The first sign of the connection appeared when Annabeth was six. It was midnight, and she had just woken up in agony. She looked down searching for the root of the pain, and found that long slashes had began appearing on her body. They led all the way from her belly button to her ribs, and she tears dripped down her face at the feeling.
She ran to show her father, who looked appeared shocked at the sight, before taking a breath and asking her to sit down. He knelt in front of her with his hands on either side, and spoke to her softly.
'Annabeth, Sweetheart, what do you know about soulmates?'
She looked at him and winced as another jolt of pain seared through her body, shaking her head at him. 'I dont know! Daddy it hurts! Make it stop!'
Fredrick seemed at conflict with himself, eyes darting between her and the front door. He shook his head defeatedly, before addressing his child again.
'Annabeth, I'm really sorry, i cant! This is a lot bigger than you and me! They might hurt you if they found out!'
He picked her up easily in his arms and carried her back to her room, ignoring her whimpers of pain. He tucked her in and sighed.
'I'll explain it to you when you are older, but please, trust me for now! Try and ignore it! Go to sleep!'
And with that, he turned and left the girl, who was staring at the door he walked out of in desperation, sweat gathering on her forehead from the pain.
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When Annabeth was ten, she fell off of her bike. She yelled as she flew over the handlebars, and made contact with the ground. She heard a crunch, and winced at the sound. That definitely wasn't good.
Staring down at her hand, she could clearly see that something wasn't right. Her pinky was pointing the wrong way, and it looked like it had snapped right down the middle. She bit her lip as the pain crept up on her, and stood up. She glanced round the park, seeing no one around her, and carefully picked her bike up and began trudging home, cradling her finger.
When she arrived home she quickly ditched her bike on the porch and rushed to find her father. He was holed up in the office, analysing one of the vintage plane models he had recently bought. He grinned at her when she first entered, but the smile quickly dropped when he noticed her state.
She showed him her finger and he immediately grabbed his car keys, saying that they needed to go to the hospital. After about a half an hour ride of Annabeth wincing in pain and her dad trying to distract her with plane facts, they arrived and entered the building, making their way to the front desk.
'Hey! My daughter has broken her finger, she needs to see a doctor!'
The receptionist nodded in understanding, and directed them where to wait. They sat for about half an hour until a young nurse appeared and took them back into the doctors office.
'Right! What do we have here then!' She smiled politely at the pair, and Annabeth felt relieved that she was getting help.
Her dad explained the situation, and the nurse immediately came over and started assessing her hand. She moved a couple of fingers around, and then sat back down, confusion marking her face.
'Is everything okay?' Annabeth asked.
The nurse snapped out of her trance and glanced at Annabeth, confusion still marking her features.
'What? Oh sorry yes! Its nothing! I just saw a patient about 30 minutes ago who had the exact same problem, its weird because the break is in the exact same place too! He was about your age as well! Crazy! I was getting deja vu! Dont worry, you'll be fine!'
Annabeth relaxed and a smile adorned her face, relieved that it wasnt a major problem.
She glanced up at her dad, expecting to see the same expression, but her blood ran cold when she saw the shock on his face. His jaw was tense, and his eyes wide as he nervously tapped on the arm of the chair.
She glanced up at him in confusion, and he gave her a look back that said 'Not now, not here. Drop it'. So she did.
The nurse did her thing and Annabeth was good to go within the hour, a new little cast adoring her finger. They made their way back to the car, and her dad reversed out of the car park.
His gaze was locked on the road ahead, but she could tell his mind was racing. She wanted to ask him what was wrong, and why he got so worried back in the office, but as he pulled onto a dirt track and drove farther from the town, she figured she'd be getting her answer pretty soon anyway.
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'What do you know about soulmates Annabeth?' He asked solemnly from where he sat on the bench next to her. She shook her head to show she didn't know what he was on about, and glanced out into the woods below them.
He had driven them to the mountain where they used to go camping all the time. The sun was setting, so a pretty orange light lit up the town and it made Annabeth feel calm.
'I dont know what you are on about Dad. Can you just tell me?'
