Percy Jackson- Shots

Another Life

Okaaay guys.... So when I posted this story (Another Life), it got a lot of good comments telling me to keep going, and I posted it on my Instagram and I everyone told me to do the same. Sooo... I decided to keep it going!!! {Warning: This might not be as good as the last one. Who am I kidding? This WON'T be as good as the last one. But whateveerrr.... I still hope that you like it, and please comment what you think!!}

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I took a deep breath while putting my hand on the doorknob. Should I really go back in? I could just buy new things later. Wait... I have no money. I started to turn the doorknob.
"Annabeth, please don't."
Percy was standing behind me.
I ignored him and opened the door to my apartment closing the door in Percy's face.
There was no one in the house.
Sighing with relief, I ran to my room.
I grabbed a plastic bag and started to fill it with clothes. I didn't have much- some pairs of jeans, a couple shirts and hoodies. I stuffed them in, then my copy of The Fault in our Stars, a picture of my mom, my dad and me together. Tears started to fill my eyes, but I wiped them away.
I left my room, but just when I was about to leave, I rushed to the bathroom. I opened the cabinet and reached all the way to the back.
When I brought back my hand, I was holding two packets of black razors.
I smiled to myself, then stuffed them in as well.
I rushed back to the kitchen, but was stopped.
"Where do you think you're going?!"
My aunt was standing at the door. She held a very large beer bottle in one hand, and was only wearing one shoe. From the way her eyes were half-closed and she was swaying from side to side, I could tell that she was drunk.
Very drunk.
I was speechless.
My mouth was opening and closing but no words came out.
My aunt laughed, but it came out a cough.
"Running away, are we?" she asked, walking-well, swaying, actually- up to me. "I don't think so."
She brought her arm back and threw the bottle straight at my head.
It hurt like hell.
Pieces of glass stuck in my face and head.
I fell.
I started to cry.
My aunt came over to me.
She grabbed a piece of glass and dug it into my arm.
I screamed.
My aunt cackled.
She stood and dug the heel of her shoe into my side.
Hard.
Blood from my head ran all over my face and got in my eyes and mouth.
My vision turned red and I could taste the coppery liquid.
"Annabeth!" Percy's voice cried.
I sensed my aunt walking away from me.
"Who the hell are you?!" she shrieked.
Percy didn't answer.
I felt two arms slip under my bloody body and lift me up.
"Get out of my house!" my aunt screamed. "I'll call the police!"
"Been there, done that, sister," Percy said.
He broke into a run.
+++
I fell unconscious right after Percy brought me into his apartment.
I remember crying in Percy's arms as he ran.
I remember him barging into an apartment.
I remember him setting me down.
Then I blacked out.
+++
When I opened my eyes, everything was red.
I had to blink a few times before everything turned back to its regular color.
Every part of my body was in pain.
My head and face, my arms and legs, and my stomach.
I tried to take a deep breath, but it hurt too much.
"Annabeth."
A black-haired, green-eyed boy was now in front of me.
I tried to smile at him, but my muscles hurt.
"Mom, she's awake!" Percy yelled, not taking his eyes off of me.
A woman was crouching beside Percy now.
"Oh, Annabeth dear, how do you feel?" she asked.
I managed to croak out, "In pain."
"It's nothing too serious," the woman said. Her voice was soft. "But you did get a lot of glass in your head. We managed to get it all out."
I slightly nodded.
"I'll get you some pain-killers," she said and got up.
That left Percy and I.
He pulled a chair over and sat next to me.
He stated at me, his eyes full of worry.
He reached out and brushed my blood soaked hair out of my eyes.
He gently touched his hand to the side of my face and started to rub my cheek with his thumb.
"Does this hurt?" he asked.
It did hurt.
Everything hurt.
But knowing that Percy cared about me like this, it felt good.
So I slightly shook my head.
Percy smiled.
In a few seconds, the woman came back holding a glass of water and two pills.
