Chapter 7
few weeks later...
"We're moving" Athena said at the dinner table.
It was still uncomfortable calling her "mother" for Annabeth.
But that was besides the point.
"Moving?", Annabeth said incredulously, "Moving where?"
"San Francisco. I have business to attend to there."
"Business?"
"Yes."
"But—"
"My word is final Annabeth. I don't have the money to afford you to continue school here in the East Coast."
"Everything that I have ever known is here. You expect me to just leave?"
"Yes." She said it so curtly, it put Annabeth off guard.
It was like she forced the conversation to end with the tone of her cold voice.
Annabeth ate in silence the rest of the dinner time, refusing to look up and see Athena's cold and piercing glare.
~o00o~
It was hard enough for Percy to never see Annabeth during school hours— them being in different schedules and classes and all.
But when he actually saw her while walking through the hallways, she gave him a sad smile.
He knew those smiles. It was her trying to hide something. It was always Percy's job to solve those troubles of hers. But right now, he couldn't, when he couldn't even be alone with her for longer than two seconds.
Crystal wasn't helping either. She always managed to disturb Percy when he wanted to follow after Annabeth.
Right after school, Percy told Crystal to go home by herself saying that he had to meet with some friends.
She suspiciously walked home by herself as Percy went back into the school and towards the place Annabeth's locker was. She was standing there, putting her books back in to her back pack. Shutting the door, she was face to face with Percy.
Annabeth gasped slightly seeing him standing there.
"Percy! Hi."
"Annie, what's wrong?"
"Why would something be wrong?"
"Is Athena treating you badly?"
"No, no. Why would you think that?"
"Are you hurt somewhere, then?"
"No, I'm not."
"Then, tell me. What's wrong?"
By the look on her face, Percy knew that she couldn't get away from the situation.
"First, let's go somewhere else to talk." Annabeth said firmly.
"Alright. The diner across the street."
"okay. I'll meet you there once I deliver some textbooks to the library."
Percy was about to object, but he knew Annaebth wouldn't keep him waiting. He nodded and left first.
~o00o~
Annabeth stood there for a few moments after Percy left. Of course, she didn't have to deliver an books to the library. She just needed some time to think alone without Percy's green eyes staring back at her—making her feel— weird. very weird.
The feeling was foreign to her and she didn't know how to deal with it.
She soon found her feet making their way out of the school and to the diner where Percy asked to meet. She saw him sitting in a booth before she even crossed the street.
It was going to be hard to tell him about her leaving for SF while looking at his face. His face. Even from here, he looked beautiful. Annabeth may not have admitted it when she was still his sister, but she knew— Percy was pretty hot.
She had always thought that it was her sibling love for her brother. But now that she knew they actually weren't, she started to question her doubt.
His hands were folded in front of him, holding his iPhone on the table. His eyes were downcast, but Annabeth could still see the sparkling green of his eyes. His hair was stylishly messy, like those model men in fashion magazines she loved to read.
He wore a grey hoodie over a dark v neck and some nicely fitting jeans with some red converse. His neck was snuggled in a scarf to fight the cold weather. She finally walked into the diner and went up to where Percy was sitting. He looked up, aware of her presence.
~o00o~
Percy didn't know why he didn't notice it before. Annabeth was pretty nice to look at. He suddenly saw her in another light. And it just made him want to look at her even more.
Her cheeks and lovely lips were rosy pink and her golden hair was let down in stylish waves. She was wearing a sweater and a nice jacket over it, which his mom had bought for her. A maroon scarf was fashioned about her neck.
Her grey eyes didn't leave his as she sat down in front of him. They gave her a sense of maturity that was twice that of Crystal's— or any freshman girl at that.
She gave him a smile—it was another sad smile. And it was irritating Percy not knowing what was troubling her.
"Nachos?" he asked as he handed her a chip from the bowl of nachos he'd ordered.
"Don't mind if I do," she said, taking the chip from him.
After a moment of silence, Percy spoke.
"So are you going to tell me what's bothering you?"
She was silent for a moment. Not talking, but staring. Staring straight into his eyes—making him lose his focus from her mesmerizing gaze.
—making him fall into a trance of just gazing into her grey eyes.
Her words shook him violently from his dreaming trance.
"I'm moving to San Francisco, Percy, and I'm not coming back."