Hey guys! Back with another update and believe me when I say it's a LONG AWAITED ONE! I think you guys are really going to like it! Also, I binged watched the show Degrassi from start to finish (and I mean every episode-from the 1980's to the series on Netflix) so don't be surprised if you catch a couple phrases or moments from the show. I'm completely in love with Eli Goldsworthy and the couple Eclare so yeah, they'll probably be some quotes in the chapters. Don't hesitate to PM me if you're a fellow fangirl of the show because I'd love to talk! Okay I'll get to the reviews now.
Review Responses:
TheSarows: Welcome new reader! Thanks for checking out my story I'm glad you like it so much! Yup, there's definitely slow burn Percabeth in this story! Enjoy!
ThankYouKanyeVeryCool: Glad you like cliché, I love it! As for Reyna coming back, I'll be completely honest and say that I don't really know myself if she'll come back. I'll be deciding that in the future if I feel it adds to the story but just keep reading!
wisebrain (Guest): Thanks for the advice! I can't make any promises but we'll see. I'll take it into consideration haha. Thanks for reviewing and reading!
Intheshadows143 (Guest): I used to have an update schedule for once a week but it's kind of all over the place now sorry! But I try to get the updates out as fast as possible!
Disclaimer: Don't own
"Dude please tell me you're kidding." Leo's look of astonishment explained everything his words couldn't as he stared at Jason in shock.
The blonde boy sighed seriously. "I wish I was. But we can't tell Percy. If he ever found out it would kill him."
The two of them were standing across from one another near a set of lockers. The final bell for classes had just rung meaning yet another Monday was over and done with. Jason had waited for Leo to get his stuff from his locker so they could head to the car since they were carpooling. Jason had just finished recounting to Leo something that Piper had told him over the weekend. Apparently rumors were spreading all around the school that Luke and Annabeth had gone out on a date. Piper had told Jason that in Annabeth's mind it wasn't a date but she knew Luke thought of it that way, even if he'd told her it was only as friends. It was only a matter of time before Percy started hearing stuff. It was honestly a miracle that he hadn't heard anything yet considering high school gossip spread like wildfire.
"Tell me what?"
Jason squeezed his eyes shut and mentally face palmed himself for being so stupid once he heard the familiar voice of his best friend. He hesitantly reopened his eyes and turned around to find the all too famous Percy Jackson staring back at him. His green eyes were wild and curious as he waited for Jason to explain.
"That…Leo's finally managed to get an A on a writing assignment…?" Jason tried, not sounding believable at all.
Percy raised an eyebrow in disbelief as he switched his gaze to the curly-haired Latino who was now standing next to Jason and looking pretty nervous about something. Percy looked back towards Jason and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Yeah and I just won the lottery. What's really going on that I shouldn't know about?" Percy stated sarcastically, looking in between his two closest friends.
For someone who wasn't always the sharpest crayon in the box, Percy was very smart when it came to reading people and right at that moment he knew Jason and Leo were hiding something from him.
"It's nothing really." Jason brushed it off, looking back towards Percy nervously.
The guy had been in a pretty depressing mood since the week before when he'd talked with Annabeth. Jason didn't dare ask about the details of the encounter but what he did know was that Percy looked completely broken whenever her name was even brought up. He was really hurting which was why he really couldn't find out about the rumors circulating that involved Luke and Annabeth. Curse him and his inability to whisper or check behind him before speaking. Percy wasn't the type of person to just let something go that easily.
"Yeah man it's nothing." Leo added nonchalantly. Percy still wasn't buying it.
"Well if it's nothing then it shouldn't be that hard to just tell me now should it?" The hockey captain pointed out. Leo and Jason shared matching looks of panic before Jason finally felt his resolve crumbling.
"Look bro, Saturday night I met up with Piper at the carnival and well she kinda told me Luke had asked Annabeth to spend a few hours with him at the fair. She went off with Luke and later that night Piper and I saw the two of them together and it looked kind of like…a date. The last we saw of them was Luke offering to give her a lift home. I'm sorry dude."
