Chapter Twenty
"Because rhythm and harmony most of all insinuate themselves into the inmost part of the soul and most vigorously lay hold of it in bringing grace with them."
~Plato's Republic
Percy woke up to the sun shining directly in his face from the open window. He moaned and lazily covered his eyes with his arm. He once again realized how much he wished that he could control the blinds using his mind like a super hero in those comics he read when he was little. Then he wouldn't have to get up and close them.
Stretching, he stood up from where he had fallen asleep on the floor, the papers he had been laying on had made an imprint on his cheek. He rubbed his cheek with the palm of his hand and then closed the blinds.
Turning around he saw that most of the room had been cleaned. It had been a mess last night in Percy's frantic attempt to compose. Music had been thrown wherever he saw fit, there were left over glasses all over and even a few cans of beer. But now all of the music had been neatly stacked, the glasses had disappeared and the cans were tossed in the trash. They were crumpled up as well, probably a sign of what Annabeth thought of his drinking habit. All of the music she had been working on was stacked in a neat pile on the table where she had sat. Percy smiled.
Even the pencils were organized by size.
A note was on the table:
Seaweed Brain, I have to go to work, I'll be back around five for Round 2. ~Annabeth
Percy put the note down and rubbed his tired eyes. He picked up the sheet of paper on top of the stack, reading the words Annabeth had written around the chorus. He easily picked out a tune from his mind (he had a gift for music, then again if he didn't he wouldn't be here now would he?) Smiling to himself he picked up Riptide from where it lay on the ground.
He strummed out a few notes, singing the chorus of the verse out loud:
I'll be your crying shoulder,
I'll be love suicide
I'll be better when I'm older
I'll be the greatest fan of your life.
He jotted down the notes onto a piece of music paper that was lying on the ground. The chorus had been inspired by a W4W he had read in a letter where his letter writer had been talking about the different "jobs" of people.
W4W: I'll be your shoulder for when you are crying and I'll always be getting better and better, I'll always strive to love you, to never ever let you go. Because once I've found you, my soul mate, my one true love if there is such a thing as true love in this messed up world, I'm never going to let go. I'll be there for you, I'll be there for you for forever. And ever.
Percy had known when he read that letter that it wasn't meant for him, that he wasn't the one she was talking about. But still… he had hoped. In fact sometimes he still did. For a while, his letter writer was the only person in the world who understood him.
And then came along Annabeth.
Annabeth, who seemed to be a walking contradiction. How could someone be so hopeful and yet at the same time so depressed and lonely?
But Annabeth understood him in a way that no one else could, and they had only known each other for a few days. It was evident in the way that she was able to easily adapt to Percy's writing style, sounding just like he did.
The sign of a true writer was when they were able to create their own style and yet also imitate others.
Last night, Percy had to keep biting his tongue from trying to talk to Annabeth about their failed dinner but he didn't want her to get madder at him that she already was. So instead they had worked side by side, Annabeth writing lyrics and Percy composing the music.
All they talked about was words and music.
Two of the greatest things in the world.
It was crazy really. Who had ever heard of something like this happening? It was like something out of a book or a bad movie. It was a miracle.
This experience, well it proved to Percy that maybe, just maybe, miracles did happen.
And one of them was named Annabeth Chase.
"There you are, I was beginning to wonder if you had gone awol (Is that the proper word? I don't know maybe it's not) and had left me to do all of the work," Malcolm said as Annabeth rushed through the front door to Olympian Scrolls.
"I'm sorry," Annabeth said, out of breath, having just run all the way from the subway station.
"Be lucky Athena's not here and it's just me," Malcolm grinned, leaning his back against the counter and looking at Annabeth through the doorway into the back room where she hung up her coat. "But I do believe I deserve an explanation for why you're late."
"I had to run to my apartment and change," Annabeth said as she quickly pulled her wild curls out of her face and into a ponytail, she didn't have time to do her hair at her apartment when she had ran back to change.
"And why did you have to change?" Malcolm asked, leaning forward. He was suddenly very curious as to where Annabeth was last night. She didn't seem like the sort of girl to have a one night stand with a guy.
"I was at Percy's house."
Then again he had been wrong before.
His eyes popped open and Annabeth looked up from where she had been observing her hair in the mirror to make sure that it was at least passable and didn't look like she had a massive rat's nest. "Oh gods no! Not like that!" She shrieked. "I was helping him with his work!"
