September 7th
The first song on the album is called 'Kick Up A Storm'. Annabeth's eyes widen with the explosion of the drums as the track begins.
Midnight strikes
You know just want to do
As soon as she hears Percy's voice, they share a shy smile.
Running round town
We'll be coming for you
We're gonna start a fight
We're gonna cause a scene
We're gonna kick up a storm
The song is the epitome of The Halfblood's style, harsh and dramatic with a strong bass and heavy drums. Annabeth spends the duration of the song miming her own drumming and catching Percy mid blush.
Next is 'Up All Night' which Annabeth discloses to the camera that she has actually heard. She must remember to edit out the part where Percy asks if she even remembered the night it came out and asks if she wants to reenact the evening (maybe she shoves him away only to pull him back towards her for a kiss but the viewers will never know).
The next few songs - which featured the very poetic title choice of 'Mom, I Missed The Schoolbus' - follow the similar patterns in themes. Annabeth comments on Thalia's ability to "really shred some tunes" on her electric guitar and Percy cringes so hard beside her from secondhand embarrassment. 'Rain' has a bit more of a sombre feel and melancholic motif that dances through the verses and Annabeth's commentary reflects her intentions to cover the song when she next gets the chance.
'The Powers That Be' is instantly her favorite of the ones she's heard, she knows as soon as she hears the introduction. There's a sweet melody plucked on an acoustic guitar and Percy voice hums before the lyrics started.
A boy by the water
Holds his hand out to feel brand new
He's sat by his mother
They're both out enjoying the view
There's a gleam in her eyes as she remembers the days
When his father would walk by her side
The young boy knows not of what she dreams to see
Out in the water
The powers that be
He grows up in the city
Feels so out of place from his peers
Longing for the comfort
A place to hide away from his fears
His mom holds him tightly, says "Son, just be brave
For one day you'll make sense of it all"
But until that day comes he dreams of a life
Down by the water
The powers that be
But the monsters he faces, they follow him places
Can't stop for a moment to breathe
And when everything's taken, there must be a mistake
He can't seem to find a time to grieve
Down by the water
He holds out his hand
For a moment he sees what she saw
The man in the waves
He walks out and paves
His own way back to the shore
And the boy will always recognise the gleam in his eye
As he told him the tale of his mom
A queen amongst mortals, the woman he loved
They met by the water
The powers that be
One day he'll realise a way back to then
Once more he will sit by the sea
He'll realise the one thing his mom always knew
It comes from the water
The powers that be
It takes the duration of the song to realise Percy has gone quiet and is just watching her. Annabeth raises an eyebrow. "What?"
"Just that thoughtful look on your face is all. You're stunning."
It wasn't the first time he'd complimented her by a long way, though Annabeth still feels the butterflies swarm her stomach. She tries to decide on her reply based on whether or not she'd be required to edit the footage. In the end, she doesn't need to pick. He brings her back to reality with a light tug on her headphones, a kiss to the cheek and a warning.
"I wrote this next one about you," The words catch her by surprise, it wasn't an introduction she recognised even though she thought she'd heard them all. "I was reluctant to add it to the album but it's a good song. Tugs on the heart strings and all that crap. The song after it will fix it though."
One glance at the phone screen gave her all the information she needed about the song and the memory that had brought it on. 'Shatter Me'.
Break my heart, like they all do
I'm hurting, girl, because of you
Can't help but take it back last night
The things I said, I know weren't right
Knock one back and call it a day
A round or so more, thats child's play
Blame it on the beer when the phone starts ringing
You won't catch me saying this, you'll only catch me singing
I'd do anything to see you smile
Leave me broken in a ruined pile
Beat me back and blue, nothing will matter
I'll give you my heart if you want it to shatter
Before the song finishes, Percy pulls her against his chest and kisses her hair. The conversation they have is silent but she understands him perfectly. He's sorry.
He doesn't owe her an apology but the boy is too damn selfless to realise that.
The next track, 'Love Letters' is another one he's written about her, though all of the pronouns are taken out to make it a bit more vague and mysterious. It also made it easier for Nico to relate to as he sang his own verse of the song. Annabeth had heard the first draft of the song so she's able to hum along to the chorus by the end.
"This is pretty. How much did Thalia hate it?" Annabeth comments, conscious that she would have no footage to upload if they kept having conversations they would want to cut.
He chuckles in response. "Not as much as you'd think. Perhaps she has a soft side after all."
The final song on the album is back in The Halfbloods signature style. 'Blood Of The Earth' is rebellious and brash and to no one's surprise, Thalia takes the lead vocals. It's not particularly Annabeth's style, but it's undeniably well written and will probably feature at every college kids frat parties for the next few years.
"What'd you think?" He asks nonchalantly, though she can tell from the way his eyes scan her face that he's nervous to hear her opinion.
"I think you're going soft, Jackson."
Percy breaks into a smile and rolls his eyes. "I know. I wrote so many sappy ones this year, what is happening?" Leaning towards her, he eyes the camera.
"You can kiss me. I can edit it out."
He does. And she doesn't.