Song is by Blue Rodeo
Chapter 11: Till I Am Myself Again
Annabeth could deny it all she wanted, but she couldn't remember the last time she was this excited.
It wasn't hard to miss. Whether it was the way she rushed around the kitchen tending to the potatoes and carrots that blocked on the stove, or the way she was being extra careful setting the table with their fancy silverware. Or maybe it was just the massive smile on her face, that could also be a giveaway.
She set the silverware out, gently setting up the plates and napkins and even bothering to light a candle in the middle of the table. Sure, she was being superfluous, but why not? It had been a while since she'd gotten to set a table for dinner.
Even longer since she'd set a table for three...
She shook her head, clearing the thoughts that threatened to dim her mood as she rushed away from the table back to dhe kitchen. The potatoes and carrots were spilling over. She cursed to herself, turning of the burner and moving to drain both in the sink. She was still draining them when she heard the front door open and a pair of boots walk into the kitchen.
She risked a look over her shoulder and caught her father standing there. Coat over his shoulders, hat on his head, looking at Annabeth with a puzzled look as he held a paper bag in his arm.
"Annie?" He asked.
"Yeah." She replied, craving her neck as she drained the pots.
"Any particular reason you're cooking..." He glanced over to the dining room, "...and the table's set for three?"
She stopped draining the pots and turned around to him.
"Well..." She said, plopping the pots down on the island, "Percy's coming over for dinner."
He was still for a second, before his lips drew back into a straight line.
"He's coming over for dinner? Tonight? As in very soon?" He asked, his eyes widenening slightly.
She put her hands in her pockets and shrugged.
"Pretty much, yeah." She shot a soft squint at her dad, "Is that okay?"
He rubbed the back of his neck, grimacing slightly.
"Well yeah that's terrific Annie, but..." He put his own hands in his pockets and blushed, "...I kinda invited Helen over for dinner too..."
Annabeth as also still for a minute as she took in her father's words, before she softly sighed and slapped her forehead.
"Dad. Why didn't you text me?" She asked in an exhausted tone, making a small smile appear on Frederick's lips.
"You know I don't even carry my phone, Annie..." He replied.
Her hand dropped and a soft glare got pointed at the man.
"Yeah, well... you should, old man."
He sighed, letting the smile fall a bit as he hefted the bag in his hand.
"You cook anything else, or just the carrots and taters?"
She smiled at him, "Come on, dad. We both know how much you love cooking steak. Why on earth would I deprive you of that?"
Frederick smiled, planting a soft kiss on his daughter's cheek as he dumped the bag out on the counter, showing off a couple shanks of steak. Annabeth pursed her lips and eyed up the impressive cuts. Frederick caught her stare and smiled.
"Curtosy of Geryon." Frederick said, "He figured he may as well not let old Bessie go to waste, even after she got chupacabra'd."
Annabeth let out a soft smile as she turned away from her father, who was already bust prepping the meat. She walked dover to her room, taking amoment to stare at herself in the mirror.
For some reason, all her flaws suddenly looked a million times more apparent.
Her hair, that she was normally fine with, was a frizzy mess. Her nose, and the smattering of freckles across it, suddenly looked unbelievably unappealing. Her body, which she knew damn well was damn fine, suddenly looked like she'd left it on the side of the road for a week. Her clothes looked dirty, her hands looked rough. Those things were true, but never bothered her before, so why did they bother her now?
Because Percy's coming over, a little voice in her head said. She wanted to deny it, but if was right. Percy was coming over. He was coming over and he was gonna have dinner with them and they were gonna talk and laugh and maybe even flirt. First some more? Was what they were doing before flirting? Would they even do it more? Did she want that? Well, she knew she wanted that, but did he want that? Would he-
Stop.
She stopped her thoughts dead in their tracks and put her hands on her dresser, leaning into her mirror.
"He's just coming over for dinner." She told her reflection, "He's just a cute boy coming over to your place for dinner. A boy who's jacket you've been wearing for days. A boy who makes your heart race every time he sees you..."
She dropped her head, realizing she wasn't winning this argument with herself.
"A boy you'd really, really like to kiss tonight."
She grumbled the words out, admitting defeat to the mirror. She sighed, standing up straight and pulling her flannel tight over her shoulders. She looked back at her bed, taking note of the Yankees cap that sat on her bed. She walked over, holding it in her hands and running her thumb over the logo.
"Wish me luck, mom." She said to the hat as she heard her doorbell ring. She turned towards the front of the house and took a deep breath.
"Because I'm gonna need it."
She dropped the hat back on her bed and walked out of her room, making her way to the door. She took note of how Frederick's face was pulled tight with thought, and smiled at how focused he was. It was nice to see him focused on something other than that piece of shit tractor...
She turned back to the door, taking a deep breath as she approached it. She shook her hands, stretching her neck and psyching herself up for who she was hoping was on the other side of the door.
She pulled it open, and it wasn't.
It was Helen.
She met Annabeth's eyes, a gentle smile spreading over her lips as they did.
"Well, hello there." She said, in a tone gently enough to melt anyone's heart.
Annabeth gave her a soft smile, "Hello yourself." She turned over her shoulder, looking over to her dad, who had been looking at Annabeth, but snapped his gaze back to the steaks, a blush very clearly forming on his cheeks.
"Is she here?" Frederick loudly whispered to his daughter. Annabeth rolled her eyes and nodded, before she turned back to Helen.
"Just letting you know this now..." Annabeth said, leaning towards the woman, "...he's putty in your hands."
