Chapter 23
Annabeth POV
When my dad and Helen first got married, I was five years old. I hadn't really understood what was going on at the time, but even then, I knew I didn't like Helen. She would do little things like be sweet to me in front of my dad, but ignore me whenever he was out of the room, and even at five years old, you catch onto things like that.
A couple of days before their wedding, one of Helen's earrings had gone missing. It was an expensive diamond that my dad had given her, and to this day, I still remember what it looked like. I had really liked the earrings, and that I would sometimes go and admire them where they sat on the nightstand in my dad's bedroom. I think I was drawn to the earrings because I remembered that my dad had given my mom a pair as well, a different pair of course, but I think that even at that age, I had begun to associate earrings with signs of my dad's affection. I would sit there, looking at the earrings on the nightstand and dream about receiving my own pair.
When Helen had first found that her earring was missing, she had immediately put the blame on me. I'd denied it right away, but Helen didn't believe me. Frederick, I remember her saying, Obviously I don't blame her. She's just a child and doesn't know any better. But she needs to be honest now and take responsibility for her actions.
That night, my dad had pulled me aside and asked me, gently but firmly, whether or not I had taken the earring. I told him that I hadn't.
Okay Annabeth, my dad had looked me deep in the eyes and said. I believe you.
That night, he spent hours on all fours looking for the earring. He looked everywhere; the bedroom, the kitchen, even the bathrooms. Very late that night, he had found the earring on the floor of their closet. It had probably fallen off while Helen was dressing.
The reason I remember that day so vividly is because I remember with perfect clarity that even as my dad searched every inch of that house, he had never once checked my room. He had believed me when I had said I hadn't taken it.
He had given me the benefit of the doubt. And now I have to do the same for him.
I'm currently on my way to meet my dad at one of the Colosseum's poolside restaurants. After the text he'd sent me on my birthday, despite the level of hurt I'd felt after hearing his conversation with Helen, I knew that I had to make amends. Family's important, and I can't just go through life letting my problems with my family keep me from maintaining my connection to them.
I've kind of been dreading this lunch, worrying that it will be awkward and uncomfortable, and frankly, the only thing pushing me forward is the knowledge that I'm going to be meeting with my friends to hang out at the pool afterwards.
The restaurant my dad wanted to meet at is just a normal poolside burger shack, and I'm incredibly grateful for it. My dad, like me, definitely prefers simple, down to earth food places, though he'd never admit it to Helen.
When I reach the double doors to the restaurant, I'm surprised by how crowded it is. Almost every table is full, bowls of fries and piles of nachos being devoured by families and groups of friends.
I look around and spot my dad sitting out on the patio, his shirt unbuttoned at the top and his sandy hair blowing slightly in the breeze. The patio opens up to the pool, and the only way you can tell where the restaurant seating ends and where the pool tables begin is by the restaurant's ginormous orange umbrellas that block its customers from the sun.
Slowly, I make my way over to my dad. When he spots me, he gives me a smile and a little wave, which I return, but even to me it feels unnatural.
I feel awkward as I sit down across from him. We both know I've been avoiding him, though I don't know if I'll ever have the confidence to tell him why. My dad and I have the kind of relationship where we've never really been able to open up to each other. We tend to leave our feelings inside to fester, letting them grow vile until a certain point when they just get to be too much and we can't stand being around each other anymore.
"How was your birthday?" My dad asks, trying to make conversation.
"Good."
My dad smiles slightly. "Man… I can't believe you're eighteen."
I just nod my head. I know it's crappy for me to be so unaccommodating when he's obviously making an effort, but I'm finding that engaging with him is turning out to be a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. I just keep thinking about all of the terrible stuff I overheard Helen saying about me, and how the whole time, he'd said nothing.
The waiter comes over to take our orders, and I'm not surprised when my dad and I order the exact same thing. Despite our differences, there are some similarities you simply can't deny.
I decide to ease up a little bit.
