Chapter Text
Spoiler alert: Annabeth did not show up to spar after lunch.
As a matter of fact, I didn’t even see her at lunch. I knew she wouldn’t be out there, but I still showed up at the arena right after just in case she’d had a change of heart.
She hadn’t. She wasn’t anywhere in sight.
I sat in the stands, staring out at the empty arena as I picked at a loose thread on my shirt. My argument with Annabeth this morning sat on my chest like an open wound, stinging every single time I replayed it in my head. We’d argued a lot before, sure, but this one felt different. This one felt serious. This one felt real.
I eyed the entrance, praying that she would just walk in, suited up in armor, a teasing grin on her face as she made her way towards me. Maybe she’d forgotten and was just running a few minutes late.
I let out a humorless laugh. Annabeth didn’t forget anything. She just wasn’t coming.
I told myself that I didn’t care. If Annabeth wanted to be mad, then fine, she can be mad. She was great at that, blaming everything on me and then giving me the silent treatment. She would eventually calm down, eventually apologize, right?
I sighed, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees. This was stupid. Sitting here sulking, waiting for her to magically show up and act like nothing happened this morning.
Because nothing about our fight this morning felt like nothing.
Her sharp words replayed in my head.
Whenever things get real, you run from it.
The words kept repeating over and over in my head. They made me sick to my stomach. She couldn’t say stuff like that, it wasn’t fair. I didn’t run from anything, not gods, not monsters, not a quest. I’d spent the past four years of my life running towards danger, towards all of this nonsense. What could I possibly be running from?
I thought about all of the times this summer I’d left camp. All the times I’d run somewhere else–or to someone else–because it felt easier than dealing with everything that was waiting for me here. With the Prophecy. With whatever was going on with me and her.
My stomach twisted into a violent knot. I tried to see it from Annabeth’s point of view for a minute. To me, I was leaving to be a normal teenager before I inevitably faced the prophecy that’s been hanging over my head since I was twelve. To Annabeth, I was abandoning her and selfishly throwing it all on her to carry alone.
Annabeth was my best friend, one of my favorite people on the planet. She meant the world to me and the last thing I’d ever want to do is hurt her. The idea that I’d made her feel abandoned made me feel like I’d swallowed a bucket of sand.
I dragged my hands down my face and took a deep breath. Gods, how could I be so stupid? This war was happening whether I liked it or not. The Prophecy was happening whether I liked it or not. No amount of distance or running off to the city was going to change any of that. I had to accept that because if I didn’t, things were only going to get worse for everyone else around me. I wasn’t going to make Annabeth go through this alone anymore.
When things get real, you run from it.
Maybe I had been running, but I wasn’t anymore. Not from camp, not from this summer. Not from Annabeth.
I stood up, brushing my hands on my shorts and I started making my way to cabin six.
No more running. I was going to fix this.
–
When I arrived at the her cabin, the only kid in there was her brother, Malcolm. He was squatting in front of one of their bookshelves searching fervently.
“Hey, Malcolm,” I finally spoke up, causing him to immediately jump to his feet.
When he realized it was just me, he laughed and ran a hand through his sandy-blonde hair. “Gods, Percy, you scared me. I didn’t know anyone else was in here.”
“Oh,” I said, pointing to the door. “Sorry, I just walked in.”
He shook his head and smiled at me. “Hey, it’s okay. I just wasn’t expecting you, that’s all.”
I nodded, rubbing the back of my neck. “Do you know where Annabeth is?”
Malcolm’s smile quickly faded as he swallowed. “I think she is in the library at the Big House. It’s this little room when you walk in on the left. She's been spending a lot of time there to study and plan recently. But, Percy, she’s still really mad. If I were you, I’d leave her alone for a little while–”
I gave him a big grin. “Thanks, man.”
Before he could say anything else to stop me, I turned on my heels and headed straight for the Big House.
I knew in my gut he was probably right. I was sure this was a terrible decision that could potentially lead to an even bigger fight than the one we’d had this morning. But I remembered what I’d told myself earlier. No more running. I was going to face this head on because I cared too much about Annabeth to let this stupid fight get in the way of that.
To be honest, I was a little surprised to learn about the Big House’s library. I was also surprised to learn that Annabeth had been spending a lot of her time there recently. She was my best friend, wasn’t I supposed to know where she spent most of her time at camp? Had we drifted that far apart and I hadn’t even noticed because I’d been back in the city with my family? With Rachel?
The idea put a pit in my stomach the size of Tartarus.
I found her exactly where Malcolm said she would be. The library was small, but packed wall-to-wall with bookshelves, every inch crammed with scrolls, maps, and old hardcovers that looked like they’d crumble if you breathed on them too hard. A single lamp glowed on a wooden table in the center, casting everything in this warm, golden light.