Helen blushed deeply, moving her lips over her teeth as she looked down and smiled. She looked back up to Annabeth and gave her a small smirk.
"I'll keep that in mind."
Annabeth stepped out of the way and let the woman in, closing the door behind her and taking a few steps away, before she heard it.
Knocking, coming from the door.
She froze, feeling the colour drain form her face. She caught her dad grinning at her and shot him a glare, to which he turned back to the steaks, still smiling.
She took a deep breath and turned back to the door She walked up to it, reaching down and steeling herself before she opened it, and there he was.
There he was. Black jeans, white button down shirt, rolled up sleeves, and a sea green tie he was trying his best to straighten.
His eyes snapped to her the second she opened the door and she met his gaze with her own. There was a quiet moment between them, before Percy cleared his throat and softly threw his hands up to his sides with a smile, looking down at his outfit.
"Guess I overdressed, huh?"
She felt a smile pull at her lips, "Nah, I think the rest of us just underdressed."
He let out a nervous laugh, rubbing his tattoo as he did. His free hand went up and fiddled with his tie some more, before he looked her in the eye again and pointed at it.
"Any chance you're any good with these?"
She smiled, opening the door wider.
"Why don't you come in and I'll fix it up for you."
He smiled, stepping into her house and letting her work with the tie. She straightened the fabric, gently fixing his knot and tucking it properly under his collar. She also tried really hard not to notice how he was staring at her the whole time.
She straightened it out, letting her hand rest on the fabric as she raised her eyes to his, giving him a smile.
"Better?" She asked, he smiled.
"Much." He replied.
They were close. Very close. Close enough that she could feel his soft breath on her skin and he could probably feel hers too. Close enough that she could feel the steely muscles of his chest as her hand softly rested on his tie.
Close enough that it was taking a lot of willpower not to grab that tie and pull his lips to hers.
She cleared her throat, Taking a step back and pulling her hand off him before she gestured to the kitchen.
"Shall we?"
He grimaced a bit when she stopped touching him, but smiled when she spoke.
"We shall." He replied.
Annabeth led him into the kitchen, right into her dad and Helen, who were very, very close as they softly spoke and exchanged laughs near the stoves. Annabeth cleared her throat, making the two turn to her, both immediately looking slightly panicked. Annabeth gestured to Percy.
"Dad, I believe you and Percy have already met."
Frederick smiled, taking a step towards the boy.
"Glad you took up my offer, son..." He let his gaze drift over to Annabeth, a sly smile on his face, "...though not as glad as I'd imagine she is."
Annabeth felt her face shift into an ice cold glare, one that made Frederick swallow and take a step back.
"Yes." Annabeth said, "I'm certainly all cheery, aren't I pops?"
Frederick nodded as Helen suppressed a smile that was pulling at her cheeks. Annabeth turned to the woman, clearing her throat softly as she gestured to her.
"And this is Helen." Annabeth said, watching as Percy stared at the woman, his eyes wrought with a certain emotion.
"She's my dad's... friend?" Annabeth shot her dad a look, and he shot a soft glare back, to ahich Annabeth smiled. "Yeah, let's go with friend."
Helen listened to the interaction, nervously tugging at her blouse before she focused back to Percy, who hadn't even paid attention to anything they'd said. No, all he could to was focus on her thick black hair and... her eyes.
Her sea green eyes...
Helen stuck her hand out towards Percy, giving him a soft smile, one that was so familiar it almost made Percy say something, something he wouldn't need to, because she answered his unspoken question with the first words she said.
"I'm Helen, Helen Jackson if we're doing last names, and you are?"
Percy froze for a minute, swallowing deeply as he reached out and shook the woman's hand with a smile so forced it nearly cracked his jaw.
"Percy." He said, as their matching eyes met.
"Percy Jackson."
Dinner was quiet at first. Unbelievably so.
It had started pretty simply, with everyone taking seats as Frederick dished out plated and put food on them. He plopped one of the steaks down on the table and Percy recognized the smell immediately. His stomach did, too, groaning deep inside him as memories of the vomit hose he'd been firing worked their way back into his brain.
That wasn't the only smell he recognized, as he gestured at his cutlery while looking at Annabeth, who'd made sure to sit right next to him.
"Is that... silver?" He asked. She looked up from her food, nodding at him.
"Yeah, why?"
He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to think up a lie.
"I'm, uh... allergic. Can't touch the stuff or I get covered in hives. Not a pretty sight."
She watched his face as his eyes darted around, before giving him a soft smile.
"You? Not a pretty sight? Hard to belive that."
Percy took a shaky breath that worked its way into a smile and let his eyes meet hers.
"Well... same goes for you... friend."
Her cheeks flushed red, before a throat was loudly cleared in front of the two of them. Percy looked back up to Frederick, who had been watching the two with intent. Percy rubbed his tattoo as Annabeth grabbed his cutlery, shifting over to the kitchen to get him different utensils.
"So Percy." The man said, "I take it you and Helen are related then?"
Percy softly drummed his finger on the table, "Well, I'm not too sure actually." He glanced at the woman, "Are you... Sally Jackson's relative?"
Helen smiled, "I am. She was my grandmother, rest her soul. My mother's name's Estelle. Have you met her?"
Percy let out a gentle breath as the woman, his niece, offhandedly mentioned the sister he didn't know he had...
"Can't say I have." He replied, letting a sad smile cross his face, "But I'd sure like to..."
Helen smiled, "Well, she's on a trip with her husband right now, off in Ireland. That being said, let's hope you're here when dear old mom gets back."
