath that held so much fear, you wouldn't even believe it. And then slowly, I lifted my shirt- or should I say his shirt- above my head and threw it to the side. I instantly felt naked, revealed, and completely bare.
"Annabeth... How long has this been going on?" He asked without air, staring at my probably gory midsection. "These are absolutely horrible." He commented quietly, and I risked a glance in the mirror. As always, that was a mistake because what I saw made me want to vomit. There were a couple bruises spread around, some a deathly yellow, but most a red purple. He met my eyes and neared his hand to my waist. "Can I?" I nodded quietly, holding my head up high and averting his eyes.
His fingers skimmed around the purplish marks on my torso, bringing goose bumps up to my skin, and making me hold my breath. I remembered every individual event that caused me each bruise. One when I forgot to take my clothes out from the dryer, another when I left my case work down stairs at the dining table, another from when my video games were too loud... They were all minimal things, and yet I still ended up a mild version of black and blue. My senses heightened as he traced my scar and I met his eyes.
Pity, and confusion, and anger swam around his very confusing, very beautiful orbs as he quickly turned around and searched for something in the sink cabinet.
"This isn't okay." He stated as he pulled out the only aloe we had and started dabbing it on my skin.
"I'm fine, it's nothing." I assured as I internally laughed at the situation. This time he was the one patching me up. I screeched as he lightly pressed on one of the bruises.
"Yeah, I don't think you are. Why hasn't anybody called the cops? Why are you people just sitting around while this is going on?" He asked as he grabbed a piece of toilet paper and wet it, grabbing my face and bringing it closer. I involuntarily sucked in a breath as our distance shortened. He dabbed at my lip and shook his head at me. "Take your own advice and stop chewing on your lip."
"We can't call the cops, Helen is the cops." I answered quickly, not liking the way that our short distance reminded me a lot about Billy and that event in my life. "No one would believe us."
"But you have proof. You have bruises." I let out a frustrated breath and shook my head.
"Last time we tried to turn Helen in for abuse, she told the station that I'd been in a tumbling accident, and I had just come back from rehab for being on drugs. So now no one in the police stations sees either Malcolm or me as a reliable source. Plus, if we tried to turn her in and it didn't work, like it never does, she'd just bruise me up even more, so there's no point. This is how it has to be." He stopped dabbing at my lip and looked at me.
"Why doesn't your dad do something? Why doesn't Malcolm protect you?" I scoffed.
"Malcolm doesn't care, if he did he would be here right now." And then I marched down stairs without a glance behind. I was almost scared I'd trip down the stairs with how fast I was going, but I managed not to.
"Annabeth, come on." I flipped the kitchen light on and dug through my pantry as Percy leaned up and grabbed the hot cheetos bag I was searching for on the shelf above me. I stared at him for less than a second before I marched back up to my room and tried to shut the door but failed because of Percy's foot. I slumped myself into my computer chair, still shirtless, still confused, and still enraged. "Annabeth. How are you feeling right now?" He asked, handing me a cold compress. I grabbed it and held it to my stomach.
"Fine." I said popping a cheeto in my mouth.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." I said, starting to get pissed off.
"You promised we'd talk when we got inside. We're inside."
"I changed my mind."
"But you promised."
"And?"
"Promises shouldn't be broken."
"Well they are, god damn it!" I yelled. as I stood up and slammed the compress on the table. "They are because people are selfish liars! I've had plenty of promises broken! Malcolm promised me he'd always be there for me, but look where he's not! He said we'd tell each other everything, but look what didn't happen! People are going to lie, and people are going to cheat, and people are going to break promises no matter what! It's the way life works!" He nodded and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Are you fine right now?"
"No! I'm not fine! I'm mad! I'm mad because Malcolm's not here when he promised he would be, when he promised he'd always care, when he promised that we'd always get through everything together! I'm mad that he's lying to me, and that he's keeping secrets for whatever reason he is! I'm mad that Helen said that my mother was a disgrace, and that she wants to spit on her grave, and that my Dad said he didn't love her anymore! I'm mad that my best friend almost cried today and I don't know how to help because I don't know why she was! I'm mad that you heard Helen and my Dad arguing! I'm mad that you saw my bruises, and my scars because I'm ashamed of them, and I'm ashamed of myself! And I'm mad that Helen's making us fly, and that she threatened my brother even though I'm mad at him and he doesn't seem to care anymore at all! And I'm really, really, extremely mad that I've managed to look weak in front of you right now because that means I broke my vow! And I'm mad at myself because I feel absolutely worthless at the moment because apparently I deserved every bruise I ever got, and I'm a disgrace to humanity. So no, I'm not fine, I'm less than fine."
