Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Annabeth stared blankly at her computer screen, the words swimming before her eyes. She reread (or at least tried to reread) the email for about the tenth time in just as many minutes. The email, creatively titled, “Hi”, said:

“My mom is getting merryed in a couple weeks-”

Merryed? Really? Annabeth was dyslexic too, but at least she knew how to use spell check.

“-and I was wandering if you wanted to come (Pls do).
Percy”

Annabeth sighed and rubbed her forehead. Leaning back in her chair, she stared out her window at the glittering San Francisco skyline. The sun hung behind the skyscrapers and she watched it melt into the rolling hills.
Of course she wanted to go. Not because of Percy though. She had enough of the son of Poseidon over the last summer. During the two painful weeks when she had assumed Percy was dead (Unfortunately, he wasn’t. He was busy flirting with some goddess on a remote island), Annabeth spent most of her time at his mother’s house. She had shared more than a few tears with the older woman, and they had grown particularly close during that time. Annabeth would be in New York in a heartbeat to support her. She scowled at her computer and closed the email. Scrolling down through their conversations, she found the source of her anger, which, unsurprisingly, was another email from Percy.
Keeping with the theme of inspiring titles, the subject of the email was, “Museum!”. At least he spelled that right. The email read:

“Saw some art and thought of u. Dont get the arkiteksure stuff but thought u would like it.”

It would’ve been cute if it stopped there, but attached at the bottom was a picture. The picture showed Sally and Paul standing in front of a large Greco-Roman-style building, smiling together; but beside them? The redhead she-devil herself stood next to a grinning Percy, her arms wrapped around his neck. Annabeth felt her ears burn as she stared at the picture. She had never responded to the email, hoping he would get a hint, but only a few days later he had sent another picture with that girl. Annabeth hated how furious the pictures made her; she was the daughter of the goddess of wisdom, after all, not some stupid Aphrodite girl. She tried and failed to stop her mind wandering back to the volcano a few months back. Her fingers absentmindedly found her lips and she closed her eyes, reminiscing in their kiss.
Had she been wrong all these years in thinking he liked her too? She shook her head and swallowed her nausea, returning to the issue at hand. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard before falling back at her side again. Annabeth had a few choice words she wanted to put in the email, but refrained, eventually deciding on a brief (and mildly passive-aggressive) response.

“Percy,
A “couple weeks” is very vague. I might be able to attend if you provide more specifics.
-Annabeth.”

She clicked the send button forcefully, cursing under her breath. Had the email taken her 20 minutes to write out? Maybe. Did she try and spell “specifics” at least 10 times? Perhaps. She slammed her computer shut and blamed her grammar on her bad mood. Annabeth walked from her bedroom to the kitchen, avoiding Hotwheels strewn precariously on the floor, and broke up a fight between her twin brothers, Bobby and Matthew, over who had the faster toy car. Grabbing a glass of water, she slunk back to her room, trying to hide from her stepmother. Annabeth had tried to mend her relationship with the bitter woman, and as much as she hated to admit it, Percy was right. Family was worth the struggle. Annabeth and her mom weren’t getting pedicures on the weekends together, but they also weren’t screaming at each other every night either, which in Annabeth’s eyes was progress.

She slid back into her chair, grudgingly opening her laptop again. She was surprised to see she had new mail, and even more surprised to see that it was from Percy - he never responded this quick. She hovered over the mail icon and leaned in to read the subject of the email. Annabeth unwillingly smiled at, “The Deetz” before clenching her jaw and forcing the smile off her face. She clicked on the message and was met with an invitation to download an image. Her stomach dropped and she wondered if she would open the pdf to a mess of ginger hair, but what she saw might have been worse. It was cursive. She squinted at the words but her brain felt as if trying to break its way out of her head. She suddenly was able to imagine what Zeus felt when her mother was born. Groaning, she typed out her response.

“You know I can’t read cursive. IM me. I’m out of drachmas.
-Annabeth.”

Annabeth felt a slight pang of guilt when she hit send. It wasn’t really Percy’s fault that he was an ignorant teenage boy… well it was, but still, she felt a little bad for the way she was acting. She sighed, walked to the bathroom, and fixed her hair. Annabeth even contemplated putting on makeup but froze. Why was she trying to look nice for a boy who didn’t even like her? She scowled at herself in the mirror, watching her face turn red in embarrassment when a shimmering image appeared to her right. Annabeth tucked her hair behind her ears and waited for Percy to come into focus, cursing herself for being naive.

