When Annabeth woke up, she was sitting in the passenger seat of Percy's car with the aforementioned boy gently shaking her arm. She could only imagine how terrible she looked as she just woke up, but he gave her the sweetest smile anyway.
She looked out the front window and was surprised to see them parked at an old school diner. She must have passed by the place a million times on her way to various places around the city, but she'd never been inside.
It was the type of cliche place you'd see in shows with the popular teenagers who all congregate at one place. White walls and chrome, worn down sign, and strips of neon lights running every which way. Percy gazed at the place longingly, though, and Annabeth could tell that he'd been there many times before.
He turned off his headlights and his car before giving her a grin. "C'mon, hurry up, wise girl. I'm starving," he said in a playfully whiny voice, and she could only roll her eyes, grinning as she reached over and punched him firmly in the bicep. "Shut up, fish head, I'm going."
She opened the door and was immediately hit with a blast of cold air that took her breath away. She groaned slightly and shook her head before hopping out and closing her door behind her, making a beeline for the entrance.
It was late by the time they got there, about eleven or so, so she wasn't surprised to see the diner mostly empty. Percy ducked in behind her and smiled, poking her side before leading her to a booth at the back of the restaurant.
The place smelled like burgers and fries, with a hint of something sweet she could've sworn were pancakes. Her stomach rumbled and she realized with a start that she was genuinely hungry. She'd barely eaten all day.
Percy heard and snickered a little as he removed his jacket, setting it beside him on his side of the booth while Annabeth settled into her side. "I've never been here," she admitted, deciding to ignore his little laugh. "It's kind of a cool place."
He nodded almost immediately and got a warm smile on his face. "Yeah, it's the best. My mom and I used to come here all the time," he said, his green eyes glinting excitedly.
A waitress whisked by and set two menus and some silverware down on the table, giving them both a warm smile. He handed the menus right back to her and grinned, ordering them both a burger and fries as well as a milkshake. The waitress jotted it down and nodded before she walked off again, giving the pair a fleeting smile.
Percy flashed Annabeth a warm smile before he grabbed the wrapped silverware and began messing with the little strip of paper that held the napkin in place. As Annabeth glanced over at the retreating waitress, she thought about what Percy had said. "Why used to?" she asked curiously. She had never talked with Percy a whole lot about his family.
He just shrugged a little in response and gave her a small smile. "Yeah, we're both just super busy. We do come in her sometimes, but we came a lot more when I was younger, though," he informed her with a smile, his fingers still fiddling with the paper.
She debated with herself for a moment before she glanced over at him. He was wearing a normal outfit for him, which consisted of some faded jeans and a random t-shirt with a hoodie. Even if it was just plain, he looked great.
He was still fumbling around with the paper from the silverware, and she found herself smiling. "Percy, I do have a question," she found herself asking. As she spoke, he raised his head and looked at her, content and smiling. "Of course. Shoot." He leaned back, folding his arms across his chest with a smile.
She hesitated for a moment before she let her gaze fall to the table. The question she wanted to ask was a sensitive one, and she didn't know how to bring it up sensitively. "You never mention your dad at all," she offered slowly. "Why is that?"
He looked at her for a moment and hesitated before his gaze fell to the table again. "Well..."
Their conversation was halted as the waitress came by, dropping off their food. Honestly, it looked amazing. It'd been a while since she'd had a nice greasy burger. They thanked the waitress before she walked off again, and Percy delayed the conversation by taking a few bites of his burger. She didn't mind. She'd give him as much time to answer the question as he wanted.
She took a few bites of her own burger, and smiled softly. It was amazing. The milkshake, too. She'd gotten chocolate and he'd gotten peanut butter.
After a bit, their frenzied eating slowed and Percy gave her a sheepish look as he popped a few fries into his mouth. "Sorry," he chuckled gently. "I've just been trying to figure out how to answer that question." He smiled, but she could see that it didn't quite reach his eyes.
She'd never seen such reservation in those sea green eyes of his. "My dad left when I was young," he said, his voice soft. "I don't remember much of him, honestly. Just his eyes. They were green, like mine. He was in the navy, and he wasn't home a whole lot. It was just my mom and I, for the most part."
He got a bit of a distant look in his eyes. "I remember when I was in about first grade, after he had come home for a while. I came home from school and ran up to our apartment from the bus, and when I walked in I saw my mom crying at the kitchen table. I asked her what was wrong but she never really told me. She just grabbed me and hugged me and tried to stop crying.
"It wasn't until years later when she told me that my dad left her...left us. He came home from the store or something, packed up his stuff and just left. Drove off in his car. She said he went to be with some woman he'd met while overseas."
His eyes flicked up to hers every so often, and all she could think of is how his mother felt. Every time she looked at her son she saw the man she loved that had abandoned them both. She had no idea what to say in response, so she didn't mind when he kept speaking.
His fingers were drumming lightly against the table, and she smiled softly to herself. He'd always had trouble keeping still. "It wasn't that bad, honestly. We got by. My mom worked two jobs, and I spent a lot of time with Jason and Thalia. Until she got into a relationship with this guy..."
