chapter three: dream and his sister, death
Percy honestly isn't a secretive person. Not by nature. Still, there's one secret he's kept his entire life. He's kept it hard and fast, with more fervour than the rest of his infinite vices—a losing hand held close to his chest.
By the age of ten, Percy understands the universe on a darker and more sordid level than a kid has any business being able to. It takes a while for him to realise that, oh, the rest of his classmates can take a high-five without freezing to the spot. It makes sense, to be honest. Throughout all his sleepless nights, he wonders what's wrong with him, what he's done to deserve it. A new thing comes to mind each night. He was late to dinner. He left his dirty plate by the sink. He didn't lock the fucking door behind him, goddamn it. No, he doesn't want to get robbed, sir. Nod his head. Shake his head, eyes on the floor. Look at me! Sorry, sir.
It's all very, very exhausting. Percy meant it when he told Annabeth he barely has time to do his homework.
Annabeth is a breath of fresh air. She's colourful, exciting, with nice parents and a nice dog and nice freckles. He'd never admit it to anyone, but she became the most important person in his life after barely a week of knowing her. Despite Percy's best efforts, she's worked her way into his life and refused to leave.
After the harvest festival, things start to look up. His stepdad starts drinking more, which is good. It means he's passed out at the kitchen table most of the time. Percy hangs out with Annabeth, Piper and Leo almost every day after school. Leo even loans him a skateboard. They start practising together regularly in the town park, going over the ramps until they're steady enough that they stop knocking freshly healed scabs off their knees.
Leo seems to understand his thought processes better than Annabeth and Piper do. Being late home = bad. Prolonged eye contact = bad. All Percy knows about Leo's past is that he ran away from foster homes a few times, but even that reveals enough to Percy.
The four of them go to the library every weekend. Percy isn't much of a reader himself, but he likes flipping through the comics while Annabeth and Piper talk endlessly about whatever book they've read recently. Percy soon grasps that Annabeth reads for the lessons while Piper reads for the stories. He's not sure which is the most productive way to go about it.
He and Annabeth are joined almost at the hip. On weekends, they walk King and sprawl in fields together, gazing up at the clouds. When it rains, they cycle through puddles so fast that water splashes up around them. As the school year wears on, Percy finds himself wishing more and more that he could switch to the others' elementary. Even though it's his last year at his current school anyway, he desires the close friendship and familiarity the others seem to share.
Still, what he's got is enough: Skateboarding, going to the library. The occasional round of Mario Kart at Annabeth's house. Helen's kind glances and Frederick's help whenever his cheap bike fails—it's all enough.
The Christmas holidays pass like a ghost. Gabe marks up his face on Christmas Eve so he avoids his friends for ages.
School is dull enough that he blocks most of it out and before long, it's summer again. With summer comes the gradual lightening of Annabeth's hair and the formation of more freckles on her face. With summer comes bike rides, ice-creams, and absolutely intoxicating amounts of Annabeth. With summer comes the impending end of their time at elementary, which Percy is glad for. He has a few friends there, sure, but none of them mean much to him.
In September, he'll go to Mileview. Mileview, the school Annabeth, Leo and Piper are all going to. With both a middle school and a high school built in, it's the biggest school in their town. Percy is kept going by the dream of a fresh start there.
On the last day of school, Percy cycles hard and fast for the river. The July heat beats down on him, sticky and humid. Percy's wearing a long-sleeved shirt due to some lancing bruises up his left arm from a beer bottle but their dull, residual ache is the last thing on his mind. It's not like the glass cut him, anyway.
The others are all standing by the river in the shade of a tree, backpacks scattered on the grass. Annabeth watches him cycle up, a beaming smile on her face. "Hi, Percy!" she calls.
Percy grins, jumping off and letting his bike clatter to the ground. "Hey."
Leo claps him on the back. "What's up, my man?" Percy completes a practised handshake with Piper. Once his attention returns to Annabeth, she hugs him. She's wearing a white summer dress; the pink straps of a bikini peek out of its neckline. Her curly hair looks so soft and sun-bleached that it reminds Percy of dandelion seeds. "We're gonna go in the river. You coming in?" she asks.
"Can't swim," he admits. "I'll paddle, though."
Piper gapes. Her brown hair is plaited into French braids. Percy wonders if Annabeth did them. "No way!" she says, incredulous. "You really can't swim?"
