I'm actually back! Man, it's been awhile… sorry for that- I kind of forgot about it all…
Look for the newest character in the story: Beth Running
~GoGreen52
Chapter 23- A Year
-Percy POV-
It's been a year since she died.
A year since she was murdered.
A year since I haven't felt like me.
People say I've changed. Grover and Nico abandoned me, telling me I had to straighten myself up, that I turned back into the old me. I personally, don't really give a crap about what they think, but you know- I gotta keep the fame.
Luke quit, so I got a new assistant, Ethan. He's a lot like Luke. They both have similar ideas, they both obviously have similar thoughts. One moment, I'm dating a pop star, and the next, a Russian Princess. And truth to be told, I like the thrill of each time things change.
Every time I take a look at the magazines, I get to see myself on the front cover. Usually it's about something I did 'wrong' but I'm on the front cover of every magazines people actually care to look at, and I've gone platinum in tons of records.
So, with the sacrifices, I'm on top.
And it's feeling great.
Rachel had been very good to me, since she stared in a hit movie, Twimoon, and we're now dating. I actually think she's turned into be the one for me… I mean, Annabeth didn't understand what it was like to be famous. What it was like to be put on the spot all the time.
And now she's dead so I won't have to deal with her ever again.
She won't be holding me back.
All of the sudden, I heard a familiar ring, signaling someone texted me.
Percy-
There was a new lead to Annabeth's murder- a new suspect.
-Nico
I texted him back right away. Rachel was coming over in a few minutes, and she doesn't like it while I text… but she still does anyways.
Nico-
And why would I care exactly?
-Percy
I sighed. We've been over this before- I don't care for Annabeth anymore. Sure, I did love her at one point in life, but now, I'm starting to see that we were never meant to be. Rachel was right- She doesn't run with us in our crowd.
I heard the new text come in.
Percy-
Because you loved her, remember? And she loved you too.
-Nico
I texted him back again, but this time furious.
Nico-
If she loved me so much, why would she doubt me? Got to go. Rachel's coming over.
-Percy
No one texted me back.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
I heard Rachel invite herself in, like she does every time. I try to explain to her that she shouldn't do that for privacy purposes, reminding her that I could end up being naked when she walks in, but that didn't work.
Well… knowing Rachel, I'm starting to understand why it shouldn't.
"Percy-Bear!" she squealed, her footsteps indicating she was running up the stairs. She knew I would be in my 'man-cave' on the top floor.
"Yes Rachel?"
She appeared at the door, her hair looking wild, and her eyes beaming. "How many times do I have to tell you- call me Rache Cake!"
"Okay… whatever you say, Rache Cake." She squealed at the sound of it. I just think she sounded like a deranged cat when she did that, but her fame defiantly makes up for it.
-Beth Running POV-
It's been a long time since I've felt like myself.
They moved me to San Francisco, California, which was pretty close to LA, but all in all, I really didn't want to see them again.
I know I've hurt them.
I know they've cursed me on several occasions.
I know they think I've moved on.
But I really haven't.
Some days I think of what could have been, if I didn't make that stupid remark. That stupid comment. It's really funny how so much can change with one little thing that happens.
They've never caught the man who made me come here. He's still out there, running freely.
They say that when they catch him, I can go back to my life. I can go back to being me again. Yet, all in all, I really don't want to go back to that life. I can't face my friends with all that I put them through. I can't face the fact, that with that one comment, my whole life changed forever.
No- my life changed forever before that even happened. My life changed forever when I first noticed that I loved him.
And now, a year later, I can come to realize, we were never really meant to be. That we were never really supposed to love each other, marry each other, have kids with each other. That this was all just a little part of God's game, and I was a pawn in his fun.
All of my thoughts of when I was with him were wasted.
"Beth?"
I turned around to see the man who was keeping me safe. Jason Grace. Him, teamed up with Leo Valdez and Piper McLean were undercover, keeping me safe from the man who wished me dead.
"Yes, Jason?" I asked, my voice cracking a bit. Jason looked at me apologetically.
This can't be good.
"Look, we're going to have to go back to New York-" I cut him off.
"You know I can't go back there," I told him, glaring. He seemed to shrink back a little, like he used too, but he kept his cool.
"We need to check in with the bureau. They need to know you're still safe, and we need to help them, too. Pipes and I are going to check in on your case, and see if we can help. Meanwhile, you're going to enjoy yourself with Leo," Jason explained, his eyes telling me not to defy him. He reminds me so much of a friend I once had.
And I trusted her with my life.
"Okay, I'll go."
"Good. Now, you need to stop moping, and get packing. I'm sure Piper will want to help you, though. Something about stunning the Big Apple to death. Well, I got to pack too. So, you know the drill?"
I knew he was referring to locking the doors, closing the shades, and turning off the entry way light. "Yes, I do Jason. No need to freak out."
"I'm just running through standard protocol," he reminded me, before walking out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
Jason, Piper, Leo, and I all lived on the same street, so we don't have to live with each other to be close. I guess living with each other would just be plain awkward. I already know that the three of them take watch every night, switching with each other to make sure no one comes in my house with bad intentions.
I looked out the window, staring at the sun that was slowly going down. Just like the sun, I know that relationships with anyone slowly come to an end. And all you end up getting… is darkness.
-Percy POV-
It's been awhile since I talked to my mom. Annabeth's death broke us apart, and I just couldn't deal with seeing them again. But now, Ethan decided to hold a concert in New York city, and I have a feeling that it would be pretty hard to avoid my mom, and my friends.
They'll want to beat me up, kill me even. I know that. But, that doesn't mean it was okay for them to abandon me like that. Nico and Grover decided to stay with their girlfriends in New York, and my mom never talks to me anymore.
The last time I've been to New York was when I left a year ago. I've been avoiding that place, skirting around it in the tours. And the press know it too. Every time they figure out I've skipped New York in the tours, they're hounding me.
Annabeth this, Annabeth that. Sometimes I wish I never fell in love with her in the first place. I now know that I don't love her anymore- but whenever I think of her… I feel this pain in my chest, and relive the moment when I learned she was dead.
After suffering months of torture with the nightmares of her getting murdered all over again… I finally had to say I didn't love her anymore for it to stop.
And now, I finally came to understand, that we were never meant to be. =
Rachel and I were meant to be.
And everyone in the world agrees with me.
Who's Beth Running?
Why did Percy turn bad?
And what does Rachel have to do with all of this?
Find out… next.
~GoGreen52