Annabeth sat at the table, leaning on her elbows as she studied something on Daedalus’s laptop. She must have taken a shower after the incident, because her damp curls were spread out across her shoulders. She didn’t look up when I stepped inside.
For a second, I just stood there. My heart ached as I stared at her in the silence. Her face was soft and gentle in the glow of the lamp. For just a few seconds, she reminded me of the twelve year old girl I’d met all those years ago. A wave of sickening nostalgia made my body go cold.
You’re my best friend, Annabeth. What has happened to us?
Bracing myself, I forced myself to blow my cover. “Hey.”
Annabeth’s head popped up, eyes locking on mine before her face darkened, eyebrows curving together as she aggressively shot her gaze back down to her computer.
Things were not off to a good start.
I huffed, walking over to take a seat in the chair beside her. Without even giving me another glance, she pouted as she picked up her chair and scooted it away from me.
A hollow laugh escaped my lips before I grabbed one of the legs of her chair to pull her back towards me. “Aren’t you supposed to be the mature one here?”
Her lips twitched upwards, but she quickly got a hold of herself. Her frown returned promptly.
I tried to be patient for a response, but I quickly realized I wasn’t getting one. After a few seconds of silence, she tilted her chin upwards and grabbed a book from across the table, forcefully flipping it open to the first page. Annabeth was one of the most stubborn people I knew. This could go on for hours if I didn’t shove down my pride and apologize.
No more running.
I inhaled sharply, shoving my hands under my legs. “Annabeth, I am sorry. I am an idiot, you know that better than anybody. He was being a creep and I just–I just care about you, so I couldn’t just sit back and watch.”
Her eyes slowly peeled off of her book, meeting mine through her thick eyelashes. I was so nervous that my brain started seizing little details on her face. I noticed she had freckles from the sun dusted all across her nose and top of her cheeks. She had a tiny white scar above her left eyebrow. Her lips were a really pretty shade of pink. My face was beginning to burn, heart fluttering dangerously as I continued to speak.
“I know you are totally capable of taking care of yourself, I’ve seen that first hand. But we are a team. We watch each other's backs. When I see a look on your face like that, my first instinct is to come and help. Just like fighting a monster or something. Not saying that I am trying to call Dean a monster or anything, but that is the only way I feel like I can describe it.”
She had a look on her face I couldn’t quite read. I didn’t like that.
“And I’m sorry about everything this summer. About the whole ‘running away’ thing. Being here just feels—” I hesitated, suddenly very interested in my shoes, “-scary, sometimes. This whole thing just kinda scares me. Not that I’m worried about dying or anything, I couldn’t care less about that if everything turns out alright. It’s just a lot of pressure, I think is what I am trying to say. I mean, come on. Me? Save Olympus? Defeat Kronos, the literal Titan of Time? I’m literally just a kid. I don’t know if I can do that, Annabeth. Being here just reminds me of that some days. And when I go back to the city, that feeling just goes away for a little while.”
My throat felt extremely dry as my knee bounced uncontrollably. It hit me that I’d never talked to anyone about this before. I’ve never really been good at talking about my feelings. I wasn’t good at explaining them, or even feeling them. But this was Annabeth. If I couldn’t trust her, I couldn’t trust anyone.
However, I still couldn’t muster up the courage to look up at her. “I know that sounds like some dumb excuse, but it is the truth. But I know it’s not fair to you, because this all affects you too and you never run. You are the bravest person that I know and I wish I could be more like you. But, I just want you to know that when I run, it’s from this stupid prophecy. I’m never trying to run away from you, Annabeth. I would never do that. You mean too much to me for me to do that.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, stealing a glance up at her. The moment my eyes hit hers, she threw her arms around my neck and hugged me so tight I thought she might strangle me.
I melted into her, returning the hug. I closed my eyes and breathed her in, feeling every muscle in my body relax at her touch. My senses were overwhelmed with everything Annabeth Chase: her golden, damp curls covering my eyes, the intoxicating smell of her lemon and vanilla shampoo, and the feeling of her hot breath against my neck that sent shivers down my spine. My heart was pounding rapidly, but this time it wasn’t out of fear. All I could hear in the thudding was a single name.
Annabeth. Annabeth. Annabeth.
She buried her head deeper into my neck as butterflies erupted in my stomach. I caught myself fiddling with the bottom of her curls across her back, twirling them in my fingers.
I couldn’t think straight.
When she finally pulled back, I tried to swallow down my disappointment as I reached for the warm spot on my neck she’d been. She looked exhausted, her gray eyes soft as they searched mine. Her eyebrows were knit together, lips twisting as a tear fell down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away, taking a deep breath before finally speaking.
“I’m sorry, too. I blew up and said a lot of things that were really out of line. I don’t care about what happened with Dean, I really don’t even care that you exploded that stupid cooler. I’ve just been super stressed out recently and that was just the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
I shrugged. “You were right about a lot of it, though. I’ve been leaving a lot and that isn’t fair to you. It isn’t fair to any of you.”
