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Percy walked into the kitchen to find his mom and her fiance planning the guest list for their wedding reception. They had told Percy it was going to be lowkey, but judging by the long list of names on Paul's notepad, maybe they underestimated how many people they wanted to celebrate with. Percy smiled to himself as he tossed the (several) water bottles from under his bed into the recycling. It was nice seeing his mom so happy.
“Percy, you’re welcome to invite some friends too.”
He thought of his best friends, Grover and Annabeth. Grover had been hard to get a hold of recently since he was always traveling, preparing for the war. And Annabeth…Well…
“Yeah, I’ll let Rachel know. I’m sure she’d love to come.” Rachel was Percy’s sole mortal friend and he had spent enough time with her this past year to know she loved any excuse to escape her family and talk strangers ears off.
His mom’s face scrunched in worry.
“Just Rachel?”
“I’ll see if I can get a hold of Grover. But you know how tough it’s been for him recently.” Percy preferred to conceal the impending doom of Olympus from his mom, so he tried to keep his demigod struggles vague. Unfortunately, his mom sees through everything.
“And Annabeth?”
It was hard to keep anything from her.
Whenever he thought about how little he spoke to Annabeth now, his insides clenched in anger, and regret. He still wasn’t even sure how to describe what happened between them, and what was lingering in its wake. It festered inside of him, the paradoxical ache of missing someone that hurt to be around.
A part of him hoped the pain was one sided. He hoped that Annabeth was happy with the distance, that this was what she wanted.
But the other part of him, a part he kept buried deep amongst all his other shame, hoped she was missing him as bad as he was.
He wished he could do something to fix it, but he still hadn't figured out how to talk about it, let alone how to reach out to someone who was offering nothing to grab onto. His mouth always betrayed him when he was face to face with her wounded brown eyes, scared that whatever he might say would hurt her even more. So, his lips remained sealed, his words scrambling unsaid in his head, while her eyes remained distant and guarded.
“I could ask her, I just haven’t talked to her in a while.”
“I think you should,” his mom said gently, but insistent. “I’m sure she’d love to hear from you.”
Percy doubted that.
He gave his mom a weak smile. He hated to disappoint her.
Sally and Paul continued their joyful brainstorm session as Percy wandered back to his room.
The bottom drawer of his desk jammed a few times when he tried to open it. It was filled with old papers, and instruction manuals he never read, but thought he should keep just in case. Shoved all the way in the back, hidden under an old Greek alphabet workbook, he found three gold coins.
He ran his thumb over the ancient grooves of one of the drachma. The afternoon sunlight shone though the window onto his desk where a glass of water was resting, the rainbow goddess tempting him.
He should probably call her.
~~
It was just Percy, Tyson and Paul’s family at the courthouse. His mom wore a simple white dress and carried a small bouquet of blue flowers that matched Paul’s tie.
Tears prickled Percy’s bottom lashes. The ceremony was small, but perfect.
With new rings now on his mom and stepfather’s fingers, the group chatted in the entryway about the amount of chairs they would need for tomorrow. Paul’s family had the perfect house for hosting, with a gigantic backyard for all the tables, chairs, mingling and dancing that was required for a celebration.
Percy didn’t think he had anything to add to the debate about seating arrangements, so he silently slipped away to find the bathroom.
He rounded a corner, and was instantly met with a man blocking his path.
“What are you doing here?!” he whisper-shouted at his dad. He frantically looked over his shoulder to make sure he was out of sight from his mom.
“Today’s a big day for your mom isn’t it?” Poseidon was conveniently trying to shift the conversation away from him.
“You have no right to be here.”
The piercing blue eyes that Percy had inherited looked down at him, sadly.
“One day you will understand my son.”
“Understand what?!” Percy snapped.
“How painful it is to be fated a love you can only watch from a distance.”
“Well, you make it look easy.” He said it under his breath but Poseidon heard him anyway. Percy watched his father’s eyes glaze over, the way they always did every time he was about to leave.
Poseidon reached out to place his hand in the space where Percy's neck met his shoulders, and gently pulled him closer.
“I am beyond proud that you’re my son Perseus. Mostly because when I look at you I see more of her than I do of me. I hope this summer doesn’t change that.”
