Chapter 16
"Come on! We're gonna miss the bus!" said Annabeth, slinging her bag over her shoulder.
"I'm not a morning person," grumbled Percy as he lumbered down the front steps. Annabeth tried to hold back her laughter at his unruly hair.
"I can tell," she teased. "But this was your idea."
Paul stepped out of the house behind him into the dawn light. "Let's go," he said groggily.
"Thanks for driving us, Paul!" Annabeth said cheerily.
Percy and Paul both turned to stare at her, giving her an unveiled look of annoyance. She shrugged. "I am a morning person!"
And they set off to the closest bus station, which happened to be twenty minutes away in a town called Millton. The drive there was extremely awkward. Annabeth sat quietly in the backseat of the Chevy, wishing someone would say something to fill the silence. It was kind of creepy that she was sitting on the spot where she was born, but also a bit comforting, in some strange way.
When they finally got to the bus station, Paul dropped them in front of it and drove off without a word. "Not being a morning person runs in the family," commented Annabeth mildly.
Percy grinned. "Oh, definitely." He was starting to wake up.
The 6:00 A.M. bus arrived shortly after they did, and there where only about ten other people who got on it. "I'll tell you one thing," Annabeth whispered to Percy. "This is nothing compared to Chicago."
Percy nodded. "I'll bet."
The bus left five minutes late, which irritated Annabeth immensely. She wanted to get to New York City now. She wanted to find out what it all meant; the locket, the uniform, her and Percy's connection. What could that symbol be?
Of course, they would have to switch buses once they got to Boston. No bus would run from Milton all the way to NYC.
The bus ride turned out to be even more awkward than the car ride had been. Everyone kept to themselves, and the only noises were a baby's hungry cries and some teenager's blaring music.
Annabeth shifted uncomfortably and glanced over at Percy. He was fumbling with a pair of white headphones. "Here," he said quietly. He put one of them in her ear, and the other in his.
Annabeth listened for a minute, but no sound came out of the headphones. "Hey," she said, nudging him. "I don't know if you noticed, but you forgot to press play."
Percy smiled and looked down, holding up the end of the headphones that had the jack. Nothing was attached to it. "It's a trick I learned from my dad," he explained. "Saves you from awkward situations. Pretend you're listening to music, and no one bothers you."
"Or," said Annabeth. "You could actually listen to music."
She took Percy's iPod out of his hands and scrolled down the list. "Anybody by Jesse McCartney". No thank you, she thought, quickly scrolling to the next option. "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by Green Day". Not in the mood. And then she saw...
"'All Cried Out' by Lisa-Lisa and Cult Jam?" she questioned, turning to Percy.
A furious blush spread up on his cheeks. "I share an Apple account with my mom," he muttered, grabbing the iPod back from her and plugging the headphones in. "Here," he said. "You'll like this one."
A piano riff intro sounded over the speaker in Annabeth's ear, and she leaned back against the uncomfortable leather seat, closed her eyes, and listened.
A man's gravely yet smooth voice rang into the music.
If I could find assurance
To leave you behind
I know my better half would fade
And all my doubt
Is a staircase for you
Opened out of this space
The first step is the one you believe in
The second one might be profound
Annabeth was startled at the truth in these words. She turned to look at Percy, but he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts.
I'll follow you down
Through the eye of the storm
Don't worry, I'll keep you warm
I'll follow you down
As we're passing through space
I don't care if we fall from grace
I'll follow you down
Annabeth barely noticed it at first, but she suddenly became fully aware of Percy tentatively reaching his hand towards hers. She smiled to herself and took his hand, pretending it was no big deal. Which, of course, it was.
You can have the money and the world
The angels and the pearls
Even trade mark the color blue
Just like the tower we never built
In the shadow of all the guilt
When the other hand was pointing at you
The first step is the one you believe in
The second one might be profound
Annabeth was worried her palm might sweat a bit, so she fixed her complete focus on the song, and it's sweet yet powerful emotion.
I'll follow you down
Through the eye of the storm
Don't worry, I'll keep you warm
I'll follow you down
As we're passing through space
I don't care if we fall from grace
I'll follow you down
I'll follow you down to where forever lies
Without a doubt I'm on your side
There's nowhere else that I would rather be
I'm not about to compromise
Give you up, to say goodbye
I've got you through the deep
I'll keep you close to me
During the driving guitar solo, Annabeth couldn't help but feel like this person was talking to her. Her entire life, she had craved something constant, someone who would be there for her and would always stay by her side. This song seemed to remind her of that.
I'll follow you down
Through the eye of the storm
Don't worry, I'll keep you warm
I'll follow you down
As we're passing through space
I don't care if we fall from grace
I'll follow you
If I could find assurance
To leave you behind
I know my better half would fade
I'll follow you down
The song ended on a major chord, and Annabeth was slightly disappointed. She turned to Percy. "What song was that?" she asked.
"'I'll Follow You' by Shinedown," he said.
Annabeth smiled. I'll remember, she promised silently.
And so, the bus kept driving as they listened to music. Within an hour and a half, they were in Boston.
While they were waiting for the 8:00 bus to New York, Annabeth dragged Percy into the square. Some of the shops were still closed, but most of the stores and kiosks were open, with employes setting up displays and arranging their merchandise. A few people strolled around, but the square was somewhat vacant.
"Oh, look at these!" Annabeth pulled a pair of black sunglasses off of a kiosk. They had silver spikes all the way up the side. "What do you think?" she said, putting them on and posing. "Do I look like a rebel?"
Percy laughed. "You look goth. Here, try these."
He took a pair of bright purple sunglasses that practically covered Annabeth's entire face and put them on her. He put his hand up to his chin as if he were surveying her. "Very inconspicuous," he said.
Annabeth laughed and put the sunglasses back. The teenage girl at the register seemed pretty ticked off that they didn't buy anything, but Annabeth hadn't brought extra money.
Percy's stomach suddenly made a loud groaning sound. He clutched it and blushed. "I slept in too late for breakfast," he admitted.
"Well, come on!" said Annabeth, taking his arm. "If you give me your wallet, I'll get you something to eat!"
Percy rolled his eyes, pretending to look annoyed, but Annabeth knew he wasn't.
Once they had stopped by a bagel shop and gotten some delicious corn muffins and the crappiest coffee Annabeth had ever tasted, they headed back to the bud station. The bus to New York was just pulling in.
Annabeth took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She felt Percy's fingers intertwine with hers. "Hey," he said. "We'll be okay. In fact, I'm pretty sure New York won't even know what hit it!"
Annabeth opened her eyes and nodded, looking straight ahead. "New York, here we come."
Don't you think the song I used described Percabeth?! Because... Percy followed Annabeth down to where forever lies! Literally! Get it? Do you? Do... Ah, never mind.
I had a list of theme songs, guys, and it got deleted... But I'm trying to salvage it. Today's theme song is for the whole Percy Jackson series! *gasp*
Some Nights by Fun.
Special thanks to wise-waters for this theme song! (Ugh. I hate the fact that their band name has a period in it. It's a TITLE, people. There's no ending punctuation! I know, I know, it was because some Swedish band already trademarked the name "Fun", but they could have at least come up with another name!)
I know, I know! I stole the headphone thing from Dream High! But it was just so good! (Why, Jin-Gook?! Why?!)
Ah! I have almost 200 reviews! I feel like a celebrity!:) Y'all are the best!
-Rebel