Chapter 49: Undefine the Defined
WOAH WOAH WOAH! FANFICTION WORLD HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN SINCE THIS AAZ JERK ASS WHOLE HAVE BEEN ON HERE! okay fine… maybe it's been like a little over 6 months (just saying it was 5 months but…. ehhhhh I'll probably say that the reason why was because reading BoO just killed my happy mood but hey! that's not it!
Since the last time I updated….. I AM FINALLY AN ADULT! (well kinda) I JUST TURNED 18 LIKE TWO WEEKS AGO! SO YAY! So my excuses for not updating for so long (but don't worry guys I'm a person who likes to finish what she started so…
Excuses: finally a senior and I wanna have fun (jk jk) Senior year is college apps, last minute SAT and ACT shit you know? then of course work (I now work an extra day… so yeah! but the kids are cute so it's fine) then as most of you know I'm in marching band… and I'm also struggling with like 4 ap classes this year (one of them being Calc BC… so I'm dying!) then of course….. a few more happy things! LET's JUST HAPPY HAPPY ALL AROUND! SO THIS IS AN EXTRA LONG CHAPTER (kinda…) FOR YOU ALL!
First of all (and I know since I've been gone for a while ya'll probably think that I'm like dead or something :DD but hey! still alive! and just going to say… thanks to you all! I mean seriously! even though it doesn't look like it I'm always reading the reviews and smiling and laughing like crazy to myself! And guys if anything just PM me I'll always reply! give it a month or a couple weeks but I will always reply to my PM I swear to the River Styx! If you guys are going through a tough time just hit me up; i'm an awkward little bitch but I'm always willing to lend an ear!
Cause I'm weird: repeat the first line of the chapter and laugh your heart out :) okay… maybe I do have a bad humor...
Percy's POV:
"Ugh…" A bump. "Shit." I jumped.
"Dammit Yew, it's not that hard!" A familiar female voice blared through my head.
"Just shut up Clarisse, I'm the medic here, he'll wake up in a bit, just a tiny shock." An unfamiliar voice answered.
"Who the hell faints from shooting someone?!" Clarisse demanded angrily.
"Not you apparently." The guy's voice answered again.
"I swear Yew… I'll-"
"Kick my ass, skewer me alive, I've heard it all, got anything new up your sleeve La Rue?"
I cautiously opened my eyes to see a bunch of guards… no soldiers? That's not the word but just a bunch of people carrying guns and handcuffing people. Did I hit my head or something?
"Well there you go, he's awake." The Yew guy announced as my vision slowly came into focus.
"Get your ass up Jackson, you are not hurt, not even the slightest bit." Clarisse grumbled.
I sat up and immediately felt a numbing pain on my back side.
"Well… except the unexpected fall after you shot the guy to death." Clarisse mumbled. "Nice job by the way."
Immediately the scene came back to me. I remembered hearing a gunshot hitting… "What-"
"I can't disclose any information to you." Clarisse said quietly.
"Can't disclose any information to me?! I nearly died in-"
Clarisse glared at me, "How about you tell me about your knowledge of Luke Castellan's action behind my friend's death?!"
I stayed silent.
Clarisse took a deep breath as if trying to get her temper under control, "So shut the fuck up Jackson! Just like you said before, 'some things are best kept hidden."
"Where is he then?
"Luke Castellan?" Clarisse said his name with distaste. "Obviously… he's dead-" Clarisse glared at me again. If looks could kill, her glare could be the death glare.
"What?!" I may hate the guy's gut, but I didn't want him to die, especially since he helped us…
"He should be glad he is dead." Clarisse grumbled.
"Did you-" I was going to ask if she was somehow involved in his death after finding about her knowledge of Silena's true killer.
"I would've loved to, but unfortunately at the last moment he found out that his death should be worth something." Clarisse grumbled.
"What-"
"You mind if I talk to Mr. Jackson?" A voice interrupted my questioning.
I turned out. It was that woman again.
Clarisse looked between me and the woman, "He's your problem." Clarisse grumbled. "My group's job here is done, I have the information I need and we expect you-"
The woman looked at Clarisse, "Of course this will be cleaned up without a trace."
Clarisse nodded as if the answer satisfied her. "I could expect that much… and the-"
"They'll be taken care of accordingly." The woman replied. "I suspect Luke Castellan's corpse would be under your care?"
Clarisse eyes showed no emotion, "After thorough examination, his corpse will be under the care of his only family member of course."
The woman nodded as if she had all the information she needed. "Mr. Jackson would you care to follow me?"
I took in a deep breath. Holy shit… I'm going to die.
~PAGEBREAK~
The woman took me towards the paramedics truck where I saw a familiar unconscious blondie being carted away into the van.
I turned back to the older woman and took the time to study her. Sure she dyed her hair brown and aged a couple years but the way she talked and the way she carried herself… I could never get that image out of my head.
Flashback
I didn't know whether to feel relieved or feel scared.
