Chapter 11 - Watch out for kinda swearing in this chapter if you're sensitive to that stuff.
Chapter 11
Annabeth.
"The first step to being alive," Percy started, trying to be mysterious, "is to have friends!" He finished with a flourish.
It was the day after singular therapy. Group therapy had just passed, and Percy and I were in our usual spots in the rec room, doing what we usually do. Him, drawing absent mindedly - but actually talking to me. And me, trying to read but ultimately giving up because Percy's bothering me with his talking. Percy's plan of fixing each other hadn't just been a crazy moment. He actually wanted to try and 'teach me how to live' and vice versa. Step one, apparently, had began right now.
I only raised an eyebrow at him. "I have friends. Remember? Thalia? She's your friend too?" I look sceptically at him, wondering what he's getting at.
He only frowns at me. "You have more than one friend Annabeth."
"Well, I don't think Rachel really likes me, so that's only one." I mock him by pretending to be pondering my acquaintances.
His frown deepens, "Me, idiot. I'm your friend." I just smirk at him. When he sees that I wasn't being serious, he smiles again and continues. "As I was saying," Percy stated loudly, standing up. "You need more friends. This is why I'm going to introduce you to exactly everyone in group three."
Immediately, I start to protest. Meeting more people at a residential youth mental hospital didn't sound like a lot of fun to me. Alas, Percy wouldn't take no for an answer. Despite his scrawny features, he picked me up easily from the couch and dragged me all the way to the dorm hallway.
"I swear to God, Percy. If you don't let go of me I will scream rape." He promptly let go of me.
"Alright," Percy started, thinking out loud. "You've already met Rachel, Thalia and I. You of course know yourself. So that's already four people off the list! Only eight more to go." He said brightly.
I only gave him a look that told him that his humour would not be appreciated in this situation. "I've already met four people - that's enough friends-" I started, but Percy interrupted sternly.
"Nope. You know all of them, really. You've been having group therapy with them every day. Now you're just going to know them a little more." Percy tried to reassure me.
"I never actually PAY ATTENTION in group therapy," I yell, hysterical. "Who pays attention in group therapy?"
"Chill, Annabeth. They're just people." Percy states, and then as if the conversation was over, "I think it's time that you met Leo." And promptly started walking towards his door.
"Percy, wait, I know Leo. I saw him when we were going out." I hurriedly followed him, trying to stall time.
"Well, now you'll know him better." Was his bright reply, as he kept walking perkily towards Leo's door.
"What's he got?" I asked quickly, as Percy arrived at the door and knocked.
All Percy could get in was, "Tourettes," Before the door opened and a grinning elf appeared. He had tan skin, and curly hair surrounding his head.
"Percy!" Twitch. "Percy's B*TCH." He addressed me. I scowled at him. He only twitched, still grinning, before beckoning us into his room.
"Don't worry, he swears a lot, 'cause of his tourettes - he can't control it." Percy whispers to me before following Leo into the room. "Believe it or not, he's one of the sanest here."
"Piper and Jason got into a fight." Twitch, this time with his hands, which quickly pulled the skin of his cheeks back and released them, "So they've obviously - BINGO'S AN IDIOT - left to go sulk in their own room. POOR PRINCESSES. Leaving me here all alone. LONELY F*CKER." Twitch, twitch, twitch.
Percy seemed used to the outbursts, but every time Leo shouted I jumped. Percy was looking amused at me, but decided to cut me some slack. "You get used to it after a while, Annabeth, don't worry. Be lucky he's not saying any of his nasty words."
After that, Leo proceeded to scream his 'nasty word' (which started with a C) about five times in a row, all the while abruptly twitching, itching, or plainly pulling parts of his body. At one point, when Percy and Leo were talking, I was mesmerized by his hands - just staring at how they jumped up and down, left and right. Leo, noticing this said, mockingly offended "My eyes are up here! TOM AND JERRY'S MOTHER." And Percy almost died with laughter.
