Disclaimer: I don't own PJO
This is an AU fanfic, Annabeth and Percy OOC. Originally called "The Problems with Asking Out the Grey Eyed Girl", I changed it from a one-shot to multi-chaptered short story. There was no Heroes of Olympus or the Prophecy of Seven.
Chrystal POV:
It only took one Annabeth-less Monday and a very sad looking Damion to earn my suspicion. Usually, I'd greet the pair of them outside the school every morning to catch up on the latest gossip or compliment each other's hair styles (hey, we're girls, give us a break!). This morning, however, Damion walked up to us alone, kicking a rock and his hands shoved in his pocket.
Annabeth is one of my best friends. She's always nice and loyal, even if she's a little distant or easily distracted. Not to mention how many times she's helped me with my homework.
But she is mysterious, so when she wasn't with Damion this morning, there was an uneasy feeling in my gut.
Damion gave me a half-hearted smile as I approached him. "Hey, where's Annabeth? Is she sick?"
He shook his head. "No, her dad said she wasn't home yet."
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Home from what?"
Slowly, the rest of our group started to notice the lack of the blond haired girl. Damion sighed, looked downfallen.
"Remember how out of it she was on Friday?" He asked me. I thought back. Now that he mentioned it, she was acting a little odd. She kept fingering that seashell on her necklace. But she was still Annabeth, laughing at my story with Juliet falling asleep in class. I nodded to Damion anyway. He took a deep breath, like he's rather not talk about whatever he was trying to spit out.
"I usually walk home with her after school, right?" I nodded slowly. "Well, not on Friday. She went off with some guy from that camp she talks about."
That sounded really suspicious, but I felt like there was a missing piece to this puzzle. "How do you know he's from that camp?" I asked.
Damion scratched the back of his neck, and for some reason there was a blush creeping on to his cheeks. "She kind of… introduced me. She said the guy was…" Damion paused. "Her boyfriend."
I almost dropped my jaw in surprise. That was unexpected. Annabeth rarely talked about the camp, whatever it was, and had never, ever, mentioned that she was in a relationship. You would think that would be something you would tell your friends about.
I mean, I was going to tell her about how Chuck kissed me after they won the soccer game yesterday, yet she was never planning on telling me that she had a boyfriend? I felt my friendship with Annabeth slightly lessen. It was like she had lied to me, which was ridiculous, because I had never asked her about being in a relationship before. Annabeth had done nothing wrong. She wasn't one to bring up her past in casual conversation. I felt slightly selfish. There was still an uneasy feeling in my gut, but it now wasn't about Annabeth's secret boyfriend. It was… something else…
I was about to ask Damion for some more details, but the bell rang. Usually I don't think about who I have and don't have classes with, but today I kind of regretting the fact that I would only see Damion at lunch today. No doubt by then that other people in our friend group would recognize her absence, too. I nibbled my finger nails. I still wasn't sure what that uneasy feeling was. Am I worried about her? I thought about that through first period. No, Annabeth is completely capable of handling herself. Do I just miss her? Through second period, I contemplated that. Sure, she is an excellent friend, but one day without her is bearable. Maybe I'm jealous, I thought during third. But I wasn't, not really. I (kind of) have Chuck now, and I never previously felt the need for a boyfriend.
At lunch, it hit me like a tonne of bricks. I was worried about what Damion was thinking. I had known for ages (and I mean ages) that he had a thing for Annabeth. She was obviously ignoring it, not interested in him as any more than a friend.
The way he looked this morning almost scared me, like he was more than jealous, but heart broken. I watched him closely at lunch as he picked at the cafeteria food.
There was something important I was forgetting about this situation. Why would having a boyfriend change the fact that she wasn't at school today? Wait. Didn't Damion say her father said she wasn't home yet? I had forgotten about that completely after I was hit with the fact that my little grey eyed friend was in a relationship.
"Hey, Damion?" I asked him, leaning across the table. He looked back at me. "Do you have any idea where Annabeth is right now?"
Damion looked back down at his tray for a second. "She said something about going back to camp." He mumbled so quietly that I thought I misheard him.
"Back where?"
"Camp. Where her… boyfriend had been."
I furrowed my eyebrows again. "Isn't that on the other side of the country?" Damion shrugged, crestfallen.
"Apparently that didn't matter."