The man that has tortured my life for the past couple years… he's finally dead.
They blamed him for conspiring against some government agency. As much of an idiot that most people presumed that I was, I knew that whatever I just heard was clearly classified.
The group in front of me dispersed and I saw the dead form of my step-dad. I shuddered and inched away from the scene. "Delete the drive and informed his death as an overdose in alcohol. Make sure to wipe this house clean of evidences." The person who seemed to be in-charged commanded.
"Yes ma'am." Half the group left while the other half stayed for 'clean-up'.
I waited in my hiding place. The ADHD in my body seem to have calmed down, as it was a miracle that I was able to sit so still. An hour passed and I didn't let my eye tear from the scene at all.
"You guys leave first, I'm going to do a quick clean-up before heading back." The woman who shot my stepdad halted and turned around. Her line of vision seems to be directed at the place where I was hiding.
The last remaining of the group got out and I was the only one left… It was me… and the woman who shot Gabe.
"You can come out now." The woman said quietly to the open air. At first I was totally convinced that this woman was a lunatic until she continued. "Perseus Jackson, I'm talking to you."
I nearly jumped at the sound of my full name.
The woman sighed before crouching down to my hiding place. "I could see you from a mile away."
"How'd you know my name?" I asked trying not to shudder.
"You're Gabe Ugliano's stepson." The woman replied simply. "How long have you been here?" She asked looking me over.
I stared up at the woman. She seemed to be around the same age as my mother, but seem to lack the motherly feel. "A couple days." I answered honestly. "Where's my mom?"
I know… a grown sixth grader asking for his mom… how lovely…
The woman's face soften as if she was reminded of something. "She's safe. My team found her and she's being transported home at this moment."
"So she's okay?" I asked again for reassurance.
The woman stared at me for a second before answering. "Yes, she's okay. How did you know she was missing? You were kidnapped by Gabe before-"
Before I could stop myself I quickly blurted out the situation between Gabe and I, "He told me that nothing would happen to my mom if I just went with him."
The woman look thoughtful for a second, "A minor as a bargaining chip… " She said as she frowned at Gabe's corpse. She turned back to me with a newfound appreciation. "Your mom is in safe hand, but you can't leave here… at least not yet."
I stared up at the woman in confusion. "But you just killed Gabe! Everything should be fine-"
She shushed me, "You heard information that you're not allowed to here. That's a crime, even for minors like yourself. If those information happen to fall into the wrong hand…"
"There's nothing else, Gabe is dead, I'm not going to-"
The woman studied me, "I believe that… but…my boss won't." She stared at the closed doorway before reaching into her backpack. "If you follow the back road, you'll hit a private airport. You have to promise to keep this information a secret. You can't tell anyone... no matter the cost." She stared at me seriously. "If my agency finds out that you have all this information on them… you'll get sucked into their world." She had a regretful look on her face. "A world of killing and lies."
I stared at her, not really comprehending what she said at all. "So… you want me to keep a secret? Sure that's not a problem… you have to promise that my mom won't get hurt again." I mustered as much courage as I can. Here… a mere twelve year old trying to strike a deal with a deadly woman.
The woman looked at me with a weird look before nodding. "Wait about thirty minutes before you use the back door. Just go on the straight road until you hit a private airport. Say that you know Minerva and they'll fly you back to New York."
"Is that your name?" I asked as the woman stood up to leave.
As she stood up and looked at me straight in the eye I saw the gray irises that gleamed in the darkness. "It's a nickname."
End of Flashback
"You were alive all this time…"
She smiled slightly.
"You're Athe- no… Minerva…." I said quickly to avoid eavesdroppers. "All this time, you were Annabeth's mom-"
The woman studied me for a second, "You remembered then."
I glared at her, "That's not the point! Annabeth is clearly your daughter! Why did you lie to her?"
She didn't answer my question. "How about you tell me why you decided to give Kronos the information he needed?"
"That's different! Your daughter's life was at risk! Did you expect me to just let her die?!"
Athena nodded. Not towards the answer to my question, but rather my answer to her question. "Exactly."
"You're not making any sense!" I yelled clearly pissed off at Annabeth's mom.
"I am." She insisted. "You would risk the world just to make sure she's safe-"
"And that's a bad thing?"
"It's a dangerous thing." She deadpanned. "The most dangerous flaws are those which are good in moderation. Kronos knew your weakness Percy Jackson and he'll keep using my daughter as a bargaining chip until you finally give him what he wants. So take my offer and keep this a secret or I will have no choice but to report you to my superiors."
I wasn't buying what she was saying even though I knew she was probably right. "Give up the agency and maybe live a peaceful life with your daughter!"
"You don't get it do you? I can't give up the agency-"
"You can't? Or you won't?" I asked her.
"Both." She answered without hesitation. "There's no escaping the agency. How did you think she was kept alive all this time? No one knew she was my daughter-"
"What's the difference? They know now…" I stubbornly insisted.
"I'm dead Perseus. It's better that way." She insisted.
