Archive of Our Own ^beta

From the corner of his eye, Percy saw the blonde walk in. She was new, and he lived in the type of small town nobody ever moved to, so he was intrigued. She was tall, athletic. If he had to guess, he would say she played volleyball. The girl took a chair on the side of the room without saying a word to anyone and class started. She was hard not to notice. She raised her hand and asked questions like she’d been there all along, or like she didn’t care that she hadn’t. When the bell rang, she packed her things and left.

He saw her again at lunch. She was sitting in between Piper and Hazel, and opposite to where Percy was about to sit. As he approached the table, she heard her talking about how she had just moved in. He thought back to the move-in truck parked outside the house next to his that he’d seen that morning, which he hadn’t thought about too much because his mom had told him someone was going to move in and also because it was seven in the morning.

“Percy, this is Annabeth,” Piper introduced them as he sat down.

“Nice to meet you. I think you might be my new neighbor,” he told her.

“Really?” Annabeth asked.

“Yeah. Virginia Street?”

“Yes. Which house do you live in?”

“813. Right next to yours.”

“What? No way,” Frank exclaimed. “You guys live right next to each other?”

“Apparently,” Annabeth responded, then turned back to Percy. “Weren’t you in my History class this morning?”

“Yeah,” he confirmed.

“Oh, so you already met?” Piper asked.

“Not really, I just saw her there.”

“Sorry, should’ve introduced myself,” Annabeth said, not sounding particularly sorry.

“‘S okay.”

Annabeth was pretty nice. She didn’t seem very open, but she’d just met all of them, so Percy supposed he would have to wait to know what this girl’s deal was. However, he did notice she was really pretty. Like, really pretty, kind of like those girls that have two million followers on Instagram and wear lipstick for a living. Percy thought Annabeth’s grey eyes were way too scary for an Instagram model, though.

Annabeth observed the group around her. She was half listening to them talk about their teachers, mostly Hazel, Piper and her boyfriend Jason, but her new neighbor Percy was quieter, only making occasional comments. Annabeth could tell these people have known each other for a long time and were a tight knit group, so letting her in was probably a big deal. She’d lived in small towns like these and she knew everyone had probably met in kindergarten. She didn’t worry too much, though, because she probably wouldn’t stay long enough to disturb the balance of the group dynamics.

The other night, Annabeth had counted how many people’s names she had learned from her previous school. She had a friend group she wasn’t too close with, and she got to know some other people from her classes. The total was 23, which was quite a lot for just a semester. Looking around the cafeteria, she wondered how many of these people’s names she would learn.

Once lunch ended, she stopped Percy before going to her next class.

“Can you give me a ride home?” she asked. Annabeth felt like if she was going to be this kid’s neighbor, she might as well try to befriend him, and not having to walk home would be a plus.

“Yeah, totally,” he responded, smiling. “I was actually going to offer.”

“Oh, thanks.”

“No worries. What class do you have right now?”

Annabeth glanced at her schedule. “Uh, Math.”

“Mrs. Dodds?”

“Yeah.”

He let out a dry laugh. “Good luck.”

“Why, is she bad?”

“She’s the devil.”

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. “Wow. Now I’m excited.”

“Yeah, you should be.”

He stopped in front of one of the classrooms.

“This is me. Meet you at the front door at 3?”

“Yeah.”

Percy was right. Mrs. Dodds clearly hated her job, and probably hated teenagers even more. She did not smile once in the duration of the class, and Annabeth had the feeling she never really would.

She told Percy this as she got into his car.

“That’s actually a school inside joke,” he told her.

“Really?”

“Yeah. There’s an Instagram account called smilingdodds, and the whole thing is like, candids of her smiling.”

“How many are there?”

“Three.”

Annabeth laughed. “Oh, my god. I mean, that sounds accurate, but three is pretty low.”

“Yeah, and that was an entire year.”

“That poor woman. She must really hate her job.”

“Definitely. You’re taking AP, though, right?”

“I am.”

“That’s good, then. You won’t have her next year.”

Annabeth shrugged. “I probably won’t be here next year anyway.”

Percy glanced at her. “Why?”

“I move around a lot. My dad is a consultant for this big company and he’s always being transferred.”

“Shit, really?”

“Yeah. I’ve lived in seven different cities.”

“And this is where you ended up? Damn.”

“This place isn’t so bad,” Annabeth countered. “I lived in Iowa for a while.”

“Fuck off. Iowa doesn’t even exist.”

“I wish it didn’t. It was hell.”

“I can imagine.”

Percy pulled up in front of Annabeth’s driveway, and she was surprised they’d already arrived. She’d barely felt the ten minutes pass.

“Here we are,” Percy said.

“Thanks.” Annabeth stepped out of the car, closed the door and leaned over the open window. She thought a little before asking, but then decided it didn’t really matter. “Would you want to drive to school together?”

He smiled. “Yeah, definitely. I’ll stop by at 7?”

“Sounds good.”

“See you tomorrow.”

Percy offered her one last smirk before driving into his own garage. Annabeth pretended she didn’t think he was criminally adorable.

Turns out “see you tomorrow” wasn’t actually accurate, because the minute Percy entered his room and looked out the window, there she was again— Annabeth Chase in flesh and bone, sitting on her bed and looking at her phone. He took a few seconds before making sure it was really her before opening his window and calling her name. She looked up from her phone and glanced around, trying to locate the source of the sound, before pausing on Percy.

She walked over to her window and opened it. “Is that your room?”

“Yep.”

She raised her eyebrows. Percy felt worried it would be awkward having their rooms facing each other, especially since they’d just met. However, Annabeth’s mouth broke into a soft grin. 

“Guess you can just yell at me right to my face if I’m late in the morning.”

Percy laughed. “Will do.”

He snuck a glance past Annabeth, observing her room. He could tell she’d just moved in— the only decoration was a single poster stuck to the wall opposite her bed, and there were a few open boxes lying around.

“It’s still pretty messy,” Annabeth admitted, probably realizing Percy was looking.

“Oh, it’s fine. Mine isn’t that much better,” he said, stepping aside for her to see for herself.

She tilted her head as she examined his room. “You skate?” She asked.

“Yeah, do you?”

“Not really. It sounds fun, but I never had the time to learn.”

“I can teach you,” Percy offered.

“Yeah, I think that would be cool.”

“Cool.”

Annabeth nodded and looked around. “I think I’m gonna do my homework, but it was nice talking to you.”

“Yeah, you too. If you need anything, you know exactly where I am.”

Annabeth wondered what she’d gotten herself into when she walked over to Percy’s yard  that Saturday. He’d called her through the window, skateboard in hand, and asked her if she wanted to “begin her lessons.” It was nice outside and she wasn’t doing anything, so she said yes.

Percy was already waiting for her. He was wearing a blue shirt and basketball shorts, and it really struck Annabeth how attractive he really was. His brown skin was glowing in the sun, and his black hair complimented it perfectly.

“Hey,” he greeted her. “You ready?”

“I think so,” she responded.

“Cool.”

He handed her the skateboard and she placed it on the floor below her feet.

“How do I begin?” Annabeth asked.

“Stand on the skateboard with one foot in front of the other,” Percy instructed. “Once you get your balance, I’ll tell you how to move.”

“Okay,” she agreed.

She put one foot on the skateboard, then another. The board moved underneath her, so she put a foot back on the floor to stop herself from falling, then tried again. This time, she succeeded.

Percy walked over to her side. “Push off with your back foot when you’re ready, and put it back when you start moving. You’ll get better balance if you turn your front foot sideway once you move, by the way.”

Annabeth nodded.

“I’ll walk with you in case you fall,” Percy said. “You can hold onto my arm if you want.”

Annabeth started to move her foot to push ahead, but realized she didn’t have enough balance to do it by herself. “Yeah, I think I’ll take your arm.”

Percy put out his arm and Annabeth grabbed his wrist. When she felt confident, she finally thrusted forward with not too much strength, and Percy walked beside her.