Malcolm nodded slowly. "Good because if you were doing… that then I would have to have a serious talk with you about getting your priorities straight."
"Malcolm, I am not the sort of girl who jumps at the chance to crawl into a guy's bed," Annabeth said saucily and she put her hands on her hips. "We were working on a project of his."
"And what is this project?" Malcolm asked, raising his eyebrow. (Once again Annabeth envied the ability to raise one eyebrow).
Annabeth bit her lip. "I can't tell you," she said. "Sorry." She turned her back to Malcolm to signal that the conversation was over. "So what are we doing today?" She asked.
"Athena wanted us to catalog the children's section," Malcolm said. Annabeth nodded. "I'll start on it if you want to watch the front counter."
"Why not, we can switch later," Annabeth said.
"Deal," Malcolm replied. He started towards the spiral staircase, grabbing the iron railing. "Just don't fall asleep Annabeth, you look like you're about to fall over at any minute and curl up in a ball to go to sleep."
"To be honest, that's how I feel," Annabeth said. Malcolm gave her a smile that said that he understood her pain.
"Well don't worry, once your shift is over you can go home and sleep."
"I wish," Annabeth muttered as Malcolm disappeared up the stairs. To be honest she could go home and just forget about helping Percy… but then he'd probably be wallowing in so much work he'd have no idea what to do with himself.
No she had to go back and help him.
And plus, though she would never admit this to anyone, it was kind of fun. Percy understood music like she understood words. And when the two meshed, the poetry with his guitar strings, magic came out.
Music was important. Music was the foundation for many beliefs. You are what you listen to. If you listen to a certain song, no matter how much you tell yourself it doesn't affect you, it will slowly worm its way into a spot in your mind and change you. Music could control you.
Plato had agreed.
Music was your soul.
And working with Percy gave her the chance to write good music. Or at least the words for them.
She hadn't gotten a wink of sleep last night, feverishly working on the words so that Percy could put them to music. A lot of the time he had written the chorus to a song and she would just add words around it to finish the "story", to complete the "picture." Other times he had written the beginning of a song and she would try and finish it, asking him a few questions about what he wanted to convey in his song.
The strange this was, he seemed to know so much about what she believed in.
A lot of his lyrics seemed familiar to her. As if somewhere in her heart, they were inscribed on it.
When Percy had fallen asleep she had nearly laughed at how cute and innocent he looked while he slept, his hand clutching the neck of his guitar, Riptide.
He drooled in his sleep.
And then last night, she had found herself staring at him. And that scared her.
It scared her how he seemed to make all of the strong barriers she had built up crumple into bricks on the ground.
So she left before he had woken up, she had to think and being around him made her logic seem crazy. She had left a note for him and cleaned up.
And then headed home.
"Hey fancy seeing you here," Annabeth looked up to see Luke standing in front of the counter, his elbows resting on it. On his face was his ever present crooked grin. In her thinking she hadn't heard the door open and the bell ring.
"I work here Luke," Annabeth said, sighing as she turned her back to him and pretended to be busy with organizing the back counter.
"So you do," Luke said. "You having fun absentmindedly moving that box around behind the counter?"
Annabeth blushed and turned around to look at her boyfriend… the boyfriend she wasn't too interested in seeing right now. Was that normal? To not want to see your boyfriend?
"What can I do for you Luke?"
"Wow are we going for the professional act right now?" Luke asked, grinning. "That's not usually how you're supposed to greet your boyfriend. Whatever happened to the kiss and the fawning over him like he's a god?"
Annabeth sighed again, honestly he could be so full of himself at times. "Luke I'm working, I'm also really tired and I'm not in the mood," Annabeth said, rubbing her eyes tiredly.
"Well I know something that'll make you in the mood," Luke said, grinning.
"Oh and what is that?" Annabeth asked, leaning against the counter.
"You and me, tonight, at Ceres, the Italian place that everyone's ranting about." Annabeth flinched at the mention of that name, honestly it brought back bad memories. Memories she was trying to block from her mind. Behind a brick wall. A thick brick wall.
"Sorry Luke, I already have plans tonight," Annabeth said, trying to sound apologetically but to be honest she was happy that she had to help Percy. She was glad she had an excuse to not see Luke tonight.
