AN: Ugh, school. Ugh, family. Ugh, work. Most of you probably get where I'm coming from on those three sentences.
I've been really busy with wrapping up school for this semester (only three days left! Thank god!), and my family kind of needs a lot of my attention now. I have also gotten a new job, and I've just been trying to get my writing schedule to fit in with my new shifts.
So, I'm sorry if this chapter is really crappy. It's definitely not my best work, and I was going to rewrite it, but then I'm like, It's already been a month. Better not keep 'em waiting any longer.
To ShadowsOfATridentTattoo: Thank you! And testing sucks, am I right? One of the reasons I didn't write a longer chapter…
To Blumblebeerlawl: I do too. (Obviously.) It's kind of sad how much hate Rachel gets. Now, I admit, whenever someone starts moving in on my OTP, I'm like, Whoa, there, buddy. Okay. Three steps back now. But I never hate a character just because I want the person s/he has a crush on to be with someone else. And you guys got to admit: We've all had a crush on Percy Jackson one time or another.
(And if Rachel Elizabeth Dare gets all this hate for just liking Percy, then we should hate Nico di Angelo, too, right? He liked Percy the same way that she liked Percy. (Bam! I got you there, eh, Rachel-haters?))
To PixelArtyGirl1: Thanks for the idea, but if I were to delve into reincarnation, then this story would get all kinds of messy. So…I'm just going to leave Annabeth as the only dead-but-kinda-alive-but-not person here.
To EquineLover55: I don't think I really have a style, per say. It's just English, right? I'm naturally sarcastic, so that kind of…bleeds into my writing? I guess? But, you know, thank you!
VERY IMPORANT: There will be Perachel. They are boyfriend and girlfriend after all, so I'd hope that you'd have guessed that.
2015
Annabeth frets over her outfit for a long while.
She doesn't need to sleep, so, all night, she goes through her closet, looking for something that doesn't have a hole in it or a stain on it.
Nothing. She finds nothing. She searches all night, and finds nothing.
For all these years, she hasn't grown or changed one bit, so she's never needed to go out and get clothes until hers were nearly in tatters. The last time she went shopping, taken something off the rack…That must have been back in the eighties.
Her clothes were from the eighties, and she's going out with teenagers born in the late nineties/early two thousands. She's totally not going to stick out like a sore thumb.
Most of her shirts were some horrible combination of zebra stripes and neon colors, and her pants were all bell bottoms.
Finally, she cut her jeans until they were shorts, and she decided to wear that ugly brown knitted sweater that she hadn't touched in years. Better to wear just plain old ugly than eighties ugly.
Just as she's tying up her hair, there's a knock on her window. She opens it to let in Percy Jackson and Rachel Elizabeth Dare.
"Are you ready to go to the mall?" Rachel asks eagerly.
"Well…" She looks down at her outfit. "You know what? I think I'm gonna go change."
Percy stops her with a hand on the elbow. "Don't be silly, Annabeth."
"Yeah." Rachel nods in agreement. "You look just fine."
Annabeth bites her lip, not entirely meeting their eyes. "Really?"
"Really," she says, and Annabeth smiles. She latches onto her arm, dragging her to the window. "Now, c'mon! I'm driving!"
They climb out onto and down the fire escape, going out to the street where a sweet red Mercedes waits.
Annabeth whistles. "That's one hip–cool, cool, car."
Rachel shrugs, sticking her hands into the pockets of her paint-splattered jeans. "It's okay. My dad bought it for me when I was fourteen and wasn't anywhere close to getting my driver's license, so…yeah."
"Oh." She has no idea how to respond. "That's…great?"
"Yeah, I guess." Rachel grins at her, nodding at the car. "C'mon. You can have front."
;
Everyone is waiting for them when they get there. Jason, Bianca, Nico, and a girl that holds Jason's hand. Annabeth recognizes her from the concert. She had been with Rachel in line.
"Pipes," Jason says, "that's our new friend Annabeth Chase. Annabeth, this is Piper."
Piper holds her hand out, smiling. "Nice to meet you, Annie."
"Likewise." She finally gets it down and grasps Piper's hand, shaking it. "And it's Annabeth."
"Right. Of course."
"Race you inside, Nicky!" Bianca hollers before dashing for the door.
"Hey!" Nico yells, running after her. "No fair, Bianca! You got a head start! AND DON'T CALL ME NICKY!"
The others chuckle at the twins, Annabeth laughing nervously along, and they follow them inside.
The mall looks like a dream. The whiles are a cream color, and the tiles are shiny, polished white. Shops are implanted into the walls. Escalators go up to the second floor, where there are even more shops.
People mingle about, some of them holding bags, some of them holding their children, some of them holding phones. Everyone going somewhere.
