Chapter Text
Annabeth is waiting for the traffic light to change when she first sees her.
She could find those bright blue eyes and curly blonde hair in any crowd, so she was confused at first. She is looking right at those clear eyes and light hair, even the crooked nose is there, but the one looking back at her is a woman with a bright aura, and luminous space.
Annabeth is looking straight into the eyes of her boyfriend, but the goddess of love is porting them, and she is looking back with a bright smile but apologetic eyes. Aphrodite winks at her, a car goes by, and she disappears with it.
Annabeth is on edge the rest of the day.
That night she dreams of an old man standing in front of her, he throws her a key then he turns around and there is another head attached to the old man’s head, this a younger version. He smiles at her, and Annabeth is thrown back with force and jumps awake sweating in Percy’s room at four in the morning, Percy is snoring on the air mattress next to her on the floor and Annabeth tries to go back to sleep.
This time, she dreams of herself, she is looking from a distance like a ghost. She is running, and running, and running, and then she twists her ankle and falls to the ground.
There is no one there to help her.
It turns to her riding shotgun next to a woman who is driving while talking about a project she is doing, an architectural project. Then Annabeth is driving, and two kids in the back seat fighting for the aux cord.
Annabeth wakes up when Percy gets in bed in the morning.
“Sorry, I didn’t want to wake you, but Mom already saw we slept separately, and it's cold.” He whispers half asleep into her hair, and she can’t be mad to be woken up like this, his arm around her and his cold nose hidden in her hair.
Later, when Sally and Paul are out and they are left babysitting a sleeping Estelle, is Annabeth’s time to start researching. Percy is in the shower when she takes out her laptop and sits at his desk.
She searches for Janus.
She remembered him from the labyrinth and knew the basic things, but why was she dreaming of him?
Percy comes out of the shower and stands behind her resting his chin on her shoulder.
“Janus. Why are you looking him up?” Percy’s hair is still wet, and it drips down her neck. She shivers.
“Nothing, I just…” He rests his cheek on her shoulder and looks at her with confused eyes. “I had a weird dream.” Percy tenses.
Because weird dreams for demigods are yearlong prophecies and month-long quests. An imminent war and probable death. But Annabeth refuses to make it into something more than just this, a weird dream because she is two months away from getting the life she and Percy have talked about for the last year, and she is gonna get it.
She will.
So, she closes her laptop.
“It’s probably nothing, don’t worry.” This is a very dumb thing to say because when Annabeth looks into Percy’s eyes, she knows he is already worried, and she is reminded of Aphrodite. Annabeth still tries to stay cool, kisses his nose, and scrunches her face. “Stop frowning, frownie.” Percy smiles but is still a bit tense, so Annabeth kisses him to distract him.
Annabeth dreams of herself again, she is watching like she is a phantom. Her dream self is walking in what appears to be a school hall, Percy is walking in her direction, smiling wide, he passes right next to her and doesn’t even glance her way, dream Annabeth keeps walking, but she has to turn around and watch at who Percy was smiling. He is standing with Jason down the hall talking loudly, Leo comes next, and then Frank. None of them look her way.
The next day Annabeth dreams of heavy pouring rain and a hopeless scream that makes her throat hoarse and sobs that don’t let her breath. She is soaking wet and shaking from the cold, someone calls her name. She wakes up.
After that, Annabeth sees Aphrodite again, this time she is sitting by the window of a coffee shop, she runs into the shop but when she is inside, the goddess is gone. Annabeth orders an eight-dollar coffee because she deserves it.
She dreams again of Janus and keys, old and young. She is still running, she keeps falling.
No one helps her.
She wakes up.
Percy asks her what she dreams of, and she lies. He knows but doesn’t push it.
In the next dream, Janus finally speaks to her. He talks about patience and safety. He tells her that everything will be alright and to make things right.
“Love conquers all.” It’s a woman’s voice who says that, but there is no one else there. They are standing on a beach, and it feels like the ocean spoke the words.
“Be patient Miss Chase. You are a wise young lady; you will figure it out.” She wakes up to Estelle crying in the next room and Percy drooling on her stretched arm.
The thing is, Annabeth doesn’t want to figure it out. She thinks if she ignores it long enough, it will go away, she also knows that this logic will probably bite her in the ass.
She keeps herself busy at Percy’s apartment, doesn’t go out, and tries to keep herself from sleeping at night by fooling around with Percy, which turns out to be very useful. But every time she falls asleep, is either to see herself do stuff that makes her want to pull her hair out or talk to a two-headed man who is very old, and the way he speaks reminds her a bit of Chiron.
So, Annabeth falls asleep and sees herself running, Rachel laughing at something, Grover blushing next to her, Percy ignoring her, and Piper in a cheerleader outfit.