A few minutes later, she could successfully ride on her own —in a straight line and at a low speed— without needing any support from Percy. They took turns skateboarding around the street for about an hour until the September sun was too hot and they decided to call it quits.

“You did pretty well,” Percy told her as they walked back to his house. “You play any sports?”

“Volleyball,” she responded.

“I thought you did.”

“Really, why?”

“Your- I mean, you’re, um, athletic. And tall. I assumed.”

“What about you? You’re on the swim team, right?”

“Yeah. I’m probably gonna swim for college.”

“That’s really cool. Do you know where you want to go?” Annabeth asked.

“I grew up in New York City, so I kinda wanna go back.”

“Really? That’s where I want to go too.”

“Maybe we’ll be neighbors in college too, then.”

Annabeth smiled. “Who knows, right?”

She was surprised to find the prospect of being his neighbor for an extended period of time didn’t sound bad at all. Out of the new people she’d met at this school, Percy was the one she’d been getting along with best. He was really funny, easy to talk to and generally a very sweet and caring boy. He had the kind of smile that could light a room, and it was especially noteworthy because he was a bit shy and wasn’t one to make his presence immediately known. Annabeth almost felt special, getting to notice these little things about him.

They stopped in front of his house.

“Um, my mom offered to make us lemonade if we want, but she probably already made it anyway,” Percy said. “Wanna come inside and have some?”

“I don’t want to bother.”

“You won’t, trust me. My mom has been dying to meet you since you moved in.”

“I’ll come, then.”

“Awesome. Follow me.”

He led her into his house and into the kitchen, where his mother was standing by the counter, talking to a toddler.

“Mom,” Percy called. “We’ve come for lemonade.”

The woman turned around and smiled. “You’re Annabeth, right?”

“Yes. It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Jackson.”

“Call me Sally, honey.” She turned to Percy. “The lemonade is in the fridge. Get Annabeth a glass with ice, too.”

“Thanks.” Annabeth looked at the little girl sitting next to Sally. “Who’s that?”

“This is Estelle.” Sally smiled and looked at her daughter. “Estelle, say hello.”

Estelle promptly waved at Annabeth and said, “wello.”

“Hi,” Annabeth greeted back, smiling.

Percy came back with two glasses of lemonade and stopped next to Annabeth, handing her one of the drinks.

“Isn’t she cute?” He asked.

“Adorable,” Annabeth agreed. “My brothers have nothing on Estelle.”

“You have brothers?”

“Twins. They’re thirteen now.”

“Yeah, thirteen year-old boys suck.”

Annabeth laughed. “They don’t totally suck. Only sometimes.”

“That’s nice. When I was thirteen, I sucked all the time.”

“That’s not true, honey,” Sally interrupted.

“Thanks, mom,” Percy said, then gave Annabeth a look that said, moms, am I right?

Usually, this would have been a bit depressing, because Annabeth had never had a mother figure half as motherly as Sally Jackson. The glint in Percy’s eyes as he made funny faces at his sister didn’t allow for any sadness, though.

"Percy, you have to find the constant first. Where's the constant?" Annabeth asked.

Percy stared down at the textbook. "Fuck the constant, actually. Why can't the constant find itself? Download Google Maps or something."

“That’s very funny, but I don’t think Dodds will agree.”

“Of course she won’t, she hasn’t laughed in at least two decades.”

Percy didn’t feel like laughing either. That day’s homework was kicking his ass and he frankly would rather clean up his sister’s diapers all day long than solve one more Algebra problem.

“Why don’t we take a break?” Annabeth suggested, dropping her pencil on the table and closing her notebook.

“Yes, please.”

He pushed himself off his chair. “Wanna eat something? There’s chocolate cake.”

“I would love chocolate cake,” Annabeth responded.

“Follow me,” he requested, and she complied.

Percy led her to the kitchen and she took a seat at the table as he opened the fridge to search for the cake.

“So,” he began, his back facing hers. “How’s this town been treating you so far?”

“Pretty good, but it’s always weird moving into a small town like this.”

“Why?”

“Everyone knows each other,” she explained. “Sometimes, when I go talk to people, it’s like I have 3 heads and I’m wearing a different hat in each one of them.”

Percy laughed at the analogy. “That sounds like a character in one of the TV shows Estelle watches.”

When he was done cutting the two slices, he sat next to Annabeth and handed her a plate and a fork. 

“You think so?” She asked. “Maybe I’ll copyright the idea and sell it to Nickelodeon. Get rich.”

“Great idea,” Percy agreed. “Seriously, though. Is it crazy moving around a lot like that?”

“Yeah, it kinda is. I’m used to it now, but it’s really upsetting sometimes, leaving stuff behind.”

“Like friends?”

“Yeah, but not just that. You get attached to small things too, like your room, your locker. You have to stop yourself from doing some things. Like, what if I fell in love, you know, started dating someone and had to leave them two months later?”

Percy nodded. “That would suck.”

“Yeah.”

“That ever happened to you before?”

Annabeth shrugged and dug into her cake. “Fortunately, no. No romance for me.”

Her tone was neutral, but Percy could tell she wasn’t exactly happy with these restrictions. She was staring down at her plate, eyes unfocused as if she was reliving an old memory. Percy wondered if one day, that’s what he would be to her— a memory. The thought upset him more than he thought it would. He imagined what it would be like to live a life like that, brief connections, easily broken and quickly forgotten. He thought about his friends, whom he knew since he knew himself. Even though they’d only met about two months earlier, somehow, Annabeth didn’t feel much different. There was a permanence to her, the way she sat quietly at his kitchen and ate his mother’s food, the way she complained about his music being too loud through her bedroom window. A permanence he couldn’t explain. All he knew was that the possibility of her leaving him behind was wrong.

“Okay, Annabeth, taste this one,” Piper instructed.

“The red one?” Annabeth asked.

“No, the green one.”

“That’s not fair. It’s obviously going to be one of the bad ones.”

“That’s not true. It could be mint.”

“It’s not going to be mint. I’m eating the red one.”

Annabeth put her hand into the Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans box Piper had bought on her last visit to the Universal Studios park and picked out the red bean she’s been eyeing.

“So?” Piper asked.

“Dirt.”

Piper laughed out loud. “See? You should’ve gotten the green one?”

“You eat it, then.”

With a determined expression, Piper tossed the green jelly bean in her mouth, and her face immediately switched to disgust and disappointment.

“Pretty sure this is the vomit one.”

“Ha-ha. Told you.”

Piper opened her mouth to respond when Percy and Jason entered the room. They strided across Piper’s huge living room, sitting opposite each other in the two couches. Percy sat with Annabeth and Jason sat next to Piper, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and kissing her cheek.

“Hey, babe,” Piper greeted him.

“Hi,” he responded, smiling softly.

Envy burned in the pit of Annabeth’s stomach, as much as she willed it to go away. She’d never been one to obsess over boys or romance, but recently, the simple fact that she could never have what her friends had started to become more poignant. And she wasn’t sure who to resent— her father or herself. It was her own choice to shut herself off, but his choice to move his family around the country like a foosball.

It didn’t matter, anyway. She could resent everyone in the world and still be lonely.

Annabeth was sitting on Percy’s lawn and scrolling through her Instagram feed, and Percy thought she looked really pretty. Then, he tried to locate where the hell that came from, because he was not supposed to be thinking about her that way. He shouldn’t think of her like that because she’d made it quite clear she wasn’t interested in being in a romantic relationship with anyone, which would have been fine if Percy hadn’t developed a teeny-tiny crush on her.

Except, that was not true. Percy Jackson didn’t do teeny-tiny feelings. He did big, loud feelings that made him act stupid and made it hard to think, especially when Annabeth looked so nice, with her hair falling down her back like that, and he could see her shoulders because she was wearing a tank top and-

Shut up, Percy told himself.

Luckily, Annabeth interrupted his train of thought by exclaiming, “Oh, my god.”