Percy nodded, swallowing the million questions that dared to spill out of his mouth. He had a sister? What was she like? Who was her dad? Was dad still around? Did Sally ever talk about him? Would she recognize him and blow his cover?
Did he secretly want that to happen?
The last thought startled him, pulling him out of whatever funk he'd been in as he refocused on Helen, who was looking at him with intent.
"Percy?" She asked.
"Mhm?" He replied.
She frowned, "I was just asking how you're related to me."
He blinked a few times, his hands tightly clasped in front of him, before he leaned back and rubbed his tattoo.
"Oh, y'know, just... distant cousin of a brother's aunt... or something." He stammered out, "Truth is, I don't remember. All I know is I'm a Jackson."
Helen nodded at his words, smiling as she reached over and squeezed his hand.
"Well, nice to meet you distant cousin of a brother's aunt."
Uncle he wanted to correct her, but couldn't. He just swallowed his words and forced a smile, giving her a soft nod and lightly squeezing her hand. She shivered slightly at his gesture.
"Anyone ever tell you you've got cold hands, Percy?"
He let his smile fall a bit as his gaze did the same.
"All the time."
There was a silence for a second, before Percy cleared his throat and looked at Frederick with a smile.
"This smells... delicious." He said through gritted teeth as the smell of the cow he killed nearly made him upchuck again.
Frederick let out a beaming grin as Annabeth settled back into her seat, sliding regular old non-silver cutlery over to Percy. He grabbed the fork and knife and cut into the steak, jamming it in his mouth and chewing.
It was delicious. It was really, really delicious. Delicious enough that he could ignore how his body hated that it didn't have any blood in it. He swallowed and blinked a couple times.
"Well, damn." He said, looking at Frederick, "That might be the best damn steak I've ever had."
Frederick beamed a smile at him, before turning to Annabeth with that same smile.
"I think I approve."
Annabeth blushed, and if Percy were able to he'd have been too. The rest of the group went ahead and dug into their meals, which wasn't too hard considering those steaks were, just like Percy said, the best damn steak they'd ever had.
"So Percy," Helen said, making his fork and the steak speared on it stop in front of his face, "Do you know any of our family? Extended or otherwise?"
Percy's jaw snapped shut at the question, and he set the fork down on his plate.
"Well..." He replied, rubbing his tattoo, "...I've been... out and about for some time now. Never really stay in one place too long, so I've never really had time to meet them."
Helen nodded, setting her own fork down and leaning into the table, "Y'know, my mom always used to tell me she had a brother, one she'd never met."
Percy felt his non-existent heartbeat pound in his chest.
"Oh really?" He asked, trying his best to fake intrigue to cover his panic.
She nodded, "Yeah, she talked about him every now and then. Apparently, he died really young."
Percy let out a frown, one that he didn't have to fake.
"That's a shame." He replied, to which she nodded and continued.
"Yeah, but the weirdest thing though, and you're not gonna believe this..."
She looked at the rest of the group, all of which had stopped eating to listen by then.
"...his name was Percy too."
There was a very loud silence that settled over the table. A loud, invasive silence that seemed to scream ridiculous ideas into everyone's minds. No one spoke, and no one really knew why. Annabeth had felt her heart go tight in her chest, as Thalia's stupid words rang out in her head again for a reason she didn't really enjoy entertaining. He's a vampire.
She looked over at Percy, who's face had fallen to show an almost inhuman lack of emotion. He just... stared off, into the room. He wasn't talking. He wasn't acknowledging anything around him. Hell, if she didn't know better he wasn't even breathing.
He snapped back into focus, chuckling out a tense smile at Helen as he rubbed his tattoo.
"Well... I guess I know where I got my name from." He said.
There was a silence that permeated through the group, before Helen matched his smile with her own slightly nervous grin and got out a "Yeah, I guess so."
The rest of the dinner was pretty quiet, with Percy giving Annabeth the odd quip or funny line and the group having smaller discussions about the Jackson lineage, discussions Percy seemed very wager to have. He wanted to know a lot about Estelle. What was she like, what did she look like, was she sweet. All questions he asked as Helen took joy in describing her mother to him.
Annabeth tried to listen, she tried to pay attention to the words he was saying, but her own mind was racing. Racing with thoughts. Stupid, Thalia inspired thoughts. Thoughts that didn't make sense a few days ago, but stupidly made sense now. Thoughts that made her feel like she was going crazy. Thoughts that she really wanted to push away, but just couldn't.
Especially not when she noticed that there was a scar on his neck, right under his tattoo.
Dinner wrapped up, but the conversation didn't.
Annabeth had pretty immediately started getting everyone's dishes just about the second the food was done, and had gotten busy washing just as quickly. Part of that was because she hated messes, and part of that was because... well, she was feeling a little jealous at the conversation their guests were having.
Percy was enthralled with Helen. They'd been talking just about the whole night, mostly about the Jackson lineage and especially about their history in town. Percy had dozens of questions, most of which she was shocked he even knew to ask, all while Helen had her own questions about distant family. The two of them chatted an absurd amount, despite the age gap. They talked so much and so freely it was almost like... like this was the age of person Percy was supposed to be talking to.
He's a vampire rang out in Annabeth's head again, but she shook the thoughts from her mind as her dad walked up next to her with a sigh. She turned to her dad, who was already looking at her with a comically sad expression sue couldn't help but smile at.
"What's the matter, pops?" Annabeth mused, "Date night not going well?"
He shot her a mock frown, "Oh, you're one to talk, young lady." He replied, glancing at the two dark haired Jackson's sitting at the table. Frederick sighed, turning back to his daughter.
