Hey everyone! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: Don't own. Never will. I've used this one too many times, but I'm sincerely out of ideas.
~headline: what family is for~
…
Annabeth narrowly (well, completely) avoids the news feed on her computer. She really— really— doesn't want to see what's going on, especially since most of the articles these past couple of days have pertained to her. She's been trying to avoid all sorts of social media, while of course, not being obvious about it. She hasn't told Helen, or even Frederick about the situation and the fact that she doesn't have the phone. Annabeth doesn't have her phone. And as sad as it is to say, her phone is a big part of her lifeline. Like, she can live without it, obviously, obviously, but it's just hard to go about the day normally. Especially since the first thing she does in the morning, is unfortunately, grab for her phone. She's done this for the past day or so, but then pulled away, feeling weird, because her phone is not in it's normal position—charging beside her bed. It just feels awkward. And she's annoyed, because everything must be blowing up, and must be getting long strings of texts from different people, so there's a problem there. Since she can't respond, she's left feeling vulnerable and also useless. So, so, so useless.
She really should tell Frederick and Helen about it. That's like, what you do when you've lost something important. You tell other people— family. Though, she's not sure if she considers them family yet. Frederick, he's getting there, but Helen hasn't really made an effort to talk to her one on one. And that kind of seems like something that someone would do, especially in the case of hers. Basically, Helen was a homewrecker, and Annabeth doesn't know a lot about what happens, just that it had been going on for a couple of years while Frederick and her mom were married. More than two years, because Bobby and Matthew couldn't have just come out of nowhere.
Annabeth has thought about it tons and tons of times, but she's never been able to reason a, well, reasonable rationale for cheating on your wife, and then running away. It's the one thing, out of many things, that they haven't covered the past. They also haven't talked about the fact that Frederick never reached out. Only one measly birthday card was sent, and then nothing. Nothing at all. The card said something along the lines of: "This isn't your fault Annabeth, I love you, and will see you again."
Well, that was bullshit. The only time she saw him again was when her mother died, and Annabeth would give anything to get her back. The life she has in California isn't horrible but like… she's her mom. Everybody dies at some point, but why did it have to be so soon? And Annabeth is still just a kid. She's seventeen years old, so maybe not so much of a kid, but it's still a young age.
She scuttles out of her room, and then to the bathroom in order to get ready for the day. She takes a quick shower, trying to— as ridiculous as it is— wash away all the horrible things that she's feeling. She doesn't know about anything that's happened, or could have happened in the last couple of days, and that frightens her. Sort of. All articles said the situation was pending, so she wonders if anything new was revealed. It's something reasonable to dwell on, especially since Annabeth has deactivated her email, logged out of her Instagram, not allowing any new notifications to come in, in an attempt to become a ghost on the internet.
She slips out of the shower and into a towel and then goes to brush her teeth. She washes her face and then takes some of her concealer, putting it over a small red dot that's on the bottom side of her chin. She rubs it in with the side of her thumb. Annabeth doesn't think anyone at this age has a clear face. Even Percy, when she met him, had a couple of bumps on the side of his chin. Annabeth only gets the occasional pimple or two on her face, and while she doesn't usually cover them up, she's been getting increasingly self-conscious since she moved here. There are just so many beautiful people walking along the streets, and it's sad to say, but it's been rubbing off on her. There's nothing wrong with wanting to look good, or put some makeup over a pimple, but Annabeth does wish people were able to embrace themselves for who they are, while also sometimes putting make-up on.
She always goes on this kind of tangent whenever she puts any bit of makeup on, mostly because it's hard to rationalize that she's changing too. It's inevitable, obviously, but for anyone else, and like her, it's a little bit scary. A lot to process.
She sets the tube of concealer down, and then leaves the bathroom, rushing to her room and grabbing some clothing from her drawer. Today, again, it's a simple hoodie and jeans. Like always. She puts it on, and goes downstairs to grab her breakfast— the daily pop-tart.
She pops it into the toaster, and then several minutes later, it's on a plate, ready to be eaten. Just as she finishes it, Bobby and Matthew come down the stairs, which is weird, because Helen's usually the first one up, followed by Frederick, and then the boys. They clomp down the steps, and make a bowl of cereal, before going over to the couch where Annabeth is sitting, and staking claim. She awkwardly sets her plate on the coffee table in front of them, and then looks down at her hands, because she doesn't have her phone to occupy her. The two of them give her a weird look, but continue to eat their cereal. She offers them a smile, which Matthew returns, and Bobby ignores, still going at it with his cereal.