"Why are you doing this?! You left Annabeth to live with her father while you alive this whole time! Keep believing that you're keeping your daughter's safe, but she's actually suffering the entire time! Your so-called death still haunts her! She hated me because I was responsible for your death! Can't you see how much Annabeth needs you?"
"She doesn't need me, she believes that she needs me, there's a difference." Athena insisted. "Give me a code to decipher or a case to crack… but I am not going to put my own daughter at risk."
"She was at risk the entire time!" I exclaimed.
Athena looked at me emotionlessly, "Cause she was with you the entire time." Athena glared at me. "All those years that I left her alone… no problem… but because she met you, everything went wrong."
"I didn't choose this-"
"But you knew the risk, yet you chose not to tell her."
"I kept my promise!"
"And I kept mine." She answered back coolly. "I'll ask you one favor and in return I'll give you the option of being by her side."
"You have no control over me." I began.
"Perseus Jackson, I had the opportunity to turn you into the agency years ago and I still have that option now." She warned me before her gaze softened. "I'm not going to pretend that I didn't notice how much you love her because it's obvious that you are completely in love with her. Tell her that I am dead. Tell her that I died a year ago, not because of that dumb accident four years ago. Tell your friends of the agency to cease all contact with you and Annabeth. I don't want my daughter to associate with anyone connected to the agency-"
"Thalia is Annabeth's best friend, there is no way-"
"Thalia will be announced dead, Nico will be announced dead. They'll be under the watch of the agency since they've caused quite a rebellious streak against the agency."
"Nico is alive?"
"He is physically alive, but to everyone else he will be dead." Athena finished.
I stared at Athena. "You can't just do that!"
"I'm afraid I can. I didn't take the precautionary with you that time, so I'll take it now. You are not allowed to be affiliated with the agency at all if you're going to be protecting Annabeth."
"I'm not following with this plan!" I glared at her. "You can't just control our life like that!"
Athena looked sympathetic for a second before answering, "If I don't do this, Annabeth will be targeted sooner or later. To the world, I might be dead, but to my enemies… I'm certainly still alive. They'll be targeting Annabeth and you included. Anything they could get their hands on. "
"Kronos is dead. I shot him-"
"His allies remain. There's much more organization that'll happily take innocent victims and since you are so lucky to be included into the charades of criminal activities, there's no way of stopping Annabeth to join you."
I stayed silent.
"I'm giving you two options… accept my proposal and lie to Annabeth, or we'll forcefully recruit you into the agency and you'll never be able to have a normal life again."
"I-" I couldn't form any words.
Athena took that as her answer. "Take my daughter home." She said quietly. "I'll get my team to take care of your two friends and rest assure, they are still alive."
"You're just a coward Athena." I said, not caring if she was the most dangerous agent alive.
She stared at me, her eyes piercing through my soul. "I'm not a coward, I'm merely taking precaution." She defended herself.
"No you are not taking precaution. You're scared of commitment, you're scare of committing yourself to being Annabeth's mother. Your work is not dangerous, at least to you it's not dangerous. You have a chance to be a mother but no… that is a new concept that you haven't completely grasp yet because you are scared. If you had been there around her, you could've had the chance to protect her and maybe she wouldn't be dragged into this without experience. So you're wrong. You are not protecting her by telling her that you died, you are hurting her more."
Athena looked at me one last time before she trotted back over to the scene to clear the evidences.
~PAGEBREAK~
I was brought into questioning by several agents and government officials but none of them were the familiar faces I was looking for. I may hate Nico for dragging me into this and despised Thalia for being a total jerk to me… but they were just going to disappear from my life like that?
And Luke… what the hell did Clarisse mean when she said 'his death should be worth something'?
Annabeth is obviously too weak to be accepting any visitors and I wanted to punch myself for dragging everyone into this mess… if it wasn't for Gabe… none of us would be in this mess. If it wasn't for Luke's wrong-doing or past wrong-doings we wouldn't be in this mess. If it wasn't for Nico suddenly dragging me into this, I wouldn't be in this mess. If it wasn't for Thalia I wouldn't have to be Nico's temporary partner. If it wasn't for Annabeth- my train of thoughts stopped.
The truth was obvious… it was all my fault.
Nico have only been trying to help me survive. Thalia was only trying to help Nico and on some occasion Annabeth. Luke was merely trying to save his mother and avenge Thalia. Annabeth was only trying to go to school in New York.
Me? I was the total jerk who completely ruined everyone's life. I stripped Nico and Thalia of their freedom in the civilian world. I totally destroyed Annabeth's chance at a normal life with her best friend and her mom. I can't fight that nagging feeling that I was responsible for Luke's death in a way. Clarisse is feeling anger because of my affiliation with Silena's and Beckendorf's death.
The scene started to clear away as the questions started wrapping up. I was lucky to escape the place with a few minor scratches and possibly a small concussion.