"Annabeth... are we really so boring?" He asked in a ridiculously curious tone. She felt her grin pull a little harder, "I mean, sure, we aren't exactly rhe most interesting pair. But, we're trying."
Annabeth smiled at her dad and patted him on the shoulder, "I don't think it's our fault. Not every day you run into a long lost... relative."
The stupid, Thalia fueled part of her mind wanted to say uncle, but she stuffed it away with all the other stupid Thalia facts, like wolves can't look up and the moon is made of cheese.
Frederick sighed, "I suppose..."
Annabeth gave his shoulder a squeeze, "I don't think you've got much to worry about. After all, I did catch her stare when you left the table. Plus, Y'know, they're related..."
Frederick piped up at the comment, before smiling at his daughter.
"Well... how about old dad gives it another shot, eh?"
Annabeth smiled at her father, "There's the spirit. Why don't you tell her how crappy the tractor is, that's always a good subject."
Frederick shook his head and sighed at his daughter's joke before he walked back over to the table. Annabeth smiled and turned back to the dishes, furrowing her brow as she scrubbed at the pans in the sink. Truth be told, she kinda wished he'd stuck with her. Partially because she needed a hand, and partially because, with how busy Percy was chatting up Helen, she was worried he wasn't that interested in her...
"Need a hand?"
Well, speak of the devil she thought to herself with a smile as the young man slid next to her in the sink and started scrubbing dishes. He was... well, he was him. So naturally a smile spread over her face as he stood next to her at the counter. He got right to work, drying dishes as she washed them.
There was a silence between them as they worked, a nice silence that had smiles on both their faces.
Annabeth stretched her shoulders, making them loudly crack as she tried her best to start up a conversation.
"So..." She said, gesturing towards Helen with his head, "What're the chances of that?"
Percy froze for a second, before he got back to drying and let out a soft nod.
"It's... surprising, that's for sure."
Annabeth nodded, turning back to the sink and working on a plate as a certain idea, a Thalia fueled idea, couldn't help but draw itself into her mouth.
"Weird isn't it?" She asked him. He turned to her and met her gaze, a million thoughts running through his eyes.
"The name, right?"
She was quiet for a minute, meeting his gaze as it burned into her.
"Yeah. The name."
He turned back forward and rubbed his tattoo, letting his thumb softly run over what, at this point, she was just about certain was a scar.
"Yeah... quite the coincidence, ain't it?"
They fell silent, with Thalia's voice growing a little louder in her ear, before she shook her head and smiled in front of her out the bay window that lined their sink.
"Y'know, you can tell me if you're a time traveller."
He sighed out a laugh and gave her a suspicious side eye.
"You think I'm a time traveller?"
She shrugged, "It's one of my many theories."
He shook his head and let it drop a bit, "May I ask why you think I'm a time traveller?"
She cocked her head from side to side, "Well, there's your clothes of course. I don't know anyone who wears a leather jacket anymore."
He smiled, "Well, to be fair, I ain't the one wearing it anymore, now am I?" He asked, letting his accent slip again.
She blushed. Hard, and tried to suppress the want to compliment him again by clearing her throat and continuing.
"There's also that."
He glanced at her, "There's H'wat?"
She looked at him, "That. Your accent. I don't know anyone apart from my grandpa who's got an accent that thick. It's so..."
He let a smile play at his lips, "Charming?" He offered.
She smiled at the dishes, "Maybe it is."
He wiggled his eyebrows and looked out the window, "Maybe you're right. Maybe I am a time traveller."
Her smile grew a bit, "Oh really? That mean you got a time machine?"
He shrugged, "Maybe I do." He turned to look at her, "Maybe I'll take you on a trip through time if you ask real nice."
She smiled back at him, "Maybe I'd enjoy that."
He let himself move a little closer to her, "And where, pray tell, would you like to go in this time machine miss Chase?"
She was silent for a moment, before she looked up at him.
"Probably Rome."
He raised his eyebrows, "Rome, huh? Don't think I'd mind a trip to Rome..." He furrowed his brow a bit, "Why Rome, though?"
She handed him a clean plate, feeling a little flutter in her heart when their hands met on the ceramic.
"Well... I've just always wanted to see the ruins. All that architecture. All those designs. I just... I've always wanted to see all that."
He watched her as she spoke, a small smile pulling at his lips.
"You wanna be an architect, don't you?"
She let out a small breath through her nose, "I guess it's pretty obvious, huh?"
He nodded, as he got to drying the dishes, and she couldn't help but watch as he worked. He'd rolled his sleeves up to keep them dry, and those forearms of his... they really weren't easy to keep her eyes off of.
"Question." He asked her. She shook herself out of her daze.
"Shoot." She replied.
"What're you doing here? In Texas, and not some fancy architecture school?
She sighed, "Well... truth is, I actually got accepted to Berkeley, right out of high-school."
"Why didn't you go?" He asked, before a slight smile pulled at her lips, "Not a fan of California? I knew there was some Texan in you."
She shook her head, meeting his gaze with a squint.
"There's another old fashioned thing. You not a fan of California?"
He shrugged, "Never been. I like to let people make impressions before I make decisions."
She nodded at his words, then let her shoulders fall a bit.
"Well, the university thing, it's my dad... I'm kinda all he's got. Well, we're kinda all either of us have."
Percy was quiet for a moment, "Mom not around?"
Annabeth shook her head, "She passed when I was seven."
Percy let his gaze darken and fall a bit, reaching over to give Annabeth's hand a soft squeeze.