She was finding herself thanking the stars for Percy.
Luke's brow creased. "Plans?" he asked, his voice full of suspicion. Annabeth cringed. Luke had always been possessive and clingy back in high school. In fact, looking back on it all, he always had been. Ever since they had first met on the playground.
Annabeth nodded. "Yeah, I'm helping a friend right after work. He's trying to finish some writing projects for his work and needs help."
"He?" Luke asked. Annabeth mentally slapped herself. Idiot for saying he. Now Luke was really going to flip.
"Yeah, he's a friend."
"What's his name?"
"Per- um… Peter," Annabeth said, trying to fix her mistake. But she could tell Luke didn't believe her.
"How did you meet this Peter guy? It's not like you have a lot of friends," Luke said.
"We met at Riki's ," Annabeth said. "And for your information I do to have friends!" She said indignantly, sticking her nose up in the air.
"No you don't Annie," Luke said sympathetically. "That's why you need me, I'm the only friend you have here."
Annabeth was fuming. "For your information I do to have friends! Like Thalia and Lacey and Malcolm and Percy!"
"So his name is Percy, not Peter," Luke said. Annabeth turned crimson. Damn it! "Why would you lie to me?"
"No reason," Annabeth said. She took a deep breath. "Look Luke, I don't think that this is working out," Annabeth said. "I'm not the same way I was in high school, things change."
"Are you breaking up with me?" Luke asked, his blue eyes sparkling dangerously. Annabeth stared back defiantly. She knew that look well. He had worn it whenever Annabeth asked about his parents, whenever he didn't get what he wanted and when Annabeth had accused him of cheating on her back in high school.
"No it's just… I don't think it's working. And I don't want to get hurt again."
"Annabeth I'd never hurt you!" Luke said, grasping for her hands but she quickly drew her hands back from his reach.
"Luke, you already did with Tracey. I'm sorry… I just can't do this anymore. I said I'd give it a try but it's not working."
"It's this Percy fellow isn't it?" Luke asked, he sounded almost…
Dangerous.
Annabeth snorted. "Percy?" She laughed. "As if, he's just Seaweed Brain."
"You have a nick name for him? You never had a nickname for me."
"Never knew you wanted one, now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." She exited from behind the counter, trying to exude the confidence she was usually known for. But with Luke that confidence was usually shattered and she was left vulnerable.
Quick as a viper, Luke snatched her wrists and held them tight. "You know I don't give up," he said, looking at Annabeth with blazing eyes. "And I don't like sharing." His fingers caressed her cheek and she flinched. A few years ago if he had done that, she would have fainted from excitement but now it just made her feel queasy and sick to the stomach. "Remember that Annabeth, what's mine will be mine." And then he kissed her cheek with his soft lips but to her they felt harsh and rough. He then turned and sauntered out of the store, his hands tucked into his expensive blazer.
Annabeth stared after him and then slumped against the counter, exhausted.
Honestly, he would be the death of her.
o.O.o
"When you break up with a girl is it always so awkward?" Annabeth asked as she entered Percy's studio, carrying a box with the Riki's logo on the top of it. She sat it down on the table in Percy's studio and leaned against it.
Percy wouldn't admit it to anyone except maybe his mom, but he'd been anxiously counting the minutes until Annabeth showed up. He had finished another song that he wanted to play for her.
"I don't know. It's always so taxing for me… having so many girls fawning over you 24/7, it's like a whole other job. Breaking up with them just comes with the territory. I mean I've dated over fifty girls in the past two years." Percy shrugged. "It gets hard at times."
"You poor boy," Annabeth said mockingly.
"I know, I know, I live a rough life," Percy said. "So you broke up with Luke?" He asked.
Annabeth sighed, pushing a curl of blond hair from her eyes. "Yeah, I decided it just wasn't working. Honestly he showed up at work and I decided all of a sudden that I was done."
"Congratulations!" Percy said, clapping his hands. "The scumbag deserved it."
"Percy!" Annabeth said.
"Annabeth!" Percy said, mimicking her whiney tone. "Admit it, he wasn't worth all the trouble."
"No I guess not," Annabeth sighed.
"Good glad you came to your senses about scar face," Percy said.
"Come on Percy, it's not like you even know Luke," Annabeth said. "You can't exactly judge him."
