Percy
I pull into the parking space in front of my apartment and see Annabeth sitting on the swing on my patio. I take a deep breath and get out of my truck. She looks up at me when I close my door and hugs her coat closer to her, looking sad, shy, and nervous. Not the fierce and confident warrior I grew up with. But we're both different now, I guess.
"Hey," She says. "I was wondering…do you want some breakfast before you go get Luke?"
"I already ate at the station." I tell her. She looks at me a second and I see the corner of her mouth twitch. "What?"
"I just realized I haven't seen you wear a coat once since I came to town, even when it's snowing."
"I just really don't get that cold. Snow is just water."
"Right…Well, if not breakfast, how about some coffee? I really think we should talk some more."
"Look, Annabeth, I meant it when I said I forgive you, but that doesn't mean I'm not still hurt. Talking might be a bad idea. I might just end up saying things to hurt you."
"You won't say anything I don't deserve."
"Wise Girl I don't want to see you hurt either."
"I'll be okay, Percy. Please, just talk to me."
"Okay." I concede and walk inside, holding the door for her behind me. "If you still want breakfast, I can whip up some pancakes." I offer.
"That's okay. Coffee is good."
"Alright. Make yourself comfortable." I tell her and go to fix some. She takes off her coat and I see she's wearing a Goode High School hoodie underneath, the same one she used to wear to all my swim meets. The memories bring conflicting emotion.
Once I pour a couple mugs I sit down on the couch with her.
"Three quarters coffee, one quarter milk, 3 tablespoons of sugar." I say. She smiles gently,
"You remember."
"I remember everything, Annabeth. What exactly is it you want to talk about?"
"Honestly Percy, I'm not even sure. But I don't want to be away from you anymore. Even if being near you is hard. I want to know what your life has been like the last three years, and if you'll listen I want to tell you about mine. I want to hear about Luke, and learn everything I can about him, and what you are going to expect from me towards him and any boundaries you have for me with him. And If there's anything you need to say to me or ask, I want you to say it, even if it does hurt."
"Okay. Here's one question. It's about Luke. Luke Castellan."
"Um, okay. What about him?"
"When we were in the Titan war, he constantly betrayed us. To our face. Tried to kill us a few times. Tortured you by making you hold up the sky, hell, let Kronos possess him! And yeah he fixed it all in the end but before he did you were still defending him almost every step of the way! Why didn't you have even a shred of the faith you had in him in me?" I ask, a little more forcefully than I meant to. She looks into her coffee.
"I'm not sure. It was a different type of betrayal, I guess for one thing. For another, even though it was starting to get better I was still hurting so much from losing our son I think I was looking for a reason to leave. And, I was angry at you for losing the baby. It was more my fault than yours, but I was still mad you didn't make me sit the quest out, even though that's stupid. You tried to and I was too stupid and stubborn to listen."
"I still shouldn't have caved so easily." I sigh, remembering everything.
"Percy, what do you need from me now?"
"Honestly? I need you to respect me. And listen to me. If we're able to work this out, I'll always give weight to whatever you say, but in the end I'm going to make the decision for our family. You need to trust me, even if you don't agree with me."
"I don't think I'll have a problem with trusting you again. If there's one good thing that's come from this whole mess it's the giant serving of humility I've been given."
"Okay. What are you going to need from me for this to work?"
"Honestly, Percy? I just need you to love me." She says, finally looking back up from her mug to my eyes.
"Oh Annabeth." I say and lean forward to kiss her forehead, then pull her back with me so she's laying against my chest. "What I told you yesterday was true. I never once stopped loving you."
"This is good." She says, nestling closer. "I've missed this."
"Me too." I say, and take in that she's here with me, and I'm just getting to hold her for a while. For a long while I didn't think I'd ever be able to do this again. I try to block out any thoughts as to what this means, and just enjoy it for now. I smell her hair, and it still smells like the Lavender and Vanilla shampoo she used to use. Some things never change, I guess.
"Now what about Luke? Your Luke." She asks.
"What about him?"
