Solstice for Annabeth was meant to be uneventful.
She woke up to her phone buzzing, and groggily reached out, pressing the device to her ear and yawning without glancing at the screen.
"You're up early, Seaweed Brain."
"... Annabeth?"
She froze as her father's voice rattled around in her head. She was certainly awake now.
"D-Dad." She sat up, voice reflecting her shock. "What… what are you…?"
"Can I not wish my daughter a Merry Solstice?" Frederick Chase's laugh was strained. "Who's 'Seaweed Brain'?"
"No one… I… um…" she breathed out, glancing around her room, "That isn't the only reason you called, is it?"
"I… no. No, I…" There was a long pause.
"...Dad?"
"I saw the news." He blurted out, "All of it, your mother's campaign, the attacks, the Dragon- what have you gotten yourself into?"
Annabeth felt her cheeks grow hot, "I didn't get myself into anything, Dad."
"That- you know that's not how I meant it."
"It's how it sounded."
Another pause.
"I'm worried about you." He finally started again, voice tense. "Your mother… it isn't a good idea to be so involved with her machinations."
"Maybe you should have called me in September then." Her tone was cool.
She could feel his wince through the phone. "Annabeth, please."
Her anger deflated slightly. "Sorry, Dad, it's just… you don't exactly call just to hear my voice."
"I know. I know I should- I should call more." He sighed. He sounded exhausted, and she wondered how long he had been wanting to reach out. Had he stayed up all night? It was about five in the morning his time…
"Dad, it's fine, just…" her lip felt raw with how much she had been biting the inside of it lately, "is that all?"
"...No." She could hear papers rustling on his end. "No, I truly wanted to check in."
"...Check in?"
"Is it really so shocking?"
"A little bit," Annabeth admitted, rubbing her eyes.
"Well that's what I'm doing. I understand you have a lot going on-" his voice grew more confident.
"That's an understatement." She snorted.
"-But I want to hear all about it." he finished.
Her voice caught in her throat. What would she tell him? How stressed the campaign was making her feel? How their last two press conferences had left her feeling exhausted and dejected? What about Seaweed Brain? Would she dare confide his existence to her father?
Of course not.
But grasping at something, anything, to say, Annabeth spoke up. "Well… School is going well."
"Is it?"
"Yes."
"That's… good."
This was weird. Making small talk with her father was not exactly a normal activity for Annabeth.
She continued, "And we get to have dinner with the Mayor next month."
"Oh!" He latched onto it. "That's exciting! What's the occasion?"
She winced. "The whole dragon slaying thing… they want to present Thalia and me with some sort of medal, I guess…"
"Ah." Her father never really liked it when she talked about the side of her life that involved fighting monsters and actually being a Demigod. She wondered, not for the first time, if he regretted getting involved with a Goddess. "Well, be sure to tell Thalia hello for me."
"I will."
It went quiet again. The awkwardness threatened to swallow Annabeth up, until her father finally released her from the situation. "I should be going… your Stepmother will be up soon enough and your brothers will want to open presents."
"Mm."
"Annabeth?"
"Yeah, Dad?"
"I'm… I'm really proud of you." He chuckled nervously and her throat caught as he continued, "I wanted to make sure you knew that."
It struck her that finding out that his daughter defeated a dragon via the news rather from her own mouth may have scared her father. "I'm fine, Dad. I'm going to be fine, you don't… have to do that."
"What am I doing?"
She sighed, "Nothing, nothing, just… thanks. Merry Solstice, Dad."
"Merry Solstice, Annabeth. Keep your cell phone off."
He hung up.
She stayed in bed for several more minutes, feeling like she'd just been hit like a truck. She and her father, despite numerous efforts over the years, had never been quite as close as Annabeth would have liked. She used to blame herself. But as the years passed, it became clear her father was the one who should have made the effort. She was only a child for Gods' sake!