He trailed off a little, and she could see anger glinting in his eyes as he stared at the table, his fingers coming up to tug at the strings of his hoodie.
"He started off fine enough. He was decent, bought her a lot of gifts. She was able to quit one of her jobs, which made me kind of happy because I could see her a lot more. But after a while he turned into an absolute jerk.
"He...he would hit my mom, when he thought I couldn't hear or see it. He hit me too sometimes, when he got a little too drunk. He learned not to mess with me once I got a little older, about 14, but he still threatened my mom..."
Annabeth saw genuine fire in his eyes. She hadn't known Percy for a really long time, but she did know that the number one person in his life was his mom. He would do anything for her.
"One day, when I came home from football practice, he was yelling at her in the kitchen. I walked in as he raised his arm to hit her, and I kinda lost it. I ran over and I..."
His gaze turned confused. His brown furrowed and he stared at a mark on the table as if struggling to recall a memory that was just barely out of reach.
"I didn't know what happened. I still don't. All I remember is my mom pulling me off from on top of him, and I had blood on my hands." He almost looked ashamed. "You have to believe me, Annabeth, I never wanted to hurt him. I never want to hurt anyone. But he was going to hurt my mom."
He sounded genuinely upset, and she reached across the table, gently resting her hand over top of his, giving him as comforting as a smile as she could manage. He looked into her eyes and took a moment before he returned her smile and his gaze flickered back to the table.
"He got up and threatened to call the cops on me, but I think he knew he wouldn't get out of that situation clean. He left after that. Packed up his stuff, just disappeared."
He shrugged a little. "Good riddance, if you ask me. We haven't seen him or heard from him since. It's just back to my mom and I. She works harder than anyone I've ever met. That's kind of why I need a scholarship for football to college. If I didn't get that, I wouldn't be able to go at all. We just don't have enough money."
Annabeth just looked at him, and she could feel her chest tighten up with sadness. Percy was always such a happy guy. He was always smiling, always lifting up everyone around him. It killed her to know that he had this much riding on his shoulders all the time and no one knew. That's why he worked so hard, why he was always gentle and kind even when people were nasty.
Like when Luke was fighting him. Annabeth realized that when they were in her living room, and Luke was beating him up after he figured out about her and Percy's drunken kiss, the runningback had never raised a hand towards her ex. She just figured it was because he didn't want to upset her, but now she realized it was because he'd been on the receiving end of abuse before.
With a start she realized that Percy's sea green eyes were trained on her, and she just gave him a soft smile as she squeezed his hand. He looked sad. More sad than she had ever seen him. She was at a loss for what to say.
"Percy, I..." she trailed off before looking down at the table. "Thank you...for telling me that." She lifted her head, and once again was caught in the gaze of his eyes. "I'm glad that you can open up like that to me. It helps me understand you more." She wanted to kick herself. It felt like she was reading from a script. "Just...know that you can always talk to me about stuff like this. Anything. I want to know you."
He gave her a small smile before nodding slowly and looking down. "Thanks, wise girl," he said softly with a bit of a sigh. He squeezed her hand again before pulling back, going back to eating his burger.
She had no idea how he could do that so easily. Pour his heart out and carry on eating like nothing happened. She looked at him for a little bit more before she looked down at her own burger. Percy was stronger than she'd ever given him credit for. She now understood the strong bond between him and his mother. They're all one another has ever had.
She picked at her burger and fries for a bit but was deep in thought for the majority of her meal. In the middle of it, when the pair was sitting in comfortable silence, Annabeth received a Snapchat from Luke. She had never put her phone away faster. She didn't want to hear from him right now.
The dark haired boy had seen her pick up her phone, and he gave her a wistful smile. "Luke again?" he asked with a soft laugh. He had a certain sadness in his eyes that she had just started to see. She didn't like it. She shrugged slightly and pushed a fry around her plate. "Ah, yeah. I don't wanna answer it right now though."
He gave her a curious look as he took another bite of his burger. "Why not?" he asked through a mouthful of food. She smiled a little. That's the Percy she knew.
She just shrugged in response and smiled sheepishly. "I'm spending time with you. He can wait." His expression brightened and her heart warmed as the two of them resumed eating.
Soon enough they both finished up and Percy paid for both of their meals before they walked back out to his car. He seemed happy, honestly. Happier than he'd been earlier.
He was smiling and holding her hand, going on about how excited he was for his playoff game the next day, and how he was gonna wear his "lucky glove" she had bought him, and she could only smile. Seeing him happy made her happy.
They climbed into his car and he clicked on the radio before glancing down at her. "Uh, so my place is actually really close to here...do you wanna come stay over?" She smiled and nodded almost immediately. She had never been to his place.
He nodded in response and smiled, pulling out of the parking lot before beginning to drive. It was only a few minutes before they pulled into the lot of an apartment building. He pulled into a spot and turned the car off, climbing out after giving her a smile.
His smile was honestly one of the best things she'd ever seen in her life.
She grabbed her bag from his backseat and went to stand beside him as he locked his car up, before they entered the building. The walk up to his apartment was quiet, but a kind of comfortable quiet she'd only ever had with a few other people.
