CHAPTER 18
Annabeth hurried down the steps and got in her car. Her sobs caught in her chest, overwhelmed her as her tears kept falling down.
What happened in that apartment went by too quickly for her to process anything.
She bit her lower lip from losing it, but the sobs filled her chest, the tears kept falling.
She held the wheel with her firmly gripped hand and pulled out of the parking lot without another glance at the building behind her.
—
Percy shoulders slumped and his knees felt weak. He collapsed onto the couch.
His eyes looked empty. The tears wouldn't fall. His chest felt so tight and burdened like something heavy was weighing down on it.
Sitting down, he played what had just happened over and over in his head...
He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him, taking all of her in and not wanting to let go ever.
"Annabeth, please." His voice shook, "Don't leave me."
She pulled away from his touch as if he repulsed her.
It took everything in him to not break down right there.
Her lips pressed together in a tight line and she shook her head, "I need to leave."
"Annabeth, I can't take this. You're not mad at all and it's making me nervous."
She looked over at him with her grey eyes—a flash of something Percy couldn't place came over her then went away just as quickly.
"I am mad."
"You don't seem like it."
"What exactly do you want from me, Percy? You want me to yell at you at the top of my lungs? Because I can do that for you!" Her voice raised and she bit her lower lip.
"Yes, I want that. I deserve it."
Her brows furrowed and she let out a heavy breathe.
"Stop it, Percy."
"Yell at me!"
She broke down, "I'm tired of this!" That caught Percy off guard. His eyes widened at her words, "I am so…tired, Percy."
Utter pain filled his eyes as her name breathed off his lips.
She turned her face away from him and ran her fingers through her hair once before looking back at him, "I—I have to go." she said, picking up her coat before walking out on him—leaving the raven haired man in a sorrow that killed him from the inside out.
Percy's eyes looked over to where she had been standing.
He knew letting her go was inevitable, but still he couldn't shake the gut twisting feeling that overcame him as he buried his face in his arms to make everything else disappear.
—
Reyna's chocolate brown eyes looked up at the raven haired man who walked through her office doors and into her office.
A thump in Reyna's chest as the man stood in front of her, his eyes elsewhere—his thoughts also seemingly elsewhere.
He finally looked into her eyes, acknowledging her.
"What do you want from me, Reyna? You're lucky I even came here in the first place."
"I heard Annabeth's memory has returned." she looked at him with those quiet, soft brown eyes.
He was silent.
She continued encouraged by his silent answer,"You and I know, Annabeth will get you destroyed in any way she can."
"So what?" His voice quiet and emotionless like his face.
"I could get you a spot...next to me." Her voice cautious but wistful.
He scoffed, "And what makes you think that I would work for you?"
"Because I know a way we can both pay for the wrongs we did to her if you're close beside me."
Reyna could see something stir within him, but he recovered quickly.
"And also…" she continued, "I know you want more than anything to be as close as you can to her."
His green bright eyes looked up at her slowly, but still with caution, "What kind of position are we talking about?"
—
Annabeth hadn't seen him for two weeks now. That person with his stylishly messy raven hair and hypnotizing green eyes and knee weakening smile.
Gods, she needed to get it together.
She had obviously fired him from his position as her right hand man.
She could easily get Reyna destroyed at this very moment, but there was a reason she was waiting. She was waiting- for the perfect opportunity to get her company back.
And there was another reason.
She knew in her heart that there was more to her father's death than the news let on and she was more than determined to figure it all out.
Annabeth took the elevator down the stairs. She had spent the night at the company, since she had a lot of catching up to do— a lot.
Her utterly exhausted, dried out eyes looked down at the floor as she rolled her shoulders to stretch her neck. She walked across the lobby floor when out of her peripheral vision she saw a crowd forming to the left of her.
She looked over and her heart did a gymnastics routine and she hated herself the moment she felt that way. Ten feet away from her was the man who she should hate but was in all her dreams of late standing right next to the woman she hated the most. Annabeth froze in her steps.
He seemed to notice and looked over at her as reporters were asking him and Reyna question after question. His eyes widened instantly and it seemed as if all that was there was the two of them. The look on his face exuded all the things that he wanted to say to her.
Annabeth tried very hard to hide the pain that threatened to show from her eyes. She quickly turned away and pushed out of the glass spinning doors of the company building.
—
Percy hand went up to hold his chest. She had been standing just there— a few feet away from him— and he couldn't get to her. He ached to run over to her and wrap his arms around her. In that moment he had wanted nothing more than to simply feel her body against his—to touch her.