Clarisse and Chris offered me a ride home, along with the badly injured but thankfully alive Ethan Nakamura. Clarisse who was obviously still angry about not being able to get proper revenge for Silena and Chris… thank goodness was easing up the tension in the car.
"Nico and Thalia…" I began as I stepped out of the car.
Clarisse glared at me as if telling me to shut up, "They are dead obviously!"
"Clarisse…" Chris began.
"Just shut the car door, we're going home!" Clarisse yelled and Chris had no choice to be obey his obviously distressed wife.
That was pretty much how I was left stranded with scars all over my face right in front of my lovely company that believed I was on a long vacation.
"This is your place?" Ethan suddenly asked. He was so quiet that I forgot for a second that he was there.
"My workplace." I said quietly before turning to the guy. "What exactly happened in there?"
"Is Nico and Thalia still alive or…?"
Ethan glared at me with his good eye, "Is that all you care about?! What about Luke?!"
I looked at the guy surprised at his sudden outburst.
"Because of Luke, your friend Nico is alive. You happy? I knew it! We never should've gone back to rescue you and your friends. Luke should've listened to me." Ethan grumbled to himself.
"I'm sorr-"
"Don't be." Ethan said back. "Your friends may be announced dead, but at least you know they are still alive." He fumbled with his cast. "My only friend is actually dead." He glared at me again. "Luke was the only reason I decided to rescue you guys. You want to know why the agency have so much trouble? It's because they don't give a shit about their kid and family members. That was why Luke was pissed off. He took me in and we joined with one goal in mind, to give our parent the same treatment they've been giving us."
"It's not that bad-"
Ethan interrupted me, "It's not that bad for you because your dad actually gives a crap about you! You want to know what happened to my mom after they finished using her? They demoted her to the lowest rank and pretty much left her to rot!" Ethan was full on raging now. "There's really no justice in the world we live in. It's a world of contradiction and lies. The agency intention is considered good, but their methods are shit, whereas Kronos gang may be moderately bad, but at least they know how to treat someone as if they are humans. I don't give a crap about the agency or Kronos gang, all I care about is that my friend died."
I stayed silent.
"Listen, you seem like an okay guy. So heed my advice, try and stay as far away from the agency as possible. There's no need to get your hands messy."
With nothing to say, I decided to change the topic. "So what are you going to do now?"
Ethan reached out to the street and waved for a taxi. "You have a couple bucks to spare?"
I stared at him for a second before pulling out my wallet and handing him a couple bills. "You could live your life away from Kronos now-"
Ethan stared at the ground. "It's not that easy." He put on his leather jacket and looked at me one last time. "This is probably the last time we'll meet. Just don't forget what I said and honestly… try to live a normal life."
With that said Ethan got into cab and left me standing there before someone suddenly jumped onto me.
"Percy?" Out of nowhere I was bombarded by… is that Emily?
"Ouch!" I yelped in pain as she punched my shoulder.
She started laughing before realizing I was serious. "Wait you're-" With a glance she looked at the fresh blood on my face and the obvious limp in my leg and all over my arms.
"Emily, dude he's probably tired from his little vacation with Annie- Holy shit… did you get attacked my Godzilla or something?" The infamous Connor Stoll was somehow tagging along with my sister.
I shrugged. "Or something."
Connor cracked a smile, "Same old Percy alright."
Emily on the other hand, just looked plain worried, "Where's Annabeth?"
I wasn't really sure how to answer that. Annabeth is in the hands of special medical team of the government. Yeah… see how well that goes down with Emily.
Emily shook her head, "Never mind that, I'll call her later. Who the hell patched you up? This is not even qualified to heal you." She shook her head. "Connor, you have your truck?"
Connor grinned, "At your service ma'am."
"Just take me to the office." I grumbled.
"Sorry man, Emily's order." Connor grinned as he grabbed me from Emily.
"Since when were you whipped by my half-sister?" I mumbled.
"I am not-" Connor protested.
"Connor! Keys!"
"Yes ma'am!"
~PAGEBREAK~
"This is not the hospital…" I noticed.
Connor grinned, "Nope, this is the Stoll's resident of course."
"Connor, I'm trying to heal my wounds not harm myself." I sighed.
"Exactly! Don't worry as long as you don't step into my room, you are perfectly fine." Connor grinned as he nudged Emily.
"Since I'm banking all the money you gave me, Connor was nice enough to let me bunk in one of his spare prop room." Emily explained.
"Prop room?"
"Don't bother asking him." Emily mumbled.
Connor smile was intact on his face, "So we're going in?"
Emily looked at Connor in disbelief, "Sorry Connor, but since your prank last time… there is no way that you are allowed into my room unless your hands are bounded behind your back."
Connor frowned, "That's not fair, I could kick you out of this house of abusing your privileges."
Emily just grinned, "You love me too much for that. Let's not forget that little crush you have on me."
Connor's face tinted with a slight shade of pink, "I told you! Travis was-"
Emily just kissed him on the cheek, "Love you bro, now leave the room and get me that ice cream you've been promising me for days."