“What?” Percy asked.

She stared at her phone for a few seconds, squinting.

“This is my mom,” she said, turning the screen his way.

On it was a picture of a middle-aged woman posing next to a model of a building that looked like a hospital. She had greying brown hair and a stern expression that immediately reminded Percy of the girl sitting beside him.

“Where is that?” He asked.

“Albany.”

“Did you know she lived there?”

“The address on her last birthday card was from Chicago, so no.”

Annabeth pulled her arm back to stare at the picture again. “Apparently she’s opening a hospital.”

“In Albany?”

“Obviously.”

Percy didn’t want to say the obvious, which was that Albany was a thirty minute drive away. He didn’t think he needed to, anyway, because Annabeth looked like her brain was doing a million laps a second.

She was quiet for a few seconds and suddenly got up.

“I gotta go… back to my house,” she told Percy. “Tell your mom I said thanks for the cookies.”

“Uh, okay. See you.”

She was already too far away to hear him.

New hospital to open in downtown Albany in late February, the headline read.

The rest of the news article went on to talk about how internationally renowned neurosurgeon Athena Chase had stepped back from her role as the head of the neurosurgery department in one of the biggest hospitals in Chicago to open her own hospital in Albany with her associate.

As she reread the article for the thousandth time, Annabeth wondered if her mother knew or cared that her daughter was a short drive away from her. She thought about the Christmas and birthday cards buried in one of her desk drawers. She’d read them every once in a while, search the words for any meaning or affection past standard wishes and cold, meaningless compliments. She could never find it.

Angela yelled from the kitchen that dinner was ready, so Annabeth reluctantly went downstairs and joined her family at the table.

She sort of expected her dad to say something about the new development, but he just ate his chicken in silence. Annabeth wouldn’t have it.

“Dad, did you know mom was opening a hospital in Albany?”

Frederick Chase looked up at her. “Yes, I did.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Annabeth retorted.

“I didn’t think you’d be interested.”

“Really? You didn’t think I would want to know my mother lives half an hour away from us?”

“I don’t know, Annabeth. I suppose I assumed you would ask.”

“Ask? How am I going to ask about something I didn’t know was happening in the first place?”

“Why are you angry?” Angela joined the conversation. “Do you want to go see your mother?”

“No, but-”

“Then you shouldn’t be mad at your father for not telling you about her every move.”

“I’m not mad- ”

“That’s good. Then we can have dinner in peace, right?”

“Right,” Annabeth mumbled. She shouldn’t have asked, not in front of her stepmother. That was as far as the conversation would go, so Annabeth tried to occupy her mind with anything else.

Her thoughts immediately traveled to the house next to hers, specifically one of its residents. Annabeth had been finding herself thinking about Percy quite often lately. She wasn’t sure why— probably because she got along with him better than with any of her other friends, even Piper, who she’d bonded with pretty much immediately and whose house she visited at least three times a week. Or maybe it was because he was her neighbor, and she could frequently see and talk to him through her bedroom window. However, she had a nagging sensation that the reason was something entirely different.

She didn’t want to think it had anything to do with the way her heart raced when he smiled at her, or how she found herself wanting to call him through her window more often than it was appropriate. 

That night, though, he called her. When they wanted to talk to each other, they’d check if the other person’s bedroom light was on, then play music way too loud until they came to the window. Annabeth was reading when she suddenly heard a random Green Day song blasting from the next house. She walked over and opened the curtains. 

When she appeared in his view, Percy turned the music off.

“What’s up?” She asked.

“Um, I just wanted to check if you were okay,” he replied. “You seemed pretty upset when you left today.”

Annabeth sighed. “I’m okay. I guess I’m just disappointed she’s living so close by and no one bothered to tell me.”

“Yeah, that is kind of weird.”

“Yeah.”

He eyed her for a second. “Can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“Sure.”

“Do you ever want to go talk to her? And ask her… I don’t know, why she’s not a bigger part of your life?”

“Sometimes,” Annabeth admitted. “I don’t think that would do any good, though. If she wanted to be a part of my life, she could.”

It was only after she finished talking that she realized she hadn’t thought twice about answering his question honestly. If it had been anyone else, she probably would have changed the subject immediately. With him, that didn’t even cross her mind. She trusted him so much, and he’d earned it. He was looking at her, waiting, listening, but not pushing her. She continued.

“I do wonder if she actually met me, things would be different. Like, if she actually saw me in person instead of pictures and had to talk to me, she’d realize I’m a person with feelings. You know what I mean?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t know. It’s stupid.”

“It’s not stupid,” Percy replied immediately. “She’s the one who’s stupid for not being a part of your life. She doesn’t know what she’s missing.”

Annabeth would have reached beyond the gap between their houses and hugged him if she could. She couldn’t, so she just smiled.

“Thanks for listening,” she said.

“Always,” he responded with a certainty that made Annabeth’s chest tight.

That night, she thought a lot about her mom. About getting in a car, driving to her hospital and banging on her office door and asking, “Remember me?” And when that got too upsetting she thought about the boy in the house next door. Long after his window was closed and his lights were off, her mind still wandered to his messy bedroom, where a panda bear sat on the shelf above his bed and his backpack probably laid somewhere on the floor, books and pencils spilling out.

She’d definitely miss his mess when she left.

“Are you coming or not?” Percy called from his room, his torso halfway out the window.

He stared at Annabeth’s closed curtains and waited for a response, which didn’t come for a few seconds.

“I was in the bathroom,” Annabeth finally yelled back. “I’ll meet you downstairs.”

When Percy opened his front door, she was already standing there next to his car.

“I can’t believe you’ve never seen Lion King,” Percy offered as a greeting.

“Just never got around to it,” Annabeth explained. “I know the song though.”

“Which one?”

“Hakuna Matata,” she sang, “what a wonderful day-”

“It’s ‘wonderful phrase,’” Percy corrected.

“Well, forgive me for not knowing the exact words to a song I’ve never actually heard in full.”

“You’re the one who said you knew it!”

“Whatever.” She playfully elbowed Percy on the side. “Let’s just go.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Percy walked to his car and opened the door for her. Annabeth stuck out her tongue at him but got in the car. He got in the driver’s side and pulled out of the driveway.

“You’ve been to Hazel’s house a couple of times, right?” Percy asked.

“Yeah. I did homework there once and we also had a girl’s night with Piper.”

“What does one do in a girl’s night?”

“Pillow fights in our underwear, of course.”

“Ha-ha.”

“We just watched TV shows and had ice cream. Nothing exciting.”

“I see.”

“You sound unimpressed. What did you expect?”

“I don’t know, honestly. Something less boring, cause that just sounds like what I do by myself.”

Percy’s phone dinged.

“Um, can you check what that is?” He asked, pointing to his phone on the center console.

Annabeth picked up his phone. “It’s a text from Hazel,” she informed him. “Shit. She says she just woke up. She’s sick.”

“So no Lion King?”

“No Lion King.”

Annabeth sighed. “I guess we can go back to mine and watch it there.”

Percy thought about it. “I have a better idea, actually.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I want to show you a place.”

“What place?”

“You’ll see.”

Percy knew that, if he drove far enough away from the city, he would find a lake next to a small abandoned house by the road. The house itself was uninteresting, and Percy was pretty sure that there were snakes or something inside, but the lake was large and has tons of fish in it. It also looked really nice during the sunset, which was approaching, and Percy was nothing but a hopeless romantic, even though Annabeth would probably never know how he really felt.

When it was evident they were leaving the city, Percy looked over at Annabeth, who looked confused.

“Are you kidnapping me right now?” She asked.

“Yes. This whole time I was just waiting for the right moment to get you.”

“Damn. I should have seen it coming.”

“I’m a master of deceit.” 

“So what now?” Annabeth asked. “You gonna kill me?”

“Nah, I like you too much for that. Maybe I’ll keep you trapped in a basement ‘til I decide.”

