Chapter Text
After everything, I guessed I should be glad that Annabeth and I finally got to see our movie.
We didn't have long before Annabeth would leave to spend the school year with her dad in California. And after everything that happened this summer--her quest, Daedalus, the Labyrinth, Kronos--we both needed a break. Mom didn't even try to embarrass me by calling it a date in front of Annabeth, which was how I knew we seriously needed this.
It was hard to tell where I stood with Annabeth. She was my best friend, obviously, but our kiss at Mt. Saint Helens was confusing. We hadn't talked about it since then, because it would inevitably lead to all the stuff that happened after, with the eruption and Calypso and everything.
So, yeah. I was seeing a movie with Annabeth. And the whole situation was just about as complicated as the prophecy hanging over my head.
The theater was small but nostalgic. I used to come here with Mom when I was a kid, on the rare occasion that we'd treat ourselves. Looking back, it was probably a way to get us out of the apartment while Gabe was in a bad mood, but all I cared about at the time was which blue candy to choose.
I grabbed a box of blue shark gummies and held them up for Annabeth to see. "It's like they knew I was going to be here."
Annabeth grinned. I loved seeing her smile. She hadn't been doing it as much lately. "Come on, Seaweed Brain, we're going to miss the previews."
"Uh, yeah," I said, following behind Annabeth as she made her way to the counter so I could pay. "That's the whole point. Who wants to watch the previews?"
"I do," she said, crossing her arms. "It's part of the experience."
Now I got it. Annabeth had been living at camp since she was seven. Even though Mom and I weren't rich enough to go to the movies often, I'd probably been more times than her. "You know what else is part of the experience? A snack."
"I'm not going to eat your sharks."
"I would never ask you to do that," I said solemnly. I led her to the snack display, watching her eyes flicker over the multitudes of candy. She stood there for several seconds, like she was in a trance. I almost reached out and tapped her shoulder before she settled on a box of chocolate mint candy. "Good choice."
Annabeth eyed me suspiciously. "You hate mint. You say it tastes like toothpaste."
"Sue me for trying to be supportive," I countered. We hurried to the cash register and I paid for both of us, even after Annabeth insisted she pay for her own. My mom didn't raise me to be inconsiderate.
We settled into our adjacent seats. They were right by the aisle so we could leave quickly if we had to. Annabeth's hand crept towards mine. I didn't know what previews were playing on the screen, just that our fingers were brushing. I didn't know who initiated it, but suddenly we were holding hands.
Annabeth was holding my hand. At the movie theater. Just the two of us.
By this point, I was trying really hard not to freak out. This was the closest we'd been since Mt. Saint Helens, and if you're a demigod you know that the rules change when you're on a quest. But here, in the mortal world, when danger wasn't staring us down? Annabeth was holding my hand because she wanted to, not because we were about to die.
So of course something had to ruin it.
"Percy," said Annabeth softly, which was weird because the movie was about to start. "Don't look behind you."
Her hand went rigid in mine. I could tell what she was doing even without her voicing it. Something was here to attack us, but they didn't know that we knew. We had an advantage for now. I strained my ears until I could hear the hiss of dracaenae a few rows behind us.
"You think they're just here to watch a movie?" I asked lightly.
"Yeah," she said, tension bleeding into her voice. "If that movie is our deaths."
Well, that was just great. "We can't stay here," I said eventually. "Not around the mortals."
"We could bring it outside," she suggested. "They'll definitely follow us, but if we can get to the alley, we can at least fight."
I winced. I really did not want to leave. I wasn't too concerned with seeing the movie, but let me reiterate that Annabeth was holding my hand. "How many are there?"
"Three, maybe four."
The movie was starting by now. A few people were sending us annoyed looks. I would say I was sorry for interrupting their movie, but being annihilated by dracaenae would certainly be more annoying. "Let's go," I decided, my hand instinctively reaching for Riptide in my pocket.
We were able to leave the theater easily, and nobody seemed concerned about us being gone. The dracaenae followed, but didn't make a move until we were outside the theater. Maybe they had some social tact after all.