Connor just stared at Emily, but a grin quickly appeared on his face, "Be back in a flash!"
I gave Emily a curious look.
"What?" She questioned then shook her head, "Nevermind don't answer that, just go in."
We settled into Emily's room and I have to admit, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I could tell from the lack of free space that Emily inherited her messiness from our father. "So you're actually a med-student."
Emily shrugged and motioned for me to sit down, "Yeah, I don't want any involvement in a deadbeat father's business company…" She gave me a look. "No offense of course."
I shrugged, "None taken."
"Sit." Emily ordered.
"Bossy." I noticed.
"Weak." She shot back before gaining a weird look on her face. "Now are you going to tell me what the hell happened? You pretty much left the company in the inexperienced hands of your stranger-like half sister and the Stoll brothers and went off on vacation to come back with a few bruises that somehow looks like… is that a knife slash? And holy crap… where is Annabeth? Did she hit you? What the heck did you do?!-"
"Nothing happened-"
"Okay I know Annabeth is violent, but what the heck did you do Per-"
"Can you calm down for just a second?" I groaned.
"I'll calm down when you give me answers." Emily said stubbornly.
"Annabeth is not the cause of any of this okay?"
"And you?" She questioned. "Take off your shirt, I need to take a look."
I gave her a weird look.
"I'm a med-student, can you just relax? It's not like you're worth looking at anyways." Emily scoffed.
I raised an eyebrow but abide to her wishes and took off my shirt.
She frowned at the bruises, "You and Annabeth have been busy huh?"
I almost choked on my saliva, "W-What?"
Emily took out some bandages and ointments. "We're adults already. It's okay if your sex life is a bit rough." She said with ease.
"This wasn't because of sex!" I glared at Emily.
Emily let out a laugh, "Oh? So there was sex? Please do tell, Annabeth never tells me anything." Emily grinned.
"Look, there's just a lot of complication with our relationship right now." I grumbled. Complicated is an understatement.
"Well you work it out because I want Annabeth as my half-sister-in-law." Emily said with a smile. "Now… There is a pile of paper on your desk tomorrow morning. I hope your vacation was fun because work has been hell lately."
I just gave her a half-smile. I guess a half-sister wasn't that bad. I mean… anything beats the past couple days. "So you and Connor?" I grinned, feeling somewhat normal once again.
Emily raised an eyebrow, but didn't answer.
Annabeth's POV:
I could tell you first hand that lying in a hospital is boring. There's nothing to do except stare at white walls and await visitors.
Well… I guess there's time to think. Think. Think. Think.
*A couple days ago*
"Sorry ma'am this patient is not allowed to have any visitors." My attending doctor said to some person outside.
"Is she awake?" A familiar voice asked.
I know this voice.
"Yes, she is… but she is not cleared to see anyone at the moment." The doctor continued.
"Fine, then what's her condition right now?" The women pressed.
"We have a policy against disclosing patient information without their consent, unless there's a family member involved."
"And have you tried reaching out for her family members?"
"She claims to have none." The doctor answered.
"Well, I need to see her. Questioning purposes." The woman concluded.
I groaned, finally figuring out who the woman was.
"Unfortunately I can't let any government official or agent see her. Annabeth Chase's condition is still unstable. The only person allowed into this room would be family members. No exception."
I almost laughed. Of course she'd be able to come in, but would she actually reveal herself?
I plugged in my earphones for once thankful for this stubborn doctor. The last thing I need at the moment was the company of people that I didn't want to see.
A few minutes later I looked up to see the door open. I stared at the person, a bit amused that she had the nerve to claim that she's my family member.
A woman with brown hair, wearing casual attires walked in. "Ms. Chase."
"Not a very good way to introduce yourself." I noted.
She looked almost surprise, "When did you find out?"
"You seem surprised." I mumbled.
She looked almost amused. "So how did you find out then?"
I slammed down the book I was reading on the table. "Your hair roots are blond which was a dead giveaway. You keep blinking your eyes as if you're wearing contacts. And maybe it's because they only allow family members into here."
I was getting angrier and angrier while she was keeping her cool.
"Okay so you are mad."
"No I am not." I insisted.
"Fine, deny your anger, but I feel like you deserve to know the truth."
With that said, she told me everything… or at least everything regarding her work that won't put her behind bars from disclosing it to me.
"So Luke is dead. Nico and Thalia is alive. Luke planned the accident that supposively killed you and killed Percy's friend. You were an architect, but that was merely a cover for your real job. Dad doesn't know about any of this… everyone in your field wants to kill you." I quickly summed everything up.
She nodded and began to stand up as if she was getting ready to leave. "Whether or not I am breaking my work ethics, you are still my daughter and if this is the last time I'm going to see you, I'll at least be honest with you."
"You chose now to be honest…" I mumbled.
"You won't see me Annabeth, but I'll always be watching over you. I'm just… I can't be a mom while working like this…" She reached down and awkwardly patted my hand. "Have a good life."
