Hey guys! Back at it with another chapter :) do you have any tips on using fanfiction? I'm very new to this, and it took me like 30 minutes to upload the first chapter XD
DISCLAIMER: I obviously am not Rick Riordan, so why bother?
Ring ring ring…
I groggily sat up in my bed. What's going on?
I realized my phone was ringing, so I picked it up off of my bedside table.
The first thing I heard whe I answered the phone was someone yelling at me from the other end. "ANNABETH!" That's Thalia.
"What the hell Thalia, I was sleeping." I whined, and even though she couldn't see my face, I was pouting.
She laughed. "Come on sleepy head I want you to come over at 11. Nico's coming! He said he needed a break from moving, so we're gonna hangout! You need to come, it's out of question."
I gasped and told her I would be there, then saying quick goodbyes, we hung up. Once eating a breakfast of toast, I turned to my wardrobe.
While I was deciding what to wear, I found an old shirt I got from working at a camp about 8 years ago. It was supposed to be called Camp Half-Bridge, but while I was working there a kid accidentally threw a rock at my nose. (Long story) Now blood stains covered the word "Bridge" so me and Thalia always joke that it's Camp Half-Blood. I almost wore it, but I decided it wasn't the best first impression.
Instead I wore an army green off the shoulder shirt; with spaghetti straps keeping it up, and jean shorts. I braided my hair, laced up my converses, and walked out the door.
After about 15 minutes of driving, I made it to Thalia's house. She was an aeronautical engineer, so her house wasn't exactly small. Two floors, Three bedrooms, and 1,500 square feet of property, Thalia was living the good life.
I parked in her driveway, and walked up to the front door. The path was lined with a few stray flower pots that carried a variety of flowers, and there was a small tree in the far corner of her yard.
As soon as I knocked, Thalia opened the door wearing a black tank, jean shorts, and her short black hair was curled.
"Annie! Come in!" She said, then lowering her voice, "Nico is already here." Her electric blue eyes were filled with excitement.
Leading me through the house, we entered the living room. In the center of the room, there was a standard wooden coffee table with a glass of water on it. Behind it was a leather couch that would fit maybe four people, and in front of it there was a large TV. To the right of the coffee table was one of those single person couches, where a guy was sitting. He was slim, pale, and had black hair like Thalia. His eyes were chocolate brown, and he sported black skinny jeans, and an ACDC shirt.
As soon as he saw me, he stood up and shook my hand.
"I'm going to assume you're Annabeth? I'm Nico, but you've probably heard of me already." He said matter of factly.
I gave him a face that said what are you talking about? He wiggled his eyebrows at me. I cracked up.
"You chose well Thalia, I like this one." I said, and it was meant to be a joke, but Nico blushed immediately, and I knew that he liked Thalia. As more than a friend
While we were playing Sequence (a board game) I decided to strike up a conversation, to try and get to know Nico a little more.
"So, Nico, tell me a little bit about yourself." I said, watching him for a response.
"Well um… I'm Nico Di Angelo, I like board games and watching movies, and I don't really know what else to say" he said awkwardly. We all laughed.
"Any siblings?" I prodded.
A pain filled his eyes, and I almost felt bad for asking.
"I had one, Bianca. But… her and my mom died when I was eleven. an Earthquake happened while I was at a friends… and well the house collapsed…" his voice broke, and I knew not to ask anything else.
We finished the game in silence, and to break the awkwardness Thalia stood up.
"Well I'll uh.. go get lunch started." she spoke uneasily
"I'll help!" Nico said immediately.
The both walked towards the kitchen, and not long after I heard sounds of laughter and food.
I sat and waited, listening to the fun they were having. It made me feel… a little lonely. Like the drama pushed me away from human civilization.
Eventually, Thalia and Nico came from the kitchen carrying three bowls of mac and cheese.
They were laughing about some sort of inside joke and we all started eating. Soon enough I joined in on the laughter, because they explained to me what happened.
"Oh, Thalia she- she was trying to serve the spoon- I mean the mac and cheese!" Nico burst into laughter.
"And it wasn't working, I was so confused." Thalia giggled.
"But she was holding the spoon upside down, so of course it wasn't working!" Nico laughed.
They told their funny cooking trials all through lunch, and eventually I saw that they needed to hang out alone.
I helped with dishes and had a bit of a conversation with Nico, then stood up to leave.
"Thanks Thalia for having me! And Nico, I better see you again." I said sternly, then immediately broke into a laugh to show that I was joking.
They joined in, and before I knew it, I was driving back to my apartment, leaving their laughter behind me.
The weekend flew by, and soon enough, Monday arrived.
My excitement always varied on Monday. Sometimes the weekend had been a time to forget everything and be myself for a while. Other times, I was caught up in drama and gossip, which lead me to be excited for work.