"What do you need from me for him? And what rules and boundaries do you have? What does he even know about what's going on?"
"I never told him we're married. I didn't want him to get a distorted picture of it so early in life. He knows we have a history, and that you leaving has something to do with me and Becca. As far as what I expect, I'm not sure. But I need you to love him as much as if he was your son instead of Becca's."
"Done. And, you won't be seeing Becca again."
"What? Annabeth, please tell me you didn't-"
"Kill her? No. Although it was tempting when she told me the story."
"She told you the story?"
"Reyna kidnapped me by use of metal greyhound and took me to see Becca. Using the dogs as lie detectors, she told me the story."
"Reyna's back? You know what, off topic. What do you mean, I won't be seeing Becca again."
"Under dog point she said that while she loves Lukas she never wanted to be a mom and doesn't have a lot of room for him in her life. She'd rather be a young and relevant journalist than have a son, and doesn't even want to come for visits or calls. So I told her she has a week to leave New York before I drag her before the Roman Legion on charges of assaulting a former Preator. I hope that's not overstepping too soon." She says. I sit for a second before I lay back on the couch with my face in my hands and laugh in relief.
"Oh thank the Lord!"
"I guess you're okay with it then?"
"Oh my gosh, yes! She's been getting drunk and high on her visits with Lukas. I just found out a couple weeks ago and wasn't sure what to do about it. Going to court would mean another custody battle." I say. I hear her let out a relieved sigh and then a little laugh.
"I could still take her before the legion." She offers.
"Tempting. But No. Like I've told everyone else, She's still Luke's mom."
"Fair enough, I guess." She says and lays back down on my chest. "Thank you for letting me in." She whispers, and my stomach knots all up. I love her here, but I need to go. If I let her stay too much longer I'm not sure what's going to happen or what it'll mean. And right now I just want this, a nice visit with a solid talk and no fighting.
"I need to go and pick up Luke." I say and sit up. "We'll talk more later."
"Okay. I should get ready for work. We're in the last stages of planning before construction starts next week."
"Okay, you really need to leave before you start talking architecture. You'll be here all day."
"Maybe I'd like that." She says quietly, then clears her throat and shakes her head. "Bye, Percy. Tell Luke I said hi when you pick him up." Getting to her feet and stretching, her shirt comes up just enough for me to see her stomach. It's only for a second but it still makes me want to grab her waist and pull her back in my lap. Then she pulls her coat on and goes back next door.
"Okay." I tell myself and lie down. "Don't get ahead of yourself Percy. You need to think of your son. You need to know you can trust her not to run even when it gets hard. One good coffee date doesn't mean it's all fixed.
…..
Three Weeks Later
Time's going slow. But honestly I'm okay with that. It gives me time to really think and process everything. Annabeth keeps her distance unless I initiate contact. She buries herself in her work to keep busy, but whenever I get home or am about to leave for a shift she's outside, giving me the opportunity to talk if I want to. And sometimes I do. We go to Piper and Jason's wedding together and talk the whole time, dancing together too. But it's different than it ever has been before. Growing up, we were just friends until we weren't. Yeah we had feelings for each other for a while, but we were too busy with quests and the Titan war to ever go into it. Then when we were together we were inseparable, and then we were apart we were across the country from one another. I'm not used to having to use self control around her, withholding touch, staring at her mouth and pulling back instead of leaning forward. But I need to for now.
Despite trying her hardest to let me initiate everything and do things on my terms, sometimes she can't help it, like pretending to accidentally bump into me on the sidewalk while she's looking at her mail. It's cute and makes me smile, so I decide not to tell her I know she's doing it so she won't stop. Sometimes she even comes with my mom to drop off food at the fire station. She's still being quiet and shy, which is so different than I've ever known her to be. But the ball's never been completely in my court before with her waiting on my say so. And I know I can't make her wait for an answer forever, and I need to either cut it off or make another step forward.