Sighing, she flipped her phone in her hands. Annabeth knew she shouldn't sleep with it on, but she couldn't help herself. She wanted Seaweed Brain at her fingertips at all times.
It buzzed, and she smiled.
8:12AM SEAWEED BRAIN
merry solstice wise girl!
wheres my present?
Annabeth rolled her eyes, glancing at the wrapped package on her desk.
8:12AM WISE GIRL
Good morning to you too.
I thought you didn't want a present.
8:12AM SEAWEED BRAIN
what if i changed my mind? ;p
8:12AM WISE GIRL
You're impossible.
8:13AM SEAWEED BRAIN
im just teasing!
dont give me anything haha i dont need a present
8:13AM WISE GIRL
Oh?
Well that's too bad.
I guess I'll just return what I got you...
8:13AM SEAWEED BRAIN
:o
oh man
what is it? when can i get it?
fuck
ur the best
8:14AM WISE GIRL
I'll drop it off at Leela's later today.
They're only open until 4 tonight so don't miss it!
8:14AM SEAWEED BRAIN
oh i wont
i cant wait to see what miss-know-it-all got me!
The throwback made her laugh out loud.
8:15AM WISE GIRL
That's Wise Girl to you.
8:15AM SEAWEED BRAIN
haha, thought id try the old nickname out again
dont like?
8:15AM WISE GIRL
Absolutely not lol
8:16 SEAWEED BRAIN
gods i wish i could call you
8:16AM WISE GIRL
Can't you?
8:16AM SEAWEED BRAIN
no :(
with family for presents right now
my mom would yell at me if she caught me on my phone haha
Annabeth's brow furrowed. His mom? But… wasn't his mortal parent his father? Well, the gods could easily procreate via same sex relationships- or perhaps it was a step-parent, or she had assumed incorrectly. Shaking the odd feeling in her chest, she responded;
8:17AM WISE GIRL
Well, maybe tonight.
8:17AM SEAWEED BRAIN
i hope so
id love to take u downtown to watch them light the star
grab some hot chocolate, walk around and see the decorations
She bit her lip.
8:18AM WISE GIRL
We can definitely do that next year.
8:18AM SEAWEED BRAIN
oh shit
thats a definitely, not a maybe?
8:18AM WISE GIRL
Of course.
I mean…
I'm thinking we could meet soon.
8:18AM SEAWEED BRAIN
oh man
ur gonna make my heart explode, wise girl
for real?
8:19AM WISE GIRL
For real.
I'll let you know when.
The vote was so close she could taste it.
8:19AM SEAWEED BRAIN
r u nervous?
8:19AM WISE GIRL
A little bit.
Yes.
You?
8:20AM SEAWEED BRAIN
im so fucking nervous
but i cant wait
3
8:20AM WISE GIRL
Me neither.
3 3 3
8:20AM SEAWEED BRAIN
i gotta go
ill call u tonight, ok?
8:21AM WISE GIRL
Okay.
Annabeth turned her phone off, butterflies invading her stomach and most of her body, sending tingles from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. They were so close to meeting, so close to holding each other, no more cell phones, no more only communicating via text-
But part of her would miss it. These days of mystery and intrigue, of flirty messages and hushed calls, good morning texts and good night whispers; what would remain, when they revealed themselves?
She didn't have long to dwell on it.
The day awaited.
She swung by Leela's on the way to the subway, instructing them to hold onto the gift and a coffee for a "Seaweed Brain".
"Sure we can, honey. But I don't see why you kids keep dropping these off with us instead of just giving them to each other." The barista had her hands on her hips, watching Annabeth carefully.
Annabeth blushed, "It's… a long story."
The ride to the television station wasn't long, but Annabeth nearly missed her stop and then got lost trying to locate the tall building among other skyscrapers, so she was panting slightly when she finally walked through the doors, a light sweat evident on her brow.
Thalia was waiting for her.
"Hey! Good, you're finally here, we're on in twenty!"