"Oh, Percy, get your hands off of her. She's in pain."
Percy brought his hand back to his side.
"Here you go, dear," the woman said, putting the two pills into my hand.
I tried to sit up myself, but it hurt to much.
Percy put his hands under me and helped me prop myself up.
I put the pills in my mouth then took a drink of water.
I finished the glass of water, not realizing how thirsty I was.
"I called the police when I heard you screaming," Percy told me. "Your aunt was arrested. The police came as soon as we left."
"Thank you," I whispered.
Percy smiled.
"If you need anything, just tell me. I would more than happy to help," the woman said, starting to leave the room. "Percy has told me a lot about you."
Percy blushed, and I could feel my own cheeks heat up.
I was tired.
My body was limp.
I closed my eyes.
And I slept.
+++
This time, when I woke up, I was in a different room.
I was in a bedroom.
The walls were painted blue.
I tried to move, and surprisingly, I could sit up without feeling much pain.
"You look better," said a voice from beside me.
I turned my head.
Percy was sitting on a chair beside me. He was smiling.
"Hi," I said. "How long was I sleeping for?"
"A long time. You were unconscious for three hours when I brought you here. Then you fell back asleep. It's been maybe ten hours."
"I was sleeping for that long?" I asked.
Percy nodded.
"What time is it?"
"One thirty-two am."
"Aren't you tired?"
"I couldn't sleep. I was worried about you."
I felt myself blushing.
"You should really get some sleep, Percy," I said. "You look exhausted."
"I'm fine," he insisted. "How do you feel?"
"Fine. My head kind of hurts. But not as much as before."
"That's good. Are you hungry?"
I was starving.
I hadn't eaten in days.
Weeks, actually.
I nodded.
"I'll make you some breakfast. What do you want?" Percy asked, standing up.
"I don't really care," I replied, my voice soft.
"Well that's not very helpful," Percy joked and walked out of the room.
Breathing was painful.
I couldn't take large breaths-only short ones.
At the foot of the bed, a plastic bag sat with the words "Annabeth's stuff" written on it in messy handwriting.
I peeked inside; my clothes were inside.
And thankfully, at the bottom, my razors were there.
I smiled to myself and leaned back, and waited for Percy to come back.
In about ten minutes, Percy came back into the room, covered in white powder.
"What happened?" I asked.
"I had an accident in the kitchen," he said, sitting back in the chair beside me. "My mom decided to take over."
I nodded. "Good idea. You'd probably give me food poisoning or something."
Percy rolled his eyes and smirked.
After a while, a woman's voice yelled, "Percy! Could you come down here for a second?"
"I'll be right back," Percy said to me. He looked at me for a few seconds, then got up and left the room.
I waited in silence for him to return.
And he did.
He walked back into the room and closed the door behind him.
He was holding a plate in one hand and a cup of clear liquid in the other.
On the plate, about five blue pancakes were stacked on top of each other.
When he sat, he placed the plate on my lap.
"Eat up," he said.
I eyed the pancakes. "Why are they blue?"
"It's just food coloring," Percy told me. "It's fine, don't worry."
He pressed a fork and knife in my hand, and I cut a small piece of food.
I slowly raised the fork to my mouth, then took the pancake between my teeth and chewed.
It was... Absolutely delicious.
I ate another piece... Then another... Until there was only one blue pancake left.
I turned to Percy. "Here. You have it."
"No," Percy said. "It's yours. Seriously."
I happily ate the last pancake.
I took a few sips of water, then held the glass in my hands.
"You should have a shower," Percy told me, picking up a strand of my blood-stained hair and twirling it in his fingers.
"Okay," I said.
Percy took the glass of water from my hands and helped me sit up, then stand.
He led me to the bathroom, and I walked in and closed the door behind me.
I didn't move until I heard Percy's footsteps grow quieter and quieter... Until they were gone.