"So…" my dad starts, awkwardly. "What have you been up to lately? We haven't seen you around much."
I nervously tug at a strand of my hair. "Nothing much. I've been pretty busy at my internship with mom, but mostly I've just been hanging out with friends and stuff."
My dad smiles at that. "It's good that you've been able to make friends here."
I have to bite back a smile. Friends seems like a bit of an understatement when describing the bonds I've made here. I mean, I feel like I've known these people my whole life.
My dad asks a couple of more questions about my social life, and for whatever reason, I really begin loosening up. Having this time with him just makes it all the more apparent how much I miss having that parental role filled in my life. I find myself telling him all about Thalia and the girls and how much fun we've had over the past month or so. I even mention Percy, if only for a brief moment.
When the food finally comes, almost all of the awkwardness that had been there when I first sat down is gone. We have a couple laughs, bonding over how annoying this super loud woman sitting next to us is being. When she finally starts talking to her friends about the trouble she and her husband are having in the bedroom, my dad and I completely lose it, and I have to cover my mouth to keep myself from bursting into laughter.
When we both finally calm down, I decide to ask him a couple of questions in return to be polite. "How are Helen and the boys doing?"
My dad smiles slightly. "They've been keeping themselves busy," he says. "There's just so much to do here, you know? It's quite the place."
I grin. "Tell me about it."
The next half hour goes by like a breeze. We talk about his work and how school's been going for me. We talk about what colleges I'm applying to next year and really interesting research programs.
Another thing that my dad and I have always been able to bond over is our thirst for knowledge. I've always loved school, and I've always been an eager learner. It's something I think I inherit deeply from both of my parents, which is why I find it so hard to understand why my dad would want to be with someone like Helen who has virtually no ambition, no real interest in the world and the wisdoms it has to offer.
By the time the check finally comes, I feel a million times better about my relationship with my dad. He may have his faults, but that's no reason for me to completely block out forming a connection with him.
After my dad has paid, he surprises me when he reaches down by his side and pulls out a small little box with a bow on it.
"Is that for me?" I ask.
He nods. "For your birthday."
I feel like my heart melts in that moment. I think it's been about five years since I've spent a birthday with my dad because my birthday is in July and my mom has custody over the summer. I always get something from him in the mail, but for whatever reason, being here in person with him to recieve something really touches me.
"Thank you," I say, trying to convey with my eyes just how much him getting me something means to me.
My dad smiles, crossing his arms as he leans back in his chair. "Open it."
Slowly, I begin to untie the bow. I pull the ribbon apart carefully, not wanting to damage anything. Once I've completely unwrapped the gift, I'm shocked to find myself holding a small, black jewelry box. Carefully, I lift the lid.
Inside the box is the most beautiful pair of earrings I've ever laid eyes on, these gorgeous silver studs in the shape of owls.
Owls have always had a soft spot in my heart. In addition to my undying Harry Potter obsession, owls are symbolic of wisdom, and the fact that my dad went to the trouble of getting me a gift that would have such a personal connection to me makes my heart ache in appreciation.
I make my way over to the other side of the table and hug my dad. I think he's a little bit surprised by the gesture at first, but after a moment, I feel him lean into me.
"Thank you," I say.
"You're welcome," he whispers into my ear.
In this moment, I couldn't be happier. I finally have my own pair of earrings from my father, just like I used to dream about when I was a little girl. And they're not just any old diamond earrings like the ones he gave to Helen. No, these are special.
As soon as my dad and I pull out of our hug, I put the earrings on, fasting them onto myself like a badge of honor.
"How do they look?" I ask.
My dad smiles teasingly. "Eh, I don't know," he says. "I should probably take them back." I playfully smack his arm in response and begin to pack up my stuff, putting the jewelry box in my bag.
