Define Beauty

Let's have fun with the 4th wall

The loud beeping startled Annabeth out of her dream. It had been a nice one too, she and Piper were having a picnic.

She tried to reach over her hand to shut it off only to find her arm was pinned under a body. She tried rolling away but so where her legs. She blinked her eyes and looked closer to find that she had been cuddling with Piper in her sleep.

Piper woke up slowly, groaning at the sound of the alarm as if that would make it shut up. She opened her eyes and then grinned wide when she realized Annabeth was with her. She wrapped her arms around her waist and squeezed her tight in a hug.

"Morning." She said.

"Morning." Annabeth repeated breathlessly.

They stayed there in each other's arms for a few more moments. Piper sighed contentedly, before she sprung up like a cork. Annabeth whined, being tired and wanting to stay in bed. Piper walked quickly to her bathroom closing the door behind her. Annabeth stretched out, taking up most of the bed, as she buried herself under the covers.

Piper came out of the bathroom moments later, fully dresses and washed up. She walked to her bed and, grabbing hd of the covers have a good yank. Annabeth yelped as they dragged her with them to the edge of the bed.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty." She walked off again, to her vanity where she fixed her hair in a braid again, threading in some decorative feathers. Annabeth stared transfixed. Piper smirked at her through the mirror. "Are you gonna get dressed, or do you want gawk at me for a little while longer?" Annabeth hurried away and into Piper's closet.

She took a simple t-shirt with a flower design on her side, skinny jeans and some slippers. When she went out Piper nearly lit up the room. She hurried to find somthing in her drawers, quickly pulling out a pair of matching flower earings. She offered them to Annabeth who took them with a small smile of her own. She put them on.

Piper kept scrambling through her drawer. "Ah," She finally said in triumph finding a bracelet that matched just like the earings. "Was this a set?" Annabeth asked. Piper shook her head. "No, I just liked the shirt so much I had them made. I have some converse in the closet too I think, same color." Annabeth went to check and took them. It was surprising how similar Piper and her were in size.

Piper smiled as she looked at Annabeth. "You look good." She said. Annabeth nodded and was surprised she didn't blush. "You too." Piper held out her hand and Annabeth happily took it. Piper led her through the house. Stopping by the kitchen to pick up some freshly made pancakes. 

They found the black Mercedes waiting for them. "I thought your dad's driver quit." Piper nodded. "He did. We got a new one. It's Bert, now."

They got in and Piper pulled up her phone, quickly googling the address. She told Bert, who pulled out of the drive way. 

Annabeth blushed slightly as she leaned her head on Piper's shoulders, closing her eyes and feeling any last vestiges of stress from her house melt away. Piper stroked her hair softly luling her to sleep almost immediately

Annabeth woke up to someone gently shaking her. "Come on, Annie we're here." Annabeth blinked her eyes open. She looked out of the window to see the same library she had basically stalked online for the past couple of months. And a line that snaked around it. 

She and Piper got out of the car and found the back of it, placing themselves behind a hyperactive boy tugging on his mother's sleeve with one hand, in the other a battered copy of a book with the tittle emblazened in silver letters. The lightning theif. 

"Mom, mom, mom, mom, when am I going to meet him, huh? Huh? When do I get to see Uncle Rick?" The mother laughed, though it was clear she was going to get tired soon. "We'll have to wait, Percy. Everybody here wants to see him too." The boy's eyes lit up. "But can't I see him first, cause of my name? He'd like to see that right, my name's the same as Percy's. Percy Jackson." The mother nodded. "Yes, honey, I'm sure he'll be amused." The boy huffed.

Annabeth grinned. 

"Hey." She called to him. He turned around. "My name's Annabeth. Annabeth Chase. How about we go meet him together." The little boy's eyes sparkled. He even resembled Percy a bit, dark messy hair and green eyes and suntanned skin. The mother smiled at Annabth and rolled her eyes. "I thought it'd be fun to get him the book, now all he talks about is having the same name as the best demigod ever. I swear it's the only thing I can get him to read." 

The line moved slowly, not everybody could be inside the building at the same. Annabeth saw nothing but excited jumping people, staring incredulously at the signature on the pages of their books. It made her more and more jumpy each time, bouncing on the balls of her feet, not believing that it was possible that she could be here about to meet her favorite person ever.

Well, her brain corrected.

Second favorite person ever, she thought glancing at Piper out of the corner of her eye. They were getting closer. Just a few feet from the door. One more step.

They were let in to the bookstore, thankful for the air conditioner. Piper milled around, searching through the tittles, leaving Annabeth to chatter with the boy about what they thought was going to happen in the last installment of the series. 

Piper strolled back. "They're selling the entire series. Want it?" Annabeth's eyes grew to the size of saucers. "That's gotta be expensive there's no way-" Piper calmly pulled out her credit card and waved it in front of Annabeth's eyes. "You were saying?" Her eyes traced the little piece of plastic's movement as she thought about how good it would look to have that as the center piece of her bookshelf. "Yes, please." She whispered.

Piper nodded. "You too?" She asked casually to the little kid who had a reaction similar to Annabeth's. He turned to his mother who looked at Piper skeptically. "I couldn't let you-" "Lady my dad's a movie star. If you're worried about the money, worry not." She still didn't look sure but the kid was positively dying now shaking her harder than an earthquake. "Please, please, please, momma, you gotta let her, please!" The woman gave in and told Piper she could buy him the set.

And with that they were the next one's up. Annabeth looked about as yung as the kid as they dashed forward. They both bounced like bunnies as they saw the man sign quickly and shut the book looking up at them with a smile.

Annabeth squealed. 

"Hi." The little boy said breathlessly.

"Hello." He said, passing him a copy. the boy almost fainted. The man picked up another book and signed it, handing this one to Annabeth, who looked like she might explode into confetti and glitter. 

"I see you really like my book. What's your name, champ?" Rick said leaning closer to the boy who was just staring at the autograph. He suddenly looked up with a wide grin. "Percy Jackson." The man laughed joyously, eyes sparkling. "Really now? Well wouldn't you know it you have a book series all for yourself, I'll give it to you." He looked like he was in heaven. "She was already going to buy me one." He pointed to Piper a few feet away, watching amusedly. "Is she your sister?" The boy still smiled widely. "Nope, I just met her." Annabeth felt the need to intervene bfore the man thought anything out of place. 

"She's with me. And by the way, I'm Annabeth Chase." The man looked at the two of them. "What a wonderful coincidence. Do you want a picture?" The twin reactions of jumping up and squealing were answer enough. Annabeth gave her phone to Piper and the mother pulled out her own, snapping pictures quickly. 

The man gave Annabeth the series for free too. Piper smiled at him, as he gave them both a small wave sending them off. Both Annabeth and the boy, were still hopping around and buzzing like bees as they walked out carrying the set, neither accepting help from their companions. Annabeth said goodbye to the boy, giving him a tight hug as they both ran back to thei cars ready to dive into the last of the Percy Jackson books. 

Piper was the only one who stuck behind the extra second necessary to see the knowing look and smile the man gave to their backs.