They have a movie night, and she falls asleep, she dreams of Percy, herself, and… Luke, they are younger, probably like thirteen or something, but Luke is still older, and they are laughing while watching a movie. Annabeth is sitting between the two of them, but she is leaning over Percy while she laughs, she is pulled back and the dream changes, this time on the same sofa is just her and Luke, there is a weird tension.
Annabeth forces herself to wake up.
She dreams of little Percy and little Annabeth, they are playing hide and seek at someone’s house, and they are not older than seven. Percy is hiding behind a large curtain, his feet sticking out, Annabeth finds him, and calls him Seaweed Brain. Annabeth wakes up.
The summer solstice is when it happens. Annabeth goes to sleep in the Poseidon cabin, Percy is hugging her from behind and he hides his face between her shoulder blades, he is long asleep before her, but when she finally sleeps… her logic comes and bites her in the ass, as she, oh, so wisely knew would happen.
“I’ve been waiting for you, Annabeth.” She is at the same beach as every other dream she had with Janus; the sun is on the horizon and there must not be too much time left before it hides completely. Aphrodite is in front of her, in a long cream gown that should be wet at the end because they are both at the beginning of the water but it isn't.
“Lady Aphrodite, I could say the same.” She tries to be polite, but after encountering the goddess four times while she watches her and then disappearing out of thin air, gives her tone a bit more on edge than she was going for. Like she is not bothered, the goddess laughs.
“Oh dear, I know, I’ve been too noisy, can’t blame me really.” She looks to her right and Annabeth follows her eyes, down the beach near some rocks, where a man is standing. Annabeth can take a wild guess of who it is. “Let’s walk dear.” She starts walking in the direction of the man and Annabeth follows her without meaning to.
“If you don’t mind me asking, my lady. Why are you here?”
“Oh, let’s not rush things out.” They walk in silence for a moment and Annabeth realizes the man is not getting closer, like they are on a treadmill. “You must know by now that I have a special place in my plans for you and that boy of yours.
Annabeth does not like how she so lightly reduces Percy to her boy, she wants to say he is also the hero of Olympus, you know, the one who has saved your asses on multiple occasions. But she bites her tongue because Lady Aphrodite has never been unkind to her, and she does not want her to start now.
“It’s truly one of the greatest love stories, one I haven’t seen in centuries. Back in the old days, those were love stories, when men would die for their loved ones, when they would leave everything behind to just be with them. Men used to start wars for love.” She is looking at the sea. “Dead and love have always been interwind. After all, we have the best tragedies, don’t we?”
This time she looks at Annabeth for approval, and she nods, because she is not planning on becoming a Greek tragedy today, so she will keep her tongue in check, like she used to before Percy.
“But what is better than a tragedy really? I would say, true love, the one that conquers all, no matter what. Even death.”
Annabeth almost asks how you conquer death, and then she remembers a long fall and full darkness, her lungs filling with blood and feelings of despair.
Maybe they already were a Greek tragedy.
“There is so much I can do of course, for this to happen. But in centuries I grew bored, and men grew greedier. It’s not romantic when a hero sacrifices the love of their life for the world.” She could agree to disagree, but she is not sure romantic is the word. “But your hero, Annabeth. He would not do that. He has not done that.” They stop and the man has not moved and doesn’t look closer either, the goddess turns to her and takes her chin into her hand.
“What use is the world to him if you are not there.”
Annabeth lets out a breath because yeah, she gets it. But it's a bit unnerving when the love of her life’s eyes are staring at her but they are not quite right, saying these words.
“So, someone would say, I have a very special place of endearment for you two.” She turns and keeps walking; this time the man starts to get closer. “That’s why I’m here, dear. I don’t want to cause trouble and less of this any hurt to you two, but you must know that there are ones that are lonely and in despair, and I’m afraid I cannot fix it.” They reach the two-headed man, who is still looking out at the sea. “You must.”
“What?”
“It’s the only way. And they are the only ones. In all the worlds and universes, they are lost in hurtful thoughts and lonely hearts. They are the only ones. I cannot fix it, dear.”
“Who? What? What are you talking about?” To hell with keeping her tongue in check and this goddess and her cryptic messages. Annabeth was hyperventilating.
“It won’t last long Miss Chase; everything will be alright. I will make sure of it.” This time the man is looking at her and for the first time is the young face who is talking. “I give you my promise, this will be safe.”
“What, no! Wait.”
Annabeth wakes up to an alarm beeping out of control, her head hurts and she is no longer in the Poseidon cabin. After she turns the alarm clock off, she still can hear the whisper that this will be safe.