"Never had lessons."
Annabeth is looking at him intently. "I'll help you learn," she offers. "Over summer. It's not hard."
Percy rubs the back of his neck. "Maybe." Eager to change the subject, he turns to Leo. "Have you managed a pop shove-it yet?"
Leo groans. "No, Christ. We're going to the ramps tomorrow, yeah? I'm not resting 'til I get it."
They stay at the river late into the evening. Annabeth and Piper hold a brief contest between themselves regarding who can do the best somersault off the riverbank into the water. They try and make Leo do it, but he protests. After making fun of him, they drag him in with them.
Percy goes in up to his thighs in the shallows and splashes around with Piper while Annabeth and Leo take turns trying to do handstands in the water. He's glad he can't go in further, to be honest—the water scares him a bit.
Percy says this to Piper, who rolls her eyes. "Come off it. The water's not gonna hurt you." To emphasise her point, she kicks a wave of water into Percy's face.
He splutters. "Stop! You're getting my shirt wet."
"Just don't wear it, if you're worried."
Percy ignores the surge of fear that crashes through him at the idea of anyone seeing his bruised arm. Schooling his features into submission, he flashes Piper a crooked grin. "What, you wanna see me take it off?" he jokes.
Piper shrieks, running away. "Don't be gross!"
They go and sit on the grassy bank to dry off, watching as Leo and Annabeth keep trying to perfect their water-submerged handstands. Annabeth grabs Leo's ankles while he's upside-down and they laugh as Leo thrashes, gurgling muffled threats. He lunges for Annabeth once he surfaces, hellbent on revenge as he crashes through the water after her. She screams, swimming away with a smile on her face. "I'm sorry!" she shrieks. "Calm down, Jesus. It was funny."
When it's time to leave, Percy cycles Annabeth home on the back of his bike. The sky's so red it could be on fire, lit up like flames by the dying sun.
They pull up to Annabeth's gate. She hops off, grinning. "This summer's gonna be the best," she tells Percy.
"You're right," he agrees with a smile. He hasn't felt this happy in a long time. "Can I come to yours tomorrow morning?"
Annabeth nods, like it's obvious. "'Course. I need someone to walk King with me."
Percy cycles away, yelling, "Bye!" over his shoulder. Annabeth waves until he turns the corner, out of sight.
Percy makes it home at seven 'o' clock. After chaining his bike to the railing, he carefully pushes open the trailer door. Unlocked, thank God—he lost his key yesterday. Closing it as quietly as he can, he kicks off his shoes. Gabe is passed out on the sofa, baseball cap over his face. A few empty cans of beer lie on the floor around him. Percy gathers them up and puts them in the recycling, trying not to make too much noise.
There's no dinner on the table. Fair enough—Percy missed it anyway. He opens the cupboard, hoping for a can of soup or ravioli, but there's nothing. He sighs, pouring a glass of water instead. Gabe gets paid tomorrow so, with luck, Percy will be able to buy some groceries. Gabe's only been taking half as many shifts lately, though, being on a zero-hour contract. Most of the money will probably be spent on booze anyway.
He resolves to start asking around for a job tomorrow. Being young, he'll be cheap to employ. He reckons he can keep a job a secret from Gabe for long enough to generate some savings.
Climbing into bed, he pulls a comic he got from the library out from under his mattress and opens it. The Sandman: Dream Country. It's the third volume.
He reads for a while, content with losing himself to the strange art and stranger storylines. He wonders what it'd be like to be Dream, the main character. Or maybe his sister, Death. Though the ache of hunger is rock-heavy in his gut, nothing can bring his mood down. Summer's started, and tomorrow he's seeing Annabeth again.
As July trundles by, Annabeth's birthday begins to approach. Percy manages to snag a job at the local machine shop—only because the manager takes pity on him, sparing glances at his worn clothes. Though he only makes three dollars an hour sorting receipts, he saves enough money to buy Annabeth a present. Something small, but something all the same.
He's sitting on Annabeth's bed with Bobby's Nintendo DS, playing Mario Kart with fixation. Annabeth is just as focused, lying flat on the floor as she plays. "Why did you make me pick Rainbow Road?" she complains as she gets pelted off the track by a green shell for the third time running.
Percy grins, eyes glued to the screen. "'Cause I can always beat you on it."
