Annabeth
When I get back to the car, with Percy on my heels, it takes all of my self-restraint not to stamp my feet and huff in protest, because there's Grover, lazily stretched across the bench seat in the front of the car. I clear my throat uncomfortably, taking in Grover's exhausted expression before opening the door to the back and sliding onto the second seat. With a sigh, I reach behind and let the back of the joined seat flop back into a vaguely bed like surface. I grapple for my sweatshirt before crumpling it up, to rest under my head.
Waiting for a moment, when I still don't hear a sound, I crack open an eye and glare at Percy, who's still standing outside the car door, gaping like a fish. Under my gaze he rapidly turns a color most often seen in produce, all the way up to the tip of his ears, I might add.
"Are you waiting for an invitation?" I cock an eyebrow at him, before closing my eyes again and turning back around. I curl my sweat pant clad legs in a little tighter to myself, glad I had the foresight not to pack anything obscenely lacy or skimpy, not that I own too much of that garbage as it is. My stepmother's a very determined woman when it comes to tricking my father into thinking we're close, especially on my birthday. I crinkle my nose at the thought, and then I hear Percy uneasily slide on to the car seat. Reaching over the back of the seat, he fumbles around, until I turn back towards him, to see him dragging out the blanket Grover has kept in his trunk since the days with Luke and Thalia. Oh god, I can't start thinking about Thalia, especially not now. I have to keep focused, this isn't about me: this is about Percy. Speak off the devil, he holds up the soft grey blanket towards me, and I nod gratefully, shivering in the chill, before pulling a small part of it over and wrapping it around myself. Thankfully, the soft material isn't lacking in size and I can still keep up my careful distance, no need for more awkward moments.
"Hey, Annabeth, can I ask you something?" He calls out suddenly, cutting through the tense silence; I cast a weary look at Grover, whose doing an excellent impression of a comatose patient… in a mental hospital. As far as eavesdroppers are concerned there's nothing dangerous with Percy and I talking: other aspects are less certain.
"Yeah sure," I murmur, not wanting Grover to wake up, though I'm not sure why. It might even be better for Grover to wake up now, so we could make this whole arraignment a little less awkward. Knowing Grover as long as I have, sleeping beside him isn't that big of deal, plus I could always claim the front seat. Then, Percy slides a bit closer, completely derailing my train of thought, as I notice he's so close, he could easily reach out and wrap an arm around me if he wanted to. Not that I'm thinking about such silly things, of course, Percy is Percy: I mean I have Luke, sort of kind of, not really. I sigh heavily and focus back in on the boy in front of me.
"It's about your family." He admits sheepishly. It's clear he doesn't quite know where the boundary lines lie; I'm about to tell him rather sternly that they lie a good few feet before heart to hearts about my personal life. Then I remember where I am and why I'm here. After sucking in a deep breath to steady myself, I nod, opening myself up to questions. If he's going to trust me, the least I can do is return the favor.
"Go ahead and ask," I don't have the guts to say it to his face, so I curl my face into the crook of my arm and stare down at the worn material of the car seat. I hear him clear his throat and with a tiny wandering eye, I look at the comfy looking t-shirt he's wearing. I can just imagine nuzzling into the soft fabric and drifting to sleep. Blinking quickly, I tuck a curl of hair behind my ear; this is a bad idea, a very bad idea. Percy shifts, the tension refusing to slip away.
"Just, I noticed, with Matthew and Bobby, and your Dad…" He trails off, clearly not wanting to finish the sentence. "I have to wonder, but you don't have to tell me…" He trails off, until I finally look up at him, catching those enticing green eyes, and gesture for him to continue. "What happened?" I snort derisively at his question.
"I was born, that's what happened." I feel my hand curl into a ball as my nails cut into my palm. "I was a mistake Percy, and he made sure I knew that since the day I got dumped on his doorstep." I hate the way my voice sounds, all creaky and childish, I can't be weak. I feel the undeniable urge to run, and just run until I'll can't anymore. I close my eyes for a moment, blinking away tears, and am surprised when strong arms wrap around me.
"You are not a mistake Annabeth. You are so much better, so much more important than that." He murmurs into my hair and soothingly rubs my back. "If anyone can't see that, it's their loss, not yours. A single irritating tear slips out, despite all my efforts to keep them at bay, and trails a silky path down my cheek, until Percy's weathered fingers brush it away with the care you take with a diamond or rose petals. With his soft caresses, I find myself being called by sleep's siren song.