She stands up and inspects the room, it must be hers but it’s not. Three photos are hanging over her desk that lead her to believe this room is hers, one of them is her at the beach with Thalia, they look young. The other is her, Rachel, and Grover, from some dance, probably homecoming. The last one is almost discolored; it seems like at some point it got wet and also made into a ball of wrinkled paper. It’s her and Percy, they must be like twelve, there is a part of the photo missing and over it, there are post-its with reminders.
She’s gonna be sick.
Because those photos, she doesn’t remember taking them. This is not her room, neither at her parents' house, nor camp, and not in her boarding school that she already graduated from. So, where the fuck is she.
She goes to the closet next because she needs to change clothes and find out what is going on. She needs to find Percy because Percy is somewhere, the photo proves it and she cannot do that in her pajamas, which are Percy’s old shirt from his swimming team and some shorts.
The clothes she finds are also not hers and hers at the same time. They are in her size, and she recognizes some sweatshirts and jeans. There are a lot of skirts, that she doesn’t mind much but does not own that many. There is not a single camp shirt in sight.
She finds some leggings, a hoodie, and some running shoes in case she needs to run from some monster, she needs to be prepared. She does not find any weapons in the room.
When she opens the door, she hears the TV on the news channel and a woman’s voice chatting with a male voice. She tries to be stealthy as she goes down the stairs and as she gets closer, she realizes the male one is her dad.
“Good thing you are ready, Annabeth. Your mother is outside.” Annabeth freezes.
Her mother? Is outside? Waiting? For her? As in Athena goddess of wisdom.
Her father and stepmother are looking at her as she just stands there and tries really hard to put together what is going on.
“Annabeth, are you okay?” Her father asks her and Annabeth just nods.
“Where is your backpack?” Her stepmother asks and it’s a great question.
“I saw it in the living room.” And she doesn’t think she’s been so grateful to her father before. “Go get it and make some breakfast to go.”
When she is making her breakfast, she sneaks a knife up her sleeve. Both her parents say distractedly goodbye to her and then she is met with the striking brown eyes and pursed lips of her mother.
“You are late.” Nice as always.
“Sorry, overslept.” She doesn’t grace her with a reply, she just turns around and gets into the car, Annabeth follows. After some silence, Annabeth watches with much attention out the window to try and piece together where she is, because this is not New York or San Francisco or Virginia or anywhere she has been before.
“Have you heard about colleges?”
“What?”
“College, Annabeth. They are sending out their responses. Have you heard from Columbia yet?” Annabeth already graduated high school; she is enrolled in classes in Berkley University for the fall semester. So, excuse her that her mother, the goddess of wisdom asking her this, makes her flabbergasted.
“That’s what you want to talk about right now?”
“What else is there to talk about?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe what am I doing here? Where are we? Where is Percy?”
“What are you... Annabeth, what are you talking about?” Annabeth’s stomach drops.
“What do you mean what am I talking about?”
“I mean exactly that. Are you pranking me? I have no time for this. We are already late, and I cannot be any more late to work.” Work, as in the work normal people do to gain money and live, as in the thing gods do not have because they are gods. Annabeth is so glad she hasn’t eaten breakfast because she would have been sick.
“What?”
“Annabeth, we are in the car, driving to school, as to where Percy is. Well, I would hope at school, with the rest of the kids that go there, where you are going now. Does that satisfy you?” No, it does not.
“In what state are we?”
“Did you hit your head? Pennsylvania, Anna.”
She shuts up and her mother stops questioning her.
So, this woman is not Athena, goddess of wisdom, no, she is Athena, mother of Annabeth Chase and worker on… something. She looks at her sideways and realizes, from this angle, it's the same woman with long braids and glasses she dreamed of days ago when she was driving and talking about architecture.
She dreamed this. Not this exactly, but with this woman and this car.
There is a knot of uneasiness in her chest, because if her mother is not a goddess, where is her actual mother? And the other gods.
Annabeth does not understand what is going on, and when they get to her school, she rushes out because she needs to find Percy, after all, she’s got a photo of the boy in her room. When she enters the school, she looks around and the hall is the same one she once dreamed too. She doesn’t know where her locker is, so she walks where she remembers her dream self was walking.
On the dot, Percy comes into view, walking toward her with a smile and Annabeth can breathe again.
“Percy! Hi!” She calls him relieved, but the boy stops dead in his tracks and looks at her surprised for a millisecond before there is a frown on his face and Annabeth’s heart sinks to her feet, probably lower, because she remembers, in her dream, Percy was not walking to her but to his friends, which is not her.
She looks over her shoulder, and there, at the end of the hall, looking confused in their direction are Jason, Leo, and Frank. She turns to face Percy again and he is still frowning.