Today luckily, I was dreading work. Waking up, I straightened my hair, put on mascara, and dressed in a pencil skirt and a white blouse.
Eating a small bowl of cereal, I hurried out of my apartment.
It takes about 10 minutes to drive from my house to my office building, and during that time I thought about how nice it would be to just keep driving, and not even go to work. I had to crush my own dreams however, and pull into the parkade.
I walked briskly into my building, full of purpose. I took the elevator up to the fourth floor, where my office is located. When I passed Drew we shared our usual glare, and then I entered my office.
My office is huge. Well, for an office. The far wall is completely glass, and gives an amazing view of the city. I have a large desk that holds a computer, a journal, and hung above it is a clock. The other wall is lined with bookshelves, but sadly only old magazines filled them.
I sat down at my desk and began to work.
At 10:00 I was resenting my job. A few times I considered just dropping my pencil. At noon I was enjoying it. I decided to start typing the article. By 2:00, I was loving it.
"Is Piper Mclean the hot new actress cheating?" I said to myself, "That could be a whole article to itself!"
I started typing.
25 year old Piper Mclean has been seen hanging around with someone other than Jason her boyfriend of 3 years. People in the area have heard voices at her house that don't sound like her loving boyfriend. Is something going on? We'll see…
It kept going. Eventually I checked the time, and it was 7:00. Definitely time to go home.
A few weeks went by. I saw Thalia once, but other than that I was stuck in the gossip. For three awful Monday's in a row I was excited for work. It was that cycle, that current that I got caught up in.
I was so trapped by it all, that I spent one weekend holed up in my room reading about gossip and drama. That was until Sunday night, when I realized I was out of food and needed to go grocery shopping.
While I was walking down the aisle, occasionally stopping to put something in my cart, I started thinking about my past.
I was a smart child, I skipped two grades (2 and 7) and graduated young. I thought I was independent and could live on my own immediately after school.
I figured out quickly that 16 year olds just aren't meant to be self sufficient. I needed a job desperately. With school in the way it was hard. By the time I was 18, my college funds weren't cutting it. After two more years of hard life, (Deciding if I could eat dinner that night, or take a shower once or twice a week) I found a job as an assistant at a magazine company.
After a few years, I finished university and rose in the ranks, and eventually I got to where I am now. The lead journalist for Mystical, the top magazine company in the U.S.
I planned to work until I had enough money to be an architect, but the gossip and drama changed me. It sucked me in. Suddenly I was laughing at cheating girls, trying to find dramatic couples, and thirsting for all the news.
I was afraid to admit it, but I felt like a monster. When I got away from work however, I was myself again.
I always had that one question in my head- "What if I never went in so deep?"
I probably wouldn't have this job. I would be an architect with my own company. I wouldn't have a monster inside of me, I wouldn't be stuck in a ravine, with steep walls and seemingly no way of escape. I would-
CRASH
I snapped back to reality, and realized I had been wandering with my cart. Oh no.
I had processed what I ran into.
"Oh my god I'm so sorry, are you okay?" I asked.
I had run into another person's shopping cart, and he was bending over and picking up something that seemed to have fallen.
When he looked up I caught my breath.
He was tall and muscular. Not the bodybuilder type, (he was lean) the "I look hot with no shirt on" type. He was perfectly tanned, and had black hair that looked ruffled. That wasn't what caught my attention. It was his eyes. A bright sea green, and looking into them made me feel as though I were being pulled into the ocean and wrapped in the waves.
He smiled a little, as if he found it funny I just ran into him.
"You should be asking the carts if they're okay!" He said with a laugh.
His laugh lit up the room. I couldn't help but join in, and soon without realizing, we were walking down the aisle together.
"I owe you one." I said as we stopped to get produce.
"Why? I did nothing for you." He replied with almost a skeptical look. We moved to get dairy.
"Just… take my number okay? Call me when you need a favour." I paused briefly and scrawled my number on a sticky note from my purse. Then I held it out for him.
He paused for a moment, then took the paper and stuffed it in his pocket.
I smiled one last time, then turned to leave. I was done my shopping.
"Wait! I don't even know your name!" He yelled after me.
I turned around and smiled "Annabeth." Then I left the store.
That night I had dreams about the mystery man.
I was running down a path. I sensed that I was running from something but I didn't know what.
Stomp. Stomp. Stomp.
Suddenly something grabbed me and pulled me back. I fell down into a long ravine.
I screamed for help but I didn't think anyone could hear me. Suddenly my ravine transformed into my life, my work. It was normal.
Then I heard a voice.
"There you are! Come on let's get you out of here!"
Looking around, I didn't see where the voice was coming from. Then slowly my life changed back into the ravine.
Above sticking their head over the edge, was him.
I never even learnt his name.
