Okay popsicles...slight change.
Remember Ch 9 called A Bit of Confessing? Whale...I was reading it over and changed it-there's something new I added there because it was relevant to the storyline. The new updated version is below. Points if you can spot the change! And then Ch 16 is below that.
R&R!
Chapter Nine
A Bit of Confessing
It was semi-dark when I woke up in the middle of the night. Someone—Annabeth probably—had left one curtain drawn back, letting a bright white bar of moonlight scythe down on my pillow. I buried my face in the soft cotton and groaned. It still smelled of Silena's horrible perfume.
The brunette had left hours ago, leaving me and Annabeth alone. I had immediately taken a long shower and headed to the bar, leaving the blond drama princess to do whatever she did when she was alone. Torture innocent kittens or something? I didn't want to know.
A cool sea breeze came in through the door, which was slightly ajar. I peered over the bed wall and saw nothing but sheets.
Huh. So she couldn't sleep too. I got up and slipped outside to where a small figure sat wrapped in a blanket, staring at the night sky while the moon reflected off her-tear stained face? Was the stone cold Amazon actually crying?
"Percy?" Annabeth looked up. Her voice was unusually raw, and she made no move to wipe away her tears.
I took a seat beside her. "Yeah, I...just couldn't sleep."
"Sorry if I woke you." She turned away and pulled her blanket closer around her.
"No, it's okay." Looking at her like this, I couldn't help but feel bad for screaming at her earlier. But then again, she had deserved it.
Annabeth didn't answer. I studied her face, which was easier to read this time. I saw hurt and…steely anger? I wasn't sure. "Are you crying?"
Her gray eyes didn't meet mine. "Come to make fun?"
"No, just, I'm...sorry for screaming at you earlier." The last part came out in a rush.
Her startled gaze met mine. "No, it was my fault, I didn't realize you were really standing up for me. I thought you were just...gloating. That girl really shocked me for a second."
"Is that why you're crying?"
Annabeth snorted. "As if. It's just..." She stopped and looked at me sideways, as if debating whether to say anything.
"Just what?" I prompted.
"My dad."
"You're dad?" I couldn't ever remember her saying anything about her dad. Mine was a tall bearded guy who loved fishing with matching green eyes.
"Yeah. He divorced my mom when I was little. I never told you this, did I?"
"No."
"Well, from the minute I was born he didn't want me. He tried to pass me off to Athena—my mom—but she wouldn't have it. She was always really busy and didn't have time to raise a child. So I went to live with him."
Her dad sounded like a complete asshole. I listened in stunned silence.
"He'd already moved on when I got there. He'd remarried a "normal wife" and had two "normal children" with her, forgetting completely about the fact that he had another child."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It was a long time ago." Annabeth took a shaky breath. "Everything bad that happened to the family—even things I didn't do—he blamed on me. He thought I was a freak. A monster." Annabeth's voice cracked. "I hated him. When I was seven, I ran away. I made it to Athena's penthouse in Manhattan with the help of a couple friends I met along the way."
My mouth dropped open as everything I'd ever thought or known about Annabeth rearranged and shifted in my mind. She'd run away at seven with nothing…all the way to Manhattan nearly all alone? I regretted every time I'd ever called her weak or pathetic. "Maybe your dad had a change of heart or something," I offered weakly. "Have you ever had contact with—"
"As if. He called me a few years before saying he missed me, that he wanted me back. I was fool enough to agree to that, and I went over there for my fall term. He promised we'd go to Greece, just the two of us, and see the Parthenon. But nothing had changed with him. We never went. If possible, it was even more worse than before. I didn't even make it through Christmas. I called Athena and came right back to New York. To him I'll always be not good enough for his perfect little family."
Annabeth's voice broke on the last word and she slipped into quiet sobs. Her slender frame racked as she tried to control them, to keep me from seeing them.
And then, I didn't know why, but I slid over and put my arms around her. Instead of pushing me away she pulled me closer and sobbed into my shoulder. I held her until her tears broke up into quiet hiccups, and finally silence. I looked down. She was sleeping in my arms, her blonde head pressing against my bare chest.
I held her, my head spinning so fast I could barely think. This definitely didn't sound like the sort of thing she told most people. I was willing to bet that even her friends didn't know. I stroked a piece of hair off her forehead. So why had she told me, of all people?
My attitude toward her was changing even as I thought. How could I have been such an asshole to her? I felt a pain in my stomach about all the things I had ever called her. But weren't we enemies? I was confused.
I tried to figure out my complicated emotions, but to be honest it was hard to concentrate with the blonde girl in my arms.
Chapter Sixteen
A Bit of Drinking
Percy POV
Annabeth stared at me in shock as the words "was a bit jealous, that's all" burst from my lips. I looked down at the ground as my cheeks heated up and prayed for a distraction. Luckily, my phone buzzed right then.
I grabbed for it, sliding it open and checking the text. YOU HAVE TO SHOW HER THAT YOU'RE SORRY.
It was like Nico was outside, watching me try to apologize. But no—he was just repeating what he'd said earlier. Something clicked in my brain and I mentally replied to him, Challenge accepted.