Leo also tried to hit on me once or twice. "You know Annabeth, I'm getting out of here soon, I could take you out - LIAR, LIAR." Leo scowled at himself. "F*CKING-" He continued on a string of swear words, which I doubted were caused by his disability.
I started breaking out of my shell a little bit at a time. It was easy to do with Leo, because he seemed kind of care free, and an all around witty guy.
I'd started testing out Leo's built in lie detector ("Leo how tall are you?" "Six, uh, two SMELLY LYING IDIOT.") When Percy had said, "I think it's time to go. Annabeth's gotta meet other people in this place."
Leo smiled and waved goodbye with parting words. "I'll see you, Annabeth! SAD DEPRESSED B*TCH." And, when the door was about to close, "CALL ME."
Percy laughed and said, "That was just his Tourettes."
"NO IT WASN'T." Leo yelled from behind the closed door.
…
The next person we met was Jason, Leo's close friend. Immediately we entered his room (which was unnaturally clean), he glared intensely at me.
"Uh, hi." I started off.
"Your shoes. Take your shoes off." He continued to glare at me, his eyes flickering to my beat up Converse once in a while. At first glance he looked tall and intimidating, so I shrunk timidly into Percy.
Percy cursed as if he'd forgotten something. "I didn't warn you Annabeth, Jason has obsessive compulsive disorder." He muttered to me, then louder, "Sorry, Jace."
Jason's fingers began to twitch, but it was less apparent and more intentional than Leo's hands. He tapped the table three times, tapped his bed six times, and tapped his feet three times. "Get out." Then, noticing what he said was rude, "I mean, uhm, please take off your shoes and throw them into the hallway."
Percy started doing this as if it weren't a strange request, so I followed his lead. All the while Jason started counting under his breath by two's. "Two, four, eight, ten, twelve. Stay there." He addressed us. "God I'll have to scrub this place down, dirty damn shoes."
I raised an eyebrow at Percy, but he stood there patiently, as if waiting for more instructions from Jason. We didn't have to wait long because Jason finally snapped and said, "Why don't we go talk in the hallway?" And without waiting for an answer stalked in front of us to open the door. He opened and closed the door five times before actually being able to open it fully.
Jason seemed more at ease outside, but I noticed he was standing stock still and refused to lean against the walls like Percy and I, who were putting our shoes back on.
"Hey, Jason," Percy started, smiling. "This is Annabeth, I'm trying to get her to be more social."
"In this nut house?" Jason asked (which was exactly my point), but Percy only shrugged. "Hey Annabeth," He turned towards me, "Sorry for my little freak out inside. I've seen you in group therapy," he exclaimed, recognizing me. "You're the one who always looks glassy eyed."
I only shrugged in response, not knowing what to say. "Uh, okay." Jason muttered awkwardly, then turned towards Percy again.
"I heard you and Piper had a fight."
"Yeah," Jason shuddered. "She threw up her breakfast, and then she touched me." He frowned.
"She threw up her breakfast?" I asked, surprised.
"Well, yeah." Jason answered, seemingly unconcerned, "And she touched me! Do you understand how many rituals I had to do, Percy? I was washing my hands for at least an hour." Sure enough, when I looked down, Jason's hands looked scrubbed raw.
"Just thinking about it makes me want to count up by three's while simultaneously taking a shower." Percy smirked at Jason.
"Ha-ha, very funny." Jason glowered at Percy. "Make fun of the guy who just wants to be clean."
"Aww, I'm sorry Jason, give me a hug." Percy opened his arms and leaned threateningly towards Jason, who, looking terrified, backed away a few steps.
"Uh, listen Percy, I got to go...scrub my room down again." Jason said, flustered. "See you later, nice talking, Annabeth." He muttered quickly before entering his room quickly (or as quickly as one can when he has to open and close the door three times), leaving a bemused Percy behind.
"Who now?" I asked Percy.
"Uh, well, I'm going to turn you over to Thalia to introduce you to the girls." I groaned internally, girls were judgier than guys. There's only Frank, who has like, what's it called? He thinks he's different people - and there's Travis and Connor."
"Travis and Connor?" I asked, as we start walking down the hall.
