LAWFULLY WEDDED: PART TWO
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SONG OF THE CHAPTER: TILL THERE WAS YOU BY THE BEATLES
There were bells on a hill
But I never heard them ringing
No, I never heard them at all
Till there was you
"Where are we going?"
Percy was leading Annabeth up the backstairs, away from the noise and lights of the reception. His hand was a little sweaty, but Annabeth would have needed to be ripped away from him to let go. She wasn't cold, but goosebumps peppered her skin, and she was sure that her face was bright red. Thank God it's so dark.
"I, ah, don't really know," Percy said as they reached the landing. The second floor of the house was restricted to visitors, and Percy slipped under a rope with a Keep Out sign on it.
"Are we supposed to go back here?" Annabeth whispered as they padded across the floor, their steps muffled by the thick velvet carpet.
"Ah, probably not," Percy muttered, opening the first door on the right and poking his head in. "Perfect, come on in."
They were standing in what must have been a bedroom. No furniture remained, but there was still a large window seat overlooking the Hudson River. Worries about trespassing fled from Annabeth's mind as she took in the reflection of the dark night sky on the water, the shadows from the trees, the distant lights of New York City in the background. "Oh, wow," she whispered.
"I know," Percy said, standing a few feet back. "Hey, I'll be right back."
"Where are you going?" Annabeth turned around to face him, her dress swirling around her. Annabeth had always been taller for a girl, but Percy really was tall.
His hands were shoved in his pockets, his head slightly cocked to the side while his eyes scanned her frame. "Nowhere. I'll be right back. Just stay here?"
"Percy—"
"I won't take long."
He left, closing the door behind him. Annabeth turned back towards the window, forcing herself to take three deep breaths. Her mind was still in overdrive from her conversation with Rachel, and she was now asking herself dozens of questions, over and over. But the one that rose to the forefront was Could it be?
Could he? Could Percy?
Annabeth could barely let herself say it. She sat next to the window cross-legged, and leaned forward so that her nose touched the window. Her breath fogged up the glass, and she drew aimless lines and circles through it as she waited nervously for Percy to come back.
Finally, the door clicked open and closed again. Annabeth didn't need to glance over her shoulder to see Percy come in, but she did. A small grin crossed his face and two pieces of cake lay in his hands.
Annabeth's heart jumped at the sight of the food, but she thanked Percy anyway and took a bite. "It's a really nice wedding."
"You think?" Percy said, sitting next to her and staring out the window.
"I've only been to one other wedding. My dad and Helen's," Annabeth said, the memory thick in her throat. "It sucked. So this one is better."
Percy let out a low laugh, and Annabeth swore it made her shiver. "That's good."
Annabeth shrugged, the tension now thick between them. What could she say? How exactly do you say sorry?
By saying sorry, stupid.
She opened her mouth, but Percy beat her to it. "What's been up with you these last few weeks?"
Annabeth's eyebrows furrowed. "Like since when?" But she knew when.
"You know. The swim meet. I thought we were good after everything and then we really weren't," Percy said awkwardly, rubbing his neck. "And I don't really pick up on signals that well because really I'm just not paying attention, but I could tell you were pretty mad."
That made Annabeth laugh. "How astute, Seaweed Brain."
"You're living up to the Dictionary nickname."
What Annabeth said next was an instant reaction, something she would have said to Piper or Leo or any of her other friends. "You love it, though."
Percy was quiet. Annabeth cursed herself for saying something that revealing, but before she could get the words out Percy smiled. "Yeah, I do," he said, grinning into the darkness.
Annabeth's heart seized in her chest and the warm feeling came back, and she turned to face Percy, setting her cake between them. Percy did too, until they were both cross-legged, looking at one another, with the window behind them and the light from the moon streaking in and crossing their faces. And then Annabeth blurted out "Just like Sixteen Candles."
"Sixteen what?"
Annabeth must have looked like a tomato. "Ah, god. It's a movie. Oh lord, don't worry about it, forget I said anything."
But Percy got that little smirk on his face. "No, I wanna know about it. You said it was called Sixteen Candles?"
Annabeth buried her face in her hands so she didn't have to see Percy's face. "Forget about it."
