Chapter 14

Percy POV

I was bored. And not just "Oh I'll go play some Halo" bored, but like, "I've been playing Halo for five hours straight" bored.

Jason's best friend Leo from back in New York is here visiting for a couple of days, so Jason and Piper have been gone all afternoon hanging out with him. Meanwhile, Thals has been spending every day this week with Luke, leaving me, well, six levels further into Halo.

Not to mention, as childish as it might sound, all this free time is making me pretty homesick. I've never been away from New York for this long before, and I'm really starting to miss it. Seeing Jason with Leo is really making me miss Grover, my own best friend back home. I also miss my mom. I call her and Paul at least every other day, but something about talking on the phone just isn't the same as being there in person. And as much as I love my dad, he's crazy busy right now, and he hasn't had nearly as much time to spend with me as we both thought he would. He's still working his ass off trying to get his research permits for work, and its stressing him out a lot because with every day that goes by, all the money spent on renting out his equipment is just going down the drain. I just wish that whoever is putting these ridiculous blockades on the research permit obtainment process knows how much trouble they're causing for everyone else. What reason could they possibly have for preventing non-invasive marine biology research?

I finally set down my controller and turn off the tv. When I attempt to stand up, I find that my legs have totally cramped up from sitting down for so long, and I immediately plop back down on the couch.

Looking longingly at my cell phone, which rests teasingly on my coffee table, I know that the solution to my boredom is right in front of me, but I just can't bring myself to pick up the phone. It's only been a couple of days since Annabeth and I were last together, and I really don't want to seem needy by texting to ask if she wants to hang out.

I finally stand up, getting over my leg cramps. You don't need her, I tell myself. There's plenty of other ways to keep yourself entertained. But that's one of the things about my ADHD that annoys me the most. I almost always feel the need to be around other people. I feel claustrophobic when I'm alone, as if my own inability to keep myself interested is a trap, closing in further and further with every second I'm alone.

"Okay fine!" I shout out loud and pick up the phone.

I quickly send Annabeth a text asking if she wants to hang out, and as soon as I do, I instantly regret it and throw my phone back onto the coffee table.

"So stupid," I mumble to myself as I walk over to the kitchen. "She's gonna think you're obsessed with her." Which you kind of are, says a small voice in the back of my brain. "Oh shut up."

Popping a cup of noodles into the microwave, I begin to head into my bedroom to change, when all of a sudden, I hear my phone chime from the coffee table.

I immediately pull a 180, hopping over the couch as fast as I can, tripping over pillows as I do. I look at my phone screen to see a response from Annabeth.

YES! MEET ME AT THE COLOSSEUM!

I quickly do a fistbump in the air before dashing into my bedroom and changing as quickly as I can. When I'm finally ready, I grab my skateboard and I'm out the door.

It's super nice out today, just like it is pretty much every day in Los Angeles. The resort is teeming with families, all walking around and enjoying the sun. I pass the tennis courts, the golf course, and a couple of gift shops before the familiar roman arches of the Colosseum come into view.

As soon as I find a spot on the bike rack for my skateboard, I head up the massive front steps and into the crowded lobby. A familiar warm breeze coming from the Colosseum's open windows hits me as I step through the door, and I'm reminded again of just how lucky I am that I get to stay in such a beautiful place.

I'm about to pull out my phone to text Annabeth and ask where she is, when all of a sudden I feel someone jump on me from behind, wrapping their arms around my shoulders. I let out a little laugh, knowing exactly who it is.

"Hey wise girl," I say as I turn around. I'm immediately face to face with Annabeth, and I notice for the millionth time just how much her stormy grey eyes remind me of the ocean.

"Hey yourself," Annabeth says, and blushes when she realizes her arms are still around my shoulders. She quickly pulls them to her sides. "You made pretty good time getting here, considering your skateboard is probably a million years old."

I roll my eyes. "You're just jealous."

Annabeth laughs, and the blond curls that have escaped her ponytail bounce as she does.

I clear my throat. "So, what do you want to do?"

Annabeth smirks. "Honestly, I've been dying to check out the teen area. I feel like I've passed by it a million times, but I've never actually been inside."

"The teen area it is." I jokingly hold out my arm for her to take, like they did in the olden days, and she smacks it away with a grin, shaking her head.

"No chivalry, remember?"

"Just thought I'd try," I laugh.

We walk in a comfortable silence for a little bit before finally coming across the big double doors that lead into the teen area. Annabeth rushes ahead to hold the door open for me.

"After you," she kids, motioning for me to enter.

I just shake my head, smiling. "Don't you ever get bored of that?"

Annabeth doesn't miss a beat. "Never."

As soon as I step through the door, I'm greeted by the smell of buttered popcorn, and notice that they've added a giant popcorn maker over by the kitchen since I was last here about a week ago. The walls throughout the teen area are pretty much all made of glass, and we have a great view of the pool and the center of the Colosseum from up here. The entire place reminds me of when you first walk into the apple store at the mall, because in addition to the big glass windows, there's dozens of long tables with high stools and charging stations where teenagers sit, talking to one another and working on their computers.