"Listen," my dad says, his voice indicating that he's changing subjects. "Later this week, I was thinking about doing a bit of a barbeque down by the beach. I'm gonna be having a couple of buddies from work coming in, and of course Helen and the boys would be there." He scratches the back of his neck nervously. "I'd love it if you could come. You can even bring a couple of your friends if you want," he says, "It would just mean a lot to me if you could make it."
If he had asked me this an hour ago, I'm pretty sure I would've made up just about any excuse I could to get out of it, but now, I find that I want to say yes. Giving my dad the benefit of the doubt seems to be working out so far, and if I want to maintain any sort of relationship with him, there's gonna need to be some compromise on my part.
"Of course, you don't have to come if you don't want to-" my dad starts, but I cut him off.
"No, I'd love to come," I say. He looks surprised.
"You sure?"
I nod my head. "Definitely.
My dad smiles, shaking his head slightly. "Great."
"Great."
I give my dad one last hug before we say our goodbyes, and just like that, the lunch is over. I survived unscathed, bettered even. I'd gotten to spend quality time with my dad, something I haven't done in ages. I can't stop smiling as I leave the restaurant, and let's just say, I'm in a pretty good mood when I go to meet my friends by the pool.
As soon as I step out from under the cover of the restaurant's bright orange umbrellas, I'm immediately hit by an immense amount of sun. There are dozens of people by the pool, and it's difficult looking for my friends in the enormity of it.
I haven't been to the pool in a while, and I've got to say, I really miss being down here. It's held an incredibly special place in my heart ever since Percy and I had our first kiss, and being here just adds to the happiness that bubbles in my chest.
I make my way through rows and rows of beach chairs, passing oodles of families, all with the parents lounging and drinking while the kids play in the pool. Everyone has their portable speakers out, and I've probably heard about twenty different genres of music when I finally hear Green Day's "Basket Case" blasting, and I know I've found them.
Underneath one of the cabanas, Thalia stands in a strapless bikini top and jean shorts, dancing like a nut job to the song. Luke lays down in a beach chair beside her, laughing and watching her with such adoration in his eyes, it makes my heart ache.
In the lounge chair across from them, Piper sits in Jason's lap, his criss crossed legs acting as a basketchair for her. Piper leans back into him, and the two of them look completely happy, completely content, and I find that I just want to take a photo of this moment and save it forever.
Jason and Piper wave when they see me, motioning for me to come over.
"Hey girlie," Piper says as I approach, and I smile, setting my bag down under the cover of the shade.
"Heya," I respond, and then motioning to Thalia, add, "Is she high right now."
"I don't think so," Luke remarks, though he seems unsure.
Jason laughs, wrapping his arms around Piper as he does. "Yeah, I never really know."
I grin, shaking my head, and then look around. "Hey, is Percy not here yet-" I begin, but I've barely gotten the words out, when all of a sudden, I feel a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist, lifting me off the ground. I let loose a small scream of surprise as Percy throws me over his shoulder, turning us around in a circle.
I'm laughing like crazy as he sets me down, and as soon as my feet touch the floor, I bring my lips up to his.
The kiss is happy and warm, a manifestation of the beautiful day outside. It's short and sweet, like the flash of a smile or the ring of a laugh, and I get bubbles of happiness as I pull away.
"None of you could've warned me?" I ask, turning to my friends with joking disapproval.
"Would've ruined it." Piper remarks.
Thalia just keeps on dancing.
Percy smiles, wrapping his arms around my shoulders from behind. "Anyone up to going in the pool?" he asks.
"Oh hell yeah," Jason says, moving to get up, and Luke nods his head in agreement.
Thalia's song finally ends, and she turns down the music on her phone, finally coming back to earth.
"Oh, hey Annabeth," she says, nodding her head to me.
"Just a wee bit late there," I tell her, jokingly. She just shrugs. "But yeah," I say, turning the conversation back to the pool. "Let's do it."
"I think I'm gonna stay back," Piper says, moving to get off of Jason so that he can get up. "But you kids enjoy yourselves."
"Thalia?" I ask.
