chapter two: in the wake of realisation
The rest of the summer is a fever dream. She meets Percy every day that's left in August in an effort to make the most of their dwindling summer, but neither of them dare to mention the uncertainty that lies with the impending arrival of September. Annabeth is going into her final year of elementary, but she and Percy don't attend the same school. She doesn't even know if they're gonna go to the same middle school—Percy, as always, is frustratingly vague about his personal life. He still hasn't let her visit his house or meet his family.
On the last day of August, she stands outside her house with King, waiting for Percy. A few minutes pass before she sees him cycle up the road. Something's different; something's wrong. Percy skids to a stop in front of her and clambers off his bike. His face is downcast, his shoulders hunched. "I can't hang out today," he tells her. "Sorry."
"What? Why?" Annabeth stares at him for a moment before realising that he's cradling his ribs. "Did you crash your bike again?"
His expression is foggy for a moment. He nods, a halting motion. "My parents want me home today."
Annabeth doesn't know what to think. "But they haven't cared any other day."
"Just...I'm sorry, alright?"
She folds her arms. Beside her, King starts whining. "Whatever. See if I care," she mutters. Ignoring the ache in her chest, she turns the other way and starts off down the path in the opposite direction. Away from Percy.
She doesn't even watch him cycle away.
School starts without much celebration. Annabeth makes a new friend, Piper, who sings in the school choir and recommends a new book to Annabeth every other day. Piper is funny in an interesting sort of way. Her dad's a movie star, which earns her a certain degree of respect among the popular cliques. Neither of them are particularly outgoing, but they can laugh their heads off when they're alone. Something about being in a crowd of people drains the fun out of everything, Annabeth thinks. She tells Piper this, who easily agrees.
One rainy day in October, Piper runs up to Annabeth in the hallway. Her dark eyes glint with excitement. "Guess what," she demands.
Annabeth blinks at her, finding her energy exhausting this early in the morning. "What?"
"They're asking for helpers at the harvest festival."
"So?"
"So, we're signing up!"
Annabeth feels no less enlightened. "The harvest festival? Is that a Halloween thing?"
Piper stares at her. "You're joking. You've been before, right?"
Annabeth sighs. She can tell Piper's about to go into a spiel and would honestly rather she didn't. "Okay, we can sign up. I guess it could be fun." Piper grins, punching her arm. "Ow," she says, emotionless.
"Of course it's gonna be fun!" The bell rings, signalling that they need to head to class. "I'll meet you at lunchtime to sign up. And we can play Mario Kart at yours after school, okay?"
Annabeth smiles, nods. She's tired, but being with Piper will make her feel better no matter what. "Sounds good, Pipes. See you later."
Piper grins over her shoulder, glancing back through a sheet of brown hair as she waves.
As the month wears on, thoughts of Percy cross Annabeth's mind less and less. Her and Piper make another friend—Leo—who joins their year late. He's a foster kid with a kind of haunted look in his eyes, but something about his demeanor never fails to lift the mood of everyone around him. The three of them make some semblance of a clique all of their own, a notion that's strange to Annabeth. The sudden feeling of belonging isn't dissimilar to that of being thrust in the deep end of a pool, tethered only by a rope. It feels a lot like being friends with Percy had felt.
Sometimes, Annabeth wonders if their summer friendship had been fated to fade away when fall came: a weak-willed animal unable to survive the winter months.
It's October 30th. Though Halloween has always been Annabeth's least-favourite holiday, she finds herself swept up in Leo and Piper's excitement. They've spent the last couple days helping out with the harvest festival's pumpkin carving stall, and the day is fading away into evening by the time Annabeth hauls the last pumpkin into the truck that's bound for the field the festival's being held in. She groans, flopping onto the floor as one of the adults closes the screen at the back of the truck. "I feel like I've aged sixty years. My back is literally one gigantic knot."
Leo lands with a thump next to her, equally as exhausted. "If that ain't the truth," he mutters. His dark, corkscrew-curling black hair is all mussed up.
Annabeth turns her head to smile at Leo. "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually excited for the festival."
