Chapter Seven:

December 16th

As she walked into school, Annabeth had never been more excited for a school day to end, not only was it the last day before winter break, but Percy's swim meet was the afternoon. He had been practicing so hard, especially this past week that she couldn't wait to see what he would accomplish.

After making a stop at her locker, she was headed towards her first-period class when a voice called out behind her. Annabeth turned to see Piper, Jason, Hazel, and Nico all walking together. She waited for them to catch up before saying, "Hey guys!"

Piper smiled at her, "Hey! Are you excited for the swim meet?"

She returned her smile, "Of course! I think he's really nervous though. He was really distant yesterday and when we talked later that night, he just seemed … I don't know, weird."

"I'm sure it's only because it's the first meet of the season," Jason said, stepping into the conversation.

"And because you're gonna be there," Piper said, smirking at her.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I'm sure it's just because it's the first of the season." As they neared her first period, she asked, "Oh, hey, are you guys coming over after the meet?"

Jason and Piper nodded their response and she turned towards Hazel and Nico, who had been walking along silently, "What about you guys?"

They both turned towards her, surprised, "Coming over where?" Nico questioned.

"To my house? I told Percy to invite you guys." She replied.

Hazel let out a small laugh, "Uhh no, he didn't say anything."

With another eye roll, Annabeth said, "Of course not, I knew I should've reached out myself. Oh well, you're both welcome to come over to my house right after the meet. My parents are out of town so it'll just be us."

"Oh, okay, that sounds like fun! I'll be there!" Hazel responded, enthusiastically. Nico replied with a simple, "Sure."

They finally reached Annabeth's first period and she stopped at the door and said, "Okay great! I guess I should check with Perce to make sure he invited the others. But, I'll see you guys later." And with that, she stepped into the classroom.

The first half of the day passed quickly and Annabeth made her way to the cafeteria where she ate lunch with Percy, Silena, Thalia, Grover, Travis, and Connor. There, she confirmed that her text sent earlier in the day to remind Percy to invite everyone had made its way around and they all had accepted the invitation.

After lunch, she continued through her classes and ended the day by heading towards the school pool. She was hit with the smell of chlorine and the echoes of the many students in attendance as she opened the door and looked around, searching the seats for her friends.

After a quick wave from Thalia, she made her way over to the bleachers and took a seat between Thalia and Nico. The group sat for a few minutes before the two teams made their way from the locker rooms. Eventually, Annabeth caught a glimpse of Percy and-

Oh, gods,- that boy in a speedo was a sight to behold. Her boyfriend must have been crafted by the gods because he was spectacular, in every aspect. Her boyfriend, just the thought, filled her stomach with butterflies and warmed her entire body.

"I see your kelp-headed boyfriend's drooling has rubbed off on you," Thalia said, shaking Annabeth out of her thoughts with an elbow in the side.

She flushed in embarrassment as she turned her head towards her closest friend, "Shut up." She said and turned back towards the pool, where she saw Percy catch her eye and send her a quick smile and a small wave. She returned the gestures and watched as he prepared to dive into the water for the competition.

The swim meet passed quickly and Annabeth watched proudly as Percy showcased all of his skill and hard work. After the meet was over, the crowds started to trickle out and a few members of their group left to get some snacks and drinks for tonight, leaving just Grover, Frank, Nico, Rachel, and Will waiting with her for Percy to exit the locker room.

Eventually, he made his way out of the locker room and he quickly made his way over with a big smile on his face and swept Annabeth up in a hug. She laughed as she wrapped her arms around him, "You did so well. I'm so proud of you." She said in his ear.

He pulled away and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek before turning to greet the rest of their friends, who all congratulated him on his success.

The group exited the school and split off into separate cars, Will, Nico, Rachel, and Frank rode together while Grover joined Annabeth and Percy. On the ride to her house, they discussed the meet and Percy talked about what he hoped to improve for the next one. They arrived at her house right around the same time the others, who had gone out to get snacks and drinks, pulled into the driveway. Within a few minutes, they had all crowded into the living room and enjoyed their time together.