When they got to his floor and walked down the hall, she could hear muffled noises coming from some of the other apartments. The drone of a TV, an isolated laugh, the sound of a soft conversation.
They stopped in front of a door and he fumbled with his keys for a moment before he unlocked the door. He opened it as quietly as possible, glancing inside before he walked in. She followed in behind him and glanced around as he quietly closed and locked the door.
The apartment was dim, but she could vaguely see a comfortably decorated living room and a clean kitchen. The place looked homey. She had never been to his apartment before, since they'd always gone to her place or hung out at a lot of other places.
They both slipped off their shoes and he took her by the hand and guided her back down the hallway to what she assumed was his room. He closed the door behind him, and she looked around with a smile.
The walls were painted a dark blue, and covered with random posters and pictures of himself with his mom and his teammates. It was about as messy as she figured it would be, with various clothes, football gear, and books scattered here and there on his floor.
He had a desk settled near the end of his bed, and a bookshelf near the door that had more awards and random items than it did books. There was a window on the far wall with the shades half pulled, letting one a little bit of light from the city outside.
She caught a scent of the deodorant he always wore, and it made her smile. He gave her a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck. His green eyes glinted in the low light of the room. "Sorry it's kinda messy," he whispered to her. "I wasn't really planning on having anyone over."
She smiled and shook her head, setting her backpack down beside the door. "Don't worry, Percy. Thanks for having me over." She kissed his cheek before she pulled back and removed her hoodie, setting it aside so she was just in sweatpants and a t-shirt. "I'm gonna use the bathroom really fast," she informed him softly.
He just nodded and smiled, pointing a certain way so she'd know where to go. She left the room and walked down the hall as quietly as she could, using the slight glow of her phone screen to light the way.
She saw some pictures hanging up in the hallway, and she looked them over as she made her way to the bathroom. She smiled as she saw one of a young Percy and his mom.
She was holding him and he looked completely content, a big smile on his face as he looked at the camera. He still had the same mess of dark hair and the same vibrant green eyes.
His mom was beautiful, with light brown hair and blue eyes that seemed to reflect her warm smile. Annabeth had yet to meet her, but she couldn't wait.
Eventually she did make it to the bathroom, and did her thing quickly before she made her way back to Percy's room. She closed the door quietly behind her and turned to the bed, where Percy was laying down, and he looked about half asleep.
He raised his head slightly as she walked in, and he immediately broke into a warm, sleepy smile. That smile of his made her stomach turn in the best way possible. She smiled back at him and flicked off the light beside the door before she walked over, crawling into bed beside him.
"Hey there," he said in a soft, rough voice, pressing a soft kiss to her temple as she cuddled into his side. She grinned and looked up into his half lidded green eyes. "Hey yourself," she chuckled. "You look pretty tired."
He gave her a pouty look and shook his head, though his lips immediately widened into a yawn. "Am not," he mumbled, his arms shifting to wrap around her and his lips touching her cheek. "Plus, we have to like...y'know."
She thought it was adorable how shy he was about it. He looked really cute when he was all sleepy.
She bit her a lip a little and smiled softly, though inwardly she felt guilty. He hadn't fallen asleep all because he thought that they needed to have sex.
She finally snapped herself out of it and shook her head, stroking sike of his hair back from his forehead. "Hey, don't worry about that. Go to sleep." He gave her a look that she interpreted as 'Are you sure?' and she just nodded, continuing to run her fingers through his hair.
Eventually he just nodded and closed his eyes, curling up against her side. Soon she could feel his breathing even out as he fell asleep, and she was alone with her thoughts.
She realized she was playing with Percy's feelings to get her ex back, and it killed her. She liked to think of herself as a genuine person, but this was one of the worst things she had ever done.
Percy was an amazing guy, and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him. All she could do to make herself feel a bit more at ease was how regularly they said that they were good friends.
Well...it was more of her saying it and him kind of half-assedly agreeing. She had told him that she wasn't looking for anything serious, but wasn't that what they had become?
She needed to keep reiterating how she felt, maybe even bring Luke into the equation. She needed to mention that he might want to get back together, to kind of drive it home that Annabeth didn't see this as a romantic relationship.
That was such a hard subject to broach, though. She knew it needed to happen but she also knew that her heart would snap in two if she did that. She knew Percy would be absolutely heartbroken. She had seen sadness in those beautiful green eyes of his and she never wanted to see it again.
A guy as amazing as him deserved only absolute happiness in his life, and she wanted nothing more than to be the one to bring it to him.
She thought of him as a close friend now, but when she does end up leaving for Luke, could it stay that way? Would both of them be able to normally be around one another without thinking about their brief fling?
She would be fine, but he was something else altogether. Also, Luke may make her stay away from him. That may be one of his little terms to continue their relationship, that she can't talk to Percy anymore.
She would understand why, but also dislike it intensely. So...yeah, it's looking like she might have to up and leave if Luke and her end up working things out.
She really didn't want to think about that, though. She kind of just wanted to enjoy her time with Percy while she had it.
She finally managed to quiet her mind down somewhat and close her eyes, cuddled up against Percy's chest. She eventually managed to fall asleep, still debating internally with herself.