So many of you have been asking for Nico diAngelo and Tyson to be in this story... I have issues with this. I only have characters show up if I can find a natural way for them to appear, and Nico just seemed to have a place. He shows up near the very end of the chapter. As for those who want Tyson- I'm not sure if I can incorporate him into this one as a person. As a dog, maybe, but that doesn't do his character justice, so I don't think he'll be making an appearance. But things could change, it all depends. But I doubt it.
My next fic might be a one-shot of Tyson and Percy just hanging out, but that won't be until I finish this one, and that'll take a while. I know the ending to this and have the last four chapters written, and the 4th of July chapter written. I just need to get them through June and into July, when it will be easier to write. (Hint- that's the turning point of the story. Your Percabeth fluff will definitely show up then, I promise. There *ahem* might be some kisses and fireworks and... Yeah.) Here's chapter 11.
Disclaimer: I'm a teenage girl. I am not Rick Riordan. That's all you need to know.
As it turns out, boys don't usually catch you when you fall from a tree. And the ground isn't as soft as one might think. When my back hit the dirt, I wanted to scream it hurt so bad. But my breath was knocked from my lungs; I couldn't breathe, couldn't form words, couldn't do anything but try to get air down my windpipe and for it to do me some good. Percy screams my name, but I hardly notice. Air... Sweet air!
After assuring him that I'm fine, nothing's broken, Percy helps me get to the house. My back hurts, and I've got a headache. After making sure I don't have a concussion, Frank deems me 'okay' to go to sleep and move around. Who knew he wanted to be a doctor?
I'm too tired to sleep, so Thalia suggests we put on a movie.
"Like what?" Leo asks. He's staying for a while longer, along with Frank; Jason muttered something about cousins coming in and needing to go home. The rest of us sit on couches in the rec room, trying to decide what to watch.
"How abou-" Percy starts to suggest when Leo and Frank cut him off mid-word.
"No!"
I jump to Percy's defense."But you didn't even listen to what he was going to say!"
"He'll make you watch it fifty million times." Leo says. Frank nods furiously. "And you'll be sick of it. If you let him watch it, you'll never get to see anything else." More nodding from Frank. Percy rolls his eyes. "We had to hide it."
"So that's where my precious Nemo went!" Percy jump off the couch and points his finger accusingly. "I've been looking for it for weeks!"
Nemo? This is all about Finding Nemo? "You guys are kidding. This is all about a movie about fish?"
"It's not just about fish! It's a beautiful story of-" Percy waves his arms as he talks. He's exasperated. I yawn.
"That's nice, but if we don't decide on something soon, I'm going to crash. Give him Finding Nemo this once and shut up, all of you!" Leo reaches behind a poster on the wall and pulls out the Finding Nemo DVD. He begrudgingly hands it to Percy, who squeals with joy. He's almost as bad as Thalia and the lamp once he starts to cradle it.
"Oh my precious, I'll never let slimeball Leo touch you ever again! Poor thing, behind a poster for weeks!"
I give Thalia an accusatory glance. See? This is you and the lava lamp.
"Just put in the damn movie!" She snaps and leans back onto the couch.
Percy does, and we all settle back to watch Nemo. "You okay?" Percy whispers in my ear as it starts.
"Mhmm." Thalia readjusts herself and hits my back in the process. I wince.
"Liar."
"I'm fine, really." As long as I don't move.
"Annabeth, I can go find some Tylenol. Or an ice pack. Or a heating pad." Ohymygods, a heating pad sounds like heaven.
"I'm-"
"Ohmygods would you two just shut up! It's getting to the sad part!"
Both Percy and I roll our eyes in Leo's direction. "I'm fine, as long as I don't move."
Percy nods, and then wails like he's in pain. I look at the screen; Nemo has just been orphaned. Percy's got tears in his eyes.
I yawn again. Somewhere around the time Dory starts speaking whale, I lean over and fall asleep, unable to stay awake any longer. Thalia won't mind; she's conked out as well. I guess we're bit having a dance party today.
I awake to motion. Why am I moving? My back aches, and whoever's carrying me makes it hurt. "Wha? I's seepin'?" More yawning. "Huh?"
"Hey, Annabeth. You fell asleep downstairs." Percy. Percy is carrying me. "Sorry I woke you. Go back to sleep."
I nod and quickly drift back into Dreamland.
I wake up in my room with a throbbing headache. Gray light is cast into the room through the window. I roll over and wince, the memories of yesterday coming back to me. I feel worse than I did yesterday. If I just lie still...
It's early. The clock on the wall reads 7:00. It's a Saturday, when Thalia and I normally have bonding days. Today will have to be an exception; falling out of a tree takes a lot out of a girl. I think Thals knew that, because she usually would have woken me an hour ago.