I felt that Damion had just closed the conversation. For the rest of the day, I went from class to class, contemplating why Annabeth, top student, would skip a day of school. Maybe this boyfriend isn't the best influence on her, if he's the reason she's not at school.
As I ate dinner, I wondered whether or not Annabeth would be present tomorrow. Hopefully, I thought, because I want the details. Not that it's any of my business, really, but maybe she could spare a couple of moments to share.
I was sitting next to Chuck on the concrete steps up to the front doors of school on Tuesday morning when I saw Damion approach, alone again. I felt a wave of disappointment, but there was a new emotion on Damion's face when he grew closer.
"What's up?" I asked cautiously. He gave a non-committable shrug, but there was something on his mind. I saw a fraction of a scowl on his face. "Was she home today?" There was a pause, then Damion nodded. I was caught off guard. "Is she sick?" Damion shook his head no. What was going on? Why the hell isn't Annabeth at school? I would never have taken her as someone that would skip not one, but two days in a row, not to mention she was actually at home today!
It was at that moment that I saw a certain blond haired girl come around the corner, her face lit up brighter than a Christmas tree. I smiled at Damion. "So she is here today!" I started to stand and greet her, then drop about six hundred questions on top of her head, when something stopped me short.
A guy with messy black hair slung an arm over her shoulders. They were both laughing, and the guy was carrying Annabeth's textbooks. Across the street, some rowdy driver sloppily pulled their truck into a spot, then sat idling.
"Percy, you know I am completely capable of carrying my own books." Annabeth tried to sound stern as she looked at the boy, but she couldn't seem to keep the smile off her face. He winked at her.
"My mother raised me right, thank you very much." Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Speaking of my mother…" The guy started. Annabeth's cheeks turned pink.
"Your mother is possibly the nicest person in the world." Annabeth stated. The boy swept down and kissed her cheek. "Seaweed Brain." She muttered, trying to sound annoyed by his kiss but failed miserably. He laughed.
The pair of them grew closer to us, and I saw Damion look away. He looked angry, annoyed, and shattered at the same time. I don't think even he knew how much he loved Annabeth until he realized she couldn't be his. Annabeth looked up and saw me. She smiled, and pulled the guy along with her as she walked over to me.
"Hey, Chrystal." She said cheerfully. I smiled back, then looked at the guy. I saw him glance at the street where the truck was before looking at me. He grinned.
"I'm Percy," he said, holding out a hand. I shook it, inwardly smiling.
"Chrystal. Are you Annabeth's boyfriend?" I asked, deciding to get right to the point. He nodded, looking happy. Annabeth squeezed his hand.
Just then, the bell rang for school to start. "Think about it, alright Annabeth?" Percy asked her, giving her a light kiss.
"I will. What are you going to do all day?"
Percy winked. "Oh, I thought the harbour looked nice." He said nice, however, in a slightly sarcastic tone. Annabeth rolled her eyes yet again.
"Of course. Meet me after school, alright?"
Percy nodded, pecking her cheek one last time. "As usual, Wise Girl."
Annabeth looked happily at the retreating figure of her boyfriend. I seriously couldn't imagine a cuter couple. They looked so in love, as if they knew each other better than anyone else in the world. I made a mental note to quiz her about everything at lunch.
The first few periods couldn't have passed by slower. The teachers seemed to drone on even more so than usual. Finally, the bell for lunch sounded, and I whipped down to our table before anyone else could sit beside Annabeth. She was already crunching an apple, a book open on her lap.
"Hey, Annabeth!" I greeted cheerfully. She smiled back. "So… where were you yesterday?" She looked slightly vacant.
"Oh, I was at camp. I had a few things that needed to be taken care of." There was a shadow of a smile playing on her lips. At least it wasn't her boyfriend that kept her from school. I was starting to get the feeling that this "camp" was a much bigger part of Annabeth's life than I had thought.
Thinking back, she wasn't around almost all of last summer. She only came back a couple days before school started, and rarely used her cell phone, so I had lost contact with her. I was pretty worried about her, actually, because of the news broadcasts over the summer months. Freak storms, complete demolition of entire states, not to mention the train wreck that was New York.
"Did you meet Percy at camp?" I asked her, though I already knew the answer.