"It could have been nothing though! Annabeth's a nice girl and she probably just didn't want to make Castellan look bad by rejecting him." Leo offered, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
"Yeah? Like she rejected me?" Percy muttered angrily. It was barely audible but there was venom in his hatred-filled words.
Percy's facial features were contorted into those of both hurt and betrayal. He was upset and furious at the same time. He couldn't believe it. Annabeth had forgiven Luke and even gone out with the blonde male but she could barely even say a word to him? He felt like he'd just been kicked in the gut a hundred times. The thought of Luke and Annabeth together made his stomach churn.
He tried to see everything from Annabeth's point of view. While Percy had both made out with another girl and gotten into a fistfight with Castellan at Silena's party, Luke had only done one of those things. Annabeth must have found it easier to forgive him but again, Percy technically hadn't done anything horrible. He felt awful about the whole kissing Rachel incident but Annabeth wasn't his girlfriend and Luke had the fight coming for a long time. Annabeth was shutting him out even after he'd apologized and expressed his feelings to her. The least he deserved was some type of closure.
"Perce? You alright buddy?" Jason asked concerned.
He placed a comforting hand on Percy's shoulder. Leo shot the hockey captain a worried glance and Percy snapped back to reality. He hadn't realized how long he'd been spaced out but it must have been for a while because the only people left in the school seemed to be the students staying for after school clubs or sports. Everyone else had quickly exited the high school after a long and boring day. It was raining outside which didn't make things any better. The weather pretty much matched how he felt.
"I need to talk to her." Percy mumbled finally after a long pause of silence. His eyes focused themselves on the ground angrily.
"Are you sure that's a good idea man?" Leo asked hesitantly.
"Yeah the last time you two talked it didn't end so well. Maybe she just needs some space." Jason added.
"I just need some closure on this mess. I mean did she ever see me as something more than a friend or was she always into Castellan? I'm tired of feeling so defeated and upset over a girl. It's like when I'm around her I can't breathe and I hate it!" Percy shouted exasperatedly.
After another few minutes of arguing, Leo and Jason managed to convince Percy to head home rather than to speak with Annabeth while he was so fired up. Percy had agreed to head home knowing that hockey practice started soon and he would most likely see her at the rink.
Annabeth let out a sigh of relief once she got off the phone with her figure skating coach Christina. Her and Rachel were excused from their training sessions that afternoon due to the heavy rain that was falling outside. Coach Hedge had cancelled the hockey practice for the day as well. The blonde had never been so glad to not be skating. Apparently the teachers had decided to all give a lot of homework on the same day so Annabeth needed the extra hours to get through it all.
It was close to ten o'clock when she finally managed to get through the whole workload. Only four more days until the weekend she thought as she changed into her plaid pajama shorts and a solid black colored tank top. The rain was still coming down hard. She could hear it as the raindrops continuously hit her windows and the roof of the house. She found the noise quite soothing and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and comb her hair before kicking off her slip-on shoes and getting underneath the warm covers of her bed.
[ Song Tribute-I Won't Give Up by Jason Mraz]
She closed her eyes for a grand total of ten minutes before she jumped at the sound of something hitting her window. At first she thought it was just rain but then it happened again and Annabeth was sure it was something hitting her window.
Thirty seconds later another ping! of the glass on her window made her get up out of bed and walk towards the sound. She hesitantly kneeled by the windowsill and lifted the glass up, careful not to get too wet from the rain in the process.
"Annabeth!" She heard a voice call from down below. At first she didn't see anything and she thought she might've been going crazy but after looking around for another minute she spotted the source of the call.
She froze in shock as she observed the boy standing on her lawn looking up at her by the window. His hair was dripping water and his clothes were soaking wet. He had a raincoat on but it didn't seem to be helping much. In his hand were a few small pebbles and she realized that he must've been throwing rocks at her window to get her attention.