Annabeth coughs again.
The boys have now finished their cereal, so all three of them are sort of just stuck there, staring at each other. No one speaks. It's very awkward. Annabeth doesn't want to break the silence, but also like, this is weird. She feels very uncomfortable. She looks over to the small analog clock that sits on the white shelf, which shows there's about twenty minutes until they have to leave. Frederick and Helen have made their way downstairs, and are currently in the kitchen, eating. She gets up, and starts to walk over to get her bag, which is by the door. Hopefully, she'll be able to draw or something. When she returns, Bobby and Matthew are whispering to one another. They see her, and stop. Annabeth groans. "Do you have something to say to me?" She sits down.
Bobby clears his throat, but doesn't say anything. "Uh," Matthew starts, "are you okay?"
Not really no, but she's not going to tell them that. "I guess."
"Have you— just, be careful at school." Matthew adds. "Watch out."
Annabeth stares at them. "What would I need to watch out for?" She says slowly, her mind jumping to the worst case scenario— paparazzi.
"It may just be a rumor," Bobby adds, dropping his silence. Annabeth thinks it might be the first time he's spoken to her personally, which frankly, is kind of sad.
Annabeth nods. "Okay." She says. "Uh— could you like, tell me what the rumor is?"
"I don't think it's true…" Matthew trails off, and Annabeth furrows brows, because like, why can't they just be forward about it, and tell her. "You went to that meet and greet thing with Percy Jackson, right?"
Annabeth nods.
"Well like, apparently your name was leaked, or something? I don't know what happened, but like, I read something on Instagram about it."
Annabeth bits her lip. She did not know that. But there has to be like, hundreds of Annabeth Chase's in the world. "Uh— okay." She says, shrugging. It can't be that bad. Like, the paparazzi aren't going to come to an education facility and harass her. It's not that big of the deal. She'll probably get a few questions, but not really anything else. She's not that worried about it. There are bigger things to think about, right?
…
Wrong. She gets absolutely flogged at school. Even before she has entered the building, seven different people walk up to her. Her brothers, for the first time, are actually kind of defending her, they saw more people approaching her, and then like, glued themselves to her side. She's not sure why, if Frederick told them to do so or something, but she's touched by it. It's all of a sudden, but Annabeth will take it. More and more people keep coming up to the two of them, and Bobby and Matthew help her push them away. All three of them are quiet, and don't really ask that many questions. She's thankful for her younger step-brothers for the first time since he went here. She guesses it takes actual danger for people to bond. Is this bonding? Probably. Matthew and Bobby have muttered to her a couple of times about how annoying this is, and Annabeth has muttered back that she agrees. As they finally approach the school, more people swarm, and ask.
In New York, nobody would care. No one would make a real fuss about it, especially since Annabeth has already established herself there. But, Annabeth supposes geographical location can change a couple of things— mindsets, reactions, and norms. It seems everyone in California— or well, everyone in LA— is clamoring for fame, trying to do something that will get them recognized. Hell, Annabeth wants to do something to get her recognized. Out of all these people, the most commonly asked question is— how did you do it?
Do what? Is what Annabeth's answer is. She hasn't done anything, except, maybe talk to Pylos, meet Percy/Pylos, and then lose her phone. She still really needs it. The rest of everything that has happened is just pure luck. Or well, bad luck. So maybe pure isn't the right word.
When she finally gets into the school, Bobby and Matthew walk her to Dr. Brunner's office, and she's pulled in at once by Piper. The twins smile at her a little bit, and then go to walk back with their friends. Dr. Brunner is on his computer, clicking through documents.
Piper speaks first. "We have a lot to talk about so I'll get Dr. Brunner to write us passes."
Dr. Brunner looks up. "You will?"
"Annabeth's getting flogged, so like, she won't even really be able to learn at all."
Dr. Brunner looks back to his computer, unbothered. Piper seems to take this as a yes. "Okay, okay, okay. So like, first thing— you know Percy Jackson! What the fuck." She says it in this horrifyingly cheerful voice. "Tell me what happened."
Annabeth explains everything best she can, talking about Pylos, the music, Girl in My Corner, and her blog. She finishes on the fact that she and Pylos developed a sort of friendship, and she kind of loves him.
