Disclaimer: I do not Percy Jackson and the Olympians, or this song.
Song: Speak Now
Artist: Taylor Swift
(Annabeth POV)
I'd received an invitation this morning. It came in a gold envelope, a little overkill for my tastes, and inside sat a thick, cardstock piece of paper. On it, written in golden cursive, were the fateful words:
We invite you to join Mr. Perseus Jackson and Ms. Rachel Dare in their exchange of vows on June twenty-first—
I crumpled up the note before I could read any more, and threw it clear across the room, knocking down a picture frame in my haste.
A wedding? Dare and Percy were getting married? I couldn't believe it… they were so wrong for each other, it was almost laughable. But no one was laughing, especially not me.
But what shocked me the most was that they had the nerve to invite me. It was just like Percy to do this. He probably thought it would be funny to watch me get my heart broken all over again. He was so mean, such a jerk, so utterly clueless—
And he wasn't right for Rachel.
He was right for me.
I shocked myself as I thought these words, even though they were true. I'd spent so much time trying to convince myself that I didn't love him, that I was over him, that I'd moved on.
But they were lies. It was a jolting realization, really, but not untrue.
By then, I'd made up my mind. I was going to that wedding, but not to encourage this scandalous union. I was going to win Percy back.
I checked the date; it was June eighteenth, four days before the wedding.
Four days. I could handle that. Besides, I had a lot to think about.
I woke up on June twenty-first, energized and slightly nervous. I dug out my best dress, a flowing, shimmering, silver strapless, and curled my hair, like old times. I dabbed on some lip gloss, outlined my eyes with a faint black, and slipped on some black heels. I stepped back and looked in the mirror. I smiled.
I looked hot.
I hoped it was enough to win him back. After all, I haven't seen Percy in a year, and I haven't seen Rachel since I left camp at eighteen. That was, what, three years? I hoped she didn't remember me.
I let these thoughts run wild in my head as I climbed into my car and started it up. I pulled out of the driveway, and started down the road.
The ceremony was set up beautifully. It was on the beach, of course, and the ceremony was going to take place in a huge, marble pavilion-like thing. It almost looked like an open-topped temple. Flowing, white curtains were draped around three of the sides, and seats were set up inside.
On one side of the pavilion sat the bride's family. I saw a burly man in a tux holding hands with a pretty, red-haired woman sitting in the front, obviously Rachel's parents. Different people I didn't know where sitting in the remaining white chairs.
On the other side, I caught sight of Sally Jackson, Percy's mom. I saw Tyson, and Grover. I smiled at the sight of them.
I took a seat in the middle, and waited for the ceremony to start.
But then my mind began to wander. What was I thinking? That I could just show up and expect him to take me back? That wasn't Percy at all. As much I hated to admit it, he was pretty faithful in his relationships, and he likely wouldn't desert his bride at the altar.
Sighing and finally realizing how ridiculous this was, I got up and started walking out of the pavilion. Then someone tapped my shoulder. I spun around, and found myself face-to-face with the bride.
She was wearing an ugly dress—it looked like a frosted, stale pastry—and her shoes looked like they had been attacked by a Bedazzler. Her hair was a deep red, and it was frizzy as always. Her green eyes stared down at me like she wanted to claw my face off, and her lipstick-smeared lips were curved into a sneer.
"Rachel Dare," I said through clenched teeth.
"Rachel Jackson, actually," She smirked.
"Not yet," I said.
"But soon," She gave me fake smile, but it looked more like a grimace. "And you were just leaving, I suppose?"
I wanted to say that, yes, I was, but I just kept my mouth shut.
"Well, doesn't matter anyways. You know, Percy insisted that you be invited," She went on. I wasn't sure why she was telling me this. "I disagreed, but, obviously, he won. Well, now it's my day, and you're—officially—uninvited. Got that?"
My eye twitched. I wanted so badly to smack Rachel upside the head, but I resisted.
"Fine," I said in a sugar-sweet voice, walking away. But I wasn't going home. If I was determined to leave before, I wasn't now. I was going to give Rachel more than she bargained for.
I hurried out of the pavilion, to make it look like I was leaving, but I hid in the curtains once I was far enough away.
I waited, and waited, until finally, music started to play. The organ sounded like a death march to me. Rachel materialized from a behind some curtains I'd overlooked, floating down the aisle like a pageant queen. I quickly emerged from the shadows and took an empty seat in the back.
And then I saw him.
Percy. He was wearing a tailored grey suit with a green tie poking out. His black hair was gelled back, letting his breathtaking sea-green eyes claim all the focus.
He watched Rachel as she came down the aisle. He had slight smile on his face, and his eyes were distant, a look I'd seen many times before. I know he wished it was me walking down that aisle. I just know it.
Before long, Rachel had shimmied her way to the altar, and was standing in front of the preacher.
Words were exchanged, but I didn't catch them. I was too busy staring at the lulling motion of Percy's lips.
And then, finally, the preacher said the words I'd been waiting for.
"If anyone opposes to this marriage, please speak now or forever hold your peace."
The words were followed by silence. I knew what I had to do. This was my last chance. My hands started to sweat, and my stomach churned with anxiousness. But I stood up.
I received horrified looks from everyone in the room, but I was only looking at Percy. He gazed back, his mouth a confused O.
"I am not the kind of girl who should be crashing a wedding," I said aloud in the silence, ignoring Rachel's glares of death. "But you are not the kind of boy who should be marrying the…" I tried to think of the right word. "Wrong girl. So, please, don't say yes, run away while you still can." I tilted my head towards the exit, giving off a clear message: I'll meet you. "Don't say a single word. You need to hear me out."
Silence ensued. Everyone looked at me, none of the looks nice. But Percy's eyes were different, like I'd lit some kind of fire. What scared was that I didn't know if it was of passion or anger.
Wordlessly, he stepped down from the altar and came walking towards me. Everyone shifted to watch. I was frozen, waiting for Percy to yell at me for crashing his wedding.
But he didn't. He gathered me in his arms, and whispered in my ear, "You don't know how long I've waited for you to get me,"
I stared at him, incredulous. And then, in front of everyone, he kissed me. At his own wedding! Gasps of shock and murmurs rippled through the crowd. But I didn't care. I was lost in a world all my own.