Chapter Text
Blood splashed on Annabeth’s face before she even processed what she was doing. Bright red mixed with her pale, blonde hair and tan skin, her body a canvas with blood as the paint. The wind blew her hair behind her as a smile crept on her face, proud of what she had done.
Her hands shook as she gripped the knife and tore it from the corpse beneath her. It was Jason, Piper’s ex-boyfriend and best friend. She couldn’t process what went through her to make her kill Jason, but she knew that it just had to be done. If they were to have a future together.
If she were to get Piper.
Piper would never forgive her if she knew what she had done, which is exactly why she needed to act now . Knowing she wouldn’t be able to clean this mess up alone, she dropped the knife and called Percy, the only person she knew she could trust.
He answered almost instantly, voice groggy with sleep and confusion. “Hello?”
“I need help,” she stated, idly picking at the blood under her nails. “Meet me in the forest we always hike in by Montauk. Get here as quickly as possible.” She didn’t give him a chance to respond or ask questions, just pressed the end call button and sat on a log near Jason’s body.
The wind tousled her hair and blew the leaves laying on the ground around, scratching noises filling the air. She wasn’t sure how long she sat there, just staring at the corpse. She watched the life seep from his body, color slowly draining with time. His skin resembled parchment paper, pale and slightly wrinkly from the tension of his muscles. Blood spilled down his chest from the open wound in his neck, head bent at an uneven angle. His glasses lay crushed beneath him, cracked and covered with a mix of blood and dirt.
Percy showed up eventually, hair a mess and still dressed in pajamas. Most people don’t expect their ex-girlfriend to call them in the middle of the night begging for help on an undisclosed project, so she couldn’t blame him. “What did yo-” his sentence dropped off as he saw the body, eyes darting between it and Annabeth.
“I told you, I need help,” she shrugged, tugging off her sweatshirt and pulling her hair into a ponytail. She grabbed her knife off the forest floor and trudged to the river nearby. Placing her sweatshirt on the riverbed, she sat and washed the knife off absentmindedly.
Percy ran after her, head still spinning with confusion. “Annabeth, I thought you meant your car broke down or something. Not murder ,” he hissed. “Why would you even do this?”
“Don’t know. Now, are you going to help me or not? Because if you aren’t then I have to kill you too, and I would rather not do that.” Her voice was steady and body language calm, everything that it shouldn’t be for someone who just took another’s life. She wasn’t sure why she was reacting like this, maybe it was the shock. Maybe it was the fact that she felt no remorse.
When she deemed her knife clean she stood and walked back to the body. Slipping on a glove from her pocket, she reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Taking Jason’s hand and unlocking it with his thumb, because of course he still had a phone with Touch ID , she swiped through the contents until settling on the messages app.
For someone so boring, he seems awfully popular , she thought as she scrolled. She drafted a quick message to Leo and Piper, his most heavily texted thread. In need of some zen. Going to go on a hike for a bit :P. She sent the text and stared at it for a minute before slipping the phone into her pocket.
Percy stood in the same spot as before, worry written across his face. “Can you get your act together, Jackson? Again, I’d rather not kill you, as well.” Her voice was too mundane and emotionless, something she wasn’t used to hearing.
All the years of being called impulsive lead to this very moment, a choice so impulsive and so severe that there could finally be consequences. And that excited her.
Percy stared at her, eyes wide with fear. “Just this once. Never again.”
“That’s what they all say.” She smiled, power coursing through her veins. He was scared of her and she relished in that feeling. It gave her a rush like nothing else could, making her jittery and feeling like she was on cloud nine.
They worked in silence, transporting the body to a secure location and digging a grave. Dirt covered every inch of her skin, mixing with the dried blood. When deemed deep enough, they tossed the body in and filled the hole. Covering the plot with detritus and leaves until it was no longer recognizable as having been dug up, she wiped her hands on the back of her jeans. She turned to thank Percy for helping her, but he was already gone.