"Oh for sure," she says. "You think I'd miss out on an opportunity to go all "waterbender" on Jason?"
Jason fake punches her, and she laughs.
Thalia begins to take off her shorts, and I follow suit, feeling a little bit self conscious as I do. Even if I am wearing a bathing suit underneath, something about peeing your pants off in public will always feel a bit unnatural.
Today I have on a blue, open-backed one piece that has a low v-dip in front. It's not as conservative as I usually wear, but if I'm being completely honest, I wore it because I knew Percy would be seeing me in it, and this particular bathing suit happens to compliment me better than most of my other ones.
As soon as I pull my shirt over my head and throw it over near my bag, I turn to catch Percy staring at me. The moment I make eye contact with him, he quickly turns his head, pretending that he wasn't just starring, but the fact that he was makes me want to smile like crazy.
He's pulled off his shirt too, and even though I've seen him shirtless before, well let's just say it's not something I think I'll be getting used to anytime soon.
I have to look away from him before I start blushing.
"Bye y'all," Piper says, leaning back into her chair.
I lean forward and briefly squeeze her hand. "See you in a little bit." And with that, the rest of us head down to the pool.
The moment we get to the edge, I get an idea that makes me smile. "Hey what's that?" I say, pointing up to the sky.
As soon as Percy looks in the direction of my hand, I leap behind him and push him into the pool. He yells, limbs flailing as he falls sideways into the water, which makes me burst out laughing.
When Percy surfaces, his hair is sticking to his face in about a million different directions, which makes me laugh even harder. He just shakes his head, smiling.
Thalia and I stand side by side, our arms crossed confidently, and she gives me a fist bump.
"Some lifeguard you are-" are start to tease Percy, but then all of a sudden, I feel someone push me from behind, and Thalia and I go flying into the water with a scream.
When I surface, I'm laughing so hard, I can barely stay afloat. Through my wet hair, I watch as Jason and Luke jump in after Thalia and me, both of them wearing smirks the size of Texas on their faces.
Thalia jokingly shakes her head. "I hate you," she says, leaning into Luke's embrace.
He smiles. "Let's make our way over to somewhere we can stand."
It's a couple of seconds before we arrive at a good place, but as soon as we do, we all settle in, just enjoying the sun on our faces and the warm atmosphere. I wrap my arms around Percy's neck and sit piggyback style as we float there.
I know that I weigh virtually nothing under water, but I still feel a little bit of self consciousness in my current position, worried that I'm being too bold or touchy.
Percy doesn't seem to mind it at all though, and he places his hands on top of mine, holding me closer to him, which makes my gut swim with giddiness.
I feel completely content in this moment, as though every inch of my body is smiling. I try to hold onto it with every part of myself, wanting to save this warmth I feel and put it in a jar for safekeeping.
The boys have striked up some sort of conversation about a videogame they all play, and Thalia keeps interjecting with comments like, "Wait, remind me why you didn't just kill him again?" which makes me laugh.
The next half hour or so goes by somewhat uneventfully. We talk about this and that, just generally enjoying each other's company. At a certain point, a volleyball makes it's way over to us, and we start to scramble, setting the ball back and forth to each other over the self-made waves.
Together, we're a super athletic group, so the game's a lot of fun, though I definitely have the others beat skillswise.
"Jesus Annabeth," Jason says after I make a particularly impressive dive to save the ball. "You're a beast at this." That makes me laugh.
"Yeah I've played pretty much my whole life," I say.
"Well so has Thalia," Luke says teasingly, "but she isn't as good."
That earns him a well-deserved smack.
At that point, the game just pretty much turns into one big splashing competition, and let's just say, where Thalia may not have been the dominating player at volleyball, she certainly is at this.
The boys are her primary targets, and frankly they don't stand a chance. Percy tries using me as a shield, lifting me and turning me to block Thalia's advances, which makes me laugh, despite the fact that I'm getting absolutely soaked.