"Demigodsss," hissed the first dracaena. There were only three, luckily for us. "You smell delicious."
"Thanks," I said casually. I uncapped Riptide and let the celestial bronze illuminate my face. "You stink. I'm sure the Princess Andromeda has showers. Maybe give them a try sometime."
Annabeth caught my eye. I could see her dagger gleam in her hand, but she kept it concealed. "Oh, yeah, the Andromeda has the nicest bathtubs. Aren't you ever allowed to use them?"
This was why Annabeth and I worked so well together. Anyone else would have told me to stop provoking the monsters that already wanted to kill us, but Annabeth went right along with it. I wasn't claiming to be a genius--far from it--but it did the trick. The dracaenae looked at each other, bemused and distracted, while Annabeth and I made quick work of them.
"Sorry about the movie," I offered once we were alone in the alley. Annabeth had a sprinkle of golden dust in her hair; with the way the sun was setting, she looked ethereal.
She slid her dagger into the holster on her thigh. "It's fine."
Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. "Maybe another time, right?"
"I'm starting to think the Fates don't want me to see a movie," she said, forcing out a laugh. When I caught her eye, she looked away.
I wanted to tell her that we had all the time in the world to see a movie, but I knew we didn't. We barely had a year, and probably not even that. I couldn't predict what was going to happen, but Annabeth knew more than I did. "It's okay," I said anyway, because at least right now it was. I would have said more if I could find the words.
Annabeth said nothing. She just looked at me like she was already weaving my burial shroud, for the second time.
My mind was still reeling by the time I made it home for dinner.
I didn't think it was because of the fight. I'd faced plenty of monsters before, and I was getting better at dealing with them quickly. It was even more fortunate that we were able to take it outside and not damage any property.
"Hey," said my mom as soon as I walked in. She was in the kitchen preparing dinner. "How was the movie?"
I ran a hand through my hair, and it came out shimmering with gold dust. "We didn't really get to stick around for it."
"I'm sorry, baby," Mom said, eyes softening in understanding. "I know how much you were looking forward to it."
I took a seat at the kitchen table and tried to ignore how my face was heating up. "Can I help with dinner?"
"Of course," she said, inclining her head to the cutting board.
I let the methodical steps of chopping vegetables calm the buzzing in my head. I helped Mom with dinner a lot, and we usually talked while we did it, but today she was waiting for me. I guess she could sense that something was wrong.
"It's so dumb," I said after a second. "Like, it's just a movie. And I see Annabeth all the time. I don't see why it matters so much."
"It's not dumb," she replied. "You are not dumb. You had a hard summer. It's no wonder you just wanted to do something fun with a friend."
I shrugged. Mom always knew the right thing to say to make me feel better. Even if she said the word 'friend' like she didn't quite believe it. "Hey, isn't Paul coming over tonight?"
Paul Blofis was my mom's boyfriend and an English teacher at the school I would be attending in about a week. He was a nice guy. Normal. He clearly knew about my lengthy expulsion record, but he didn't treat me like a delinquent, so that was nice.
Mom looked over from her place at the stove. "That's the plan, but I can tell him something came up if you'd rather not have him here right now."
"It's not that," I muttered. "It's just...when are we supposed to tell him?"
There wasn't exactly a rulebook at camp for this sort of thing, although there definitely should have been. I knew what she was thinking, because we were both thinking the same thing. Telling Paul that I was a demigod was a big step. It meant we wanted him to stick around.
"Do you want that, honey?" Mom asked. "You come first, okay? I don't want to pressure you into making a decision."
I'd faced a lot of pressure lately, but none of it was from Mom. "I think so," I said. "I want you to be happy." Besides, if Paul was going to propose to Mom, he should probably know what he was getting into. I wasn't going to voice that part, though.
My mom ruffled my hair. "How did I get so lucky?"
My smile faltered. Well, at least one of us should get some luck. I was glad it was her, because she's been through enough. A tense silence hung in the air. "Have you told him about Gabe?"
