Archive of Our Own

In the arms of an angel,

Fly away from here.

From this dark cold hotel room

And the endlessness that you feel.

Percy finds himself crying in the middle of the night after finally slipping in on the windows of their kitchen. He had shared this small apartment with Gabe for a very long time now, after his mom died, and apparently he has to take custody until he's eighteen. That's in no less than five months. 

It wasn't that he hadn't saved up, because he did. He truly tried to work shifts every night so he could have a decent apartment, but none of the ads lend him a clue to where he could possibly stay just yet. 

So to speak, just so he could try to calm himself before he ends up dealing with the apocalypse, he had tried slipping in on a party that involved a few shots and a small pack of marijuana. He's never tried it once though, is the thing, and when he did it didn't feel right. He had been puking and trying to get it out of his system only to find out that his eyes may be bloodshot for another day or so.

To lighten up (knowing that Gabe wouldn't be home until six in the morning), he tried using the semi-rusty toaster he found on the drawer and made himself some french toast, except there's no seasoning in it. Shaking his head to pull him out of the reverie, he let it slide under his hand and into the space between, timing it a good few seconds before it clashed out.

And so maybe he had rotten luck, because the toast got stuck halfway through the opening, unable to be taken until he uses something small, like a tong or...a fork.

He got the fork out of the cupboard and slid it waiting...waiting...until-

" Stop that !" A voice to his left jolts him back to reality. He looks at the source of it to find a girl looking at him.

"Holy fuck , what the---" Percy turned, clutching his chest so tight it wouldn't drop. "You scared me!"

The girl flinched. Percy thought she was going to say something, but she just glared at him while she sits on the counter behind him, crossing her arms together. She was looking absolutely mad at him and whatever he was about to do. 

" Stop that, you're going to get yourself killed." 

Percy finally regained his senses, looking at her more clearly with his dry sullen eyes from crying earlier. She was about his age, wearing a black cotton sweater and jeans, obviously not affected by the heat of their apartment. She pinches her nose as if he disgusts her.

"How did you...How in the hell did you get into my apartment?!" He took out a frying pan sneakily, but he realized what he was doing. Wait, is this robbery? Murder? What does she want with him and who is she? Or maybe Percy was intoxicated. Is he tripping ?

The blonde girl rolled her eyes and snorted. She would have been the most beautiful girl he has ever seen (well, he doesn't see a lot, per se, but she looks like an angel) .

"I'm your guardian angel and I'm telling you to stop doing stupid shit," She sighs.

"Yeah, right. And I'm virgin mary." He commented, obviously not looking at her. 

She let out an indignant huff. Just so she could emphasize her point, she stood up and pulled out a license(?) that has her picture in it, her name and birth year that says negative infinity. Okay…so maybe why no t right?

He was more surprised to find his picture on the back when she turned the license and his name was printed on it, along with his picture (he wasn't particularly proud of the picture) and every information about him...holy shit.

"You're a fucking stalker ." He blurted out.

The girl rolled her eyes and took another step forward. By then he was backing up against the wall, trying to regain his composure. Why was he so nervous? It's not like she's a criminal. It didn't help that it was the middle of the night and he's just so tired and he has two shifts on Saturdays and the adrenaline was getting to him, making his heart pound as he try to move farther away from her. 

Just when he was about to slip trying to back up, he saw her flick her fingers and…

In the blink of an eye, he was back on his original position, looking at her whose face was a few inches apart. 

"How did you--"

She sighed, annoyed. Obviously, this girl doesn't have much patience.  "Like I said, I'm your Guardian angel, Perseus ." 

"Y-you know my name?" At that point, Percy's not-so-sober self's instinct was to back away again, hands shaking and all. It was funny, because even if the cute girl was shorter than him by a few inches, every aura around her screams threat .

So it wasn't like Gabe even tried telling him about not talking to strangers, but his survival instincts have told him to actually back away during fight or flight situations, and this was definitely one of it. Even his mom would tell him to flee, because how do you just end up in someone's kitchen and tell him you're his guardian angel besides maybe if you're a lunatic or some really really lost delivery guy. 

"Yes, Perseus Jackson. I know you. Although I don't know why you- " She pointed at him, disbelieving. "-can see me . And as stated earlier, I'm your guardian angel...for now, at least."

"I-I don't believe you," He backed up again. "Guardian angels have licenses? 

So maybe he was tripping. But that seems to be the most important question at that time, he wasn't gonna lie. 

She didn't give much impression except the rolling-her-eyes bit, and she didn't look threatened by the fact that she was with a drunk man. "Yes, that's right. So calm down and stop smoking weed or so help me." 

The girl gave him a glass of water and a soup that randomly just appeared out of nowhere. He figured maybe after this whole night, he'd go back to sleep and forget about everything that happened. 

But it didn't help that the girl was beautiful, and well she has blonde hair and gray eyes, which Percy decided was his type from now on, and she's absolutely glowing. Not the kind of glow that makes him want to look away, but just enough to make him feel warm. That fact itself wouldn't be so easy to forget, since Percy didn't talk to many girls. 

" So ...guardian angel," He looks at the girl, who glances at him like she was annoyed. "What's your name?"

She looked taken aback, but sighed. "Annabeth. I'm your new guardian angel by the way."

Percy coughed. "New?"

She nodded. "Yeah. You pushed your last guardian angel down the stairs."

Now he didn't know if he wanted to laugh, or cry at what she just said. Percy's pretty sure he's not that violent...except maybe on accident. "I-I did?"

She snorted. "When he took the form of a human. Broke his bones and everything. Had to heal before he went up." 

Okay so maybe why not? It wasn't like he was going to believe this. For all he knows, she was one of Gabe's...he shuddered at the thought. He didn't want to relive the past trauma. His childhood wasn't...wasn't as good as anyone. It had been way worse. 

But even though he didn't actually believe her, this was the best conversation he had with anyone for years. He doesn't...actually have any friends anyway.

"All these years I thought I was just lucky. " He reminisced more times he could count when someone had saved him from either being run over by a car, or tripping on the stairs or even chugging up a container of vodka. 

Annabeth's stern gray eyes were still looking at him, as if assessing him. He hoped she's not like that all the time since he wanted to get to know her at least. And why she was here if he wasn't actually creating imaginary scenarios in this state. 

"No." She pinched her nose again, as if a habit. "Obviously you're not. You have one of the rottenest luck." She said as a matter of factly.

Percy looked at her in fake annoyance. "That's harsh."

He could have sworn there was a smile lingering on the corner of her mouth when she looked at her wristwatch. "Time's up. I gotta go." 

"What? Why? But this was---"

"Don't do anything stupid, Perseus. Bye." 

In the blink of his eye, she was gone. 

He couldn't forget about her. He just couldn't. It had been months after he saw her and he thinks he's still high on illegal marijuana. He had tried going home earlier than the school let on just to catch a glimpse of her, or maybe see her near his apartment a couple blocks or so. 

And of course, he wouldn't forget her so suddenly. She was literally the only girl Percy has had a decent conversation with, and well...he didn't have many friends, in fact, he only has one and that friend isn't even considered as best friend , so most part of his life he had been alone. Add the fact that she was literally glowing like an angel. 

Still, he couldn't wrap his thoughts about her being an actual angel, even if she vanished right before his eyes. He had to know, but he didn't know how . 

That particular month, he had moved into a small apartment with less space, but it was better anyway. He remembered Gabe smiling smugly at him while playing one of his poker games while a woman sat on his lap. He remembered how almost every night after his mom died, he'd come home to beers flying everywhere and him getting caught up in his fit of rage. 

It was safe to say he had lots of bruises. 

But he wasn't living with Gabe now. He's finally eighteen, owning a very small apartment and an actual room. The landlady was pretty nice too, and only one dude ticked him off (because he tried pickpocketing Percy when he was holding the boxes, but other than that it was good).  He was saving for college, but that could wait a year more. And then he could finally start dreaming. 

So to celebrate his victory, he had a small take out from Mcdonalds (aka the only luxury he can afford), and started biting on the chicken nuggets. He tried fitting it all in his mouth and…

And suddenly, she was there again .

So he wasn't actually that high to hallucinate a girl. 

Even so, he had been scared out of his mind that she'd just appear at the blink of an eye and is sitting directly in front of him. 

"Don't try that," She looked at him angrily. 

"Holy fu ?!" Percy backed down so hard he nearly tripped over his chair. "Don't scare me like that !"

As usual, the girl rolled her eyes at him. Why did she say that? And why should he not eat it? He was only eating chicken nuggets? What's that gotta do with her? 

When Percy spit out three chicken nuggets and ate some more before speaking out, she looked a little relieved. 

What was her name…? It was on the tip of his tongue. He did forget about it seeing as he was high before, but now...

"Uh, duh? You were trying to eat eight chicken nuggets in your month, dimwit . If you choke, you die, and you'll have my license revoked. So just... stop ."

Annabeth. That's her name, he remembers. By now, while it did scare the crap out of him, he was sure it wasn't a hallucination. An angel actually just appeared out of thin air. He didn't like how harsh his angel was to him, but can't she try to befriend him at least?

" Stop appearing out of nowhere." He backs up. Sure, the girl was seriously beautiful, but it was the second time she appeared out of nowhere and had scared him, and Percy for the love of god scares easily. 

She stood up this time, crossing her arms. "Then maybe you should stop doing some dumb shit, Percy. If you don't know it well, you're basically my lifeline, and if I'm training to be a dominion , I have to keep you safe. Like, all the time !" 

Percy grunted, obviously not amused. He figures, if she was annoyed at him whenever he's trying to die,  maybe he could be annoyed at her appearing out of nowhere and scaring him shitless. A small part of his brain still couldn't believe it though...it feels like he was talking to a ghost. That just appears. At his table. 

He didn't know what she was saying too, but that heightened his mood and kept him up on his feet. Okay, so a girl appeared out of nowhere and blames him for trying to get her license revoked. And then she said she's training to be a dominion , which is...okay, wow. He was lost, and well he was scared, but definitely a hundred percent confused. 

The situation was so strange, it was beginning to be funny. 

"Excuse me, what ?" Percy let out a chuckle. "Hold up, angels and stuff? You're kidding." 

Obviously, Annabeth wasn't trying to tolerate him. "Yes. To quote that: 'angels and stuff',  they're real ."

"Uh, okay? That's your problem." He backed up. 

"Like I said, I'm a Principality, Princedom if you want to call it, from the Order of the Angels. Why can't you just believe that? To prove myself in a test, I've been assigned to a lower angel, a guardian angel ."

Percy narrowed his eyes. "If you're a guardian angel, why are you named Annabeth ?"

Annabeth was definitely rubbing her temple now, as if finding out a solution to stop everything they had been fighting about. Obviously, Percy was a very hard person to deal with, he knows, but he wanted the truth as to why she kept appearing so he might as well ask stupid questions. 