The group had begun to trickle down after several hours, with Grover, Rachel, Frank, Will, and Hazel heading out first to get home before curfew. Then Silena dragged Piper out with Beckendorf following close behind, claiming she needed to get her beauty sleep for their double date tomorrow with Beckendorf and a guy named Dylan, a fact which made Jason's jaw clench and his hands draw into fists and he quickly headed up to one of the guest bedrooms. Nico, Leo, and Thalia also decided to spend the night but insisted on watching a movie first. Annabeth watched as her friends fell asleep at different parts of the movie, but by the time the credits rolled all three were peacefully sleeping.

"Well, I guess that's our cue to go to bed too, Seaweed Brain," she said with a groan as she stood up on stiff limbs. Annabeth turned and stuck her hand out for Percy to join her and after turning off the TV, he grasped her hand and followed her up to her room.

Upon entering, Annabeth excused herself to the bathroom and after running through her nightly routine, she opened the door and jumped at the sight of Percy standing on the other side. Her mind drew her back to Percy's apartment two days ago and her confrontation with Percy's stepfather.

After washing her hands, Annabeth unlocked the door, shut the lights off, and pulled the door open but she hadn't even taken one step before she looked into Gabe's bloodshot eyes.

"Well, look who's still here," He sneered at her.

She took a step away before answering, "Excuse me, Mr. Ugliano. I didn't mean to run into you."

He scoffed and shook his head, "You shouldn't take so long in the bathroom girl. This isn't your house."

Annabeth's patience was beginning to wear thin, "Of course, I'm so sorry. I'll get out of your way now." She began to take a step forward to exit the bathroom but was stopped with an arm pressed against the door frame in front of her face.

"Wait a minute," Gabe began, taking another step and forcing her further into the small space. "You come here, crowd my space, you eat the food my wife cooks for you, you watch my TV, you even wear my stepson's shitty clothes," at that, he slowly lowered his eyesight and perused her body that was covered in one of Percy's t-shirts and a small pair of athletic shorts she had kept in her bookbag. "You take so much from me. I feel like I should be getting something out of this."

Annabeth's heart rate picked up, quickly realizing this man was incredibly intoxicated and double her size, with a very clear… attraction to her, she knew she needed to figure a way out of this. Putting as much understanding as she could into her tone, she said "I'm so sorry, Mr. Ugliano. I didn't realize I was taking so much from you. I'll do my best to lessen my impact on your life in the future. I'm glad you made me aware of this."

Shock crossed his face as he heard her polite response, he let out a small chuckle, and with a smirk said "Yes, please do that. I would really hate to have to… take payment from you, Annabeth."

She shivered as he said her name, before watching him turn his body to the side to allow room for her to exit the bathroom. Annabeth walked towards the man and twisted her body, her front facing his, as she slid out of the doorway into the hallway and did her best to ignore the brush of her body against his, no matter how clear it was that he was enjoying this little moment.

Annabeth hurried down the hall towards Percy's room, not turning around once, despite feeling Gabe's eyes track her movements until she slammed the door shut.

"Annabeth!" Percy said as he grabbed her upper arms, giving her a tiny shake.

She quickly met his eyes, coming back into the present, as she struggled to draw in a few deep breaths.

"Wise girl, are you okay?"

"What? Yes, I'm- of course, I'm fine." She said as she took a step back, moving out of Percy's arms.

He looked at her wearily, "Are you sure? Because after you opened the door, you just stood there for like a minute, not moving. I don't even think you breathed for a few seconds there."

She let out a nervous chuckle, "Yeah, sorry. I- uh, I- I just thought about my Yale application and I couldn't remember if I submitted the early decision application on time or not. But I definitely did, which is a relief cause you know how much my mom would freak out if she found out I forgot." She sent him a half-smile, "I guess it's the alcohol starting to mess with my brain. I'm sure if I just sleep it off, I'll be back to normal. "

Percy still looked a little unsure, so she stepped back up to him, pressed a kiss to his cheek, and stepped out of the bathroom to allow him time to get ready for bed.

He shut the door behind him and Annabeth let out a shaky breath as she climbed into bed. She closed her eyes and tried to slow her racing heart. A few minutes later, she heard the door open and Percy crawled into bed soon after. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and pulled her close as they slowly drifted off to sleep.

Annabeth's last thought before sleep overcame her was, I don't know how I'll ever be able to look at that man again, let alone be in the same apartment as him.