Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Chapter 28

"I still think the judge would like chocolate," Nico grumbled at the bottom of the stairs, talking to Thalia, and waiting for his other cousin and Annabeth.

"Maybe," Thalia mused as she chuckled lightly, drumming her fingers on her jeans to a music beat.

Silence settled down on the two cousins, and Thalia kept on glancing up and smirking, as if she knew something no one did.

"What's taking them so long?" Nico asked after some silence.

Thalia snickered. "Maybe they're ki-"

The words died on her throat as she saw Percy storm down the metal staircase, gripping the railing so tightly, his knuckles were starting to turn pale. His expression was one of fury and sadness, and his eyes were slightly bloodshot, tears threatening to fall out.

"What the hell happened to you?" Nico questioned, as he stared at his cousin in shock.

Saying nothing, Percy's gaze continued to stare at the wall in front of him, ignoring the world around him as if he were a robot that wasn't programmed right. His posture was stiff and slouched, and he struggled to keep a pokerface on.

Thalia had almost never seen her cousin like this. The only time she had seen him, was a few years back, when Gabe had impaled a knife on his shoulder. Her expression was grave as she took a hesitant step forward to get closer to Percy.

Questions sprang in Nico's mind like skeletons popping in and out of their graves, but he knew it wasn't the time to ask them. As he watched a teardrop fall on the ground, he knew it was serious. If there was one thing he knew about Percy, it was that he never cried.

"You okay?" Thalia asked, knowing that he wasn't. She placed a hand comfortingly on his shoulder, but he still made no noise or movement.

Footsteps pounded on the metal stairs as Annabeth hurriedly rushed down the stairs. She faltered in her step as she saw what state Percy was in. Even though his back was turned on her, she could see from his posture and his tightly clenched fists that he was filled with anger and grief.

And with a start Annabeth realized that she had been the cause of that. The picture was still in her hand, their smiling faces frozen on the slip of paper. She continued walking forwards slowly, making sure the photo didn't rip in her hands.

"Percy?" Annabeth asked tentatively as she approached said person with caution.

The other two cousins watched their two friends in confusion, wondering what was happening. Thalia watched the two, and realized that it might have been Annabeth that had caused the problem. She sighed deeply, but didn't interfere- watching everything play out first.

"What?" Percy finally replied harshly, shrugging Annabeth's hand off his shoulder fiercely.

Nico just stared at Annabeth with a strange look. Even though he was the youngest cousin, he was protective of Percy as if he were his younger brother instead of cousin. If you looked closely, you could almost see a hint of a glare.

"The picture," Annabeth answered, handing Percy the photo carefully, placing it in his opened hand. "It's yours."

For one second, Annabeth thought that he wouldn't accept it, but then she saw him tuck the photo back in his pocket. A ghost of a smile played on her features, and she retracted her hand until it lay still next to her side.

The police station was silent, with the occasional scrape of the chairs of people getting up. The four teenagers stood there; quiet and staring at anything that looked interesting. An awkward moment.

"Let's go then," Thalia broke the silence with sarcastic enthusiasm, and waited for everyone to move towards the doors.

Nobody did. It was like they were all frozen in time, and Thalia was starting to wonder if they had been turned to stone. She breathed deeply, and sighed as she started walking back to the group.

When she got right in the middle of them, she punched Nico in the shoulder. "Let's go!"

"Nice way of getting me to move," Nico said sarcastically, rubbing his shoulder from where his cousin had punched him.

"Thank you," Thalia replied brightly to annoy Nico. "Unfortunately, those two," she pointed at Percy and Annabeth, "aren't moving."

"Very funny Thalia," Percy snapped. "I'm going."

Thalia watched in surprise as Percy walked right past her and opened the door. She followed him, with an incredulous expression on her face. The others went after them, not saying anything at all.

"It's amazing how fast your injuries heal," Thalia said softly as she caught up with his long striding steps.

"I know," Percy replied, his sea green eyes less angry.

