You Belong to my Heart: A Percabeth FF

38. Annabeth

Chapter 38: Annabeth

(trigger warning: it does get a little emotional and heavy so please take care of yourself; i would never want to trigger anyone on purpose 🥺)

I couldn't contain my surprise when I saw his familiar eyes, face, and hair. I bit my lip and looked away as a familiar knot returned to my stomach.

"Annabeth," he gripped the bars of my cell. My cell. I was in a cell. In jail. Jail. I was a criminal.

"Just go," I waved him off, trying to keep in the tears, but my voice wavered. I needed to figure out who I was. And the only way to do that was to be alone.

"Annabeth, I'm here for you, that's all I wanted to say," he murmured.

His words brought a pang to my heart. You're a criminal, an evil voice giggled happily in my head. This is why he's saying this. You're a criminal. A criminal. Annabeth the criminal, the voice screeched happily in my mind. My hands covered my ears in an instant and I shook my head from the pain, tears falling over my pants and shirt. I was not a criminal. I had been wrongly accused. Luke had tricked me.

Luke—

Fresh tears came forth in my ears and I wiped at them angrily. "Percy just—" I started.

"Just what?" he asked. "Do you need anything? Are you hungry? Thirsty? Cold? I can run home and grab something for you if you want," he whispered, completely misreading my thoughts.

"I—what?" I asked, confused. Why was he being kind? He had left me in the gutter, he had hurt me, he had abandoned me in a new school.

"Do you need anything?" he repeated, entirely serious.

I saw beneath his act, however. "Percy just STOP. I know you don't care so quit the act," I scowled. "I don't need any more betrayals," I gave him a fake smile, standing up and brushing my knees off. I let my hair loose and narrowed my eyes at him. I tried to pretend like I was stable, strong and independent, so that he could once and for all, leave me alone and stop trying to do whatever he wanted to do.

"What do you mean I don't care? I've never stopped caring about you, Be—Annabeth," he corrected himself.

I laughed, moving past his mess-up even though it sparked an old feeling of familiarity. "So that's the only reason your girlfriend was in the supermarket at the same time as me and the only reason why she was the one that reported me to the supermarket supervisors?" I paused. "You sure that was her? She looks pretty stupid to me," I hissed.

His face fell with the accusation. "Anna—"

"And correct me if I'm wrong," I exaggerated my hand gestures. "But don't you hate Luke? Are you that—INSANELY—jealous that you tell your GIRLFRIEND to go SPY on me with him? If you're going to snitch me out, do it yourself Perseus," I spit his name at him, my voice raising.

"What?" he sputtered. "I didn't send her. She was there when it happened."

"WHY DID SHE REPORT ME PERCY? Hmmm?" I squinted my eyes at him. "Do you even know what I stole?"

"No—I just—"

"I'm not done," I seethed. "I stole a box of spaghetti," I said slowly. I approached the bars and began to shake them. "WHY DID YOU TELL HER TO REPORT ME PERCY?" I screamed at him. "WHY? ANSWER ME!"

I could see his face break. I was too confused, too emotionally driven to feel pity for him. I was too tired to realize that I was hurting him. "Doesn't it all fit wonderfully?" I twirled and held my hands out in the air. One hour in a cell and I had already gone mad. How fun. "You, her, the BOX OF SPAGHETTI?" I screeched.

"Annabeth stop!" he said, his voice loud. His eyes reminded me of an angry sea, waves crashing over and over again.

It eased me to see that he was angry, because at least I wasn't alone. It was only a taste of his own medicine, after all.

"Annabeth—I," he started, but was interrupted by a voice I knew too well.

"ANNIE?" she bellowed. Her voice echoed across the cold walls of jail.

Her voice passed through me like a shadow, taking away any previous pleasure I had of seeing and angering Percy. He stayed frozen, his face stricken with doubt and fear.

I could hear her loud footsteps and I backed away, one foot after another until my back was flat against the wall.

"No, no, no," I heard Percy whispering.

"ANNABETH ATHENA CHASE WHERE ARE YOU?" she screamed.

I could hear the hatred in her voice, the shadow of what would be done to be later. My knees buckled and I fell to the ground.

"ANNIE? I'll find you anyways," she huffed.

I crawled to the corner of the cell, wishing for her not to see me. Thousands of songs of betrayal, fear and rebellion crashed around my head. The lyrics overtook my mind and I wished I had headphones to blur it all out. It started out with a kiss, was the most prominent one, pounding over and over again. My head was a concert of evil giggles, hysterical screaming and lyrics. My breathing quickened and my vision darkened. Maybe I was fading in and out of consciousness. But that wouldn't make sense because I had memorized the feeling of the smooth, cold wall behind my back. I could nearly feel my warm blood pulsating my skin, being chilled by that sensation.

I panted and exhaled and it seemed like I was never actually inhaling. I completely lost my breath and shut my eyes in that final moment, when I heard her boots clacking on the floor. I already knew they were the color of blood.

"Annabeth look at me," she demanded softly. Her voice sounded inviting, warm. Everything screamed at me not to do it, but I looked up.

"Hi mom," I whispered.

I could see her calculating eyes drinking in the fact that I was emotionally beat up from this. "What in the gods' names were you exactly thinking when you stole from the supermarket?" she hissed. Apparently she didn't think I was too broken.

"I—I—"

"Don't stutter with me young lady," she growled. Her eyes reminded me of a cat, slit and narrow.

"Excuse me, ma'am but Annabeth is pretty tired," Percy stepped in. I could feel my entire body warm with the feeling of Percy defending me. Protecting me.

I don't need it! my mind screamed. Annabeth the criminal, the voice giggled again. Thank him. WARN HIM ANNABETH. Annabeth the criminal! I'm strong, I can do this on my own. Warn him Annabeth, he's going to be in trouuublee. The voices pounded and repeated and giggled and argued with each other.

"Don't you think we can give her some time to rest? And then you guys can talk later," he proposed, but his voice was trailing off with seeing my mother's face. I felt a wash of anticipation for what was to come next.

"Excuse me, exactly when did you adopt Annabeth?" she smiled.

"I'm just—"

"I don't need to hear it. Annabeth is my daughter and she will do as I say. Now scram," my mother scolded him.

His face was full of worry, pity and regret when he looked at me. I kept my eyes on his figure as long as I could, letting the memories of holding his hand, and feeling safe with him, wash over me. When he was completely out of sight, I sighed quietly and looked at my mother.

"Now," my mother smiled. "Let's discuss your punishment, shall we?"

An hour later, most of my freedoms had been taken away from me. I was broken. I had nothing and no one. What was the point in life at all? My mother had to leave me, so she left me in the cell, not even caring that I was still going to be stuck there all alone for the rest of the day. My father picked me up and he refused to look or talk to me at all. I was emotionally and mentally dead. This was my rock bottom, I was sure of it. My mind kept playing the events, over and over again, and the more I re-experienced them, the more I realized that Luke had set me up, Calypso was a parasite and that Percy was most likely just faking his affection towards me. I didn't sleep all night, but who cared right? I was completely and utterly alone.