Chapter Two

PERCY

"Stay away from her." Aaron threatened, shoving Percy further against the wall.
"What do you mean?" Percy demanded, confused.
"I see the way you look at her. She's mine. Don't forget that." Aaron looked Percy in the eyes, filling him with a familiar fear. Percy looked down to break the eye contact.

"Sorry, man. She used to be my best friend and I haven't seen her in six years. If there's something between me and Annabeth, it's friendship." Percy explained. Aaron scoffed and walked away. Percy followed after taking a breath. Annabeth perked up seeing them.
"What'd you guys talk about?" She asked when they got close enough to hear her.
"Nothing you need to worry about," Aaron replied quickly, a warning in his voice. Annabeth looked confused but there was panic in her eyes. Thankfully, Aaron's phone rang.
"Sorry. I gotta answer this. Be right back." Aaron walked off talking on his phone. Percy turned to Annabeth.

"What was that?" He asked. Annabeth didn't look at him.
"He likes his privacy. I shouldn't have asked." She looked at the waves, eyes squinting.
"Bullshit. Annabeth, did you forget that I know you better than that?" Percy pressed. She sighed and turned to face him.
"It's been five years, Percy. People change. You don't know me as well anymore." Annabeth replied, agitated. She saw Aaron point to the bathroom before he walked in and nodded. Percy scooted closer to her.

"We both know that's bullshit. You were scared. I saw it. Don't lie to me. Let me help you, Wisegirl." He said softly. She looked at him for a second, then kissed him. They broke apart staring at each other wide-eyed. Annabeth shook her head.
"I-I-I'm sorry." She looked at her feet. Percy nudged her with his elbow.

"It's okay. Old emotions are flooding back. I've probably been acting like I did when we were younger too. That probably isn't making anything better." Percy explained, surprising Annabeth.

"When did you get so smart?" She said, bumping his shoulder.
"Aaron's coming," Percy said in response. "And for your information, I've always been smart. It just didn't show because my head was too full of kelp." Percy said, matter-of-factly with a slight nod. Annabeth started laughing, followed by Percy. Aaron sat down confused.
"Joke I missed?" They stopped laughing just enough that Annabeth could speak.
"He loves the water, so whenever I got the chance, I reminded him that his head was full of kelp. That's why his nickname is Seaweed Brain." She said, anxiously messing with her hands. Percy sometimes forgot that she had ADHD too. Aaron nodded.

"Well, we should get going." He said, a warning in his voice, looking at Annabeth pointedly. Annabeth looked at Percy, then back at Aaron.

"Why? We have nothing else to do. We're always at home if we're not at work. Plus, it's a nice day. Sit back down and talk with us." Annabeth said, a hint of defiance in her voice. Percy could tell she was scared. It was just enough that Percy could tell, after having her memorized for so long. Aaron's eyes flashed and for a moment, Percy swore he saw flames. Aaron stood up and looked Annabeth in the eyes, anger visibly boiling in his.

"We are leaving. Now, Annabeth." He said in a low voice, sending a shiver of fear through Annabeth. She gulped and took a shaky breath.

"You can go home if you want, but I'm staying here." She said, barely shaking. Aaron got visibly angrier. He grabbed Annabeth's wrist and pulled her up roughly.

"Enough playing, Annabeth. Let's go," He growled. Annabeth cried out in pain. Percy shot up, quickly getting between the two. He stared Aaron in the eyes.

"Don't. You. Dare." Percy's voice an enraged whisper. Percy tore Aaron's hand from Annabeth's wrist. Then chaos ensued.

So sorry for the short chapter! I will work on making the chapters longer but I have school to worry about, college stuff, and a job so spending my time will only become more frugal. I am going to try to post whenever I can but expect the chapters to come flooding in for a bit then maybe once a week or once every two weeks. I will definitely try to keep the updates coming. See you in the next chapter!