"No fair," Thalia complains. "Human shields are against regulation."
"I don't know about that," Luke jokes. "Wanna give it a try Jason? I doubt we'd look as cute as Percy and Annabeth, but hey, us blonds have to stick together."
"You're absolutely right," Jason says in mock seriousness.
The two of them try to pull it off, they really do, but it's pretty much a complete fail, sending the rest of us into fits of uncontrollable laughter.
When we finally begin to calm down, we're all pretty tired, and we begin to settle back in. I take up my previous position on Percy's back, which scares the shit out of me, but makes him smile.
The rest of the afternoon is spent just talking and laughing and taking in the sunlight. Nothing terribly noteworthy happens until, in an effort to strike up conversation, Thalia turns to me. "How'd that breakfast go with your dad this morning?"
The question completely takes me by surprise. I rarely talk about my family with anyone, but ever since the incident with Helen, Thalia's kind of been my lifeline on the subject. She understands having family issues, and it's been nice having someone to talk to about it with.
Thalia continues. "I mean, I know things weren't exactly great between you ever since-" Then she stops, looking at Percy, not knowing if she should continue, not knowing how much I've disclosed to Percy about my family life.
I'm thankful that she stops herself. I haven't really talked to Percy about anything super personal yet, and frankly, I don't know if I want to. I know it might sound stupid, but I'm honestly embarrassed about all of the stuff Helen said about me, and I really don't know if I'd feel comfortable relaying those words to my boyfriend.
"It went really well," I respond, lightening my tone to cover up any weirdness. "It was nice spending time with him after so long." I feel Percy look at me over his shoulder, and I can tell he feels like something's up, but he doesn't press me, and I'm grateful for it.
"That's good," Thalia says, also lightening her tone, obviously trying to cover up for the weirdness as well. "Anyway, I'm starving," she says. "Anyone want to go back to the cabana and order food?"
"Definitely," Jason says.
"Yeah, I'm starving," Luke adds.
While they're not paying attention, Thalia quickly shoots me an apologetic look and mouths, sorry!
I shoot her a smile and wave her off, letting her know it's okay.
As we make our way back to the cabana, Percy and I hang back a little bit, holding hands as we head down the length of the pool.
"Hey, you good?'' he asks," concern clear on his face. I'm not used to seeing such care directed at me, and if I'm being honest, it kind of scares me. I'm worried that I'll mess something up, do something that makes myself unworthy of his affection.
I lean over and kiss his cheek. "I'm all good."
Percy hesitates for a moment, obviously still concerned, before smiling down at me. "Alright wise girl."
He leans down, about to kiss me, but stops when all of a sudden, we hear a commotion break out up ahead.
We're finally back to where we first got in the pool, and when I look I look up, I see a sight that absolutely repulses me.
Under the cabana, Piper stands with her hands up trying to block herself, a look of panic on her face, as Dylan Ventus has his pointer fingers hooked through the loops of her jeans, pulling her towards him. It's barely audible as he says, "Come one beautiful, I promise I'll make it worth your while."
"Stop," Piper protests, trying to unhook his hands from her waist. "Let me go right now."
I feel fury like I've never felt before burn inside me like someone has ignited a fire. Percy moves to get out of the pool, and I'm right behind him, hopping up onto the ledge as fast as I can. Jason, Luke, and Thalia beat us there, though, marching straight up to the scene ahead.
Neither Piper or Dylan see any of us coming, it all happens so fast.
I've never seen Jason as furious as he is now. It's as if someone has completely flipped a switch in him, his demeanor twisting inside out. He runs up and grabs Dylan's shoulder, pulling him off Piper. "She said Let. Go."
Dylan stumbles backwards, and his eyes flash with hatred when he sees Jason, a loathing so intense, you'd think the two of them were sworn enemies.
Piper backs up into the cabana, breathing heavily and hugging herself with her arms. Thalia and I run up to her, putting ourselves between her and the scene in front of us.