How could I like him when I barely know him?
The next day, I was dreading work so much, I called in sick.
I couldn't tell anyone about this. Annabeth Chase, in love with someone she had met yesterday? Not possible.
I thought about him, and his eyes, and a stared at my phone wondering if he would ever call me.
Laying awake at night I pondered the possibility of meeting him again. I glanced at my phone and realized it wasn't too hard.
Percy's POV
I was distracted during school. Then again, who wouldn't be after they ran into
a hot girl? Natural blonde princess curls, a perfect body, and her eyes. They were an amazing stormy grey, and I felt self conscious looking at them. Wow I hope the zit on my nose isn't showing. I bet I'm stupid compared to her. Can I always look amazing like that?
She was so nice about it, and now seeing her again was just a phone call away. I knew I couldn't, I had other things to worry about besides a girl I just met. I just couldn't stop thinking about her.
Stop thinking about her. That's bad.
Finally my course was over, and I drove home. At least if you can call it a home, since I live on the ninth floor of a New York apartment.
I took the stairs, since I needed a bit of a workout. I opened the door to the ninth floor, and walked to my room number 907.
I took a long shower, hoping to wash away my thoughts of Annabeth. I loved her name too, it was- you can't think about her, let alone like her! Now stop Percy.
I got out of the shower and decided to get dinner started.
I stepped out of my room and looked around my apartment. It was a mess.
I needed to reorganize all my movies and books, (even if I don't read) almost all of my appliances needed scrubbing, and I'm sure if you were creative, you could find heaps of garbage hidden around. It was like looking at the inside of a livable dump truck.
Only problem was, I needed help. There was no way I could do all that on my own.
I would get distracted, or give up. I was going to need a helping hand if I wanted the job done.
Maybe this weekend… I could call her…
Annabeth's POV
I waited three weeks. Nothing from that phone. At least nothing from him.
I kept my feelings hidden. No one knew, and I wanted to keep it that way. My
only distraction was that I still felt guilty about my "dirty little secret" with Drew.
It was Tuesday. I sat at my desk. My finger kept tapping the keys, but I was making no progress. My article was due tomorrow, but my heart wasn't into it anymore.
Finally I couldn't stand it. I deleted a nasty part about Piper, then stood from my desk, taking an item out of the drawer.
I walked over to Drew's desk, trying to make it seem like I was there for work. In a way I was.
As I walked into the room, I was thankful for the semi-sound proof walls.
"What are you doing here?" Drew asked with disdain.
"Business. Look, this article isn't working for me, and I don't want to finish it. You do it and hand it in with your credit. If they ask why my name isn't under it, convince them it was yours in the first place." Drew had a way with words, so I was sure she could convince them.
"Why would I do that?" Drew asked, unsure.
"Because, you'll become more famous, get more credit, maybe even a promotion? Besides I don't think you could turn down this." I said persuasively.
Her eyes widened as I slammed a wad of cash on her desk. If there's one thing Drew can't turn down, it's money. I bet she blows every pay check at the mall, buying new clothes with her clique. (Yes, she's 27 and has a clique. Not people you want to meet.)
"Alright. Fine." she snapped, and snatched the money off the desk before I could change my mind.
"But you can't tell anyone about this, alright?" I said.
Then as soon as I got the answer yes, I turned on my heels and strutted out of the office.
I suppose I should've mentioned this before, but Drew is my part time secretary. She also does more than that, so she got an office right across from mine. Good for her work, but close enough to fulfill my needs.
Now three weeks later, I still felt guilty about the exchange. The only thing I was glad about was the gossip had a harder time getting to me than usual.
It was Thursday night, and I had nothing to do, so I decided to order pizza and watch a movie.
I did this sometimes so I didn't get lost in my thoughts, and I got to pretend I didn't have problems for a while.
Waiting for the pizza was awful. I tried to keep my thoughts away, but even that was a chore. Luckily, I was saved by my ringing phone.
I rushed over to it, but it was an unknown number. My heart rate increasing, I answered it.
"Hello?" I asked nervously.
"Hi, Annabeth? It's Percy."
Haha, so evil aren't I?
Sorry if it feels a bit rushed, I'm working on it. (Along with many other writing related things)
I'm thinking of making Percy become a marine biologist, but what do you think?
So to clear up a few things, I obviously modified Nico's age so Thalia isn't (technically) 6 years older. Annabeth is 26 (along with Nico, Thalia, and Percy), and the story will mostly take place from her point of view.
The whole Percy's POV thing will be rare I just added it in because I felt like it was right, and I couldn't do it for long because… well you'll see.
And Annabeth has been working on quite a few different articles throughout the book, because I haven't got to the parts where there's enough going on to do an "everyday" kinda thing.
Read and Review and things like that! XD Have a great day!