"No," Percy said. "I'm looking it up." It took him a while to page through different pictures on Google. "What is this? Who are those people? I've never seen this movie—"
"Ugh," Annabeth sighed, snatching Percy's phone. "Let me do it." She was typing in "Sixteen Candles kiss" when she saw Percy's triumphant smile. "What?!"
"Oh, nothing."
Annabeth glared at him, having found the picture of Jake Ryan and Sam Baker leaning towards one another in the iconic ending scene over the birthday cake. "It's this John Hughes 80s movie— it's actually really messed up, by the way, it's pretty racist and there's a whole bunch of stuff— but I used to watch it when I was younger, and this is the final scene. Where Sam and her crush Jake finally, ah," Annabeth cleared her throat, "you know. Kiss."
Annabeth's words hung heavy in the air between them, until Percy pumped his fist, effectively getting rid of any tension. "I knew I could get you to explain it to me."
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "So that's why you keep me around?"
"And a few other reasons." Annabeth didn't know what to say, but luckily Percy kept talking. "So these two characters, they like each other, right?"
"Uh, yes."
"Oh, interesting."
"Why is it so interesting?"
"No reason."
And then they were left in silence. Annabeth found herself looking at Percy's lips. This was absolutely NOT how this was supposed to go… should not have brought up stupid Sixteen Candles!
"You didn't answer my question," Percy finally said.
Annabeth sighed in relief at the change of topic. "Why I've been acting weird since the meet?"
"Yeah, that."
She was quiet for a moment, unsure of quite what to say. "Well, do you remember inviting me to the wedding?"
"Yeah."
"And then I asked who else you were inviting, and you said Rachel."
"What's wrong with that?"
Annabeth wanted to slap Percy (just a little bit). Did she really have to spell it out? "Uh, nothing. Just that I kind of overreacted when you said that."
Percy still looked confused. "Why did you overreact?"
He really wasn't making this easy. "Well, you kind of insinuated that you were taking Rachel as your date."
"I did? I don't remember that."
"Well— I don't know, kind of. I mean, yeah you did. At least how I saw it. But that's not the point. I overreacted, remember?"
"Yes."
"So in my mind, when you said I wasn't going to be your date, I thought by taking Rachel she was going to be your date."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
"Make sense?"
"Uhh… kind of."
Annabeth closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. This boy was literally going to make her scream it from the rooftops. "I guess I got so mad because I kinda wanted to be your date. Not Rachel."
There. That was it.
Annabeth didn't feel free or unburdened by finally saying it. There was no moment of relief. Rather, it tightened her like a spring, so wound up that anything would set her off. She opened her eyes but didn't dare to look at Percy. Annabeth had never felt like this before. She hated it.
She had said it. She'd put it out in the open, to someone who wasn't herself or Piper. She'd actually done it. And now she couldn't do anything but wait for his response.
What would he say? Would he say he wished Annabeth had been his date? Would he run after Rachel? Would he never speak to her again?
"Um, okay."
Well… Annabeth hadn't quite been expecting that response. "Yeah." Annabeth's face was bright red. That was what he said? He had to be kidding. There was no way Percy had just said um, okay in response! She wanted to be angry, and she was, for a moment. But the anger was a distraction from the real feeling now seeping through her: something deeper than sadness, more bone-chilling than anger. Realization now sat deep in Annabeth's stomach and stole her breath. She shut her eyes tight, hoping to shut the tears back, wishing Percy would take a hint and leave.
But he didn't. "What do you mean?"
He didn't realize. After all those hints.
Annabeth looked away from him, hoping that the room was dark enough he wouldn't see the early tears in the corner of her eye. She tried to keep her voice even, but the first time she opened her mouth, the words wouldn't come out.
Could she say it? Could she tell him? Maybe not explicitly, but she would settle for something that was close enough to the truth. Her voice shook a little, but she tried to keep it as steady as possible, her face still turned to the side so he couldn't see. "Could I be any more obvious?"
And the silence was enough.
He knew.
The feeling was still curling inside Annabeth, hissing and leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. She couldn't be here. She couldn't. His silence said everything. There was nothing more to say. Annabeth had tried, and it hadn't worked. And that was it.