"Shut your mouth." Annabeth's been lifted back on the track. This time, there's fury in her eyes. She stands up, pacing almost as quickly as her thumb's movements on the toggle.
At the last second she manages to get into second place, but Percy's already crossed the finish line. He pumps his fist. "Yes!" he whoops.
Annabeth groans, flopping backwards onto her bed. "I hate you."
Percy grins, turning to look at her. She's frustrated—her brows have gone all creased. "You don't."
She sighs. "You're probably right. By the way," she pokes him, "you're coming bowling with us on Friday. It's my birthday, so no excuses."
"Bowling?" he asks. "Cool."
"It is," she grins. "Have you been before?" When he shakes his head, she makes a face. "There's not a chance I'm letting you on my team, then. I'm in it to win it."
Percy smiles. "Is that so?"
She nods, all seriousness. "Of course."
On Thursday, Percy can't meet the others as he has to work at the machine shop. He's been excited all day as he finally picked out Annabeth's present: a charm necklace. So she can keep adding things onto it, if she wants. He's bought one charm to start her off—a silver letter A. Still, that's not the only charm he's giving her; last year, Helen drove them to the beach for a day out and he found a small grey shell with a tiny hole in the side. He's glad he kept it safe—it matches Annabeth's eyes.
It turns five in the afternoon and Percy clocks out of work. He steps outside to search for Lucy, the manager. Glancing around, he notices her brown feet peeking out from under a convertible. Percy doesn't know why she never wears shoes and at this point, he's afraid to ask. "I'm heading home, ma'am," he calls.
Lucy pulls herself out from under the car, still lying down on her creeper seat. "Have you locked the receipt cabinet?" she asks.
He nods. "Yes, ma'am."
"You're an angel," she smiles. "Get home safe, you hear?"
"'Course. Thanks, Lucy."
When he gets back to trailer, his stepdad's home from work. He's watching soccer and seems too preoccupied with screaming obscenities at the players to notice Percy's return. Percy fills a saucepan with water and places it on the heat, then reaches into the cupboard for a packet of dry ramen. As his ramen cooks, Percy dimly registers Gabe's team losing in the background. Percy stiffens. Every time they lose, his stepfather gets in a funk.
The game ends as Percy tips his ramen into a bowl. Gabe stands up and kicks the coffee table, muttering something about godawful fucking defenders. He lumbers over to the kitchen, opening the fridge. "Where've you been?" he asks, taking out a fresh beer.
"At Leo's house," Percy mumbles.
"Speak up."
Percy picks up a fork. "At Leo's, sir."
"Leo? What, that foster kid?" Gabe mutters, cracking open his beer. The foam flows over his fingers and he bites out a curse. "Shit. Get a cloth, would ya?"
Percy passes him a kitchen towel. Picking up a fork, he mashes around his ramen. It's undercooked. He tries to step around Gabe to go eat in his room, but he throws Percy a menacing look. "Eat at the table. You're not a fucking hobo."
Percy sits down. Gabe's rules change all the time; he's long given up trying to follow them. "Sorry, sir."
"Sir, sir, sir," Gabe mimics in a girlish voice, sitting down to drink his beer in the chair opposite. Percy doesn't point out the time Gabe broke his nose for forgetting to call him that. "Grow some balls."
Percy can do nothing but nod. He eats his ramen quietly as Gabe rifles through a newspaper, then gets up and washes the bowl at the sink when he's done. As Percy walks by, Gabe sticks out a foot, tripping him. Percy stumbles, barely grabbing onto the counter in time. Gabe lets out a bellowing laugh as Percy disappears to his room, heart pounding.
He hates this.
On Friday after school, Percy shoves the pouch with Annabeth's necklace into his pocket and takes off for Leo's house on his bike. Then they'll head for Annabeth's house to hang out for a while before going bowling.
Bowling. Percy still can't wrap his head around it.
Percy cycles up the asphalt lane to Leo's foster home, slowing down as he approaches. The foster home is in a grey community building. The walls of it are just as cracked as its windows. Needless to say, Percy thinks he fits in better here than the picket-fence fantasy of Annabeth's estate.
"Leo?" he calls. He'd been told to wait outside rather than ringing the doorbell.
Just then, the door opens. Leo wheels his bike out of it, knuckles clenched so hard on the handlebars that they're almost white. "Fuck off, Baron," he yells. That's the first time Percy's heard that word out of anyone's mouth other than Gabe.