There's a light knock on my door, and it slowly opens. Percy peeks his head in.
"Hey, didn't know you were awake. Can I come in?" When I nod, he steps inside. "How're you feeling?"
"Like I got hit by a semi. Can I take you up on that offer of Tylenol?" I hate taking medicine. Usually I just suck it up and deal with the headache or whatever, but my heat pounds and my back really does feel like I got hit by a truck.
Percy stiffens and a burst of something falls into his normally happy eyes. I must have said something. "Sure. I'll be right back." He goes into my bathroom and comes back with a bottle of liquid Tylenol and a medicine cup. "Your dad said you've never been able to take pills."
He's right. "Dad? Did you talk to him?" He hasn't called me. Granted, I haven't called him, either, but the door works two ways.
Percy shakes his head. "This was before you came." He reads the label and pours three tablespoons. "So, you can't swallow pills?" He hands me the cup and the bottled water on my nightstand. I tip back the medicine and feel the syrup fall back my throat, and then quickly chase it down with water.
"No. I always feel like I'm going to choke on them and die. I accidentally swallowed a tic-tac once when I was eight and nearly had a nervous breakdown."
Percy smiles. "I'm going to go downstairs. You need anything else?"
I shake my head. "Nah, I think I'm good. Thanks." Another fifteen minutes and the meds should kick in. Percy leaves and I curse myself for even thinking of falling for him. Only later did I realize that that look in his eyes was a mixture of pain and sadness.
Percy
About halfway through the movie, Annabeth leans her head on my shoulder and sleeps like the dead. Thalia's asleep, too, leaning in the arm of the couch.
There's something intimate about watching someone sleep. Like, they trust you enough to be their most vulnerable in your presence. Or, like Annabeth, they couldn't stay awake any longer and passed out.
I keep waiting for her to wake up and be distant, but she sleeps throw the end credits and the deleted scenes. Leo and Frank say their goodbyes, Leo with a little eyebrow wiggle and a comment about how I'm such a pansy for crying in a kids' movie. After Frank drags him out the door, I gently scoop Annabeth up and carry her to her room. On the way there, she partially wakes up.
I hope I didn't wake her. I know she says that her back doesn't hurt, but I can see the way she winces when someone touches it or when she moves.
"Hey Annabeth," I say quietly. She moves her head. "Sorry I woke you. Go back to sleep." She nods and closes her eyes. When I get her to her room, I lay her down on her bed and pull the covers over her. She snuggles into her pillow, looking so peaceful that I almost want to take a picture. No, Percy. That's for stalkers. Or vampires. Not that there's much of a difference.
I return to my own room, not bothering to wake up Thalia. She seems like the type to stab you with a fork if you touch her. She and Annabeth make an odd pair, but they seem to be thick as thieves.
It's late, so I throw in some pajama pants and collapse into bed, dreaming about a girl with gray eyes.
That morning, I rise early. At some point last night, I heard Thalia come stomping upstairs to her room. I kept thinking she'd wake Annabeth, but there wasn't a single sound in the hall after that.
It's a Saturday, so Dad's home for breakfast. Surprisingly, he's loosened up a bit on the 'no pajamas' rule since Annabeth arrived. I think she and Thalia have made him go soft. But hey, if that means I don't have to get dressed before nine I was cool with it.
I ought to check on Annabeth. She's probably going to be in more pain today than yesterday, especially since she didn't take any Tylenol.
I knock lightly on the door and then poke my head in. She's awake. "Hey, didn't know you were awake. Can... Can I come in?" She nods, and the movement seems to pain her. "How are you feeling?" I pull up one of the white chairs by the door and sit on it.
"Like I got hit by a semi." Memories flash without warning: crayons, painted fingernails, brown hair, crash, accident. Go away! Leave me alone! "Can I take you up on that offer of Tylenol?" Annabeth's voice pulls me back to the present. She must be hurting pretty bad; before she came, her dad gave us a bit of information on her medical history. She doesn't take medicine often, only when she really really needs it, and then she only takes children's liquid. Something about not swallowing pills.
"Sure. I'll be right back." I walk into her bathroom- is that a fishbowl with a rubber duck?- and rummage through her medicine cabinet. "Tylenol, Tylenol... Tylenol!"
After Annabeth drinks the grape-flavored syrup and half of a bottle of water, we have a short conversation that leads to places that make me uncomfortable.
"Dad? Did you talk to him?" She may not want to admit it, but she misses him. She sounds excited at the thought of contact with her father.
I hate to disappoint her, but I shake my head 'no'. "That was before you came." The conversation then takes a turn to swallowing pills and a story of eight year-old Annabeth swallowing a tic-tac and thinking she was going to die.