“Um, hi.” He rubs the back of his neck, uncomfortable. But at least he is not frowning anymore. “Did you need something?” He looks over her shoulder in his friends' direction with a panicked look and Annabeth wants to cry, because why is he so uncomfortable around her? But then his face changes to something hopeful and looks back at her. “Did you change your mind about the tutoring?”
“Tutoring?” She needs to stop responding to people repeating what they said, and also stop answering questions with more questions, but she is so lost.
“Yeah, what I asked you like a month ago and you so nicely said no. Ring any bell?” His tone is sarcastic and a bit on edge, it sounds like when he speaks with Clarisse after they speared together, and she went too overboard.
Tutoring, as in her tutoring him on something, and a month ago she, apparently must have said no in a very rude and infuriating way, which made him bitter with her now. She has no idea why she did that a month ago, but right now she wants to spend time with Percy, preferably alone, not being scrutinized by his friends, and maybe, to make him stop frowning at her.
“Sure, tutoring. Sorry, it’s too early. Yeah, I can tutor you.” He is back to surprised and to be honest, she prefers that one over the frown and pursed lips.
“Really?”
“Sure, I can do it. With what do you need help?” If he is anything like the Percy she knows, she can bet a pretty penny is math and chemistry.
“Mostly math, and chemistry.” Bingo. “Also, reviewing my essays would be great.” Of course, how could she forget that one?
“Yeah, I can make that work.”
“Great.” And finally, the previous smile he had is back on, now directed at her and you cannot blame her for smiling back. “I can text you and we can arrange it later.” She almost says no, why not now, please don’t leave, but this is not her Percy, who would stay if she ridiculously said that. So, she nods, and he sends her a lopsided smile and leaves.
She also catches up with the fact he said text and realizes she needs a phone for that, like the one she saw on the nightstand and didn’t pick up. She stands there for a few seconds mulling this over, when she notices Rachel at the end of the hall, next to the lockers, waving at her to come over.
“I can’t believe Grover got through you.” Rachel rolls her eyes and seems truly annoyed. What is with all these people being displeased with her?
“What do you mean?” At this point, she is defensive because everyone expects her to know these things that she doesn’t, and Rachel, who apparently is her friend, is also done with her, and Annabeth only woke up. Rachel sighs.
“It’s just… you weren’t great after Luke came back home for winter break.” She at least has an apologetic face when she sees Annabeth, who is probably scrunching her face, because what does she mean Luke? “I’m just worried, I don’t want you to start hurting again for opening old wounds.”
What the fuck.
Rachel does not elaborate and Annabeth is a bit afraid to ask her more, so she takes her to her first class because they have it together, the next one they don’t, and Annabeth is lost looking for it, she is late, and everyone gapes at her. There is a sit in the front of the class and one in the middle, she goes for the middle and people stare, even the teacher seems surprised. And she gets it, it’s not hard to put this part together, she is a front-row student but right now she feels like she is impersonating someone else, but that someone else is herself, so sue her, she does not want to be in front of everyone, exposed, without knowing who is at her back.
She feels some intense staring from her left and she turns and catches Grover's eyes, he looks at her confused, she makes a dismissive gesture with her hand and notices Percy is right behind him looking also confused. She is so done with his expressive eyebrows and brightless eyes directed at her that she turns around and takes notes because she still needs to keep up.
Grover goes to her when class finishes after he talks something with Percy, okay so they still are friends or at least speak.
“Are you okay?” He is genuinely concerned, and he probably already knows about the tutoring that is apparently a big deal in their group, so she can feel a bit of regret when she responds bitterly, grinding her teeth.
“I’m fine.”
He doesn’t say anything else, sensing her sour mood, and walks with her to, she assumes, her next class. He is not in it with her, but Percy is there in the middle of it all, looking at her when she gets in, this time there are more seats to choose from, so she makes a beeline for the very back and Percy shamelessly follows her trace with shocked expression. Annabeth avoids his staring and bites her cheek till she tastes blood.
At lunchtime, she sits with Rachel and Grover, there are other people she doesn’t know but says hi, politely. She eats her lunch in silence trying to make a plan of what to do, and who to go to. To try and figure out where is she and what is going on.
Maybe she needs to go to New York and go to the Empire State, knock till someone answers her words. She doubts there will be help there. It’s counted with her fingers on one hand how many times the gods have helped them.
And then, like a light comes in, she sees Piper laughing at something Jason says, she is sitting at the table with all her friends of the latest quest they had together. She wonders what went wrong that she is not there with them, laughing over Percy’s and Leo’s antiques.
“Do you have a phone?” She asks either Rachel or Grover, the one that first can give it to her.
“Did you leave yours at home again?” Okay, so that was not so out of the ordinary, great.