An older foster kid leans on the doorway, watching Leo leave with a smirk. He must be Baron. "Aw, did I hurt your feelings?"
Leo's face is red. He whirls around. "Just leave my stuff alone, okay? Jeanne told me she'd take away your skateboard if she caught you one more time."
Baron laughs. "Is that so? Well, I'm sure you won't tell." As he turns to go back inside, he adds, "Better watch your back."
Jaw clenched, Leo hops on his bike and starts cycling. Percy scrambles to keep up. "That guy's a jerk," Percy notes.
Staring at the road ahead of him, Leo nods. "All the older guys are. They think they own the place just 'cause they've been there longer."
Percy isn't sure how to comfort him. "Well, it won't be long before you own the place too."
Leo smiles, sharp as a knife. "Yeah. Won't be long," he repeats. Percy's a little unsettled by the intensity of his gaze.
When they skid to a halt outside Annabeth's house, Helen's in the garden working on the hedgerows. "Oh, lovely! You're here. Go on inside, the girls are finishing up the cake. You'll eat first, then we'll drive to the bowling alley. I'll put your bikes in the shed."
Percy grins. "Thanks, Helen."
The two of them wander inside, kicking off their shoes. Laughter echoes from the kitchen. Percy walks through, lighting up at the sight of Annabeth standing at the kitchen island with Piper. "Hey," Percy says.
Annabeth whirls around. There's flour all down her front, even in her curly hair. "Thank God you're here 'cause we need some serious help. Do either of you know how to make fondant less sticky?"
"Nope," Leo says, walking around to lean on the island. "Can I try some of that?" He leans forward to dip a finger in the buttercream.
Piper shrieks, swatting him. "No, go away! You haven't even washed your hands yet."
Annabeth grabs Percy's sleeve, dragging him towards the sink. "Wash your hands—then you can help me mix this."
Half an hour later, the cake is smothered in buttercream and decorated with blue fondant hearts. Helen emerges into the kitchen, taking off her gardening gloves. "The cake looks brilliant! I love the hearts. Who came up with that?"
"Percy did," Annabeth says, grinning. "We dyed the fondant with food colouring."
"Smart."
Leo cranes over the cake. "Can we please eat it now?"
Helen shakes her head, taking some aluminium foil out the cupboard and covering the cake with it. "Later. We've got pizza first."
"Should we do gifts over dinner?" Piper suggests.
Checking Annabeth's necklace is still in his pocket, Percy nods. "Yeah."
They sit down at the kitchen table. Leo pulls out Piper's chair just as she goes to sit on it. When she lands on her butt, everyone except her explodes into laughter. "You'll pay for that," she grumbles.
The pizza is amazing. Percy hasn't eaten yet today so he polishes off his margarita in a few minutes flat. Helen raises a pencilled-in eyebrow at him, making him blush. "Sorry. It's just tastes really good."
She smiles. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."
Piper leans back in her chair and lets out a long, sustained belch. Annabeth screams and ducks away from her as Leo and Percy laugh. "Why am I the only civil person here?" she complains.
"That's your fault for inviting us," Leo points out. Annabeth sticks out her tongue at him.
"Let's do gifts!" Piper says. "Can I go first?"
"Sure," Annabeth says. "You know, you didn't have to—"
"Shut up, Annabeth," the rest of them chorus.
Piper runs over to the island and reaches into her bag. She withdraws an envelope and holds it out to Annabeth. Intrigued, Annabeth takes it. "What's this?" she asks.
"Just open it."
Carefully, Annabeth slides a nail under the close and teases it open. Reaching inside, she pulls out four tickets. The Shallows: Official Premiere is printed on each of them in bold text. Annabeth's mouth falls open. "Isn't this your dad's new movie?"
Piper nods excitedly. "Yes! I had to guilt-trip him so hard to convince the organisers to let us come. It's rated R and we're gonna have the time of our lives."
Annabeth looks faint. "R," she repeats helplessly.
Leo bounces in his seat. "Does this mean we get to go on the red carpet?"
Percy blanches. "Red carpet?"
"I don't have anything to wear!" Annabeth cries.
Piper flaps a hand. "Don't worry about that. We're gonna go to a dress fitting."
"What about us?" Leo complains.
"You'll wear suits, obviously."
A slow grin crosses Annabeth's face. She lunges for Piper, throwing her arms around her. "This is insane," she squeals. "Thank you so much!"