"What's wrong?" Thalia held her breath, hoping she hadn't said anything wrong.

When Percy didn't reply, Thalia glanced at him silently with a hint of worry. She was about to say something to her own question, when he began talking.

"Does she have to come?" Percy asked suddenly, pointing at Annabeth's direction. It seemed more like a jab, but he didn't seem to care.

The female cousin turned her head backwards to look at Annabeth. She snorted. "Yup. Why?"

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"I'm not a cat!"

And for once in the last few minutes, Percy cracked a small playful grin, the corners of his mouth turning upwards; brightening up his face. Thalia pretended to looked mock offended, pushing her cousin sideways rather gently.

Meanwhile, Annabeth watched the two cousins with her analyzing grey eyes, scanning their every move. Her curly blonde hair bounced around in the wind, occasionally blocking her eyesight.

At first, she saw them talk for a while, but then she saw them push each other and grin. Something I hadn't achieved in a while, she thought, glancing down at her running shoes. Her head snapped back up again once she heard a laugh she hadn't heard in a while- Percy's.

"Uh..." Nico trailed off his unfinished sentence awkwardly, looking at Annabeth. "You okay?"

It was like Annabeth was in a trance. She snapped out of it once Nico started talking to her.

"Yeah," Annabeth smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. In all, the smile was obviously fake. "I'm fine."

Still doubtful, Nico turned his gaze on somewhere else. He smiled as he heard his older cousins laugh, and forgetting all about Annabeth, he ran up to join them.

"Nikki," Thalia told Nico seriously. "Don't you know it's rude to interrupt to grownups talking?"

"Very funny," Nico said dryly, frowning as Percy ruffled his hair.

"We're all laughing at you Nico," Percy told his younger told him, a glint of amusement in his eyes.

Thalia's serious expression faded away into nothingness, as she burst out laughing, the other two cousin eventually joining in as well.

The other teenager felt a cold feeling spread through her, as she felt the wind ripple through the air. She hugged her grey jacket tighter to herself, and felt a pang of jealously as she watched the three interact. She had never felt a sense of belonging anywhere- not at home, and not even at school.

Now here, she felt as if she were out of the place incredibly, walking by herself and completely separated at the group she had to stay with. Annabeth remembered she had a choice. A choice to either go with them, or go back to her house.

Seeing them now, Annabeth weighed her options in her head, and finally sighed. She ran to catch up with the three cousins to tell them the news.

"Guys," Annabeth called out to them, running hastily to keep up with their pace. She did so easily. "I'm going home."

Complete and utter silence was one reaction Annabeth wasn't expecting. Yet now, here it was, welcoming her and throwing it in her face as the silence rippled silently through the air.

"What?" Thalia leaned her head on one side as if she hadn't heard Annabeth right.

"I'm going home," Annabeth repeated. "To my dad's."

And then came the unavoidable question, which Annabeth knew was going to come.

"Why?" Percy asked his laughing face from before completely solemn.

"I thought you wouldn't care," Annabeth snapped back to his question, suddenly feeling slightly angry.

"Caring and knowing are two different things actually," Nico added in, feeling all the pairs of eyes on him. He just shrugged, self-conscious of his actions.

"That's true," Percy spoke up at Nico's logic. "So why?"

"You don't need to know."

Annabeth started to walk away, but Percy grabbed her arm in the process. They were close to each other, their eyes glaring at the opposite person. Green against grey. Unlike any clichéd movie, they didn't lean in and kiss.

"Let go of me will you?" Annabeth demanded forcefully.

"I-" Percy started, but he never got to complete it.

Patience can only come in so many ways. Not even giving him a chance to finish, Annabeth kicked him in the stomach, knowing completely what she had done and where she had kicked him. She watched him fall to the floor in surprise and... Pain? All the memories of him being in a car crash and being abused sprang to her mind.

