Chapter Text
She wanted peace and consistency, why would Annabeth Chase ever get either of those things?
It was 2 am, she hadn’t gone to bed, instead electing to stay up and attempt her English homework again. The Moon peeked through the blinds as her roommate snored gently in their own bed on the opposite wall. This school made Annabeth feel as if she could throw up in more ways than one but at the very least the year ended next week. She couldn’t sleep, she didn’t have nightmares but she still never got tired, she peeked over at her knife and she could almost hear Luke pleading.
At 4 am, nothing was done but Annabeth lay staring at the white walls tinted blue by the night sky. She imagined all sorts of scenarios, imagining all the different outcomes of the upcoming war. Most involved Percy ultimately dying alongside the rest of her friends at camp, all of whom she considered family as they lost to Kronos. There was a couple where she and Percy found a way around the prophecy, won the war, and got to complete high school together. But the one scenario Annabeth kept coming back to was if the empousi had never attacked Goode, leaving her well on her way to a 1 year anniversary with Percy (Stupid crushes, getting in the way of Annabeth's logical thinking). She had to wonder how much would have been different if they had been able to go to the movies that afternoon, by themselves with no prophecy to bother them. Annabeth stared at the suspiciously smooth ceiling and created scenario after scenario of how much better than summer could have been.
She stared at the prism sitting on her desk and closed her eyes tightly silently scolding herself for even thinking Percy would be up at this hour., ‘No’ she thought ‘I’d just be bothering him again,’
She got up and grabbed her iPod from her nightstand, untangling her earbuds she began to click through each album, every single one was something someone else had given to her. Percy had once burned her a CD and gave her a list of songs on it. She had made into its own little playlist completed with a witty title (one that she will never share, not even with you, our dear reader) Scrolling down on the albums she had, passing by Vivaldi's 4 seasons, and various songs Percy, Selena, Clarisse, and The Stolls had bought her over the years, she reached the last few… All the albums and playlists that came on the iPod when Thalia had given it to her as a parting present just over a year ago.
5 Playlists in Total each with its own name and story. 4 Playlists that Thalia had made back when Annabeth was just a little girl running around the country with two strange teenagers and One that she had made after waking up from the tree. Second, from the top is a playlist titled “Annabeth” and she taps on the icon.
The playlist does not deviate from Thalia's general music taste though it is clear that this is the playlist she used as a way of entertaining Annabeth on long stretches of drives all those years ago. Annabeth hits shuffle and suddenly the sound of Bikini kill fills her ears. Thalia had told her a couple of months ago that she didn’t even listen to bikini kill all that often but she guessed that the loud feminist lyrics that Annabeth didn’t fully understand just yet entertained her enough that she had kept the albums, later putting them onto the very iPod Annabeth was listening to just then.
She was engulfed in the music when the light began to shimmer around the prism pushing itself into a line moving through the glass. She paused the song.
“Please deposit one drachma.” a soft and airy feminine voice said.
Annabeth glanced at her sleeping roommate in panic, she was still asleep and wearing earplugs. If Annabeth was quiet enough… (Looking back on it she would beat herself up because how dare she take that risk.)
She scooped up a drachma and tossed it into the shimmering rainbow watching it disappear in the process.
“Uh, hey” He was sitting on the fire escape outside his window with a blanket wrapped around him. Percy, he had called her. Annabeth silently chided herself for being so excited that it was him. (Once again, crushes! The bane of Annabeth Chase's existence!)
She gave a weak smile, “Hey, what’s up”
“Nothing really,” he looks away searching his brain for a reason,” I just wanted to call you,”
This caught her off guard. He looked exhausted, why would he think to call her?
“You look tired,” she said finally.
“Gee thanks ‘beth” his tone was a mix of annoyance and exhaustion but he was smiling even if it was small and Annabeth swears she could hear just a hint of relief that her statement had come from her and not someone else. (He called her beth, she already knew it would be the forefront of her crush for months ahead, gods Annabeth get it Together )
“What's keeping you up?” she asked
“Ya know.”
“There's a lot of things that could be Percy, ‘Ya know’ Doesn't cover half of it”
He gave her a look but his smile still lingered, “Alright you got me,” Annabeth sighed knowing what was coming next “I blew up another school,” he gave a small giggle at his own joke.
It was silent for a while after that. The two of them just looked at each other. Percy’s hair was tousled up not unlike how it normally is but tonight there was a new feeling to it like he had been in a fight, he had no other marks on his face (there was a scar or two but Annabeth could tell you exactly which quests they were from, no longer a cause for worry.)
“I was thinking about Luke…”
“Oh”
“Yeah”
“What about him?”
“I don’t actually know Percy,” Her voice was small.
She actually didn’t want to tell him that she has really been thinking about all the times Luke had gotten in the way of them. Percy was her best friend, god damn it, and she knew that even though they both definitely felt like shit they both definitely felt better just by being on the phone, just by being in each other's presence. It was magical to know that there was someone who just got it, not like Chiron, who was immortal and had seen it all or even her other peers who saw Percy and her as idols, as role models, but someone who genuinely got it.
They sat there together for a little bit, kind of just looking at each other, occasionally Percy would crack a face to get Annabeth to smile, and sometimes Annabeth would actually find herself looking at his eyes.
That’s another wonderfully strange thing about Annabeth Chase, she hates looking people in the eye. She doesn’t know why or how it started, maybe it was always hard for her. But sometimes when Percy isn’t looking she can look directly at his eyes (As much as she would love it, she cannot make eye contact with him either. Crushes do not have that much power over her). His eyes are a striking green that seems to float, which is a weird way to describe eyes but it's a valid assessment for Percy.
Gods this crush is ruining her, it's not fair that she has to fall this hard for him. He’s right there, He’s her best friend, He’s easy to be with, to talk to, being in love could be so easy with him. Annabeth hates the idea of a talking stage, the fact that being married to your best friend is seen as a feat rather than the norm.
Furthermore, Ms. Annabeth Chase would also like to clarify that she does not mean that she is hearing the wedding bells for her and Percy, she would like to note that her crush may be embarrassing, unnecessary, and stupid but it is not unfounded and she will be damned if people read her message the wrong way.
The two are still sitting in silence, Annabeth wants so badly to leap through the mist forming Percy’s image right now and just spend the night at the Jackson residence. This gives her an idea, not an unfounded one. Tomorrow is the start of a three-day weekend… if she could just call Sally she could surprise Percy after school and they would be able to do this but for real, in each other's actual presence. Annabeth would just have to make it through one more terrible day at her terrible school.
After an hour of just looking at each other Annabeth wove off the connection. She had a plan to make.