Then he was gone.
Percy had honestly expected to be visited by his father’s cryptic warnings of the future before his birthday this summer, but he hadn’t expected this. Percy barged into the bathroom and splashed his face with water, trying to wash off Poseidon's words.
He spent the rest of the afternoon with his family, never mentioning the brief encounter with his father.
It wasn’t until he was alone in the comfort of his cluttered bedroom, did he admit to himself that the conversation had been bothering him. He sat on his bed staring at his bottom desk drawer protruding out a few inches more than the others.
There was still a drachma in there. He knew he should save it for an emergency, especially given the fact that the war was nearly upon them.
He had used the other two to call Grover and Annabeth about the wedding reception. Thankfully Grover said he could come, even with how busy he was spreading the word of the dead nature god. The call with Annabeth had gone a bit differently.
The conversation was stilted and strange. When he told her about the reception she gave him a strained smile and said she would think about it. Regardless of how far away she felt, he couldn’t deny how relieved he was to hear her voice again.
He thought about what his father had said earlier about distance. A distance that had forced him to watch Sally and Paul's happy day hidden in the shadows.
When I look at you I see more of her than I do of me. I hope this summer doesn’t change that.
Percy hoped so too. He didn’t want to be anything like his father.
He tugged the desk drawer open to find the last golden drachma.
His last shot at dispelling the distance.
~~
Five minutes before the guests started arriving, Percy was overwhelmed with nerves. The dark clouds coming in from the east, threatening to ruin the pleasant late May weather, also didn't help.
Last night he had called Annabeth and (somehow) convinced her to come today. Honestly she was probably just coming because she wanted to see Sally, but Percy was willing to take what he could get.
Grover was the first to arrive, accompanied by a handful of gifts from his travels for Sally and Paul. He hugged Percy tight, it had been so long since they were together. Percy instantly felt better reunited with Grover's warm smile.
As more guests started showing up, Grover and Percy wandered into the garden so they could catch up.
From across the yard, Percy could see that Rachel had arrived, already talking up a storm with the other guests. Grover noticed him staring.
“Is Annabeth coming too?”
“Yeah. Last night she said she would.”
“You think it will be weird, with Rachel here?”
Percy hadn’t even thought about that. He had been so focused on seeing Annabeth again, he completely missed the part where Rachel and Annabeth would be meeting up for the first time since their quest last summer. He wasn’t exactly sure where they stood.
“Can’t get any weirder than it already is,” Percy sighed in defeat.
“I’m sure it will be fine.” Grover looked at him sympathetically.
An hour into the reception there had been plenty of small talk, pastel colored dresses, appetizers and congratulations given, but still no Annabeth. Grover, Tyson, Percy and Rachel were huddled in the kitchen escaping the humidity for a moment, as most of the guests mingled outside with a variety of cold drinks in their hands.
The doorbell rang.
Percy attempted to nonchalantly make his way towards the front of the house, but his hands pulsing with anxiety probably gave him away.
He knew it was her before he even opened the door.
Annabeth stood before him, no longer shielded by the faint rainbow cast of an iris message. She wore a purple dress with scallop detailing that reminded Percy of owl feathers, and had a vase of blue flowers in her hands. Her braids were a slightly different style than the last time he had seen her, but his eyes instantly went to the familiar gray streaks that seemed to shine like silver against her dark hair. It was strangely comforting knowing they both bore that scar. A memory that was less painful when shared.
“Hey,” she said with a soft smile, shyly shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
“Hey,” he said in return, trying to ignore the warmth of his heart melting throughout his chest at the way she was trying to hide her nervousness. He strangely wanted to reach out and hold her.
“I’m glad you could come.” The few times he had talked to her through iris messages couldn’t have prepared him for how intense it was to be breathing the same air again. He could see every single eyelash that defined her deep brown eyes, and every beauty mark that dotted her cheeks. His eyes drifted to her lips, now faintly painted with a maroon stain. His cheeks warmed as he remembered how soft her lips had felt moving against his last summer, and the gentle prickling sensation that they left even after she was gone.
“I don’t know how many more days like this we’ll get, so I thought I’d better enjoy it while I can.”