"This is incredible," Annabeth says from beside me, completely awe-struck.

Brightly colored bean bags litter the floor, and neon lights hang from the ceiling, giving the whole place a sort of modern, techno vibe. Annabeth heads over to the kitchen area, and I trail behind her. The kitchen is laid out almost like a salad bar at a grocery store, and there are multiple islands where teenagers stand around, piling food onto their plates.

"I have so much to learn," Annabeth mumbles with a grin.

"What do you mean?" I ask her.

Annabeth snaps her head up to look at me. "Oh, I want to be an architect when I'm older."

I grin. "Like your mom?"

"Exactly," Annabeth says. "Though I'd like to think that I would've come to that conclusion myself. Even if she wasn't an architect."

I smile. I like how passionate Annabeth is about her career path.

"Come on," she says to me. "Let's go check out the back." Annabeth grabs my hand, leading me away, and I immediately pray that my palms aren't sweaty.

The back area is full of arcade games and table games like foosball and air hockey, as well as some sitting areas and booths like the ones you'd find at a restaurant.

"Wow," Annabeth says. "This is amazing!"

I'm very aware of the fact that Annabeth is still holding my hand as she leads me through the tables and groups of other kids.

I stop short. "Oh no way."

"What?" Annabeth asks, turning towards me, the smile dropping from her face.

"You know what?" I say, trying to change the subject. "It's nothing. Let's just play some skee ball or something."

I don't fool her. Annabeth turns her head towards where I was looking, and her eyes widen.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me," she grumbles.

In a booth in the far corner, where the lighting is darker and there are less people, Drew Tanaka and Dylan Ventus sit huddled together, chatting closely.

"I've only been here for like three weeks, and already, Drew is the literal bane of my existence," Annabeth states definitely. "She's hated me ever since I snubbed her on my first day at the resort."

"The guy next to her is a prick too," I add. "His name's Dylan. He was vaping by the pool the other day around a bunch of little kids, and wouldn't stop when I asked him to."

"Jesus, what a prick."

"Couldn't agree more."

"We have to go evesdrop on their conversation."

"What wha-," I start, but Annabeth is already pulling me around the edge of the room.

"Annabeth I don't-"

"Shhh…" She cuts me off.

I shut up.

Careful to make sure that Drew and Dylan don't spot us, we continue to scale the wall, ducking down as we quickly slide into the booth next to them. The sides of the booth are tall enough that people can't see over into the next booth unless they were to literally stand up on the seat and peer over, and I'm glad to say that I feel like Drew and Dylan probably won't be doing that anytime soon.

Annabeth and I huddle together and start listening to Drew and Dylan's conversation. They're both ridiculously loud, so it isn't that difficult. Drew's voice rings out, whiney as ever.

"Literally Dylan, she's not even pretty."

"I didn't say she was pretty, I said she was hot," he groans.

Annabeth and I meet eyes, and I can tell that, like me, she's trying really hard not to burst out laughing.

"You know she has a boyfriend, right?" Drew protests.

"That's never stopped me before," Dylan boasts, and I can practically hear Drew rolling her eyes.

Annabeth buries her face into my shoulder to keep from laughing. What we're doing would feel totally wrong if it were anyone else, but since it's Drew and Dylan, I honestly couldn't feel less bad about eavesdropping. I'm suddenly curious to know who it is they're talking about.

"Oh don't act all high and mighty," Dylan says suddenly. "We both know that you've been all over her boyfriend since the moment he got here."

"Oh shut up," Drew says, but doesn't deny it.

My curiosity is growing bigger and bigger. Who could they possibly be talking about?

"But I'm hotter than her, right?" Drew asks.

"I don't know," Dylan responds. "Piper is pretty damn hot."

My jaw drops. Annabeth and I look at each other, eyes wide. Dylan was talking about Piper. And that means that Drew is into Jason?

"I honestly cannot believe you just said that," Drew yells, and we hear the sound of a slap come from their booth.

"Hey, what was that for?" Dylan whines loudly.

Drew storms up, grabbing her purse. "If you want to go after whores, then don't let me stop you."

Beside me, I feel Annabeth prepare to storm after Drew, but I grab her, pulling her down next to me.

"Percy!" Annabeth aggressively whispers to me, but I just shake my head and point up. Dylan is now standing up too.

"Drew, baby, I'm sorry. Come back," he says, going after her.

Ducking even further down in the booth so they can't see us, Annabeth and I watch as Drew storms away, Dylan following after her.

As soon as they're out of sight, Annabeth and I sit up.

"I swear I'm gonna murder her one day," Annabeth says shaking her head.

"We can do it together," I say. "A team effort."