"You know what?" She was so angry, her knuckles were turning white.

"What?"

"Bye."

She was gone again.

The third time Percy saw her, it had been a month or so at least. He had called his only friend, Piper, who asked him to take two shifts a week ago, and figured this is the right time for her to pay him back. He had more gloomy days this week and his landlady had asked him to pay double. He worked in a humble shop down the street and the business wasn't even remotely crowded at three am so he doubted Piper would mind.

In fact, this is his rest day for the past few months of working all day. Even his Sundays were occupied. 

He stripped all his clothes and headed to the bathtub. As someone who's six feet tall, he doesn't get to fit in very much, but this was better than the last apartment shared by Gabe. At least this time, there will be no interruption. The shower heater wasn't working, but he had acquired a small hair blower from a neighbor who threw them away. He was about to open it when the girl appeared at his side again.

"Stop that!" The girl shouted just as he plugged in the appliance with wet hands. "Perseus what in heaven's sake are you doing it's three am for the love of all that is holy ! "

Percy lowered himself down the small tub, mostly because he was naked, and god, the girl was going to give him a heart attack. 

"Jesus chri--" He shouted, letting go of the blower in his hand and scrambling to put more bubbles so he could at least hide his thing. "Do you know what privacy is?!"

She wasn't listening. "I don't care and I don't give a damn about your privacy! It's three am and i'm hearing a distress call from you can't you just give me a rest or something?!"

"Maybe you should stop being my guardian angel!" He said, unamused this time. "I don't know why you keep appearing out of nowhere but leave me alone!"

He's had enough. He doesn't like people talking down to him, like he was low. This girl, whatever she is...she obviously doesn't like him and it shows . He had been talked down and shouted at all his life, and he doesn't want anything to do with her anymore. He doesn't need a guardian angel. 

The girl tensed. He figured she was never shouted at by anyone seeing as she's...an angel. Percy didn't care much about her being an angel at this point; he just wanted to rest. He got up and used his towel, leaving her in the bathroom. 

His rest time was over. He might just have to sleep and wait til morning until his shift at seven started. By then, she's probably gone. He opened his small bedroom and started dressing up, climbing on the bed. He didn't expect that she would follow him to the room though.

"Sorry, that was really rude." She looked down at him. 

He grunted, pulling the sheets closer to his chest."No kidding. You could just transfer your license for someone if you don't want me around." 

Annabeth, that's right, that's her name, pursed her lips and heaved a sigh, not knowing what to say. She looks at her hand as if examining her form. "It's not that...I just...I've never been a guardian angel all my life and...I'm also amused how you can see me. Usually angels can't be seen by someone, they just...they feel something's wrong by a compulsion or a drive...a sixth sense. But they never see us."

She looks like she's actually sorry, he might just forgive her. He's never one to hold grudges anyway, except Gabe maybe, but now. They've always told him he has a weak heart, and he's going to prove it. 

"I forgive you."

Her head perked up. "You do?" 

He scrunched his eyebrow in frustration, remember the years of torture Gabe put on his shoulders.. "Just don't...scare me, like that. I don't know why I can see you but please don't shout at me." 

That seems to put up a shy smile on her face, and a look of promise as her eyes glint with joy. If this really is his guardian angel, he might as well befriend her. 

"I promise I'll try my best." She put out her hand and Percy shook it. 

"Alright, Angel." 

She snorted. "Don't call me that."

"Then don't call me Perseus. "He raised an eyebrow, but it soon turned to a smile. 

"I'll consider. Goodbye, Per...cy. Don't do anything stupid, alright?"

She vanished.

He somehow ended up researching angels. So sue him, but the idea of angels on earth captivated him so much he started reading books about it. 

Well, he didn't actually start reading books about it, but he had googled quite a lot. It turns out that there's a thing called Choirs that separates angels into three spheres, and if Annabeth was saying the truth, then Dominions are the fourth ranking in the Order of the angels before the Princedoms , and the guardian angels...are on a much lower ranking. He didn't know why he was suddenly interested in it, and Piper was obviously shifting her attention to him.

"What are you reading?" She asked one time.

"Book," Percy grunted, turning the pages one at a time, searching for something about Dominions . He could feel her eyes on the back of his head, gazing at the title on one of the chapters.

"You're reading a book about angels?" She let out a sigh.

Percy lifted his eyes from the book. "Why not?"

She smiled. "Nothing, nothing. Go on, I guess." 

So if Annabeth is a principality, how did she end up being a guardian angel? That couldn't actually be right. And that thing about him seeing her...if he could see her, then why can't he see other angels? 

Everything just doesn't make sense. Percy was raised in an agnostic family and doesn't know much about the church to figure out what he was reading about. It's even harder just by being dyslexic alone. 

There was one thing though, when he had searched for the languages of Angels- Enochian , is what they call it, but it's in a hidden journal by John Dee and Edward Kelly in 16th Century England, and he had no way to find that out. But there are some of the manuscripts taken from the internet. 

He was surprised he could read some of the words.

He wanted to tell Piper about it, seeing as she was his only friend and he knew she was going to believe him. But even he alone had told himself that all of it wasn't real...he felt like he wanted to put himself in a hospital, or maybe take medications. He was sure he's going mad. 

He finally let it out of his system a few months after, because he knew she wasn't returning soon. He tries really, but there's a feeling that's unnerving him in some other times when his instincts would come up, and whenever he feels threatened, he would go the other way. 

So he figured, maybe he can't see her now. Maybe she resigned because he was sure he's been in some couple of situations that would clearly be labeled 'distressing' for the past months, but nothing appeared. 

He had once gotten into a fight in an ally when some gang pulled up and tried beating him up, but one quick look at him and they came flooding out of the streets like a kicked puppy. She didn't come by, and there's not even a flicker of hope that she will. When he's almost hit by a bus, there was nothing that saved him but himself. 

At least he can resume his life now and pretend all of it was just a nightmare, but even then, a startling gray eyes were haunting him in his dreams. Can he dream of angels?

But then again, angels don't get named Annabeth . Angels don't wear clothes and he's pretty sure genders weren't assigned to them either. They're supposed to have wings and glow so bright you wouldn't need to look up to them. 

Every assumption he had proved wrong when she stopped him from taking the bus on Penn station. And by stop, she literally dragged him out of the bus, holding him by the collars of his shirt. At least she didn't just appear out of nowhere this time.

"What are you, chick magnet of death ?!" She whispered, loud enough so only he could hear her. 

Percy stops on his track. "I'm not...even doing anything this time."

Annabeth was still holding him. He found out that her hands were soft yet firm against his wrist and yet he couldn't move his whole arm. 

"Percy, really . Those people out there...it's their time. I really don't know how you do it, but you keep messing with fate and it's really giving me a headache. Angels don't even have headaches." Annabeth sighs, looking at her watch.

"I'm not...I don't know that?" He raises an eyebrow and gestures at the bus. "Then why didn't you save them?! They could have--" 

Annabeth grips him tight, and he couldn't move. 

"You can't ." She looks down, suddenly interested at her feet. He notices how she wasn't wearing any shoes, and her feet were glowing ever so lightly. "Sorry. It's a short notice."

"How did you even get here?" He asked in awe. 

She snorted lightly and pinched her nose, which Percy found cute. This was new too because she wasn't looking down at him in anger. Her eyebrows were much more relaxed than the last time at the bathtub. 

That sounded really wrong. 

"Don't ask. I swear, Percy. All your natural instincts are wrong most of the time. You're basically flirting with death." She lets go of his hand. 

"I don't even flirt." He withdraws, looking at the mark she made on him. Even that was glowing. 

"Bad luck, I guess." He shrugged. Her eyes were a relief when she smiled at him for the first time, and Percy is pretty sure he's crushing on his guardian angel. 

"Maybe." 

She looks at her watch and back. "That's my cue. 

You take care."

He grins, clutching his hand. He saw her running on a pathway, and then she was gone again. 

It didn't scare Percy whenever he saw her again. Mostly, he would get tensed by someone suddenly grabbing his shoulder or holding his wrist, but when he looks up and finds it's Annabeth, mostly he just finds it amusing. Most of all because whenever she appeared, her first greeting would be:

"Percy, no, you stupid idiot." 

And it was starting to be quite a routine. He tries to do something that's remotely stupid (like maybe skateboarding in the middle of the night to a busy road) and once he stops to rest he's seeing her, looking at him angrily. It didn't scare him though and she didn't look threatening as before, but it still was a start to their friendship. In fact, they even started bantering just now.

They're friends, Percy thinks. 

The only friend he has is Piper who doesn't even know half of his life, and he's only gotten to talk to some days because of asking to change their shifts or so. Beyond works, they weren't much of anything. 

He had tried befriending his landlady before, but the seventy year old grandma had bored him to death talking about sheep and stupid old barnyard animals, but he does go on from time to time, buying her bread if he has a little bit extra. 

Back then in highschool, he was the captain of the swim and a lot of people admired him. But then one day he comes on training with bruises, a lot of them, on his arms and suddenly they're afraid. He wasn't really a goody two shoes in the first place, but one time someone was bold enough to tell him that they think his aura was...a bit demon-like . 

He didn't know what happened, but he remembered being so angry with Gabe he nearly got sentenced to the police station before that day. 

Then all of a sudden...he wasn't him anymore. 

They liked Percy, is the thing, but they never found the courage to try to befriend him and he didn't know why. His personality isn't shit, so to speak, and he was sure his appearance wasn't exactly bad. So why were they avoiding him? He just wants to have friends anyway. The only thing that kept on bugging (not really) him was Annabeth, and she's only doing it because she is his guardian angel.

"Hey angel," Percy stops skating and sits on a park bench.

"It's Annabeth ." She cleared her throat. "Stop what you're doing." 

"Why?" He grins. "Awww. Don't tell me you care about me?"

By then she was scowling beside him, unable to see his expression. "Obviously, duh ? You're basically my lineline, stupid." 

Percy fake gasped, looking at her. "You said a swear word!"

Annabeth looks taken aback. "What?" 

"I'm telling god." 

She ended up sitting beside him while he polishes his board. "Very mature." 

He didn't know why she was still there, but somehow this was the most intimacy he's gotten after a long period of time. Well, after his mom died when he was eleven and suddenly people started hugging him. Her arms were hugging her legs, and her breathing was cold and Percy being the best man had offered her his jacket. 

"I'm not cold." She said. "Just not very used to human skin. It's so...fragile. I think I might combust any minute."

Why not? He had seen Annabeth appear out of thin air before his eyes, by now he was believing everything no matter how weird it is. 

Percy nodded. "If you're not cold...then you're hot." 

Annabeth looked at him. "What?"

He grins, pulling his skateboard from the bench. "Nothing."

"Did you just call me hot?"

"Nah," Percy smiles. "I called you deaf, obviously."