Percy placed his hand on his stomach and felt slightly weak. He was currently wearing a hoodie and a T-shirt underneath. He could feel his wounds starting to reopen. Blood leaked put slowly, and getting a headache didn't help at all.

"Percy I'm-" Annabeth began, and if on irony, said person cut her off.

"Sorry?" Percy finished bitterly, attempting to wipe the blood off with his hands. "You're not. You knew I had these wounds. You know all my weak spots."

As much as Annabeth wanted to protest at that idea, she knew he was right. She actually knew where all his bruises and wounds were. She felt guilty. She had used the weak spots against him.

"I should never have told you," Percy told her, before standing up shakily and walking towards the motorcycle.

"I have the keys," Thalia called out to her cousin. "I'm driving."

A simple nod from Percy and Thalia turned her gaze back to Annabeth. They stared at each other a long time, while Nico just watched the two of them.

"What did you do?" Thalia asked her tone sharp.

She knew he was watching her. At the corner of Annabeth's sharp vision, she could see him glancing at her. She sighed, her grey eyes looking like tornados.

"He started the conversation first. He said that he remembered when I kept on asking him what his secret was," Annabeth started, thinking about the olden days.

"You didn't," Nico responded in disbelief and coldness,

"I did," Annabeth confirmed.

"So that's how you found out what his secret was!" Nico yelled accusingly, a terrifying look in his soulless black eyes. "I thought he told you willingly," he finished the sentence more loudly than a whisper.

Stunned silence was all that came from Thalia. Technically, her cousin and her friend's business should have nothing to do with her at all. Yet, here she was thinking differently.

"He did," Annabeth spoke again, breaking the silence.

"After you annoyed him," Nico finished bitterly. "And all this time I thought... I thought you were his friend."

The male occupant in the group retreated back to his older cousin, a solemn look on his face. Annabeth turned on her only real friend: Thalia. However, even she shook her head disappointedly.

"I thought he trusted you," Thalia said softly. "I thought that he told you because of that. I never knew that it was only because you kept on pestering him to find out what his secret was. Couldn't you see that it hurt him, even up to now?"

"I didn't know," Annabeth defended herself, her pride getting in the way of the friendship. "I didn't know that his stepdad abused him. I didn't know that his mother died. I didn't know anything about him at all."

"But now you do," Thalia responded, her blue eyes blazing. "Now you know all his secrets, and he's regretting it. You used his weak spot against him, and I don't even know how your conversation ended. You have too much pride. That's what your problem is."

"It was self-defense. You would kick him in the stomach as well."

Shaking her head, Thalia replied to the conversation that seemed to be going nowhere. "I wouldn't. Maybe push him slightly, but never kick him. Don't you see that he's abused enough at home?"

"Thalia!" Nico shouted so loudly, several windows opened to see what the commotion was outside. "Come on! Percy needs some help!"

With one last glance at Annabeth, Thalia turned her back on the other girl and ran towards her motorcycle with amazing speed. Her face had turned from serious to worry as she watched the wound bleed.

A few revs of the engine, and the two motorcycles were gone, leaving Annabeth with no transportation to get home at all. She looked at the spot where they were only moments ago, but all she saw was an empty parking spot.

The door opened and a cop came outside the building, approaching Annabeth cautiously.

"You need any help?" The cop asked with concern.

"I need to get home," Annabeth said quickly, checking her pockets to see if she had any money for public transport.

The cop looked at what she was searching for. "Never mind about the transport, I'll get someone to drive you over."

Annabeth smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

"No problem."

The cop shrugged before leading Annabeth back to the building.

A/N: Really sorry for the late update, I had writers block, and have school, so my updates might be later than usual. I hope the chapter length made up for it. If there's any OOCness, I apologize. Can anyone tell me how to put Percabeth in this story? At the rate this is going, it seems slightly impossible.

Also, for the end of this story, I'm going to have two alternate endings. One is the good ending, and the other one is the bad ending. Basically, the happy and sad one. Thanks for all the support; I really appreciate it!