"Of course I can judge him, I am a great judge of character," Percy said resentfully. "What's in the box?" He asked, poking around at the box.
"Sandwiches," Annabeth said, opening the box. Percy looked at the sandwiches and grinned.
"Yum," he said. "I always work better on food," he said, picking one up and putting it on a napkin from inside of the box.
"I think that's a universal truth of the world," Annabeth laughed. She walked around the table and picked up a piece of paper. "So what have you gotten done today? And please tell me that you actually did something and not just sit around all day."
"Of course I did something!" Percy said indignantly. "You have such bad faith in me." He took a bite of the sandwich and then set it down and picked up Riptide from where he had leaned it against one of his chairs. He plopped down on the chair and then pulled his guitar pick from his pocket and strummed a chord. "I finished this song, think it's a winner. The lyrics were incredible Wise Girl," Percy said, grinning. And then he began playing, his voice, that ever beautiful, deep and raw voice that made girls fall head over heels for him.
I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out.
Take this singing boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You'll make it now.
Falling slowly, eyes that know me.
And I can't go back.
Moods that take me and erase me
And I'm painted black.
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It's time that you won.
Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time.
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You've made it now.
Falling slowly, sing your melody.
I'll sing it loud.
Percy strummed the last note on his guitar and then looked at Annabeth with those deep sea green eyes. Annabeth smiled at him. "It's beautiful," she said and then she sat down opposite him on a chair.
"It was based off of something I read a long time ago," Percy admitted.
"You seem to base a lot of things off of things you've read," Annabeth said. Percy shrugged.
"Guess so," he said. He didn't tell her where he had found the idea from. He could almost see Annabeth laughing at him when she found out that he got random letters from a girl in a library.
W4W- I feel like true love isn't born in a quick flash like lightning or at the moment when you look at someone. True love is a long time in the making. First it begins with a friendship, sweet and innocent. Love is falling, it's falling slowly into the arms of someone else. It's trusting someone with all your heart, that's what true love is, it's trust and beauty, hope and sacrifice. True love is not fast. It's falling slowly.
"You know I based a few songs off of your thoughts for the humble," Percy said as Annabeth picked up another piece of paper and began to tap a pen on against her thigh.
"Really?" She asked, looking up at him with her grey eyes. "What song?" She asked.
"Figure it out," he said with a grin. "You're a smart girl."
The door opened and Nico walked in. "I heard your song, sounds good," Nico said. He eyed the box of sandwiches.
"Go ahead and have one Nico," Annabeth said as she scrawled something on the piece of paper.
"Thanks Annabeth," he said, grabbing a sandwich. "Percy how many more songs do you have left?" He asked.
"Two," he said. Nico's eyes popped open.
"What! That's crazy! How… how the heck did you manage to do that?" he asked.
"Annabeth's brilliant with words and I'm not too bad with music if I do say so myself," Percy said, grinning.
"I have no idea what I would have done with him if you weren't here Annabeth," Nico said. "I'd probably end up killing myself."
"And then where would I be?" Percy asked, leaning back in his chair.
"Percy, I know I really shouldn't do this, but Beckendorf called and asked if you would come over to his club tonight and play one of your songs. He meant to book another band for tonight but he forgot to. I wouldn't ask you to do this normally, especially since you have to finish these songs but it's Beckendorf."
"Dude, I'm up for it!" Percy said, jumping up right away. Annabeth stared at them confused.
"Who's Beckendorf?" Annabeth asked curiously.
"Charles Beckendorf," Percy said. Annabeth gave him a blank stare. "You don't know who Charlie Beckendorf is? He was the center for the New York Nix."
"Is that a baseball team?" She asked.
"What!" Percy sputtered. "That's it Wise Girl, I'm going to take you to see a basketball game once we're done."
"Okay," Annabeth grinned.
"So what time do we have to leave tonight?" Percy asked, straightening his shirt.
"Thirty minutes, can you do that pretty boy?" Nico asked.
"Oh shut up ghost boy," Percy said, slugging Nico's shoulder. "Hey Annabeth do you want to come with us?" He asked. Annabeth shrugged.
"Heck why not?" She said.
"Great then," Percy said grinning. "It'll be awesome."
o.O.o
"Honestly what the heck takes him so long?" Annabeth asked, tucking a random curl behind her ear, something she did when she was stressed out. Her and Nico were leaning against the counter in the kitchen, waiting for Percy to come out of his room.