"Shut up, Percy." Annabeth remarked. "It doesn't even make any sense, stupid." 

Percy let out another sigh, and said,"You said another swear word!"

She rolled her eyes at him, which seemed to be another hobby she likes doing. "I saw you researching angels." 

Percy's face colored. Of course, she would see that, she's his guardian angel. Before he could say a word and explain, Annabeth's hand finds his mouth and covers it. "I'll explain to you, sometime. Everything. I don't know how you could see me but that isn't a coincidence." 

She continues, setting her hand on his lap. "Everything happens for a reason, Percy. I think I'm getting it now and i've been...asking about your situation. But it's too early to explain."

"I don't understand." He raises an eyebrow. 

"You will."

And then she was gone. 

They didn't see each other until a couple of weeks again. He and Piper had been up until six in the morning doing their shifts at Walmart. The holiday rush didn't seem to faze her, but Percy was tired of packing groceries and he just wanted to go home. So maybe it was thanksgiving, but it didn't matter at all, seeing as he doesn't know who to give thanks to. Piper, however, keeps talking about it. 

"I mean, who doesn't like thanksgiving, Percy?" She laughed, shoving him a little. "I mean, wow, gifts and all. Large roasted turkeys, pies, vegetable salads, fruit salads, everything right in front of you, right?"

Percy smiled, bagging another one. Usually, the store wasn't piling up with people, but on  certain occasions such as these, some find ways to drive at Walmart during ungodly hours. So maybe he didn't actually tell Piper about him living alone. The girl thinks he has a family and a place to go and he didn't have the heart to tell her otherwise. Screw him, but he didn't want to see her look so distraught and he most definitely wasn't asking for sympathy. 

"That's really nice, Piper." He smiles at the customer. "Are you going with your dad?" 

It was one subject Piper had shared with him, and he knew the answer, but it's still nice to see her face light up. Her trusting him with that means that Percy is her friend, and the thought amazes him. 

"Yeah," She grins. "Couldn't wait. I need some good food! This is the only time I actually want to get spoiled anyway."

She was born in a rich family and had been interning in this incredible fashion studio downtown, and to pay her bills she applied to Walmart. Her father gifted her a car and a home to live in but she wanted to try earning for herself. So she got in. 

When he stayed quiet for a couple of minutes, she decided to ask him. "How about you? Are you going to your mom?"

He cursed inwardly. The first few weeks of them being partners had led them to a conversation about their families, and maybe Percy lied about his mom because it was easier that way. "Yeah, I am. Can't wait, actually. I wanted to be there in time for Christmas decorations too."

She gave him a pat. "That's great! I hope you get blue colored gifts, Percy. I know you like them." 

She wiggled her eyebrows, and Percy blushed. He had been collecting blue colored things, and almost all his stuff was blue because it was one thing that connected him and his mom. The fact that she was keen enough to realize that? 

"Which reminds me," Piper gasped, opening her bag and pulling out a small blue box. "My gift!"

Percy huffed. "I...Piper I...I don't have a gift for you." 

She rolls her eyes at him and shoves it on his chest. "Accept it, dummy. I don't really care. I want to give you a gift because It reminds me of you, not because I want something in return."

He was adamant to accept it, but she left him no choice. That day, he smiles to himself as he opens the box to find a small blue wrist watch.

Thanksgiving wasn't so bad, even if he was alone that night in Mcdonalds. 

It was the day before Christmas when he received a gift. That time he was selling ice cream on central park even if it's snowing like hell and most people would like coffee over these kinds of things. The truck contrasts the color of the snow, since it was a black truck with fancy handwritings and colorful banners that easily stick out like a sore thumb. 

He didn't work here too, originally. But no one seems to manhandle the thing during christmas, so the workers had given him advance pay so he could operate it for at least seven days. That was good, because he was a little short out of money and he needs new shoes because this one was superglued to hold together. The only customer he had were children in oversized jackets, along with a few adults who dared eating something so cold in this weather. 

The only thing that piques his interest was a kid demanding her ice cream to be free, and when she told him that she doesn't have any money, he was quick enough to offer it for free. For Christmas, anyway.

His old converses unhinges itself just as he opens the door. 

"Oh shit, no ." He pursed his lips and looked down. He was out of glue. Good thing there was no work tomorrow or else. 

He turned on the lights only to find that it was broken down, maybe from using it for years now. The heater was a lot to generate and it wasn't working this time, so he settled for a hoodie and maybe a couple bedsheets to roll on top of his shoulder. 

A harry potter marathon would really do good now, along with a hot cup of coffee, and some bread he bought on sale. He pretends that his small flashlight was a wand, and that made him happy at least. Few years ago, his Christmas would consist of blue colored decorations hanging from the wall, and the same movie marathon with his mom. Now it was just him.

In fact, the memory is so hazy that the only time he could picture it correctly is if he tries to concentrate much longer. It was sad, but he had worse days. 

"Merry Christmas, Percy." He muttered to himself as he downed a cup of coffee, falling asleep on the small couch. 

When he woke up, he was in bed. He didn't know how he got there, and how the heater was working perfectly and the lights were on, and somehow a blue box found its way on the feet of his bed, but he was too tired to know.

' Merry Christmas, Percy .' It says on one side. When he opened it up, it was a blue converse top that he wanted for months, and well, how the hell did someone know about that?

He smiled.  

It was almost New Year when he saw her. Although he had talked to her for five times now this year, he finally accepted that she was just a guardian angel, nothing more than that. He can't go crushing on his guardian angel, even for a little, because that just can't be. She was beautiful, but she's only ever going to appear when he's trying to die. That doesn't seem like a very healthy relationship if ever. He even gave up researching angels in his free time since it didn't fascinate him now. Maybe it was the adhd, but seriously. So there's a guardian angel visiting him when he's trying to die, and only he could see it. What's he going to do about it? Nothing. It's not like someone will believe him anyway. 

He wasn't particularly doing anything rather than staying in the park to clear his head at midnight when she appeared again. This time, she was literally glowing and she had a set of wings on her back. He had searched about angel wings before and if he was right, guardian angels and lower ranks have two sets of wings, which might include her. When it died down (the glowing), she touched the ground and exhaled so deeply, he could hear it after a few meters away. 

She was wearing a white shirt and jeans this time, and she wasn't wearing any shoes. 

"I'm literally just sitting on the swing," He rolled his eyes. "It's not like I'll break my neck and die."

She sat on one of the swings beside him much to his surprise. "Just so you know, tomorrow is Saturday. Saturdays are my rest day, so please try not to die by then."

Her hands were still glowing, but it was nothing he hadn't seen before. "Guardian angels have rest days?"

She glanced at him while he's trying to balance himself, almost kicking his eyes. "Evidently, not me." 

He didn't know why she was here, but they were having a conversation, so he might as well ask something. 

"Why are you here then?" He asked with concern. 

"If you want me to leave, that's fine." She was quick to answer, pulling a small string on thin air and tying her hair in a ponytail. "But just so you know, it's a privilege to see one angel, much less interact with us."

She didn't give off a vibe that says she felt provoked, so he figured he wouldn't be turned into Percy kebab. 

The angel, Annabeth was soft spoken, and her voice was so sweet and beautiful to his ears, but. Then again, she is an angel. Like a siren, they were charming in their own ways. Percy didn't have a crush on her, he swears. 

Annabeth glanced at her fingers, and then at her feet glowing against the freshly mowed grass. "How do you...concentrate? Putting your spirit into a small sack of flesh must be so hard." 

Percy raised his eyebrows. "I can't relate."

Annabeth smiled at him, standing up and moving around, like she was getting used to the feeling. It was one of the times she smiles at him, and Percy thinks she should smile more and worry about him dying less. 

Her skin was glowing under the moonlight, and he had never seen someone so beautiful. Percy may have a crush on her, but that was just it. She's an angel. 

When she was done, she sat back down and started swinging. "Go ahead, ask me questions."

Percy was confused, but he understood. 

"What's my future?" It was one thing he always wanted to ask if he's ever met a primordial being. He's at rock bottom, and he doesn't know if he's ever going to rise up. 

She snorted. "I can't see the future, Percy. Leave it to god." 

"Suck," He sighed. "You must be at the bottom of the chain then. Low tier and all." 

At that moment, she stopped. Percy grins inwardly, knowing his plans were working. She's an angel, of course, she wasn't accepting the term low tier. 

"Excuse me?" She raised an eyebrow. If she didn't look so threatening he might have considered her a regular mortal teenager strolling in a park. "Must I remind you, I am a Princedom , a ruler or Principality as what humans call it, and I am going to be a Dominion of the orders soon. 

He knows about Dominions and has done his homework, Dominions , of course, high ranking angels who rule the countries and nations. 

"But you can't tell my future?" He mutters. 

She was about to say something but decided against it. Her eyebrows scrunched in a cute way, and she was looking down. "I...I can't. But--"

"Suck," Percy whistled. "Low tier then?" 

And sure, it was so wrong to pick a fight with an angel, much less a guardian. But at this point, and so many contemplations led him not to think about it. He could be smitten at that point, but he couldn't care less. The only thing he was worried about was who could possibly come to his funeral, except maybe Piper. 

Percy knew he had plucked a chord. The angel stood up, and by then she was literally glowing up to the edges of her hair. It wasn't perceptible at first, but being so close means he could see her wash him over with some kind of force, and he felt the breeze pick up on her presence. 

"You don't talk to me like that, Perseus." She was glaring at him. "I don't know why the primordial deity personally told me to save you, but he's obviously wrong about this choice. To think I'd---" She closes her eyes in frustration. "...with a fool, much less!" 

Percy stands up from where he was seated and takes her arm before she tries to disappear. 

"Wait, I'm sorry." He was sure that his hands were burning slightly, but he didn't care. With one quick motion, her hands fell on his arm and shoved it away. She disappeared before he could even say goodbye.

So maybe Percy is a bad friend. Maybe that's why he didn't have anyone at all. 

He didn't see her again for months. 

Percy's work  was becoming less of a job and more of a burden. Valentine's season was right in the corner and people had been spending time digging in the chocolate bars that he had recently placed on the shelves. They didn't seem to acknowledge how messy they were getting until he had to rearrange the whole row of almond chocolates and put up the sign that's fallen down. When he's done (thank god), he still had an extra time for eating and helping Piper in baggage. 

"Percy," She started. They were eating at this small booth behind the grocery store when she delivered the news. 

"Yeah?" He asked, suddenly not so interested in his sandwich. 

"I've been accepted at the fashion studio I've been interning." She pursed her lips, not looking at him.

Percy beamed. "That's great, Pipes! I'm so happy for you." 

Piper couldn't stand to look, which he found odd. Usually, he's the one not looking while she talks and talks about everything she sees. But now, he could tell just by the tense of her shoulder that she was about to say some bad news. 

