Chapter 27

Percy POV

The best part of having a super rich uncle is getting to hear your super rich cousins complain about their richness.

"Frankly, I don't even know why we have to go," Thalia complains, her mouth full of eggroll. "It's not like they need us there."

Right now, Thalia, Jason, and I are sitting at the poolside thai restaurant finishing up an early dinner before they have to go to some fancy dinner thing with their dad. Ever since Annabeth and I started dating, Thalia, Jason and I haven't been spending as much time together as we used to, so I'm happy that today we found some time to hang out.

"I bet you we could pay someone else to stand in for us, and no one would even know the difference," Jason jokes, pulling a piece of broccoli out of his fried rice. At least I think he's joking.

Thalia takes a swing of her water and shakes her head. "Nah, there's no way it would work. Even if we managed to avoid seeing dad and Hera the whole night, you know she'd want us to pose for a photo at the end and we'd be caught."

Jason groans, and I just laugh. One of the only things Jason and Thalia can 100%, without a doubt agree on is their mutual hatred for their stepmom.

"How is Hera anyway?" I ask. "I feel like I haven't seen her in forever."

Thalia groans. "Same as usual. She's enjoying making us miserable with all the press stuff regarding the resort expansion."

"Yeah it's kind of scary how seriously she's taking it," Jason remarks. "Photo op this, fundraiser that. You'd think she was the resort's owner."

"And that's the most annoying part!" Thalia says, throwing her hands up. "She could be!" A little piece of padthai dangles from the edge of her fork, and I would point it out to her, but drawing the attention of an angry, fork-wielding Thalia probably isn't a smart move.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

Jason leans forward, only having a slight bit more composure than Thalia. "Apparently Hera's like this genius Harvard-grad with a degree in business and economics."

"We found out like two weeks ago at an event when we ran into someone from her graduating class," Thalia adds.

"No way," I say. "Haven't we always made fun of Hera for being this super worthless gold digger? And now you're telling me she could totally be rich on her own if she wanted to?"

Jason nods his head. "It's super weird."

"More like super annoying," Thalia groans. "Gods she sucks."

I lean back in my chair, crossing my arms. I'd always just assumed Hera was this good for nothing stepmother stereotype, so learning that there's actually a brain beneath all the makeup and designer jewelry is a little weird.

"Speaking of terrible stepmothers," Jason starts. "How's Annabeth? That whole thing at the beach the other day was pretty intense."

Thalia leans forward, concern taking over her face––a rare sight, so you know it's genuine. "Yeah, how's she holding up? I haven't gotten a chance to speak with her since that night."

At the sound of Annabeth's name, some sort of otherworldly fire ignites in me, making me feel equal parts giddy and itchy. It's pretty annoying.

"She's up," I stammer. "I mean, she's holding up. Well. She's holding up well."

Thalia arches an eyebrow. "What the fuck is up with you Percy?"

I scratch the back of my neck. The truth? I'm still feeling a little unbalanced after last night. I mean, I can honestly say that I've never experienced anything like it. I've never been close to someone that intensely.

"He and Annabeth said 'I love you' for the first time last night," Jason says, grinning.

I shoot him a glare.

Thalia's face lights up. "You didn't!"

I roll my eyes, trying to look nonchalant, but if the heat in my cheeks is any indication, I doubt I'm doing a good job. It also doesn't help that I can't seem to help the smile that takes over my face.

I cave. "Yeah, we did."

Thalia squeals (a sound I didn't even know she was capable of making). "Gahh I'm so happy for you guys."

I glance over at Jason, who's eyeing me in the way a proud parent would.

"Gods you guys are annoying," I joke.

"We're just happy for you man," Jason says, and bites into an eggroll.

"Yeah you guys both deserve it," Thalia adds, and takes the rest of the eggroll out of Jason's hand, shoving it into her own mouth. I smile.

I honestly couldn't be happier right now. I don't know what I ever did to deserve someone like Annabeth, and frankly, I have no idea why someone as smart as her would ever want to be with me.

