Beneath the Surface (A PJO Fanfic)

Anything But Spongebob

Percy tugs his black hoodie over his head as he makes his way to the door. He swings it open to reveal his blonde-haired friend, Annabeth. 

She looks at him with her eyebrows raised as if to ask if he's going to let her in. He smirks, steps into the hall, and closes the door.

His arm has begun to throb again now that the numbness has worn off, but he ignores it. He focuses instead on the girl at his doorstep and how he is going to convince her that he lives a stable life, just as she has always thought.

"Hey, what's up?" he asks.

She eyes him skeptically. "I thought I would come over and help you patch up that arm properly since you insist on not going to the hospital."

His eyebrows scrunch up and he watches her warily. That was not quite the answer he was expecting, though he can't say it entirely surprises him. 

Finally, he shrugs and pushes open the door. He steps aside so she can walk past him into the brightly lit family home. He can't really deny that he needs the help and she already knows, so what the heck.

He scoops up the forgotten ice pack and tosses it onto the side table. The room is devoid of a coffee table, though there is obviously a rug where one should be. Percy leads Annabeth back to the hall bathroom where the first aid kit is kept. Despite its constant use, it's always restocked by the next time he uses it. He knows his mom feels guilty about what she lets happen and this is one of the few ways she deems fit to show it.

"Patch away," He says tossing her the kit and yanking off the hoodie once again.

Annabeth's eyes wander to his abbs which are clearly visible through the white t-shirt he's wearing. When does he get time to work out and look so.... hot? 

She snaps out of her trance and shoots him a scolding look as she begins to unwind the old bandages which are oddly cold and wet. As she drops them into the waste basket she asks, "What did you do, numb your arm with freezing cold water to get rid of the pain?"

He shrugs but refuses to look at her directly. "It's possible."

"Percy! That could cause nerve and muscle damage!" she cries with wide eyes, refusing to even glance at the angry cuts on his arm.

He finally looks at her with his head cocked to the side and a thoughtful expression. "We don't have pain pills."

She shakes her head furiously but gets back to work. She isn't quite as skilled as he with bandages and whatnot (not that she knows that) and it takes almost thirty minutes for her to clean and dress the wounds, occasionally looking things up online to make sure she's doing them right.

Once that's finished they both plop down on the couch, which Percy has to admit is a new experience for him. Never has he had anyone over before nor has he been over to any of his friends' places. They always meet up. Usually, Jason is the reason for this, understanding that family is a sore subject for the black-haired teen.

They don't bother to change the channel and of course, Spongebob is still playing. It only takes all of ten minutes for Percy to complain. "Annabeth, this show is stupid. Change it already will you?"

"It's funny!" she cries, looking at him aghast.

"No, it's not. It's annoying. Please let's watch something that doesn't make me bald prematurely." He says pleadingly.

She rolls her eyes. "Oh, and what do you think we should watch?"

"Ghost Hunters or Good Luck Charlie for all I care. Anything but this."

Finally, she relents and changes it. Good Luck Charlie it is. Oh and look it's a marathon. Yay. 

Annabeth leaves three hours later because a) it's dark and b) Percy fell asleep during the second episode and shows no sign of waking until at least next week. She steps out into the hall hoping that the door is fine unlocked and quickly heads down to the street to hail a taxi.

---------------------------------------------

This Monday should be just another day, but Percy knows as he enters the buzzing halls of Goode that it won't be. 

There's nothing out of the ordinary and nobody spares him a curious glance. It's just this strange feeling that has settled into the pit of his stomach and makes him strangely weary. At lunch, he's happy to see Annabeth acting the same as always, though Jason seems moody. They sit at their normal table in the courtyard and munch on what the school manages to pass off as food. He's used to ignoring his discomfort so nobody's the wiser.

About halfway through the period an underclassman rushes up and announces not so quietly that Percy's needed in the office. That feeling he has intensifies as he stands.

"Whatever they said I did I'm sure I did," he says with a smirk at his friends. "But don't worry the principal just loves me."

He walks alone, nearly drowning in his thoughts. When he arrives he pokes his head in before entering completely. He shoots the secretary his trademark grin and heads to the back office. The old principal sits behind his desk with his hands crossed over a few papers. 

He doesn't so much as look up when Percy walks in. 

Grouchy old man.

In front of him in the chair Percy has sat in way too many times to count is a tall, broad-shouldered man with a messy mop of deep black hair. The stranger turns around to see Percy and the teen is startled to be met with his own green eyes. 

It's not like those times when someone has a similar eye color or the same creases around their eyes. No. These are his eyes, the ones he sees every time he bothers to check himself in the mirror.

He stands there, not sure what to do as the man stands and raises a hand to shake. Finally, he snaps out of it and returns the gesture. The older pair of green eyes sparkle as the man introduces himself.

"Hello, Perseus. My name is Poseidon Herondale. I am your birth father." (A/N I decided to just give a random last name.)