"A bit," Mom said, her hands stiffening briefly. "He knows the broad strokes."
"He knows where Gabe is now?"
Mom huffed a laugh. "He knows."
"Good."
"If he takes the news well," she spoke up, "I was going to ask if he wanted to move in here."
I froze for a second. I didn't know why I was so surprised. I mean, Paul already told me that he was going to propose. Obviously they were serious about each other. I guess this felt different. The marriage was between Mom and Paul, but him moving in here would affect me, too. Not that I didn't want my mom to be happy. It was just a big step.
"You can set any boundaries that you want or need to," she continued. Boiling water bubbled on the stove, and I could sense it like I felt my own heartbeat. "And I won't even bring it up until after he knows you're a demigod."
I nodded. That seemed wise. "What kind of boundaries?"
She shrugged. "You don't have to be alone with him if it makes you uncomfortable. You could ask him not to touch you, or to make any sudden loud noises. You could ask him not to go in your room. Things like that."
I stared down at the array of chopped vegetables. I've dealt with monsters and gods and Titans. I've been on four quests. "I'm not a baby."
"You know, I asked him not to touch me," she said conversationally. "And he didn't. Not until I wanted him to. Does that make me a baby?"
I blinked. "What? No." Then I understood what she was doing and shook my head. "It's different."
Mom stood closer to me, and for a second she just looked at me. "We all know you're perfectly capable of defending yourself, Percy. Nobody is doubting that you're incredibly brave. But Paul is entering our family, and it's on him to make you feel comfortable. Not the other way around."
"Okay," I agreed softly, then went back to chopping vegetables.
I'd resolved not to return to camp until at least September. Chiron had basically told me as much before I left; he said he wanted me to spend as much time with my family as possible. Because that definitely made me feel good about my chances.
I spent my last week of summer skateboarding, hanging out with Mom and Paul Blofis, calling Annabeth and Grover, and spending time with Rachel. My life, at least externally, looked almost entirely mortal. The inside of my head was a different story.
Still, I didn't expect Nico to show up at my apartment again.
I was in my room cleaning my shield when he appeared on my fire escape. "You're allowed to use the door," I said. "My mom would be happy to see you."
Nico didn't seem to have much to say to that. "Have you thought any more about what I said?"
Even though I knew what he was going to ask, my body went rigid with dread. Nico showed up at my birthday party last week with an idea to help me beat Kronos. It involved bathing in the River Styx so that I would be invulnerable, like Achilles. Sounded cool, until you remembered that the Styx was in the Underworld and was the home of everyone's broken dreams. Oh, and doing it wrong would also disintegrate you.
Truthfully, I'd been trying not to think about it. "Not really."
"I could get you into the Underworld," he said. He was still lingering by the window, like he couldn't quite bring himself to come inside. "It wouldn't be a problem."
"Yeah, I know, I just--"
"Percy!" my mom called from the kitchen. "Rachel's here!"
Nico's brows furrowed. I glanced at my bedroom door, and by the time I looked back, he was already gone.
Rachel was waiting for me by our front door. We were planning on seeing a new art exhibit at a nearby museum--not the Met. Rachel insisted I went, despite my bad track record with art, museums, and the public sphere in general. According to her, I got to show her my world, and now it was time to see hers.
"Hey," she said as I approached. My mind was half on Rachel and half on the River Styx. My distraction must have been obvious because she asked, "You good?"
"Yeah," I said, although good was the opposite of how I felt. "Just...camp stuff."
Rachel nodded slowly. "Do you still want to go?"
I pushed all thoughts of churning black water out of my head. Honestly, doing something normal seemed nice. "Yeah, but I have to warn you, something might try to attack us."
"I brought my hairbrush for that very reason," she said sagely, and I laughed. "Do monsters have good taste in art?"
I shrugged as we descended to the lobby. "Not usually."
"Then I don't think we have anything to worry about."
I followed Rachel out the door and tried to believe that.