Chapter 13

Annabeth.

We stared at him for a full minute, not quite comprehending what was happening. He waved his hands in front of our faces. "Hellloooo? I asked if you could drive, Percy?"

Percy's face lit up with something that I could call devilish-glee, then disappointment, like he'd just thought of something.

Travis, seeing his face, pouted. "Oh, no, Percy. Don't give me that look. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I worked hard to get this opening. Think about, us cruising the highway, free." He turned to me as if he'd just noticed I was there. I gave him a wry smile. "Is it because of her?"

I stick my tongue out at him as he wrinkles his nose in disgust at me.

Percy still had a conflicted look on his face. But now it had become more intense, like he was arguing with himself. When he finally talked, it was only a whisper. "Grover says I should go. He said I should miss the..."

Travis seemed unsure of how to handle this situation, he'd only ever seen the part of Percy that was in control. "Miss the what?" He asked.

"The Examination."

Me, known for my skills of pretending something was not off, asked, "What the hell is that?" Percy snorted a little and Travis gasped dramatically.

"You mean, the Examination? You're doing that, today?"

The colour started to come back to his face, which meant we did a good job of undoing whatever was going on in his head. "Well, not today. In a few days. It's a surprise. Definitely this week. You shouldn't be so surprised. I am about to turn eighteen. Which means I will be a legal adult. Which means I won't be allowed in this youth residential hospital anymore."

"You're going?" I ask, because somewhere in my month of being here I have not imagined life here, however horrible, without Percy. It is just now that I am realizing that Percy and I... I like him. The thought made me laugh, almost. I like him. I haven't liked anyone in years.

Do I love him?

I am incapable of love.

Even if I like Percy, I can not imagine our relationship outside of this hospital.

These thoughts materialize in my brain so quickly that I think that maybe I know how Percy feels. Percy is trying to answer my question. I tune in to the conversation again.

"...I don't know how I'll do and I'm just scared, because…" He falters again. I could imagine new memories and ideas and voices in his brain, chopping his thoughts in half. His face becomes determined. "I have to do it. If I don't they'll send me to a snake pit."

"Asylums don't exist anymore, Percy." My wry tone is back.

"Annabeth, don't you understand?" He looks at me hard, like he's begging me to get it. "If I pass the exam I'm a free man. I can...I can live." I could see in his eyes that he truly believed this.

I'm not the one to contradict him this time. Travis looks at Percy, kind of concerned. "That's not how it works Percy." And he is right. Whatever is wrong with you in here, will be wrong with you out there. Even if I have only been here for a little after a month, I refuse to imagine anything outside it. It's almost dangerous.

"Why are you on Grover's side?" He asks us., he's almost crying.

"What is Grover's side?"

"You all want to me to rot in this crazy house. He can't...he can't control me. I have to do this interview, Annabeth, okay?"

"Okay." I say, because I understand.

Travis just sighs and whistles, kind of forlorn. "I guess that means I have to put these back." He looks longingly at the keys. "So since we're not going on a crime spree...you wanna play cards tomorrow?"

…

Percy.

My head is raging from the internal fight I had with myself a half hour ago. Grover and his little minions are fighting back at my disobedience. He'd told me to go with Travis, and to skip the exam. He said it would be okay. For once in my life, I thought it wouldn't. Maybe it was my internal longing for something outside of this hospital. All my life there was someone to control me. If not Gabe, then a teacher. Then a doctor, nurse, psychiatrist. Being an adult is about making your own decisions, not being seen unfit to make any. Not being stuffed into another hospital.

For once in my life, especially after such a huge fight with myself, I feel fairly tranquil, but also uneasy. Like this was the calm before the storm. Like me disagreeing with Grover will end with my life spiraling downwards until I hit the bottom. Maybe this is how Annabeth feels.

I am left with these thoughts as I roam the halls, waiting for my next meeting with Chiron. From now until the interview, he is going to prep and prepare me. He is going to put me in shape. He is going to make me...not sane, but…

I guess he will teach me how to pretend. Pretend that I am responsible young adult who knows what he's doing with his life.

I pace the doors of Chiron's office for the next few minutes until he finally calls me in.

He starts right away, not wasting time on pleasantries. "What do you want to do with your life, Percy?"

"I don't know, live it?"

"Anything specific? Do you want to go to university? Do you want a specific job?"