"I've signed the two weeks notice," She exhaled. "I'm not...Well, I'm not going to work here again."

Percy's face paled. The reason why the job's tolerable is  because of her. If she was going to quit, then he wouldn't be able to talk to anyone ever again and...he would lose a friend. 

He smiled. "That's good news, isn't it? You wouldn't be working in this shithole. Why do you look so sad?"

He tries for an awkward laugh, but Piper was still hesitant.

"Well, I would leave you, first of all. We're friends. I just don't think you can--" 

He scrunched his eyebrow and put down the sandwich. "I can do it. Psssh, it's just a couple of hours. Not like i'm living here anyway."

He chuckles at her to reassure that he'll be fine. He doesn't know why but people always found him convincing even if he was lying for a bit, but it's easier than seeing through him.

"You're right." She laughed. "I don't know why I doubt you in the first place." 

Percy was absolutely miserable. He figured, if he was an Angel right now, he'd gone havoc. There was just so much, too much , emotion crashing out of him like a wave. He didn't know how he'd bottle it up so long. 

He wasn't mad at his friend for chasing after her dream, but he knows that sooner or later Piper will eventually forget about him and treat him as a stranger. She was the only one who wasn't frightened of him, and she never once looked down as if he was a low life. 

He gripped the door handle so hard it crushed against his hands, and Percy had all but noticed it when he walked in the midst of his room, gripping his fingers so tight his knuckles were turning white. 

His guardian angel wasn't talking to him, great . His friend Piper was moving away, not cool . His anger was becoming more and more unbearable, and the more he tried to concentrate, breathe, the more it developed. 

But the roused feeling dissipated when he saw something move. No, not something. Some things . 

Percy's feelings washed out of him, and suddenly, it faded all the same. The situation was slightly different. The small vases shook under his gaze and one of the plates clattered on the ground. There was no earthquake, is the thing, but this… 

He figured it might just be his guardian angel. Or something. He let it pass this time. 

When she did see him though, he was dangling at the railing of a rooftop at two am, half passed out from getting drunk on his own. There was no excuse in Percy's behavior, and though he wasn't usually inclined to alcohol, he does try it from time to time. The landlady was kind enough to open the small door for the rooftop every now and then, so he had decided to throw a small party of himself right on the concrete floor.

He started to think about Annabeth, or rather the last time after christmas and he started shitting on her. He was never a good influence in school and most of his advisers tell him that, but thinking about how he was a complete bastard when she was all up for answering questions. It was a dick move. 

And so just to say sorry, he had tried danglin himself on one of the concrete railings and lying down against it.  If he ever tries to roll over, he'll fall from the top of the seventh floor. .

"Percy for the love of god---," A voice broke in, pulling him out of the trance. He smiled inwardly knowing that it could only be from one spirit he at least wanted to see right now. At this point, he had grown a kind of immunity whenever she did that. "---don't dangle at the top of a railing. If you want to call me, just call me."

So Percy is kind of intoxicated at that moment, but he smiled at the angel who crosses her arms at him. "Angel." 

"Yeah, that's me, unfortunately." She pinches her nose. "What do you want?" 

"Saturdays...are your rest days right? Why you he...here?" He slurs when he speaks, but his mind wasn't as hazy as he thought it would be. He lies down, almost falling back until a hand grips his collars.

"Stop that," She commanded. 

Percy sways forward. "Stop what?" 

"That." She rolled her eyes at him. "Sit down."

When they settled, Percy was almost regaining all of his senses. "I have a question." 

"If it is about me being turned into---" 

Percy flinched. "Sorry about that. I have a question." 

"Why?" 

"You owe me answers, remember?"

She gestured at him to start, and he cleared his throat.

"Can angels fall in love with humans?" He muttered, downing a red cup of water Annabeth gave him. 

It was an innocent question, just to be clear. Percy wasn't actually thinking about anyone in particular. The thought just washed over him out of nowhere so he ended up saying it. Annabeth didn't seem to mind, but the question piqued her interest and so she started explaining. 

"Angels...no they can't Percy. There are some who...best be not talk about them, but they're the fallen angels, now called demons , who dressed up as humans and conceived children called nephilims . But now, only a few have fallen. Sometimes they settle down as regular mortals, and most vanish. Why are you suddenly interested?" 

He figured he doesn't have much to ask. 

"Nothing. I'm agnostic actually." 

Annabeth smirked. "It's different for all people, Percy. I can't say that you should believe me. Realities are often altered to benefit human minds." 

Percy smiled for the first time. So it was kind of cute, he notices. How she would nod her head when he asks questions as if thinking it through. Maybe he has a small crush, or maybe it was just because of her smirk.

"But can angels fall in love with angels?" 

He was sure he caught her at the end of the net, but Annabeth was quick to answer. "They do. In a sense of...binding. A spiritual binding. But they would lose their authority from the order , and they'd be considered as roaming angels."

So Percy was definitely not going to have a chance. The thought saddens him even more he might just have to down another cup of liquor. 

"Turn me into an angel." Percy suggested. 

"Why?" Annabeth raised her eyebrows in amusement. 

"I didn't know angels are hot. And cute." He grins. He had tried working his charms with a few people before, and all of it had worked. This time, he was going to test if it works on angels too.

It seems to work though, because Annabeth was blushing. Can angels blush?

"Alright, that's it. You're drunk." Annabeth cleared. 

"Really though, why did the supreme deity himself commanded you to take care of me?" He blurted.

"I don't know, Percy. It is part of training but...it's...you're like a special task he wanted to take notice. Only he knows, and everything happens for a reason, remember?"

He nodded. "Except if you're nihilistic." 

She smiles, and he could have sworn that turned his whole body to jelly. "That, among other things. Angels don't know all things, Percy. We comply to a higher being and have the will to think if it's wrong or not, just as you humans do it. The only difference is a driving force.  But between you and me...I think it's because you have the highest mortality rate and you're not even twenty yet. "

"Gee thanks for the confidence." 

She squeezed his hand in reassurance, and Percy knew he was definitely crushing on her. 

When she receded from his view that night, there's a somewhat permanent smile on his face. 

He didn't see her until a week later when some guy robbed him. It was on an ally downtown and Percy was minding his own business when someone pulled a gun and pointed it on his throat. Before that, the same guy had tried to fight him one on one until he knew he couldn't win and used the weapon. He didn't have anything to offer except eighty dollars and Piper's wristwatch but had no choice. It was between life and death anyway.

The only good thing is that his credit card was safely locked on his dresser. Still, that was a day's pay and that's the only gift he had for a long time. Losing it was devastating enough that he had to call Piper and say sorry about it. She didn't care though, and only asked if he was safe. 

When he got home, there was someone expecting him, which was new but actually not. 

"Hey," He was in a bad mood. If Annabeth wasn't here, he would have thrown a tantrum already. His previous diagnosis had called to tell him that he's got anger management issues, but that was years ago after his mom died and he didn't know if he still had it.

"Hey," Annabeth was looking at a blue vase he gifted himself for his nineteenth birthday. 

"So do you just chill here when I'm gone?" He muttered dejectedly, pulling off his shoes and unzipping his jacket. 

"No, actually. I came as soon as possible," Annabeth pursed her lips, pushing her way forward.

"Naturally." He grunted.

"I don't know why the distress call came out ten minutes later but I swear I would have stopped you from being robbed. " Annabeth was sitting on the couch beside him, looking at his bleeding forehead. 

Percy pushed his head down and looked at the ceiling. "Your timer's a little bit off, then."

"It can't be, though." She whispered. 

He sighed. "You don't have to save me, you know. Whatever your terms are."

He blinked once, and saw a bowl of water and a wet cloth on his lap as Annabeth squeezed it once and placed it on his forehead. "But I have to. It's my job."

"Shi... ouch !" He backed away. "That hurts!"

"Stay still, Percy." Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Do you want to get healed or not?"

"It hurts!" When his hand made contact, he nearly fainted at the sight of blood. 

"Just stay still!" Annabeth half yelled. 

Percy groaned. 

After a complete minute of fighting, she settles on withdrawing her hands from him and sighs. 

"You don't want me doing this but," She placed her hand on his chest, and with one quick push, he felt his whole body dissolve, like someone managed to get his soul out of his body. For a hot second, he thought he was dying until he collapsed on her neck as she stables him. 

"Percy?" 

His mind was blurry, but he could feel his scar closing up. When he got up, she was holding his arms. "Did you just try to kill me?"

She smiled in relief. "No, I just…"

He coughed. "You what?"

"I kinda put a part of me just to heal you. Spiritual healing." 

Percy flinched. "I don't know what version of spiritual healing the being taught you, but that's definitely not spiritual healing. How did you...l-like Rapunzel?"

"Angels can do a lot more than that," She examined the burn on her fingers. "Your spirit's a little different though...I don't know why."

"Maybe because I'm a lot cuter than most people." Percy commented, placing his fingers where the scar should've been. "You could have killed me though. If I die, you'll have to tolerate me in heaven."

He can see that Annabeth was still interested about it, but he paid her no attention and got up on his seat. She's more than cute, though. She's beautiful and if he ever tried to be near her he'd spontaneously combust.

"Who said you'd be an angel?" She finally asked, challenging him. "I could turn you into a slug. Or a seaweed."

Percy grins. "Seriously. That would be fun."

Annabeth chuckles. "I could turn you right now if you want?" 

"I'll pass," he smiled. Maybe Annabeth is kind of like his friend. That's good. For the meantime, he tries not to fall in love with her. 

That turns out to be hard. For the past few weeks he and Annabeth had been seeing each other mostly because she was scolding him, and though they never seem to be together for more than thirty minutes or so, he liked how she could just show up and he wouldn't even be fazed. Whenever she does, it's always 'No, Percy you idiot' and he'd gotten used to it too.

And maybe he likes Annabeth more than he's willing to admit. But she's an angel, and he couldn't do anything about it, really. Being with Annabeth is like breathing fresh air for the first time, and he guessed it was true, because she's literally a divine being. 

There are times though, when he catches her looking at him and she would look away just as quickly, and the hope starts fading more and more. 

He had been planning to go to a community college by the start of the school year, saving up enough to get him up to two years. Percy applied, sending in his information to the admin and hoping they would consider. 

He has high hopes about it.

Everything was going according to his plan, and maybe he could start settling down for a bit, not being too anxious about his future that keeps him up every night. 

He thought about his mom. His mom was special, and there's no doubt that she's an angel, figuratively speaking. It was a shame that she married his father who had been missing in action when he was born. They got divorced, and after a long process, his mom had taken custody of him and married Gabe, who had been nice to him for a good month before showing off his true colors. 

They were abused. He doesn't know what to do about it, but Sally didn't have the money to leave the apartment, so she never did. And then one day, it happened.

It was traumatic. Percy could still see his mom's lifeless body on the floor when she had a heart attack, head bleeding from the injury and then she wasn't there anymore. 