“Yeah.” Grover passes her his phone and she googles Piper’s name.
It’s really easy when her father and mother’s name come up. It’s also not difficult at all to locate the woman.
Aphrodite Boutique is twenty minutes away. She needs to shoot her shot in this one, she is here because of her.
“Do you have a car?”
“For like, the eighth time I bike to school.” Grover whines but she ignores him because Rachel is flashing her keys to her.
“Can I borrow it?”
“We have class, you know.”
“I need to do something, and it has to be now, I can tell you about it later, right now I really really really need your car.” She pleads, and it works because Rachel rolls her eyes amused, and hands her the keys.
Is nothing monumental but being able to get out of this dystopian school, where all her friends don’t like her and her other friends are worried because she is still mopping over Luke, who is alive here, so she doesn’t want to duel much into that just yet, she feels like the air is finally flowing right through her lungs. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” She repeats and makes Rachel laugh a bit, she stands up and kisses her cheek because she is really grateful right now.
She must be causing a bit of a scene cause some people turn around and stare at her like she grew a second head, between those people are her other friends, the ones that don’t like her. But she doesn’t care.
“You need to be back at four though, we have a meeting with the prom committee.” She does not frown or show any surprise at that, just nods.
“I will give your phone back later.” She blows a kiss to Grover and gets out of the cafeteria and school before someone can stop her.
When she is looking for Rachel’s car, she realizes she doesn’t know which car is it, she examines the keys, they are the same ones her Rachel has, the one that is the oracle. So, she searches for the red car around the lot.
She gets to the boutique fifteen minutes later, which is actually a house, probably where Piper lives. There is a sign though, that showcases this is the place she is looking for. She stops in front of the door for a long time, preparing herself for the possible, very likely, disappointment. But she needs to try. She takes a long breath of air and presses the doorbell.
“Hi! Annabeth, so good to see you. I was waiting for you.” Aphrodite this time looks more like Piper, with beautiful brown skin, and long shinny chocolate hair. Her eyes seem to change color with the different lights, but now, she sees breathtaking blue eyes, and she has a knowing look on her face, Annabeth’s hope grows.
“You were? That’s great.”
“Sure, dear. I know exactly why you are here, after all, who else can help you?” Her smile is blinding, and Annabeth feels at ease. “Come in.”
“So, if you know why I’m here, can you explain to me? I’m losing my mind here.”
“Oh, I thought your mother had told you, she was the one who asked me to do it.”
“No, she didn’t. She was acting all righteous about school.” That makes the goddess laugh and by the second Annabeth feels like she finally can breathe better.
“Oh, of course. That’s Athena for you, but you know that already.” She follows her to a bright room, with tall windows and white light. “She contacted me and asked me personally. Wants you to know she cares, it’s a gift.”
A gift. To be ripped out of her life to be inserted in what? Her life but more miserable, because Percy does not like her, and her friends are not her friends anymore and she is still in school. In Pennsylvania.
“I don’t want the gift; can I go back now? I don’t like it.” The goddess looks taken back.
“What do you mean you don’t want it? What are you wearing then?”
Annabeth’s world turns upside down.
This is also not who she thought it was.
“Wearing for what?” She barely manages to say, there is a knot in her throat, but she refuses to cry here.
“For prom dear, your mother called me to ask if I can make your dress.” The room starts to spin, and she doesn’t fall to the ground because there is a chair behind her. “It’s fine if you don’t want it, but we could make such a pretty dress. Do you have anything in mind?”
“No.”
“Oh, that’s fine, you can come back later this week and we can see that, let’s take your measurements for today and…” Annabeth stops listening to the woman, not the goddess of love, just a common woman who is gonna make her a dress.
She does what she needs to do while Annabeth stares at something in front of her, lost in thought.
She doesn’t know what to do. This is nothing like the things she has ever read in her book of Greek stories or even Romans. This woman was her only solution, and she is ranting about styles and fabrics for a dress Annabeth didn’t want because she doesn’t want to be there. She went to prom, she had a great night with her boyfriend, who doesn’t hate her and would never pass her without stopping to greet her in a hall.
She didn’t even go to school with Percy when they did go.
What does she do?
Where can she find Janus? He said everything will be fine.
This is not fine.
She is holding back tears while Aphrodite says goodbye to her and after, Annabeth is back in the car sobbing incontrollable and trying to remember the breathing exercises she used to do when she had a panic attack.
In, 1, 2, 3, 4.
Hold, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
Out, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
She remembers when Percy used to do the count for her. Now, she is in who knows where and he doesn’t talk to her.
She needs to start over.
This is not fine.
She sits there for a while until Grover’s phone starts ringing.
“Yes?” Her voice is hoarse from crying and not speaking in a while.