She was done crying. She needed to stand up and get out of there and go home, just like she should have done ages ago. Truly, she never should have come to the wedding in the first place. She shouldn't have gone to the swim meet or been Percy's math tutor. She shouldn't have ridden the subway with him, or tried one of his mom's cookies.
Because it had always been Percy.
Since eighth grade, it had been Percy.
Maybe for Annabeth, it had always been Percy, but, and Annabeth knew it, with the deafening, pounding silence now filling the room, that for Percy it hadn't always been Annabeth.
She needed to say something. She had to go. And it was hard to move her limbs, to stand up from the table, to shove aside the uneaten piece of cake towards the window. To say goodbye to the moon, the view over the Hudson River. It was hard to take her first step, but it was harder not to look at him, because Annabeth knew that seeing him would be it for her.
So instead of standing up and getting out she settled for looking out the window. A first step. Her voice didn't sound like her own, but she spoke anyways, because someone needed to. "It's okay. You don't need to reciprocate. Sorry I dropped this on you, because I know it's probably not what you expected or wanted to hear," and she let out a quick, bitter laugh. "But thank you for tonight." Annabeth disentangled herself from the floor and stood up, hoping the shake in her voice didn't extend to her body.
One step.
Another.
And another.
She was almost to the door before—
"Annabeth, wait."
And with the sound of his voice and his feet padding cautiously across the carpet, Annabeth bit her lip and waited, though the tears were now running down her cheeks and her body was preparing for the sobs soon to come.
It would have been easier to go. She was so close to going. She had every reason to go. So why wasn't she?
"Annabeth, please don't go."
She was crying now, and Percy could hear it in her voice. "Why? Why not?"
Percy's hand hovered an inch above her wrist, and Annabeth kept her eyes trained firmly on it, refusing to turn her head and stare at the person the hand belonged to. "Because," he said slowly, his hand growing closer and closer.
Annabeth shut her eyes. "Why?"
"Do you like me?"
There it was. "Do you have to say it out loud like that?" She was surprised she said something that long.
"Like how?"
"Like that. Like it matters."
He let out that low, low laugh that sent shivers across Annabeth's shoulders. "It does matter."
Annabeth's heart pounded, and she let go of the door handle as Percy's hand looped around her wrist. "It what?"
"You like me?"
"You're not answering my question."
"I asked first."
"You did not."
"Did too."
Annabeth finally looked at him, just so she could see the stupid, cute grin that was now crossing across his face. And her heart broke all over again, to see the way he looked, just in that moment.
"Please don't go."
He pulled her a little closer, but not much. Just so she was in arms distance. But Annabeth's heart was pounding as she stared up at him, now ignoring the tears as they began to fade away.
"So you like me?" he said, again.
"Embarrassing, I know."
"You. Like me."
"Say it again, won't you?"
Percy smiled as he looked down at her, and then he tugged her an inch closer. Alarms were firing in Annabeth's head but she didn't pull away as she tried to wipe the last few tears off her cheeks.
"What are you doing, Percy?"
"I don't know."
The smile fell off Annabeth's face instantly, and she stepped back. "What?"
He took a breath and looked away. He wasn't smiling either. Any hope that Annabeth had collected in the past moment disappeared.
Seconds passed, but it could have been hours. Annabeth took another step back. "Say something, Percy. You don't have to like me, but don't lead me on. It—" she took a deep breath, feeling the tears collect again, "it hurts."
He didn't say anything.
"Please," Annabeth begged. That was it. It was her final words to him. His silence was nothing more than a rejection. She turned around again.
"Don't go."
"Don't keep me here if you're just going to stand there and tease me."
"Please, Annabeth."
She stayed. How could she not? "What do you want now? And don't you dare say that you don't know. Or let me go."
He took a step closer, not speaking, as Annabeth moved farther back until she was pressed against the wall. And then Percy was there, right in front of here, inches away. The pounding heart returned as quickly as it had left.
"Percy—"
"If you like me, you won't mind if I do this, right?"
And then he moved a little closer, until his lips were just a breath away. Annabeth's eyes scanned his face, her heart beating out of her throat, her lips parted— to say something, anything— until Percy closed the distance between them and kissed her.