And I love her. I really do. The way I feel about her doesn't compare to anything I've ever felt before. It's like all of the sudden, the thing that makes me happier than anything else in the world is seeing her smile, and I'm pretty sure I'd do just about anything to keep her smiling.

"So," Thalia starts, brushing eggroll dust off on her jeans. "Are you guys hanging out later?"

I grin. "Yeah, she's gonna meet me down by the pool after my night shift."

Jason smirks. "Hey, isn't that where you guys had your first kiss?"

"Gods you guys are hopeless," I moan, flicking some water at them from the top of my glass.

"Hey, no using water as a weapon Percy," Thalia jokes. "What are you, a waterbender?"

Jason smirks. "He wishes."

The next couple of minutes go by just like that, the three of us teasing each other and joking around, until we see the sun start to set over the side of the Colosseum, and Thalia checks her phone for the time.

"We should probably get going," she says to Jason.

He nods, taking one last bite of padthai. "Kay."

Thalia pulls a wad of bills out of her back pocket and throws it on the table, standing up. I join them, pushing in my chair behind me.

"Thals, remember we have to stop by the house to get our clothes for tonight," Jason says, leading the way out of the restaurant.

My uncle has this giant house hidden away on the outskirts of the resort property where he stays while working here in the summer. It's definitely big enough for Thalia and Jason to stay in too, but they prefer to stay in rooms––they like being closer to the heart of the resort, and they prefer to be as far away as possible from Hera and their dad.

"Shit, I forgot about that," Thalia whines. "Do you have the key?"

"It's back in the room."

Thalia rolls her eyes. "I don't know why dad thinks I don't know how to dress myself," she whines.

"Because you don't," Jason and I joke in unison, and Thalia shoots us a glare.

When we've finally reached the lobby of the Colosseum, Thalia turns and gives me a hug.

"I'm happy for you," she whispers in my ear.

I pull her tight. "Thanks Thals."

She pulls away, and Jason flashes me a quick wave. "See you tomorrow Perce."

I watch as Thalia and Jason head out the front door. They stumble over each other, both of them trying to be the first one through. Once they've left, I turn on my heel and head down the stairs to the locker room. And as I walk, I find that I can't help but smile.

Only four hours until I get to see Annabeth.

It's completely dark out by the time my shift is done. It's a clear night out, and there's very little smog, so a couple of stars are visible up in the black sky.

It's about 11:15, and I have to kick out a few stragglers from the pool since it closes at 11:00 (I definitely don't tell them that I'm rushing them cause my girlfriend is coming to meet me).

Once I've finally ushered the last of the pool-lurkers out the gate, I take a deep breath, inhaling the scent of chlorine from the water. There are few things I love more than the smell of chlorine. It always reminds me of childhood trips to the community pool with my mom, and summers with Thalia and Jason when I was growing up. Now that I'm older though, I associate a whole new set of memories with the scent––my first kiss with Annabeth, late lunches with Thals and Jason, goofing off with our friends in the pool.

I head over to the lifeguard chair to pack up my stuff, a smile on my face. It takes me a couple of minutes to finish gathering up the equipment, and I've just finished tightening the padlock on the pool shed when I hear a knock on the gate. My head shoots up.

Annabeth stands behind the door, the bars of the gate casting vertical shadows across her face. The moonlight gives her hair a silvery glow that perfectly matches the stormy grey of her eyes. I quickly run over to let her in.

Tonight, Annabeth is wearing cropped shorts and a simple tank top that hugs her curves in a way that makes me break out in a nervous sweat. Her hair is out of its usual ponytail, running freely down her shoulders, and I can't help but notice how much it's grown since the beginning of the summer. When I first met Annabeth, her curls barely passed her chest––now her hair reaches several inches below her elbows.

"Hey," I say, eloquent as always.

Annabeth smiles at that, a flash of amusement at my awkwardness. "Hey yourself," she says, grinning, but her smile only lasts a moment. She quickly looks away.

"Hey, you okay?" I ask, suddenly hesitant.

Annabeth brings her eyes back up to my face and nods her head. "Mhmm."

