Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: I'm running out of jokes but Rick certainly isn't.
~headline: break up more like fake-up~
…
Percy leans head against his hand, stabilizing himself with his elbow and just. Stares. At the table in front of him. He looks at it so long, he can see the individual grains of wood, and everything just feels so blank. So barren. So empty. He's tried reaching out to Acropolis— Annabeth— several times, and the last time he tried, her email was deactivated. All her blog posts are down. Comments are deleted. She's just. Gone.
And he's fucking mad. Yes, there are ways you can frame this to be his fault, but he would never ever ever wish this upon anyone, even more, someone he loves. With each news article that pops up, his stomach turns as they paint her as a clout-sucking individual. He's just so angry at the world. Because Acropolis, Annabeth, whatever you call her, is perfect. And the world, that corrupt world, is the one that turns everything into something playful. Like it doesn't matter. It just wants to party, not worry, and ruin people's lives.
He can't do any of this anymore. Pretending, he can't keep up the act any longer. If he has to play pretend for a second, a minute, and day longer, he'll burst. He just wants all of it to stop. He wants to show the world that he's changed, but this time it's for the better. He wants to show the world that he's become better because of her. He wants her, period.
His eyes are watering now. Like little pools of dew, that hang ever so slightly on flowers and grass. In any seconds, tears are going to drop. He wants them to drop. He's in the comfort of his own studio. He's in a place where he should be comfortable. He's alone. The only person he wants to talk to is the person whose least likely to reach out. He's scrolled through his Instagram dms countless times this past day to see if her face pops up, all to no avail. It's weird, because in most cases, the media must find her social media by now. They're sharks, and Percy's not afraid to admit that. He's had the paparazzi called on him countless times, causing him to experience first-hand the dangers of the world, the dangers of people and obsession. It terrifies Percy every single time he goes outside. The world is a scary place, but somehow, people are able to go about their day to day lives, relatively unscathed.
Percy's lucky. He knows this. But being lucky doesn't mean things are sucky. It does mean things aren't bad, that he doesn't have a hard time in certain situations. This is definitely one of those. Annabeth is— probably struggling more than him. And he's worried about what she's going through. He hopes that she's okay.
He sighs. She was— Annabeth was perfect. Her blonde curly hair bounced up and down in ringlets, like a princess. She had tanned skin, and these piercing grey eyes— oh god her eyes. They were tempting, analysing everything that was going on. Deep with intelligence, brimming with curiosity and knowledge. They had this passion in them, Percy could stare at her eyes for hours and not get bored, as creepy as that is to say. She wasn't someone he would ever overlook.
He hasn't stopped thinking about her. He hasn't stopped thinking about the entire meet and greet. There's no pause, his mine is clicking and shifting from subject to subject, with the same underlying theme. Her. There's so much he wants to know about her. The sad part of it all, is that he doesn't think he ever will. He doesn't know when he'll see her again, doesn't know if she'll even accept him. Hell, she's probably mad. He made the huge fucking mistake of accidently leaking her blog name, and he's pretty damn lucky he didn't say anything else, because that would be a disaster. An absolute fucking disaster, and Percy would never forgive himself. Percy's thankful he has somewhat of a control on what he spills. Even so, if he's angry, sad, or feeling a strong sense of any emotion, it's easy to just… say anything. And that's why he accidentally dropped her blog name. Because he was so full of desperation, he didn't know what else to do. He was overwhelmed, and being sought after, so eventually, he just… said it. And he regrets it, so much, because Annabeth is no longer able to put her thoughts to the world. It's horrible.
This is one of those many, many moments that Percy wishes he wasn't famous. This is one of those moments where he wishes he had privacy, wishes that he could walk around freely and meet up with the girl he loves without a ruckus. Without intense speculation about him cheating happening. Without even having a fake-relationship.
And then it hits him. He hasn't signed a contract or anything regarding his fake dating with Calypso. What if… he could just end it? Without his management knowing. He's sure Calypso would go along with it, she's nice enough. They would just need a lot of planning, but Percy knows he could do it without his management even catching wind of it.