The rest of the session goes on like that, with him interrogating me about the future. My answers are vague and non passionate. I have never had to imagine a future before. Before I leave, Chiron hands over a sheet describing a list of questions I have to be ready to answer so that my interviewer, whoever he is, can determine my emotional and mental well being. It is the closest thing I've ever had to a test in years.

…

When I get back to my dorm I try to review the questions. Again and again I try to focus on the sheet in front of me to find that I can't. Eventually, I crumple it into a ball and throw it far away from me out of frustration. I am getting unreasonably angry at everything. At everyone.

When someone knocks at my door I am glad. I need a distraction from me failing at something that I'm actually trying to do.

When I open the door, I am surprised to see Annabeth - for the second time that day. Instead of dragging her into the rec room again, I drag her into mine. Her usually emotionless face shows surprise for a second, something that I later congratulate myself for.

"Good, you're here." I say, "I need your help with these stupid questions." I retrieve the crumpled paper from the floor and hand it to her. I sit down in front of my bed, leaning on the front of the bed frame. Annabeth follows my lead while opening up the paper.

"Oh. Do you need me to quiz you?" I shrug, unfamiliar with that word used as a verb.

"Okay!" She clears her throat.

"Annabeth, it was never that serious. Chill."

She laughs at me, "You're telling me to chill? Have you seen yourself? You're like the definition of unchill."

I only shrug, and gesture towards the paper. Annabeth rolls her eyes and starts again, clearing her throat for dramatic effect.

"Alright so…" She gives me a mockingly intense look. "If let out of this hospital, how do you want to contribute to the world?"

"What does that even mean?"

"You know, how do you want to leave your mark?" I only shrug in answer. "Seriously, you have no idea?"

"It's not really like I've ever thought of it!" I tell her, defensively.

"Okay...if you really have no idea." She says, "Say this: 'I, having known the struggles of being irregular or out of place in the world, want to help other children going through similar situations. I understand the lack of professionals who really know how it feels to have mental disabilities, and though I'm not saying I would become a sort of psychiatrist or therapist, I would want to volunteer to just have fun with them, and make them know someone out there cares.'"

"Woah." I am taken aback by her speech. "You're really good with those things."

"What things?"

"Words." I deadpan.

She nods quietly, not really sure how to take the compliment. "Next question is...how do you think this hospital helped you to gain your sanity?"

"Does it really say that?" I look confused at the piece of paper. It seems a little harsh to be written by medical professionals.

"No, it says how do you think this hospital helped better you as an individual? In what ways did being here help you to cope with your illness? But it really means the same thing."

"Yeah. I guess." I stare at her for a while, really noticing her, before asking, "Annabeth, do you like me?"

She laughs it off. "Holdup man, I'm the one asking the tough questions. I have the sheet of paper." She shakes the page around my face.

I grab the sheet of paper from her, and pretend to be reading through the list of questions. "Mhm, well, Miss Chase, it says right here 'do you like Percy Jackson?'"

She shrugs. "Yeah, I guess."

"Oh." I didn't expect her to be so blunt. "Well, do you wanna kiss or something?"

"Is that one of the questions there?" When she sees my face she laughs. "Is that a good idea, with, like Grover?"

Instead of answering, I lean down to her height and peck her on the lips. She blinks back her surprise.

We look at each other for a full minute before she speaks.

"That...was nice." She whispers. I nod in agreement. "Maybe if we kiss hard enough we can rid ourselves of our illness."

"Maybe."

This time, she instigates the kiss. She grabs my neck and pulls herself forward, pressing her lips hard against mine. We breathe hard the next time we break apart.

"Did it work?" She asks me.

"I don't know...Grover hasn't really talked to me since this afternoon. My head's still feels messed up."

"Yeah, I don't think it worked for me either." She sighs, leaning against me.

"Well, it was worth a try."

We lay like that for a while silently, before Annabeth starts to nod off, and I offer to walk her to her dorm. She doesn't say anything, but she doesn't refuse - so we walk together.

"So...does that mean we're together or something?" I ask.

"I guess."

I know, I know. But guys, the transition from elementary school to secondary school is hard. Just last week, I had to write a 22 page paper on the components of a gaming computer. I'm really sorry, but, guess what? The story is continued...and the climax is almost here. I've decided to write one of the stories that I asked you about as an original, and not a fanfiction. Thank you so much for not leaving me, thank you so much for reviewing and following and everything and...see you next time!