I get the distinct feeling that something's bothering her, but if she doesn't want to talk about it, I don't want to force her to. The best I can do is just be there for her.

"Let's go sit by the pool," I say lightly, taking her hand.

Annabeth looks at our interlocked hands for a moment, her gaze lingering. "Okay," she says softly.

We walk along the length of the pool in silence, finally coming to sit in the space under the lifeguard chair where we had our first kiss. It's not even something either of us do intentionally––it just happens instinctively.

We both kick off our shoes and put our feet in the water, leaning into its warmth. The pool lights cast a glow over our legs, creating moving shadows across our thighs that remind me of ocean waves.

"I was thinking we could head over to the golf course tonight," I say, trying to lighten the mood. "It's completely deserted right now since it's poker night up at the Colosseum. We could lay a blanket down, maybe watch something on Netflix?"

Beside me, Annabeth swallows hard. "Percy…"

Something about her expression tells me she's not too keen on the idea.

"Or we could totally do something else," I say. "You're right, the grass would probably be wet anyway." I give her hand another squeeze. "We can do whatever you want."

"Percy..." Annabeth says again. Her eyebrows are drawn together in a sad, tight expression. Something about her look terrifies me. It's as though there's something deeply troubling her. But that's not the part that scares me, so much. The part that really scares me is that her expression seems to have an air of hopelessness about it––as though she's decided that whatever it is that's bothering her is unavoidable.

I bring my hand up to her face. "Hey," I say slowly. "What's wrong?"

Annabeth leans into my touch for a brief moment.

"Tell me what's upsetting you so I can help you fix it," I urge. My voice is raw as I speak the words, as though my feelings for her are draining me of my composure. "Is it your stepmom?" I ask. "Your dad? If they did something––"

Annabeth closes her eyes for a moment, pained. She takes a deep breath. "No, they didn't–– I haven't spoken to them." Then, she does something that surprises me. Annabeth pulls her hand out of mine slowly, taking it into her lap. She won't meet my eyes, and I can't help feeling a little hurt by it. I've never seen her this reserved before.

After a long moment, Annabeth takes another deep breath, staring out over the water. "Percy, we need to break up."

For a moment, I don't process the words. I'm too entangled in my concern for her to realize what she's saying. But when the words go through, I feel like someone's sucked the air out of my lungs.

"What?"

Annabeth turns her face away from me. Her voice is equal parts stern and soft when she talks, as though she's terrified of continuing, but certain that she has to. "We need to break up." She swallows hard. "I–– I just can't do this anymore."

I feel like a rock is forming in my stomach––a sick, hardening weight expanding inside of me. I try to grasp for an explanation of what might be making Annabeth say this, and I frantically try to find a reasoning for her words.

"Annabeth, if this is some sort of thing about you being afraid to let people in," I say, my voice cracking, "then I swear I'm not going to hurt you. I know that what we have is terrifying––" A frantic laugh escapes my throat. "Hell, it's one of the scariest things I've ever experienced in my life––but that just means it's worth fighting for."

I take her hand again, this time holding it firm. "Annabeth, I can't even begin to understand the kind of pain you've been through in your life––what kind of damage it's left on you, but I swear I won't leave you like that. Please, please trust that."

Annabeth turns toward me, meeting my eyes for the first time, pain plain on her face. About a million emotions flash in her eyes, and among them, an unmistakable surge of affection––which is why I can't possibly understand what comes out her mouth next.

"But you will Percy," she says, her voice raw. "It won't be your fault, but you will. The summer's gonna end, and I'm gonna go back to San Francisco, and you're gonna go back to New York, so we might as well just––" her voice breaks off.

A sudden burst of undirected anger surges through me. "Annabeth, that doesn't matter! What I told you last night still stands!" I close my eyes, trying to compose myself. My voice is softer when I speak again. "Annabeth, whatever happens down the road will happen. But right now––" I raise our linked hands. "This is here to stay."