And it was all there.
Annabeth sank into his arms as he pressed her closer to him, his warm arms enveloping her as he kissed her cautiously, his lips soft and slow against hers. And she was there, unsure of what to do, of what reaction to give him. All she could feel was the thunderous beating of her heart and the blood rushing through her skull, and then Annabeth leaned back into the kiss, began to slowly move herself against Percy and pull him a little into her body. She pressed her lips against his back.
She couldn't think.
So she didn't. Instead, she focused on the gentle pressure of his arms around her, the hesitancy with which they moved into each other. His lips were so, so soft. And he held her close, the same way she held him, like he was terrified she would disappear at any moment.
Annabeth had heard the stories about Percy. She knew he was a good kisser, but she had never anticipated anything quite like this. Their movements slowly became more sure as they got used to the fire kindled deep inside them, the moment spiraling both of them into one another. Annabeth was disinclined to admit that there had been sparks when the two of them had begun talking again, back on the subway in January. But there had been sparks then, and they were making themselves known now.
Annabeth was not built to go through this many mood swings in such a short span of time, but she would have gone through that entire conversation again if she had gotten to kiss Percy like this. But, and Annabeth realized this the longer she stood there, wrapped in his arms, this moment could not go on forever.
So she had to pull away. Percy let out an annoyed groan and tried to dip back it, but she pressed a finger to his lips. "Do you?"
"Just let me—"
"No. Do you like me?"
Percy paused. For just a minute, the fear throbbed through Annabeth again. It had all been a lie—
"Since I was thirteen."
And then Annabeth was kissing him, grabbing him closer until there was no such thing as any distance, both of their mouths insistent and wanting. She'd never felt so open, so vulnerable, with anyone else before. And it all made sense. All of it. Just like she'd said before: it was Percy. It had always been Percy,
And apparently, she'd always been the one for him too.
She sank deeper and deeper into his arms, refusing to pull away.
But had she always been the one for him?
It was just moments later. The two had moved to the window seat, the cake (Annabeth's uneaten) cast to the floor as they leaned against the wall and stared at the night sky. They hadn't spoken much, but Percy's finger lazily traced up and down her arm as his breath formed condensation on the glass. They weren't speaking, but the silence was comfortable. Occasionally Percy would dip down and kiss her, but Annabeth had been left to her own thoughts for a while.
Briefly, she dwelled on the fact that she was already overthinking a relationship that had literally just began. Percy had said he'd liked her since he was thirteen maybe fifteen minutes before, and she was already picking it apart. Because it couldn't be possible.
What about Rachel?
They had dated for a long time. Annabeth, admittedly, hadn't paid too much attention to their relationship while it was happening, but it was certainly at the front of her mind now. How could he have liked her if he had been with Rachel?
Just then, Percy tugged at her torso. Annabeth's stomach flipped uncomfortably. Could he feel the extra fat lining her body? Would he care? But she was distracted when he pulled her closer until they were facing one another.
"Hey," he whispered.
She should have said something funny back. She should have kissed him, but she couldn't. The questions burned at her, but nothing came out.
Percy stared at her. "You okay?"
"I'm fine."
"Really?"
"I have a question."
"What question?"
"I can't tell you."
"Annabeth."
"Percy."
"Annabeth."
"Seaweed Brain." Annabeth leaned in to kiss him, which distracted him for a little while, but eventually he pulled back and gave her a look.
"What's your question?"
'Nothing, it doesn't matter."
"Annabeth."
Annabeth huffed. But she did want to ask… "What about Rachel?"
Percy furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"
"Rachel. Your ex-girlfriend."
"I know who Rachel is."
"But you said you've liked me since you were thirteen."
"Yeah."
"You dated Rachel. Freshman and sophomore year."
Percy nodded. "Oh, I did."
"Percy!"
"What's the problem?"
Annabeth closed her eyes, turning her face away. "I feel insane."
"Oh, that's because you are."
"Hey!"
"What?" Percy said with a dumb grin on his face as he leaned in to kiss her. "Are you jealous?"
Annabeth blushed. "No."
"You liar."
