Chapter Thirteen
Percy
Jake's "house" is the largest misnomer I've ever heard. The address Grover gave me is on a private lot, surrounded by a massive fence and a manned gate. I feel strange pulling up in the shabby car I borrowed from my mom. The guard lets me through almost immediately, surprisingly not lingering on my slightly disheveled and shabby appearance. Jake's drive is almost a mile long, with cars and teenagers lined all the way up and down the side. I pull over and park about half way up the drive and dust off my jeans. This isn't an awkward situation at all.
Annabeth
A piercing shriek cuts through the silent night. That woman, thinking she can just order me around, telling me that I should be grateful for everything she's given me: evening going as far as to call me an insolent little girl. She's not in charge of me, and she certainly is not my mother. I've been unhinged since the incident earlier, and I just can't stay here any longer. Intent to keep my promise to Luke, I call Katie as I rush down the street, wondering if she can give me a ride to Jake Mason's party.
…
Percy
The bass pounds through the house, and all I can think is that it's a fortunate thing that the Masons' didn't have neighbors. I can't imagine this many high schoolers in Remington, but somehow every inch of the house is packed with scantily clad, sweaty teens. Connor hands me a drink, and I smile with a friendly nod. The moment he's away I pour it into a plant. I know it's stupid, by my step-dad was an alcoholic, so I've seen how drinking can turn you into a complete and totally jack-
Skimming my eyes over the crowd, I find all sorts of interesting scenes: Katie Gardener and Travis Stroll, Travis flirting with her and Katie looking disinterested and a little grossed out, even though I could see the blush on her face from here; Beckendorf staring at Silena as she walks by; Malcolm chatting amiably with a girl who probably is on first name basis with the woman at the tattoo parlor who provides body piercings. Finally, I spot Luke, in a shadowy corner with a female figure. His arms wrap around her waist, placing kisses along her neck. As he brushes his lips across her jaw, her hands firmly grip his shoulders. Slowly he kisses the girl; the strobe lights flashing over the room, revealing the girl in his arms, who is very clearly not Annabeth, with her auburn hair and green eyes. That's a bit of a surprise; I can practically feel my eyes bulge out of my head.
"Hey Percy" Silena says, dancing over to me and diverting my attention. I smile and wave thinking she'll keep walking, but she stays in my little corner. While Silena has the classic kind of beauty and could so easily turn conceited, she's been sweet to me since I arrived. The girl's perfect, I swear. "You played really well at the game today."
"Thanks," I smile a little and cast my eyes over the crowd. To my astonishment, I spot Annabeth among the dancers. My eyes widen a little more as I notice the guy she's dancing with. His arms are around his waist and she's grinding up against him. My jaw goes slack as I try to reconcile that action with everything that I know about her. "Is she drunk?" I ask Silena, gesturing to Annabeth. Silena laughs quietly, though nothing's funny.
"Probably not, she's mostly angry," She explains, frowning. She crosses her arms over her chest and presses her lips together into a tight line. The look in her eyes borders on disgust and disappointment. It's not very Annabeth-like to act like this, and I can see that Silena's not very fond of the change either.
"At what?" I ask, what could ever make Annabeth act so out of character. Silena bites her lip before responding. I can tell she's wondering whether it's a betrayal of trust to explain it to me; she seems to decide in my favor.
"Luke." She admits, directing her eyes to Luke. Understanding hits me like a piano in a silent movie, leaving me feeling more than a little stupid for not seeing the connection immediately. Annabeth's life must really suck now. Luke eventually breaks apart from the girl and heads outside. Annabeth seems to notice too, because she tries to leave the guy she's dancing with. He doesn't let her; in fact, he grabs her butt and pulls her closer. I watch as she squirms and struggles against him. No one steps forward to help her, despite her obvious discomfort.
Without thinking, I rush forward and slide through the dancing crowd. When I reach the couple, I clap my hand on the jerk's shoulder. Annabeth's eyes widen as she sees me, and she manages to shove out of his grip. He seems startled by her strength, though I'm not. I'm sure she's a dangerous person, when she's highly motivated.
"Hey if you don't mind I'm going to talk to Annabeth for a while." I state and firmly grab her arm, leading her through the crowd. She doesn't fight me thankfully; she lets me pull her along without (much) struggling.
I hear a confused voice call after us, "whose Annabeth?" I roll my eyes and guide her out the back door, into the yard. Letting go of her arm, I watch as she strolls over to the mini stone wall and plops down, massaging the back of her neck.