The two took the elevator, Annabeth still slightly winded and suddenly feeling far too hot in her winter coat.
"Luke is already here?" she guessed, unzipping her jacket and undoing her scarf.
"Yep, he'll debrief you before you go on."
Annabeth froze.
"You mean… before he goes on, right?"
Thalia frowned, "No, he said you were going to take this one."
Annabeth groaned, quickly grabbing her hat off her head and desperately trying to smooth her curls, "Oh my Gods, he didn't tell me that!"
"No shit, really? He's usually super on top of that sort of thing- I guess with his new firm and stuff it just slipped his mind?" Thalia guessed as the elevator dinged and the two girls stepped out. After a short walk down the hallway, they were backstage to the studio where the popular "New Athens News" was filmed.
Lights, cameras, wires trailing across the floor, a buffet of breakfast food to the side, people in chairs, people with clipboards- Annabeth would rather face the Ismenian Dragon again.
Luke crossed the scene, the smile on his face wide, "Hey! You made it! Good, remember what the talking points are?"
"I remember your talking points!" Annabeth scowled at him, shrugging off her coat and folding it over her arm, "I'm not the one who's supposed to be up there!"
Luke frowned, "Annabeth, we talked about this after the last meeting with your mother, remember?"
She didn't remember, but now she was second guessing herself. She had been distracted lately, between her text-friend and everything else. Was it possible she had forgotten?
"That can't be right…" she murmured, glancing back at Thalia who only shrugged. "I'm not… I'm not dressed for this!" she glanced down at her jeans and her old camp t-shirt. Annabeth had felt nostalgic this morning. They were seeing Mr. D today, after all.
"You look great! Down to earth, people will love it." He placed a hand on her back, guiding her towards the makeup area with its vanity lighting and artists flitting about, dabbing sponges on anchors' faces.
"Luke, I don't think I-"
"Sure you can." He interrupted, looking down with a twinkle in his eye, "You got this, Annabeth. You know our campaign better than anyone."
She took a deep breath, settling into the foldout chair and staring at herself in the mirror, "Great. Okay, fine, but if Mr. D turns me into a dolphin? I'm blaming you."
Luke laughed, pressing a kiss to her cheek (which she cringed away from) before walking off to talk to the producers.
The place where his lips touched burned, and Annabeth wiped at her face, frowning.
She was stronger than this, right?
But for some reason, the idea of losing her oldest friend was more frightening than a televised interview, scarier than his unwanted advances.
Her pout remained as a makeup artist bustled around her, covering her face in a thick foundation and beginning work on her eyebrows.
"Is this really necessary?" Annabeth complained.
"Studio lights, love, they wash everyone out." The artist winked and Annabeth let out another huff.
Soon enough, she was seated on a sofa, awkwardly crossing her legs with her hands folded in her lap. The lights were bright, and she squinted, feeling way out of her depth.
"Alright alright, I'm here, where the fuck do I sit?"
She heard a familiar voice, and hid her smile as Mr. D crossed the set, looking grumpy as ever.
He was led to the plush chair beside hers and the God raised an eyebrow at the sight of her, "Well, if it isn't Annabelle."
"Annabeth." She corrected for the millionth time, knowing there was little point. It wasn't that he didn't know her name, he just didn't care.
"Whatever." Mr. D plopped into the chair and yaned, his face as red and blotchy as ever, "Bring me a cabernet, would you?" He waved off an assistant, leaning back.
Annabeth struggled not to point out that he was still cursed, couldn't consume alcohol, and that it was only 10 in the morning.
Instead, she began, "It's great to see you, Mr. D."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." He was dressed slightly nicer than usual and Annabeth cursed herself again for her jeans.
A young woman in a pencil skirt with fluffy blown out bangs clicked her heels towards the set, settling across from the awkward pair.
"Lord Dionysus, it is an honor to have you on our show! And Miss Chase! Great job on that dragon, am I right?"