He calmed himself and tried to keep a straight face for the cameras but it was hard. He used to be a master at the playboy cool facade. Only a girl like Annabeth could undo him so easily.
She had looked so tired. Was she getting enough sleep? Why wasn't she taking care of herself?
Questions kept popping in his head.
When he and Reyna were safe behind the doors of her office, she went over to her desk and immediately started her day's work as the CEO she still was.
He went up to her, "Tell me what you exactly gain from having me working for you." he demanded more than asked.
She looked up and gave him a smile that almost seemed genuine, "I gain your brains. And a public appearance."
His brows furrowed, "A public appearance?"
"Yes, as my boyfriend." she said casually.
He broke out into a dark chuckle, "You must be insane."
"Yes, maybe."
"Is this your brilliant plan for us to pay for what we've done?" He gave her a confused expression.
"Think about it Percy, if everyone knows about how I maliciously took away a man from my poor daughter's life, what will they think of me? Very badly I can assure you. And then the board will definitely vote against me and for Annabeth as CEO."
He shook his head, "I just need to know why you're suddenly doing all this."
Reyna looked up at him like she had never before, "I'm being serious when I say this- ...I'm ashamed Percy. Of what I've become sitting in this chair. She didn't deserve anything that I put her through and this is my way of making up for it." There was sincerity wrapped in her words. Her eyes looked up at Percy and they held such pain and sorrow that surprised him.
He knew sincerity when he saw it and that's exactly what he saw in her eyes.
Percy let out a heavy breathe then gave her a nod, "Alright. I'll do it."
Percy dragged a very drunk Reyna out of the car. They had made an appearance at a bar to get the paparazzi on their toes, but she had drank a bit too many shots of tequila. And now here he was, helping this woman with whom he had so much history with through the huge gates of the Chase Manor.
A maid let them through the gates and she helped him get Reyna across the grand lawn and up the marble stone steps.
Percy helped get her out of her coat as the maid held her up. Reyna was barely keeping herself up. He had never seen her so drunk.
"I got her." he said to the maid. She nodded and excused herself as Percy carried Reyna up the stairs in his strong arms.
He may still resent the woman, but he was still the gentleman that he was.
As he reached the top steps, one of the bedroom doors to his left opened and one particular blonde beauty stepped out in nothing but a sports bra and plaid pajama bottoms.
They both froze in their spots. Annabeth with an empty glass in her hand and Percy carrying the blacked out Reyna.
Annabeth's grey eyes looked from him to the unconscious Reyna in his arms then back to him. His heart seemed to stop. He had totally forgotten she was now living here in the house that was originally hers to begin with.
She said nothing and was the first to look away as she turned to go downstairs.
His breathing became shorter and heavier. Percy hated himself for not remembering sooner.
Two weeks after she had inevitably walked away from him, he was carrying an unconscious Reyna into her home.
He cursed under his breathe and went on to set Reyna in her bed in the master bedroom before walking out and going downstairs.
He didn't know what he was going to say to her—he just knew that he needed to be close to her. Percy knew he would only be torturing himself, but he couldn't help himself.
Percy walked into the kitchen and saw that her back was turned to him as she poured herself some water from a chilled water bottle. He stared—his eyes taking in every single part of her radiant self. He yearned to slip his arms around her ever slim waist and feel her warm, golden soft skin under his fingers.
Annabeth seemed to be caught up in her thoughts as she placed the bottle back in the fridge and picked up the glass of water in her hand.
"Annabeth?"
He saw her shoulders tense up at the sound of her name called.
"Annabeth, please just let me explain. What you saw up there is not what it seems?"
She turned to look at him with her striking grey eyes which never failed to make his chest feel tight and his heart beat faster than he thought humanely possible,
"No, I think it's exactly what it seems, Percy."
Her words should have hurt him, but he was too focused in indulging in the sweet calmness that her voice brought.
"Annabeth you have to understand that no matter what I would never mean to hurt you and you have every right to want rev-"
She lifted up her hand, silencing him, "Percy, I don't want revenge."
"What?" his brows raised together.
"You've been hurt far more than you deserve, Percy. I know, I've seen it. But you have to understand that I can never be associated with you in any way after what you've done. To me."
She then started walking past him, but he caught her arm—making her turn to him.
His eyes looked over to her and exuded a pain that was incomprehensible. So painful, she couldn't take her eyes away from his.
"Please, Annabeth" his voice almost broke her resolve in not showing him any emotion, "Just stay with me here for a while longer. That's all I ask."
Electricity surged through her from the spot where he had his grip over her arm.
She let out a soft breathe, then nodded. He gave her a sweet smile and let go of her arm reluctantly as she took a seat on the ostentatious couches in the living room. He followed suit.