“Where are you, the meeting starts in twenty. You have everything we have to submit.” Right, Rachel said four. She still has to play pretend to a life she doesn’t like.
“I’m on my way.”
She gets there before the parking lot gets too crowded with people leaving and Rachel, asked by Annabeth, is waiting for her at the entrance.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just stuff with my mom.” There is understanding and compassion and yeah, safe bet. Annabeth always has something going on with either of her parents, in this life, or others.
She drags herself through the halls, her shoulder sags a bit, she is exhausted after all the crying. Her eyes must be puffy and her nose won’t stop running.
When they get to the classroom of the meeting, Paul is there, probably organizing everything for prom, he greets her like he always has and it makes her feel a bit better, then she sees Piper and Hazel sitting in the circle they created with the classroom chair, even Drew and Will are there. They greet her too, in camaraderie for prom and all, probably because they have to now that they are in the same room.
“Okay, guys. It’s getting closer and closer to the big night, so. Are the posters ready to send to the printer?” There is a silence and then all eyes are on her, Rachel clears her throat to take their attention.
“Yeah, they are ready. Annabeth has them on her computer.” She is sitting between Rachel and Grover so; the redhead takes Annabeth’s computer out of her bag for herself. Annabeth should likely be doing what Rachel is, but she doesn’t care right now, she is in self-pitting mode.
Rachel does something and then the design of the poster is projected on the board.
A night of Greek myths and tragedies.
What a fucking little coincidence.
Annabeth snorts, because of course. Of fucking course that is the theme of this prom. Freaking depressing if you ask her, that they probably did, and she probably said that. She has faith in herself that she said that.
“Did you look over the Pinterest board that I sent for inspiration?” Piper asks, looking at Annabeth and she sits straighter because she wants her friend to like her again.
“Yeah, they are there. They were really good; we should use them.” Annabeth does not know if they are there or if she looked over them, but Piper smiles pleased at her, and she tries to smile back.
“Did you design the space? we need to start working on decorations.” That does get her attention, something to distract herself, she looks at Will, who asked.
“I’m working on them; I can have them by the end of the week.” He gives her a lopsided smile with bright eyes and the familiarity warms her.
“Awesome.”
They start talking about budgets, food, catering, sound, and playlists, all technical stuff that Annabeth does not know or care about, but everything is on her computer, she assumes she must be like the president of this or something. Rachel looks over everything though, she also knows everything and the laptop like it's hers, so Annabeth just lets her.
They get out of school around five fifteen, she sees a tall body with broad shoulders and a mop of blonde wet curls walking toward a Prius, and gets a pang in her heart.
“Do you need a ride?” She nods.
When they are outside her house, Rachel leans over the console and hugs her. It seems like she gets her, she didn’t talk to her all the way there, as if what happened today is not out of the ordinary, like her skipping class and lending her the car to supposedly go fight with her mother is something recurrent. She hugs Rachel a bit tighter.
“Text me if you want to talk about it and we can do a quick Facetime, okay?” She feels a bit guilty because she has been all day whining in her head about how her friends don’t like her and here is Rachel, hugging her and making sure she is okay and she wishes she knew about her other life, she wants to tell her everything and maybe, that way she will remember and be weird out like her. Help her figure everything out.
But she is afraid to end up more alone than now, so she bites her tongue and gets out of the car.
There is no one home when she gets in, she leaves the knife back where is supposed to go and then she inspects her room like a murder was committed and she is a suspect. She looks in every corner, tries to understand her life, and searches on her computer for anything. It’s when she reaches under her bed that she loses it.
There is a shoe box with many photos, there are some from her childhood, Christmas, when her stepbrothers were born, and Percy, Percy, and Percy. Them eating ice cream, them at some park, them play fighting, and them at the first day of what looks like preschool. He is everywhere. Then they are older, and the photos are cut out, something's missing, every single one has a piece missing except for one, she is making a sandcastle, Percy is laughing at something, and Luke has his arm around him laughing too, he is older than them.
Annabeth can’t breathe.
There is the same uneasiness when they talk about Luke back in her other life, of the dead Luke. She keeps exactly one photo of him and nothing else, same as here apparently. But in this one he is so alive and happy, he and Percy getting along like they once did in her other life, before betrayals and wars.
Now, Percy and her don’t talk and she and Luke ended up on bad terms, enough for her to get antsy when he is in town.
She doesn’t understand. What happened? There was no war here to blame for that, she and Percy look like they go way back, either knew each other even before her Percy and herself. So…
What happened? What went wrong?
Annabeth vision gets blurry, she is crying and getting the photo wet, but she is in a trance. She misses Percy, she looks at the photos and wishes she had been sent to that moment of this life, of ice-creams and best friends, but no. She was sent to this moment, of frowns and angry rejection of tutoring.