“That’s better. That way, I can escape.”

“We’ll see about that.” Percy looked ahead and recognized the small house in the distance. “We’re almost there.”

Annabeth turned her gaze toward the road. Percy had to force himself to do the same instead of staring at her profile against the dimming sunlight.

He pulled into the roadside next to the house and said, “We’re here.”

“Where is ‘here’, exactly?” Annabeth asked, opening her door and stepping out.

“Some house,” Percy said, “but the cool thing about it is the lake.”

He went around the house and Annabeth followed him. There was a wooden bench right by the lake, which was very old and would probably be consumed by time and nature very soon. Percy kicked the base to see if it would handle two people sitting on it and it felt pretty firm, so he sat down, and so did Annabeth.

“This is… nice,” Annabeth said.

Percy checked the time on his phone. “It’ll be way nicer in about fifteen minutes when the sun is setting.”

“How do you know about this place?”

“My dad used to take me here when I was a kid, before he died,” Percy told her. “We went fishing on this lake sometimes. This house has been abandoned for years, so no one ever complained.”

“It does look like no one has been here in a while.” She looked back. “What about the house? Have you been inside?”

“Not really,” Percy admitted. “It’s probably just dust and spiders, though.”

“Okay, definitely not going in, then.”

Percy laughed. “Are you really that scared of spiders?”

“Yeah. I get completely panicked, like, I can’t even move.”

Percy had a hard time picturing that. Annabeth carried herself with such cold confidence it was almost illogical for her to be paralyzed by a small animal. She didn’t tell him this much, but he imagined she didn’t share the extent of her fear with lots of people. Percy could tell she had a hard time opening up to people, especially since she assumed she would be out of their lives in a matter of months. He tried not to push her too much, but he was glad for every little bit of information he got— her favorite book, how she liked her eggs, her dream job, the fact that she was very ticklish. 

“If any spiders show up, I’ll kill them for you,” Percy offered.

“My hero.” Annabeth smiled, and it looked better than any sunset Percy had ever seen.

She moved closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder, watching the sunset. Percy stayed completely still for several minutes, fearing any slight movement might make her move away. However, when he yawned, she didn’t. She just adjusted herself next to him, moving a little closer. Feeling brave, Percy wrapped an arm around her shoulder. They only left when the sun was completely gone, replaced by a curved sliver of the moon.

Annabeth connected her phone to her bluetooth player, chose a random Avril Lavigne song and turned it all the way up. A few seconds later, Percy appeared through his open window, and his smile did something to her heart, which she ignored.

“What’s up?” He asked.

“I saw Lion King,” Annabeth told him.

“Really? When?” 

“Last night at Piper’s house.”

“Did you like it?”

“Yeah, but…”

“What?”

“I don’t know,” Annabeth continued. “I guess I expected more, since everyone talks about it so much.”

Percy shrugged. “I guess it’s more fun when you watch it as a kid for the first time.”

“Probably. It was still sad, though. His dad dying and all.”

“Very,” he agreed. “So what are your plans on this fine Sunday?”

She considered his question. Annabeth was going to do homework, but she’d already finished it all, and she’d also finished the TV show she had been binge watching at Piper’s house the day before.

“Nothing,” she replied finally. “What about you?”

“I was going to Jason’s later, but he’s busy, so no plans. Wanna do something?”

“Sure. Meet me downstairs?”

“Yeah.”

They sat on the sidewalk together like they’d grown accustomed to over the past few months. Percy on the left and Annabeth on the right, legs crossed and knees touching. Close enough for Annabeth to elbow him playfully whenever he made fun of her, and close enough for her to have to tilt her head up to look at him.

However, lately, it just didn’t feel close enough. Annabeth found herself inching closer to him every time they were next to each other, like the only thing she was missing was the warmth of his skin. In fact, when he wasn’t there, that’s what it was like— something was missing. Not in Annabeth, because she was complete. Something else, something she couldn’t quite point out, should be there with her and it wasn’t. Or he wasn’t.

Truth was, the way Annabeth felt about Percy probably went beyond “just friends” territory at this point. She’d tried to push it away, deny it, but she couldn’t stop the insistent way her own mind seemed to drift back to him all the time. She’d catch herself staring into his bedroom when he wasn’t there, hoping he’d walk through the door and talk to her through the gap between their houses. She wished it was smaller so she could reach across and hold his hand, run a hand through his hair and see his freckles up close.

“What’s on your mind?” He asked her.

You. “My mom.”

“What about her?”

“Just… everything. The fact that she exists and I haven’t talked to her in person since I was a little kid.”

“Do you ever call her?”

“I don’t have her number, and I don’t want to ask my dad either.”

Percy hesitated. “This might be a dumb question, but why don’t you go talk to her when the hospital opens?”

He was right. Annabeth could simply get in a car and drive to her mother, talk to her in person. She wouldn’t be able to pretend Annabeth didn’t exist if she was standing right there.

“Do you think I should?” Annabeth asked.

“What do you think?” Percy countered. “I can’t make that decision for you.”

“I think I’m scared,” she admitted.

“I’ll go with you. I can drive you to Albany and back, so you won’t have to be alone.”

She widened her eyes at him. “Percy, I can’t ask you that.”

“You can, but you’re not. I’m offering.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded. “One hundred percent.”

She threw her arms around him, and he held her back tightly.

When she met Percy, she didn’t plan on falling in love. In his embrace, Annabeth realized things don’t always go to plan. 

“Do you prefer cheese or pepperoni?” Annabeth asked.

“I’m a vegetarian,” Piper responded dryly.

“Right, sorry. Is Domino’s okay?”

“Yeah.”

Annabeth opened the website on her phone and ordered the pizza.

“Okay, ordered,” she informed Piper. “Are you sure you want to keep watching Gilmore Girls?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Frankly, Rory is the most annoying fictional character I’ve ever seen anywhere. She makes me so angry.”

“Oh, you’re one of those people.”

“Rational people? People who make good decisions? Yeah, I’m one of them.”

“Fine,” Piper conceded. “Rory is stupid as fuck, but the show is still interesting!”

“I don’t find her quirky conversations with her adult mother who talks like a fifteen year-old particularly interesting.”

“Fine, but you’ve disappointed me. What do you want to watch?”

Annabeth fell on her bed. “I don’t feel like watching anything.”

Piper eyed her from her desk chair. “Is there anything you want to talk about?”

“How do you know?”

“You’re acting all weird and think-ey. And you keep glancing over to Percy’s house, like, every other minute.”

Annabeth buried her face in her hands. This was bad, really bad. If she couldn’t not have feelings for him, she decided she would just pretend she didn’t. That would be considerably harder, though, if other people knew about it.

“Annabeth, I can practically hear the engines turning in your brain. Spit it out.”

Annabeth sat up in bed and looked at Piper for a few seconds. Then, she glanced at her window to make sure Percy wasn’t there.

“I may or may not have feelings for Percy,” Annabeth admitted.

“Yes. Not to be a bitch, but that’s not a surprise to anyone.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah. We all kind of suspected it.”

“Does Percy?”

“I don’t know. We haven’t talked to him about it,” Piper said. “We think he likes you too.”

“Really? Why?”

“Percy’s terrible at hiding his feelings. He’s way too emotional for that. He’s always talking about you, and he’s really excited and cheesy when you’re there, and he’s kinda moody when you’re not.”

Annabeth covered her face with a pillow. “Oh, my god. Shut up.”

“What’s wrong? This is good, right?”

“No! It’s terrible!”

Piper raised her eyebrows. “How is it terrible?”

“Because I can’t just be with him.”

“Yeah, you can. In fact, that’s the logical thing to do when two people like each other, miss I-hate-Rory-Gilmore.”

“You don’t get it. I can’t be with him because he’s wonderful and it’s going to be great and I’m going to be happy, and then one day I’ll get yanked out of this town and leave him behind and get my heart broken.” Annabeth sighed. “So, yeah. I can’t be with him.”