"I just want to know how you could have liked me while you dated Rachel."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
Percy scratched his head. "Doesn't make too much sense, does it?" And then he leaned back in to kiss her, but Annabeth pushed him away.
"Percy, I'm serious."
He groaned. "Fine. What do you want to know?"
"Do I have to repeat myself?" He tried to kiss her again, but Annabeth dodged him effectively. Unfortunately, Percy wasn't deterred, and he began pressing kisses to her collarbone, her jaw, her cheek, her ear, anywhere else that he could easily reach. Annabeth laughed as he did so, ducking her head and twisting her body so that he couldn't reach— but he always managed to find her. "Percy, Percy— quit that!" But he wouldn't, until he started tickling her.
Annabeth shot away from him, instantly conscious of his hands around her body. He couldn't. He couldn't.
He wouldn't like what he saw.
But she took a deep breath and turned back to a confused Percy. "Are you okay?" he asked, his brows furrowed.
Annabeth smiled. "I'm fine. But I do want an answer to my question, and then I'll kiss you."
"Fine."
"Really?"
"Okay."
"What about Rachel?"
"It's not a very complex answer, Annabeth."
"That's fine."
"Do I really have to explain it?"
"Yes, you do."
"Fine. Well, I dated Rachel. And I liked her. I really did. But you were always there."
Something warm was unfurling in Annabeth's chest. She settled back in to Percy's arms, facing away from him, thankful that he couldn't see the smile spreading across her face. "What do you mean?"
"It's really quite simple."
"Well, simplify it for me."
"Oh, fine. Like I said. I was with Rachel, but you were always there. Like this thing I couldn't get rid of. And I was with Rachel and that was good and all, but I was never really with her. Not the way she wanted, I think."
"Oh," Annabeth said. "Okay."
But Percy wasn't done. "I never really got over you, not after camp. You went to San Francisco and I missed you so, so bad. But I couldn't do anything about it and then I began swimming and was focused on that, and you came back you weren't really the same. So I began to move on but I never forgot you, not really. You were always, always there, the biggest what-if. Like what if you hadn't moved to San Francisco? What if I had tried harder to be with you? What then? And then we started talking this year and I guess it just… picked up at full speed again. Rachel was still talking to me, or trying to. But it's been you. Kinda just you for a little while, but only really you for a few months now."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
The warm thing was now in Annabeth's entire body. She turned back around and didn't say a word, just kissing him once again, slowly but surely.
Rachel had been right, Annabeth supposed.
But this time, Percy was the one to pull away. "I told you about Rachel. Now you have to tell me what's going on with you."
Annabeth tried to brush it off. "What do you mean?"
Percy rolled his eyes. "Don't do that. I told you, now what's been up with you these past few weeks? You've been weird."
Annabeth could've asked him to define weird, but she didn't. Who knows what he would have said? She was scared of the response, scared that it might have been something she knew was true, but that she wasn't ready to admit. So she laughed, instead. "You know my mom?"
"The scary one."
"The scary one, right. She just puts a lot of pressure on me about college and school. It's… tough, being her daughter. She demands perfection, so sometimes that pressure bleeds into other areas of my life," Annabeth said, trying to smile at him. "But I talked to her about it and it's better. She gets what she's doing and is trying to stop."
The warmth had disappeared in Annabeth's chest with her lie. Her heart beat as she waited to see what Percy would say, as he stared at her critically. Could he pick up the beat of her heart, or see the nervous flit of her eyes? Would he ask a different, more specific question? Would he know that Annabeth hadn't told him the truth? Would he know that she hadn't been telling the truth for a very long time?
"Are you sure that's it?" he asked.
Some of the tension left Annabeth's body as she nodded. "Yeah, that's everything."
"Okay. And there's absolutely nothing else?"
She didn't respond and kissed him instead. But it didn't last long, as Annabeth's phone buzzed. A few texts were on her screen.
Dad: I'm five min away!
Piper: So you and Percy, huh?
Piper: I won't say it
Piper: Nvm
Piper: Told you so
Percy laughed as Annabeth groaned, shoving her phone away from her. "Oh dear god," she muttered under her breath.
"Piper knows?"
"She's been teasing me about it for months."