Annabeth can’t breathe.
There is a restless energy inside her that tells her to get out, to go back to how things were yesterday, before she went to sleep in the Poseidon cabin, teaching a combat class, Percy throwing her into the water because she was laughing at him, but then getting in and kissing her senseless, going to sleep with him after the summer solstice, the fireworks, and good food.
She needs to go back but how?
She stands up abruptly and all the photos fall to the floor; she does not care. She takes the phone on the nightstand and sees a message from Rachel, and she pockets it.
She runs.
She runs and runs and runs, anywhere. She doesn’t know the town and tries to keep up with how to go back but she doesn’t want to go back so she forgets where she is, she just keeps running.
Her ankle throbs for all the running but she keeps going. She doesn’t know how much she runs but in a little park in some residency street with colorful houses, she throws herself down on the grass. She is sweating and out of breath, but not from panicking so that’s a win. Her ankle bothers her, because she pushed it too much, if Percy was here, he would be mad at her, scolding her for being careless with it, telling her she needs to take it easy when it starts bothering her.
But he is not here.
Annabeth sits in the grass, hugging her leg trying to massage her throbbing ankle for some relief, and watches the sunset and the pretty colors in the sky. She isn’t sure if the water on her face is sweat or tears, but she doesn’t care.
“I didn’t know you still run.” Annabeth startles. Percy is standing a few feet away, resting his hands on his knees and scrunched over, out of breath. But his face, gods his face is all scrunched up like it personally offends him that she still runs, and Annabeth can’t do this. So, she just shrugs.
She remembers the dream of her running and then falling.
“I saw you blocks ago and called you, but you didn’t turn.”
“So, you followed me?”
“I was running too.”
“Were you planning on stopping here too?”
“I live here, Annabeth.”
She looks around like if she sees the houses, she will know which one is his. She doesn’t.
“Right.” It is the only thing she says and looks at the sky again.
She thinks he would leave, there is nothing to talk about here. For all that she wished for, this is not the Percy she wants right now. But apparently, the universe doesn’t care for what she wants and it’s not news to her.
He sits down next to her.
“Is your ankle, okay? It looks like you ran for a while.”
“It’s fine.” Like her ankle is laughing at her, it throbs, and she needs to extend her leg, trying not to make a face.
“You shouldn’t push it too much if it’s not completely healed yet.” It’s so close, so, so, so close. She closes her eyes, and she can almost hear Percy’s trembling voice of concern, this is a sad excuse.
“I’m fine. Just need to rest.”
“It’s getting late.” And suddenly it catches up to her, she is tired. Her body sags down, she wants to lie down on the grass and sleep till she wakes up with Percy in the cabin.
“It really is fine, Percy. You don’t need to stay here and keep me company if you want to go, go.” She tries to say it annoyed, but the tiredness comes out and she just sounds defeated.
He doesn’t answer right away, and she can feel his eyes on her side, analyzing her, trying to know what to say or do next. Like she is a ticking bomb, and the wrong move will set her off, she hates it. Percy hasn’t been so uncertain with her since that horrendous year when they were at each other throats all the time.
“I texted you about the tutoring thing.” Oh, that thing, right. Before she had been excited to at least have some time with Percy now she just, really wants to go back to her other life.
“Sorry, I didn’t see it.”
“It’s fine.” It’s not fine, everything is so unfine she wants to scream. She hates that word, fine. “Let me give you a ride home, Annabeth. It’s late.”
She just nods. He stands up and helps her get up too.
“Do you need me to help you walk?”
“It’s… No, thanks. I’m okay.” He leads her to a blue house where the Prius is parked.
“Wait up.”
He goes into the house and doesn’t invite her in. There is a pang in her heart when she imagines Sally inside, maybe Estelle and Paul, maybe not. But Sally, greeting Percy and him telling her he is going out, maybe doesn’t even mention her name. Annabeth is outside, she doesn’t get an invitation into the house and two days ago she was cooking dinner with his mother, making jokes at his expense, now she is staring at a house she doesn’t know, full of people she knows better than herself.
“Let’s go.”
He hands her an ice pad and opens the car door for her. It's painfully silent at first, but Annabeth is so spent, that she doesn’t bother to search her brain for something to say. Percy on the other hand.
“I was thinking we could meet up on Wednesdays after school, I know you don’t have anything school-related but if you can’t, it's fine.” Good thing he knew, cause Annabeth doesn’t remember what she read on her calendar right now. She wants to ask why he knows if they are not friends but decides against it.
“Wednesday works for me.” She mumbles, a headage starting to form on her forehead.