I sucked in a breath and glared at everything and nothing at the same time through the hot, salty, angry tears that rolled down my face. This was absolutely ridiculous. My heart yearned for my mom, and for my brother, and for Thalia, and maybe even a little to Percy.
"God damn it." I groaned as I lifted up my hand to wipe away my stupid ass tears, but Percy grabbed my arm and stopped me.
"No. Don't. Just let it out. You have to let go, or you're going to end up bottling, and bottling isn't good. Just let it all go." And surprisingly, I listened to him. So I sat down on my room floor and I just let it all go while he grabbed his shirt from the bathroom and tossed it to me, letting me slip back inside of it without questioning anything. And when we were both lying on my bed a couple minutes later, neither saying a word, and everything deathly quiet, I realized that this wasn't the guy I met over a month ago.
That guy wouldn't have gone through all the trouble he went through today to get me to open up to him like I've never done with anyone else. That guy wouldn't have cared. But this one did. And I was going to have to face the fact that Percy meant something to me now, in the way that I could come to him when I couldn't come to Malcolm. I was going to have to face the fact that now, he was a part of my life that I needed there, regardless of what the feud said about cheerleaders and football players coexisting with each other. The fact became even more real when said person made eye contact with me and said the following.
"You know, I know what it's like. To feel worthless. I was there, a really long time ago. My Mom always wanted the best for me. She married this guy... Gabe. He promised he'd provide for us, and he'd help us through, and he was like a shining star. But we found out he was lying, and he'd hit me, and make me feel like nothing whenever Mom had her back turned. It was a rough time for us, I can't deny that. But my mom and I got through it together."
"Why are you telling me this?" I'd asked at the time because he'd just shared something so deeply personal about his life, and he had no reason to tell me. He just did.
"Because, I'm trying to explain. You can't do this all by yourself. You can't cope alone. And maybe Malcolm won't always be there to help you through you struggles. But I promise you I'll try my hardest to be. You're something special, you know. You're unique, and intelligent, and you tell it to people like you don't give a fuck what anyone else thinks. You might be the strongest person I've ever met. You're something I've never, in all the time I've roamed the earth, seen before. But I don't want to see you give up right in front of me because if you can't hold it together, then what chance do the rest of us have?" And then he'd shot me a smile, and then I'd smiled back and we looked like the cheschire cat looking into a mirror. But that was an hour ago, and now we were still laying there, still in silence. I looked up at him to find him staring at the ceiling, and without thinking, I blurted the first thing I could think.
"I miss her." I said quietly as I got up and grabbed a duffel bag, going to my closet and grabbing necessary clothes for the lock in. I heard the bed creak, signifying that he was up. I shoveled more clothes into my bag and turned to look at him as he grabbed my phone charger and stuffed it in the bag.
"I know you do. I miss my Dad. But just know that no one can taint the image you have of her unless you let them. Don't change the perspective you have until you have evidence. I'm sure she loved you."
"And I'm sure your Dad loved you." I reassured him, and for the first time in my life, I felt a sensation of escape I'd never felt before. Never before was I more sure of something that I'd said. There was no doubt in my mind that Percy's that loved him to bits. He tossed me a shirt and I stared at it, confused.
"You might not want to show up to the lock in in the shirt you're wearing." He pointed out with a smirk, and I quickly realized I was still wearing his football shirt. I shut myself in the closet and changed shirts, handing him his back and apologizing.
"It's fine. And Annabeth?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm sure whatever's going on right now in your family will figure itself out. Just don't let yourself go."
"I don't think I can with you around." I joked, smirking slightly as we reached the stairs. He rolled his eyes at me and jingled the car keys in front of me.
"Ready for a night full of drama?"
AN: So... What'd you guys think? I hope it was decent, I thought I did a good job on this one. So, I will confirm this before anyone asks,yes, Annabeth kind of just brother zoned Percy in this chapter a little, but I promise that'll change! I have a plan. Also, I know that Annabeth liking Jason is weird, but just bare with me, you all know this is a percabeth fic so we all know that's not happening. Plus I ship jasiper hard core. And the plot thickened! I'm begging you guys, someone just try and interpret the conversation between Helen and Frederick. I wanna know what you guys think about that. Anyway, I hope you guys liked it, and please, please, please, drop me a review. I didn't get many last chapter and I'd really really appreciate it because your critics and feedback make me a better writer. Anyway, love you guys, till next time- ShyGal