Hello beautiful people! I have finally updated. You may need to reread the last few chapters. I know I did.
Annabeth was dying. At least that's what it felt like. She had been alone in the cabin for three weeks and had no other contact with human life. Percy didn't answer her calls and the security guards were basically English palace guards; they watched and guarded, but there was no talking. It was just her and Sadie and talking to the cat was only so interesting. Even though Annabeth was starting to think that even the cat thought that she was going crazy.
There was a lot of time to think, and that she had been. Both her and Percy had made some serious mistakes in their relationship, but leaving her in a cabin by herself and ordering the guards not to interact with her was rivaling forcing her to marry him for the top of her shit list. The plan was probably to leave her alone for a little while and let her think and then everything was going to be okay, but that was not how this was turning out. The more Annabeth thought about it, the more angry she got.
Annabeth was not a great cook either, and that meant that she was either eating mac and cheese, oven pizza, or just not eating at all. So she had lost about 15 pounds in the last three weeks. Not that there was anyone to notice. There was a good chance that she could have died in that house and no one would have been the wiser. She was dying for some company, or just some good food. Neither could be seen on the horizon though.
The solution to her loneliness was pretty easy. All she had to do was write Percy and give in, but Annabeth wasn't ready to do that yet. She appreciated the time to think, but locking her up like she was a max security prisoner was beyond all reason. Humans needed a certain amount of communication to remain healthy, and she sure as hell wasn't getting that. Maybe he didn't care about her as much as he liked to act like he did.
Her days were always the same. Sometimes she read; other times she would go for a walk or clean. Annabeth had gotten to the point where she would walk the perimeter just trying to see if there was somewhere to escape: there wasn't. Today was a reading day. Annabeth was laid out in the large bed in only leggings and a sports bra. The benefit of living alone was that you didn't have to dress for anyone else, and that was what she was most comfortable in. That was until she heard the door rattle.
Annabeth sat up in a flash. No one was supposed to be on the property, and the grocery people had already come by. Her first instinct was to look around for a weapon. Unfortunately, there wasn't much for her to use. Her panic began to rise as she could hear yelling from outside the door, so she ran out of the room and towards the back door thinking that maybe she could make it out before the intruder could make it in. Of course, she wasn't so lucky.
She was half way through the family room when the front door slammed open. Annabeth froze in shock. But standing at the door was not the big scary men that she had expected. Instead a petite brunette woman stood there glaring at Annabeth's guards. With a huff the woman snarled at the men "you can't keep me away from her no matter what my son says. The fact that you all willingly kept her here is barbaric," before turning to face Annabeth. Suddenly her face changed to a warm and loving one. "And you dear must be Annabeth. I'm Percy's mom, but you can call me Sally.
After the initial shock wore off Annabeth gave an awkward wave while still trying to calm her heart rate. When she had heard the commotion, she wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but this was not it. Sally was a middle-aged woman, probably in her fifties, but she was pretty even after aging. She also had a glow about her that just seemed welcoming, but Annabeth had heard the yelling outside. There was no telling if that was true.
"I'm sorry this must be quite a shock to you. I know you weren't expecting visitors, but I went to the mansion to see my son and meet you and I was kindly informed that my son had locked you away in a cabin for three weeks and I lost it. So, I decided to come find you to make sure that my son hadn't permanently ruined his relationship with his new bride. Of course, I gave him an ear full first, but still," the woman finally stopped to take a breath and Annabeth was taken aback. It seemed that someone may finally on her side.
"Oh, um, that was... nice of you," Annabeth said awkwardly.
"Percy is a good man, he just isn't very good at understanding others. He never was even as a child." Annabeth snorted at that. He definitely wasn't good at understanding her or what she meant. That was why she had been in solitary confinement for three weeks. "Dear god have they even been feeding you here? You're skin and bones!" The older woman said as she finally got a good look at Annabeth. It was a nice reminder that she wasn't dresses appropriately to meet Percy's mother.
