Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or HOO, only these ideas.
Chapter 9
Annabeth
My peaceful dream was interrupted by the sound of a cat being murdered. Oh, wait, never mind, it's just the alarm clock.
Anyway, like most people, I didn't rise right away. Instead, I curled up and then opened my eyes. After five minutes of staring at the ceiling, Penny barged into the room. I guess she got that extra key.
"Ladies! Rise and shine! The shoot starts in half an hour, so move it!" she yelled, successfully rousing Piper and me from our slumber.
"Half an hour?" I shrieked. "How are we going to eat and get dressed?"
"I brought breakfast," Penny responded, handing us each a croissant, bottle of orange juice, and some ham and cheese. I copied Piper and put the protein inside the croissant. "As for getting dressed, this is modeling! Whatever you wear will be gone within minutes anyway."
Nevertheless, Piper and I both wolfed down the meal and put on niceish outfits. We managed to make it to the shoot right on time.
From then on, it was like a whirlwind. Piper, me, and all the other girls at the shoot were whisked from station to station, person to person, to be false-efied. But this was more intense than anything I'd done before. I don't think the stylists really cared about our looks except as a canvas to paint one, literally and figuratively. My face was assaulted by make-up brushes, eyeliner, lipstick, primer, blush, you name it, it most likely touched my face.
My hair was brushed, combed, parted, clipped, straightened, curled, re-straightened, and forced into different forms of hair acrobatics. I must have lost at least a fifth of my hair with that.
I was then tried into different gowns. As I said before, I didn't really pay attention to this shoot except as a way to distance myself from Percy. Apparently, this was one of those modern yet old-fashioned ball-type shoots, advertising some French clothing line.
So we tried on dresses. And dresses. First, the clothing lady took my measurements in rapid fire movements, then disappeared behind racks of garments. She reappeared shortly after with an armful of dresses. She held the fabrics to my face and selected a few. Then she told me to get into the first one. She looked at me from all angles, tugging and adjusting. She seemed to find it unfit and I changed into another one.
This continued until she found one she was satisfied with. She marked the fitting that needed to be done and then sent me to a different lady who made the changes. Finally I put it on for real and looked in a mirror. I was shocked.
The dress was a light blue with lace, see-through sleeves. The collar was slightly V-necked and pleated. The bodice had detailed floral embroidery in a pearly white that matched the sleeves. The top curved in at the waist and flared a bit at the hips, falling in waves down the back but straight down the front. There was a bit of a bustle in the back, with the bottom edge of the dress pleated like the collar.
My hair was done up in a Victorian style bun, but much more elaborate. Braids wound around my head and curls and twists added flare.
And my make-up. My skin was a shade paler and my eyes were accentuated. My eyelashes contrasted with my paler skin and soft pink lips. But most significantly changed were my eyes. They were blue.
With my jet-lagged, foggy, whirlwinded mind, I must not have noticed contacts being put in. There was so much poking going on with my eyes anyway. I could clearly tell they were contacts, though, and they perfectly matched the blue of my dress.
I barely looked like Annabeth anymore.
It hit me then, like a ton of bricks. I wasn't Annabeth anymore. I was Anna Hyde. Anna, the model, not Annabeth, the bookaholic. Anna was the one that was wearing a bunch of makeup and an appropriately-named bleu de France gown. Anna was the international model, the person in magazines. Not Annabeth.
And who knows? Maybe Anna Hyde has blue eyes.
I smiled. This could be fun.
~o0o~
I collapsed onto bed. If one more person yelled at me in French, I might just pull my dagger on someone.
Once all the girls were ready, we had been led into a ballroom and flashes had started. We had been paired with some male models. I hadn't been then, and I wasn't sure now either, if I was relieved or upset that Blue hadn't been my partner. I'm not even positive that he had been there.
So after many commands in French, poses, and dying feet in heels, the shoot was over and Piper and I went back to the room. And back to me lying on the bed.
As I found a comfier position, something crinkled in my pocket. I frowned and pulled out a crinkled piece of paper. A napkin, to be more specific. It was Blue's phone number.
I remembered that I'd said I'd call him, but I was a bit put off by his attitude yesterday. But, he was a male model, what could you expect? In the end, I settled on texting him a 'Hey.'
Soon after, he responded. We exchanged greetings, then he invited me to dinner. That was quite to the point. I hesitated but then accepted, figuring I had nothing to lose.
My mind flashed to Percy, but I pushed it out away. Where had that come from? I wasn't romantically interested in him. Besides, we weren't supposed to be friends, let alone a couple.
His response dinged back quickly, saying to meet him at the front entrance of the Notre Dame Cathedral. It was pretty close to our hotel, so I agreed to meet him at seven.
Thinking about being on a date made me think of Aphrodite, so I looked to Piper, who was also on her phone.
"Hey, Piper?" I started. She looked up.
"Yeah?"
"What would you do," I said hesitantly, "if I told you that I have a date with Blue tonight?" Piper squealed and joined me on my bed.