Piper moved from the chair to the bed, sitting next to Annabeth and wrapping an arm around her.

“I still think you should go for it.”

“Did you not hear anything I just said?”

“Yes, but, so what? We’re juniors. We’ll all be out of this town in two years, anyway.”

“Right, but-”

“You said yourself it’s going to make you very happy. Why would you give that up based on a distant possibility?”

Annabeth didn’t want to tell Piper the possibility wasn’t as distant as she thought. She also didn’t want to tell her she would give it up because she was scared the pain of leaving him would exceed the joy of having him in the first place. It was safer to have nothing to lose.

“Where are you headed?” Frederick Chase asked.

“Percy and I are going to Piper’s house,” Annabeth lied. She walked out of the house without sparing her father a second glance.

Athena Chase’s hospital had opened a week prior to that Saturday, and Annabeth decided that would be a good day to confront her mother. She wouldn’t be as busy as she was during the first few days, with the opening ceremonies and all, but she’d probably still be in her office, which would be less likely on Sunday. At least, that’s what Annabeth assumed.

She marched over to Percy’s house and he was already waiting by the car.

“Does your mom know where we’re going?” Annabeth asked.

“No, but she definitely knows I’m up to something,” Percy replied. “She’ll probably ask about it when I come back.”

“And you’ll tell her?”

“Yeah, she won’t snitch,” he assured her. “Are you ready?”

Annabeth took a long, deep breath. “No. Let’s do this.”

Percy pulled out of the driveway and into the road. 

The drive was mostly silent. Annabeth was way too nervous to say anything, and Percy could definitely tell, because he didn’t attempt to start a conversation at any point besides asking if she was okay.

She’d created a million different scenarios for how the conversation could go. Annabeth wasn’t really sure what to say, and it all depended on how her mom would react to her presence in the first place. She’d thought about confronting her up front, asking her where the hell she had been this entire time. She’d also considered something less aggressive, maybe easing into the subject. Either way, she feared she wouldn’t find the words to say. There was also a chance her mother wouldn’t even be there, and the drive would have been for nothing, but Annabeth didn’t want to entertain that possibility.

Thirty minutes pass by quickly when your brain is so full of thoughts, Annabeth discovered when she felt the car halt to a stop. She looked out the window and saw the hospital, its long glass windows reflecting the sunlight seeping through the other buildings. Some parts of it were still in construction, but the main building was big and modern.

“I’ll be waiting here,” Percy assured her. “Good luck.”

Annabeth nodded and stepped out of the car.

She walked up to the reception, where a busy-looking woman was typing away on a very expensive computer. The receptionist looked up at Annabeth after a few seconds.

“Can I help you?” She asked.

“Yes, I’m looking for Athena Chase.” Annabeth tried to sound confident and natural.

The woman blinked at her. “The owner of the hospital.”

“Yes. Athena Chase.”

“Can I ask why?”

“I’m her daughter.”

At this information, the woman looked even more surprised. “Her daughter?”

Annabeth reached her hand into her pocket and placed her driver’s license on the desk. “Her daughter.”

The woman raised her eyebrows and reached for the ID. After studying it for a few seconds, she handed it back to Annabeth and said, “Her office is on the third floor, first door to the left.”

“Thank you,” Annabeth responded breathlessly, already walking quickly to the elevator.

She followed the receptionist’s instructions, stepping out of the elevator on the third floor. It opened to a long hallway with white walls on both sides. She turned left and immediately saw a big glass door labeled “Athena Chase, M.D.” Through the glass and inside the room, sitting on a large office chair, was Annabeth’s mother.

Her short hair was brushed back, and wrinkles marked her forehead as she frowned at whatever she was reading on her laptop. Her desk was covered in papers and files, as messy as Annabeth’s own desk at home.

She took a deep breath and walked up to the door, hitting her knuckles decidedly against the glass.

Athena looked up at the source of the sound. Recognition flooded her face as she identified Annabeth, then confusion, then something else her daughter did not recognize.

The woman stood up. “Come in,” she called.

Annabeth let herself in and closed the door behind her. She saw that her mother expected her to explain her presence, so she decided to start simple. “Hi, mom.”

“Hello,” Athena replied, but her tone was still inquisitive, her eyebrows raised.

“I didn’t know you lived here now,” Annabeth said. “I saw on the internet.”

“I assumed your dad would tell you.”

“He didn’t.”

A note of understanding crossed Athena’s face. “Is that why you’re here?”

“Yes and no,” Annabeth replied.

“Enlighten me.”

Annabeth walked closer to her mother, still leaving a couple of feet between them. A distance that was almost comfortable.

“I think I just want to understand.”

“Understand what?”

“Why I don’t matter to you,” Annabeth said bluntly. “Why you don’t care about being my mother.”

Athena was stunned for a few seconds. “Is that how you feel?”

“It’s the truth! You never talk to me, you probably don’t even know anything about me besides my name and address, I’ve lived thirty minutes away from you for, I don’t know, months , and you haven’t visited me once.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“That’s not an excuse. I am your daughter.”

Athena sighed deeply. “Sit down,” she asked.

Reluctantly, Annabeth took the seat in front of the desk. She expected her mother to sit on her chair, but she leaned against the table instead.

“You’re right. I’ve been… absent, to say the least.”

“Tell me about it.”

“I didn’t plan on being a mother.” She noticed Annabeth was opening her mouth to interrupt. “Please, let me finish. I didn’t want to be a mother, and I still don’t know how to be one. I probably should’ve been more present in your life, especially now that you’re close by. I guess I let myself believe I wouldn’t be missed, since you have your father and his wife. I wouldn’t know what to do anyway, what to say. I realize this is probably all noise to your ears. God, when I was your age…” She paused for a few seconds. “I’m not the perfect mother, if you can even call me a mother. However, I do care about you, Annabeth. I’ve made excuses for myself throughout the years, for sure, but I do care.”

Annabeth was at a loss for words, which was rare. She wasn’t sure whether she should call her mother out on her bullshit or give her a hug. Athena filled the silence for her.

“Does your father know you’re here?”

“No.”

“Well… I suppose you’re old enough to be responsible about… where you go.”

“I’ll tell him when I get back home.” It felt strange telling her mother this, as if she was going to be reprimanded for sneaking out.

“Would you like… do you want me to get to know you better? I can take you out for dinner some day. Albany has some nice restaurants.” Athena sounded hesitant, tentative.

“I don’t know what I want,” Annabeth responded. She felt tears welling up.

“Dr. Chase, your three o’clock is in ten minutes.” Annabeth turned around and saw a young woman waiting by the door, probably a resident.

“Thank you, Kate,” Athena responded. “I need to leave now, but you can stay if you want. I’ll be back in about two hours, probably.”

Annabeth nodded. Athena went behind her desk and pulled a card out of a drawer.

“Here’s my contact information. Feel free to call or email me, we’ll probably have a better conversation if you don’t show up unannounced.” Athena handed Annabeth the card. “Again, you can stay around. Maybe call your father.”

Annabeth did not stay around. As soon as her mother left the room, she shoved the card in her pocket and sprinted down the stairs, not bothering to wait for the elevator. She spotted Percy’s car exactly where it had been when she got out and walked over, rubbing her eyes to stop the tears from falling. She failed.

She got into the car without saying a word and slammed the door a little too aggressively. When the car didn’t start moving, she looked at Percy. The concern was painfully evident on his face. His eyebrows were scrunched up and his eyes were attentive, searching her face. It made Annabeth’s heart hurt with affection.

“Is everything okay?” He asked.

“Yes,” she said, sobbing immediately afterwards.

His arm moved from the steering wheel to her shoulder. She leaned into his touch and he tried his best to hold her from across the center console. Percy let her cry into his shoulder for a couple of minutes, assuring her everything would be okay. After a while, Annabeth settled back on her seat and wiped her eyes.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Percy offered.

Annabeth shook her head, so he didn’t say anything else and started driving.