"Yeah, a few years ago he started to come to camp. It was only last summer that we finally started going out." She smiled at me. "He's a bit of an idiot and more trouble than he's worth." I was shocked at that statement. This is how she describes her boyfriend? She obviously saw the look on my face and laughed. "But he can be sweet, and funny, and we've been through a lot together." She continued to explain. I felt like there were a lot of back stories to go along with this bond, but I didn't want to push it. Across the table, I saw Damion looking angrily bitter. I was almost afraid he was going to lash out. Instead, he started to pry.
"What kind of stuff did you go through?" He asked Annabeth rather rudely. She looked up at him.
"It's rather… difficult to explain. And kind of personal, Damion, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up." I glared at Damion.
"It's fine, Annabeth. Is he staying in town for a while?" I asked her, steering to conversation away from the past and into the present. Annabeth chewed her lip.
"We're not sure. He should be helping out at camp, but we're waiting until I make my decision." She replied, looking down at her apple. I wondered what this decision could possibly be, if it was keeping Percy from going back to wherever this camp was.
"Hey, Annabeth, where is your camp?" I asked casually.
She answered as if she'd been asked this often. "Outside of New York." I widened my eyes.
"Were you there when the city was hit by that storm?" I had seen the news broadcasts, and I couldn't imagine what the city could possibly look like – the TV only shows you so much.
I can see she's trying to hide some sort of intense emotion – sadness, maybe? "Yeah. We were there." She answered bluntly. Just then, the bell sounded. "I should go… talk later, okay?" With that, she retreated down the hallway, ponytail swinging.
I walked with Damion – his class was beside mine.
"Are you okay?" I asked him, genuinely concerned. I didn't like my friends hurting.
He ground his teeth. "I'm fine. I just…" He didn't need to finish his statement. I already understood what he may not. I gave him a side hug.
"Don't worry, Damion. It'll be alright." He nodded, not believing me, and we parted ways for our next class.
I'm not sure which I heard first – Annabeth shouting at people to move, or the spine-shivering growl. It was the last break between classes, and everyone was mulling around, making their way to lockers or bathrooms. I had just exited the classroom when Annabeth pushed me to the side. Her eyes were wild and cheeks pink.
"Chrystal, I have to go. If you see Percy after school, tell him"- She was interrupted by another growl that tore at my eardrums. Annabeth looked pained. "Tell him I said yes and that I'm heading back to the park. Thanks"- The growl this time was louder, like whatever was making the noise was growing closer. Annabeth said something I didn't understand – in a different language, maybe? "Got to go! Tell him, okay?" She was already running down the hall, pushing kids out of the way. I saw her pull – was that a knife? – from her bag, as well as a baseball cap. When I looked around the corner for her, she was already gone, the back doors still swinging open.
I don't even know what happened during the last block, I was so busy worrying about Annabeth. Whatever had happened, it seemed really unsafe and very, very urgent. I wanted nothing more than to run to her house and check if she was home, but she had asked me, almost pleaded, that I wait for Percy. As I stood outside, eyes sweeping across the car park for a sign of Percy, Damion approached me.
"Do you know where Annabeth is? She wasn't in Greek." He was visibly worried, and I was unsure if I should burden him with the truth. But he is my friend…
"She had to leave before last period. She told me to wait for Percy…" I didn't quite know how to describe the situation. Damion already looked panicked. He hadn't even seen what had happened, but he must have seen the fear on my face.
"Is she okay?"
"I don't – Percy!" I shouted, running down the steps towards the boy with messy black hair. He looked at me quizzically, but seemed to be piecing together the situation.
In a forced calm tone, he spoke to me. "Hey, Chrystal. Where's Annabeth?" He was tapping a pen against his leg, his sea green eyes piercing me for an answer.
"She had to leave earlier – she told me to tell you she says 'yes'," Percy's face was a strange combination of delight and terror, "and to meet her at the park"- The boy was gone before I had a chance to finish.
"Thanks, Crystal!" He yelled at me over his shoulder. Suddenly, Damion started to run after him.
"Damion!" I called, shocked. "What are you doing?" But I already had guessed. He thought Annabeth was in danger, and looked like he was determined to help. I wanted to tell him Annabeth could take care of herself, that Percy had it under control, that it may not even be too big of a deal, but my body acted before my brain. In no time, I was chasing after the two boys.
This was definitely not going to end well.
So, yeah, this was originally a one-shot – "The Problems with Asking Out the Grey Eyed Girl" – but I got some reviews suggesting me to continue the story. I'm still not sure about it – what do you guys think? Please R&R, thanks!