For a moment, I think that Dylan is going to kill Jason. His eyes flash like he's about to lunge, but as soon as he takes in the scene around him, Percy and Luke flanking Jason, their eyes burning with an almost equally acute anger, Dylan seems to think better of it.
He steps back, letting out a little laugh as he does. "You guys are completely overreacting," he says, putting his arms up in mock surrender. "We were just having a little bit of fun." He looks at Piper. "Weren't we Pipes?"
Piper looks at him with such disgust, it makes me want to knock his teeth out.
Jason shoves Dylan's shoulder again, forcing Dylan to look at him. "Don't talk to her."
Dylan's eyes narrows his eyes. "Jason Grace." He says the name with such distaste, you'd think that the situation was reversed. Dylan sneers before continuing. "You think you can just order everyone around because your daddy owns this place." He shakes his head distastefully. "Well news flash buddy, there are people here who own your dad."
Jason clenches his fists.
Behind Dylan, the two goons I've seen following him around the resort appear at his sides, giving him a whole new spell of confidence.
"One day, Grace, someone's going to put you in your place. You'll realize that you're not untouchable." Then he looks around at every single one of us, and for some reason, his gaze lands on me. He smirks. "And that goes for all of you." He holds my stare for so long, I feel as though he can see right into my head and read my thoughts. "What goes around comes around."
Involuntarily, I take a step back. Normally, I'd never buy into a threat like that, but I feel a certain truth underlying Dylan's words that makes them downright terrifying. It makes me wonder whether or not he knows something.
"Dylan, just leave," Percy says, obviously trying to bring Dylan's attention away from me.
Dylan's head snaps in his direction. "You know what, Jackson-" he says, his fists clenched, but just then, someone runs up behind him, stopping him with her perfectly manicured hand.
Beside me, Thalia sneers. "And just when I thought this couldn't get any worse."
In front of us, Drew holds Dylan's shoulder, keeping him from stepping any further forward. "Enough," she says.
Dylan turns on her. "Right!" he says. "Because you couldn't possibly want me messing up Jason Grace's beautiful face."
"Oh get over yourself," Drew snaps at him. "The only reason you're over here in the first place is because of that slut," she says, pointing at Piper.
"Watch it," Jason growls at her, his tone murderous.
Drew smiles slightly and raises her eyebrows at him in mock innocence. "I'm sorry," she says. "We'll just be on our way now." She tugs on Dylan's shoulder. "Come on."
He shrugs Drew off angrily, but turns to follow her nonetheless, shooting one last glare at Jason as he goes.
I catch a snippet of their conversation as their group walks away.
"I'll never understand what you have for blonds," Dylan grumbles angrily. "They're infuriating. Even that Augur guy you've been disappearing into the caves with lately," he continues. "I mean, honestly, what do you see in that kid?"
They're now out of range to the point that I can no longer hear them, but with those words alone, I feel like something heavy has enclosed around my chest. Drew is in league with Octavian. And that means-
Just then, Jason comes forward and wraps Piper in his arms. She buries herself into his chest, her hands up to her face.
At the sight of them, my heart contracts for my friend. I've been on the receiving end of some unwanted advances before myself, and frankly, it can be one of the most terrifying things in the world. I rest my hand on Piper's shoulder, rubbing her back lightly.
Percy comes to stand being me, placing his hand on my waist in reassurance. His touch is unbelievably comforting, and I'm thankful for it. I can't help feeling shaken at the whole ordeal, at the way Dylan had stared at me.
You're not untouchable, he'd said. What goes around comes around.
I can't help feeling that his words had held more depth than he was letting on. And then on top of that, finding out that Drew and Octavian were in league with each other? The whole thing just didn't sit well with me.
I quickly shake my head, trying to put the whole thing out of my mind.
I lace my fingers through Percy's at my side with one hand and brush Piper's hair out of her face with the other.
Don't worry about that, I tell myself. Right now, just be here with your friends.