Piper stares at her for a moment, and seriously, Annabeth thinks, she's the daughter of a celebrity, this can't be huge news for her. "Okay." Piper finally says. "You lost your phone. Percy Jackson supposedly has it?"
Annabeth nods again. "I guess." She clears her throat. "I saw a couple headlines, but I've been trying to avoid all the news. My blog name was leaked to, so that's a little bit scary. Um, and I was told my name was leaked, or something? I don't even know how that happened. Did— did Percy say anything?"
Piper puts her hands together. "That's something I have an answer for. Okay, so apparently Percy and Calypso Atlas went on a date? And they broke up because of you?"
"They weren't really dating. " Annabeth adds quietly. "He told me that. It was all for the press, or something."
Piper frowns. "That's stupid." She continues on, "Well, anyway, so like, that happened, and apparently, he accidentally left your phone somewhere in his studio, and the media found it I guess, and then leaked your name?"
Annabeth smacks herself in the face. "Shit, my name was literally on the case." She leans back. "I'm sure a dumbass," she mutters, and shakes her head. "How did they come to the conclusion that the phone was mine?"
"Probably because all the signs were pointing that way. As annoying as they are, the Pap's aren't entirely stupid. I mean, some of the headlines say otherwise," Piper rambles. "Like, one time, it said my dad might be a recovering drug addict that had gone to space? I don't know where that came from, but like, back to the main subject. Your name is leaked, and they know what you look like now, so… that's not good."
Annabeth looks around desperately. "What am I supposed to do?"
"Wait till this blows over," Piper replies, reasonably. "Until then, maybe get a new phone? I don't think your old one is coming back."
Annabeth rubs her eyes. "Literally everything was on that phone. Shit."
"Yeah, it's definitely one of those moments." Piper says, and then the bell rings. She looks over to Dr. Brunner, who is still going through his computer. "Can we stay?"
Dr. Brunner looks at the door. "I might have to send Annabeth home if it's that big of a problem."
"You never sent me home when I first came here."
"That's because you know how to handle this. Annabeth does not."
Piper groans, and then looks over to Annabeth. "Can you just like, fill in the blanks for me? Because I really want to know what's going on. Percy hasn't commented on anything about it, I checked out your blog after those articles came out and it's barren, plus everything on your Instagram is gone. How— do you think you'll be able to deal with it all?"
Annabeth sighs. The truth is, she doesn't think she will. And what sucks, is that all this news coming out means that she won't see Percy again. The promise they made to each other is now illegitimate, and it's sad to think that she won't even be able to contact him. Even when she does put her social media back up, or (maybe) re-opens her blog, she's sure that they won't have any more connections. Percy has a tour coming up for the album he's supposedly releasing soon, and Annabeth… well, this is her last year in high school. She'll be moving onto bigger and better things— college. They'll soon forget about it all, and that's the truth.
"Time." Is all Annabeth says. "I'll wait. Nothing is going to come out of this, and as you've said to me before, the media will settle down eventually and feast on something new. Calypso, Percy and I are just the hottest topics right now. I mean, who woulda' thought?" She almost says, If my mom was here now, she'd know what to do. She bites her tongue at it, because it's a discussion she really doesn't want to have.
Piper still looks worried. And Annabeth's worried too, she just knows that eventually— eventually, this'll blow over. She knows that she'll only be cared about for a week or two, if she's "lucky" a month, and then all will be dropped. She might be recognized at some point, but… well, that won't matter. It won't ruin her chances or anything like that.
Piper takes out her phone, and opens her news feed, scrolling down, and taping onto one article. The headline simply reads, "Calypso Atlas and Percy Jackson break up! Could this be due to a certain mystery girl." She looks through the article, and frowns. They broke up. That happened. "They don't even know what they're talking about."
"Yeah they do," Piper taps on another article. "Who is the mysterious Annabeth Chase, and what is her relation to Percy Jackson?" It has attached the picture which is her phone's lock screen. She, Thalia, and Luke are all posing together.
Goddamnit that's creepy. Like— what the fuck? How can people think that something like that isn't terrifying? "Okay, well that's fucking creepy." Annabeth tells her, and then covers her mouth when Dr. Brunner (for the first time ever, like, why is he only caring now?) gives her a look.
"I know right?" Piper says. "Luckily, they couldn't get into your phone, but it just really shows what people will do to reveal the life of someone they don't even know."
