Annabeth POV
Percy kept saying that he could barely remember any events from the entire month of July.
To be honest, I actually felt bad for him.
He was working so hard so that he could do his very best at the Olympics in Greece. He swam and trained non-stop, even studying the other competitors with his coaches. Furthermore, I saw Percy familiarizing himself with the Athens setting.
"Why are you googling the location, sports facility, and the city?" I asked him once.
"Chiron always says to treat any competition like a practice. After all, I've had even better times during random practices than at a real competition. It helps me to feel at home in the place I'm competing..." Percy had explained.
I didn't really get it even after he explained, but I wasn't going to admit it out loud. Definitely not to him. Whatever works for him, Percy should do.
I barely spent any time with Percy over the month. I could count the number of times I've seen him this month with both my hands. I wished I could spend more time with him, but we would have the rest of our lives together.
But, a first-time Olympic opportunity comes once in a lifetime.
Percy needs to put himself first for once to fulfill his goals. I'm not going to make him choose. I promised him that much the night of Silena's party.
I'm going to uphold that promise now.
Anyway, today, I was shopping with the girls. We were buying new stuff for college.
"Hey, Annabeth, how do you feel about this too?" Piper asked.
She was holding a tight, silky red shirt, with a myriad of straps covering the shoulders and back. "It looks a little...uh, exposed," I said hesitantly.
"That's the whole point," Piper exclaimed happily.
"Why is that the point?" Hazel asked.
"If I have this top on, I am bound to save money at a club. I will definetely get some free drinks from guys while wearing this," Piper explained.
I rolled my eyes.
But, Piper's logic was infallible.
Percy would certainly walk around me like a dazed puppy dog if I was wearing that. He would be obsessed. Actually, wait a minute—
"Hey Pipes, is that top available in blue? Maybe, I'll get it as well?" I stated.
"OF COURSE," Piper yelled knowingly.
We continued shopping, traveling to various clearance sections all around the mall. I'm not a huge fan of shopping, but I'll admit that I need some new clothes for college. I wanted to be fresh while studying at Columbia for architecture.
It's crazy that we all graduated high school already. It felt like yesterday when I met Piper and Hazel in the freshman math class. We quickly bonded over our hatred for Ms. Dodds.
Now, we're all going to college. Piper will be at Columbia with me, having uber-famous parents must come in handy sometimes.
I was so happy to have someone with me.
Thalia, Nico, and Will were staying in New York while Jason, Frank, and Hazel were going to university across the country. Rachel had decided to take an art internship at a company in New York City; then, she'd probably go the business route, incorporating the arts into her father's marketing company.
I admired Rachel for having a set plan to improve her parent company. That was really cool.
"College is going to be crazy. I'm so excited but so nervous too," Hazel expressed, reading everybody's thoughts and saying them out loud.
"We'll be fine though," I assured.
"I know, but we all kind of going separate ways. The group is splitting up to various colleges, programs, and locations," Hazel said sadly.
"Girl, that won't change anything between us," Piper emphasized. "We're friends for life."
"Exactly!" I added.
Hazel stopped in the back of the Nike shoe store. We were trying on tennis shoes. She looked at both me and Piper before hugging us surprisingly.
"I love you girls so much. We have to make sure to stay connected and meet up all the time," Hazel said.
"Absolutely, Hazel," I affirmed.
"Don't need to tell me twice," Piper said. "I'm usually the social event planner anyway."
Hazel and I laughed together in agreement.
"Speaking of social events, you guys are coming to Percy's 'Going to the Olympics' party, right?" Piper asked.
"Obviously!"
"Hey, mind the attitude. I just wanted to make sure no one had family plans. Jeez," Piper said, holding her hands up in surrender.
"Percy is one of our best friends. Why would we miss wishing him luck at the Olympics?" Hazel said rhetorically.
Piper smirked.
I knew what was coming.
"Yes, Percy is one of our best friends," Piper said gesturing to herself and Hazel. "Obviously, he's a lot more to Wise Girl."
Piper put air quotes around Percy's nickname for me, and Hazel kept giggling.
Then, they both laughed as I rolled my eyes.
...
The Jackson/Blofis residence was so crammed; it was actually annoying to bump into people as you walked through the narrow hallway. The Olympics party wasn't supposed to have this many people; Piper seriously went off on the invites.
Percy was still locked in his room with Jason and Rachel. They were helping him pack again, and they waited till the last minute. Fortunately, Chiron was there too, so (at least) Percy won't forget anything.
"Hey, Sally, sorry about all these people," I said after fighting my way to the kitchen.