"Percy?!" She shouted once she regained her speech. She was starting to wonder if she was dreaming or if he was really outside in the pouring rain in front of her house at 10pm.
"No it's Beyoncé." He shouted back sarcastically. Leave it to him to crack a joke at a time like this. She rolled her eyes, typical Percy.
"What are you doing here?!" Annabeth whisper yelled. The last thing she wanted to do was wake her strict mother up.
If Athena found out a boy was at her daughter's window late at night in the rain Annabeth would be in for a tough scolding that was for sure.
"Just listen, I-I need to get this out." Percy started. Annabeth furrowed her brows in curiosity, getting into a more confortable position by the window as she looked down at him.
"I was mad at you. I was so mad at you when I found out from Jason that you forgave Castellan and went out with him. I wanted to stay angry with you because things were just so much easier when it was like that between us. But I couldn't. I spent the whole afternoon trying to come up with ways to distance myself from you but it didn't work because I went out to clear my head and ended up dragging my ass to your house in the pouring rain to see you."
Annabeth felt her heart skip a beat. She didn't know what to say other than to just stare down at him from her window with butterflies erupting in her stomach.
"I-I need to know if you have feelings for Luke. I need to know if you ever felt anything between us or if it was all in my head. I need closure Chase and then I promise I'll never bother you again." Percy finished, staring up at her expectedly.
Annabeth didn't say anything. She was too busy trying to not grin at all the sweet things he'd said. She felt like she was in a movie or maybe even a romance novel. He was staring at her with those gorgeous eyes and she was staring right back. Standing out in the rain at 10pm and soaking wet, Annabeth thought that he'd never looked more attractive.
Finally after another second of silence, Annabeth made a motion with her hand. "Stay there" She said before closing the window and quickly exchanging her pajama shorts for a pair of sweatpants.
The smile never left her face as she quietly rushed down the stairs and out the door with an umbrella handy. When she made it outside she could barely see ten feet in front of her. The rain was coming down in sheets. She opened her umbrella but it lasted about 2 seconds because the wind ripped it out of her grip and into the night. So much for trying to keep dry. It probably hadn't been a good idea to go out in sweatpants and a tank top either.
She found him a minute later by nearly bumping into him. He steadied her and she felt tingles where his hands gripped her arms. He stared at her through the rain and saw that her blonde curls were now wet but she didn't seem to mind it.
"Hi." She started out pathetically.
"Hey." He chuckled and replied back. He smiled at her but his eyes looked a bit guarded and hesitant.
There was an awkward moment where neither one of them talked. Then Annabeth realized that Percy was waiting for her to say something. He'd practically expressed an entire speech and she'd barely said anything.
"I-I don't have feelings for Luke. Not romantic ones at least. I realized the other day that I only seem him as a friend and that's all it'll ever be." Annabeth shouted through the loud noise of the rain.
Percy's eyes shot up from the ground to stare right into her grey orbs. His expression was a mixture of relief and hope. His hands were still holding her upright and his touch was driving her crazy. He looked like he was trying to figure out where to start in his words.
"Annabeth I'm so sorry, about everything. I know I messed up but is there any chance at earning your forgiveness? Because if there is I'll do whatever it takes. You're too important to me to just forget about. I need you in my life Princess."
His words made her feel like a pile of mush. If this was some dream she was having she never wanted to wake up. Here he was, Percy Jackson, the hottest guy at their high school, telling her that he needed her. Who needed Annabeth Chase in their life? She never would've guessed this would be happening in a million years.
Her clothes were now soaked, her hair flattened from the water. But her stare didn't waver from Percy's. He was persistent she'd give him that. Most guys wouldn't risk getting hypothermia out in the rain to see you. Percy Jackson wasn't most guys. She'd learned that a long time ago.
"I forgive you." She whispered quietly. Percy looked confused for a second and she realized he probably hadn't heard her.
"What?" He shouted as the loud droplets of water fell around them.
"I said I forgive you!" Annabeth said louder this time.