It was enough to make eleven year old Percy cry. Only a week after that, Gabe had brought a girl to his house and…

Percy's childhood was sick . It was sick to the point that he would throw up whenever said girls do...things when Gabe wasn't looking. He had lost his virginity even before going to high school, and when he tried to talk about it, he didn't feel as if they were listening.

Nobody was believing him. He would cry himself to sleep every night because the guys teased him about it, about him actually wanting it, just as the counselors tell him it wasn't true.

It didn't help that he had anger management issues and almost got turned into a hospital. 

But it's different now. Percy wanted to do better. He wanted to make friends in school and show up with good grades (even if he has Adhd and dyslexia), and get a decent life. But nobody wanted him. They liked his body, but nobody ever wanted him how he wanted to. Girls would swoon just by looking at him, but no one actually loved him for how he is. 

And then one day, he had scared everyone, and… that day he was never the same anymore. 

But when he left Gabe's apartment, he was determined to leave it all behind. 

"Angel," He whispered under his breath. It was like a code for him, and he knows Annabeth will be here after a few seconds or minutes. He didn't know why she was there though whenever he called since he knew she had a lot of things to do. She's a principality, meaning she gets to see the world and govern it, but still she makes time for his stupid ass. 

She materialized on his couch. "What now?"

She looked annoyed, but deep down he knew otherwise. It didn't help that she looks so beautiful now. At the brink of light her hair looks glowing as it cascades down in curls. He wanted to run his fingers on it and wonder what it might feel like.

"You're like a goddess...or something." He smiled. 

The lights were still broken down, and he told himself that it's better that way since he wouldn't need it anyway. He had a vase on his night stand and he's barely home nowadays. When she stood up from her seat, there was a blush forming on her face. 

"No, I'm an angel." She rolled her eyes. "Goddesses are different things...different realities."

"Are they true though?" Percy asked. 

"It is for some people." She nodded. "Some see us as gods and goddesses. You, however, see us as angels. Some couldn't process us being real. Like I said, human minds have limited comprehension. It doesn't mean that it's not true." 

She placed her hands on his wrist. "Percy, we're angels but we go by other names as well. You'll see just how people serve the same god but would put different names. I can't say some religions are true and others are false. All of it is true, but they chose to serve in different ways. The same... deity ...answers them. He doesn't exactly go by a name." 

He nodded. "Like Greeks and the Mist."

Annabeth tries to explain things to him, and sometimes he can't fathom it. He only knows about how her skin is touching him, how she speaks so soft he might just melt, how she was so angelic in a different way entirely.

 Annabeth likes to explain things to him, is the thing. She also has weird hobbies for an angel, like sitting on his counter and watching him cook, how she would stare at him and sigh whenever she thought he wasn't looking, probably wondering just how stupid he could get. 

He was thinking about that while she was looking at him. She was looking back. 

"Like voldemort." Percy commented. That seems to get her out of the trance as she blinks back, blushing. 

"Uh, uhm," She muttered. "Voldemort?"

"Nevermind. You're obviously not a Harry potter fan." He grunts just as Annabeth withdraws, clearing her throat.

"I-I should go." Her answer was quick. Percy didn't want her to go just yet, but he didn't know what's wrong with her. She left without even saying goodbye. 

He didn't get into community college. The college of biology had told him he wasn't cut for any programs because of other complications unknown to him. He was sure he'd given them everything they needed, but they only said that there were a lot more people deserving than him.

Which is bullshit because it's a community college. 

He started to complain about it, and normally he could work his charms, but now, not so much. He figured he'll have to try again next time or go to other colleges, but they simply said that his issues aren't resolved. 

He wanted to cry then and there, but he had waited until he got home. It was unusual for him to cry to sleep nowadays, but when your dream was falling apart right before your eyes, you would have done the same. 

A few weeks after that, he had called Piper. His angel wasn't talking to him, even if he tried shouting her name at the rooftop. Annabeth just seemed to disappear after that. Now he just wanted to talk to someone, maybe someone who actually understands him like Annabeth although she will never be in the situation. He wanted a hug, or at least something to make him feel alive. 

He and Piper had talked on the phone about hanging out sometime that week, and it was the only thing that kept him going. Piper was fun to be around and she's a great friend. Sometimes, he thinks they're siblings at heart by how immature they could get. 

He was on the third ring when she picked up.

"Hey Percy, what's up?" She asked. 

"Piper, are we still on tonight?" Percy grinned. "I'm thinking Fries Peak's. You know, on 23rd?" 

There was a long pause before she spoke. 

"Ahh shit, Percy. I'm sorry! They need me overtime for my designs. I totally forgot, god! I'll make it up to you." 

Percy was disheartened. Of course Piper wouldn't have the time. He should have known by now that she was interning, but he believed her when she expressed her excitement before and he really wished he shouldn't. He can't blame her though. 

"That's okay! Take your time," He laughed. "You'll do great this time, Piper. Proud of you!"

He could feel her smile at the other line. "I'll make it up to you next time. Promise."

But she didn't. He didn't bother to contact her after that because she was busy, and well he didn't want to interrupt her while she's building her dreams. 

He didn't think Annabeth would appreciate it if he asked her out for Wendy's so he stood up from his apartment and jogged to clear his mind. It was one thing that he actually enjoys. No matter what, he always had to keep moving forward, just like in life. 

Central park wasn't so crowded during nighttime, but there were some people who enjoyed hanging out at the lamp posts and booths occasionally. It's a Saturday, so that was a given. 

Although he did get interrupted a few times, like when a mom asked him to carry a child, and a grandma needs to cross the street. One time someone asked him for directions, and he realized it was those little things that he appreciated the most. At least his life wasn't totally bad. Still, there was an urge for him to cry whenever someone did good to him, because there weren't many. Percy wanted to cry while jogging.

"Angel," He muttered again, knowing she wouldn't answer this time because he wasn't in distress. He misses Annabeth, and well he couldn't afford to fall in love but he doesn't care anyway. He did get asked out on the bar sometime ago, but there wasn't a click, and Percy didn't think much about them. 

But Annabeth. He wanted her. He didn't care if Angels have the emotional capacity to love humans, but Annabeth...she just seems right. 

Maybe she was once his anchor to the mortal world, in a different universe maybe, but this time she was the complete opposite. 

He wasn't in his mind when he ran into her, bodies clashing together until he was lying hard on the ground. 

"Jeez," He groaned, looking at her as she sat up beside him. "Hey fallen angel." 

He didn't miss the beat and he could feel her rolling her eyes. She was wearing shoes this time. "Why did you call?" 

He didn't answer, but rather looked at her. She was dressed in blue this time, a large sweater and jeans which really looked good on her. Once they were up, he offered to walk her down the park.

"I'm kinda…lonely," He admitted, glancing at her. Her eyes were fixed on the ground and her cheeks were flushed. She looked like she's deep in thought. 

"What do you want me to do?" She finally glanced up, eyebrows raised as if challenging. 

"Do you want to go to Wendy's with me?" He gave him his famous puppy eye stare, and her eyes widened in shock.

"I…"

"Please," He bit his lip. 

"I ca--- Fine. " 

They ended up in Wendy's near the park, where most people would go on Saturdays. She sat across him as he delivered food, not knowing if she'll be eating or not. If she's an angel, can she eat? He didn't know and he's willing to find out. 

It turns out that they didn't need to eat. Annabeth held a fries on her hand as if examining it. 

"So this is food." She looked at him as he slurped the drink.

"Yeah," Percy replies, taking the fries from her hand and eating it. "Don't look at it like that, they'll think you're an alien."

Annabeth only glared at him. "Why did you even invite me here anyway?"

Percy's face flushed. The situation was so funny because he literally had a date with an angel and everyone will think that he's psychotic, but why not right? 

Annabeth looks cute as always, and whenever she gets mad at him it only makes her ten times hotter, which well, sure she's an angel but he'd definitely kiss her. 

"I take it angels like you don't get invited to too many dinners." He grins, gesturing for her to try the food.

"You have to be so loud?" There was a hint of smile on her face if only a little. 

He shrugs. "Take it as a compliment. They do."

She didn't try the food but she did look at Percy as if trying to pass through his facade, and he wondered if they could read minds. That would have scared him.

"It seems as though...you don't have the spirit to eat the food." He laughed at his own joke, and surprisingly, her smile turned into a chuckle. Percy was expert in bad pun, he wasn't lying, but if he can make Annabeth laugh, then that's good enough for him.

"You're funny, I'll give you that." She laughs, "but I expected better."

"I'm wounded, Annabeth." He placed his hand on his chest and fake huffed. "I'm sure no angels made you laugh before. You should thank me."

Her hand touched his, either voluntarily or not, he didn't know. But if there was one thing he notices, it was definitely the spark. 

"Yeah, you're right." She smiled. "Angels are very strict, you know. I'm guilty about it. There isn't laughter, or...things humans could do. But at least we could travel the world, appear as humans and everything." 

Percy's head perked up. "You could travel the world?" 

He was aware of Annabeth's hand overlapping his, but he liked it. He didn't bother and try to move. 

She chuckles. "Yeah, we can easily. Humans do it all the time too, right? As a head of rulers, I've seen them do that too." 

"Well, I...I never did." She squeezes his hand.

"Why?" 

He shrugs, taking a sip of his drink. "I don't have the...money, I guess."

Annabeth nodded in understanding. "Do you want to go to the rooftop?" 

Percy looked at her and smiled. Sometimes he would wander at the rooftop in the middle of the night and think about...life in general. So far he wasn't doing good at it, as almost everything has been thrown at his face. He figured that before maybe, his previous life if there is any, had not been kind to anyone so in return, the universe had told him that this somehow is his karma. 

That was the only explanation whenever life fucked him up. He didn't even know how he was able to hold the burden until he had leaned on her like a lifeline, crying on her shoulder. It was the first time, since he never dealt with emotions and let it corrupt him, and...she had seen it. He didn't need to explain, but there was something about Annabeth that made him feel as if one part of his life was okay, but maybe it was just the fact that she literally is his angel. 

When he slept that night on the rooftop, she didn't leave until she tucked him on bed, smiling as she recognized the blue shoes she'd given him. 

"They aren't so nice to you, are they?" Annabeth whispers like a secret, tucking a strand of hair behind his ears. "I don't know why I feel our connection, but it doesn't seem to go away anytime." 

Percy groaned in his sleep, shifting his weight on one side. 

"We can't be together, Percy. But I really want to." She sighs as she intertwines her hand with his.

She kisses his forehead goodbye, snapping her fingers to make sure he forgets about everything that happened in his sleep. 

 "I guess that's why they call it fallen angels."