Right. The last bits of normalcy before the war and the possible destruction of the world. All of it coming down to a single choice Percy was supposed to make this summer. When he remembered his grim fate, it felt pretty pointless to fantasize about kissing his beautiful best friend again.
“Well, you came just in time for dinner. Come on in.” He gestured towards the table to the right of the door that housed all the gifts, and Annabeth found a spot to place her vase.
Percy led her towards the kitchen where the rest of his friends were. He noticed the way Annabeth’s jaw instantly tensed when her eyes found Rachel’s bright red hair. Thankfully, Grover and Tyson distracted her, as they rushed to welcome her with hugs.
Percy reluctantly drifted his gaze to meet Rachel, who was already looking at him. He couldn’t read her expression at all, which was rare because she was one of the most expressively honest people he knew.
Annabeth and Rachel exchanged pleasant greetings that everyone in the room could tell were forced. Thankfully, Sally diffused the tension by poking her head inside.
“Come on out kiddos, food is ready.” She noticed Annabeth was among them now and beamed. “It’s nice to see you Annabeth.”
“You too Mrs. Jackson,” Annabeth smiled back.
All the guests sat at the six tables that were arranged in a large U in the backyard. Percy and his friends all sat at the same table, Annabeth to his left, Rachel across from him. Honestly, he wished they had switched places. All he wanted to do was look at Annabeth and study every last one of her features.
“Have you started reviewing for finals yet?” Rachel asked from across the table. Finals started in a few weeks but unfortunately that had been the last thing on Percy’s mind.
“No, not yet.”
“Me neither,” Rachel admitted. “But I won a bet with my biology teacher, so now instead of taking a test, we can do an art project on cell division instead.” Rachel had a tendency to argue with teachers, but she was so good at it, she often got her way in the end. “So now that's one less test to worry about.”
“Lucky,” Percy droned. “What will you do during finals week then?”
“Watch a movie. I suggested Jaws, but he’ll probably go with something more educational.”
“No way, I love Jaws.” He was incredibly jealous.
Rachel and Percy continued to talk about their favorite movies, and brainstormed how they would (hypothetically) blackmail all their teachers into cancelling finals. Even if only for a few moments, it was nice pretending he was a normal kid whose biggest problem was his freshman year final grades.
Eventually their conversation was interrupted when Paul’s brother stood up and tapped his knife against his class. His speech left everyone gasping for air between laughs and sniffling from trying not to cry. Percy didn’t succeed on the trying not to cry part. This was the closest thing he had ever had to a family, but in a few months, it could all be stripped from him.
He felt a hand squeeze his from under the table, and looked down to find Annabeth’s fingers interlocked with his. He met her understanding eyes and softly squeezed back. They quickly pulled away as Paul and Sally started cutting the cake.
As the sun started setting, a dance floor began to form. Rachel was one of the first people to join in, dragging Tyson and Grover along with her.
Percy snuck a glance over at Annabeth. He finally had her alone. He recalled the moment she had taken his hand and led him to the center of the gym to slow dance together at Westover Hall. Butterflies twisted in his stomach when he remembered the way she had placed his hands on the small of her waist. It felt like an eternity ago, but not even two years had passed.
Was he going to be able to survive holding it in much longer?
“Do you want to talk?” he blurted out.
“About what?” she said flatly.
“Oh– Uh. Just follow me.”
He led them across the yard, into the garden and out of ear shot of the rest of the guests. He stopped a few paces away from the small fountain that was positioned on the very edge of the fence. Now facing Annabeth, he had to stop the water in the fountain from splashing as he mustered up the courage to start talking.
“Things have been different between us since last summer,” he finally declared.
She shrugged, attempting indifference but her crossed arms and tense shoulders gave her away. “A lot happend last summer."
That was an understatement. The kiss. Rachel. Luke. Everything was so complicated now.
“Doesn’t mean things had to change between us.”
She let out a defeated sigh.
“I don’t know what you want me to say.”
“Say anything.” He extended his arms out in a desperate plea. “Please just say something. I’ve been worried about you all year, and you won’t tell me what's wrong.”
Her eyelids sullenly fluttered as she averted Percy’s eyes.
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
A gust of cool wind rustled the leaves surrounding them.
“You get angry every time I bring him up.”
“Well can you blame me?”