I walked over to the shower and turned the water on.
I pulled the curtain closed, then stepped away and pulled my shirt off.
I looked in the mirror, and saw the reason behind my painful breathing.
The skin from the bottom of my ribcage to my hipbone was bruised purple and black.
From my aunt, no doubt, I thought.
I shook my head, then stripped off the rest of my clothes and stepped into the shower.
I let the hot water splash on the back of my neck for a while, and I thought.
Percy Jackson, the most popular guy in my whole school, actually cared about me.
Why?
Was it because he felt sorry for me?
Did he actually like me?
Was it just all an act?
No.
I hadn't known Percy for a long time, but I knew that he wasn't mean like that.
I quickly washed the blood out of my hair, the pink water swirling down the drain.
I washed my body, and I found exactly how much injuries I had.
I splashed the water on my face once more, then turned the water off and stepped out of the shower.
I dried myself with a towel that was sitting on the counter.
I put my bra and underwear on, then looked at myself in the mirror.
I was super skinny.
You could see my hips poking out.
My stomach was flat, in fact, it sunk in a little bit.
I hated it.
God, I hated it so much.
I looked at the scars on my wrists and arms.
At least a dozen in total.
I sighed and reached for my clothes-only then realizing that my shirt and pants were grossly covered in blood.
Great.
I looked around, and saw a hoodie and a pair of shorts lying on the ground.
Since they were not covered in blood, I put them on.
As I pulled the hoodie over my head, I realized that these were probably Percy's clothes.
I hoped that he wouldn't care.
I looked up at myself in the mirror once more.
The largeness of the sweater made it impossible to even notice my unhealthy skinniness.
And the shorts came up to my knees, so you could only see the bottom of my legs.
My blonde hair was still wet and starting to curl.
I ran my fingers through it to brush it.
Once I thought that I looked semi-good, I opened the door and walked out of the bathroom.
I stood in front of the door of the room that I was in before.
I took a breath, then knocked on the door.
"Come in," said Percy's voice.
I slowly opened the door and poked my head inside.
"Well, come inside," Percy said.
I walked into the room and closed the door behind me.
Percy was sitting on the bed, looking at me. He was wearing a different shirt, I noticed.
He raised his eyebrows.
I looked down, at the clothes that I was wearing.
"Oh, uh... I, I'm sorry, it's just that I needed some clothes and this was the only thing I could find-"
"Annabeth, it's fine," Percy interrupted. "Honestly."
Percy studied me. Finally, he held out his arm. "C'mere," he said.
I slowly walked towards him.
When I was close enough, he took hold of my hand and pulled me down onto him, so I sat on his lap.
I was nervous.
He put his hands on my waist.
"Annabeth, I'm so sorry that you ever had to live with that... That demon aunt of yours," he said.
"Why are you saying sorry?" I asked. "It's not your fault."
"I know... It's just... It must have been horrible."
"It was."
Percy looked at me, and I tried my best not to look back at him.
I tried to ignore the fact that I was sitting on Percy's lap, and his hands were on my waist, and that my heart was practically jumping out of my chest.
I focused on my own hands.
I saw red marks sticking out of the sleeves.
I knew for a fact that if Percy saw my cuts, he'd flip out and give me some huge lecture.
So I quickly pulled the sleeves of the sweater over my hands.
Percy raised his eyebrows.
"What?" he asked, reaching for my hand.
I pulled it away. "It's nothing," I said. "I'm fine, it's fine, Percy."
Thankfully, he didn't ask any more questions.
And even more thankfully, he didn't talk for a while.
He just held my hand, and the other rested motionless on my side, and our foreheads touching gently.
It was peaceful.
And I liked it.
+++
Later that day, Percy told me that he wanted to take me out for the day.
I agreed.
Thankfully, Percy let me keep his clothes.
At around noon, Percy and I walked out to his car.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"You'll see," he replied.
I didn't talk for the drive.