"I'm sorry, Annabeth. I know that's not.a good feeling."
She nodded, letting her eyes flick back up to his. They met, and again, just like they'd done before, they couldn't help but stare. Their eyes just bore into each other, of only for a moment, as they stood near the sink. He opened his mouth, about to say something, before he glanced over at the table and let a smile pull across his lips.
"Well... looks like you might not be all he's got anymore."
Annabeth swallowed, collecting her nerves before she followed his eyes to the table. There was dad, arm around Helen's shoulder and a smile on his face.
Annabeth let a smile spread over hers, watching as the two laughed and chatted and just enjoyed each other's company. If was a sweet sight, sweet enough to distract Annabeth from the fact that she'd almost subconsciously started leaning into Percy's chest.
The young man cleared his throat and she snapped away, looking up at him as a big goofy grin spread over his face. She frowned at him and his smile only grew.
"Sorry." He said.
"You should be." She replied, drying her hands off with a towel before tossing it to him. He caught it, drying his own palms as he rose from the counter.
"Well... I suppose I should get going." He said, in a tone that she could almost say sounded upset. She frowned, and didn't even bother trying to hide it.
"So soon? It's only..." She checked her watch, "...oh."
"Yeah." He replied, "And unless you're as nocturnal as I am..." He stretched his shoulders, "I think it's a good time to head home."
She took a step toward him, "Hold on."
He shot a squint at her and smiled, "What? Gonna ask me to spend the night?"
She felt her cheeks redden as she forced a frown, "No. Not a chance I'm letting you in my bed, Jackson."
His grin grew a bit, "I don't believe I ever said bed, miss Chase, that's all you. I would've been perfectly fine on one of those couches in your living room."
Annabeth felt her jaw tighten and her fists clenched at her sides.
"You... you are just so... so..."
He crossed his arms with a smile.
"Slick?"
She sighed and felt her body loosen.
"Yeah. You're slick, Percy. To an impossible degree."
He shrugged, "I try."
With that he spun on his heels and started heading over to the door. Annabeth couldn't really help herself, she followed right after him, watching as he pulled the door open and stepped out into the night, taking a
deep breath of the air. He shot a look over his shoulder and gave her a smile when he caught her following him. She grabbed his leather coat off the hanger and slipped it over her shoulders, catching up with him at the door.
"Hope you're not planning on joining me." He said, glancing at his home, "My family... they don't take too kindly to visitors."
She shook her head, "No, I just... wanted to see you off properly."
He turned to her, settling his hands on his hips with a raised eyebrow.
"See me off properly?"
"Yeah," She replied, putting her hands in the jackets pockets, "See you off properly."
They were quiet for a moment, before Percy let out a soft smile and reached forward, sliding her hands out of the jackets pockets and holding them in his own.
"I'm guessing you mean like this?" He asked with a little wiggle of his eyebrows.
She blushed and met his eyes, "You read my mind, Jackson."
He winked at her, "You make it a bit too easy to read, Chase."
That little wink and his little comment. Thats all it really took for a bloody inferno to set itself ablaze in her heart. Again, again, he just... knew how to get to her. To make her happy, to make her smile, to make her feel like she'd been missing something for some time now, and that thing had been him. She held his hands tight, taking note of how cold they were.
"Your hands are still cold." She said. He let a smile play at his lips.
"I know." He replied, "I get that a lot."
"You think, maybe..." She looked up at him, "You'd like to come back inside? Warm up bit for your walk?"
He was still for a moment, before a small smile pulled over his face.
"Missing me already?" He asked. She shrugged and smiled at him.
"Maybe I am."
It was just perfect, all of it. Just every little bit of every conversation they had. The way they spoke, how they went back and forth. The way every sentence they said was answered with a sly reply. They really had something there, bot just the moment they were sharing, thay had something that Annabeth... well, hadn't realized she was missing until she was with him. These little moments, these quips they shared, it was really something she could get used to, and from the way he acted around her she got the feeling he felt the same way.
It felt like nothing could ruin this moment, so of course something did.
"Hey Percy."
She was watching his face when the words come out, and she could've sworn she saw him die a little when they did. His face went through several emotions all at once. Shock, panic, fear, he looked into her eyes and there was worry, then it settled, working it's way into a sort of relinquished acceptance.
He dropped his head slightly with a sigh as he turned over his shoulder to the girl flat stood behind them.
"Hi Zoe."
Annabeth followed his eyes and... geez, Annabeth's first thoughts were she's beautiful.
Thick black hair, soft caramel skin, onyx eyes, and perfect features. She had on a simple outfit, denim jeans and a matching denim jacket, with her thick hair flowing over the shoulders of her coat. This girl... she looked incredible. Like some Persian princess striaght out of a fairy tale. She was incredible. Immaculate. Not a single flaw on her. Just being in her presence made all those insecure thoughts Annabeth had at the mirror come back full force.
She made Annabeth feel small, and the way she was looking at Percy made Annabeth feel smaller.
"Percy." The girl said, taking a step towards him, "What're you doing here."
He moved, the second the girl Zoe did, immediately stepping between her and Annabeth. If Annabeth didn't know better, it was almost like it was a defensive thing. Like he was trying to... protect her.
"Nothing, Zoe." He replied, his tone a cold hum that Annabeth took immediate note of.
The girl, Zoe, let a flash of anger spark over her face, before she got control of it and took another step towards the pair.
"Sure doesn't look like nothing, Percy."
Percy was silent for a moment, before his head dropped a bit and he turned to Annabeth, all the warmth gone from his gaze as he did.