Everything was going okay, until it wasn't. One particular day and Percy was doing somewhat okay on his job. He was assigned to this girl, Sandra, who seriously had to fasten her pace, but she never talked down on him, much less even looked at his way so that seems to be okay. It was hard to cope without Piper there, but he'll live. Besides, it's rare for people to have what they dreamed of, and he wasn't going to let Piper feel guilty of leaving him. 

"Could you be any faster than that?" The man in front of him grunted. It was the dead of the night, and some of the cashiers had been closed but they were the only ones who remained. The manager had asked them to pull off another shift, doubling their price for a day, and Percy couldn't back down. 

As much as he wants to talk back, company policies and rules should not be in any way broken. The same bullshit 'customers are always right' proved that they were getting treated less as an employee, and more like animals. 

Percy grunted, doing the job a lot faster. It didn't help that the man practically bought a good section of the store, and the boxes had to be arranged first before being used. 

"God, my dog can go faster than you," The man in the suit said, holding his phone up as if waiting for a call. "You're wasting my time."

He didn't say anything, because he didn't feel compelled to do so. Employees like him had been talked down all their lives, and he wasn't any better. He was pretty considerate, so he figured that the man just had a lot of things to deal with. 

"God damn it!" He pocketed the phone, much to his surprise, and shoved him so hard he fell into the ground. It didn't hurt him so, but there was something that has burning within him, a feeling, waiting to be released anytime. 

The man didn't waver, packing it in much slower pace, until Percy had enough and got up, walking towards him with renewed feelings. His eyes saw anger, along with wanting to take revenge. Without meaning to, he'd push him out of the way and grab hold of his collar, lifting him up in the air with renewed strength. He could hear his ears tingling, like something hovering above his senses, but it didn't stop him from keeping hold of the man until he's off the ground. 

And then suddenly, every screen monitor around him exploded into million shards of glass, and he regained his reverie and pushed the man into the ground while he tried to breathe. 

A sort of awakening, like what he felt when he tried to get hold of Gabe, and how he punched his classmate so hard that his nose cracked on impact. This...didn't feel like him.

"Percy, what did you do?!" Everything around him cleared, and now he was hearing Sandra's voice. 

He didn't know what happened, or how all the monitors cracked like charcoal under pressure just as he tried to strangle the man,  but it was clear that what he did was a direct violation. 

From the abject terror that escaped his eyes to Sandra's unrecognizable look, he knew he wasn't coming back. 

He got fired that day, and to think of it, it wasn't really the start of his misfortune. 

His hands were shaking as he opened the door to his apartment, where a note in lousy letters laid near the small television. He didn't bother reading it, especially in these trying times. His anger didn't submit like usual, and now he's definitely going to need a new job, and forms of resume that he should complete explaining how he got fired from the store and how he was fined several hundred dollars from his supposed paycheck. 

He tried to call someone on his phone, to relieve himself, until he found out that the only two numbers registered were of Piper and the landlady. He wanted to get up, to go outside and hear the fret of the birds, to gently fixate himself on a bench and watch ducks sway back and forth. He needed a break, but of course, it didn't work like that. 

"Percy?" Annabeth materialized right next to him, holding him by the shoulder and watching as he rested his hand in shame. To think that he could do that scared him. 

He let a tear race down his cheek. 

"I have some...news." 

And then they were on top of a building, overlooking the skyline and the ongoing sunset directly in front. He knew Annabeth was basically god, who can materialize anytime she'd like, travel the world, be a dominion, but for now she's stuck with him and his miserable life. 

"Let me guess, I screwed up?" He tried wiping the tears forming. This is an angel. She had already seen his weakness, all of it, he thought she couldn't stand anymore of his whining anyway. 

Annabeth intertwines their hands together, which surprises him even more. She looked at him as if he was good news, which he wasn't, but there's just something in her eyes that comforts him. 

"It's about your family." She couldn't look at his eyes. Their feet dangled a hundred feet off the ground, but now he wasn't so scared. 

"What about them? They're all dead."

"Your dad...isn't." Annabeth explained. "I now know how you can see me."

Percy snorted lightly, gripping her fingers the way she likes them. He didn't think angels like holding hands, but he will gladly do so if it's Annabeth. "Care to explain?" 

"You're a demon spawn ," Annabeth started. "I thought, for sure you're an angel descent because you have the capability to see me, but...it only took me a piece of a puzzle to see it, and earlier, when you…"

She looked at him. 

"When you...did that. Your father is a fallen angel, Percy." 

It didn't surprise him, seeing as he had seen some weird things all his life, and just when he starts thinking it couldn't be any worse, he's a literal demon. He has other important things to do, and being one of an unclaimed didn't bother him as much as his rent due this week. As if he could rewrite history just so he could be normal, maybe then he'll retrieve his mother from the graves. 

He never met his father, but with all the angels, and demons, it didn't seem to faze him. As a matter of fact, he was past the point of caring. His anxiety had been working up against him, and although he couldn't be diagnosed, he knew even before that he has depression and anger management issues. This didn't seem to be traumatic, it just seems like...a news. 

Just that. 

Percy looked at Annabeth, who scooted closer to him, their hands still intertwined. Angels couldn't fall in love with humans, it was unrighteous. A direct disobedience to the rules set by the deity himself, but somehow the feeling was there. Do they feel the same as humans? Do they have a heart, a grip of emotion? Or does she only hold his hand to make him feel safer? 

"That's good news for you, then? You don't have to take care of me." Percy whispered softly, wind picking up his every word. 

"It doesn't change anything. It was an order." Annabeth gripped his hand tighter. 

And that was it. All of it, just an order. Why does he have to waste his time on someone who was only ordered to be around because he kept trying to die unintentionally? 

Annabeth looked down at their feet, dangling freely. 

"Do you want to be my best friend?" 

It took him a couple of seconds to comprehend what she just asked. Was she really asking him to be her best friend? Her? An angel?  

"I...why?" He faltered, not thinking clearly. 

"I don't know," She bit her lip, and for a moment, everything seems normal- she looks like a nineteen year old teen, not an immortal. "I just know that I want to be your friend, Percy. I don't care about the laws, this...just seems like the right thing to do, you know?" 

Her eyes were darker up close. Her eyebrows were scrunched, like whenever she was thinking, and her golden hair curled like a princess. Percy thinks it's mesmerizing, looking at his angel, in the sunset overlooking the skyline. 

For a second, he thought he didn't know what to say, and although this feels like a dream, a once in a blue moon moment, he decided that he could get used to her hand on his, and her gaze that felt as if she could feel . Angels didn't seem to have empathy, much less being able to sympathize, but Annabeth looked at him as if she was human. As if she can feel his pain. 

She can. 

"That would be okay," Percy stammered, feeling Annabeth's hand intertwining his. "You could be my moral compass. Or something." 

Her laugh, for Percy, was like the first sunlight during a cold winter, and he thinks he wanted to be like this with her. She's an angel, but she was his anchor to the mortal world. 

As ironic as it could be. 

"Can I hug you?" Percy asked. 

It didn't take long when her arms were hugging his neck, and his own was in her waist. She felt like a real human. Her body was soft to his touch, and her breath was warm. He held his breath until he got lost in the ephemerality of this moment. For a moment, there was no reassurance in the world much like her. 

"I never had a best friend." Percy whispered. 

"I can be your first," Annabeth breathed, her eyes smiling as she does. "I'll never leave you."

That was all the reassurance he needed. 

It was true. She never left Percy. 

It was getting harder not to fall in love, since she had been with him every day doing her 'angel things' as how she put it in words. The fact that he was seeing her in the most random places he'd go to, talk for a good few minutes, and then leave saying she has these duties to uphold makes him think being an angel is a lot of responsibility, but then again she had all the time in the world. 

She's furthered to become a dominion, and although her job has a lot more important commitment, she spends some time on helping him. He was grateful about it. Percy didn't know how angels show their endearment, but he never questioned the way she holds her hand, or the way they intertwine it as if they were something . It didn't help that he'll see her looking at him like she was in love, and though his heart skips a beat, every second in between it was filled with just as much love. 

They would go out on the park hand in hand sometimes, and Annabeth being comfortable with her mortal body would try to do things known for many humans, except consuming foods, saying that she doesn't need any of it, but at times he'll let her try and she'll continuously say no saying that she'll probably vomit it. She was always a little touchy too, like hugging his side whenever they'd go out, pinching his cheek (which he didn't mind actually),and brushing food off his face. 

Her hugs lingered a minute longer too, and she'd always feel like home. Just to make sure of it, Percy tried to date a girl one time, so he could figure out if he was indeed falling for an angel or if he was just lonely. 

But it didn't last long. Two months, at least, but he felt nothing. Percy thinks he's going insane falling for an angel, but then again, she has told him a couple of times that mortals do it all the time. It was normal. 

She said it was normal. She said it doesn't matter. 

Percy didn't mind. 

Although he did get a job with a relatively lower pay, only half of his salary in Walmart, he still had a bit of savings for the supposed community college, but it wouldn't last much and soon he'd get loads of debt in his hand. It was just his luck that the problem was getting closer and closer until it's knocking on his door, and by knocking in a very literal way. 

Funnily enough, he was expecting it. 

He was about to get something for his landlady, since it was his birthday and a cupcake for his neighbor was the only thing he could afford at this moment. He hopes it will at least lighten the mood especially when he's behind two months of rent, but of course it wasn't. 

When she knocked on the door that night, it was one of those moments when his world just about hits the very rock bottom of it all.

"Have you gotten my note, dear?" She asked oh so sweetly. 

Percy looked at the note on his television stand, which he figured was one of the bills again, but it was too late to realize that it wasn't. 

He placed a cupcake on her hand, a bright blue one, and rubbed his neck. "No, Lisa, I was just about to, actually." 

"Oh dear." 

Percy tensed, looking at the small envelope on top as her eyes linger on him, and it felt like forever, but she didn't waste time explaining it to him. "See, you haven't paid for two months now, and well, more people would be willing to...rent this place for a better fix rate. And dear, I mean, I only do this for a living so…"

"Got it." The amount of times he felt the need to cry was insurmountable. 

"I'll be hoping to get you out after two days, is that okay?" 

He nodded. 

"Thanks for the cupcake."

He closed the door. 

His credit only has about a few hundred dollars left, and he couldn't be bothered to pay the down payment if this continues, so after the next two days, he'd have to get a very cheap hotel, at most, or a sleep inn. He held his breath, hoping it was his last. 

It had been said that he was one of the unlucky ones- Percy, that guy, most people would tell him that some people were born lucky, but he was just lucky to be born. He figured that this is the path of his miserable life, little by little it starts getting meaningless. The only thing keeping him together was Annabeth. 

Annabeth. He needs her comfort. 

The fact that she was the first thing on his mind upon hearing this news was bad, seeing as he was starting to get attached although he knew she wouldn't be there forever. 

And although she had told him that she wouldn't be able to meet him for a few days, he still whispers her name until the sound of it lulls him to sleep. It was depressing, that maybe she's becoming his unnatural addiction, but then again she was his only friend. 