“So you’ll come?” Percy asked, grinning widely. His voice was slightly garbled as the Iris message struggled to connect.
“Woah,” She said, taken aback by the sudden question. What happened to “hello”? Annabeth wondered. “I still don’t know anything about what’s happening,” Annabeth muttered, crossing her arms.
Percy frowned. “Did you not get my email?”
“Did you not get mine?” She exclaimed. “I told you I couldn’t read it.”
“Oh. Yeah,” Percy said, looking off to his side, appearing to shuffle through papers. A voice called from somewhere in front of him, and he looked up and nodded. A woman pushed her way into view, her curly brown hair falling messily on her shoulders.
“Annabeth!” Sally exclaimed. When she smiled, Annabeth was freaked out by how much she looked like Percy. “How are you?”
She allowed her shoulders to relax. “I’m good, Ms. Jackson. And you?” Behind Sally, she could hear Percy complaining.
“Great!” She said breathlessly, running her hands through her hair. “I hope Percy isn’t causing you too much trouble.” Sally winked and Percy’s face turned a violent shade of red.
Annabeth’s eye twitched. “None at all, Ms. Jackson. None at all.” She managed through gritted teeth. Sally gave her a knowing look and shook her head. Percy handed Sally a piece of paper that she recognized from the email and assumed it was the wedding invitation.
“Oh yes, the wedding!” She looked down at the paper and then back at Annabeth. “June 16th,” She read. “At our cabin in Montauk.” June 16th was just over 2 weeks away, giving her plenty of time to prepare.
“So… can you make it?” Percy asked again, pushing himself back into her view. Sally elbowed Percy and offered Annabeth a sympathetic smile.
“Yeah, I should-” Annabeth began.
“Great! You could stay at our place. Y’know, if you want,” Percy said enthusiastically. “That way you don’t have to stay at a hotel.”
Annabeth fought the heat rising to her face and nodded slowly. Percy didn’t seem to realize the implication of his words. “Yeah, that would be… great.” She muttered.
“I’ll make sure his room is clean when you get here,” Sally said through a laugh and walked out of the room. Percy’s eyes widened and his face returned to a bright red. Percy cleared his throat and stared at the ground.

“Is uh…” Annabeth started, scared to finish the sentence. “Anyone else coming..?”
Percy sighed and looked disappointed. “I asked Rachel, but she’ll be on vacation.” He said nonchalantly. Rachel. Rachel. Of course, he asked Rachel. Annabeth’s face burned, but this time not from embarrassment. A painful mix of nausea and anger swirled in her stomach and it took all of her willpower to not curse Percy out.
“Great. Well, I better get packing.” Annabeth grumbled, her fists clenching.
“Packing? Wh-” Percy started but was cut off when she swiped her hand through the connection. Annabeth stood alone in the bathroom for a moment, squeezing her burning eyes shut. She was thrilled to learn that she was a secondary option to Rachel, of all people. She wiped hot tears from her face and fell face-first on her bed. Annabeth screamed into her mattress and cursed every god in Greek history, hoping one of them would smite her right then and there. She sat up slowly and pulled at her face, trying to breathe deeply. Rachel was just a girl. A mortal girl. So why was she so important? Annabeth groaned, her train of logic abandoning her.

She reluctantly returned to her computer and shut her email. In a new tab, she searched “wedding guest dresses” after a few attempts to spell it right. After an hour or so of browsing, she decided on a long, light blue with a low-cut neckline. She told herself that the neckline was not a factor in her choice and that she didn’t purposely pick blue so it complimented her eyes. Annabeth rarely wore dresses, and ever rarer that she attended weddings, so she hoped that she would look presentable. She hardly remembered her father and stepmother’s wedding, but she doubted her four-year-old self could offer her much fashion advice. The dress would arrive a few days before her flight was scheduled to leave, which she booked herself, so she could at least try it on before she left. She clicked order and shut her computer, wondering how she was going to survive sharing an apartment with him.

Annabeth sighed. This was going to be a long few weeks.