"You're crushing my ribs," Piper croaks.
Annabeth lets go, still smiling. "Who's next?"
"I'll go," Leo offers. He pulls his backpack onto his lap and unzips it, pulling out a parcel wrapped in newspaper. He slides it over to Annabeth. "Jeanne helped me put it together."
She peels the many layers of tape off it, ripping into the newspaper. It's a journal. Photos of the four of them together have been stuck all over the front—there's one of them sitting in their local diner and another one of them all at the harvest festival. "I love it, Leo! I've been wanting a journal so bad." She hugs him.
Piper grabs the journal, studying the photos on the cover. She makes a face. "I look like a gremlin in that one."
"You always look like a gremlin," Percy comments.
Piper glares at him. "That's rich, coming from you."
Annabeth and Leo laugh as Piper grabs at Percy. "Gosh, it was a joke," he laughs.
"Percy, you next," Annabeth interrupts. She looks excited.
Suddenly, Percy's nervous. His hands shake slightly as he pulls the pouch out of his pocket. "It's not much," he mumbles.
Annabeth pulls the drawstring of the pouch, letting the contents of it slide into her palm. At the sight of the necklace, she lets out a sharp breath. Running her thumb over the tiny blue shell, she doesn't take her eyes off it. "Percy, this is beautiful. Thank you." She pulls him into a hug. He smiles into her shoulder, head clouded by the smell of her jasmine shampoo.
After, the four of them crowd into Helen's car to go bowling. It's dark out. The faded countryside blurs into itself as they drive into town, laughing and singing along to the radio. Elation sparks in Percy's veins as they walk into the bowling alley. To his confusion, he's handed a pair of shoes. "What're these for?" he asks.
Annabeth stifles a laugh. "They're bowling shoes, idiot." Percy struggles to think of a reason why he can't just wear his own.
They start bowling. At first, Percy isn't great at it. He tries to mimic the way Annabeth throws it with little success, cringing when his ball clatters into the gutter. Leo shakes his head at Percy. "It's all in the wrist."
Oh. On Percy's next go, he manages to knock down a few pins. Annabeth beams at him. Piper groans, "I can't believe the newbie's almost catching me up."
Leo's the most consistently good out of all of them, but he can't seem to get a spare or strike for the life of him. Piper gets frustrated too easily so it's not long before she falls behind. Surprisingly, Annabeth and Percy end up neck and neck. On his second-to-last go, Percy rolls a strike. Pumping his fist, he crows, "Yes!"
Annabeth shoots him a sour look. Cracking her knuckles, she picks up a ball. It's her last go. "Watch and learn." Brows furrowed in concentration, she lines up her feet. With a deep breath, she draws back and throws.
Chewing on his lip, Percy can't look away as the ball rolls perfectly down the middle of the alley. But at the last second, it veers away, knocking into the left side of the pins. Every pin goes down except for the one in front. "Ha!" he jeers.
Annabeth glares daggers at him. "I can still get a spare," she insists, tone icy. She picks up another ball and walks to the line. She throws it. Still, her aim must've been off as the ball doesn't even graze the final pin. "Great," she mutters as Piper bursts out laughing.
She's still ahead in points, but Percy only needs a spare to beat her. He nudges her, grinning. "Looks like I might take the title of champion."
At that, Annabeth doesn't seem pleased. "Screw you."
Soon enough, it's Percy's go again. He picks up a ball, squaring his shoulders as he advances to the line. "Come on," he murmurs to himself. Winding his arm back, he exhales steadily and lets the ball fly. It knocks into the middle pin, crashing straight through. All of the pins fall except one. He can do this. Picking up another ball, he tunes out Leo and Piper's whispering as he aligns his feet.
Percy chances a look back at Annabeth. She's glowering, shoulders crossed. He realises he likes it more when she's happy. In that moment, he makes a choice. Knowing he needs to sell it, he throws the ball. When it bounces into the gutter, he throws up his hands. "No, I was so close," he groans.
"Yes!" Annabeth screeches. She dances around, euphoric. Percy watches her celebrate, rolling his eyes with a smile.
When Helen drops him off at the trailer park later that night, he can't stop replaying the moment.
thanks for reading! this is the first chapter in percy's perspective—I hope you guys enjoyed it. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the reviews! the next chapter will be uploaded on wednesday as usual :)