"It was nothing, Zoe. She was just walking me out. Right Annabeth?"
His tone was cold as ice, and clearly forced, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. It was such a sharp contrast from the one they'd shared before that Annabeth couldn't help but let it cut into her. She took a step away from Percy as Zoe took another step closer, slipping her hand into Percy's grasp. Annabeth watched as she did, letting that cutting feeling really dig its way into her heart.
Annabeth felt whatever was left of her smile fall off her face and couldn't helpnbut notice that Zoe watched as it did. The girl took a step closer to Percy, running the hand that wasn't gripping his hand up his chest and up to his face.
He was still staring at Annabeth, so she turned his head to look at her.
"Let's go home, Percy."
He met her eyes and let his shoulders slouch a bit, turning back to look at Annabeth, who'd already started making her way back inside.
"Sure." He replied, Turning towards his home with a frown on his face. Zoe smiled, before her lip twitched and she glanced over at Annabeth.
"Oh, Annabeth." She said in a tone she clearly had to force to be sweet. Annabeth turned around, meeting the Persian girls eyes as she let go of Percy's hand and took a few steps towards her with Percy close in tow.
Annabeth stood up straight trying her best to find her confidence in the presence of this goddess.
"Yeah?" She asked. Zoe gave her a sickly sweet smile.
"I'd like my jacket back."
Annabeth was silent for a moment, before she slowly pulled the coat off her shoulders, relishing the feeling just a little bit more.
"Didn't know it was yours..." She mumbled, not able to meet Percy's eyes.
"It is." Zoe replied, pulling the jacket away from her and throwing it back over her shoulders before pulling it tight with a smile.
The girl looked up at Percy, who still had his eyes locked on Annabeth, who'd finally let her heart get the best of her mind and had met his gaze. He didn't look good. He looked worried and upset and nervous and scared. Scared more than anything else. The worst part to Annabeth was that it almost seemed like Percy was scared for her.
Zoe wastes absolutely no time in getting herself close to Percy, letting her chest press against his and her hands run up his body up to his face, again forcing him to look at her.
She took one last glance at Annabeth, one last look that Annabeth could discern pretty damn easily: He's mine.
Zoe let a smile spread back over her face as she looked back up at Percy, her hands slipping from his cheeks and running down his chest, but their gazes remaining locked.
"Let's go home." She whispered to him.
He knew he didn't have a choice. Not even in the slightest. Either he could listen to her or she could make him listen to her, bit that didn't even make it any easier. He didn't risk a glance at Annabeth. Not now. Zoe was already seeing red and the last thing he wanted was for her to start spilling red, too. He swallowed his sigh and forced a smile.
"Alright Zo'. Lead the way."
She smiled a gentle smile before tightly grabbing his hand and pulling him along. Back to the den, back to his life, and away from what he really wanted.
He risked a glance back at Annabeth and caught sight of her, watching as Zoe led him back to the den. It was only for a moment that she watched him, her hand tightly gripping the wooden frame. she watched the two of them through the crack of the door, before she quickly shut it, slamming the door closed. It wasn't open for long, but it was open for long enough.
Long enough for him to see the tears in her eyes.
Percy knew what was coming.
He knew what was coming and God damn, did he ever not want it.
He could practically hear her breath get heavy as they got closer to the den. He could feel the way her grip tightened around d his palm and the way her steps got faster the closer they got to the house. The practically dragged him up the porch, swinging the door open and dragging him in, before she slammed it shut behind her.
There was a moment she just stood there, staring off into the home, back to him as she breathed heavy, angry breaths into the room.
He stood as still as he could, not risking anything at the risk of him making things worse. He took a breath of his own and risked something, a pair of words that he hoped might earn him some favors.
"I'm sorry."
She was still for a moment, her eyes still pointed away from him, before especially reached back and grabbed a fist full of his shirt, pulling him away from the door and leading grin up the stairs, marching up the steps and leading him down the hall.
Towards his room.
He felt the dread creep back into his heart. Not disappointment, or sadness, no this time it was dread. Genuine, fearful dread. The kind of dread that he didn't enjoy feeling. Not that anyone ever really enjoyed dread, but... God, did he ever not want to do this. Not here, not now, not after what he'd just shared with Annabeth. He did not want this.
So imagine his shock when they marched right past his room.
She pulled him past the door and marched him down the hall. Past the others, past the windows, all the way to the room at the end.
Her room.
He swallowed as she grabbed the handle, turning it and leading him in before she shut the door behind her.
He was expecting most of what was in the room. Bed, dresser, mirror, ensuite. All that was normal. What he wasn't expecting were the paintings.
There were dozens of them. Canvas after canvas of art, stacked on the floor or hung on the walls, strewn about her room as they lined the walls and sat in stacks in the corners. There were enough there that it was clear she'd spent quite a bit of time these last few days painting.
He took in the room, and all the paintings that were in it. They were beautiful, remarkably so, with soft tones and faded colors. The images almost seemed real, like they were pictures printed in acrylic as opposed to hand painted works of art.
He took note of the subject matter of the paintings too. Many of them were of a field, sitting at the base of a mountain. Many depicted a young girl in a silver dress, sat next to a bush with black berries, while a pale figure sat next to her, as the two gazed up at the stars.
He got the feeling those paintings... were really important to Zoe.
He didn't even notice what she was doing until she slammed a stool down on the floor I'm from of him, making him jump a bit at the noise.
"Lord almighty, Zoe." He hissed, again feeling his tongue burn at the words.