If Annabeth was here, she'd let him sleep on her shoulder, until he drifted off into a dreamless sleep. He slept that night feeling more miserable than ever- boxes scattered on the ground, clothes sprawled on the floor, and somewhere in between the spaces, his heart sitting on edge of the broken place. 

It didn't take long until she found him again. 

The small hotel room was one of the cheapest, only being a hundred dollar a day, but for Percy that was almost a tenth of his savings. He starts selling his furniture one by one until his clothes were the only thing he had, and some necessities, and the toys he never played with but had a lot of memories of his mom were given to street kids. As far as he knew, the shop he'd been working on only credits five dollars per hour yet the salary was handed by the end of the month, so he didn't think he'd be able to afford anything at all without living on sandwiches everyday. 

When she found him, he was crying. He was too tired to even cry, but it was soft silent sobbing, so it was pretty involuntary on his part. He felt someone hug him from behind, and knowing it was Annabeth, buried himself on her neck until he knew he was drifting off. 

But he couldn't sleep. This is unlike any of his other breakdowns. He lost a home.

It's dark, and it's cold, and he was miserable. 

"Tell me what happened," She whispered. 

Her duty as an angel didn't extend to looking over him all day, she told him. Being a dominion means overlooking an entire nation and sending messages for the archangels to send it above. She had said that heaven was built in a far greater system than humans, but it still does involve 'jobs' and other duties. It meant that she couldn't exactly 'guard' him, as most theological ideas apply, but rather be there in time of trouble. 

He tried to say it, holding back a sob for what seems like hours. Funny, how he never felt like this with any other. He dated people before, much to her annoyance, but it didn't feel right. Maybe it was the fact that he's a demon and people steer clear of him, but he didn't feel any sense of depriving peace and nurturing havoc either. 

"Got kicked out," Percy muttered. 

"I would've done something," Annabeth said. "But I couldn't mess with free will, Percy. That's one of Ancient laws." 

He only nodded, looking at the ground dejectedly. He didn't need her to do something, he just wanted her to be there. "It's okay. Not your fault." 

Annabeth's hands were on his face, caressing him until their faces were inches from each other. He knew he couldn't look at her without tearing up a little bit, but her eyes were earnest, and her face was soft. 

He was blushing madly, for sure, but right now he didn't care. His heart was beating wild in his chest, but Annabeth was practically on his lap, on his bed, holding his neck and his cheeks, and he didn't know what to make of it.

It was soon that she was kissing him. Kissing him so much it hurts. He felt like drowning in her being all alone. Her lips tasted human enough, and when she looked at him, he was a goner. It was sweet, and sloppy, and it got him thinking about how this wasn't in any way scientifically possible, but her hands were soft and his hands were shaking on her back. When she pinned him on the bed, he would have kept kissing her until morning came. 

She kept on kissing him, and although it was a sin, he couldn't be bothered to care. This was the most comfort he got, from an angel nonetheless. An angel whose hands were on his back, tangled on his clothes, and she was smiling against his lips. It was soon that their clothes were sprawled on the floor right next to the little small vase he kept. Percy thinks he's very much alive. 

When he was inside her, he could have sworn he felt stars dance in front of his eyes, and although they didn't stop until morning, he knew he was supposed to regret it, but he didn't. He hoped she felt the same. 

He was the first to sleep, seeing as she couldn't, but they laid there for a few hours, just talking and talking about everything. 

"Did you just condemn--" Percy stammered. 

Their legs were tangled together, and her hand was on his waist pulling him closer and breathing him in. "I did." 

He tensed when she trails small circles on his back. "But wouldn't you…"

She was emotionless for a bit, thinking about it, but when she looked at him, she smiled softly. "Heaven might not be a fun place after all. I don't think he'll disown me for this though, we're pretty close." 

She herself wasn't reassured. 

"Besides, it's worth sinning if it's with you." 

She didn't stop sinning. It had been going on for a while and still is when he found a small apartment on the upper east side, far from downtown, but it was the cheapest he got for a while, and there was no down payment which is a good thing. Annabeth had been supportive, but her powers were beginning to be limited. She had said that she was feeling herself getting weak for days and days, but when he tried asking about it, she couldn't say anything. 

Her higher ups were still acknowledging her at most and she still had her duty, which wouldn't last long as what she said before. For Percy, it means a lot, and being with Annabeth everyday was heaven enough, he didn't have to see the real thing. At some point, she joked about them being demon blood but there was a doubt that runs its way through her mind which he noticed just by looking at her. Percy didn't like it: losing her powers, being revoked and being overthrown by other angels, and then...her completely being human. 

He gets it that she could never be human. Something in his theology research tells him that angels could be human, but they could never transform completely. But whenever he sees her laughing at him, giving gifts on children and making things appear out of nowhere ('like a magician?','kids like magicians,right?,'yeah','then like a magician.') and being human in the sense that she could finally show sympathy. Real feelings. 

Percy had looked at her one time, trying to memorize every detail of her face. She laughed and told him to keep eating, even picking one of the fries and shoving it on his mouth much to his amusement. It gets pretty good for a while but Annabeth was beginning to feel weaker and weaker, not being able to be with him for longer than half a day at most. 

Still, they spend their time together in bliss and Percy thinks that somehow its taking its turn for the better. But of course, everything had to end. 

She was in his small apartment and they were cuddling on the arm chair, her sitting on his lap because of the too small chair and watching some run down movie. Annabeth sat perpendicularly, her feet dangling on the arm rest and her head on his shoulder. Percy thinks this is what heaven looks like. 

It was halfway through the movie when someone knocked, and Percy opened it on second thought, pausing the movie and letting Annabeth sit. For once he thought it was the plumber, who he asked to come over to fix the sink, but he did not expect another angel to knock on his door. 

"Hello," He said in monotone. 

He was tall, probably the same height as him if not a little taller, and his eyes were piercing blue. He was blonde, like Annabeth, but he gave a different aura that doesn't involve warmth. When Annabeth saw him, she was immediately on Percy's side, stepping in front and crossing her arms. 

"What are you doing here Yaes--" 

"You may call me Jason." He looked down at her, opening the room so he could step in and completely ruin their privacy. 

"You didn't hear me. What are you doing here?" Annabeth grunted, looking at the man. 

Jason tensed, making a circling motion on his shoulder and looking at the back of his body, trying to either see or feel something. "He wants you back. He has to speak to you." 

"I'm not coming. I'm a fallen now." Annabeth practically snarled at him. Percy looked at the man, Jason, who simply didn't feel amused by her sense of obstinacy. 

"No, you're not." His eyes soften. He looked at Percy, who looked back at him with just the same hostility. "This mortal has a terrible fate, Annabeth. Can you sacrifice everything you've worked hard for, just for him?" 

"I can ." Annabeth held his hand. 

Jason nodded, looking at Percy, as if not surprised by her answer. "Very well then...a flick of future, if you will."

He looked at Percy, and suddenly Percy wasn't there. 

He was on the ground, and every fiber of his being hurts. It was on an alley in New York, but his mind was too hazy to know where exactly. There was blood dripping on his forehead, and three guys attacking him. He saw a stab wound on his side, and it felt so real. It didn't last long and he was sure he's crying in pain, but it ended just as quickly as it began.

He was in the room again, clutching his side to let himself know that he was alive. Jason was there, looking expectantly, and Annabeth was gripping his hand. 

"His days are short, Annabeth. He'll die soon. Why do you care?"  

"That's not---" Annabeth looked at Percy, who couldn't stop shaking. "That's not true!" 

"We could still change that." Jason muttered, softly this time, like a real human. His eyes softened as he found Annabeth's, and he gripped her shoulder as if persuading her. "Talk to him." 

It wasn't long until he was gone, and Percy found himself sitting on the arm chair, shocked and anxious. Annabeth was walking back and forth, arms crossed and a permanent scowl in her face. 

"Percy," Annabeth started. "What exactly did you see?" 

He told her everything, up to the slightest detail of it. It turns out Jason has a gift of seeing the future, and Annabeth a spiritual healing. She couldn't see the future though and their gifts only work on mortals such as him. She didn't waste time, holding his chest and making a push inward, pulling him out of his reverie and letting him have peace. 

"I have to go," Annabeth looked at Percy, who was sleeping on the arm chair, completely out of it. "I don't know when...but I'll be back, I promise. " 

She left the message on his mind as she kissed his forehead, disappearing just as quickly as the other angel did. 

He didn't see her for months. 

Although her words were etched on Percy's mind like a poem waiting to be written, it hurts when he starts thinking about it. He was there again, on the couch, but this time he wasn't sleeping and Annabeth was looking down at him, kissing him for the last time. When Christmas came and she didn't, he knew he'd never see her again. Percy waited every single day for her, again and again, going back to the rooftop because it was her favorite place. But she never did. 

It hurts him up until now, when he's starting over again. He thought about her and how much it pains him not seeing her every day, when he'd wake up to find her on her side of the bed, very much awake, looking at the decorations of his ceiling and fingering his hair as they lay there naked. He thought about her whenever he saw those children in the park, when she'd persuade the parents to buy some ice cream from his booth- and it never failed. He thought about how she never tried any food and just how much she's missing out. Often Percy would find her staring at the stars, telling him about constellations and distracting him from reality. 

Annabeth's eyes were gray. Her hair was blonde. Her looks of steel alone didn't hold much warmth in it. He didn't find comfort on her at first, but it turns out that comfort can be found in the most unexpected places. For Percy, he found comfort on an angel. 

Even though he misses her badly, he knew he had to move on. Annabeth told him she'll be back, and he's willing to wait forever, but time doesn't stop and change is inevitable. He's having a job soon in Queens, and getting an apartment there in two months time when his schooling starts. He finally got accepted at a community college in the town, and his job had deemed a really good pay. He earned enough money to supply himself yet still have a good amount of savings on his own. Everything was going good. 

He'd even met this girl, Calypso, who was kind to him and even gave him her number. Although she wasn't Annabeth, she seems really nice. Of course, he needs the time to heal, but for the meantime, they're only going to be friends and nothing more. If Annabeth ever comes back, he'd welcome her with open arms. Much to his surprise, Piper had been going out with a guy now, and Percy was happy for her, even sharing his full support. They have reconnected only a few weeks back, but the connection is still there. In fact, they go to diners every once in a while to rant about life. 

"I've been meaning to tell you this," Piper smiled. "Remember that time you were reading a book about…" 

Percy gestured for her to continue. "About what?" 

Piper gazes over, as if looking at someone. "Uh, nothing. Anyway did you…"

They chatted for a while about various topics until he offered to take her home, walking in the streets of New York in the chill weather. He figured he still has some time to go to the bar down the street, where he could buy a drink or two and head home. 