Mr. D only snorted, but Annabeth accepted the woman's hand and shook it.
"It was nothing, really-"
"Nonsense!" The woman waved her hands, perched on the edge of her seat, "Single handedly taking on a monster? Wish I could do that!"
"It wasn't singlehanded!" Annabeth protested, but the cameraman was already counting down and she quickly arranged herself to at least try and look professional. He mouthed "one", and the interviewer leapt into action.
"Hello viewers! It's me, your favorite host, Candy Carlson, and I'm here today with two exciting guests! We have everyone's favorite God of wine, partying, and more, Dionysus joining us today! We are so thrilled you could be here!"
The god gave a forced smile, looking less than thrilled to be there. "Yeah. Hi."
Without missing a beat, Candy continued, "Beside him we have the hero of New Athens and Daughter of Athena, Annabeth Chase! Thank you both so much for joining us for our Solstice special."
"Happy to be here, Candy." Annabeth flashed a dazzling smile at the cameras, relaxing a bit. This wasn't so bad- at the very least, there wasn't a visible audience.
"Now, Annabeth, we want to hear it from you- What was the dragon like?" The host leaned forward, excitement evident in her face.
"Ah, well it was… quite frightening up close." Annabeth admitted, glancing at Luke behind the cameras. He gestured for her to keep going. "But… but he was no match for the people of New Athens. We're tough, tougher than most, and that's all thanks to Athena."
Mr. D snorted but no one seemed to pay him much attention, Candy captivated with Annabeth's tale, "Now when you say it's all thanks to Athena-"
"She protects our city as it's patron goddess." Annabeth finished, on a roll now, "I mean, I'm only the daughter of Athena and I killed a dragon for this city, imagine what the Goddess herself can do- especially with a new temple."
Candy laughed, seemingly thrilled with this turn in the conversation, "Yes, the temple! Tell us all about the plan you have if you win the vote!"
"Well, Candy…" Annabeth treaded carefully, remembering what her and Luke talked about, "A vote may not be necessary."
"Oh? Do tell!" Candy scooted closer.
"You see- and Dionysus can confirm this- the city of Dions had a similar clash. But the temple was ruled in his favor, since the city was under his patronage. We are willing to take this fight all the way to the courts if needed."
Mr. D snorted again, this time loud enough to grab the attention of Candy, "Fascinating stuff! Ah.. Was there something you wanted to add, Lord Dionysus? I'm sure as the example Athena's campaign wishes to use, you have some thoughts on the matter?"
"You'd lose." he shrugged, and Annabeth's brow furrowed.
"I'm… sorry?"
"You. Would. Lose." He laughed, seeming to revel in this information, "What, your fancy lawyers didn't tell you?"
"Tell… tell me what?" Annabeth managed to maintain her composure, glancing back at Luke again who's own brow was deeply furrowed.
"I got that temple because I was the patron God of Dions."
"Yes, and Athena is the patron God of-"
"She isn't." He said simply.
Annabeth felt her blood freeze over, "I'm… I'm sorry, Mr.- I mean, Dionysus, but it's common knowledge that Athena represents-"
"In name only." Dionysus interrupted again, almost gleeful as he spoke, "I am the patron of Dions both as a figurehead and legally, in the fine print of the city's manifesto. Unfortunately for you, missy," he paused, "Athena is patron as a symbol, nothing more. In fact, if you look into the city's records, I believe it says all the Gods have rights over its domain, seeing as it houses Mount Olympus." he summoned a glass of wine, perhaps in a display of his powers, as if to say, "don't fuck with me", and Annabeth was surprised to see it not turn to water.
Was his curse lifted, then?
"I… That is…" She swallowed, her eyes finding Luke once more. He looked pissed. "That is interesting to hear."