"I would get very excited and come join you on your bed and demand that you tell me everything," she responded. So I told her about my conversation. She promised to help me get ready, but right now all I wanted was sleep.
I was shaken rather rudely awake some time later.
"Annabeth! Annabeth! Wake up!" someone was saying. I rolled over and opened my eyes.
"What?" I croaked out.
"Well, first, it's weird that your eyes are blue. And second, you have to get ready for your date!" the someone, Piper, told me. I blinked, realizing the contacts were still in.
"Okay, I'm up. What time is it?" I asked. I was always disoriented after napping.
"Six fifteen. We have to hurry, if you're meeting Blue at seven."
For the next half hour, Piper helped me get ready. I didn't have enough time to shower so we didn't really do anything to my hair or makeup. Piper just touched up my face and then we used a combination of my clothes and Piper's clothes to end up with something I would never normally wear. I had on a shirt that was tighter than my normal clothes, and it was, to quote Piper, showing off my curves. I also had on a skirt and slightly heeled sandals.
At six forty-five I had told Penny where I was going and was on my way to the cathedral.
~o0o~
Blue was relatively easy to find. He looked the same as yesterday, with slicked back hair and sunglasses. He was leaning over a railing looking into the River Seine.
"Hi," I greeted him. He jumped and looked at me, a slight panic showing on his face. He leaned on the railing, successfully hiding the water from my view.
"Hey," he said back, clearing his throat. He crossed his arms over his-muscular- chest and tried to look nonchalant.
"Blue, I can already tell you're a bad liar," I laughed. "I know you're trying to hide something, but I won't ask." He dropped his arms, looking guilty.
"Thanks, I guess," he murmured, looking down. This slip in his confident air intrigued me. As quickly as it appeared though, it disappeared.
"So," he grinned. "Welcome to Paris." He spread his arms in a wide gesture.
"I've already been here more than a day," I commented. "You're a little late."
"I know." He linked his arm in mine and started leading me towards the Notre Dame. "Yet I am here now to be your official tour guide."
"Have you even been to Paris before?" I inquired.
"Nope," he responded cheerfully. "But I've been here a day more than you have, so I consider myself an expert." We laughed together as we entered the famous cathedral.
I was captivated. The gothic style, thick walls, supports, columns, stained glass windows… I could go on. I was in yet another architectural paradise. I noticed Blue watching me. He was frowning slightly, like he was trying to figure something out. I found this curious, but forgot it as I saw a chamber off to the side with a little altar type thing. I was about to die of architectural fulfillment.
We wandered around the marvelous place a bit more, then exited by the river. The change from sobriety to cheerful French culture was apparent. Abruptly, Blue asked me a question.
"Who are your parents?" I took a step back, bewildered by the sudden question. I wanted to be honest, too, but I couldn't mention Athena.
"Why do you ask?" I stalled.
"You kind of remind me of someone, so I'm trying to figure out if you are in any way related to them," he explained. Huh. He must know some other child of Athena, if this observation came from my reaction to the Notre Dame.
"Well, my dad is a nice guy, and so is my mom, but she is strict," I said vaguely. "I don't really want to say more, considering I don't know you too well." He frowned, pensive.
"That's true, and I respect that. I just realized something though."
"What?" He took a step closer.
"I don't even know your name," he murmured, but he was close enough that I heard. He was right, too. He only knew my nick name.
"Anna Hyde," I said quietly back. I stumbled a bit on the Anna, but I wasn't going to tell Blue my real name when this was part of the reason my dad had me make up this name in the first place.
"Well Anna," he said softly, and heck, it was sexy. "You really do remind me of someone, it's strange." His closeness was affecting me so I didn't really process what he was saying or doing. At least, that's what I told myself after.
Quickly, he broke me out of my stupor by pulling on my hand, hard. I immediately crashed right into him, then flailed sideways. He caught me, but I was pretty humiliated.
"What was that for?" I demanded. I backed away from him, rubbing my hand. It still tingled from his touch.
"I was testing something," he said distractedly. "I was trying to see if… but never mind. That can't be right." He looked at me full on now, staring at my eyes, turning on that grin of his. "So lets go to dinner."
"Are you crazy?" I asked. "Why would I go to dinner with you now!?" I glared at him.
"Because of my charming personality and good looks?" he responded, unperturbed. The contacts must be affecting my glare abilities. I normally could get anyone to back down.
"Why are you asking me, anyway? Because of my inability to spot rude people?" I exclaimed, angry at how shallow, obnoxious, and cocky he was being. I turned away, starting to head back to my hotel.
"Hey wait!" he called. I whirled around, still angry.
"Why? So you can anger me more?" He winced.
"Look, I'm sorry," he tried. I crossed my arms, unimpressed. "It's just, I wanted to prove that you weren't related to who I thought you were. I figured since you weren't like her, you wouldn't be like her at all." He seemed desperate.
"It isn't so black and white," I fumed. "It's a spectrum. What, did you think that if I wasn't like this person, I'd be swayed by your looks and charm? Really? Do I look like a shallow idiot to you?" He shook his head. "Good. Keep it that way." I stood there, unsure about what to do now.