Chapter Text

Sally circled the JFK airport pick-up for the third time with a sigh. Percy didn’t have a way of contacting Annabeth with the whole “No Phones For Demigods” thing, but he did know that her flight was supposed to land at 4:30. It was 4:45.

“Maybe she didn’t come,” Percy groaned. Sally just smiled.

“You really think that?” She asked. Percy shook his head but silently considered it. Annabeth hardly responded to his emails now, if at all, and never sent any of her own. He wished Rachel was coming. She was a lot - like a lot - easier to talk to than Annabeth, and Percy was confident he could help the two of them get along. His mom turned the radio down slowly, the way she did when a lengthy conversation was coming. “You better be good to Annabeth,” She said, turning back onto the highway.

Percy frowned. “What do you mean?”

“She’s a good person, Percy. She’s just… conflicted.” Sally sighed and gripped the wheel hard. He nodded, but he didn’t know why his mom was telling him this. Saying Annabeth was conflicted was putting it lightly; one minute, she was kissing him (what was that about?), and the next, she was yelling at him for wanting help from a mortal. Percy rubbed his head. Girls were confusing.

On their next drive through the airport, Percy spotted a mess of blond curls atop a scowling face, and he knew it must be Annabeth.

“There!” He said, pointing to her. Annabeth looked up at the same time, staring directly at Percy. He swore he could see her scowl deepen. Her hand shifted off of her pocket, where he knew her dagger was concealed, to her suitcase. Percy didn’t even want to know how she got it through mortal security. Their car pulled up beside her and Sally rushed out to hug the blond girl and Percy stepped out slowly, smiling. His mom wrapped Annabeth up in an embrace that would make even NFL linebackers jealous. When they separated, Sally was grinning and even Annabeth didn’t look as murderous as usual. Well, at least until she turned to Percy.

“Hey,” He said, moving closer to her.

“Hey,” She responded quietly. Percy reached one arm out for the trademark “Awkward Side Hug” and she briefly leaned in before stepping back.

“Um… glad you could make it!” Percy offered, clasping his hands together. Annabeth merely nodded, and he offered to grab her luggage, placing it in the trunk. Percy climbed back into the passenger seat, while Annabeth slipped into the back. An uncomfortable silence hung in the car while Sally tried to navigate through the stream of cars. Percy was just going to ask Annabeth about the weather in San Francisco (yeah, the silence was that bad) when his mom, the queen of small talk, asked her about her studies. She had struck the perfect chord with Annabeth, because not only was the car no longer quiet, but by the end of the ride, Percy knew more about structural supports than he thought any sane person needed to know.

When they pulled into the parking lot of their small apartment complex, Percy’s head began to spin. They were staying in his house, together. He wondered if this counted as a sleepover, and decided that, in his best interests, he wouldn’t ask.

“Make yourself at home, Annabeth,” His mom said, putting their beat-up SUV into park. “Oh! And let me know if you need anything.” Percy popped the trunk and grabbed Annabeth’s suitcase. Annabeth frowned, eyeing both him and her luggage.

“You sure you can carry it?” She teased, flipping a rogue strand of hair from her face.

Percy rolled his eyes as he pulled the handle up. “Please. I held up the world. I can carry a bag.” Annabeth shrugged and smirked her way up the steps.

Percy made it up one flight of stairs before he was panting.

“What in Hades did you put in this?” Percy muttered with his hands on his knees. Their apartment was at least five flights above them and he was worried he’d collapse before he made it to the top.

“A lightning bolt,” Annabeth joked, but Percy was pretty sure Zeus’s lightning bolt was less than half the weight of her bag. Percy snorted and put his hands above his head. For a demigod, he really should’ve been in better shape; Chiron would be disappointed. Annabeth grabbed her suitcase and began dragging it up the floors.

Above him, a voice called, “You’re really going to let an old lady beat you up the stairs?” Percy grinned; he always loved a challenge. Beside him, Annabeth wore a crooked smile that he thought was better suited to a child of Hermes rather than Athena. For the first time since she’d arrived, the pair agreed on something: they couldn’t let Sally win. The glint in her eyes made his stomach flip, but he couldn’t figure out why.

“Race you?” She asked, not waiting for an answer. Her luggage slammed into every step, but she put a good distance between them.