Annabeth closes her eyes sadly, and for a moment, I think I have her. But it's like I'm fighting some invisible opponent––like some opposing force I can't see is slithering its way into Annabeth's mind. She pulls her hand out of mine for the second time, bringing it to her chest like she's nursing a fresh wound. I see her visibly grasping at straws, trying to figure out what to say. It's a look I so rarely see from Annabeth, that it gives me the impression of something being completely and utterly wrong. I simply can't understand why she would be trying to look for a reason to break up with me.

After a moment, Annabeth looks away. "We have nothing in common," she says softly.

A manic laugh escapes me. "What? We have nothing in common?" I shake my head, exasperated. "Annabeth, we breathe the same air! Isn't that enough?"

Annabeth turns to me. I'm startled to see that she's started crying, thick tears leaving streaks of moisture on her cheeks. The glow of the pool turns the streaks white so that they almost look like scars.

I feel pressure building behind my own eyes, but it doesn't bring up any feelings of shame or embarrassment like it normally would. It just shows how much I care about her.

"Annabeth, I love you," I press. "We have that in common."

At that, Annabeth sobs, a real, raw expression of undiluted pain. It's quick and course, and it makes it so evident that she's struggling with what she's saying, so I can't possibly understand why she's even saying it in the first place.

Then, something happens to Annabeth's expression. Her features change gradually and painfully, like shifting tectonic places. Her face relaxes, releasing the pressure and creases of pain so that only stoicism remains. She has come to a decision. And she isn't backing down.

Annabeth meets my eyes, and for once, her eyes aren't a stormy grey. They're a stone grey, as though everything inside her has hardened. "I was wrong Percy," she says. "I don't love you."

I feel something break inside me in that moment. It's like any dam that was holding back the rising tidal wave of confusion and the pain from the past couple of minutes finally breaks with those words. I let the tears fall. I look away from Annabeth.

I'm confused, and angry, and upset, and I feel like a fire is burning it's way through my body, sucking out all the oxygen from my lungs. It leaves me weak.

In my peripheral vision, I'm vaguely aware of Annabeth getting up, of her picking up her shoes and making her way to the gate, but I don't follow her. I can't. It's like my body is physically incapable of moving.

At some point, I lay down, letting the cold stone of the ground seep into me, taking over my body. I let my limp limbs dangle in the pool, the water shifting them this way and that. I watch as the stars move up above, but at a certain point, the clarity of the night blurs. The fog rolls in and obscures the stars.

I don't know how long I sit there. It could be minutes, it could be hours.

At some point, the pool light finally turns off. And I'm left in darkness.

A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry for having to do that to y'all :) I really am, but it had to be done for the sake of the story.

It's been a while since I last checked in, and I just wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for you guys. Every single review I read puts this giant smile on my face, and I can't even begin to describe how much you all mean to me. Thank you so much for sticking with this story and for being the most engaged readers a girl could ask for.

These are crazy times, and I hope everyone is doing alright. My pms are always open if you ever need someone to reach out to, if you have a question, or if you just want to talk. Just a heads up––If you don't have a account and are just leaving reviews as a guest, I can't actually respond to your reviews, so if you have a question, make sure to create an account so that I can respond to you :)

I've been getting a lot of people asking if I have a set update schedule, and unfortunately, the answer is no. I try to update at least every two or three weeks, but I never set anything in stone because I don't want to disappoint anyone if I can't live up to it. It always really bothered me when writers wouldn't fulfill their promises, so I don't want to do that to you guys––I love you too much.

On a lighter note, I'm completely stoked about the Disney+ series… Uncle Rick singlehandedly saved 2020. The idea that we will be getting a faithful adaptation of this series that has literally meant the world to me for the past seven years of my life has really made my outlook so much more positive in light of everything. I was going to go to Camp Half-Blood Austin this summer, and I'm super bummed that I can't be there in person, but I'm doing the online version right now, and it's a ton of fun. Let me know if you've ever been or are ever planning on going––I'd love to hear about your experience!

Sorry for the essay (and the last chapter––haha, I'm evil). Love you guys!

Best,

Kylie