She pressed her lips together. “I hate it when you leave. But as much as I hate to admit it, I understand why you do. I know this is a lot on you, Percy, and I hate that I can’t fix that.”
“It isn’t your job to fix. But it is my job to stick around more.”
She hummed in agreement. “I can’t argue with that.”
“The first thing we can agree on today.”
“Don’t get used to it.”
“I wouldn’t dare.”
Her teasing eyes searched mine for a second, leaning closer as she reached up to run her fingers through my gray streak. Her touch was soft, gentle, and ridiculously tantalizing. For a second, I forgot about everything that happened between us this morning.
Before I knew it, words just started spewing out of my mouth. “Rachel is just my friend, Annabeth. Nothing more than that.”
I knew I didn’t have to explain it to her, but I just needed her to know. I don’t know why I did, but I did.
“It’s okay if she is more than that,” She whispered, so close to me I could smell coffee on her breath.
I knew by the look on her face that she wished she meant it, but she didn’t. I was lying if I said I hadn’t thought about Rachel. She was cool, mortal, and made me feel like a real teenage kid. I had fun with her, ran around the city with her, and could talk to her about anything.
But Rachel was missing one thing that always held me back.
She wasn’t Annabeth Chase.
“She’s not,” I whispered. “She will never mean what you mean to me.”
Annabeth’s eyes flicked toward my mouth as the memory of her lips against mine on Mount St. Helens flooded my brain. My cheeks flushed, wanting more than anything in that moment for her to do it again.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, causing Annabeth and I to shoot apart. I launched myself so far backwards that my chair nearly tipped over. Despite my embarrassment, one thought was playing in the back of my head.
Was she about to kiss me again?
I turned to see Malcolm standing in the doorway, leaning up against the doorframe. He didn’t say anything at first, which somehow made everything feel so much worse.
“Hey,” he said slowly. “I just wanted to make sure Percy found you.”
What he didn’t say was, I just wanted to make sure you didn’t tear his head off, but I read through the lines.
Annabeth cleared her throat, nodding vehemently as she glanced over at me. “Yep. Thanks for checking, Malcolm.”
His eyes bounced back and forth between us for a few uncomfortable seconds.“Sounds good. See you guys later.”
When he was out of eye range, I had the nerve to laugh as I looked over at Annabeth. Her cheeks were bright red, a sheepish grin plastered on her face. She just smacked my arm.
“Did he tell you where to find me?”
I scoffed. “Do you really think I would know where the camp library was by myself?”
She snorted, ignoring my comment as she started to pack up her laptop. “If I remember right, we had a sparring appointment after lunch.”
I narrowed my eyes on her. “If I remember right, I sat out there for thirty minutes for our sparring appointment and you didn’t show up.”
She shrugged innocently as she stood, the corners of her lips threatening to turn into a smile. “I was busy.”
“Busy throwing a hissy fit.”
She laughed, kicked my shin to make me stand up. I obeyed. “And exploding a cooler doesn’t count as a hissy fit?”
“It was a strategic move. Ever heard of that, Wise Girl?”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. You wouldn’t know what a strategic move was if it smacked you in the face.”
I grinned at her, my chest feeling two tons lighter hearing her joke again. This was ten times better than screaming.
I stuck out my hand. “Truce?”
She tilted her head, taking my hand to shake it. “Truce.”
We headed out towards the arena, brushing shoulders as we walked. I tried to ignore the looks from the campers who had probably seen our public fight in the middle of the cabins earlier.
I glanced over at her. Her expression wasn’t as tight as it had been before. The tension in her shoulders had eased, just a little. No hard lines on her face. Things weren’t fully fixed between us, I knew that. The prophecy wasn’t going anywhere. This war was happening whether we liked it or not. Whatever we were—whatever this was between us—was going to have to wait a little while before we could figure it out.
But she was here, beside me. She wasn’t shutting me out. I wasn’t running away. I could feel the warmth from her skin radiating on mine. For now, that felt like enough.
Annabeth noticed me staring. “You are quiet.”
I took a deep breath. “Just thinking.”
She snorted. “That’s never good.”
I bumped my shoulder into hers, earning a small laugh that sent something warm radiating through my chest. “Shut up.”
“Okay, fine,” she gave in, throwing her hands up. “What are you thinking about?”
I hesitated for a second.“Just that I’m done running.”
Annabeth’s face softened. She nodded, like she was filing that somewhere important. “Okay.”
“Okay,” I repeated, promising myself that as much as I was promising it to her.
As we entered the arena, she flipped her dagger out in a flash, twirling it in her hand with a dangerous glint in her eyes. “However,” she said, “you might want to reconsider and start running now.”
I snorted, uncapping Riptide. “Not a chance, Chase.”
Maybe today wasn’t so much of a κακὴ ἡμέρα after all.