She was alone again, something that always seemed to happen to her. Frustration boiled within her and threatened to explode into rage, but she quelled it and finished the task at hand. She took care of Jason’s car, belongings, and cell phone.
Once it was all taken care of, she drove home and got into the shower, enjoying the feeling of the boiling hot water against flesh. Her tan skin turned red under the stream, steam filling the bathroom and fogging the glass. Her finger traced a heart in the condensation, mind racing with thoughts of Piper as always. She scrubbed her hair, watching as the white bottom of the tub turned red from the blood seeping down her body. She picked under her fingernails, slowly picking specks of dried blood from them.
This routine was peaceful. It filled her core with a warmth that was only rivaled by Piper’s presence. It made her feel whole— even though she knew it shouldn’t.
Her peace didn’t last long however, the sound of Piper’s footsteps echoing through their shared apartment. She wrapped a towel around herself and stepped out of the bathroom, narrowly avoiding walking straight into Piper.
“Annabeth, I’m worried,” she stated, the beginnings of tears forming in her eyes. Her chestnut hair was pulled into a ponytail, a hairstyle she only wore when she was stressed. It was unrealistic for her to be worried about Jason yet, but annoyance spread through Annabeth’s chest. Why couldn’t Piper stop worrying about him and just focus on her, the one right in front of her?
She sighed, pulling the shorter girl close to her in a hug. “How come?” She held Piper there in her arms, knowing that it was nothing but platonic to the brunette. That dread was the only thing that she felt at that moment. Things would change for them soon enough , she thought as her hands rubbed circles in between Piper’s shoulder blades.
“It’s- it’s Jason. He sent this weird text and now isn’t answering his text or calls. He never disappears like this.” Annabeth rolled her eyes into Piper’s hair, the mere mention of Jason souring her mood instantly. Things were only platonic between them, she knew that, but it didn’t make him any less of a threat. Jason was the person whose opinion mattered most to Piper, and he was incredibly skilled at reading people. He was a threat to her— no, a threat to them .
Channeling all her emotions, she held Piper tighter and whispered reassurances in her ear. “What did he say?” Her voice was perfectly rehearsed and piqued with feigned interest and concern. Piper’s sobs echoed beneath her into her chest, eyes wet and nose messy with snot.
“Said something about needing zen. I don’t even know what that means . It was so cryptic, and he hasn’t given any kind of update.”
“I think you’re worrying too prematurely, Pipes. Why don’t you come and relax for a bit?” She tried to pull them to the couch, but Piper fought back.
“I can’t just sit here and do nothing, Annabeth. Do you even care if he’s okay?”
Nope , she thought. Rather than saying that however, she pulled away with a hurt expression on her face. “How could you even say that? Of course I care.”
Piper’s face fell, regret appearing immediately. She sighed, placing her head into her hands. “I’m so sorry, Annabeth. I shouldn’t have said that. I know you care, because even if you weren’t— no, aren’t — close to Jason, you care about me.”
Oh dear Piper , she thought. If only you knew the things I did to protect you— no, protect us — then you wouldn’t be so dismissive of my love for you. That’ll be fixed soon enough.
“It’s fine. Your emotions are high right now, so I think it’s best if you relax and let yourself destress.” She slowly led Piper to sit down and grabbed a glass of water. How easy it would be to lace this with a sedative… No, she couldn’t do that to her. They would go through this the long and hard way.
Piper’s respite lasted a whole five minutes and one glass of water. The second that the glass was empty she bounced up from her chair, swiping her car keys into her hand. “I need to go see Leo and make sure that I’m not going crazy. I’m not sure when I’ll be back, but I’ll keep you updated.”
The door slammed shut behind her, wind from the impact blowing back onto Annabeth. Her hands were in fists at her side, knuckles white with rage. She thought that she got rid of all the obstacles in their way, but apparently life had another one coming for her.
It’s fine. That’s just one more person to take care of.