"They just like to steal stuff, kleptos. They aren't related, but they are roommates, which is very rare in this hospital." Percy explained quickly.
The door to their rooms opened before we knocked. "Percy, yo." The guy at the door yelled. He was grinning widely, as if expecting Percy. "Are you here for some-" He cut off when he saw me behind Percy.
"Uh, hi, Annabeth."
I frowned at him. "How do you know my name?"
His voice immediately turned mysterious. "I know all. I see all. They said I was mad, and threw me here. But I will get my revenge!"
"You're freaking her out, Travis." Percy glanced at me. I gave Travis a confused look.
"I'm just messing with you." He laughed, his scarily happy voice back.
"Where's Connor?" Percy asked, trying to get a peek inside the room. Travis immediately slammed the door shut behind him.
"Strictly confidential." Travis stated, importantly. "We've got to do something. Very busy. Very against the rules." Travis winked at me before walking down the hall quickly.
"Dammit." Percy swore, when Travis turned the corner.
"What?"
"He nicked my watch." Percy sighed, looking at his bare wrist.
…
"The girls are hanging out in Thalia's room, excluding Rachel of course." Percy led me to her room. "This is the point where I'll be leaving you, I don't really enjoy girl talk." Percy made a sour face at the door.
"Well, go on, knock." Percy prodded me towards the door, but I only bit my lip and stared at it.
"I don't want to intrude…" I heard shrieking from behind the door.
Percy sighed. "Oh for heaven's sake." He knocked loudly and quickly on the door before sprinting in the other direction, following Travis down the hall.
Before I could yell anything rude to him, the door opened to reveal a skinny girl with long, braided hair. When I meant skinny, I meant it to the extent. Her cheeks looked sunken in and her shirt, though it was a tank top, looked baggy on her. If she wasn't so skinny she would have looked beautiful, like one of those Victoria secret models. She had a tan complexion and her face was sharp and angled.
"Oh, hello." Even her voice sounded pretty. "I'm Piper." The question caught me off guard.
"Ignore her, Annabeth." Thalia came up behind Piper, and pulled me into the room. Laying on the bed face down was another girl. She was African-American and had her hair done in twists up to her shoulders.
"That's Hazel." Thalia introduced me. The girl put up a hand in greeting. "She's going through withdrawal, so she'll be a little cranky." As if on cue, a groan came from her direction.
"Hi, Hazel." I murmured.
Piper said accusingly, sitting daintily beside Hazel. "Jason thinks I'm fat. He wouldn't touch me after breakfast."
Thalia only rolled her eyes. "That's because you just threw up and he's a clean freak." I told her, quietly.
"You talked to him?" Piper stood up immediately and looked at me.
"Uh, yeah. With Percy."
"That's awesome! He doesn't think I'm fat! Thank you, Annabeth." Piper wrapped her bony arms tightly around me. I gave her a tight smile in return.
I only hoped that she'd washed her hands since morning.
…
Happy chapter that's also kind of a filler but also introduces characters so...necessary? I just wanted to write something happy cause the last one was depressing.
Also, this story is halfway over so, I wanted to start thinking of another fan fiction to write. Tell me which one of the summaries you'd like me to write please:
1. It was all a mistake, really. Posiedon Jackson was just a misunderstood twenty year old businessman. He only wanted some time with his four year old son. He never meant to kidnap the child, and he never meant to be running away from the law with him. He just got in over his head, that's all. (Humour, Cuteness, Angst, idk.) AU Mortals.
orrrr
2. Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase are mortal enemies in high school. Both are misunderstood individuals, limited to the cliques of high school. Him, a troublemaking smart mouth. Her, little miss perfect. Both happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, and get kidnapped. Will their forced time together teach them about the other person? (It kind of sounds cliché, I know). (Not REALLY Percabeth, because I don't think people should be falling in love with each other when they are in grave danger...) AU Mortals.
I have a kidnapping theme going on, I know. If people are interested, I could write a little bit of each, but I don't really like writing Author's Notes because it makes the chapters seem longer than they actually are.
:)