“Hey!” Percy complained, still trying to catch his breath. He pulled himself up the stairs by the railing, groaning with every step. When he got to their door, Annabeth was standing triumphantly with her hands on her hips.

“How’d I beat you even while carrying this, Seaweed Brain?” She gloated; her hair was wild and beads of sweat formed on her tan face. “It seems you have kelp for brains and legs.” Percy shook his head but couldn’t contain his smile. The door opened with a click and Sally pushed her way into the quaint apartment.

“Paul’s at the market right now, he should be home soon,” His mom said from inside. Annabeth looked at him quickly before following her in. Eventually, Percy forced himself to stand and dragged himself into their living room. Annabeth rested her luggage against his door and flopped onto the couch, breathing deeply. She looked instantly comfortable and Percy winced remembering why she knew it so well. Percy had wondered what had happened between his mom and Annabeth during his time… away but had only got fragments from each of them. Annabeth seemed to realize it at the same time as Percy. She sat up stiffly and fixed her hair. Sally reappeared from the kitchen with her hands on her hips.

“Annabeth, you can take Percy’s room if you’d like,” She said, observing the two of them.

Annabeth’s face turned a bright shade of pink. “I’m staying in his room?” She asked incredulously. Annabeth turned to him with a look of equal parts disgust and embarrassment. Percy shrugged helplessly while his mom stifled a laugh.

“I guess he forgot to tell you.” She said with a smile.

“Yeah. I guess he did,” Annabeth grumbled, her voice dripping with venom. Annabeth glared at him and Percy’s legs shook – but not from the stairs. “Where is Percy going to sleep then?” She wondered, her glare turning into a pleading expression that said Help!

“Well, he was going to sleep on the couch,” His mother began, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “But you guys could always share a room if you wanted.” Now it was Percy’s turn to blush.

“No!” They shouted at the same time. Sally laughed.

“Percy can sleep on the couch.” Annabeth decided, her eyes wide.

“Yes. I can.” “Great! We’re having pasta in a couple hours,” And with that, she turned and left. Annabeth turned to Percy, mortified.

“I'm gonna-” Annabeth muttered, gesturing to his door.

“Yeah,” Percy said quietly, watching her shuffle into his room and shut the door. Percy sighed and pulled at his tangled hair. Thanks, Mom. He thought bitterly. On their mantle sat a collage of pictures; mostly of him and Sally, but Annabeth and Rachel appeared occasionally throughout. Percy gingerly picked up a new picture – one from the end of last year’s summer. He stood in front of the Big House at Camp Half Blood with a wide grin. To his right stood Rachel, her vibrant curls flying into Percy’s face. Percy’s arm was around her shoulder and her clothes were splattered in a whole rainbow of colors. He had his left arm wrapped around Annabeth who looked a lot less happy to be there. She forced an awkward smile and leaned away from Percy’s embrace. Percy scowled and set the picture down. His mother’s words rang in his head. Annabeth was conflicted; that much was obvious, but why was she taking it out on him? Percy figured the blond’s poor mood was because of the whole “Luke is actually Kronos” thing and their argument about her attachment to him. For the thousandth time, Percy wondered why she couldn’t let Luke go, and why recently her affinity for him had seemed to worsen.

His train of thought was interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Hey, Paul.” Percy opened the door to a grinning man with salt and pepper hair.

“Percy!” Paul exclaimed. “Could’ya help me with groceries?” He asked. Percy doubted he would ever be able to pick up anything after his race up the stairs, but he nodded. He had just put his hand on the paper handle when someone pushed him aside.

“Paul!” Annabeth said, hugging the older man tightly.

“Hey, kiddo,” Paul said through a laugh. Percy frowned and moved the groceries to the kitchen. He could hear a muffled conversation in the doorway. He pulled out a carton of eggs and a gallon of milk dejectedly.

“How’s it going?” A voice behind him asked. Percy turned and saw his mom wearing a blue “Sweet on America” apron from the old candy store where she used to work.

Percy shrugged. “Fine. I think she likes Paul more than she likes me,” He grumbled, inspecting a tray of chicken. His mom sighed and turned on the kitchen sink.