Leo pumps his fist. "I knew we'd get you in the spirit eventually! Just needed a bit of coaxing, that's all."
A few metres away, Annabeth hears Piper yell their names. "Quit relaxing in the dirt, you slackers, and get over here. There's more to do."
Leo shoots Annabeth a knowing look. "I'm surprised she hasn't got out her canes and whips yet, to be honest."
"I heard that!" Piper shouts.
The next day, the buzzing excitement in the air is practically tangible. Almost everyone in town is going to the festival. There's a lot of chatter at lunchtime about what everyone's dressing up as. Annabeth has never dressed up for Halloween in her whole ten years of living, so she feels fairly lost in these conversations.
Piper's going as Wednesday Addams, which is a surprise to no one. Leo's going as Ziggy Stardust, which is a surprise to everyone. "What's scary about that?" Piper asks, wrinkling her nose.
Leo grins. "I'm gonna wear fangs. Also, the lightning strike on my face is gonna be painted in fake blood." Annabeth has to give him points for originality.
"I still don't know what I'm going as," Annabeth mumbles, picking at her pasta. "It's probably too late to find a costume, anyway."
Piper hums, deep in thought. Suddenly, she jabs her fork at Annabeth. "I know what you should go as."
"What?"
Piper pauses for effect. "Alice in Wonderland!"
"Uh...what?'
She slaps a hand on the table, making Leo drop the piece of ham he'd been messing with on his shoe. "Come on, it's perfect. You're blonde and everything!"
"So what?"
"You have the vibe. You're bookish, smart, a little bit deranged."
Annabeth turns to Leo for help. "Please, you must have a better idea than that."
He shrugs. "I think she's right. You fit the profile, if I'm honest."
Annabeth sighs, sinking her head into her hands. "Where am I gonna find a blue dress, then?"
"A girl in my foster home is playing Alice in her school production next week," Leo says. "She'll let you borrow her dress, one hundred percent."
Feeling a little relieved, Annabeth smiles into her pasta. "I could rock Alice," she says slowly.
Leo and Piper exchange a glance, grinning. Piper says, "You definitely could."
Helen drives the three of them to the festival. "I'll be back to supervise in twenty minutes," she tells them. "Don't make too much trouble, alright?"
"We won't," they chorus.
Piper screams, "Thanks, Helen!" as she drives away.
Already, they can hear live music coming from the field. Annabeth feels slightly drunk on anticipation, and Leo seems to share the sentiment as he throws his head back and shouts, "Ladies, the night is young!"
They go to the stage first, drawn to the wild energy of the band playing. Annabeth is certain they've never played a gig outside Virginia, and as everyone around her is singing along to the lyrics she assumes they must be playing a cover rather than an original song. The three of them dance like maniacs, allowing themselves to be swept up in the crowd. Annabeth finds the swish of her blue Alice dress rather enchanting. For the first time in a while, she feels like a protagonist in her own life. She whoops. A second later, the cry is echoed by Leo and Piper.
The band leaves, replaced by a more low-key musician. They stumble out of the crowd, grinning, arms linked. "Shall we go see how our stall's getting on?" Piper asks.
The pumpkin carving is on the other side of the festival. There's lots of hay bales set out as seating, and in the middle of it all, there's a large marquee strung up by guy lines. A sign outside reads PUMPKIN CARVING AND MOCKTAILS in scrawling crimson lettering. "Let's go!" Leo says, dragging Annabeth and Piper forward.
As they walk inside, Annabeth is overwhelmed by the staggering scents of cinnamon and cardamom. Piper perks up at first sight of the mocktail bar on one side of the tent, but Annabeth insists they go check out the pumpkin carving first. "Don't you wanna see all our hard work?"
There's a lot of people in the carving workshop, etching faces into the many pumpkins laid out as they chatter away. "Let's have a contest!" Piper says, eyes sparking with the revelation.
Leo pouts. "I'm rubbish at art. I'm not doing it."
"Fine by me," Annabeth prods. "If you don't take part, we beat you automatically."
Leo raises a brow. "I don't think that's how it works," he protests, but he follows them over and grabs a pumpkin for himself.