She didn't look him in the eye. She just stared at his chest as she gestured at the stool.
"Sit."
He sighed, taking a step towards the stool.
"You want my pants off before I do?" He asked, in a tone he couldn't even pretend wasn't dejected.
Her grip tightened on the stool, making the wood groan under her grip.
"Percy..." She said, her eyes softening as she looked up at him, "...please."
He didn't know if it was the tone or the words she'd chosen or just the way she'd been acting the second they'd stepped in the house, but he did, sliding into the stool and facing her.
She took a few steps back, eyeing him up before she turned to her dresser and grabbed some supplies. An easel, a canvas, some brushes.
She set it all up in front of her while Percy watched her with and empty look.
"Zoe." He asked.
"Yeah?" She replied, still setting up her supplies.
"What...what is this." He asked, slouching in his seat, "What are you doing."
She emptied some paint onto her palette and swirled it together, mixing the paints into the colors she needed.
"I'm painting you, dummy." She said, in a soft and timid tone. She started working the brush over the canvas as Percy considered her tone. She didn't sound how she normally did. All the cunning and seductiveness and her passive aggressive sexuality, all that was gone. All that was standing in front of him now was a girl, completely open, no filters over who she was. This was the first time he'd been in her room, and the first time he'd seen her paint. Hell, he hadn't even known she'd painted before this.
"Zoe..." He asked.
"Yeah Percy?" She replied. He was silent for a minute as a whole mess of words filtered through his brain.
"Why are you painting me?"
She froze, her brush hovering over the canvas as a certain glint appeared in her eye. She lowered the brush, and her head lowered with it.
"Because I'm sure Rachel painted you, too."
She replied.
He looked away, not wanting to let himself get angry, not now. He didn't need to deal with the consequences that would come from that.
"Yeah, well..." He let a breath out of his nose, "Rachel did a lot of things..."
Zoe looked at him from behind the canvas, a soft look on her face as her eyes ran up and down his form.
"I can do a lot of things."
He sighed, "Thats not what I meant."
She let a frown pull at her face.
"Then what do you mean?"
"Nothing." He replied, suddenly feeling exhausted, "I meant nothing."
She shook her head, "Tell me, Percy."
He bit back a glare, "It's none of your business, Zoe."
She frowned a little harder, "Yes it is. If it's something I should know then I want to know."
He threw up his arms, a humorless laugh pouring out of him "What's it to you, anyway?"
She threw the palette on the ground, stepping out from behind the canvas and getting tight in his face.
"Everything, Percy." She growled at him, "It's everything to me."
It was his turn to get upset, standing up from the stool and jamming his finger in her face.
"Oh yeah? It shouldn't be. It shouldn't mean anything to you." He pointed the finger at himself, "I shouldn't mean anything to you. I shouldn't be anything for you, either, and yet..." He threw his hands up scowl pulled over his lips, "...here I am. Here I am trapped in this nightmare you dragged me into."
She didn't respond, just clenching her fists at her sides as that regret, that heavy, miserable regret that Percy had spent the past fifty years trying to suppress. The regret that had tried to slip from himself at Rachel's house finally made its way off his shoulders.
Right down onto hers.
"You wanna know what you are?" He asked, getting up close to her face and jamming his finger in it, "What you are is a monster. A sick, twisted monster, Zoe. Something that shouldn't be allowed to do what you do."
She was silent, her eyes burning with rage as she looked into his eyes. He should've known better, should've known that this would only end badly, but he was done caring. Caring about her feelings, caring about his future, caring about maintaining this lie for a single second longer.
"You're evil. That's what you are, Zoe." He growled at her as her glare held, "You're evil and you're twisted and you ruined my life." He turned away from her, glaring at her mirror ad he stared at his reflection, "I had something with Rachel. Something I loved, something that was special to me, and you just came along and... and..."
He clenched his hands and clenched his teeth, hissing his next words out like they were poison.
"... and you fucked it all up."
He stood there, letting his body calm down, letting his mind refocus, letting his hands and jaw and body all unclench as he took a big deep breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly through his nose. He turned back towards her, ready to let out some more poison, before he saw her face.
He saw her face, and the tears streaming down it.
Her face was pulled into a look, and it didn't matter if Percy had just unloaded on her with not even half of what he'd wanted to say, it didn't matter if every word that had just came out of his mouth was the truth. She was still Zoe, she was still someone to him, whether he liked it or not and that look on her face...
It broke him.
She couldn't hold it back any longer and let out a sob, a choking, heart wrenching noise that matched with the rain that had started pouring on her window. Percy felt a feeling worm its way into his chest. A tight, painful feeling that probably could've made him puke. It was regret.
He took a step forward, gently moving toward her shoulder with an outstretched hand as she sobbed into her hands. He touched her shoulder and the sobbing slowly started to quiet. She gently pulled her hands from her face and looked up at him, her eyes red and her body shaking slightly as she sniffled and wiped at her face.
"I... I'm sorry Percy..." She shakily let out. She wrapped her arms across her and stared at his chest, "I'm sorry Percy. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."
She kept repeating herself, over and over again, and he just... he just wanted it to stop. He wanted her to stop this, stop being this way, stop being upset. He wanted her to stop because he knew it was his fault, and deep down he knew that even if she deserved it, he didn't want to do this to her.
He let his arms come up, wrapping around her shoulders as he placed his lips on her head and softly kissed her hair.
He felt her take a deep breath, one that was still shaky, but felt comfortable coming in, and he assumed felt the same being let out.