Before she could even answer Sally was mumbling nonsense and had already pulled out her phone calling Percy. Annabeth's heart stopped when he answered on the second ring, "hello?"
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sally shouted into the phone. "I just got to the cabin where you have been oh so nicely keeping your wife in solitude to find that the poor thing looks like she is going to blow away in the wind. Do you not believe in feeding your spouse now or are you just incompetent?"
Annabeth tried to chime in but Percy beat her to it, "No mother I believe in feeding my wife. She has a grocer that comes once a week and brings her whatever she wants. Whether she eats it or not is not my problem." The words came off harsher than he had meant them to, but it was too late now.
"Not your problem? Not your problem!" Sally yelled getting louder. "The last time I check you married the very scared girl standing in this room with me, and if you don't think her health is your problem then I suggest you get an annulment because that was one of the most self-centered things I have ever heard you say."
"I'm fine!" Annabeth yelled to try and fill the gap between mother and son. "Really I'm fine. There's nothing to worry about. I've just been feeling a bit under the weather."
Sally scoffed. "Was it my son failing to protect you from attempted murder or his abandonment of you in a cabin that made you feel that way?"
"Mom!" rang out loud and clear through the speaker of the phone. "That is enough. I have already had this conversation with you, and I will not be having it again. I did what I thought was best, but if you are that concerned I will drive out there and check it out for myself."
"No!" Annabeth all but yelled. "You don't need to come out here. I'm fine." Truth be told she wasn't ready to see him yet. She was still mad that he had left her, but she was also hurt. They were supposed to be working on their relationship and he had abandoned her instead.
"She's lying," Sally asserted. "Get your ass in the helicopter and get out here or so help me God son."
"Fine. I'll leave in 30," Percy said before promptly hanging up. Annabeth just stared at the phone wide eyed. Then looked to Percy's mother who had a triumphant smile on her face.
True to his word Percy boarded the family helicopter thirty minutes later. He knew that his mother was probably being dramatic, but it was about time to end this standoff with Annabeth anyway. When he had left he didn't think that she was going to last three weeks on her own. He was sure that after a few days she would cave and ask him to come back, but that had blown up in his face. Now he had probably done more damage than good.
There was a part of Percy that liked having Annabeth away though. He could go back to his life before he got married while she was still protected. There was no fighting and no one to answer to at the end of the day. Plus, it put his whole family at peace. There was no complaining about the girl that most of them had never even seen.
The helicopter ride was much shorter than the drive; only about two hours. Dread seemed to knot itself in Percy's stomach the closer he got to the lake. Not only was he going to have to face his very pissed off mother, he was going to have to face a pissed off Annabeth, and he wasn't sure which one was worse. He was leaning toward his mother, but he had never seen Annabeth in her full pissed off glory.
Whatever he got he knew he deserved. He had blown the entire fight out of proportion. His intention had been good, but his execution had been poor. Percy knew that leaving Annabeth in isolation for three weeks was wrong, but both of them were so stubborn. Neither of them had been willing to back down. By the time Percy realized that he should give in it was already too late to fix it. Now he had to reap the consequences.
Annabeth had been pacing since she learned that Percy was coming back. Sally had been chirping cheerfully behind her, seemingly not noticing her distress. She wasn't ready to fight with him yet. Normally when Annabeth knew she was going to have a fight she spent a few days thinking about what she wanted to say. She had about two hours to figure that out now. It was not enough.
Luckily, Annabeth did put in a shirt. An oversized sweatshirt to be exact. It went to her mid thighs, so it was hard to tell that she lost weight. The only place it was visible now was in her face, but there wasn't much she could do to hide that. Hopefully Percy's unobservant tendencies carried to her appearance as well. Not that Annabeth had high hopes that he was going to care how she looked. He said it himself that whether she ate or not was not his problem.
All of the overthinking was going to Annabeth's head. "I need to get out of here. I'm going for a walk," she announced before making a beeline for the door.