Leo and Piper finish quickly, both opting for simple designs. Piper's isn't bad by any means, but Leo's one is messy to say the least. At Annabeth and Piper's judgemental looks, he just shrugs. "What? I warned you."
"Hurry up, Annabeth," Piper tells her. "I wanna get a mocktail."
Annabeth nods, keeping both her eyes and her blunt craft knife on the pumpkin. The half-finished face of a Cheshire Cat grins back at her. It's not terribly detailed, but Annabeth thinks she's done pretty well with the time she's had. "You guys can go stand in line," she suggests. "I'll finish this quickly."
"You sure?" Leo asks. She nods. They walk off, headed for the mocktail queue.
Annabeth works on her pumpkin for another couple minutes, occasionally glancing up to check where Leo and Piper are in the dwindling queue. At last, she finishes her pumpkin. Holding it at arm's length, she examines it with a smile.
Behind her, she hears a familiar voice. "Hey, Alice."
She whips around, startled. Percy is standing right there, looking exactly as she remembers—he's all messy, dark hair and deep green eyes that look almost grey in the marquee's dim light. He's even wearing that faded red shirt he'd worn the first day they met. Annabeth feels shell-shocked. All she manages to say is, "You're not wearing a costume."
He laughs nervously, rubs the back of his neck. "Didn't know what to come as."
Annabeth crosses her arms. Now that she's regaining her senses, fervent irritation spikes in her at Percy's sheer audacity. "You lied."
"What?"
"You lied. You said you wouldn't ever just ignore me again without an explanation."
He grimaces. "I'm sorry, Annabeth. Things have been kind of draining, recently. I'm barely getting my homework done."
Annabeth glares at him for a moment longer, then softens. She pulls him into a hug, burying her nose into his shoulder. "I wish I could stay mad at you," she mumbles.
Percy pulls back, smiles at her. "I've missed you. Can we be friends again?"
Annabeth hesitates, then relents with a nod. "I've missed you, too." Eager to return to normalcy, she gestures to her Cheshire Cat pumpkin. "Like it? I'm pretty proud."
With a wry smile, Percy nods. "It's good. Very on-brand."
"Thanks." She smiles at him for a moment, elated. "Wanna share a mocktail?"
He hesitates. "I'd like to, but I can't pay half."
She rolls her eyes, threading her arm through his. "They're only, like, a dollar fifty. I think I can let it slide this once."
Percy grins. "Then I'd love to."
They find Piper and Leo in the queue and Annabeth introduces Percy to them. It doesn't take long before it feels like Percy's one of the group, as permanent a fixture as any of them. Him and Leo have the same dry, sarcastic humour and Piper matches his neatly chaotic energy perfectly.
After buying three virgin mojitos, they head for the bonfire in the neighbouring field. Percy and Annabeth hand theirs back and forth between each sip. "Imagine if they accidentally put alcohol in this," Percy muses.
Annabeth laughs. "How on earth would they do that by accident?"
Leo shrugs. "It could happen. Last Christmas, my foster home handed out non-alcoholic champagne—except they mixed it up with the alcoholic stuff. Didn't take long for us to work it out. I had four glasses before our carers realised."
Piper gapes at him. "Four glasses?"
"Bet you're a lightweight," Percy jokes.
Leo straightens up. "I am not, thank you very much."
The bonfire is already raging. Dozens of people stand around it, enjoying the brief respite it gives them from the bitter October chill. Someone's leading campfire songs. Piper grins. "Let's go join in!"
Annabeth halts, jolting Percy whose arm is still woven through hers. "Oh, absolutely not."
Percy pokes her. "Don't be boring. Come on, it'll be fun."
"It'll be cheesy."
Leo shakes his head. "That's the idea." Reluctantly, Annabeth allows herself to be dragged forward.
The flames are bliss, bringing sensation back into Annabeth's cold, white fingers. She rubs at them, wincing at the crunching-glass feeling in her hands. "God," she mutters. Percy notices.
Carefully, he takes Annabeth's hand and massages the warmth back into them. "Better?"