His brows drew tighter as he hesitated, struggling to find the words to explain to his daughter. He seemed at war with himself, debating whether or not to talk.
She gazed up at him, with desperation in her eyes and placed a hand on his arm. 'Please? I need to know what is happening!'
She could see his resolve crumpling as he turned to face her.
After a minute of silence he spoke. 'I'm going to explain, but i need you to not talk until i am done, okay?'. She nodded in agreement and he sighed.
'Everyone has a soulmate, Annabeth. Mine was your mother. We met when we were 20 at university, and everything was perfect until she got sick.'
He paused, staring out into the town.
' I was heartbroken when she died, but i knew that we had a good life together, and we got to have you.' He smiled down at her, 'but not everyone is that lucky.'
'You see, it's almost as if everyone has a person that is assigned to them. They share a special bond, and normally they have something that connects them - like a gift. Mine and your mothers was that we shared the same eye colour.'
Annabeth nodded. She knew that her dad had strange eyes, her friends commented on it all the time. They were a goldish/ yellow colour that she had never seen before, other than when she looked through the photos of her parents at college, and found that her mother had the exact same ones.
'Its almost as if the world gives you something to make it easier to find your pair, and most times, its as simple as mine and your mothers was, like eye colour or hair colour.'
'But recently, there has been some strange ones. There were reports of a couple who could communicate telepathically in Illinois. Or a couple in Dallas that claimed that sometimes they wake up as one another, as in, they literally switch bodies.'
Annabeth stared at her dad, trying to understand what he was saying. 'But dad,' she spoke, 'I mean, that sounds pretty cool!'
His eyes darted down to meet hers, 'it is Beth. Or at least i think so. But the government don't. They think that its supernatural.'
'They have opened a camp, up in Alaska, to experiment of these couples, trying to understand how what they do is possible. They are taken forcefully in the night, and as far as anyone can tell, they never make it out alive.'
'What you have, Annabeth, your gift, well, its amazing! Its unheard of! What I've observed is that every time one of you gets injured, or is in pain, the other can feel the affects too. Like today, he must've suffered with a broken finger too because you did. And when you were 6, it explains where those marks came from, something happened to him that meant you suffered too!'
The smile from his face dropped almost instantly, and he turned to her looking more serious than she had ever seen him.
'But no one can know. Imagine what would happen if the government found out, you would be taken from here, and experimented on. Your 'gift' is pain, Annabeth, and i fully believe that they will do anything to try and understand how it works, even if that means pushing you to the brink of death.'
'Im really sorry Annabeth, i didnt want to tell you, and i'd never want to scare you. But you need to know, so you can be careful. I can still remember so vividly what happened when you were six, and i knew that you were in danger. Annabeth, most people don't get gifts that powerful, let alone as a child!'
He slumped defeatedly against the bench, closing his eyes in pain. 'I already lost your mother, Annabeth, i refuse to lose you too.'
Annabeth nodded in understanding and rushed into his arms, tears swelling in both of their eyes. 'I promise dad, i'll be careful!'
They watched the sun set across the town, and in the moment Annabeth knew, that she would do anything to keep her and her dad safe.
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'Watch where you are going asshole!' Thalia yelled from beside her, honking the horn in anger.
Annabeth rolled her eyes, small smile playing on her lips. 'I'm pretty sure you're the one that is in the wrong lane Thals.'
Thalia shot daggers at her friend, pointing at her with an accusatory finger. 'Do you want coffee or not? Hm? The only reason we are even in this car right now is because you want your vanilla latte!'
Annabeth put her hands up in defence, a laugh escaping her lips.
Thalia pulled into the carpark of the Starbucks before hopping out, muttering under her breath about how terrible the drivers were in New York. Annabeth grinned as she followed, pushing open the door of the cafe and walking in.
The smell of coffee beans hit her and she relaxed. Thalia's eyes darted across the menu assessing what she wanted to order.
'You know, you're paying. Consider it reimbursement for my time' Thalia spoke, causing Annabeth to pull a face at the girl.
She was about to make a clever remark, until her eyes locked onto the TV screen and she felt panic rise into her chest.