Half an hour later, they were almost home, and Annabeth realized she didn’t want to be.

“Percy,” she called.

“Yeah?”

“Can we drive somewhere else? I don’t want to go back yet.”

“Of course, where do you want to go?”

“Anywhere.” Then, on second thought, “Maybe to your lake on the abandoned house, if that’s okay.”

Percy took the next street out of their neighborhood.

Annabeth reached for the radio and turned it on, so Percy reached for his phone and handed it to her. “Pick the music,” he offered.

She found a playlist called “sad jamz” and hit play. The music would have made her sadder if the sun wasn’t so bright on the sky and if Percy wasn’t softly humming along, terribly off-pitch, however, it still matched her gloomy mood perfectly.

She recognized the tiny house from a distance this time. It was lighter than the first time Percy had taken her there, so she could see the mold growing in the wooden walls, the broken glass behind boarded up windows. It was almost eerie in comparison to the lake it hid.

Annabeth walked silently to the bench, and she didn’t need to ask Percy to come along. They sat side by side, and she laid her head on his shoulder, like she had before. He didn’t hesitate to wrap a comforting arm around her shoulder.

If someone had told Annabeth six months before that she’d be sitting with her neighbor and best friend for whom she had feelings watching a lake by an abandoned house after having confronted her mother, she would have called them a liar. Annabeth Chase is not reckless, Annabeth Chase does not fall in love, Annabeth Chase does not run after people who don’t want her in the first place. It seems like she’d been wrong the entire time.

In fact, since she moved to this new town, things had changed a lot for Annabeth. She’d been more attached, more hopeful, less accepting of her unlucky fate despite her certainty that it would eventually come. The only constant in this sea of change was the boy sitting next to her. If everything else was going to go to shit, couldn’t she have this one good thing?

Despite the sun being out, the chilly February wind made Annabeth shiver. Percy felt her reaction to the cold and pulled her closer to him. She buried her face in the crook of his neck.

Annabeth didn’t want to think about her mom anymore. She didn’t want to worry about things she couldn’t control. What she had, there and then, was him. She pulled away slightly from his embrace, enough to tilt her face up and look at him.

Percy’s eyes flickered from hers to her lips, then back. It was quick, but Annabeth didn’t miss it. With his arms firmly around her and her hand clutching the back of his shirt, she made a decision.

“Are you going to kiss me?”

Percy swallowed. “Do you want me to?”

“Yes.”

He dipped his head and pressed his lips to hers, softly at first. Annabeth cupped the back of his neck, impatient. There was no time for hesitation. Percy responded almost immediately, kissing her more deeply and pulling her closer.

Her heart would probably break, yes. But in that moment, it was his.

Percy: You look funny staring at the wall like that

The ding coming from her phone caused Annabeth to snap off her trance and tear her gaze from her wall. Percy watched her reach for her phone on her bedside and read his text. A few seconds later, she leaned forward on her bed and looked at Percy, who was already eyeing her amusedly. She stuck out her tongue at him and walked to the window.

“Creep,” she said once she was close enough.

“Can’t I stare at my cute girlfriend for a little bit?” Percy retorted.

The sentence did exactly what Percy intended. A huge smile grew on Annabeth’s face and a soft flush rose to her cheeks. He loved the fact that he was one of the only people he knew who could make her blush.

“What are you doing, anyway?” She asked.

“Nothing. Wanna come over?”

“Sure. Be there in forty-five seconds.”

When she arrived, he was already holding the door open. Annabeth stood on the tips of her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips.

“Hi,” she greeted him.

“Hello,” he replied. “Long time no see.”

She laughed and stepped into his house. “Hi, Sally,” Annabeth called.

“Hi, sweetheart,” Percy’s mom yelled back from the kitchen. A few seconds later, she appeared at the door, Estelle at her hip. “How’s your weekend going?”

“It’s alright, how about you?”

“Estelle’s got a bit of a cold, but other than that, everything’s great, isn’t it sweetheart?” Sally responded, directing the last bit at her daughter. The toddler babbled quietly in response.

Annabeth felt Percy’s hand on her back.

“We’re going up to my room,” he said.

“Leave the door open,” Sally demanded. “Have fun, kids!”

“Thanks, mom.” Percy took Annabeth’s hand and led her upstairs.

When Annabeth and Percy hung out at this room, doing homework or whatnot, she’d sit at his desk and he’d sit on his bed. Now that they were together, there was no need for such distinctions— what was his was hers too, his things, his bed, his hands. He was all too eager to make her comfortable with him, in hopes she would stay another day.

In reality, the mere fact that he had her, after such a long time of that possibility being entirely denied over and over, was a miracle to him. Every single time she let him press his lips to hers, he was reminded of the instances when Annabeth had implied giving her heart away would necessarily mean getting it broken. Percy was terrified he would be the reason that concern would become reality. No, he refused to break her heart. The minute she said she wanted him to kiss her, he decided and swore on his last breath that he would do anything in his power to make sure Annabeth was never anything but content, ever again.

And, yeah, maybe that meant his friends called him whipped. But if he knew she was going to smile like that when he gave her his last french fry, then why on Earth wouldn’t he do it?

“Wanna watch something?” Annabeth asked, settling against his side.

“I don’t know, I think I just wanna talk.”

“Cool. What do you wanna talk about?”

Percy took a curl that was running down her shoulder, twirled it around his finger. “Would you rather fight one hundred duck-sized elephants or one elephant-sized duck?”

Annabeth went on about the multitude of advantages of killing an elephant-sized duck, namely aiming for the neck and being done with it at once. Though Percy would much rather fight one hundred duck-sized elephants, a disagreement which he voiced emphatically, he also loved watching her eyes gleam with excitement once she got really into the subject.

She stayed for dinner, and then a little longer after that. Percy was pretty sure she spent more time at his house than at her own. He didn’t blame her. Sometimes, it only took the sound of her bedroom door slamming for him to know she’d gotten into another fight with her dad. She’d play loud music and he’d go to the window. She never told him anything, and he’d pretend he didn’t know.

She kissed him goodbye later that night, a little too deeply for someone who would see him again in less than twelve hours, but Percy didn’t mind. Back in his bedroom, he’d wink at her through the window and cherish her eye roll on last time before she turned her lights off.

“I don’t really like this movie,” Percy said.

“Me neither,” Annabeth agreed.

“So why do you want to watch it?”

Annabeth raised her eyebrows.

“Oh.” Percy realized what she meant. “Yes. I also would like to watch Cars 2.”

She laughed and hit play. “Dork.”

Her hand traveled from her lap to his wrist, her fingers softly traveling up and down his arm. Goosebumps rose on his skin everywhere her skin met his. He hesitantly lowered his hold from her shoulders to her waist, but when she cuddled up to him, he held her with more certainty.

Percy rarely made the first move. Annabeth was a lot more confident in her touches, she wasn’t afraid to ask, to try. Percy, on the other hand, was scared of being too much. He knew his feelings could be way too big sometimes, so he didn’t want to push her away for asking for more than he should. He was more than happy to give her exactly what she wanted.

Right then, she wanted him to pay less attention to Lightning McQueen and more attention to her fingers creeping up his neck. When he turned to face her, she was already reaching for his lips, so he eagerly complied.

This was familiar territory. They were teenagers and no strangers to making out. What was new, however, was Annabeth’s hand slipping under his shirt. 

“Is this okay?” She asked.

Percy swallowed and nodded, not trusting his voice. She kissed him again, and he felt her hands exploring the skin on his stomach and back. He mimicked her, slowly slipping his finger under the hem of her shirt. She pressed closer against him and deepened the kiss, her hands traveling further up his back.

“I, uh, I cantaketoffifyouwant,” Percy muttered.

“What did you say?”

“I can take it off. My shirt. I can take my shirt off if you want.”

Annabeth’s face flushed. “Yeah. I mean, I do want that.” She paused. “Do you want me to take my shirt off too? If you want, I mean. I don’t mind.”