Percy
I don't really mind Annabeth using me as a pillow. Her head is on my chest, no doubt she can hear my heart beat, and her lean body is pressed up against my side. I stroke her hair gently and listen to her soft and even breathing. This should feel wrong, like I'm taking advantage of her, and maybe it's just my tired mind, but I can't make myself let her go. She seemed so broken and scared earlier, and now every time I even contemplate letting her go, that tear jumps back into the forefront of my mind, and I wind up just holding her close. The feel of her beside me is so deeply comforting and relaxing, the soft quiet and warmth in the air only seems to agree with me.
It should be enough to lull me to sleep, but it's not. My mind keeps jumping to my father, what he's like, who he is, if he looks like me, I know I have to wait to face him but I'm itching to know as much as I can. Without me realizing, my wondering had turned into dreaming.
…
Annabeth
I wake up with an arm around my waist. My first thought is "What did I do last night?" Then, once I see the familiar shabby walls of a car, I can't help but hope, its Luke holding me tight. His strong arms wrapped around me, his subconscious finally realizing what the rest of him hasn't yet.
Hopefully, I peer over my shoulder, but instead of Luke's blond hair and jagged scar, I see Percy's jet black hair and boyish features. A tiny smile is playing across his face, and his hand remains splayed across my stomach. I know I should move away from him, keep some distance; but, even knowing it's Percy, I can't find any wish to. I snuggle back into his warm embrace and close my eyes, content to sleep a little while longer.
Percy
When I wake up, I find Annabeth sleeping in my arms, both of us on our sides, her head using my arm as a pillow, and our legs intertwined. The expression on her face is peaceful and I can't help but take pleasure in the fact that she feels safe in my arms. There isn't a single centimeter of space between us and when I look at her blonde hair against my grey t-shirt, I notice her shirt has risen up; exposing a creamy section of skin on her back and stomach. I debate pulling it down for her, but if she woke up and felt my hand tugging at her shirt, either way, up or down, she'd kill me. I wipe my mouth checking for drool and thankfully finding none. That would be a little awkward… Annabeth stirs and I do my best to feign sleep.
I feel her yawn and stretch, moving away from me for a second. Cold air hits the freshly unoccupied space and I shiver a little. She mutters a curse under her breath, and shifts against me, before pausing, debating sleep apparently, her reluctant sigh alerts me to her decision.
"Come on Percy," She shakes my shoulder, "We have to wake up." She reminds me, shaking me a little harder. With a lazy yawn, and a half-hearted stretch of my arms, I finally let my eyes open, taking in Annabeth with her tussled hair and rumbled clothes. Unfortunately other thoughts jump into my brain when looking at her disheveled appearance.
"Uh?" I say, finding it hard to keep my eyes open and think clearly, not that I was ever very good at that around Annabeth anyways.
"Come on, wake up sleepy head." She orders, tugging me to a sitting position. For a scrawny little thing she's strong, but I'm stronger, the moment she's leveraged me up, I pull her back down with me. Resuming our earlier position with is a lot easier than I thought it'd be, we fall in a comfortable angle of limbs and Grover's pleasantly plush blanket.
"Can't we just sleep for a little while longer?" I plead, putting on my best pouting face that always used to work on my mom when I was younger. I keep my arms around her, holding her lean form loosely to mine, and skim my hands down her back again. Her t-shirt has returned to its original position and I can't decide if that's a good thing or not. Either way, it's probably safer for me, especially considering how far I'm currently pushing my luck.
I peek at Annabeth's face, and it's clear she's torn, a different girl would snuggle back into me and gratefully drift back to sleep. A different girl would probably do a bit more than sleep as well, but Annabeth's not another girl, which is definitely one of those things I can't decide is good or not. She sighs and breaks out of the loose circle of my arms, grabbing her bag and sliding out of the car.
"Get dressed, we should get breakfast and head out soon." She mutters, before sashaying away, clad in sweatpants and that baggy t-shirt, that somehow only make her look even prettier. I contentedly watch her go, thinking back over last night with a small smile.
"Food" Grover grumbles from the front seat, breaking me out of my daydreaming. I raise an eyebrow and peek over, only partially surprised to see that he's still sound asleep. With a sigh, I shake his shoulder, he jerks up, rubbing his eyes at me. "Why'd you wake me up?" He groans, and I roll my eyes to myself.
"Come on buddy, let's go get cleaned up and then we can get something to eat." I tell him, grabbing my bag and making my way towards the building. Grover squints in the sunlight and follows me
"Food sounds good." He admits, and I laugh, until he gives me a puzzled look. I just shake my head and keep walking with a goofy grin on my face. Today is going to go well, I can feel it. I mean what could go wrong?