'UPDATE! Another couple have recently relocated to facilities in Alaska, part of the trial to understand how certain soulmates function! Participants were picked up from their home late Thursday night, and are currently on a flight over to the compound.'
Annabeth watched as the couple on Tv struggled against the police, who had appeared on their front porch, and were forcing them into the police cars.
Thalia scoffed from beside her, unaware of the fear growing in her friend. 'Its so crazy. I don't know why they act like people choose to go there willingly, i mean, we all know what really happens,' she turned round to meet Annabeth's eyes and wiggled her fingers 'once they enter, they are never seen again!' She said spookily.
Annabeth knew that her friend was only teasing, and didn't realise the impact it had, or the way her heart started pounding ten times faster.
'Next!'
Annabeth snapped back into the present, and walked over to the desk, pulling her friend behind.
'Hi! Can we have a medium vanilla latte and, what did you want Thalia?'
'Caramel Frappe please'.
Annabeth smiled at the barista and tapped her card on the machine, moving to wait at the side.
She glanced round the cafe, seeing a few couples scattered around, but her eyes stopped when they drifted to a man who was sat alone. He had a computer open in front of him, and look completely exasperated as he typed away. He paused, brows furrowed like he was trying to solve a problem, and his eyes lit up as he started typing rapidly again. He must've been around 19, her age, and had long black hair that hung in front of his eyes. He was cute, she supposed.
'ANNABETH!'
She turned round and smiled at the barista, before thanking him and moving over to a table, opening her drink to add some sugar. Thalia followed and slumped on one of the chairs, glaring at her phone.
'Whats up with you?' She asked her friend.
'Oh nothing! Soulmate stuff, thats all.'
Annabeth's eyes widened at the comment. 'Wait! You found your soulmate? Why didn't you tell me?'
Thalia rolled her eyes, 'its not that big of a deal, besides i don't even know if they are my soulmate yet! I only met them yesterday!'
'Woww!' Annabeth said in disbelief, stirring her coffee, 'can't trust anyone these days! My own best friend!'
Thalia rolled her eyes once again and glared at the girl, 'you are so dramatic! Get over it,'
Annabeth grinned and found herself looking back at the man sat alone. She watched as he stirred his coffee, eyes locked onto his laptop. He went to reach for the cup, but fumbled on the handle, causing it to spill across the table and the hot liquid to cover his hand.
They both yelped in pain.
Annabeth felt a burning sensation take over her hand, and she winced at the feeling. Thalia's eyes darted to her with a questioning stare, but Annabeth just shook her head, before staring back at the man.
He quickly mopped up his mess with some napkins and wiped the coffee away from his hand, wincing in pain. As he cleaned himself, unaware that he was being watched, she felt the pain lessen and she stared at him with shock.
She had found her soulmate.
————————————————————
She started going to the coffee shop daily, and more often than not, the guy was there, typing away on his laptop. Today, he was sat with one of his friends, and he was wearing some loose jeans and a black tshirt, sipping on his black coffee.
She may or may not have been listening to his order when he arrived. And she may or may not now know that his name is Percy.
From the looks of it, he was a student, like her, because every time she walked past and glanced at his laptop, there was either an online textbook or difficult equation on the screen. She had narrowed it down to one of the sciences, but her bet was on biology, specifically marine biology.
She took a sip of her drink and looked at her own laptop, trying to not make it obvious that she had been looking at him.
She isn't oblivious. Shes aware that he has also been looking at her. Shes caught him multiple times staring at her from across the room, but he quickly looks away as soon as she stares back.
Annabeth doesn't really know what to do. Shes pretty sure that he is unaware that she is his soulmate, as she could only tell because of the incident the other day. But she didn't know what to say to him, there was so much emphasis placed on meeting your soulmate that the pressure has caused her confidence to crumble and she remains hopelessly staring, eager for him to make the first move.
She frowned at the clock, noticing it was already 6pm, and packed her stuff away, standing up and leaving the cafe.
It was already dark as it was December, and the streetlights dimly lit her path. She took a deep breath and began walking, unaware of group of men across the street, following her movement with their hungry eyes.