"Thanks," She finally mutters, running a hand through her hair and shaking her curls around her face. She seems ragged, as if she's been dragged through hot coals.
"No problem, but I have to ask, are you okay?" I ask, sitting down beside her and studying her face. I can see her try to pull her walls up, to push me away. She tries to force herself to stay disconnected, but I can see it's just not going to happen tonight.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She lies unconvincingly. Abruptly, I see something in her soften in her eyes, and I know it's harmless to ask my next question. I've never felt like I could really talk to her before, not without waking up the next morning with various bruises and broken bones, at least.
"I thought you weren't even going to come tonight?" I remind her, remembering her sour face when I brought it up. I never would've thought that Annabeth would show up at a party like this. Let alone spot her dancing with some bozo who doesn't even know her name.
"Yeah, well … I got into this huge fight with my step-mom." She explains, pinching the bridge of her nose, the frustration clear in her expression. "I just had to get out of the house" She concludes, biting her lip and staring across the yard, obviously afraid to meet my judgment.
"What about?" I ask, probably crossing a line, but what can I say, I'm a curious person. She swallows and fidgets with her hair before responding. I'm starting to think that's a nervous habit of hers, or maybe another symptom of her ADHD. Now that I think about, I don't think she's ever mentioned that.
"I used to run away a lot when I was younger." She admits. I almost concede that I already know, but stop myself when I picture Grover's face. Not to mention, it's not often that Annabeth's in a sharing mood, I kind of want to keep her this honest, for as long as possible. "My Dad hated it and just held on tighter, but my step mom seems to think I'm Satan's spawn and deserved to be shipped off to boarding school… I just couldn't take being around either of them any longer."
"I know what you mean," I finally admit. "I've been fighting with my mom a lot, about my birth father." I'm surprised at myself, this isn't the type of thing I'll admit to just anybody. Annabeth seems to notice as she looks up into my eyes.
"What about your father?" She asks, her grey eyes swirling, calculating. It's an extremely unnerving to have her staring at me, shredding me to pieces while looking at my soul and deciding if I'm worth destroying. There's something soft though, despite her cool eyes her expression is comforting.
"I don't know," I finally admit. "I don't know anything about him, he left before I was born and she won't tell me anything about him." The reminder lodges in my throat, the one thing my mother, who has given everything for my benefit, won't divulge is the thing I want most.
"God, I can't even imagine… Do you have his name?" She wonders; a gleam of an idea clear in his eyes. I'm not sure if I even want to know what's going through her mind now, but I answer anyways.
"Yeah, I finally found it, hidden behind a photo frame." I confess, and it's a relief to get it off my shoulders. "His name is Perseus James." I feel like I've shouted; even though I'm sure it was only a whisper. The lead weight tied to my ankles was cast off, just by admitting it.
"Perseus…" She rolls the name off her tongue. "That's your full name isn't it?" She guesses and I nod without saying anything. "So she named you after him, without ever telling you?" She wonders aloud, just as puzzled as I was.
"You have no idea how many times I've asked why she stuck me with that name." I roll my eyes and Annabeth chuckles a little. "I think it was her way of rebelling against her promise." She tilts her head to look up at me, the question obvious in her eyes. "Before he left, he made her promise to never tell the baby who its father was." As I confide in her, I watch as she brings her hand to her mouth the shock clear in her gaze.
"God, Percy, that's… that's horrible." She gasps, shaking her head at the atrocity of the action. She seems just as disgusted I am by this man, but at least she doesn't have to share half of is DNA.
"I know, and I want to find him." I snarl, narrowing my eyes. Annabeth head tilts up as she studies me, and she's not phased the tiniest bit by my anger.
"Are you sure Percy? Sometimes revenge just doesn't feel as good as you thought it would" She warns pity clear on her face. I shake my head and catch her gaze.
"I'm not out for revenge; I want him to see my face, to know everything he lost out on. I want him to know that I didn't disappear just because he left and I'm holding him accountable." I try to explain, the words falling out of my mouth without much thought.
"Do you want help?" She asks, tilting her head and studying me. There's something in her eyes, which normally would make me anxious, but instead I find myself grinning.
"I'd love help."
A/N: Just letting you know the Sneak Peak offer ended 11/24/12. For all those who participated correctly and read the directions I hope you enjoyed it. (Wink, wink, nudge, nudge). For those of you who didn't take part, no hard feelings. Finally, I'm sorry to those who tried and didn't receive sneak peeks because they didn't follow directions. Sorry, I really tried to give clear directions, I apologize if I cause any confusion or frustration.