“Yeah. That would be cool too,” Percy agreed. “If you want.”

“Okay.”

Annabeth pulled her shirt over her head, and so did Percy. Her bra was pink and he was pretty sure that was what having a heart attack and a stroke combined felt like.

Steps on the staircase. Percy immediately let go of Annabeth’s waist.

“My mom’s here,” he hissed, glancing at the open door.

He threw Annabeth’s shirt at her and grabbed his, putting it on at record speed. They barely had time to sit on his bed convincingly before Sally’s head popped through the door.

“How’s your date going?” She asked, a knowing smile plastered on her face.

Percy didn’t need to look at Annabeth to know she was blushing, and his facial expression probably wasn’t much better.

“Good, mom,” he answered, his voice strangled.

“Fun!” Sally shot them a wink before disappearing into the hallway.

Finally, Percy dared face his girlfriend. He was right— she was very red, but her hands were hiding a small smile.

“What?” Percy asked her.

“Nothing,” she said, immediately followed by a snort and a fit of laughter.

God, he loved her.

“You two are so gross!” Piper yelled.

“Why are you so annoying? ” Annabeth retorted. She moved Percy’s hand from her waist to her shoulder and settled on the couch, leaning her head against his shoulder.

“Yeah, Piper, leave us alone. I never complain when you’re making out with Jason ten feet away from us at the park,” Percy added.

“ You never complain? Do I have to remind you of-”

“It’s alright, guys,” Jason interrupted. “We can all be gross sometimes.”

Hazel sighed. “Teenage love.”

Annabeth laughed a little at Hazel’s stern expression, full of wisdom beyond her years. She stopped thinking about that, though, when Percy pressed a kiss to her jaw.

“Do you think we’re gross?” He asked.

“I’m not. I’m perfectly fine.”

“What about me?”

“I don’t know. You’re a little sweaty sometimes.”

“Hey!” Percy protested, and Annabeth laughed. 

The boy removed his arm from around her shoulders and shifted on the couch. From the look on his face, Annabeth could tell what he was about to do, but it was too late to escape - he managed to tickle her for a good thirty seconds before she escaped from his arms.

“You’re a jerk,” she complained jokingly, panting.

“You love me,” he replied before getting up from the couch. “Want anything? I’m going to raid Piper’s fridge.”

“No, thanks,” she replied, thinking about what she had almost said instead.

You love me. Percy said those things with such ease. Annabeth wished she could be as open about her feelings as he was, she wished she could just open her mouth and tell him that yes, she did love him. And she did, which was the exact reason she was so terrified to say anything. Whenever she was with him, her brain kept telling her this was too good to be true, and if she told him how she felt, it would feel that much worse when it ended.

Except she’d been feeling something different since she’d started dating him. It took a while for her to identify it - hope. Every day that went by when her dad didn’t sit them down for a conversation that ended in her packing her bags a few weeks later, she felt more and more like maybe this time would work out. Maybe she’d finish school here and only move out for college, and she’d actually get to decide where to that time.

She told her own brain to shut up.

Percy entered the living room with a Coke in one hand and a ginger ale in the other. He kept the Coke and handed the other drink to Annabeth.

“I know you said you didn’t want anything but they had ginger ale, and I know you love ginger ale.”

Halfway through the can, Annabeth’s phone dinged. It was a text from her dad, telling her to come home for dinner. The clock told her it was already 6pm, so she decided she should leave. She gulped down the rest of the ginger ale and got up.

“I have to go, my dad wants me home for dinner.”

Percy stood up. “I’ll drive you.”

She smiled at him. “No, it’s okay.”

“No, I’m tired anyway. Let’s go.”

In the car, Percy was talkative. He was really excited for his next swim meet because it would be a big one, and some college scouts would be there.

“I know I’m still a junior, but I think it’s good if they know me early on, right?”

“Right,” Annabeth responded. She was only half-listening, though. It was unusual for her dad to ask her to come home for dinner. Percy seemed to read her mind.

“Why does your dad want you back so early?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you think he knows about your mom?”

Annabeth sighed. “Maybe? I have no idea if she would tell him or not. It’s not like they speak to each other very often, but maybe she thought I was… I don’t know.”

“Well, if he gets mad, tell him it was my idea.”

She managed a laugh. “That’s sweet, but I wouldn’t do that and he wouldn’t believe you.”

“Fine. Whatever happens, update me,” he asked. “You know where to find me.”

He pulled up in front of her house and she pressed a quick kiss to his lips before getting out of the car. “Will do.”

When she entered her living room, the rest of her family was already on the dinner table. The smell of lasagna flooded her senses and she let it comfort her from what she presumed would be an uncomfortable conversation.

She took a seat and eyed her dad. “What’s up? Did anything happen?”

Frederick exchanged a glance with Angela before facing Annabeth and the twins again. “I had a talk with your mother,” he said, “and she thinks this is a good time.”

Annabeth had a response ready at the tip of her tongue - you wouldn’t tell me anything about her so I had to go find out for myself. I didn’t miss any school. I didn’t bother her for very long. She wasn’t mad.

“The company is opening a new branch in Augusta, so they want me over there.”

She closed her mouth. Next to her, her brothers sunk into their chairs, but didn’t say a word. Angela examined her closely, awaiting the explosion. Annabeth didn’t have the willpower to avoid one.

“Can you say no?” She asked pointedly.

“I already said yes,” her father responded.

“Why?”

“It’ll be better for our family. Maine has-”

“For our family? I don’t think so.”

“Annabeth, Augusta has better schools, better-”

“What about my life? Do you think it’s good for me and for Bobby and Matthew to be tossed around the country every few months?”

“Annabeth Chase, your father is doing what he knows is best for our family,” Angela intervened.

“No, he’s doing what’s best for him ! The best thing for us is to stay here, have friends, focus on our grades instead of having to start our lives from the beginning again!”

“Clearly you’re not mature enough to talk about this.”

“Clearly, so why bother?” 

Annabeth stormed off, leaving an uneaten piece of lasagna on her plate.

Annabeth didn’t need to play any music for Percy to realize something was wrong - the sound of the door slamming was enough. He’d been nervous since she got out of his car a few minutes earlier. It’s not like his mom didn’t already know they went to see Annabeth’s mom, but he didn’t want his girlfriend to get in trouble, and above all, he didn’t want her parents to start hating him.

He walked up to the window, trying not to look too tense, but failed when he saw the look on her face. Before he could say anything, she broke down crying.

He cursed the distance between his window and hers preventing him from holding her.

“Annabeth?” He called. “What’s wrong?”

She dried her eyes and looked at him, but that only caused her to start crying even harder.

Even though his brain told him it was a bad idea, Percy said, “I’m coming over.”

He waited a couple of seconds to see if Annabeth would protest, and since she didn’t, he sprinted downstairs. He knocked on the door but didn’t wait to be let in once it had been opened by an unwilling Angela. He was too mad at them for making Annabeth cry to care.

He rushed to her room and opened the door quietly. She was sitting on her bed, seemingly waiting for him, so he sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Annabeth buried her face in the crook of her neck and sobbed quietly for a few seconds, so he just held her, a little terrified of what was to come.

Annabeth lifted her head and took a deep breath.

“I’m moving,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

The words didn’t immediately register on Percy’s brain, maybe because of how much he didn’t want them to be true.

“You’re… moving? To another town?”

Annabeth nodded.

“Where?”

“Maine.”

“Maine. That’s-”

“Six hours away.”

Six hours. That was unquestionably too far for a teenage boy. Percy didn’t have to do the math to know he couldn’t afford that much gas, much less a plane ticket.

“When?” He asked.

“I-I don’t know yet.”

Annabeth looked like she was waiting for him to say something, but he didn’t know what to say. Instead, he just pulled her to him, grabbing onto her as tight as he could as if that would somehow make her stay.