Percy's reaction made her laugh. First he was shocked, then his features contorted to those of pure joy and then the biggest grin spread across his lips. His smile was contagious because Annabeth was soon smiling as well. They stood there for a minute, just smiling stupidly at each other.
It was his turn to surprise her. He surged forward and picked her up in an embrace, spinning her around as her arms encircled his neck and she held on tight. She shrieked at his actions and he laughed lightly in her ear before placing her back on the ground.
"So we're friends again?" Percy asked, still grinning like a madman. Annabeth laughed and nodded her head in response.
She felt like she was floating on air. Her hands were now resting on his shoulders and his were placed on her waist. She realized that being there with Percy and listening to everything he had to say further confirmed her feelings towards him.
It started to rain harder all around them.
"Shit, here get under!" Percy yelled. He took off his rain jacket and held it above his head so she could step under it.
Together, the two of them ran to Annabeth's front porch where there was a small roof to stand under. They laughed at their soaking wet selves and Annabeth moved all her hair to one side and squeezed the water out of it. Percy shook his hair like a dog and Annabeth let out a high-pitched scream when the droplets from his hair got all over her. When he looked back at her his damp hair was messier than usual and Annabeth smiled.
She had no idea what had gotten into her but something possessed her to step closer towards him. Her hand had a mind of its own as she slowly ran her fingers through his hair to push the wet strands away from his face. Percy held his breath as he looked at her from their close proximity. She was focused on his raven locks but she saw him staring from the corner of her eye. Finally, she met his gaze and her breath hitched at how close they were.
Her mind was swirling with thoughts of what it would be like to kiss him. She knew how he felt about her and the ball was in her court now. It felt like they were in that position for hours, neither one of them making a single movement. Annabeth then noticed Percy's gaze move from her eyes to her lips and then back up again. Her heart rate increased and she felt the space between them get smaller. There was no one there to interrupt the moment this time.
She could feel his breath on her face and she was sure that he could feel hers as well. It was like everything was going in slow motion. She didn't move away but she didn't lean in either. She was frozen in place as she felt Percy move closer and closer towards her, testing her limits to see if she'd stop him. She didn't stop him.
After another second, Annabeth managed to unfreeze. She felt herself leaning towards him. She closed her eyes and then after a beat his lips grazed hers delicately. His touch was feather-light leaving Annabeth wanting more. She used the hand that was still in his hair to pull him back down towards her, letting him know that it was ok.
Percy complied happily. His lips met hers once again, this time more firmly. His lips were soft against hers. Kissing in the rain, talk about clichés.
Annabeth's not going to tell you that when they kissed fireworks erupted like the fourth of July around them or that sparks flew in every direction because that stuff just wasn't reality. What did happen though was that she felt…light. Like she didn't have a care in the world and was content beyond belief. She felt like she could face anything and all her problems left her mind.
His hands gripped her waist comfortingly and she placed both of her hands on his shoulders. She was the first to pull away, gently pushing his shoulders back to break the kiss and increase the space between them. Percy stared at her curiously to see her reaction.
"I um, I-I should get back inside. I'll see you tomorrow?" Annabeth said nervously. She nearly stumbled into one of the potted plants on the porch but managed to stay upright.
Percy eyed her confusedly before clearing his throat. "Yeah, great. See you tomorrow."
With a final nod Annabeth fled inside and placed her back against the door breathing heavily. She raised a hand to her mouth. Her lips still tingled from the kiss.
The last thing she remembered was biting her lip to keep herself from smiling like a lovesick girl before she went back up to her room to change and go to sleep.
So… that happened! First Percabeth kiss! What did my wonderful readers think? I figured I'd left you all suffering for long enough! Like I said, I'm a big sucker for clichés so there will be a good amount in this story. Will it all be smooth sailing from here for Percabeth? Hmm… guess you'll just have to wait and see! Hit that review button and tell me all your reactions, I want to know! Love you all!
REVIEW, REVIEW AND REVIEW!
-M