"I've been wondering that ever since I've met him," Nico laughed.
"How long have you known Percy for?" Annabeth asked, looking at the black haired man who was looking at his phone.
"Since high school," Nico said.
"What high school did you guys go to?" Annabeth asked.
"Goode High," he said. Annabeth's blood froze. They went to Goode? She went to the same school as Percy did back when they were teenagers? She wracked her mind for images of them in highschool. She managed to find one of a boy, crowded by a bunch of girls behind the gym, a cigarette in his mouth, his raven hair a mess.
"Gods, it's a small world, that's where I went too," Annabeth said.
"Really? That's weird," Nico said, not even looking up from his phone.
"Okay, I'm ready to go," Percy said, appearing in the kitchen. He had changed into black jeans and a button down blue shirt with a black jacket. He held his guitar case in his hand.
"I think that's a record," Nico said. "For the shortest time you've spent in the bathroom, only 26 minutes. Congrats."
"What did you even do other than change your clothes?" Annabeth asked.
"Wouldn't you like to know," Percy said, smirking. Annabeth blushed.
"Okay you two, enough with the innuendo Perce, we've got to go," Nico said, shoving his phone into his back pocket. "The car's waiting out front."
The trio headed down the elevator and through the downstairs of Hestia's Hearth. Annabeth was always amazed by the grand interior of the building, compared to Hestia's Hearth, Janus's Doors looked like a dump's dump. She was embarrassed that Percy had seen where she lived.
Outside a long and sleek limo was waiting for them, Percy opened the door for Annabeth. "After you," he said. Annabeth smiled and she felt something strange in her chest when she looked at Percy's goofy grin. She shoved the feeling away. She didn't have time to be star struck by the boy with eyes like the sea and a voice that was from the angels in Heaven.
Great, now she was comparing him to angels.
"I'm glad you're coming," Percy smiled as he sat across from Annabeth, Nico next to him.
"Glad you invited me."
o.O.o
The club was packed. Word had gotten out that Percy Jackson was performing at all of a sudden everyone wanted to be there. Annabeth had been asked to be let out at the corner so that no one could see her and Percy together. She wasn't ready for people to start gossiping about them.
And she could only wonder what Thalia would have to say about it if they made the front page of the news again.
"If you're sure about it," Percy said, looking at her as she smiled at him.
"I'm positive," she said and then hopped out of the limo.
When Percy got out in front of Beckendorf's club, he was instantly assaulted by hundreds of camera, pens and pieces of paper, people screaming and trying to touch him. Two security officers were roughly shoving people to the side as Percy made his way through, all the time searching for Annabeth's golden curls.
At the door Beckendorf was waiting for him, Silena Beauregard, Beckendorf's girlfriend at his side. "Percy! Thank you so much for filling in," Beckendorf said, shaking hands with him.
"No problemo Beckendorf, hey Silena," Percy said, as Silena gave him a hug.
"Hi Percy," she said. Silena was a model for Aphrodite's company and was gorgeous with long black hair that waved perfectly and deep blue-green eyes that seemed to shimmer in the light. She smiled at Percy. "Hi Nico," she said, hugging the other man who hugged her back. Silena was one of the few people that actually got a hug back from Nico. Silena was one of the sweetest women you would ever meet in your life.
"You can go set up on the stage Percy," Beckendorf said, pointing past the bar and the throng of people to the stage that was in the center of the sea of bodies. It was a round stage, something Beckendorf insisted on and was like an island, people were able to stand all around it.
"Thanks Beckendorf, oh and I almost forgot. I have a friend coming, she's tall with blond hair and the craziest grey eyes you will ever see in your life. Her name's Annabeth Chase. Can you make sure she gets in?" Percy asked, shouldering his guitar case.
"Annabeth? Annabeth Chase? As in from Goode?" Silena asked.
Percy gave her a curious look. "She went to Goode?" He asked.
"Duh! Don't you remember? Thalia and her were thick as thieves, she was a bloody genius!" Silena said, her British accent more pronounced. She was born in London and had moved to New York when she was thirteen. "You're so oblivious Percy," Silena laughed.
She went to the same high school he did? Percy thought back to those days that he was trying to forget. All he could remember was a girl with curly blond hair sitting in the library writing furiously. He remembered running into her in the library, knocking everything down.