If I wasn't so shocked, I would've probably laugh at her attempt.
She stood up to leave and somehow I knew it was the last time I'll ever see her, dead or alive.
"I love you mom." I finally said it.
My mom turned around and I could detect a ghost of a smile on her face, "I love you too Annabeth."
With that said my mom closed the door and left me in my own silence once again.
*end of flashback*
Okay so I thought about my mom, but I thought about my messed up relationship with Percy… if it's even considered a relationship anymore. Lies. Secrets. Love. Those were the thing distracting me from my true intention for moving to New York. I remembered when I first moved here, it was to focus on my studies, but somehow meeting Percy it was like my whole past was being dug up. My initial goal clouded by Percy-drama. Being crazy in love with Percy. Being obsessed with my mom's death.
I sighed… it's easy to get sidetracked. It was barely a year ago when I thought that nothing could distract me from my education.
Maybe that's what I need. To focus back on myself. My goals. Maybe I just need to get away from all this so that I could start anew. New understanding of my mother's history. New understanding of whether or not Percy and I are really genuine.
I was taken out of my thought when a knock surfaced on my door.
"Annabeth?" I suddenly heard a slight knock on my door.
It's been almost two weeks since the craziness of the agency and Kronos… my head is still spinning from all this. "Come in." I said looking up from the book I was reading.
It was none other than Percy Jackson. "How are you?"
"Well… you're the second person to visit me in this cramped hospital." I shot back. "You tell me."
"Everyone think that we've been on vacation at work." Percy offered with a weak smile.
"I wouldn't exactly call it a vacation." I mumbled.
Percy finally walked over to the bedside, "There's actually something that I have to tell you."
I knew what he was going to say. "I already know."
Percy looked surprised, "What?"
"My mom came in to visit me." I said with a smile. I remembered clearly what she said to me. "You don't need to lie to me."
Percy stayed quiet for a few second before replying. "You do know we're never going to see Nico and Thalia again." Percy said quietly.
I simply smiled, "Knowing Thalia, she'll find a way."
Percy actually smiled at that, "Of course." He fiddled with his fingers, "So your mom-"
"I'm probably never going to see her again." I finally closed the book I was looking at and set it to the side. "But I know she's alive. Don't worry, I'm used to not having a mom around, it's nothing new." I stared at the wall in front of me, "But Luke though, is he really dead?"
Percy simply just nodded. "His funeral is next week."
"So he saved us…" I said slowly.
Percy managed a weak laugh, "He did notify the agency and the government, he did rescue us."
i smiled, "I told you so."
"What?"
"Luke Castellan was not a bad guy." Despite my smile, I wasn't sure exactly how I felt about this. Maybe I did have a tiny crush on Luke, or slight infatuation, but even then he was still a really good friend… aside from the siding with the terrorist group and attempting to kill me.
Percy smiled, "You always have to be right huh?"
I managed a weak smile. There was an air of awkwardness between the two of us and it's obvious that it's because of us. Does that even make any sense?
"So, how are you-"
"Percy just cut to the chase."
Percy looked at me for a second before smiling."Literally?"
I mentally face palmed at the unintended pun, "Shut up."
Another silence.
"Can we talk about whatever it is between us?" Percy asked hesitantly.
I looked at my hand, "What is left between us to actually discuss?"
"i'm just… I'm sorry. I know, I should've told you, but I didn't want you to get hurt and-"
"I don't need you to watch out for me Percy. I could take care of myself Percy, you don't need to be the overprotective gentleman all the time." I said quietly.
Percy slowly nodded his head, "I know. Hell, you're probably better off protecting me if anything, but still… just the sight of you getting hurt I just-"
"I know."
Percy placed his hand on mine. "Can we… is it possible to just give us another chance?" Percy took in a deep breath, "I know that I still love you and still care for you-"
I can't handle this. "I'm moving back to California."
Percy stared at me. "You're-"
I sighed, "Maybe New York is just not me. I've worked things out with my dad and-"
"Annabeth… just rethink-"
I stopped him, "No, I've already thought about this. I need to focus on finishing up my schooling. I need to focus on my major as an architect, now that I finished all my preliminary courses of basic architect."
"You could do it here, in New York."
"I need to get away from all this. Maybe have a drama-free zone for a while."
Percy looked at me and at once knew my decision was permanent. At the same time, an understanding was passed between us. I'm focusing on my goal to become an official it won't be in New York.
"I still love you." He said quietly.
I didn't answer him.
He nodded as if understanding my intention. "Come on, let's get you discharged so we can start packing your stuff back to California."
~The Funerals~
"We're all gathered here in memory of the deceased Luke Castellan…" The speech droned on as they carried the casket to the ground. In there laid the person who had truly died, the corpse of Luke Castellan.
A man dressed in a dark suit was standing over the casket, I recognized him immediately as Hermes Castellan. I watched as Percy approached the man, both gentleman exchanged a few words until Mr. Castellan nodded with his head down and Percy quietly retreated away from the man.