"That's okay dear," Sally said even while almost dropping the trap of cookies. I quickly grabbed a rag and stabilizing the tray in her hands.
"IT'S SO FREAKING LOUD," Thalia stormed into the kitchen complaining.
"Tell me about it," I muttered.
There wasn't any music or tv on. But, a lot of people were talking to each other in groups all at once. Their echoes were bouncing off the walls of Percy's small apartment home.
"Sorry, Sally. This probably isn't the right send-off that you had in mind," I said again.
Thalia nodded while patted Sally's back.
Another tray of delicious-smelling cookies came out of the oven. Sally started backing a bunch of desserts after the guests started pouring in.
"No, I wish it was more private. At least, Percy will know that he has a lot of support," Sally smiled weakly, even though she was overwhelmed. It must be crazy that her son was going to the Olympics.
I would be freaking out if I was her. She seemed more proud than anything.
Suddenly, cheering erupted from the living.
I smiled while leading Sally and Thalia into the living room. Gods, it's crammed.
"Excuse me?" Thalia scolded. "Mother of the Olympic swimmer coming through. Move aside, you idiots."
Thalia shoved her way through.
Percy was smiling, shaking hands and hugging his friends and fans in the living room. I noticed Chiron, Jason, and Lupa raking bags out of the apartment. They seriously had to go soon.
Everything was so abrupt and hectic. I hate disorganization like this; it made my skin tingle in a really bad way. Running late is awful.
The crowd settled as Percy made his way to the front door of the apartment. Fortunately, no one was following or storming him.
His closest friends and family were in the hallway to the door, thank goodness.
"I'll see you soon, Percy," Rachel said while hugging Percy tightly.
"Thanks Rach for everything."
Percy continued to make his rounds around the narrow hallway, saying something to every one of his friends.
Then, he settled on me last.
"Good luck at the Olympics, Seaweed Brain. You're going to have a blast. I swear to god if you don't take pictures in Athens—"
Percy had the nerve to laugh. "I will, Wise Girl. I promise."
He hugged me. I wrapped my arms around his torso, resting my head against his shoulders. I wouldn't see him in-person for more than three weeks. I'm going to miss him so much.
The guys and girls around us coughed to break us apart. Clearly, we were both hugging each other longer than intended.
Percy had a private moment with Sally, Paul, and Estelle.
Our group had spilled into the hallway outside of their apartment at this point. It was quieter.
Sally hugged Percy tightly before kissing his forehead. Estelle's small hands clung tightly ti Percy's neck before releasing. Paul wished Percy his best wished before sharing a reassuring hug with his step-son. They were such a good family.
Jason would say his goodbyes at the airport. Jason is driving Percy and his coaches do the airport, and it would be good for Pefcy to have his best friend ride to the airport. In my opinion, outside of Percy's family, Jason is the best person to go with Percy.
Then, Chiron, and Lupa called Percy from the elevator down the hall.
Percy said his final goodbyes and started to walk down. Then, he full stopped.
"I need a moment," Percy shouted.
He turned around and came back to us. His eyes wondering around the group. Then, he settled on me.
"Wise Girl, I probably tortured you over the past couple months, but you still stuck with me. I'd consider our moonlight picnic a first date, wouldn't you?" Percy asked softly.
"I would," I confessed in front of everyone.
"Then, that settles it. I love you, OFFICIALLY. I'll see you on the other side, Wise Girl."
I kissed him right then and there, not caring that everyone was watching us. I had been waiting for Percy to be ready for so long. We were practically together already (everyone considered us to be), but today marked the official start: July 25th.
"I love you, Seaweed Brain. Good luck," I whispered.
Percy kissed my cheek once more before looking at our friends, and the other people looking at us from the inside of the apartment.
"All right, everyone. Annabeth Chase is my girlfriend and I love her so much. You guys better not make any moves on her while I'm gone. If you do—"
"Okay, Seaweed Brain. Time to go," I interrupted.
Everyone was giggling and laughing at Percy's funny and sassy goodbye remark. It was such a Percy thing to do. We all loved it.
Percy smiled at me and winked before. He had a final farewell with his mom before retreating.
We're officially together now. Boyfriend and girlfriend, even though he's so much more than that now. At this point, Percy has become a part of me. Someone I needed to feel happy and complete.
And, I had full faith that Percy's going to succeed at the Olympics.
...
It's not secret that my favorite Greek God is Hestia, followed by Hades. Who's you favorite Olympian deity?
READ + VOTE + SHARE + COMMENT + FOLLOW