“And Saturdays? I don’t know if one day would be enough. We could meet up… somewhere.” She also wants to ask why he is so determined to this, and why he needs tutoring. Maybe his mother told him to better his grades, Paul? Was it himself who decided enough was enough?
“Yeah, you are right. Two days sound good.” Out of the corner of her eye, she sees how he turns to glance at her, but as fast as is there, he is turning back to the road. That’s when she looks at him.
He is frowning, looking ahead.
Stop frowning, frownie.
She also looks away, eyes stinking.
Neither of them says anything else.
Before she can get out of the car, Percy stops her, reaching for her upper arm.
“Are you sure you are okay?”
She has heard that a lot today, people are worried if she is okay. And for the first time, she wants to say no, she wants to tell him everything. Is so easy to feel vulnerable with those worried blue eyes looking at her, with his hand on her arm, is so easy to feel disarmed by him.
But what is she supposed to say?
He is waiting for her to say something, and she only wants to kiss him.
What is she supposed to say?
We are demigods. No, they are not, she doesn’t even know if gods exist here.
We are dating. They are clearly not.
I’m not the Annabeth you think I am. Even if is true, she is not so different from the other one if no one has noticed anything strange with her.
I’m pretty sure Aphrodite changed my life and now the other one doesn’t exist anymore, but I’m trying not to panic because at least you are still here. She’s scared if she thinks too much about that, it will be true.
She doesn’t say any of that.
“I’m sure. Thank you for the ride, you really didn’t have to.” And tries for a reassuring smile, it makes him relax and smile back at her, with kind eyes and a reassuring squish to her arm.
“See you tomorrow.” He says and she really wishes she is not here tomorrow.
Her father doesn’t even bother her for the time or that she didn’t say anything. Matty and Bobby are playing some game in the living room and surprise her by standing up and hugging her when they see her, some things might be better here.
They rant about a test she helped them study for, they are confident they got an A and Annabeth just listens because of all the relationships she has here, this one might be the only one she wished she could have on the other one.
She goes to sleep with a full stomach and a fake pretense of waking up with an arm around her.
Instead, she dreams.
Percy is angry at her; she can’t hear anything he says, and he is not screaming. But he is angry, indignant.
He has to be about thirteen because he is already too tall.
He says a lot of things apparently and then he just… leaves. Annabeth doesn’t say anything, she just stands there, mad and sad.
It changes to her crying, Rachel is there. They are older.
“You have to fix it Annabeth, only you can.”
She is back to that nameless beach, alone. The voice comes from the sea, but the goddess of love is nowhere to be found.
“I don’t know what I have to fix,” Annabeth screams and she doesn’t want the sob to escape her, but it does. “I want to go back, to how it was before. I want-“ She can’t keep going.
“You will when you fix it. Everything will be fine.”
Her vision is blurry, and she wakes up in the same bed she woke up the day before, there isn’t an arm around her and probably for the first time in a long time, Annabeth has no idea what to do.
°°
“In every lifetime.” The wind blew Percy’s wet hair over his eyes and looking at him, there, standing waist-deep in the water, the sunlight making him glow with glistening skin because of the water drops, Annabeth was reminded he was half god.
“You really think so?” The conversation had started light and jokily, talking about the past, silly arguments, and badly hidden crushes.
But Percy looked at her, he brushed a loose braid out of her face and a wave made her end up chest to chest with him. His hands around her neck, her arms around his waist, and the look in his eyes, the same look he gave her once upon a time on a balcony in a fancy hotel after she had almost died for him.
It must be faith. True love.
Soulmate kind of love.
The one you only hear in the myths and the godly beliefs.
The one she didn’t believe could be hers, until him.
“In.” He kissed her forehead. “Every.” Her nose. “Lifetime.” He sealed the deal and kissed her fully, a honey-sweet and toe-curling kiss. His hands held her face and her legs went up to his waist. He went deeper into the ocean.
The water around them became more restless but there were no waves big enough to separate them.
“In every universe.” He said breathlessly and his blue eyes, clear as the sky became glassy. “I would find you in every reincarnation and spend eternity next to you on Elysium.”
The kind of love that was just theirs.
“I’m no greedy man, but for this, us. I’m willing to do anything for countless lives with you.”
They kissed until they forgot in which life they were, so close the only way to be closer was to be carved into each other’s souls.
“I want it all. All that you said and more. But only with you.” She said panting, brown boring into blue, and hearing her words made Percy look disarmed like he wasn’t expecting her to want as much as him.
It was a bruising kiss, desperate and sloppy, a bit too rough, enough to make you remember you were alive. Like he was afraid she was gonna leave and this was a parting gift from above. The water made them sway from how aggressively it moved.
She wanted to stay there, with him for eons. And still, it wouldn’t have been enough.