“Y’know what I think?” She asked without waiting for a response. “I think you guys have a lot to talk about.” Percy opened his mouth to complain, but then Annabeth and Paul walked into the kitchen, discussing Annabeth’s schooling plans. His mom shot him a glance he couldn’t read and dried her hands on her apron. Paul walked over and planted a short kiss on his mom’s cheek before stepping back toward Annabeth. Percy couldn’t help but smile at the two of them. His mom had suffered so much, and seeing her happy was all Percy could wish for. Well, he’d also wish not to fight Kronos but he figured that one wouldn’t come true. A heavy weight suddenly settled on his shoulders. The door to his room was cracked open and he saw the window where the dark-haired boy had climbed through last summer. The river, Percy thought. He would have to decide on that soon. But not now. He shuddered and swallowed his nausea, turning back to the conversation at hand.

“Well, seeing as everyone’s here, let's talk about tomorrow,” Sally said brightly. “The boys will get their suits. And Annabeth, I was wondering if you wanted to get your nails done.” Annabeth blinked. “Are you sure? I mean-” “My treat,” Sally assured her.

“Yeah, I would love that,” She smiled slowly, her expression brightening. A girl’s day out was news to Percy.

“Annabeth, you’re alright with chicken alfredo, right?” Paul asked, turning on the stove. She nodded, still entranced with the idea of a manicure. Sally turned around to help Paul make dinner, the two of them standing shoulder to shoulder.

“I hear there are some good movies out,” Sally called, giving Percy another glance. Percy stood frozen for a second, staring at his mom. Annabeth grabbed his arm after a moment and steered him to the living room. Oh. Percy thought. He wasn’t good at social cues, or any cues for that matter. He plopped onto the couch with the remote in hand, staring at their small T.V. Annabeth, probably on purpose, sat as far away as she could pulling a blanket on top of her. She was still staring at her nails in wonder.

“So…” Percy started, pressing the power button. It wasn’t like he hadn’t watched a movie with a girl before. In fact, Rachel had sat on the same sofa only a few weeks prior, except she had sat next to him and actually looked interested in hanging out. But with Annabeth it was different. It was always different. “What do you wanna watch?” He nervously turned the remote in his hands.

Annabeth shrugged. “Whatever.” “You’re a lot of help,” Percy grumbled as he flipped through channels. Annabeth rolled her eyes. Sitting with Annabeth without a threat of death felt so foreign to Percy. He felt as though they should be running from some ugly monster that wanted to eat them for breakfast. Percy shifted uncomfortably before landing on a movie titled “Mamma Mia!”.

“Hey,” Annabeth said, pointing to the screen. “Isn’t that what we were going to watch before…” Her voice trailed off and her expression darkened. Percy frowned, thinking. He didn’t do that a lot.

“Oh, yeah,” Percy muttered. “Before I blew up Yancy,” Percy said this last part quietly enough so Paul couldn’t hear. He figured Paul didn’t appreciate him blowing up his school. Annabeth’s expression soured and something told him that’s not what she was thinking. Percy clicked on the movie and offered her a smile. “In honor of the movie we never got to watch.” Annabeth nodded weakly and curled her legs up to her chest. Percy rubbed his forehead and internally screamed. Why was she being so difficult?

They sat in silence for most of the movie except for Annabeth’s occasional criticism of Sophie’s decisions and Percy’s poor rendition of “Honey, Honey”. Percy caught himself looking at Annabeth more times than he’d like to admit; between her blond curls and dangerously intense expression, he couldn’t help but stare. He wished that she would stop acting distant, especially because he hadn’t done anything to warrant her anger. They were in the middle of watching the “Voulez-Vous” dance scene when Paul poked his head around the corner.

“Dinner’s ready if you are,” he called and slipped back into the kitchen. Annabeth kicked her blankets off and Percy realized they were both in their day clothes.

“I’m going to change really quick,” Percy walked into his – well, temporarily Annabeth’s room – and pulled out blue and black plaid pajama pants. Annabeth’s suitcase was sitting on top of his bed, unopened. He threw a gray Yancy sweatshirt on and carelessly tossed his laundry in a hamper. His hand was on the doorknob before he froze, catching a glimpse of himself in his mirror. Percy ran his hands through his hair, trying to tame the mess that had settled on top of his head.