After a moment Annabeth and I lock eyes, and out of nowhere we both just start laughing.

"That was wild," she says.

"Tell me about it."

"I mean, Piper and Jason are totally causing problems between Drew and this Dylan guy, and they don't even know it."

I shrug. "It's karma."

Annabeth laughs. "We're good at that, you know," she says with a smirk.

"Good at what?"

"Eavesdropping, sneaking around, I don't know. We could totally be partners in crime."

I chuckle. "Percy and Annabeth: The dynamic duo."

Annabeth smiles. "Exactly."

A couple of moments go by in which we just sit there in a comfortable silence. I suddenly become very aware of just how close we're sitting to one another. It's like every spot on my body that touches hers has been set aflame out of nowhere. Our shoulders, the ends of our arms, the length of our legs. I've never been aware of anyone like this before.

I look at Annabeth closely as she begins tracing her finger over words people have etched into the tabletop. She's completely concentrated, her eyebrows knitting together in captivation. I look at the tips of her eyelashes, the line of her jaw, the crook of her neck, and I feel like my heart rate increases with every moment that this fire continues burning between us. I'm obviously into this girl.

I quickly look away.

When I first met Annabeth, I didn't really mind flirting with her and being confident in my actions toward her because I was pretty sure she felt the same way. But after all of the awkwardness that happened a couple of weeks ago, I really have no idea anymore. And I don't want to risk what we have now to find out.

"Percy?" Annabeth asks, snapping me out of my daze. She's looking over at me sideways and has the sleeves of her shirt extended so that they cover her hands. She's obviously been deep in thought over something, and a somber expression has taken over her face.

"Yeah?"

Annabeth meets my eyes before lightly saying, "Tell me about your mom."

Okay, I was not expecting that. I've only told Annabeth the very basics about my mom, and I have to think about what I want to say for a minute before I finally open by mouth to speak.

"When I was little, I had a really terrible stepfather," I start. "I didn't know it at the time, but he would constantly abuse my mom. It's like he thought she was his property."

Annabeth is completely turned towards me now, a look of deep concern painted across her features.

"Percy, I'm so sorry," she says. I give her a light shrug.

"Anyway, the earliest memory I have of my mom standing up to him was during this really stupid argument they were having. Blue had always been by favorite color, so my mom wanted to make blue food for me as a special treat one day, but Gabe, my stepdad, said that there was no such thing." I move my eyes up to Annabeth's. "And for whatever reason, that is what set my mom over the edge. I guess it was just the idea that he was telling her something was impossible. From that day forward, she went out of her way to make blue food. Every meal, whatever she could. Blue pancakes, blue pasta, blue cookies. She worked at a candy store and would always bring me back the blue candy because she knew I loved it. I think that it was my mom's way of standing up to Gabe. Her way of showing her love for me, but also her way of finding her strength."

Annabeth looks at me in a way that she's never looked at me before, like she can see past every barrier I've ever built.

"But yeah," I say. "That's the kind of person my mom is. The kind of person who makes blue food."

Slowly, Annabeth grabs my hand, lacing her fingers between mine. And very tentatively, she carefully leans her head on my shoulder.

"I would love to meet her some day."

I smile. "You will."

I rest my head on top of Annabeth's, noticing for the first time just how much her hair smells like sage. She and I just sit there like that for a while, tucked away in our own private corner of the world.

"I'm sorry I didn't reach out to you sooner Percy," Annabeth says. When she talks, I feel her head bob lightly beneath my cheek. "I've just been really busy this week. My family decided to take advantage of the resort and come down here, so I've basically been fed up with that all week."

"Are you alright?" I ask. I know that Annabeth doesn't exactly have the best relationship with her dad and stepfamily.

"Yeah." Annabeth says, and nuzzles her head closer into my shoulder.

"I'm sorry that I didn't reach out to you earlier either," I say, lightly. "My dad's been super stressed out lately, and it's kind of been wearing on me. He's trying to get his local research permits for work, but some big influencer is putting all of these roadblocks in his way, and he's losing a lot of money because of it."

Annabeth tenses beneath me, and quickly pulls away to look at me. "Wait Percy, your dad is a marine biologist and environmental researcher, right."

"Yeah."

"And the research permits he's trying to obtain are for right around here, right?"

"Yeah," I say slowly. "Why?"

I can practically see the gears turning behind Annabeth's eyes, her mind stitching connections together like threads between fabric. After a moment, she snaps out of it though.

"Nothing," Annabeth says hesitantly. She then turns the other way again, settling her head back into its resting place on my shoulder. "I'm just sorry you both have to go through that."

I place my head back on top of hers, feeling the comfort of Annabeth's presence flow through me like a breath of fresh air.

Fresh air, apparently, is just what we both so desperately need right now.

"Thanks wise girl," I whisper lightly, not even knowing if she can hear me. But after a moment, Annabeth responds in a tone equally as soft.

"No. Thank you seaweed brain."