In about fifteen minutes, the car stopped.
"Here we are!" Percy said, smiling at me.
I looked out the window.
We were pulled up at beach.
I looked over at Percy.
"A beach?" I asked.
Percy shrugged. "I like the beach. I like water."
I laughed and unbuckled my seatbelt.
Percy did the same, and we climbed out of the car.
As we met, Percy slipped his hand into mine.
A shiver was sent through my whole body.
"I used to come here all the time when I was young," Percy said after a moment of silence.
I nodded.
We started walking along the shore, our feet getting occasionally splashed with the chilly water.
"Can I ask you something?" Percy asked.
"Sure," I replied.
"When did you start self harming?"
I froze.
Was he actually asking this?
I took my hand away from Percy's and stuffed them in the pockets of the hoodie.
"Annabeth," Percy said.
I sighed. "When I was twelve. Right after I got the first beating from my aunt."
Percy didn't try to take my hand again. "I don't understand."
"Understand what?" I asked, not wanting to look at him.
"Why you cut yourself. Why do you do it?"
I shrugged. "It feels good. I mean, yeah, sometimes it hurts, but I like it. It just something that makes me escape from my past. When I cut, I don't think of my parents. My aunt's abuse, I don't remember it. All I can think of, all that I concentrate on, is the blades on my skin; some more blood coming out."
"Can't you do something else to forget about everything?" Percy asked. "Something that doesn't bring you one step closer to killing yourself?"
"Like what?"
Percy put his hand on the side of my face and turned my face so I was looking at him.
He kissed me.
I didn't respond, so Percy pulled away.
"I'm sorry, Percy," I said, taking a step away from him. "I... My head just feels weird. Do you mind taking me back to your place?"
"Not at all. Lets go."
Percy placed his hand on my back and we walked back to his car.
As he drove, I whispered, "I'm sorry."
But Percy didn't reply.
+++
I fell asleep in Percy's car.
When I woke up, I was back in the blue-walled room.
I felt something move underneath me.
I slowly turned my head, and saw Percy's face just inches from mine.
His eyes were closed; he was sleeping.
He had his arms around me.
With my eyelids drooping closed once more, I turned onto my side and buried my face in the crook of Percy's neck.
My eyes fully closed, and I fell into another sleep.
+++
"Annabeth, come here."
I skipped into the room.
My mother was lying in the bed, with my father at her side.
"Yes, mommy?" I said.
"I need to talk to you about something," my mother said.
"Okay."
She sat up, put her arms around me and sat me on the bed facing her.
"You remember when I told you about that yucky disease I have?"
"Canker?" I asked, trying my best to remember the name.
"Cancer," my mom corrected. "But yes, that. Well, it's very serious. And... And in a while, Mommy won't be here anymore."
"Are you going on a vacation?" I asked. "Can I come?"
"No, honey. Very soon, I won't be here with you and Daddy anymore."
"I don't understand," I said.
"Annabeth, dear, I'm sorry. But I am going to die."
I looked at my mom with wide eyes and an open mouth.
"No!" I screamed. "No, mommy! You can't! I won't let you!"
I burst out crying, and threw my arms around my mother.
"I'm going to miss you, mommy! Don't leave me! Please!"
"I'm so sorry, honey," my mom said, also crying. "But I don't have a choice."
"Can't you take a medicine or something? Can't you make the cancer go away?"
"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way."
I was screaming, sobbing.
My father took me in his arms and lifted me away from my mother.
"No!" I screamed. "Mommy! Mommy!"
But my mother just stared at me with tear-filled eyes.
"I love you, Annabeth."
+++
Someone was shaking my shoulder.
"Annabeth! Annabeth wake up!"
I was crying.
Sobbing.
Screaming.
"Annabeth!"
I opened my eyes and turned my head.
Percy was there, right beside me, shaking my shoulder.
He was blurry through all my tears.
"What's wrong?" he asked softly.