So I decide to get dressed up, or at least dressed up for me, meaning the lace up boots my mom gave me because Estelle was going through a cowgirl phase and wanted me to play western with her, some clean jeans and underwear, and a green button up over a gray shirt, and send Luke on Blackjack for a visit with Lassa while I wait outside Annabeth's apartment for her to get home.
When she gets out of the taxi she's wearing a gray wrap dress with leggings and boots under her hunters parka, holding it close to her. Since she grew up at Camp Half Blood where the weather's always warm, she has a hard time out when it's cold like it is in New York Februaries. She sees me as soon as she closes the cab door and kinda freezes for a second.
"Hey." I tell her and wave.
"Hi. You look nice."
"Thanks."
"Where's Luke?"
"In Georgia with Lassa for tonight. Honestly, he spends almost as much time there as he does in New York. Do you have plans tonight?"
"None I can't cancel."
"Then I think it's past due we went on a date." I tell her, and she smiles.
"That…sounds wonderful. Just give me a minute to get ready." She says and walks up to me. I take her keys out of her hand and open the door for her. "Always a gentleman." She sighs.
"You can thank my mother."
"Speaking of your mother, I made some of her blue cookies last night. They're on the stove if you want some."
"Oooh, my mom's blue cookies? I should have taken you on a date sooner." I say as she goes into the bathroom and I hear the shower turn on. I let myself fantasize for a minute about her in the shower and remember what it was like when we used to get in together before turning back to the cookies so I don't get turned on too bad.
When she comes back out, she's wearing a navy and gray dress that has crossed spaghetti straps and goes just past her knees and some brown boots with them. I smile seeing her bare shoulders and arms.
"Don't you think it's a bit cold, Wise Girl?"
"That's what my coat's for, Seaweed Brain." She says, rolling her eyes. But she's smiling. "So where are we going?"
"Jason gave me an idea. Piper ever tell you about the Penny Date?"
"No."
"It's simple. I flip a coin, and since like you said I'm a perfect gentleman, I let you call heads or tails. Winner gets to pick where we go. First we go somewhere for drinks, then a side, then an entree, and then finally dessert. Winner picks, loser pays."
"Okay. This sounds fun. Got the penny?" She asks. I fish it out of my pocket and smile, flipping it high in the air.
"Call it."
"Heads!" She says and it lands. I look down for it to be still and look up smiling.
"Tails it is."
"Okay, so where are we going?" She asks. I shrug.
"Gas station, I guess. All I really want right now is a coke."
"Alright then, let's go." She says and grabs her coat before heading for the door. I open it and lock up, then go and open the passenger side of my truck and help her get in. I get in the drivers side and start heading towards the Shell closest to here. Annabeth's sitting shotgun, but I can tell she wants to slide into the middle of the bench seat. I sigh.
"Don't do that. Not tonight."
"What?"
"Keep your distance. At least for tonight. Let's just go on a real date without all the extra stuff in between."
"O-Okay." She says and hesitantly slides into the middle seat, finding that spot leaning against me under my right arm without any problem, like she just slid there yesterday instead of three years ago. Her 'Kate Spot'. There was a book Annabeth got into that she made me read after we got married where the two main characters were a couple, the girl named Kate, and her perfect spot in her boyfriend's arms they called her Kate Spot. Annabeth has one too, and we kept the name from the book. She remembers the spot a little too well though, and probably hardly thinks about it when she puts her hand halfway up my thigh, making me stifle a grunt. I think about my mom. I think about Estelle. I think about the Yankees. I think about Lassa. I'm not going there with her again. Not yet. But I don't want to tell her to move, so I just take my right hand and lace my fingers with hers. We get to the Shell station and I park out front.
"What do you want to drink?"
"Hmm I guess a Smart Water." She says and starts to unbuckle.
"Sit tight. I'll get it." I say
"But I'm supposed to pay." She protests. I snort a little.
"Those are the rules of the game. But no." I say and kiss her cheek before going in. I grab a 12 pack of cokes and a 6 pack of smart waters, check out, and go back to the truck. She's sitting with her arms crossed but I can see she's only pursing her lips to avoid smiling. "Alright. Next flip." I say and flip the coin.