It was a bit unusual heading there, and something had been bothering him, like a faded memory waiting to return, but he just couldn't place where he saw the alley, but maybe it was just him. That, or the way he was dressed today, which is casual, but just bothers him a lot too. 

The bar wasn't too far from his apartment, so he's willing to walk a couple of blocks down. His legs were heavier than usual maybe from the chills, but he didn't mind. He seldom drinks, but sometimes he just felt like going now and then. Besides, the new bartender Grover, was a good man, talking to him whenever he looked lonely, complementing his shirt and even the way he styles his hair (which is seriously the same tousled hair every day). 

When he got there, he didn't expect he'd see an angel, much less that angel who took Annabeth from him. 

He was sitting on a stool looking so innocent when he walked through the door. He was wearing a suit now, unusual, but his eyes and expression were the same. 

"Hello Percy," He stood up just as his feet moved forward, eyes trained on the guy. 

"You're that---"

"Yes, my name's Jason." He nodded. "Have a seat." 

He can tell he was impatient, seeing as his eyes hover from left to right as if looking for something, or someone. Percy on the other hand wanted an explanation for what he did, and how he can no longer see Annabeth. Jason was having a whiskey, while he had vodka with lime juice. 

Grover was nowhere to be seen, but then again, the shifts differ from time to time. 

"Why are you here? Where's Annabeth?" He asked, getting a little more angry as time forwards. Jason looked up at the bartender, sipping whiskey, which probably wouldn't affect him at all seeing as he was an angel. Wait, if they were in a mortal body, could it?

"She has been summoned by it." Jason started. 

"And…"

"It didn't let her take the mark of the fallen." 

Percy knows well enough what that means. Annabeth once said something about taking the mark of the fallen, a special mark which outcasts you and limits your powers up to the point of having a mortal soul. Some who wield it may survive as humans, but more likely fallen angels disappear because it was unbearable. 

"Is she...is she okay?" Percy shuffled in his seat, looking at the angel's bright blue eyes. This one looks like the color of a clear sky, rather than Annabeth's stormy gray. 

"You won't see her again." Jason said in one breath. "I can see the future, Percy. I know what will happen to you later on. And that future doesn't include her in it. You don't stand a chance. Go back, Percy. Pretend this didn't happen to you."

Percy felt like he'd been stabbed by a cold dagger. "I'm not turning back."

And with one quick motion, he pulled down the angel by his collar, glaring at him until he got the message. He wouldn't leave Annabeth and move on. It was pointless. 

Jason remained calm. "It's an order, Percy." 

"Go tell your god to fuck off." 

"Unless Annabeth wills the course of the future, there's really no chance for you to see her again. In that case, she'll be demoted. It wouldn't let her see you again. There's really no--"

"I'm not listening. Stop." 

In his peripheral vision, he merely saw glasses rattling back and forth, and realized that it was one of his fits, as they call it, and a whole lot of anger management issues. Jason remained calm, but he can tell just by the way he looked at him that it was an amusing sight. 

"To be fair...Annabeth isn't giving up either." He stated. 

Annabeth. He missed her so much, it was unfair. At this point, he didn't care about everyone else- only Annabeth. He needed to see her again, and he'll do it no matter what it costs.

He silenced. 

"It's been long, but she's still arguing with, erm, what you call 'god' at this point, and she wasn't backing down either." 

The thought was too funny, it nearly made him smile. "Annabeth's arguing with god?" 

"Funny thing, what love does to people, uhm angels. It almost makes me want to believe in what's impossible for us. But then again, you have a terrible fate, Percy. Annabeth saw that. Or a fragment of it. I believe she's willing to give you up to give you more time."

"I don't understand." He whispered, mostly to himself. 

"A compensation of sorts. She stays, you live." 

"That's bullshit." 

He can see his humorless laugh. It didn't take long for the angel to get up on his seat and leave, but before he did, Percy asked him why he was ever there in the first place. Angels don't just go to bars during saturday nights. He still believes that Annabeth has sent him, he wishes, but then again, Annabeth was nowhere to be seen even after the many times he's called her. 

"Angel." He whispered. 

No one replied. 

He stood up from his seat, tipped the new bartender and smiled forcefully. Nothing new. It was the same loop of everydays he's had, but then again at least he wasn't homeless anymore, had a few cash and a stable job, and yet...it didn't feel right. 

Maybe it's the way he's dressed tonight, like he'd seen this scene a few times ago. Or maybe it was the chills that ran down his spine. This scene was almost like a dejavu, although he didn't know how exactly. Nonetheless, the sky was dark and it's cold enough for him to curse himself in not getting a jacket, and there was no taxi in sight, so he had to walk to the subway, which was a couple blocks away. Maybe he should take the alley for a shortcut…

It was the chills first. Funny, he didn’t know if something compelled him to go to the alley or if it was his decision alone, but his feet had suddenly forced him towards it without second thoughts. It was familiar- he’d been here before several times, so it shouldn’t worry him. At the end were three guys talking, but they looked harmless enough- one was sitting on a trash bin, the other was lying on the ground, sleeping? The third however, was having the time of his life lighting up a cigar. Not that he can’t take care of himself, because he actually can. Compared to these guys he’s standing six feet tall, and he is quite muscular if he does say so himself, but even so…

He stopped when he saw the guys looking at him. At that point, he held his breath.

This is familiar.

“Got cash?” One of them said. Percy knew he could take them, but the sharp looking knife says otherwise. He pulled his wallet up and grabbed a few bucks knowing that it’s better to be safe. He’s seen this before, he remembers. Jason...the angel, he let him see it. 

For what? He doesn’t know. To change his future?

One of them moved towards his back. Percy gave them the money, besides his wallet which was left with the only picture of him and Annabeth. It was staying with him.

“Your wallet.” The other guy commanded.

“It’s empty.” He proceeded to show each pocket, giving everything besides it.

“Alright,” The guy in front of him said. “Let’s--”

He felt someone stab his side, the tip of the knife cold to his touch. Before he could react, the other guy looked at the other, probably more shocked than he was. “What the fuck! I fucking told you--”

“He wasn’t giving his wallet!” 

There were mutters and half shouts, but all he could feel was the pain in his side, along with the shuffling of the three and someone saying they should run back. Percy’s face paled.

“W-wait! Don’t leave me here!” He knew that was stupid thing to say, but it dawned on him that this exact thing was going to happen.

He was so stupid.

But he didn’t want to die alone.

“Wait!”

He saw blood soak his shirt. He knew that pulling out the knife would cause more blood, but his side was burning in cold steel. The guys were muttering, until one of them decided to knock him out for good measure.

“Annabeth.” He cried out this time.

No one replied.

When Percy was young, his mom would bake him blue cookies. He remembered his sixth birthday, when a lot of kids attended his small birthday party with blue balloons and sprinkles. They ended up eating alone after a while when it’s night time, and it was his first time baking the exact same thing. Sadly, he never knew how to make one just like her’s, so it was only a moment when he realized that blue cookies were a part of his childhood, and nothing more than that. 

When his mom had passed, he saw the last remaining cookies at the countertop.

         For Perseus ,

            The greatest gift I could ever have. 

And with that, nothing more. He remembered savoring every last bit of it, knowing well he couldn’t taste anything like it ever again even if he tried. 

It was like that, now, breathing air in a valve that will cost him a hundred thousand dollars, barely trying to grasp anything without crying in pain. Percy knew he was going to die. It had damaged his lungs and left a hole, and no amount of medicine or operation could fix it. He’ll have to leave soon.

When he graduated middle school, Gabe wasn’t there to cheer him on. No one took him on stage, so teachers have to do it so he wouldn’t get embarrassed. He did have some friends here and there, but when high school came, he’s fallen out with almost every single one of them. 

People liked him is the thing, some girls have told him that his charm was “unearthly”, whatever it means. He’s had several admirers, but not one of them tried to get to know him as far, or when he starts opening up, people start looking at him weirdly.

There were blue cookies on his side of the bed. Along with a letter that he couldn’t bother to read, much less look at without wincing in pain.

“Percy,” He could hear her voice. It was Annabeth.

He tried his best to look at her without crying, but it was hard to speak with a tube on your mouth. Annabeth was crying.

“Hey angel,” Percy smiled with tearful eyes. “It’s not my fault.”

“I know.” She was cupping his face and blinking back tears.

“Thanks for stopping by.”

When Annabeth looked at him, he thinks, maybe things were right all along. If he could see her one more time, he would have died a happy man. Annabeth was still crying, holding him by the side of his face, and kissing his forehead.

“shush, Percy.” Annabeth said. “You’ll be alright, see?”

But even she wasn’t convinced. 

“I’ll do whatever I can, I promise.”

“it’s okay.”

“No, stop. Percy, please.”

“Maybe you’ll turn me into a slug,” He chuckled, earning a wince. “ Or seaweed.”

Annabeth smiled beneath her tears. He remembered asking her about the future once, and how it would be easy to just make every person rich and healthy, or how it was easy to mess up the future for their own selfish wants. But it wasn’t easy. It never was. He couldn’t mess with fate, or any other god this world knows and remembers. All he knows is that Annabeth and he were supposed to be together. 

“Maybe I will.”

He was somewhere. He didn’t know, but the lights were blinding and the sky was too bright, and up ahead there were gates covered in clouds and behind was a garden of white roses. He stood at the top of the tall hill- his clothes were white now, and he wasn’t wearing any shoes at all. Annabeth stood in front of him, glowing brilliantly, completely sunkissed, and wearing a dress that matches his’ perfectly.

“Angel.”

“Hi angel,” She smiles back, looking at him as if he was the greatest thing she ever saw. 

“Where am I?”

“Heaven.” She closed the gap between their fingers. “Not biblical heaven, just heaven.”

His confusion might have looked clear on Annabeth’s eyes, because she laughed at him for a good while, and Percy thinks he would never ever get used to it. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss his forehead.

“Am I...a spirit?” Percy questioned.

“Obviously, you’re not a slug either.”

He smiles.

“I got my license revoked. “ Annabeth whispered, although he couldn’t hear the hint of disappointment on her tone.

“I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”

Annabeth laughed at him. She looked up as if expecting something to happen, and it dawned on him only this time that he is literally with an angel, a gorgeous one to be exact. Annabeth smiles at the direction above, then looks down on him, probably drinking the fact that he was there. 

“It’s alright,” Annabeth kissed him. “It’s not what I want after all.”

He pulled her closer, wanting to smell the faint scent of strawberries from her golden hair, and Annabeth did the same, burying her head on his shoulder.

“Angel?” She asked.

It was his turn to speak.

“Yeah?” 

“Want to travel the world with me?” 

He smiles.

You are pulled from the wreckage

Of your silent reverie.

You're in the arms of an angel...

May you find some comfort here.

         For Percy, 

                 For you, I would fall from Grace. 

                                                              Annabeth.