She turned the corner from the cafe, and the men rushed to catch up with her, yelling after her, 'hey! Sweetheart! Come join us for a second!'. She could smell the alcohol flowing off of them.
Annabeth ignored them as her heart pounded and she began walking faster. She really hated her town at night.
The men caught up with her, and one grabbed her arm to stop her from moving any further. She tried to shake him off but his grip was tight, and she gritted her teeth.
'Whats the rush sweetheart? Huh? Hang with us!'
The hand moved from her arm to her waist, and began creeping up her body.
She froze as the men started laughing.
'Who wants her first then?' He called out to his two friends, causing Annabeth to scramble in his grasp, trying to get away.
'Please stop it.' She spoke, causing them to laugh harder. His hand tightened and she panicked. Her eyes darted around looking for someone, anyone, that could help.
She was alone.
Before she could yell, other man placed his hand over her mouth and grinned down at her, 'don't worry love, this wont hurt too much,'
Hurt. Pain! That was it!
She stared at the man, and did the only thing she could think of. She head butted him as hard as she possible could.
'Ow! What the fuck was that for?' He yelled, backing away from her.
'PERCY!' She yelled, before the other man tossed her to the ground, causing her to smack her head against the pavement. Her vision blurred, and she could taste blood in her mouth.
'You bitch!' The other man yelled, leaning over her, 'you're going to pay for that!'
He knelt down next to her, but Annabeth couldn't move. Her head was pounding and the street was spinning around her. She tried sitting up but black swarmed her vision.
Before the man could speak again, a new voice entered the conversation.
'GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER.'
She looked behind the man to see Percy and his friend, standing over them and taking in the scene.
He looked livid.
The men laughed and turned to face the younger boy, 'i don't think i will!' He spoke.
Before she could do anything, he turned round and kicked her in the head as hard as he could, and the last thing she saw before she blacked out was Percy wincing in pain, before him and his friend rushed towards the men, anger taking over.
———————————————————
Annabeth sometimes pictured what it would be like when she died. Would her soulmate die too? Or would he just feel the pain of it all, then go on living without her?
She didn't know.
She saw blue when she woke. She blinked a few times to try and take in her surroundings, and realised that she was in bedroom, laying on the bed. There was a desk to her side, with a fish tank on and some clothes scattered around on the floor. She could hear voices down the hallway, and it sounded like they were arguing.
She tried to sit up, but pain flared through her and she laid back down.
'We have to take her to the hospital mom! Shes in pain! I can feel it!'
'Percy my love, i know this is horrible for you! But you know why we can't! What if they notice that you have the same marks as her! Its too risky! You know i used to be a nurse! I can look after her'
She heard Percy huff in protest. 'I know that you are right. Im just worried.'
'I know Percy.' His mom spoke softly, 'but she'll be okay. I promise'.
It went silent for a moment, and then before she knew it, footsteps starting approaching the door. It swung open, revealing Percy, who looked at her in shock and happiness that she was awake.
They both froze for a moment, taking each other in.
'Um, hi?' She spoke
Percy grinned in relief and rushed over her, gently perching on the bed next to her. His gaze soften as he looked down at her.
'Hey.'
They both stared at each other for a moment, words failing them.
'So'
'So'
'How are you feeling?' He asked, eyes searching her face for any sign of distress.
She smiled weakly at him, 'it hurts a little.'
Percy rubbed the back of his head, grinning weakly, 'Yeah i know, i can feel it. That was a strong kick. We need to get you a helmet or something Annabeth, to make sure this doesn't happen again,' he joked.
Her eyes shot to his, eyes lighting up 'you know my name?',
Percy looked like a deer in headlights, 'Well,' he stuttered, 'Yeah, i heard the guy at the cafe say it a few times. Thought you were cute, so I remembered it.'
She nodded, smile creeping onto her face.
She looked up a Percy, taking it all in, and he seemed to be doing the same with her. She felt his hand slip into hers and give it a little squeeze and in that moment she knew that everything was going to be okay.
He was her soulmate.They were safe. And everything was going to be okay.
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Part 2(?)
Let me know!