Gods he was oblivious!
"Don't worry Percy, I'll keep an eye out for her," Beckendorf said. "Piper, Jason and Leo are in here somewhere and I think Juniper and Grover are at the bar."
"Thanks man, when am I on?"
"Fifteen minutes if that works," Beckendorf said.
"Fine by me, how long do I need to fill?"
"At least half an hour if you can. I'm sorry to spring this on you so late."
"No need to worry Beckendorf, you're looking at the king of spontaneity," Percy said and then he headed into the thick of the crowd. There were a lot of girls here.
A lot.
It was driving him nuts. Honestly right now he'd rather be home, watching a movie or working on the songs with Annabeth.
Annabeth… the thought of her almost made him dizzy and weak at the knees. With her long blond curls and eyes like storms, gods there was something about her that drove Percy near the edge of insanity. But it was a good insanity of course. Like the wait before your birthday.
Percy sat himself on the stool and pulled out his guitar. Everyone began to quiet down. It was as if the moment he began to speak no one else would. As if he was the most important person in the room.
Which he probably was.
Percy looked up and saw Annabeth with Silena, laughing about something. Good. She got in alright. She looked up at him, her grey eyes sparkling and she smiled at him.
He couldn't help but smile back.
Tapping the microphone to make sure it worked, Percy cleared his throat. "Hey guys," he said, sweeping his hair from his forehead. "How's the party?" He asked. There was a chorus of answers along with the usual just screaming whenever he spoke. "I'm glad to hear it," he said. "To start off the night I'm going to play Minefield from my new album."
After Minefield he played the Weight of the World and then Battle Scars and finally he played When the Stars Start Falling. When he was finished he looked at the time. He had time for about one more song. "Okay this next song in dedicated to a friend," he said. "A friend who has helped me in more ways than you could ever imagine, she's lifted me up and she's inspired me to dream and never give up. Without further ado ladies and gentlemen, from my new album, I present, The Writer."
The Writer was a song he had written years ago about his Letter Writer but he could never finish it. But for some reason, today he had finished it. He had thought about Annabeth, about the way she smiled, the way she talked, the way she wrote.
And he had written the song for her.
I wait for a silence
You wait for the words
Lying next to your frame
Boy unobserved
You change your position
And you're changing me
Casting these shadows
Where they shouldn't be
We're interrupted
By the heat of the sun
Trying to prevent
What's already begun
Oh but I've got a plan
And why don't you be the artist
And make me out of clay?
Why don't you be the writer
And decide the words I say?
Cause I'd rather pretend
I'll still be there at the end
Only it's too hard to ask
Won't you try to help me?
Sat on your sofa
With it's all broken springs
This isn't a place for
Those guitar strings
Oh I try out a smile
And I aim it at you
Oh you must have missed it
You always do
Oh but I've got a plan
And why don't you be the artist
And make me out of clay?
Why don't you be the writer
And decide the words I say?
Cause I'd rather pretend
I'll still be there at the end
Only it's too hard to ask
Won't you try to help me?
You wait
I wait
Casting Shadows
Interrupted
You wait
I wait
Casting Shadows
Interrupted
You wait
I wait
Casting Shadows
Interrupted
You wait
I wait
Casting Shadows
And why don't you be the artist
And make me out of clay?
Why don't you be the writer
And decide the words I say?
Cause I'd rather pretend
I'll still be there at the end
Only it's too hard to ask
Won't you try to help me?
And why don't you be the artist
And make me out of clay?
Why don't you be the writer
And decide the words I say?
Cause I'd rather pretend
I'll still be there at the end
Only it's too hard to ask
Won't you try to help me?
As Percy strummed the last chord on his guitar, he looked out at the audience, his heart pounding in his chest, faster, faster. All he could think about was Annabeth.
He was sure of it.
He was falling slowly.
o.O.o
Annabeth was speechless as she watched Percy perform his song The Writer. She didn't know that he had written it and she was pretty sure it was about her. Her heart was pounding as she met eyes with Percy's green ones.
He smiled.
She smiled back.
Her heart was pounding, faster, faster.
She was sure of it.
She was falling slowly.
Songs in this chapter: I'll Be by Edwin McCain, Falling Slowly from the musical Once and the Writer by Ellie Goulding.