"Time for me to cancel all my credit cards." Annabeth jokes. Piper laughs but hesitantly, because this kind of is a serious situation. They stare at each other for a couple of moments, and then Annabeth looks to Dr. Brunner. "I don't think I can go to school for the next couple of days." She tells him. "This is worse than I thought." She looks back over to Piper. "Could you call Frederick?"
She still resists calling them her parents.
Dr. Brunner taps against the side of his glasses for a moment, his eyebrows scrunched together thinking. "Yes Miss Chase. I think that would be best." He finally says, after several moments of contemplation. "Would you like me to tell your brothers that you'll be getting picked up early?"
Annabeth thinks about it. Will they even care? Their actions this morning say that, yeah, maybe they would, so she nods. "I think that would be a good idea." She responds politely.
Dr. Brunner makes a note on a pad of paper, and then types a few things into his computer, peering closely at it, before writing a couple numbers (or, Annabeth thinks), onto a small sheet of paper. Dr. Brunner looks over to Piper. "You want a pass out of class?"
Piper nods eagerly.
"Give these to Bobby and Matthew. The room numbers are written below their names."
Dr. Brunner is kind of an awesome teacher. Or psychiatrist, whatever.
"I'm going to call your parents now." Dr. Brunner then says to her, and Annabeth bites her lip, because again. Parents. That world sounds so foreign, to her at this moment. Dr. Brunner types a couple of things into his phone, and then waits a couple seconds, before speaking. Annabeth blocks this all out, focusing on the metallic star cushion that changes color when you brush against it one way. She feels like a kid again.
Dr. Brunner gets off the phone. "Your step-mother will be arriving soon. I explained the situation to her."
And… Annabeth bites her lip. This is going to be awkward.
…
Helen arrives after Piper has given the slips to Bobby and Matthew. She smiles sweetly at Annabeth, and then guides her to Chase's other car, which is a sleek white model. Annabet's not sure why she hasn't noticed it before. She thinks it's maybe the fact that she's still not entirely used to cars, much less two of them owned by the same family. In New York, she would just take the subway or walk.
She sits in the shotgun seat, and Helen starts up the car, starting to drive home. "Are you okay?" She says worriedly.
"I'm fine." Annabeth replies, looking down at her knees. "Just flustered. There's a lot going on." She adds to the end, hoping to not elaborate anymore.
Helen muses. "It seems so." She hums to herself a little bit, but mostly, they drive in silence, Once they arrive back at the home, Helen lets her in, and says that she can have Bobby and Matthew get her homework. Annabeth shakes her head no, saying that Piper has the same classes as her. The girl scrawled her number sloppily against her arm, and told her to call from a land-line or something, if she needed anything. She'll get her homework from her.
Annabeth doesn't know when she'll be going back. She hopes it's not too long, but then again, what does she know.
Before Helen disappears into her office, Annabeth thanks her, because although she doesn't really like the woman that much, she did just drive her home and ask if she was okay. She even gave her a bowl of nuts to eat and a glass of water. She's not a bad person, Annabeth knows that. She just needs time accepting everything. Helen smiles once she thanks her, and then leaves to go into her office. Annabeth wonders what she even does in there— she's a model or something right? Maybe she does photography too. She doesn't really know a lot about Helen, or even her relationship with Frederick. That's because she hasn't ever asked, never wanted to ask. But now she's curious. All this time, she's seen Helen as some homewrecker, and well… she kind of is, and Annabeth doesn't know if she'll ever forgive her for that, but still, she's a human being too. With a complex life, complex thoughts. Everyone she's met is like that. She's feeling sonder— that's the word for it. Realizing everyone else has a life just as complex as her own. And it's a humbling feeling, but Annabeth still thinks of herself, like every other human, as self-centered, she guesses. With everything that's been happening in her life, she hasn't bothered to explore others. Helen especially, she doesn't know anything about the woman. She's a mystery to her.
But solving that mystery would just be one more worry added to the stack of things she has to think about. There's just so many things going on at the same time, each which are hard to process and experience. It's too much for one person to handle, and she just wants to figure them all out as soon as possible.
Annabeth hopes that she'll be able to get through all of these problems. She hopes that she'll be able to find answers, hopefully, from the source itself— Percy Jackson.
…
~when you don't have an answer to a question, make your own~
I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you all so so much for the support you've shown, it means the world, and I'm so lucky to have you all. Tysm for reading! Leave a review, lmk what you think! Stay safe and healthy! Until the next chapter!
TheLil'Lion