She stares at his feet, willing the blush rising in her cheeks to go away. "How are you literally a human radiator?"
He smirks. "I'm warm-blooded, whereas you're essentially a reptile."
She smacks him. "Shut your mouth, Jackson."
They go and join Piper and Leo with the rest of the crowd singing campfire songs. Percy chimes in to 'Hey Jude' without hesitation. Annabeth gives in, singing along with an eye roll. He grabs her hand, spinning her in a pirouette. "I really like your dress!" he shouts over the roar of the crowd.
"It's borrowed," she tells him.
He shrugs. "Looks nice on you."
They dance for a while longer, afflicted by the lilting energy of everyone singing around them. At one point, Piper runs over and crashes into Annabeth and Percy, knocking them to the floor. "Love you, you bloody idiot!" she shouts into Annabeth's ear.
Before Annabeth can return the sentiment, Leo flops on top of them with a screech, joining the pile-on. "Ribs," Annabeth croaks. Percy can't stop laughing.
The festival draws to a close at eleven. They walk back to the car, first going with Percy to dig his bike out of the bushes he left it in. He hugs Annabeth. "Bye," he murmurs.
"Hey, no. Come back in the car with us!" Leo says. "We're gonna have a karaoke battle in the car."
Annabeth holds onto Percy's wrist, pulling him gently back. "Come with us," she tells him. "Please?"
Percy seems to read something in her expression. He pauses for a moment, then nods. "Okay. If there's room in the car."
When Helen sees them, she nearly sobs with relief. "Thank God you're all in one piece. I was held up as Matthew was being sick. It wasn't pretty." She lights up when she sees Percy. "Oh, Percy, dear! I hadn't seen you in a while. How are you?"
Percy smiles at her. He likes Helen; Annabeth can tell. "I'm alright, ma'am."
After loading Percy's bike into the trunk, they set off. Piper leans forward and clicks through radio stations before finally settling on one that plays classic pop. Percy throws his head back and sings along with Leo and Piper at the top of his lungs to 'Changes,' a song Annabeth's dad loves. Annabeth watches him, breath faltering as the lyrics slip away from her.
Leo catches her looking and raises his brows. Already knowing what he's going to say, Annabeth plants an elbow hard in his gut to cut him off. "Who're we dropping off first?" she asks Helen.
Helen glances in the rear-view mirror, spinning the wheel as she reverses down a lane. "Leo's closest, then Piper and then Percy."
Forty minutes pass before they're on the way to Percy's. For some reason, Percy looks anxious. He keeps tearing threads off the hem of his already-frayed shirt. "You okay?" Annabeth asks him.
He throws her a distracted look. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good."
They drive for a while into the outskirts of town. Helen asks Percy a variety of questions about how school's going for him. Percy's answers are accurate but evasive.
Annabeth watches the countryside flicker past out the window, a mess of hazy greys and blacks in the pitch-dark night. Percy must have to cycle really far to get home every day; they're miles out. At last, Helen pulls up into a small side-road. "Here we are," she says, turning around. "Need help getting your bike out?"
"Nah, it's alright."
Annabeth looks around, searching for Percy's house. She can't see anything except for a sign that reads Trailer Park Ahead. It hits her all at once: why they've never hung out at Percy's, why he hasn't wanted her to see his home. In that moment, the pearlescent veneer coating her sheltered life is washed away in the wake of realisation.
Percy's watching her carefully. His eyes are shuttered. "Bye," he says softly.
Annabeth can't get any words except a soft, muted "Goodbye." She reaches out and throws her arms around Percy. He isn't stiff, exactly, just hesitant. "Don't be a stranger," she says quietly. "Promise you won't be."
Percy offers her a half-smile. "I won't be," he echoes, and then he's gone.
hey! I know this is off-schedule, but I wasn't able to post on wednesday due to FFN's bug and still wanted to give you guys two chapters this week. most people were completely unable to access the first chapter when I posted it so fingers crossed all goes well with this one!
we'll be back to regular updates from now on; chapter three will be out on sunday! thanks for reading, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the reviews :)