I couldn't help myself but I kept looking around, hoping to see Thalia Grace lurking in the shadow. I wasn't really sure of the history between Thalia and Luke, but from what Percy has disclosed to me, the two of them did share a close bond with each other… considering the fact that he literally risked his life just for her. Even the stubborn Percy who had initially taken a dislike to Luke had to admit that the dead boy was noble in his own sense. Mildly corrupted in pursuing his goals, but nevertheless noble.
I stood as people walked over to the casket giving their last goodbyes. I knew Luke wasn't a bad guy. Despite the situation, I smiled to myself, 'Luke, you died a hero.' Whether or not the soul of Luke Castellan can hear me, I knew at least that he had used his last breath to save someone he had cherished.
By late afternoon, everyone had cleared and begrudgingly I had accepted Percy's invitation to live at his house until I leave New York.
The silence in the house was not very quiet. Despite there being a bunch of unsaid words between us, we still bantered and fight over the stupidest thing, but there are some topic that we stood clear of. Specific topics.
"You ready to go?" Percy asked quietly.
I took one last glance at Luke's new grave, hoping to see an outline of my best friend. I sighed and turned towards Percy, "Let's go home, we still have another funeral tomorrow." I said quietly with a small laugh.
Percy merely chuckled as he opened the passenger car door. "Two funeral you mean."
I nodded without much humor as I settled into the seat. Percy walked over to the driver seat and started the engine. "Did you see-" Percy started and I knew what he was going to ask.
I shook my head, "I haven't seen them."
Percy sighed. No matter how much he denied it, I knew that he was worried about Thalia's so-called fiance, Nico Di Angelo. "I actually thought that Thalia would at least show up or at least Nico-"
"Because Luke saved him?"
Percy nodded. He had already told me what he remembered before he blacked out. Kronos' gun was specifically aimed at Nico Di Angelo, but Luke had intercepted the shot with his own body. Why Luke had done that when it was obvious that both him and Nico had a game going on to gain Thalia's love? I'll probably never know.
"Think they'll at least show up for their own funeral tomorrow?" Percy asked with a light tone.
I couldn't help but smile, "It's Thalia, she wouldn't miss her own funeral if it's the end of the world."
I stared back out the window as Percy started the car. I could've sworn I saw two figure standing near Luke's grave. "Percy-" I turned my head towards Percy and shifted my hand to stop him from driving. "It's Nico and Thal-" I turned back towards the direction of Luke's grave but the two figure was gone.
Percy looked out, disappointment written all over his face, "Come on, let's go home, we still have two more funeral to go to."
~Two weeks later~
I stood in the busy New York Airport with Emily. "He's not going to come. Especially after that." I said quietly.
Emily stared at me, "You still haven't exactly told me what went down with you and Percy. All I know is that you guys went bye-bye for a while and suddenly you guys came back with bruises and cut. Then I find out that some guy died, along with your two close friends who died…. what the heck Annabeth?"
"Just… some stuff happened. Actually real serious stuff happened and I was being a completely irrational and I felt like I was back in high school with unreliable hormones and-"
Emily let out a long whistle, "Woah… you really did like my half-bro."
"But we're not going to work out. I'm going back to California to focus on my studies and hopefully mend whatever relationship I have left with my parents and Percy… well…"
"Percy can worry about his own shit." Emily concluded.
I manage a smile.
"Maybe you should stay in New York and work this out with him, not that I like my half brother or anything but he at least deserves that." Emily offered her rare advices.
I shook my head, "I'm not going to let my life revolve around my emotions. I just need to escape for a while."
Emily stared at me, "I have a funny feeling that you won't be escaping for just a while…"
"More like a couple years." I admitted.
"Does he know?"
"Obviously not. But it's my life and Percy is not my personal bodyguard. I could take care of myself and he needs to understand that."
Emily nodded with a smile, "Percy can be a total ass at times."
"Not a very nice thing to say about your brother." A voice suddenly said from behind us.
I turned around, half expecting to see Percy Jackson, but instead I saw one of the Stolls, but behind Connor I saw a mess of black hair standing there nervously. "Buzz off Connor." Emily groaned.
Connor feigned pain as he draped his arm over Emily's shoulders, "Take care of her for me will you?"
I raised an eyebrow but decided not to question it.
Emily pushed Connor's arm off her shoulders, "Shut up Stoll, I'm not your girlfriend."
Connor grinned, "Not yet you're not."
Emily groaned, "You do know that I am an adult that can take care of myself."
Connor winked, "Whatever float your boat babe."
Emily faked gagged, "Enough with the pet names."
Seeing Emily and Connor off in their own conversation, Percy took that chance to pull me away. "Hi."
I stared at Percy, not really believing he was here, "Hey."
"You're really going." Percy said quietly.
"Yeah." I replied quickly as if afraid that my voice would betray me.
"Will I ever see you again?"