A teary-eyed Annabeth announced to her group of friends she would be leaving town a month from then. Minutes later, there weren’t many dry eyes in the room.

As Piper cried into her shoulder and Hazel held her hand, Annabeth looked at Percy. He was sitting not too far, getting taps on the shoulder by a comforting Jason. His eyes were glued to the floor.

Ever since she told him, his behavior was either too quiet, looking at her with poorly disguised sadness, or extremely warm and clingy, as if he was trying to fit all the affection he could manage in the next thirty days. Annabeth didn’t know which one hurt the most, because both of them reminded her of the fact that she was leaving him behind soon.

That last month went by fast, like rain in the summer. Annabeth felt the silent grief in her friend’s eyes in every conversation. Sometimes, she just wanted to leave early so she could escape the sad anticipation for her departure they didn’t know they were putting on so clearly.

She didn’t want to talk about it at all, but toward the last few days, Percy started to make a million plans. He’d get more hours in the summer, he said, and they would Facetime every day, he’d write her letters and send her his mom’s cookies, he’d do anything he could to make up for her absence at the same time as he planned to be with her as soon as he could. Annabeth didn’t point out the holes in his plans, because she also wanted to believe that they would work.

About a week before the dreaded day, she got home completely exhausted. Half of her room was already in boxes, and Percy had promised to help her pack up the rest, but she couldn’t bare to think about him putting any of the small tokens her friends had been giving her since she announced she would leave in a box that would be haphazardly shoved in the back of a moving truck.

She opened a drawer to grab stuff to box up when she felt a small slip of paper cut her finger. As she put the injured finger between her lips, she pulled out the paper to see what it was. The small card read Athena Chase M.D., and listed her email address and phone number.

Annabeth sat on her bed, looking at the card. Her conversation with her mom had been shoved in the back of her mind ever since it happened, especially since it had to make way for her new relationship with Percy, and more recently, her departure.

She thought back to that day. Her mother’s words, tentatively comforting yet distant. The hospital, the receptionist, the drive to Albany.

After a few moments of consideration, Annabeth pulled out her phone. She had a plan of her own.

On the last day, Percy wanted to spend every minute he could with Annabeth. He had asked her to wake him up when she did so he could help with moving things around, and she complied. 

Frederick gave Percy strange looks, like you’re still here?, but Percy ignored him. He only had eyes (and time) for Annabeth. A few hours later, the rest of their friends showed up for a final hangout in front of Percy’s house. They spent some time alternating between loud laughter and quiet acceptance until Annabeth’s father walked up to the group.

“Annabeth, the car’s good to go. It’s time.” 

The group fell deadly silent and all eyes turned to Annabeth. Percy felt her clutch his hand, and he squeezed back, probably a little too strong. She hugged everyone in turns, leaving Piper and Percy for last.

After a long and tearful hug from Piper, Annabeth stepped up to Percy.

He grabbed her waist, trying for a smile and failing miserably. “I’m going to miss you.”

“I’ll miss you so much.” She pulled him to her, shaking a little bit. He held her impossibly close.

“Annabeth,” Angela called, impacient.

Annabeth ignored her, still holding onto Percy for a good fifteen seconds. When she pulled back to look at him, her eyes were determined, despite being red from crying so much.

“Wait for me,” she asked.

“I will. I promise.”

“I mean it.”

“So do I.” He did. She didn’t even have to ask. “Annabeth, I love you.”

“Percy…” He could tell he was going to protest.

“I do. And you don’t have to say it back now.”

She sighed.

She pressed a firm kiss to his lips, and her request echoed in her eyes. Wait for me.

After the car was far beyond sight and all his friends left, Percy sat on his front porch, his mom’s comforting hand running up and down his back, and cried.

It was a miserable couple of months. They talked every single day, as much as they could, but Percy still missed Annabeth so goddamn much. Some days, he thought he was going to go crazy if he didn’t get in the car then and there and drive to Maine. Fucking distance. Fucking money. Do you know how much gas it takes to drive all the way there? A shit ton. That’s how much.

Sally could tell how upset he was. The number of cookies in the house multiplied after Annabeth left, and she had even been a little more lenient about his unwillingness to do homework. Percy appreciated the small comforts he was being given to make up for the absence of his girlfriend, but nothing really made missing her go away. It was like a mosquito buzzing in the back of his mind - sometimes quiet, but always there, and he could never swat it away.

His friends were also all being overly nice to him. Hazel, who loved baking, always had something for him during lunch. Piper’s friendly teasing was in part replaced with ‘you okay?’ and other types of friendly comments. Percy could tell that even Jason, who wasn’t the best at showing affection, was trying.

Annabeth had been busy lately. She vaguely talked about this internship she was applying to, but when he asked her to explain what it was, she always changed the subject. He figured he was nervous she wasn’t going to get it, so he didn’t push it too much.

One day, she didn’t answer the phone for their scheduled Tuesday facetime. That was the day when she complained about her cheery lab partner and the dumb History teacher, and he loved every minute of it. He tried calling again, no answer. He texted her.

Percy: Everything ok?

No answer. After a couple of hours, he started to get worried. He wasn’t paranoid or anything, but she never missed one of their calls, and he was sure if she did, she would tell him if something was up.

He told himself he was overthinking and went over to the kitchen to help his mom with dinner. He was chopping onions when the bell rang.

“Can you get that for me, sweetheart?”

“Sure, mom.” Percy put down the knife and the onion and washed his hands quickly before heading to the door.

When he opened it, he almost closed it then opened it again to make sure there wasn’t some sort of time loop, alternate universe shit going on. If it had been Godzilla, he would have been less surprised. Literally.

Annabeth Chase. In the flesh.

He allowed his own brain five seconds to process before he jumped her, pulling her into a hug.

“What the fuck?” He half-yelled, laughing. “Annabeth, oh my god. Oh my god. What the fuck.”

“Hi,” she said into his chest, and he could tell she was crying.

“ Hi? Holy shit. You’re here.”

“I’m here.” She pulled back and smiled up at him. She looked so pretty Percy almost died. “Told you to wait for me.”

“You didn’t make me wait very long,” he replied, laughing incredulously.

“I’m just that awesome.”

“You are. Holy fuck.”

“Yeah. By the way,” she said, “I love you too.”

“You’re a fucking genius.”

“ Percy.”

“Sorry, mom. She is, though, isn’t she?”

Sally laughed. Annabeth had missed Percy’s mom, especially her delicious food.

“I’m not that much of a genius. It just turns out that being an absent mother for almost seventeen years causes a lot of guilt,” that can be explored, Annabeth thought to herself.

“I’m glad you’re back, Annabeth,” Sally said.

God, so was she. She could barely believe she was sitting with her boyfriend, his arm around her shoulders, his smile pressed against the top of her head. 

“Wait,” he said, realizing something. “This is the internship you were talking about, wasn’t it?”

“Yep. I remembered some of the hospital was still under construction, so I told my mom I wanted to work on the project. It would be good for the hospital. You know, to boost the careers of local teenagers.”

“Amazing. So you’re living with her?” Percy asked.

“Yeah. She managed to get me back into our old high school, too. I can drive myself there and back as long as I’m back home every single day by five. It’s just thirty minutes, so it’s not that bad.”

“And your dad was okay with this?”

“Well, not at first. It took some bargaining. Like the five PM thing, that was his idea.”

“I guess I’ll get to know Albany a lot better in the next few months,” he said, winking at Annabeth. “I mean, right mom?”

She raised her eyebrows. “We’ll talk about it. I’m going to check on Estelle, I think she’s awake. Behave, you two.”

After Sally left, Percy allowed himself to stare at his girlfriend for a while before kissing her, for real this time. He loved how she melted in his arms.

“Have you talked to everyone else yet?”

“I saw Piper. They all knew I was coming, though.”

“They knew?”

“I wanted to surprise you.” She smiled mischievously.

“I hate you. I can’t believe you put me through all this pain.”

Annabeth laughed. “You love me.”

“I do.”