I continued to cry.
Percy sat me up, scooped me up in his arms and sat on the bed, placing me sideways on his lap.
"I... I... I saw..." I sobbed.
I was crying too hard.
I saw her.
"Shh..." Percy said. "Shh. Calm down. It's fine. It's fine."
So I cried in Percy's arms.
He held me tightly.
I clung onto his shirt like he could disappear any moment.
I calmed down after a long time.
I put my head on Percy's chest and took long, deep breaths.
"What happened?" Percy whispered. "You started screaming and crying in your sleep."
I kept my head on his chest. "I... I saw her."
"Saw who?"
"Her... My mother. It was a memory. When... When she told me that she was going to die. Oh, god Percy. It was horrible."
I started to cry again.
Percy didn't tell me to stop crying or calm down or anything.
He just held me tight.
I loved it.
+++
Percy was so sweet.
After my breakdown, he wouldn't leave my side.
I know it sounds a bit creepy, but I thought that it was nice how he cared for me.
+++
We were sitting on Percy's couch watching a movie.
It was about a mermaid who's name is Ariel, who falls in love with a human man, but the mermaid's father doesn't allow her to see this guy, so Ariel gets this witch to turn her into a human so she can see the guy.
It was obviously a children's movie, but Percy seemed to like it.
I have to admit, though, it was a pretty good movie.
"It's like, my favorite movie ever," Percy had said before it started.
By the end of the film, Percy was sitting up straight and I was lying down with my head in his lap.
Percy ran a hand through my blonde hair.
Is this what it felt like?
To have someone care?
I never knew.
No one had cared for me in eight years.
I looked up at Percy.
He was still concentrating on the TV.
His black hair looked un-brushed, and it fell down on his forehead just enough to cover the eyebrows.
His sea-green eyes were full of amusement, as well was his lopsided grin.
I did it before I thought about it.
I raised my hands and put them on either side Percy's face; then pulled him down into a kiss.
He didn't hesitate to kiss me back.
He put his hand on my back and sat me up so were we were level with each other.
My hands slid from the side of his face to around his neck, pulling him closer to me.
"Come on," Percy whispered against my mouth. "Lets go to my room."
I nodded.
Percy took my hand and together we rushed to his room.
+++
"I don't want to make you do something that you don't wanna do."
"I'm fine."
"You seem tense."
I looked at Percy.
We were lying on his bed, with me on top of him.
I looked to the side, where Percy's shirt was lying on the ground.
"It's just..." I said quietly, looking back at him. "I've never done anything like this before."
Percy smiled at sat up. He kept me on his lap, with my knees at his hips. His jeans were low.
"Well I have done this before, so let me show you how it's done," Percy said, smirking. He kissed me, very very softly.
"First you start out slow," he said against my mouth.
We kissed at a slow pace for a while.
"Then you go a bit faster," he said.
He sped it up.
I think I kept up with him pretty well.
He pulled away.
"Take a break to breathe," he said. "You don't really wanna suffocate right in the middle of kissing someone."
His lips traveled from my lips to my cheek, then my neck.
I took a sharp breath inwards.
"You okay?" Percy asked, but he kept his lips on my skin.
I nodded.
It only took me a short amount of time for me to catch my breath again.
Percy removed his lips from my neck and looked at me.
"This time, you start out fast," he said.
He kissed me, hard.
I closed my eyes and kissed him back.
After a while, I was the one who pulled away.
Both of us were gasping for breath.
"You're pretty good for a beginner," Percy whispered.
I blushed.
"Thank you," I said. "Not just for that compliment, but for everything."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"You helped me. You helped me when no one else would even take a glance towards me."
"Of course I helped you. To be honest, I watched you from a distance for a couple weeks. I know that it sounds stalker-ish, but I noticed how you were always injured. I was kind of curious. So when I found out that you harmed yourself, I wanted to find out why and stop it."