"I have an idea!" he declared.
"A miracle," I murmured. He ignored me.
"How about you teach me about this color spectrum thing? Over dinner?" he pleaded, looking hopeful. I thought about it. I could leave if he was a jerk again. Besides, I'd be teaching.
"Fine," I sighed.
"Yeah!" he yelled, actually fist pumping the air, which brought us some strange looks.
"But first, shush," I instructed and pulled his hand down, but he didn't let go of my hand. "Don't push it, mister." I threw him a warning glance. He dropped my hand quickly.
~o0o~
Sitting down to dinner, I was more relaxed. We'd walked along the Seine to another outdoor cafe and were seated pretty quickly.
"So, Anna," Blue started. The way he said my name, or part of my name, my pseudonym? Whatever. Anyway, the way he said 'Anna' was delicious. "Tell me about yourself."
"Well, I still don't know you that well," I stated.
"True, but we know each other's names now, and what better way to get to know each other than to talk?" He had a point there.
"Touché," I said. "Let's play Any Three Questions." It was a game Piper told me about; she would play it with her dad. "Nothing is off limits and we have to answer honestly." Maybe it was silly of me to expose myself this way, but oh well.
"I'll go first," Blue said excitedly. I smiled. "Do you have a boyfriend, what is an embarrassing story of yours, and, let's see, from which side of the family do you get your looks?" He looked at me expectantly, and I thought for a moment.
"I don't have a boyfriend." He smiled at this, as I expected. "My hair and eyes are from my mother, so is my nose, and the rest of my face resembles my dad."
"So, your mom has wavy blonde hair and blue eyes?" he asked. I hesitated, then nodded. I guess my hair was starting to curl despite being straightened, and of course I was still wearing the contacts. "Where is she from, California?" he joked, and I laughed with him.
"No, she isn't." I didn't elaborate, and he didn't ask. I couldn't say she was originally from Greece, after all.
"Okay, now your embarrassing story," he reminded me. I thought about what I could tell him. I couldn't tell that one, or that one… maybe the one when I outsmarted a teacher? Blue took my silence the wrong way. "Aw, is Anniekins scared to humiliate herself?" he mocked.
"First, don't ever call me Annie. Second, I was thinking." He was sufficiently humbled now. I suddenly had a brainwave. A little cruel, but it would be funny. "Third, there was this time I was having a nice conversation, when the person I was conversing with pulled my hand so I fell and made a fool of myself in public." I looked at him, awaiting the reaction.
"Who would do that?" he frowned.
"Really? You did that, fish brain!" He stared at me, startled. I felt like face palming.
"What?"
"You pulled my hand and made me fall, silly. Earlier, remember? Gosh, you're like a goldfish." It seemed like he had a three-second memory span, anyway.
"Oh, right. I'm sorry. But why did you call me a fish brain?" He seemed quite disturbed by this.
"Because fish often have bad memories, and you, sir, didn't remember something that happened less than an hour ago!"
"Ok, right. Sorry," he said, relieved.
"I should get to give you a nickname, since you gave me one," I observed.
"I already have a nickname," he protested.
"Nope, not gonna cut it," I shot down, shaking my head. "I dub thee Fish Brain." I took my knife from next to my fork and tapped him on the shoulders, like I was knighting him, and we laughed together.
Sometime during this, we ordered dinner. Our Any Three Questions turned into Any Twenty Questions, and I learned a lot about Blue. Like how he'd always wanted a dog, and how he lived with his mom in New York, started modeling a year ago, disliked closed spaces, and loved the beach. He apparently also loves to eat, judging from what he ordered and how quickly he ate it (Seven minutes and fifty-seven seconds). He learned a lot about me, too.
It grew dark, Blue took off his sunglasses, and shadows danced across our faces. A breeze came up, and as we left the restaurant I shivered. My (I guess) date quickly offered me his coat, a deed true to the chivalry I'd thrust upon him earlier with my dinner knife.
When we reached the hotel, I somewhat reluctantly offered the jacket back to Blue. I felt comfortable and safe in it. When he took it from my grasp, our hands brushed.
I could still feel the warmth once I reached my room. I might not be enchanted with his attitude, but I couldn't deny the attraction we had.
Hey readers! I'm so happy I managed to get this up in a week. I even did this before doing my homework, I love you all that much ;) I will try to update in a week or less, and school is ending soon so I'm expecting faster updates :)
I would love to know what you all think of the conflict scene, reviews make my day. It only takes a minute (or more if you want to be awesome and write more).
Guardian'sDragonOfDeath: I'm sooo glad you liked the description in this chapter, I worked really hard on it. And yes, the Mona Lisa really is that small! I was surprised when I saw it too. I'd heard so much about it, only to find a smallish painting. I am sooo happy you reviewed!
cupcakesdofart: It really makes me smile and feel excited to know that someone is that involved in my story to be so excited :) Hope you still feel that way! Thank you so much!
And a big THANKS to all the readers, I appreciate it!