"Wow," Annabeth breaths.
Percy nudges her in the ribs, giving her a playful smile. "You act like you've never seen a mall before."
It's true; she's never actually taken the time to look at one. She's listened to shallow girls talk about them, and she's never had the urge to go.
"Well, I, uh…No. Not one this big, no," she half-lies.
"Well, come on then!" Rachel latches onto her arm, dragging her in the direction of the west wing. "We need to take you shopping!"
"Wh-what?" she asks just as Nico demands, "What?"
"Oh, c'mon!" Bianca agrees, catching onto whatever Rachel is planning. "She's a part of our group now; we need to buy her new clothes. And, no offence, Annabeth, get her a fashion sense."
"You didn't buy me new clothes when I joined the group," Jason says, folding his arms in front of his chest.
"Me neither," Percy pipes up.
Bianca rolls her eyes. "Family relation members excluded." She helps Rachel drag Annabeth toward a Macey's. Even Piper joins in.
"Let's go, boys!" she shouts over her shoulder, looking at the males whom just stand there. "Two of you are boyfriends, and the other one of you is a brother. You're supposed to hold our bags when we go shopping!"
Grumbling, the boys drag their feet behind them.
"Oh no, really," Annabeth tries, struggling against the three girls. She briefly considers phasing, but shopping isn't worth being revealed. "I'm fine. I don't need new clothes. Really. Thanks, though."
"Well, maybe, but if your wardrobe is all like that, then you need a little help," Bianca says, gesturing at her sweater, and she reminds Annabeth so much of Silena that it hurts. It hurts real badly.
The girls drag her into the Macey's, the boys muttering behind them. Annabeth looks over her shoulder at Percy, shrugging and giving him an I tried look.
She's shoved abruptly into a dressing room, piles of clothes pushed into her hands. It seems that Rachel and Bianca, led by Piper, are quite the speed-shopping force. Throwing in the towel, she strips out of her over clothes and puts on the ones given to her. She steps out, and is met with approval.
"Dang, Chase." Rachel whistles, a teasing smirk on her face. She shifts in Percy's lap to get a clearer look. "You clean up nicely."
Annabeth snorts, folding her arms in front of her chest. "Yeah, right." A shot of some emotion that she refuses to acknowledge courses through her as she looks at the pair.
Bianca waves her hand at her. "Go change into something else!"
The cycle repeats itself for a while until Annabeth gets through to the pile. Bianca nods towards the cash register, and Annabeth realizes something.
"I-I don't really have any money," she admits. Not being able to be seen and all, she's never paid for her clothing. She takes stuff that won't be missed off the rack at a thrift shop or two.
"That's fine." Rachel shrugs. She fishes through her bag, pulling out a credit card. "I'll pay for everything."
"Oh no, I can't let you do that–"
"I don't usually like to flaunt my wealth–or comment on other people's clothing choices–but, girl, you desperately need a wardrobe change."
Annabeth looks down at her ugly sweater and homemade shorts, and decides not to argue. Rachel swipes the card, and then all the stuff is loaded into bags and picked up by the boys.
They browse the mall for a while, looking at different shops. Jason just has to stop at one of the carts and put on a fake mustache, making Piper giggle, which was probably his intention. Nico ropes Annabeth into entering a board game store, and he chats excitedly about some card game called Mythomagic.
Percy's stomach growls when they come back. Rachel giggles. "How about we go get something to eat, eh, tough guy?"
He laughs, scratching at the back neck with a sheepish smile. "Yeah, that'd be great." She chuckles along with him, standing on her tip-toes to plant a kiss on his mouth.
"Disgusting PDA," Nico says in between fake coughs before Annabeth can. The couple turns to give him a dry look, and he clears his throat. "Sorry. I think I've got something caught in my throat." Bianca whaps him upside the head, rolling her eyes and muttering something about boys being immature.
"How about we go to my place?" Piper suggests. The others agree.
"Oh, crap," Bianca says, looking at the time on one of the screens. "Nico, we gotta go. I've got my softball game in, like, forty minutes."
"But M.K. always makes the best food!" Nico complains, but following her out anyway. The others give their farewells and head for Piper's house.
;
1885
"Luke!" Annabeth hollers, jumping up and down, waving her arms in the air. "Over here! I'm open!"
They–as in Annabeth, Luke, Thalia, Malcolm, Bobby, Matthew, Lou Ellen, Argus, and Charles–play ball in the backyard of Mr. Grace's large estate. The other girls, Silena, Katie, and Miranda, sit on the porch, gossiping and doing girly things.
All their parents are inside Mr. Grace's house. Being all the big movers and shakers of the town, they were invited to meet the new mayor, Mr. Ouranos King, and his son, Kronos. Kronos has yet to show his face, but Annabeth's okay with that. She doesn't need another big boy as competition in the game.