"What do you mean you're going for a walk?" Sally cried. "Percy is coming to see you! You have to be here!" The short woman followed her to the doorframe, but Annabeth was faster; she was already half way across the lawn.
"He's not coming to see me. He's coming to see you. He only came because you called him and told him to, so I don't need to be here when he gets here. You heard it yourself he doesn't give a shit about me." Annabeth then turned on her heels and stalked into the woods. Running away probably wasn't the right choice, but it seemed like it in the moment. She just needed some time to stop being so angry. Fighting angry wasn't going to solve any problems.
During her incarceration Annabeth had learned the trails well, and her favorite led to a small opening in the forest. It was hard to find if you didn't know where you were going, which was exactly what Annabeth wanted. She wanted to make sure that even if Percy sent his goonies after her they wouldn't be able to find her until she wanted to be found. She just wasn't quite sure when that was going to be.
Part of her debated sleeping outside that night. It was warm enough that in her sweatshirt she would be fine. Annabeth didn't want to scare Sally though, and she knew that disappearing would do just that. Plus, acting like a child was going to do nothing to get her and Percy back on speaking terms, which was about all Annabeth could see happening for them in the near future.
If Annabeth got her way they would get an annulment. Pretend that the marriage never happened and move on. Of course, there was the while issue of her safety, but honestly that was the least of her concerns at the moment. She had just proved that she could live in isolation for an extended period of time, and she would do it again if it meant that she would be free of the toxic marriage she was stuck in. No one wanted to be in a loveless marriage that at times bordered on abusive. She just wanted a way out, but there wasn't one in sight.
Percy took a deep breath before putting on his game face and stalking out of the helicopter. This was not going to be pleasant. He could see the small cabin from where he landed, but neither his mom nor Annabeth were in sight. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He was leaning toward good though because neither of them exited the house to try and kill him.
Pulling the door open he called, "Mom? Annabeth? I'm here. Where are you?"
After a minute the response came, "I'm in the kitchen." It was only his mom though. Not having Annabeth answer was somewhat concerning.
"Mom where's Annabeth?" Percy asked as he walked in to the kitchen. He did a quick sweep of the space making sure that his wife wasn't in there with his mother.
"I don't know. She about hyperventilated then stormed out of the house about thirty minutes ago."
That caught Percy's attention. "You made me fly all the way here to see her and she isn't even here?"
Sally turned a sharp glare on her son. "The fact that I had to make you is horrible. Not to mention the poor thing freaked out for about an hour before she left. Is she scared of you?"
"Of course not," Percy huffed. "I have given her no reason to be afraid of me."
"I beg to differ, but I've already gone after you for that. She's eighteen Percy. I'm sure that all of this is terrifying for her, and I can't think of one thing you have done to help that. Can you imagine being terrified every day? I can't."
Sally was right, and Percy knew that. While he had tried to make adjustments to make her transition easier, he didn't do anything that actually made her feel safe and cared for. He had one nice conversation with her and then blew it the next day. "Mom I'm trying. It's just not working."
"Then you need to try harder. The last thing she said before she left was that you didn't give a shit about her, and maybe you don't, but if you do you need to start showing that because it's not fair to her." Sally was trying to be as genuine with her son as she could, but she was still mad. He needed to understand the fact that other people had feelings. "If you empathize with her then let her come live with me. I'll watch over her, and she won't feel as bad."
After that the pair sat in silence. Neither one felt the need to say anything because they both knew that the other had a lot to think about. Maybe sending Annabeth to live with his mother was best. Maybe she would be happiest there. Separating a marriage before it even started seemed like they hadn't tried, but they were different people. There was a chance that they would never get along.
Percy was so lost in thought that he didn't hear the door open. It was when Annabeth cleared her throat that he looked up. They made eye contact and before he could say anything Annabeth chimed in, "I want a divorce."
Hey y'all. I know it's been a minute since I updates, but better late than never right? Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed that chapter. Should Annabeth go live with Sally for a while or stay and try to work things out with Percy? Let me know what you think!