I looked down and blushed even more.
"Can I ask you something?" he asked.
"Okay."
"Are you happy?"
"Of course."
"Will you stop cutting?"
I hesitated. Finally, I said, "Yes."
"Do you promise?" Percy asked.
"I promise."
I was such a liar.
+++
"Come on, Percy. We'll be late for school."
"Annabeth, are you sure? Do you really wanna go to school today? You still look like you're in pain..."
"Percy. Shut up. I'm fine."
Percy hesitated, but he followed me out of his apartment.
"We're not even late," Percy said as we climbed into his car. "We still have half an hour before school starts."
I shrugged. "I just don't want to be late."
Percy rolled his eyes and started to drive.
We got to the school in a few minutes, and to me relief, weren't close to late.
"I'll see you later," I said to Percy once we were in the school.
We separated and walked off in different directions.
It would have been better if I had just stayed with Percy.
I was thrown against the wall, hitting my head hard.
I groaned as I fell to the ground.
Someone stepped on my side.
The exact spot where my bruise was.
I screamed, but bit my lip and quieted down.
"Hey, Annie Bell."
I recognized the voice.
I looked up, and through the tears, I saw a red-headed girl standing beside me, a smirk on her face.
Three or four girls stood around her, and two boys for each girl.
The redhead turned to the boy who was standing closest to her.
"Well," she said to him. "Am I going to have to do this myself?"
Two boys approached me.
I knew that there was no point of me trying to escape, so I just covered my head with my hands and waited.
The first boy stepped on my face, crushing my fingers beneath his shoes.
Tears poured out of my eyes.
As the foot was pressed harder into my face, I felt someone kicking my stomach.
I winced loudly.
"Stop," I mumbled. "Please."
I heard a girl laughing.
Something sharp and pointy dug into the side of my arm; probably the heel of a shoe.
The same laughter filled the air.
After a few seconds, the foot was lifted from my face, and I heard the muffle of footsteps.
No one touched me again.
I slowly dropped my hands from my face and stared straight ahead.
The hallway of the school was empty.
It was silent, except for the sounds of my sobbing.
I pressed my hands to the floor and tried to push myself up, but it was too painful.
I think that guy broke a couple of my fingers.
I got to my knees, then pushed myself up using my legs.
I looked around.
Still, no one was in the hallway.
I dragged myself to the nearest girl's bathroom, and walked over to the sinks.
I looked at myself in the mirror.
There was a bruise on my jaw; my hair tangled; the skin on the side of my face broken and blood coming out; my hands purple and black; my eye red and filled with tears.
Using my palm, I turned on the water slightly and let it drip onto my fingers.
The dirt from the boy's shoes washed off, leaving my fingers looking only slightly bruised.
I took some paper towel in my hand and wet it, then held it up to my bleeding spots.
The blood soaked into the paper quickly, so I had to replace it often.
I kept dabbing the wound until it stopped bleeding.
I sighed, but a sharp pain starting at my side shot through my whole body.
As best as I could, I unzipped my hoodie and lifted my shirt up.
The bruise on my side?
Yeah, well now it was black and gushing crimson blood.
Panicking, I took a large wad of paper towel and pressed it against my side.
I had to bite my lip so I wouldn't cry out.
It's okay, I thought. It's okay. You're gonna be okay.
I took another piece of paper towel and replaced the other one with it.
It hurt like hell.
Not to mention that my fingers were killing me as well.
I looked down, and saw my backpack lying on the ground.
I had an idea.
Please be in there...
And it was.
I took out the razor, clutching it as well as I could.
I held out my shaking arm, and began at the middle of my arm.
A bleeding cut was left there.
Two cuts.
Four cuts.
Seven cuts.
Ten cuts.
I stared at my bloody arm, practically crying.
I'm so sorry Percy.
+++
I walked out of school with my head down.
I didn't want to see Percy.
Which was kind of stupid considering that I was living in his house.