He grabs his phone, and opens up a new notes document. There, he puts Annabeth's name, Calypso's name, and Leo's. He knows by the way he's seen Leo look at Calypso that he'll be on board with this. He hates the idea of Percy fake dating Calypso almost as much as he does, but obviously, for very different reasons. He then puts Nico's name, because who knows? Maybe he'll actually want to help.
He gets up from his seat, and then leaves the studio, his face stone cold serious. When he gets into his car, he types Calypso's number into his phone, and then calls her.
She picks up on the third ring. "Percy. What a surprise." She says cheerfully.
"Calypso," Percy starts. "I need you to help me with something."
…
As expected, Calypso whole-heartedly agrees, and even offers some of her own insights. "It needs to be in a public space, and we'd also need to arrange media to be there, so it actually gets coverage. If not, then we'll put it out on social media. If you want Annabeth to know, then it'll have to be public."
Percy nods. "That makes sense. Uh, would you want to come over to my house, just to talk logistics?"
"Sure," Calypso says, "is anyone else going to be there?" She adds.
Percy shrugs. "I don't know. I was thinking about calling Leo or Nico."
"Maybe you shouldn't." Calypso tells him quickly. "I think this should be something more personal between the two of us. And you wouldn't want them to get in trouble."
Percy sighs. "I guess so. I'll send you the address, okay?"
He hangs up, and then quickly texts the address to Calypso. He soon arrives back at home, and then orders some pizza, just because he's not sure how long they'll be. When it arrives, Calypso hasn't arrived, so he can privately enjoy the pun ("You wanna pizza me, tough guy?"). He takes out one of his empty notebooks, and then opens his phone to the notes app, which is now equipped with ideas for how to do it. It.
This honestly is so screwed up, to be honest. Anyone who has to strategize their breakup with a so-called "partner," is definitely not in a good place. He literally has a list of restaurants they could go to, and do it at. This is something you only really see in the movies, and Percy astounded at the fact that this is his real life. He's actually become a complete and total cliche. Next thing you know, he'll be running in slow-mo to Annabeth after he breaks up with Calypso. Like there's no complications at all. He's probably not ever going to see her again.
Breaking up with Calypso isn't just for her, Annabeth. It's for him too, like he's said multiple times, he can't continue pretending. He can't fake his entire life, it's just not something that's feasible. It's the same way for everyone. At some point, when you're faking, it isn't your life anymore. It's somebody else's. Percy hasn't reached that stage yet, but it does really feel like it's coming to that. That he's changed so much he's not Percy anymore. And if he's not Percy, then who is he?
He doesn't want to hear the answer to that question.
But the thing is, Percy isn't entirely ashamed. And to be honest, he doesn't know if he's changed that much. It's extremely contradictory, and yes, actions speak louder than words, but overall, his mindset, his thoughts have stayed the same. They've matured yes, but they're still Percy. Of course, his actions, the scandals (some of which, he doesn't even know where they've come from), show the world that he has. Misguidance is what has caused all of this. And on the daily, Percy wishes he could cuss out his management. Some things they do are good, but they're extremely shitty maintaining a clear, accurate, image of him.
He puts a slice of pizza on one of his plates, just as there's a loud knock at the door. Calypso. He walks over, and looks in the tiny peep-hole, just to make sure. When he sees her, standing with a simple dress and coat on, he opens the door. "Hey," he says, "you ready?"
Calypso smiles sweetly. "Not really."
"Same." Percy says. "I ordered pizza, just in case you were hungry." He's just a tiny bit anxious about this entire thing. He wants to be natural, a host, but also, like, he really wants to get this planning over with. It's already awkward to start with, so to be honest, there's now way that this could feel natural. But still, Percy is trying, because he wants this to be as painless as possible. Preferably without him tearing up. Not that that's wrong. Just that he'd rather not cry in front of Calypso. He'd rather not cry in front of anyone that could quickly connect themselves to the media. He knows Calypso wouldn't "betray" him, if that's a word he can use in this context, but it's always important to be cautious.