Annabeth set her glass on the counter then looked over at the guy, melting him with the look in her eyes and the emotion that showed through them.
Percy's eyes never left her as they sat in silence—comfortable and yet full of tension.
He couldn't help the magnetic attraction that he felt growing inside of him. He longed to touch her—to feel her body against his. His eyes narrowed to her lips, then he silently shook off his inappropriate thoughts.
But when he looked back to her, he found that the distance between their lips were inches apart and growing closer. He thought it was just him moving, but saw that she was also moving forward.
Her hand raised up slowly and embraced the back of his neck and her fingers curled through his hair as her warm breathe fanned lightly over his lips. Her lips just barely brushed over his. It could barely be called a kiss, but it ignited something strong and burning inside of him, which made him meet her mouth again—but longer.
He cautiously touched her bared sides as he slipped his tongue between her lips and explored her delicious mouth he definitely had missed. She surprisingly obliged and swept her own tongue over his bottom lip before sucking and biting lightly. Percy's mind went haywire. He had almost forgotten how amazing it was to kiss her.
She pulled away too abruptly for him to gather his thoughts again. But the words that came out of her mouth did the trick of pulling him out of the reverie that her intoxicating lips brought.
"You should leave."
The blonde then got up and walked back upstairs with her glass in hand, not once looking back at him again.
Percy sat there, trying to catch his breathe again. He ran his fingers through his hair then let out a deep breathe.
His mind was clearing again from the drug that was Annabeth Chase and her cursed lips which could drive him to his knees.
Her kisses were all he thought about as he left the front door of the Chase Manor.
—
Annabeth walked through the company doors with Solace following close behind. She was talking about some issues with the board who would have trouble believing that she had her memory back, when her eye caught a crowd of reporters in the middle of the lobby.
It was not an unusual scene so she simply walked past, but what they were saying caught her ear.
"Is it true, Reyna, are you dating the ex-fiance of Annabeth Chase?"
"Yes, yes I am."
Reyna's eyes caught Annabeth staring and shock flashed through her eyes. Annabeth simply glared with lips pressed together. She hated the woman standing there in all her glory in front of the media. She hated her.
But something about her was off—she wasn't smirking her usual smirk back at her. She had a look of pure pity.
It was probably for the cameras.
Annabeth turned her head away to be looking into two familiar green eyes—eyes which could easily tear away all her inhibitions all her resolve and leave her exposed in a blink. She gave off no emotion on her face then let Solace lead her to the elevator.
—
A jet black haired woman sat in the booth of the coffee shop with a cup in her hands. She waited until a woman came through the doors.
Thalia waved at her, "Annabeth!"
Annabeth turned to the woman and smiled, immediately walking over to meet her embrace.
"Hey, Thalia. It's been a while hasn't it?"
"Yes. And when I heard the big news I had to contact you."
Annabeth sat in front of Thalia, "Well, I wouldn't say big."
Thalia reached out to hold Annabeth's hand, "So, Percy's out of the picture, I'm guessing?"
"No, actually. He's put himself in a position where I have to see him almost everyday."
Thalia's face contorted in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"It's all over the news. He's dating Reyna—at least publicly."
"WHat?!" Thalia slammed her hands on the table, making everyone jump in the cafe, "That bastard! I'm going to- "
Annabeth ushered her to settle down, "It's fine Thals. I don't care anymore."
"Annabeth, how can you not care? After all he's done to you?"
Thalia looked hard into her grey eyes, seeing nothing but pain—great, immense tortured pain. It was pain that no other person could have noticed behind those glaring, grey cold eyes.
She was going to kill that son of a bitch when she saw him again. What was the idiot bastard thinking?
—
Octavian looked in horror as he watched the breaking news on the television in his office.
Reyna. His Reyna. Dating Percy Jackson?
After everything he had done to get Reyna. Even going so far as to killing the president.
He fumed. His fingers gripping the glass in his hand so hard it broke. Blood dripped from his fingers, but he ignored it.
His eyes pale blue and piercing. His whole body trembled.
"Octavian?" A secretary stepped in to his office, "Reyna has left already. You should leave too."
He gave a nod, "I will. Thanks." he gritted between his teeth.
A/N: Ohhhhh, does Annabeth want payback or not? The suspense is killing me. Just kidding, I know what happens already. Muahahaha. Perks of being the author. Haha.
Thanks FOR ALL THE REVIEWSSSSSSS! I lovw you guys! YOU ARE THE BEST! I can't thank you enough :DD
Until the next update guys ;)