"Gotta go, Annabeth," I blurted, and ran out of the cabin.
The door flew open and I found myself face-to-freckled-face with Rachel. She blinked at me. "OHMYGODS! ITS PERCY EFFING J—I mean, hey, Percy," she said, lowering her excited tone and trying to act natural.
Thalia looked up as I stepped inside and hastily shut the door. Rachel started to say something, but Thalia interrupted her.
"What are you doing here?"
I quickly told them what had been running through my brain. Thalia looked skeptical when I'd finished, Rachel ecstatic
"Of course. Sure! That'd be amazing." Rachel bounced up and down on her bed.
"Are you sure—" Thalia began, but Rachel shushed her.
"And could you guys also, um…" I told them.
A glint appeared in Rachel's eye and I felt myself get nervous. "I'd love to," she said.
Annabeth POV
I stared out the door at Percy's retreating figure, puffs of dust kicking up from his heels. I would've chased after him, if my brain hadn't been frozen permanently in shock mode. My first thought was that he looked really cute when he ran. My second went more like BAD ANNABETH!
I couldn't be doing this. This went against all my carefully planned rules, all of which had to do with not trusting Percy.
Percy didn't return the whole day. I tried not to make it obvious that I was searching for him as I filmed a couple more scenes for the movie. Mitchell was pointedly doing scenes that didn't feature Percy, like he knew he wouldn't show.
Finally I got the courage to bring up the topic of my missing costar. "So, I noticed Percy wasn't here. Would you know why?"
Mitchell stopped applying blush onto my cheekbones—apparently my color was currently not "robust" enough for Carly—and gave me a knowing look. I fought to keep my natural blush down and rolled my eyes, looking away pointedly.
"He has his reasons," Mitchell answered me cryptically.
I sat up straight. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Why do you care?" Mitchell replied, skillfully managing to put me on the defensive.
"I don't. I just wanted to know why he didn't have to come…and I did?" I crossed my arms, trying to make Mitchell feel guilty.
It didn't work. "It's none of my business, Annie. If you really want to know, how 'bout you bring it up with Mr. D?"
I wasn't brave enough to do that, and we both knew it. I sighed and dropped the subject.
Night fell on the resort, and he was still missing. I tried not to show it but I really was worried. He wasn't anywhere I checked, and I told myself to forget about it. After all, he'd probably ditched filming today to go clubbing with someone.
Jealous much?
Thalia and Rachel came by after filming, surprising me in the middle of searching for my makeup bag.
"Guys, have you seen my makeup bag? Or my Victoria's Secret stuff? Actually, I've been missing a lot of stuff today." I straightened, not seeing the covert look Rachel shot Thalia behind my back.
"So," Rachel said, flopping down on my bed and pulling me down with her. "Is this where he really sleeps?"
She pressed her face into a fluffy down pillow. "Mmm, smells like Our Moment by One Direction. Does he really wear that? That is so hot. Nothing says sexy like wearing girly perfume."
I shot her a look. "That's my side, Rach," I told her.
"Oh." She flipped over to the other side, nuzzling into the covers.
I rolled my eyes. "Thalia, make her stop."
My dark-haired friend smiled. "You should be nicer to us. After all, you won't be s—"
She was cut off by a flying pillow that smacked her right in the face.
"Ow, Rach!"
"We're sleeping over," Rachel informed me.
"But what about Percy? There's not nearly enough space for all of us." Which wasn't exactly true. The honeymoon suite was huge. Much as I loved my friends, I had kind of wanted to be alone with Percy tonight. Ugh, that sounded a lot worse than I meant.
"He's not coming. Something about staying over at a friend's." Thalia answered casually. "Now how about we order some drinks from room service and really get this party started?"
"We're underage—" I started to protest.
"I'm not. Hush." Thalia picked up the phone while Rachel began digging in her stuff. "Yes. Twenty bottles. How many people? Um, about thirty. It's not like I'm going to finish all of it myself." She gave a nervous little laugh while I rolled my eyes. "Great, thanks. Royal Palm I. Make it quick." She hung up and shot me a grin. "I charged it to your account, if you don't mind."
I gave up and got up to turn on the TV.
Ten minutes later the doorbell rang. Thalia bounced up to get it while I shifted closer to Rachel, who was stabbing at the channel button like her life depended on it.
"Thanks. All the other people are in the, um, bathroom. Showering." She shut the door before the room service could ask any more questions, wheeling in the cart of booze.
"I'll have one. And pour the underage girl one too." Rachel sat up.
Thalia handed a glass of sparkling amber liquid to me, hastily shoving something in her purse. I took a reluctant sip and made a face. "This tastes really bitter."
"Just drink it." Thalia said, watching me closely. I started to protest but Rachel tipped the glass up and I drained it.
"Ugh, brain freeze!" I clutched my head, which suddenly ached, like someone was driving a nail into it. My vision dimmed and I stumbled, the glass slipping from my hand.
"Thalia!"
"I think I might have put too much."
"Duh. Look at her!"
I'm fine, I wanted to say. Instead I passed out.