A guffaw of laughter shook the room, Dionysus swirling the drink in his hand, "Ha! So you best hope this vote goes in your favor, otherwise…" he whistled, "Well, the other Gods might find it is their legal right to have a temple for all. And hey, I certainly could use a power boost."
Candy cleared her throat, smile plastered on her face, "Isn't that exciting! Ah, next up, we further chat with Lord Dionysus about the best winter wines to celebrate his upcoming festival of birth, and don't go anywhere! We will also be televising the annual downtown star lighting, and you won't want to miss out!"
A bell rang somewhere. Someone yelled "cut!" Annabeth was glued to her seat, in shock.
Mr. D's wine turned to water and he sighed, "I knew that would only work for a little bit." He took a swig anyway, standing. Candy was already back in hair and makeup, ignoring Annabeth now, and she felt… numb.
She stood on shaky legs.
"Hey, no hard feelings kid." Mr. D patted her back roughly, "That's just politics."
"Yeah…"
Luke and Thalia came running up, Thalia's eyes wide, "What the fuck was that?! "
"I… I don't…" Annabeth glanced at the god, the anchor, and shook her head, "Let's talk about this somewhere else."
The trio burst into an empty hallway, Thalia's arms crossed, Luke looking pissed, and Annabeth could feel the flush of anger and embarrassment on her own cheeks. As soon as they were out, Thalia whirled on Luke.
"What the hell dude!"
"Oh get over it, I'm just as surprised as you!" he snapped, shoving his hands into his pockets and looking away.
"Surprised?! Surprised?! You're whole fucking job is the law and you couldn't spend two seconds to find a technicality before Annabeth went up there?!" She fumed, and Annabeth found her own anger deflating.
"Guys, come on, we can… we can bounce back from this."
"We better!" Thalia huffed, "We still have the dinner party with the Mayor, and I swear to the Gods Luke, if we don't win this thing I'll kill you myself!"
He shrugged, "I don't know what you expect me to do. It was a mistake. We can only move forward now."
It was silent around them.
Annabeth tried again, "Look, it was…" she struggled for the word, "...unfortunate. It sucks. But we can't let it come between us. We're stronger together. There's no way we'll win if we fall apart now."
Thalia blinked. Her shoulders sagged and she sighed dramatically, "Fine, fine, but seriously, Luke- no more screw ups like that."
"There won't be." He spoke through gritted teeth.
The three friends shuffled back into the room, and Annabeth excused herself. "I've gotta go. I'd better catch-up on homework, especially now that we'll need to clock extra hours this week to make up for that fiasco," she insisted. She turned to go back the way she came, but frowned- the long halls all looking similar with their fluorescent lights and windowless walls.
She started down one, then backtracked, then tried another, walking in circles and huffing in frustration.
Annabeth turned a corner and ran right into someone.
"Woah! Careful there."
She froze.
Percy Jackson stood before her, dopey grin on his face as he reached out to steady her. Something in his voice made her face heat up, and she stared at him, lips pursed.
"What are you doing here?" She hadn't meant it to come out so accusatory, but it did anyway.
He laughed, and her body felt like electricity was jolting through it. What was going on? Something was off. Something was wrong, even, though she couldn't place it.
"They invited me to talk a little bit about our temple. You know. Work stuff." His grin widened, "Nice going up there, by the way. Really helped our cause!"
Her face flushed, "You- that- Gods you're a jerk!"
"Woah, hey, it was a joke!" He held up his hands, smile faltering, "You're like… really invested in this, huh?"
"Aren't you?" She shot back, arms crossed.
He shrugged, "It's nice to help my dad but… I'm not really getting much more out of this than that."
Something about his voice was driving her crazy, and she couldn't quite get a handle on what . "It's… it's really important to me." She finally blurted out, "Getting the temple, I mean."
"What, did your mom promise to fulfill your deepest dreams and desires?"
Annabeth blinked.
Percy stared.
"Oh… Oh shit she did!"
