You Always Have What Other's Don't ~a Percy Jackson AU~

XII Annabeth

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Annabeth ran down the street faster than she had ever ran in gym class. It was 4:04, and she could not believe her own stupidity. How could she forget something as simple as a coffee date? This might have been the first time she had had plans in weeks, how could she have been so careless?
She roughly threw on her jacket, trying to avoid bumping into as many people as possible. She scolded herself, couldn't she have set a reminder or something?
4:10, and she was a mere two blocks away. She could make it, Annabeth knew that all of those track team practices in 7th grade had to count for something.
She could see Ambrosia's down the street, and the sensation of warm, buttery scones flooded her senses. Her mind drifted to the taste of scolding coffee on her tongue, strong and sugary.
Unfortunately for Annabeth, when her mind wondered, so did her feet. She and Piper McLean ended up tripping on each other's feet, inches away from face planting into the concrete.

Annabeth apologized repeatedly, searching for her glasses blindly on the street.
"I'm sorry! I'm so, so- oh, Piper. Hey, I still have your hairdryer at home if you want to—"
Piper's eyes were puffy and red. Clean cut tear trails were visible on her cheeks. Annabeth hadn't noticed at school, but Piper's hair was now choppy and uneven. It looked like she had done it herself. With only a grunt to Annabeth, Piper wiped herself off and continued running down the block.
"—Pick it.. up..." Annabeth continued, finishing her sentence. She fixed her glasses pensively. From the little knowledge she had of Piper, she at least thought he should say hello, not to mention want her hairdryer back.

She shook off all of her feelings of doubt, and headed into the coffee shop with a smile.

***

Annabeth had waited for an hour and a half, and Percy didn't show.
She sat solemnly, tracing the logo on the coffee cup a lot longer than she would have liked. She ordered three mochas, all of which tasted like rejection and foolishness. Had Percy forgotten? I mean, it's not like she almost hadn't. But he looked so eager to catch up, surely it was a mistake? Annabeth was never one to double text, but she found herself calling him every half an hour. Unfortunately, the only voice on the other end was Percy's voicemail.
"Hey Percy, it's Annabeth, waiting at Ambrosia's. Call me."
"Hey Percy, where are you? I'm kind of getting worried. Call me."
"Percy, if you don't get here in 15 minutes, I'm leaving. Call me!"
At 5:45, Annabeth sat back in her chair, disgruntled. The Percy she knew would never ditch her without telling her.
Maybe he isn't the same Percy. She thought sadly, finishing the last of her coffee. It's not like you're the same Annabeth.

***

That night, Annabeth did something no one would ever expect mousy, little Annabeth to do. She couldn't understand why the whole Percy incident gnawed at her so much, and she had an A in AP Psychology. It bothered her so much, that Annabeth took matters into her own hands.

At 10:30pm, and Annabeth found herself inches away from the Jackson apartment, her hand hovering over the door. She contemplated her situation. Every fiber of her being told her that this was an awful idea, she should couldn't help herself. She needed to know why. She gripped her wrist, forcing herself to knock three times.

At first, Annabeth thought she had the wrong apartment. What came to the door was a man she had never seen before. He reeked of alcohol, and his greasy hair looked like he hadn't showered in days. Even the palm trees on his tacky Hawaiian shirt looked depressed. He cast down a condescending look upon her, one that made Annabeth's nerves clog up in her  throat.
"H-hi, is Percy Jackson home?" She asked cautiously, her anxiety creeping into her chest.
"Who'd like the know?" The man asked, crumpling the beer can he had in his hand. Annabeth flinched when he tossed it behind him.
"A friend," she said curtly.
Gabe snickered. "My son doesn't have any friends."
At just like that, the door had slammed.

***

Annabeth must've lie awake that night for hours, her thoughts lying with those six words.
My son doesn't have any friends.
She tossed and turned, but sleep seemed to be her enemy that night. Around 3:00am, she had managed to soothe her worries by convincing herself that Percy would be at school the next day.
He would be, right?
The next morning, Annabeth's hypothesis proved to be wrong.
She even spoke to his homeroom teacher, Percy did not come to school today, and that terrified Annabeth. Her sickly premonition made her eyes water.
Though her confidence was shot, and her mind was racing, something in Annabeth's mind stupidly told her to try again.

After triple checking the address, she once again forced herself to knock on the same wooden door she had the previous night.

Annabeth didn't know what she was expecting.

But she definitely wasn't expecting bloody and beaten Percy.

And she definitely wasn't expecting him to collapse the moment he opened the door.