She looks over to it. "Cool." She takes one of the smaller slices, and puts it in a place, before grabbing one of the brown napkins that come with each order, and wiping off the side of the plate. "So, what were you thinking?" She asks. "Where, how?"
Percy swallows. "Well, we could go to that same restaurant we went to on our first 'date'" he puts up to quotation marks. "So it, like, hits closer to home."
Calypso stares at him. He takes this as agreement. Which is nice, because he's not entirely confident in his ideas.
He continues. "Um, I think it'd be most reasonable if you were the one to bring it up, just with the context about Annabeth." He feels himself grow pink, just as he says her name. Everytime he says it out loud, his heart flutters a bit.
Calypso smiles in a low-key way. Not like she's trying to hide it, more like she's trying to keep it small. There's a little bit of sadness in there, but Percy only sees that in her eyes. "You really do love her."
"I'm sorry." He nods. Because he really does love her. Annabeth, he means. She's just— she's all he's ever wanted, and even while meeting her in person, he still got that sense of normality. A tiny bit less, but it was still there.
"What do you have to be sorry about?" She nudges him. "This was never real."
"When I kissed you, that first night, I— that was a real kiss."
Calypso looks at him kindly. "It was. And I did like you. I still kind of do, although that's fading away. But…" she carefully bites her slice of pizza and chews. "I think that in order for us both to be happy, we need it to be real. And this isn't real," she motions between the two of them. "I completely understand why you don't want this. I know that first night… was a mistake, and that's how we got into this sucky situation."
"'We'?" Percy questions. He didn't know there was a "we."
She nods. "I didn't want to do this either."
"But you said—"
"I said that because it was what my father wanted to hear. And I did it, because at the time, I thought you were interesting. It wouldn't do me any harm if I fake dated, but when I saw that it caused you harm, I knew that it wasn't right. We live in a kind of screwed up world, so."
Percy beams at her. "Thank you so much for understanding."
"Who would I be if I didn't?"
…
The next day, Percy calls Dionysus, telling him he won't be in the studio. Dionysus sounds annoyed by this, but he lets it go, and then hangs up in a flurry, because of course, he's irritated. Percy doesn't care, he has a lot to do today. Calypso and him stayed up until about midnight brainstorming and planning. They called the restaurant where they made their first appearance as a couple in, and reserved seats near the front. Then, Calypso, being smart, tipped off a news site that the two of them might be there. To be honest, it feels a little weird, because it's the first time he's felt like he had control over his life as a celebrity.
Calypso arrives at his house at precisely eleven-thirty in the morning, and they talk over their plan.
"We go in," Calypso says, "take seats, and start to eat. The conversation starts light, and then I ask you about the Athens Acropolis girl, Annabeth. We continue talking, and the conversation escalates, until we leave, and then continue to argue outside. Then, I break up with you, and it's all over. We go separate ways, I'll have two cars waiting for us, and all you'll have to worry about is your management's response." She hesitates. "I'll make sure my father doesn't do anything too rash, but be prepared for something, I'm not sure what." She takes his hand. "You got this?"
Percy nods, and then smiles, slightly. He thinks of Annabeth, and then looks over to her dresser, where her phone sits. He's hoping that he'll be able to return it, if they ever see each other again. He then, in a spur of the moment decision, takes his hand away from Calypso, and then walks over to it, and picks it up. He clicks it open, and it displays a picture of her, with her arms around two people. One, is a tall blonde icy blue eyes, and then a girl, who has short, spiky black hair with the tips dyed blue, eyeliner, and a leather jacket. They're all smiling. On the case of the phone, in small lettering, it reads, "property of Annabeth Chase, if found, please return." Nothing else. He smiles at her handwriting, precise and even with a little slant to it. Then, he shuts it off, and looks back up to Calypso.
"Okay, I'm ready." He says.