What was left of the sun was now hidden behind the dark rain clouds.
“No, I can't blame you,” she said sadly. “But don’t you see how hard this is for me?”
“And don’t you see how hard it is for me to watch him continue to hurt you. Even when he’s gone.”
“He’s not gone!” she lashed out.
“Annabeth…” he breathed delicately, trying to let her down easily.
“I don’t want to argue about this anymore,” she decided, regaining composure and ignoring Percy's pity.
All Percy wanted to do was argue. He wanted to see that she cared enough to fight back.
“Okay fine. But don’t pretend like that’s the only thing that's been bothering you.”
Her lips pressed together in distress, refusing to yield.
“Annabeth, I can’t keep acting like there isn’t something going on between us." Her eyes startled at his bluntness. "And don’t act like you don’t feel it too.” He took a tentative step forward.
The first raindrops bristled Percy’s cheeks.
“It doesn’t matter if there’s something going on between us. You aren’t just a kid Percy. No matter how hard you try, you can’t avoid your prophecy. Or your fate.”
“I don’t care about what the stupid prophecy or the fates have to say about me, or us.”
“Well you should care!” she cried desperately. “Don’t you care that your fate is against us? That you are destined to d–”
She stopped herself. It's the sound of water hitting the pavement that fills the silence. Percy’s eyes narrowed.
“There’s something you're not telling me.”
“Percy don’t.”
Percy could hear the other guests hurrying inside to escape the rain, but he refused to break eye contact with Annabeth. It was getting harder and harder to read her expression through the rainfall.
“Why do you always do this?” he snapped, frustrated.
“Do what?”
“Keep stuff from me.”
“I’m trying to protect you!” Annabeth shouted, moving closer. She was so near, Percy could reach out and wipe the rain from her cheek.
“You know, sometimes I don’t want you trying to protect me from the prophecy. I just want my best friend.”
Best friend.
Annabeth flinched.
For a moment, his mind transported him back to the way Annabeth’s pleading eyes gazed up at him after impulsively brushing her lips against his. All around them, the burning lava illuminated the desperation written across both of their faces. Desperation they could no longer hide.
Percy could tell by that way her eyes startled and glazed over, that she was recalling the same moment. It was a moment between two people who were more than just best friends. They both knew that.
Now, surrounded by the darkness of the oncoming storm and the damp blanket of rain, Annabeth’s eyes were swimming with regret.
“Well if you want a best friend so badly, why don’t you just go be with Rachel?”
“What?!” He couldn’t believe she would even suggest that.
“I’m a demigod Percy. I can’t just forget about the prophecy. I will never stop thinking six steps ahead. But if that bothers you so much, go be with the mortal girl.”
“Annabeth I didn’t mean–”
“You guys like all the same movies, take all the same classes, share all the same hobbies. Human hobbies.”
“Annabeth, I don’t care about any of that stuff.” Percy staggered forward, noticing her dress was now dotted with hundreds of dark purple droplets.
“She’s human in all the ways I could never be,” she retaliated.
“You have to understand, none of that matters to me.”
Annabeth closed the last bit of distance between them, their faces now mere inches apart.
“So what does matter to you?”
“You!” he shouted over the downpour. “You matter to me.”
The rain was coming down in sheets between them.
“No one could ever replace how much you matter to me Annabeth. You could hate all my favorite movies and think all my hobbies are boring and none of it would matter, because there is only one person in this entire world who truly understands me. That's you. And you know it.”
They were soaked at his point. Just like they had been in the tunnel of love all those years ago. He remembered the way they stood drenched in front of the gold Aphrodite statue, arguing over who should take the fatal seat. Four years later, her sad eyes still didn’t want to admit he was right.
Percy couldn't tell if the droplets streaming down Annabeth’s cheeks were rain or tears.
“What are you guys still doing out there?” Percy’s mom stuck her head outside the window making sure her voice carried over the storm. “Come inside!”
Annabeth took a step back and suddenly Percy was aware of how hard they were both breathing.
“I should go.”
“Go?!” He blinked, rainwater now dripping from his curls into his eyes.
“I’ll see you at camp Percy.”
Percy stood watching her walk away, the distance between them growing as she left him standing in the rain.