Luke throws her the ball, and she catches it, dashing off. She squeals with excitement when she sees Lou Ellen and Argus chasing after her. She runs straight into Charles and falls on her rear. She tries to scramble up, but he clutches her shoulders, picking her up and trapping her in place, with an excited laugh.
Then the door of Mr. King's house opens, and Charles turns to look at it. He immediately puts her down, probably scared that he could be shot for touching her like that. Being half-black, he most likely could.
She lands on her back. She props herself up on her elbows and cranes her neck to look at who decided to join them.
It's Kronos, Mr. King's son. She can tell by his pure gold eyes and perfectly tailored suit. He stands with his hands clasped behind and his chin high, like he's better than all of them.
"Ah, so this is what common-folk Americans do in their free time," he observes, his British accent thick. His eyes fly over Katie, Miranda, Selina, and, with a sharp look at the dirt on her face and the ball in her hands, Annabeth. He sizes up twelve-year-old Charles, then fifteen-year-old Argus and seventeen-year-old Luke. He sees them as his biggest threats, probably.
"Ladies really mustn't be playing with boys," Kronos says curtly, his attention back on Annabeth.
"Leave 'er alone." Argus moves in front of her protectively, clenching his fists, and then Kronos notices Thalia.
A charming smirk graces his pale face. "Milady," he says, approaching her. He goes to kiss her hand, but she backs away. "Now, now, don't act like that."
"Why don' you just back off?" Luke growls, shoving at Kronos's chest.
"Oh, I didn't know that a knight in shining armor was gracing our presence," he mocks, an eyebrow raised. "Aren't you a little young to have a beau, my dear?"
Luke opens his mouth to retort, but Thalia beats him to it. "Yes, I am," she says. "And that includes you, Mr. King."
"Fair point," Kronos returns, holding up his hands. He turns, walking back to the house.
;
1891
"Ugh," Thalia groans, joining Annabeth and Argus in the supposed-to-be parlor. She places the vase full of flowers in her hand next to all the others. She collapses on the chair opposite to the love seat Annabeth and Argus currently rest on. "I've been asked five times–today–about a carriage ride on Sunday, and I've found three total bouquets on the doorstep."
Annabeth winces, tucking her feet underneath herself. Her shoes lay forgotten for the moment on the floor. "Kronos must be gettin' persistent, now that you're eighteen, I think."
"When will he jus' give up?" Thalia asks.
"Soon, maybe," she answers at the same time Argus says, "Never."
She cocks her head at him. "Why do you say that?"
"Well, I…" He sits up, bracing his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together. "I may have overheard Father and Mr. King talkin' 'bout a marriage between you two."
"What?!" Thalia demands. Annabeth gawks in surprise. "Why didn't you tell me?"
He ducks his head, sandy blond hair falling over his face. "I was gonna tell ya, but then it was your birthday, then Christmas, and then New Years. Didn't wanna ruin that for ya."
She sighs, anger fading. "It's fine. I jus'…didn't see it comin'." She turns her electric blue gaze to Annabeth. "Please don't tell Luke until Kronos actually proposes?"
"But, wouldn't it be easier to tell 'im now? Let 'im have time to prepare?"
"No." Thalia shakes her head. "If we tell him now…He'll take out his gun an' kill somebody."
"If we tell him later, he'll probably just go drink his sorrows away because he can't do a thing 'bout it," Argus agrees.
"Fine," Annabeth sighs, a feeling of guilt settling in her gut. She knows Luke will be crushed. She wants to give him time to set himself against what's coming, but…Thalia's the bride, apparently, and the bride should get her way. "I won't tell him."
"Thank you," she whispers.
"You probably jus' saved a life right then," Argus jests.
;
2015
Piper's house isn't far from the mall.
When they get there, Annabeth actually isn't sure if they just went to a different mall, because her house is just so huge.
"Damn," she mutters when they're all out of their separate cars. She, Percy, and Rachel had carpooled, while Jason and picked Piper up.
"I know, right?" Percy agrees at the same time Jason jokes, "Dang, do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"
It hurts, a little bit, because her mother's been dead for a long time now, and she hasn't been able to kiss her for longer, but she laughs anyway. The others giggle, too, though Percy keeps throwing her these worried glances.
They clamber up the marble steps. Some guy in a butler's uniform opens the large double doors for them, and the others all greet, "Hey, M.K.," as they pass through.
Annabeth is the last one in, and she awkwardly says, "Hi." M.K. levels her with a cold stare, and she quickly follows Percy inside.