All goes well until they get to the restaurant. There, Percy feels himself shaking, because he's really nervous. His heart is beating and his face is getting hot, and it's just not a good situation for anyone. He wipes his forehead, and tries to look normal as they walk in, hand in hand. A server greets them, slightly blushing as Percy smiles at her, and they're seated near the front. Being the absolute child he is, he orders the same thing as he did the first time— a seared steak skillet— while Calypso orders something called Caviar, that Percy hasn't seen before in his life. They strike up a conversation, trying to look normal, and once the food arrives, they begin to eat, and Calypso winks at him. Then, her face immediately turns cold, which he starts getting genuinely scared about.
With her cold face on, she winks, and then cocks her head. Percy looks over ever so slightly, to see a single man on the opposite side of the window, scrolling through his phone, nonchalantly looking up at the two of them every few seconds. Percy nods slowly.
"So," Calypso starts, her face cold. "Who is this Acropolis lady I heard the news talking about?" She really is a great actor, Percy has a feeling she'll be getting bigger and bigger roles in the future. She continues on, going through somewhat of a script, until Percy finds the two of them both standing up, glaring at each other, food unfinished. They argue on their way out, Percy trying his hardest not to break character, because unlike Calypso, this isn't a natural thing for him. They continue, until the man, who was once scrolling through his phone, now calls someone, murmuring silently about the argument going on, as if the two of them can't listen.
Percy swallows, as they stand in front of the restaurant. It's pretty secluded— or well, there aren't a lot of people walking by this part of town, especially since celebrities frequent this area, or district. He's reassured by this, because really the only people outside of the music or hollywood scene that walk around here are the paparazzi, or over-excited fans.
"Percy," Calypso says, yanking him out of his thoughts, "if you don't want this, then tell me," she honestly looks so emotional that he worries that maybe, she's actually hurt. "I don't want you lying."
Percy stares at her. "Then I don't want this."
"Are you breaking up with me?" Calypso questions, her voice quavering. How can she do that on command?
He tries. "I— I guess so."
Calypso brandishes a single fake tear towards him, and she looks away, before stomping in the other direction. And Percy just stands, trying to show some emotion on his face. What's done is done, and he may get fire and gas from his management for doing this, but he knows it's what's right. He knows that everything happens for a reason, and that means his decision to do this is sounds and reasonable. Hopefully, his friends will think the same.
He pulls Annabeth's phone out of his pocket, and traces his finger against her precise script, before looking back at the man who had most likely been recording them. He's smiling to himself, as he types furiously on his phone. A story will be out soon about it, and that'll definitely mean he has to put out a statement for it, because what's done is done.
So he walks away, shoving Annabeth's phone in his pocket, and races to a car, a black limo, and gets in. The limo drives away, and he puts his hand to his heart. This is— not a great day, but he knows that a good one will come soon. Somehow, despite his doubt and grief, he knows that happiness is coming soon.
…
When Percy gets back to the studio, he sets Annabeth's phone down, next to his notebook, just for motivation. He checks his watch, knowing that any second, Dionysus will appear in the doorway, hounding him for information, possibly yelling at him. Percy cares, obviously, but he knows that in the long run, this'll ultimately help him.
He writes a couple of words down on the notebook in front of him, glancing back in forth as he writes.
"Each word you say to me,
makes me feel more free
I don't know why you can't see,
that you mean everything to me."
As he said before, what's done is done. He checks his watch one more time, and then picks up his own phone, as the first of most likely, many stories pops up on the break-up. He sees the storm coming, so he grabs his notebook, shoving his own phone in his pocket, and then leaves the room, ready to exit the studio as soon as possible. Dionysus will come running any minute, but he'll have to call, because Percy really, really doesn't want to see him in person right now.
But, unbeknownst to him, Annabeth's phone lives on the light brown, wooden table, ready to be seen by anyone. And being the unlucky person Percy is, that anyone, is Dionysus Vino.
…
~when it's real, you'll know it, you won't be confused about it~
Dun dun dun lol. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Ty ty for all the support! Reminder: not updating tomorrow, I'm not able too. Leave a review! Lmk what you think! Stay safe and healthy! Until the next chapter!
TheLil'Lion