Percy stood up, offering her a hand. Annabeth pulled herself up with him, straightening out her dress. Now that they were no longer clutched to one another the tension was once again forming, and Annabeth found herself wondering what all this meant. What came next?
They walked down the stairs to reach the rest of the wedding party. Most of the guests still remained inside, but they were beginning to slowly filter out. The second Piper saw them she sent Annabeth a wink and whispered eagerly in Jason's ear, but she didn't come close. Annabeth was grateful— she could already feel the interrogation she was about to receive.
She and Percy hovered in the front room. Whenever she looked at him, all thoughts flew from her mind. Why did he get to look like that? Who let him be that good of a kisser? It was like she suddenly didn't know how to act.
Percy sent her a small, awkward grin. "I had a good time with you."
"I did too." Annabeth just had to remember: this was Percy, just Percy. The boy she had been friends with at camp. The one who rode the subway in the morning and ate blue chocolate chip cookies. Annabeth gave a quick glance to the party room. She felt, oddly, a little like taking a risk. "Wanna go outside for a little bit? Until my dad comes."
Percy popped up, already striding towards the front door that he held open for her. Annabeth ignored Piper's whistle as she followed him out into the snow.
The two of them walked a little past the front entrance, just past the drive up to the house. They could see the window to the room they had just been in from where they stood. Annabeth didn't even realize it, but somehow her hand was nestled inside Percy's.
"You know what this reminds me of?" she finally said.
"What?"
"Hanging out behind the school during the Snow Ball.". Annabeth held her breath as she waited for Percy's reaction. That hadn't exactly been one of their finest moments together.
Luckily, he laughed. "I was so mad that night."
"At me?"
"Yes, well no. Not really. Not at you, really."
"Oh."
"I was just mad."
"About the weed? When I smoked?"
"Oh, that? God no. Who am I to tell you not to smoke? I mean, I've done it before. I mean it wasn't your smartest move but all I had to do was make sure you didn't do something stupid,, and then you did do something dumb, so that did make me mad. But mostly I was mad about Castellan." He took a breath and squeezed her hand. "Because you were there with him and not me."
Annabeth kissed him once more. When they pulled away, she tugged his forehead down to hers. She was never this forward, ever. "If it makes you feel better, that was the worst date ever."
"Really?"
"It sucked. So bad. I didn't know it then, but I wanted to be there with you."
Percy let out a long, low exhale. "Really?"
"Yes."
He kissed her again. Annabeth was beginning to get used to the sensation— but not really. It still jacked her heartrate up every time. It still felt so new, being with him, but like they already acknowledged, it had been a long time coming.
"Thank you," she said quietly. "For listening to me being crazy."
He laughed. "Thank you too. With other people I get choked up. It's like the words can't come out. But not with you."
Just those words alone made Annabeth take a sharp inhale, tears pricking the backs of her eyes. How could someone matter to her this much? How could it be possible?
She was so, so lucky.
A single tear fell down her cheek but she brushed it away, smiling up at Percy. He grinned back, the snow falling down around them, their bodies subconsciously swaying to the beat of the music softly making its way out of the house. They looked like a couple, looking out at the river and dressed in the light of the moon, identical, small smiles on their faces.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, I suppose this is what we've all been waiting for.
I hope I did it justice. This took a while because I wanted to get this chapter's characterization right. I had to carefully consider just how Annabeth and Percy would react to everything going on. I know Percy can be characterized as pretty awkward, but I also wanted to emphasize just how perceptive and emotionally intelligent he can be. He does strike me as the only character (besides Piper) in the entirety of PJO/HOO that can really understand anything that Annabeth is ever feeling, even if he doesn't think that he can.
I also really, really, really love writing Percy/Annabeth banter. They strike me as the type to be constantly teasing one another, and I may have gotten a bit carried away with that, but I love the sort of constant, witty back-and-forth that I've read in other stories (the Jily fanfiction Commentarius does come to mind, if any of you are familiar). Obviously, they are nowhere NEAR the same characters but there's so much to be taken from reading other writing.
I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter just as much as I enjoyed writing it. An extremely important thing to note is that this story is nowhere, nowhere near done. This is absolutely not the conclusion.
Until the next update,
Emily
P.S. This is the longest chapter so far!