I looked at Percy with a slight smile, "You're Emily's brother. I'll be seeing you around."
Percy looked disappointed as if it wasn't the answer he was looking for. "So this is it?"
I carefully tore my eyes away from his, "This is a beginning for me. I'm no longer held down by my mom's fake death. This is also for you to finally get away from your guilt." I offered.
Percy nodded as if understanding my intention and before I have a chance to react, he leaned down and gave me a slight peck on the cheek, "We'll keep in touch right?"
I smiled, "Percy there's social media and facetime, I'm pretty sure keeping in touch will be no problem. You could probably stalk me if you wanted to."
Before Percy would reply the loudspeaker announced the next flight. "FLIGHT 14 TOWARDS SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA PLEASE PROCEED TO THE GATE 5."
"That's ours!" Emily said excitedly as she grabbed her luggage. "Back to California! Here we go!" Without warning Emily leaned up and gave Connor a kiss. "We'll talk later!" With that said, the hyperactive girl proceeded to the gate.
At this point, I was pretty sure that Emily and Connor were somewhat dating until I saw the surprised look on Connor's face. "Did she just kiss me?"
Connor for a second seemed lost in his own world. I was about to follow the excited Emily when Percy grabbed my arm.
I looked up at him, "I have to go."
"I know." He said quietly as if debating with himself.
I looked down at my arm, "I kind of have to detach myself Seaweed Brain." I said with a slight laugh.
"I know." He repeated himself.
I stayed quiet. For the first time since I came back from Krono's hellhole of a hideout I was actually considering to stay in New York. "Percy-"
Percy let go of my hand and looked at me, "If somehow we ended up near each other… will you ever give me just one more chance?"
I tapped my foot nervously, "Percy… maybe it's just best if we put 'us' to a rest."
I could feel Percy's stare on me and I knew it wasn't a happy one, "Annabet-"
"No, for once I'm not going to let your words disrupt my thinking." I took a breath of relief. "I like you… but the crazy love-sick girl? That is not who I am."
"But-"
"You- I can't even explain it."
Before I could say anything else that I would probably regret for the rest of my life, Percy sudden blurted out, "I'm sorry."
For a moment I manage a laugh, "You're sorry?"
He nodded, "I'm sorry." He confirmed.
"Can we-" Percy shook his head as if he was about to say the wrong thing and to be honest, I was almost afraid that he will. I'm not saying that I'll drop everything and stay in New York with him… but it was pretty tempting. Percy took a step closer to me and for a second he looked like he was about to kiss me until his eyes snapped back in my direction.
"Call me when you get to New York?" He asked putting out his hand for me to shake.
I wanted to punch the guy in front of me. Instead of taking his hand, I pulled him into a hug. "Stupid Seaweed Brain." I mumbled against his chest.
Before my brain could get the best of me, I lean up and gave him a chaste kiss.
A "we're over for good" kiss?
An "I'll see you again" kiss?
A "let's try this long distance" kiss?
Fuck I don't even know.
I pulled away.
"What was that for?" Percy asked quietly.
I thought about it for a second before answering. "Something to remember New York by."
Percy stared at me. I'm not really sure where this puts us. Surely not dating… but at the same time… are we even over?
I picked up my luggage and walked towards Emily's direction.
I know that staying back in New York would make everything complicated, maybe taking my time away from Percy would allow my head to think more clearly and maybe… just maybe… we'll bump into each other again.
I'm such a fucking hypocrite.
I finally caught up with Emily who was staring intently at her plane ticket, "Please tell me I did not just kissed Connor Stoll." She groaned.
At this I cracked a smile, "Impulsiveness runs in your family." I said with a shrug.
I like this ending…. jk jk there's a little bit more, I'm pretty sure it's pretty obvious. Or maybe…
But yeah, relationship does end like this sometimes. not particularly love relationship like percabeth but even family relationship, you don't know if it's gone. You just know that the bond you once had is not there anymore. It's not like I will never see you again, it's more like I don't even know what our relationship is anymore… yeah I'm getting confusing….
Okay sorry I'm just totally feeling this sort of ending. Kinda depressing ending, you know? the bittersweet but I'll get to it kinda hanging! Did it feel like I wrapped it up to fast? I hope I covered up all the loose end since I went off in some kind of hiatsus phrase for a bit. DON'T WORRY THERE IS MORE!
Anyways I'd love to hear from you guys. Totally accepting constructive criticism and such so hit it at me :) Accepting flames, just please don't rage at my grammar cause yes I know the grammar sucks, but hades please I'm working on it :D
How was BoO for you guys? Nico and Reyna relationship though… probably the best part of the book in my opinion!
leave a review and tell me what you thought about this chapter, since I'm not too sure….. anyways await the next update! I promise it'll be a bit sooner!
SONG: cause I'm feeling totally pumped up we going to go with….. SUPERHEROES BY THE SCRIPT (FUCKING LOVE THIS SONG GUYS!)
AAZ