He pulled away a bit, separating from her and letting her take another deep breath before she looked up at him. His hands were on either of her cheeks, and she let her palms sit on his.
"Percy?" She asked, her voice not much more than a whisper.
"Yes Zoe." He answered, matching her tone.
"Do you hate me."
Yes. That's what his mind said. Just about instantly, the second she'd asked him. That's the only word that popped into his head, and yet, despite how much his mind wanted to say it, his heart wouldn't allow it. He stuffed it right back down the second it had appeared, pushing it into himself. He didn't even know why he did it, or why he said the next words that came out of him.
"No, Zoe. I don't hate you."
She let out a soft smile, closing her eyes as she ran gentle circles in the back of his hands.
"Percy, I'm-" She couldn't get the words out. He pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her as he took a deep breath.
"Why don't you..." He let his eyes meet hers and smiled. One that, for the first time in a long time with her, wasn't forced.
"Why don't you finish your painting, Zoe."
She stood there for a second, frozen in either shock or confusion or a mix of the two, before she beamed a smiled back at him, going back to her easel and picking up her palette.
He sat back down in the stool, letting himself sit up straight for her as she continued to paint. Her brush moved over the canvas, painting details as her onyx eyes stared at him from over the easel. He didn't really realize it, but there wasn't a second he didn't stare back. His eyes kept locked on hers the entire time as she spread her paint. It took her a while, but she finished it, spinning the canvas around so he could see the work.
It was him. It was him to a shocking degree, almost as shocking as Rachel's paintings of him. It captured his detail his emotion, the lighting that he knew was casting shadows over his face. It captured all of it.
"It's... beautiful." He said, running his hand over the edge of the painting.
"Well..." Zoe said setting the painting down on her dresser, "It's a painting of you, so of course it's gonna be beautiful."
He let a breath out of his nose as he stood up, drawing her eye with his sudden movement.
"Why did you do that, Zoe." He asked her.
She was quiet, her hand still laid on the dresser as she struggled to meet his eyes.
"I like to paint things, Percy..."
Her eyes flicked up to his, her emotions obvious in her gaze.
"...things that I love."
He was silent for a moment, before he stepped forward, right up to her. Close enough that they were barely a foot apart.
"Am I something you love, Zoe?"
She looked up at him, those onyx eyes of hers wrought with emotion as she peered into his sea green irises.
"I love you more than anything, Percy." Her lip twitched as she spoke, her eyes tearing up again, "More than I've ever loved anyone or anything."
She reached out and laid a land on his chest, before her other hand followed, pressing softly into his pectoral.
"Do you... feel the same."
He thought about it, and it wasn't easy to think about.
Did he?
What did he feel? What was there to feel anymore? Love? What was love, anyways. A chemical reaction that went off in the human mind, but he wasn't really human anymore, now was he? Was he even capable of feeling love anymore? Or was it just his dead heart playing tricks on his dead mind.
What was he even feeling right now?
What had he felt with Annabeth?
When he was with her, it was amazing. It felt like he was alive again, like he had something worth trying for, something worth fighting for, something worth staving off the inevitable for, if only for a little while. If there was anything in his life at this point that even resembled love... he liked to belive it was that.
But he knew better. He knew it was just an illusion. A distraction. He knew what he was and he knew what was permanent in his life. Zoe. Zoe was always going to be there. Zoe was always going to wake up in the morning and share this with him. Zoe would always accept him for what he was.
Everything he'd just said was her fault, and yet everything was only solved by her too. She was his alpha and his omega. His beginning and his end. She was everything, and nothing. She was all he had.
He didn't even realize he was kissing her until he felt her nails dig into his chest.
She pushed into him, pressing him against the wall as she tore at his clothes. She ripped off his tie, the one Annabeth had helped fix, she pressed her hands against his chest, just like Annabeth had, she practically suffocated him, pressing her lips as close to his as she could.
Just like he wished Annabeth would.
He couldn't help it. Even as he stared headlong into the mess he'd made, he couldn't help but focus solely on one person, the one person he knew he couldn't have.
Zoe pushed him back, onto the bed, their bodies falling together as he let his arms float down to her waist and instinctually tug at her top. She didn't waste any time, ripping the fabric off of her and tossing her bra off just as quickly.
She pressed back into him, pressing her lips to his as her tongue flicked across his teeth. She was trying, and damn hard too, but he couldn't help it. He only had one girl on his mind.
Annabeth. Her golden hair, her tan skin, her beautiful grey eyes. The way she'd share conversations with him. The way she'd laugh at his terrible jokes. The way she made him feel like he... like he was alive again. He closed his eyes, and all he saw was her.
He could picture it all. Every detail, every inch of her, every bit of her he'd ever laid his eyes on. She glowed in his mind, even as Zoe aggressively tore open his shirt, tracing kisses down his chest as she desperately undid his belt.
She went lower and lower down his body, as Percy sunk lower and lower into his thoughts.
He thought about Annabeth the whole night.
Even though he knew he didn't deserve to.
A.N. Yknow guys, I've realized something.
I have once again written a story based on Bruce Springsteen's Dancing in the Dark.
I mean, c'mon...
I get up in the evening, and I ain't got nothing to say.
I come home in the morning, I go to bed feeling the same way.
If that doesn't sound like a depressed vampire, I don't know what does.
Anyway, sorry this chapter took so long. I'll work faster on the next one. Although, that being said, work that wasn't being done on this was being done on something else.
What else you may ask?
Let's just say I've been in a perzoe mood lately.
Anyways, I'll see you guys soon. Take care everyone.
-Bronzeandsteel