"It's not like that!" Annabeth insisted, wondering how he was able to pinpoint things like this so easily. Must be that intuition.
"Can I ask what it is?" He was like a puppy dog, his eyes big and excited, "Pretty please? I promise I won't tell anyone!"
"Why would I tell you?!" she snapped, irritated that he was so quick to pick up on these things.
"Uh… I don't know, because I'm trustworthy? Handsome? Enduring?" Percy listed the traits off on his fingers.
"Annoying?" Annabeth crossed her arms.
"I'm not the one who's being bribed by their parent to do this stuff."
That made her snap.
"You think that comment will make me tell you anything?!"
Percy laughed, and it caught her off guard. His laugh… it was too familiar. Too friendly. It made her almost believe they could be friends. "Okay, okay, maybe that was uncalled for. But really, I can keep a secret." He looked down at her with a small pout, his eyes widening in what could only be described as a puppy dog face.
"Alright! Alright, fine, just, keep it down!" She glanced around, leaning in. She didn't want others to find out about her mother's promise, but for some reason, she knew if she told him, he'd keep it to himself instead of spreading wild rumors that could hurt their campaign further. "If… If we win I get to build it." She wasn't sure what it was, but something in her made her want to trust him.
"Build it? Like… oh!" His smile was back, "The architecture thing, right!"
"Yup." She tugged her coat on, "So yeah, this is a little important to me."
"Wow." he whistled, "Maybe you should win."
"Don't joke!"
"I'm serious! That's an awesome chance at your dream!" His grin was as blinding as the lights.
"Right well… In that case, why don't you just roll over and let me?"
Percy chuckled, "Ha! And pass up this opportunity you've so graciously presented to us? Not a chance." His smile softened, "Good luck, though."
She winced at the memory of earlier, "Yeah, I need it." She shook her head.
"Hey, Annabeth…" He looked serious now, "You should try and forgive Grover."
"...Who are you to tell me what to do?" She huffed. It wasn't like she had forgotten about him. She thought about her old friend every day, but the longer this went on, the harder it felt to apologize. Even so, Percy was right- she should make up with him. "Ugh. Never mind. Fine."
It was Percy's turn to cock his head to the side, an expression of curiosity on his face, "We… we haven't talked since like...October, right?"
"Right…?" She gave him a look.
"Huh. Weird. I could have sworn we've run across each other since then." With a shrug, he passed her, "Elevators are to the left."
"What? How did you know I was lost?"
He flashed a smile back at her, "Intuition?"
Annabeth didn't have any presents to open. Her only gifts had been from Seaweed Brain and she'd received those nearly a full week before- Thalia never observed the holidays, Luke was busy, and Grover… well, he was still afraid of her.
Not that she minded. She didn't need presents to feel the holiday spirit.
Giddy, she flopped onto her bed and flipped her phone on. Her computer was playing the news, showing the annual star lighting that always happened downtown. It was a beautiful festival, with food and games and other events to lure in lots of hubbub, all of it culminating in them lighting a giant star that could be seen for miles.
Annabeth hoped Seaweed Brain was watching too.
She dialed his number, pressing the phone to her ear.
"Hello?" Came a whispered voice and she laughed.
"Why are we whispering?"
"Because my baby sister is asleep on top of me," he breathed. The thought of him curled up with a little girl on his chest nearly knocked the wind out of Annabeth.
"Oh… definitely don't wake her," she whispered back.
"Good idea."
"Are you watching the star lighting?"
"Mmmhmm." He hummed softly.
"Me too." She curled up on her side, watching the computer screen in the darkness of her bedroom.
"I loved the present."
"Yeah?" she smiled, thinking of the little recipe book filled with all sorts of baked goods, "Are you going to make them all blue?"
"Of course."
"Good."
"Hey Wise Girl?"
"Yes?"
"I…" He hesitated, "I love… I love talking with you. On the phone, and stuff."
She smiled. "I love talking with you too."