The ridiculousness of the story makes me smile. I can imagine little girl Annabeth thinking she was choking on a piece of candy smaller than most pills. I need to go downstairs. Dad should be up soon and we need to have a talk.
"You need anything else?" I ask Annabeth before I leave. She says no, and so I make my way downstairs.
"Dad?" I walk into the dining room. He's sitting at the table, studying some papers and sipping coffee.
He looks up. "Percy. This is early for you. Is something the matter?"
I sit down. "No, I mean, I don't think so. Annabeth fell out of a tree yesterday, she's okay though."
He raises an eyebrow. "She fell out of a tree? Oh my." He takes a sip of coffee. "And how is our guest this morning?"
"She's awake and says her back hurts. She took Tylenol. How'd you know I'd checked on her?"
My dad gives a small smile. "I notice things, Percy. Your eyes are laced with worry, but your face shows recent laughter. You'd never get up before eight unless there was something important. Annabeth seems to have some sort of effect on you." There's a momentary pause before he continues. "So, still want her to go home?"
The next day, my back feels better. I can move around a bit now, which is good. Sitting in bed doing nothing can only be done for so long, and I was beginning to go stir crazy. Sundays are a very relaxed day at the Jackson house, and not much happens. The day starts with Thalia's news.
"So, Annabeth."
We were sitting in her room and she was going through her closet while I sat at her desk with book on Ancient Greek Architecture that I'd found in the library. I looked up. "So, Thalia."
"So, for craft night?" We had invited Silenna to sit with us in the rec room and paint masks later that evening. It was something to do, and then we could have more costumes for whenever we were the Adventurers. We used to have boxes of the stuff in California, but had to leave it behind.
"What about it? Poseidon said it was okay for us to go into town later and get the stuff, though Silenna said she'd get it while she was out." He and Percy weren't in to arts and crafts. I doubt they had a bottle of glue or a pad of construction paper.
"I sort've have to skip out?" She said cautiously. "I sort've have a... Date."
"A date? With who?" When has she had the chance to meet anyone?
"His name is Luke. He works in the kitchen." Thalia's blue eyes plead. "You don't mind, do you?"
"Would it matter if I did?" I say teasingly. It's not my place to dictate what she can and cannot do. She shrugs. "What are you two going to do?"
Thalia excitedly gives me the plans. "We're going to dinner, and then the zoo. And then we might..." It's nice that Thalia's gaining her own life here. I felt bad about dragging her across the country with me, but if she's happy...
She and Luke depart at five, leaving me alone for an hour. I'm not sure where Percy's gotten to. Silenna's working; she mentioned something about having to run to the store for dinner. Either way, I've got an hour of silence and loneliness ahead of me.
I decide to walk the halls and learn where everything is. The hallway with the black-and-white patterned wallpaper leads to the split hallway. If you go left, you go to the library. Right, you follow the hall until you get to the rec room. From the foot of then stairs, left will lead you to the dining room...
And I'm lost again. Gods damn it. Have I been going to circles the entire time? That painting seems familiar... Nope. The fish tank is new.
I meander the hallways until I find the rec room. I'll set up stuff for mask-making. I enter, only to find Percy playing his guitar. Leo, Jason, and some other boy with black hair sit on the couch, listening to him.
When the door opens, they look up. "Annabeth!"
I give a shy wave. "Hi. Thalia's out, so I thought-"
"Come in. You remember Jason, and this is his cousin Nico." Percy puts down the guitar. Nico gives a glare; Jason, a smile. "What is is I hear about mask making?"
"Oh. Um, arts-and-crafts night. You guys can do it, too. I mean, if glitter and paint and feathers are manly enough."
Percy opens his mouth to answer, but Jason interrupts him. "Percy loves crafts, don't ya, Perce?" They share a glance that seems to say so much more than what anyone would assume.
Percy's flustered. "I... Yeah."
I give a flirtatious smile. "Well, you'll all have to come. It ends up being really fun. See you." I leave and go back upstairs. I've still got thirty minutes to kill. Might as well start planning escape. Here's what I know:
- We can't travel the whole way on foot.
- We need to leave before the wedding, but not too early that they might catch us.
- We need to blend in to the streets of New York, at least for a while. So pack lightly.
- Two words: getaway car.
- Money is going to be an issue. We don't want to leave a paper trail, so credit/debit cards are OUT. Cash only.
I can slowly start withdrawing money here-and-there from my bank account; I'm e only one with access to it at the moment, and I've got enough money there to last a while. Dad direct-deposits Thalia's pay into her own account. She can do the same.
If she even wants to leave. If she grows attached to Luke, things could change.