Chapter Text
“Okay Connor, I seriously have to go.” Annabeth said mid-kiss. But her boyfriend didn’t listen, continuing to press his soft lips against hers. She adored the feeling like no other, but if this continued on any longer she might miss her flight.
“Just a couple more minutes,” Connor whined playfully. “Is it so bad that I wanna cherish these last few minutes with my girlfriend before she leaves to Hawaii for…”
“Two and half months?” Annabeth sighed. “That’s a long time, I know. I’ll be gone for so long, who knows what will happen? Maybe I’ll come back with an attractive pacific islander on my arm who’s better at kissing than you.” She teased.
As punishment, Connor grabbed Annabeth by the waist and threw her body against the bed, beginning to kiss up and down her neck. And though Annabeth was pleading and giggling for him to quit it, she didn’t stop him.
They kissed for a while longer. Longer than they should have been. At this point, Annabeth’s mother was probably wondering where she’d been. But that was the least of her concern right now.
She was going away on summer vacation without her boyfriend for two and a half months. And though she was just teasing before, she found herself wondering what possibly could happen while she was away.
“I’m gonna miss this.” Annabeth said, breaking another kiss.
Connor nodded with a frown. “Me too. Can’t believe Jackson gets to spend an entire summer with you and not me.” The boy replied, shaking his brown curls frustratedly.
Annabeth paused for a moment, her brain trying to compute what Connor just said.
Jackson. As in Percy Jackson. As in her childhood best friend, turned almost middle school boyfriend, turned family rival. That Percy Jackson.
“Wait, he's going to Hawaii this year?” The girl asked, nearly choking on her words. She was slowly processing the implications of what that meant. Connor gave her a funny look.
“Don’t sound too excited about it.” Annabeth’s face dropped, realizing she must’ve sounded more intrigued by the news than she should’ve.
She cleared her throat, sitting up. “No, no. It’s not that. I just didn’t think he’d be going.”
“Why?”
“Well because of everything going on with his family. You know the...the divorce.” She whispered though nobody was listening other than Connor. “It’s just weird, I guess. And kind of upsetting. His family was like my family. In Hawaii, we have houses right next to each other, and we’d go together every summer. Well, up until-”
“The summer before ninth grade when your guys’ parents had a big falling out?” Connor interjected. “Yeah, you’ve told me before.” He continued bitterly.
“Sorry.” Annabeth apologized.
“It’s fine,” Connor replied quickly, though he wouldn’t meet her eyes. “I just wish you wouldn’t talk about Jackson so much. I don’t care for him.”
“Neither do I,” Annabeth reassured him, though she wasn’t so sure herself. “I just think it’s gonna be weird is all. We haven’t been on vacation together in years.”
“It should be fine. You don’t have to talk to him or anything. Not like your mom would ever let you anyways. And as long as you’re not itching to get back together with the bastard...”
Annabeth interrupted him with a soft kiss before he could continue. That shut him up, and quickly. She didn’t really want to talk about Percy any longer. Especially if she’d be seeing him every day for the next 76 days.
“I have no intention to cheat on you, Connor Stoll.” Annabeth said, pulling him closer to her face by the collar of his shirt.
Connor smiled and forced a small laugh. She could tell he was still apprehensive about the whole thing, but at least he would (hopefully) leave it alone until she got back. Or until she got in the uber on the way to the airport.
He glanced over at the clock and sighed. “You should go now, Annie. Promise you’ll text me when you get there.” Annabeth nodded and kissed her boyfriend one final time before pulling him into a tight hug and gracefully exiting the house.
Annabeth had no idea that’d be the last time she would kiss him. And she most certainly had no idea how much her life would change in the next couple of months.
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“Did you know the Jackson family is going to be there at the same time as us?” Annabeth asked her mother during the long overnight flight.
Her younger brothers Bobby and Matthew (10) were sleeping peacefully in the row across from them, but Annabeth - similar to her mother - could never sleep well on red-eye flights.
Athena sighed, closing her magazine aggressively. Clearly the mere mention of the Jackson family bothered her like no other. She lowered her glasses. “Yes, I’ve heard. Imbeciles of the family, I’ll tell you that. I pray they won’t be too much of a bother.”
“Yeah. Hopefully.” Annabeth forced a laugh, though it felt weird agreeing with her mother on the subject. Something about the two families being in the same location for that long made her feel unsettled. “It’s a shame Dad isn’t coming. Kinda weird we’re seeing his side of the family without him.”
“Well your father is busy with his brother Randolph in Europe, you know that.” Athena reminded her. “Besides, you'll still get to see the rest of your relatives, which I think should be fine enough. It’s better than seeing my side of the family.” The woman briefly chuckled, then sighed again. “Even so, I suppose it is still weird your Father is away. Who knows how I’ll manage around that despicable Jackson clan for so long without him.”
“I just can’t believe we’re all gonna be on vacation together again.” Athena’s head turned quickly to glare at her daughter. “Well not together, but ya know. At the same time.”
“And hopefully this is the last time.” Athena barked back, picking up her magazine again and readjusting her old-lady glasses. “They need to hurry up with that divorce thing. Sally and Poseidon's reign of terror is finally coming to an end. Maybe the split will finally teach that son of theirs a lesson.”
What kind of lesson Athena was referring to? Annabeth didn’t know, but she also didn’t care to know. Athena always resented Percy, even before the big falling out. And though Annabeth wasn’t very fond of him either anymore, she didn’t think he deserved to go through something as detrimental as family separation.
Part of her feels guilty for not being there for him all these years, given his parents' issues with each other have been rampant for years. She’s probably the only person in his life who only understands it to its full extent. And she could only imagine how gravely it was affecting the boy.
But there was no reason for her to worry about it so much. If he really needed her, they would’ve talked by now. Percy can handle himself without her. He’s probably doing perfectly fine without her.
But a selfish part of Annabeth wished he wasn’t.