At their small table, Paul and Sally sat together, leaving the only open chair next to Annabeth. Percy served himself a bowl of pasta and slid into his seat. Annabeth and Sally were talking about something, probably what they wanted to get for their nails, but Percy had his face too far in his bowl to hear.

“Percy,” Annabeth chided, her voice teasing. “It’s not going to run away from you.” Percy looked down to see he had almost cleared his plate already. He smiled and wiped sauce from his face.

“What can I say? Paul makes a killer Alfredo,” Paul grinned and gave him a fist bump. Percy could almost hear the girls roll their eyes. A comfortable quietness drifted over the table, and for a moment, Percy could believe everything was normal. That the world wasn’t going to war soon. Suddenly Percy’s pasta didn’t look so appetizing. He still hadn’t told anyone about Nico’s proposal, but if he could trust anyone it would be Annabeth, right? But as he looked at her his confidence faltered. Something had happened between them, and Percy couldn’t place a finger on it. For the time being, he was going it alone. He stood and took a breath, offering to do the dishes, his mind going a thousand miles an hour. His mom’s jaw dropped and she stared at Annabeth.

“What did you do to him?” She asked in mock horror. Annabeth giggled and handed Percy her plate. Percy’s heart fluttered and he stood staring at her for a second too long. He turned and dumped the dishes in the sink. Being the son of Poseidon, most things water came easy to him. Including, but not limited to, doing the dishes, unfortunately. He stood by the counter watching water coat the surface and scrub the plate clean. For Paul’s sake, however, he pretended to wash the plates. When he was done, he jumped back onto their sofa and waited for Annabeth to return. She slipped soundlessly into his room and left him staring at the door. When she came out, she had exchanged her jeans for a pair of sweats and a college sweatshirt from where her dad taught.

“Annabeth,” Percy started, looking anywhere but her face.

“Yes…?” Annabeth asked suspiciously. Percy bit his cheek and waited until she had sat down.

“I feel like you’re mad at me,” He muttered, picking at the chair’s armrest. Annabeth snorted and shook her head.

“Oh my gods, Percy.” She grumbled. Her eyes had taken a particularly dark shade of gray that had always made Percy nervous.

“Look,” He started. “If this is about what I said about Luke, I wasn’t trying to upset you.” Percy immediately knew he fucked up. Annabeth scoffed and stared at him as if turned into Kronos himself.

“Are you kidding me?” She demanded. She put her head in her hands and groaned. “You’re impossible.”

Percy threw his hands up in the air. “You’re impossible! You’ve acted like I don't exist this whole year. I try to reach out to you and you turn me down. You glare at me after everything I say.”

Annabeth stared at him, a genuine mix of shock in her expression. “You really don’t know, do you?” She asked with narrow eyes.

“I would know if you told me!” Percy countered, exasperated. Annabeth just shook her head and stood up.

“I can’t believe–” Annabeth cut herself off with a deep breath and put her hands in her pockets.

“What?” He asked. “That you get to kiss me and then act like you hate me? Cause I can’t believe that either.” Percy winced as the words came out. They had come to a silent agreement not to mention the volcano… incident. Annabeth looked like she’d been punched in the gut. Her gaze made Percy want to drop to his knees and apologize. In the evening light, he could see tears welling in her eyes. She swallowed hard and stormed off into his room, slamming the door behind her. Great, Percy thought. He sighed and forcefully pressed play on the movie.

What was Annabeth talking about?

He knew she didn’t like Rachel, but that was a low bar. Annabeth wasn’t a fan of a lot of things – or people for that matter. Percy felt an oncoming headache and rubbed his face. Outside, the moon had long since risen and sat comfortably in the sky. He had fought countless monsters and survived, but somehow his hardest challenge yet had been dealing with Annabeth. Percy fell sideways on the couch and pulled a blanket over himself. He tried to watch the movie through drooping eyelids and fell into a deep sleep somewhere in the middle of “Slipping Through My Fingers”.

They hadn’t even lasted a whole day without fighting. Percy wondered if he would live to see the wedding after all.

Chapter Text

hey guys! i’m really sorry about the long wait, i had shoulder surgery about a week ago and am in a sling right now, but im hoping to get a chapter up soon 🥲 please stick with me i will finish this story!!! if u have any suggestions or anything you wanna see this chapter please lmk i’m open to suggestions 😛