"Tails!" She says. It comes up tails.
"Alright, where are we going then?
"McDonalds. I need some fries." She says and we hit the road, We get two large orders of fries, and Annabeth gets frustrated when I only let her have a bite before putting the food in the backseat.
"Hey!" She protests.
"We'll eat it all together. Need to finish the date." I say. She pouts, but slides back to her Kate Spot. I pull the penny out and flip.
"Tails!" She calls and when the penny stills good ol' Lincoln's looking up at me. I smirk at her.
"Did you really think it was going to hit Tails 3 times in a row?" I ask. She flushes.
"It was a 50/50 chance."
"Well, I'll take my victory and take us to Beau's Burger shop. A brother of one of my fire buddies owns it. Best ones I've ever had, even better than Medusa's."
"Ha ha, yes Auntie Em was such a great cook." She says sarcastically.
"I don't know what burger you had, but the one she made me was fantastic. Guess she just liked me more." I say and smirk. We get to Beau's and I walk in and order. Beau knows me well enough he goes ahead and puts my order at the front of the line, even though I tell him he doesn't have to. But I guess Kaleb blabbed that I was going on a date with Annabeth tonight. A few minutes later, I walk out with the burgers and ready the penny for one more flip.
"If I win, we're going to the Cheesecake Factory." Annabeth smiles as I climb back into the truck.
"Okay, here goes." I say and flip the penny.
"Heads!" She says, and when I look down, I see the tails side looking up.
"You're not very good at this." I chuckle. She blushes.
"Statistically I'm as good as luck will have it."
"Relax, Wise Girl. I'm just teasing." I say and put the truck in gear and drive.
"So where are we going?" She asks.
"Cheesecake Factory." I tell her. She just smiles and nestles closer. Once I go in and pick up the pecan salted cheesecake, I start driving back to our apartment complex. We go inside and I spread the food out on the table, grateful Luke actually put his toys up when I told him to today. We bless the food and eat, an easy peace between us like it used to be. A feeling I've desperately missed. So while we eat, she catches me up on what she did after she left. Threw herself into school, graduating way early, starting her company with Malcolm. And reconnecting with her mortal family. She was in a pretty good place with all of them, even her stepmom, when she moved back to New York.
I tell her about my life. Which mainly consists of the Fire Station and Luke. The awful custody battle between me and Becca for him when he was a baby, and how it took nine months for me to gather enough evidence against Becca for me to win. Her parents paid some high price lawyers who kept me away for a while other than visits, saying a baby needed its mother and because of her family she was more suited to take care of him than me. But she was drinking, and smoking, and having constant one night stands and flings with strangers, sometimes Dangerous ones. The final straw that won me the battle was when one of them got angry she was seeing more than just him and flipped over Luke's crib. Becca called the police after he left and was so scared while the ambulance took care of Luke she actually told the truth of what happened. When I got him, I took him straight to Will, and after some of the smallest doses of Nectar and Ambrosia ever administered, he was okay.
"Why didn't Piper just charmspeak the judge? Or Hazel Mist him?"
"We tried. But the magic wouldn't hold forever. Eventually the judge snapped out of the haze."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that." She says and reaches over the table to grab my hand. "And I'm sorry I wasn't here to help."
"You got her to leave the state."
"I did do that." She smiles, and takes the last bite of her cheesecake. "I'll also do the dishes."
"You? Doing dishes? That's a first." I joke. She pretends to be offended and swats my arm. We finish up the night watching a movie. We flip a penny again and I win the toss, so I queue up American Sniper. We've both seen it, but it's a good one I know we'll enjoy. Unlike the Romans, we never really stopped thinking of ourselves as Americans too. Annabeth gets back in her Kate Spot and curls under a blanket, and by the time the movie ends is asleep on my shoulder. I think about waking her up, but decide I'm okay with this. So I gently lean down and kiss her mouth, enough to enjoy it but not enough to wake her up. I see her smile a little in her sleep. I shift so we're both lying down and let myself go to sleep.