Rachel and Jason have already made themselves at home, throwing themselves on the giant eight-person couch. Piper settles herself on his lap, Percy tosses an arm around his girlfriend's shoulders, and Annabeth marvels at the building.
"Damn," she whispers again, and Piper laughs.
"Everyone seems to have that reaction," she says, chuckling. "You should have seen my friend Leo when he first came here. Jaw was practically on the floor." She does an impression of what Leo probably looked like, and they all burst out laughing.
Rachel laughs so hard that she falls over, burying her face in Percy's neck. Annabeth's laughter halts for a moment, her breath hitching as something twists in her chest, but before anyone can connect anything, she continues on chuckling.
After they finish, Piper gets up, heading over to the giant flat screen TV. She picks up a rectangular item with a smirk.
"Yes! Mario Kart!" Rachel shouts. Percy throws his arms in the air with a dramatic whoop. "You guys better be ready to get your asses kicked!"
"Language!" Piper mockingly gasps. Rachel just grins cheekily.
Upon their prompting, Annabeth sits at the end of the couch, closet to Percy, but still keeping a respectable amount of fabric between them. Piper tosses Wii-remotes in everyone's laps.
"Oh no," Jason says, holding his hands up. "I'm not touching this game with a ten-foot pole."
"Poor Jason." Percy reaches around Rachel to pinch his cousin's cheek. Jason jerks away. "He's still suffering from BHS; butt-hurt syndrome."
"Oooooooh!" Rachel says, covering her mouth. "Do you need a First-Aid kit? 'Cuz you just got burned!"
Jason gives them both cold dead glares. "You two are dead to me."
"They're right through. You haven't touched a controller ever since we smoked you on the track," Piper teases, settling herself next to him.
"Whatever. Just give Annabeth the remote."
The item is passed down the couch until Annabeth's fingers wrap around it. Piper turns on the TV and then the Wii U. She opens Mario Kart 8, and they all choose their characters and select their karts.
Annabeth is pretty bad for the first couple of races, staying in the back of the pack. She begins to get the controls, then she's flying across the track, passing Rachel and the CPUs, and then she's battling for first with Percy and Piper.
Piper runs over a banana peel (cussing loudly while doing so) and then it's down to Annabeth and Percy.
"On your left," Annabeth snickers, swerving next to him and knocking him off of Rainbow Road. The other three erupt in cheers.
"Go get him!" yells Rachel, who had pretty much given up any chance of getting higher than tenth place.
The finish line is in sight. She's so close she can taste victory.
And then there's a sock-covered foot being shoved in her face, pushing her over, and her car comes to a complete stop as the remote falls on the carpet. Percy, laughing manically, passes over the finish line, gold lettering splayed across his corner of the screen.
"No!" she shrieks, and, without thinking, throws herself at him, tackling him to the floor. "You. Dirty. Little. Cheat!"
"Now that's just bad sportsman–Ow! Ow! Ow!" She cuts him off by jabbing her fingers into his side. She wiggles her fingertips, and he giggles like there's no tomorrow. Jason shrugs before falling off the couch and landing on his cousin's legs, causing him to cry out in pain. "No! No! St-stop! P-p-pl-please!"
"Hmm…How about…No!" She sets her other hand to tickling the juncture between his neck and collarbone, and he squeals.
"You-you-you-your fingers are s-so cold!" he complains, trying to escape her hands, but she and Jason keep him planted there. "Wh-why are they so–Gah!–c-cold?"
"Dog pile!" Piper exclaims, and then there's a weight on Annabeth's back that shoves her into Percy's chest. Brown hair tickles her face as she struggles to push Piper off. (Of course, she could always just phase through the girl, but…no.)
Jason lets out a pained "Oomph!" as Rachel jumps on him and Piper, digging her elbow into his spine. Annabeth's pushed even further into Percy to the point where she can't see and, if she were alive, there might be concern over the amount of oxygen going into her lungs, but she's fine. Happy, even.
"Get off my head, Rach!" groans Piper.
"Get off my back!" says Jason.
"Get off my everything!" exclaims Percy.
They're just a pile of giggling, squealing limbs. The three continue to complain, but Rachel just snickers, elbowing or kneeing Jason or Piper to get them to shut up.
Annabeth can't keep the goofy smile off her face.
It feels good to have friends again.
AN: Uggggggggh. It could have been way better, am I right? *Sigh* Whatever. As long as I got Mario Kart 8 (that's my game) it's okay in my eyes.
VERY IMPORTANT: I'm going on vacation this weekend, so, even though I will do everything in my power to update faster than this, next chapter might take a little while, if I don't get it out by the end of the week.
This was not beta'd, so all mistakes are mine. If there are any errors, please inform me so I may fix them.
Constructive criticism welcome, and reviews make my entire day!