I knew that I had to see him at some point.
I just didn't want now to be that 'some point'.
But of course, it had to be.
"Annabeth!" yelled Percy's voice from behind me.
I started to walk a bit faster, when an arm wrapped around my shoulders.
I winced and shrugged it off.
"Hey," he said.
I looked away, keeping my head low. "Hi," I mumbled.
Percy stopped walking.
"Annabeth? What's wrong? Are you okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine, don't worry. Can we just go back to your place? Please?"
Percy didn't answer; he just reached for my hand.
I winced as his fingers touched mine.
Percy ran in front of me, and I almost ran into him.
He raised his hand and put it underneath my chin, and tilted my head up.
I closed my eyes as he gasped.
"Oh, god, what happened?!" he demanded, throwing my hood off.
"Look, I'm fine. I just... Fell."
"You fell."
"Yeah."
"You got all this," he gestured at my face. "From falling?"
"Yup. I, uh, fell... And rolled down a hill... And hit a wall. Yeah, that's what happened..."
I tried to walk past Percy, but he took a step to the side and blocked me once more.
"Annabeth. Tell me the truth. Please."
I sighed. "Fine. I got beat up by some guys."
"Guys beat you up?!" Percy cried. "Who were they?! Tell me who they are. How dare they even lay a finger on you-"
"No! Percy, don't. I don't want you getting into a fight."
He looked at me, and his expression softened.
"Please," I said.
"Fine," he sighed. "But you're going home right now so I can take care of you."
"I don't need-"
"Yes you do. Come on. We're going."
I sighed again, and followed Percy to his car.
+++
"Are you sure that you're okay?" Percy asked me for the hundredth time.
"I'm fine," I replied for the hundredth time. "Honestly."
He kept on looking at me like I just got hit by a car.
"But you got beaten up. You don't look okay."
"Well I am. And stop asking me if I'm okay every five seconds. It makes you seem obsessive."
Percy blushed.
I laughed.
"You're cute when you're worried," I said randomly. "Your eyebrows get all scrunched together."
This time, my cheeks turned a bit warm.
Percy smiled.
He looked down, and his eyebrows got even more scrunched up.
"What happened to your shirt?" he asked.
I followed his gaze to my shirt, and saw a large crimson mark on my side.
I mentally cursed.
"Oh, that, uh, don't worry about it. It's fine-"
But Percy already had the hem of my shirt in his hand and was pulling it up.
"No! It's fine! I-"
"Annabeth this is not fine!" Percy cried.
I sighed.
He was right.
Earlier at school, I had taped a wad of toilet paper to my side to stop the bleeding.
But the blood had soaked the paper and now it was just a dark red lump sticking to my skin.
"You should have told me," Percy said, straightening up and walking to his kitchen.
"I'm fine," I mumbled.
"No you're not."
Percy walked back to me, holding a wet towel in his hand.
"Um, this is gonna be kind of awkward, but can you take your shirt off?"
"Excuse me?!"
"It'll be easier!" he said, holding up the towel in his hand.
"Or is it just because you wanna get me naked?"
"Please," Percy said in a low voice. "If I wanted to get you naked I would have already done it by now."
I blushed, and slowly reached for the hem of my shirt, when I remembered.
My cuts.
My dozens of cuts.
The new ones.
I took my hands away. "Sorry, Percy," I said. "I'm just not comfortable."
Thankfully, Percy didn't argue. "Okay. Whatever."
He knelt down beside me and gently pressed the cloth to my wound.
I winced at the surprising cold.
And also at the pain.
"Am I hurting you?" Percy asked.
I shook my head. "No. It feels good," I lied.
Percy nodded and began to dab at the skin around the cut, clearing away the blood.
At that moment, someone knocked at the door really loudly.
Percy looked up at me.
"You should get that," I said.
Jee, thanks Captain Obvious, I thought.
Percy nodded. "Yeah. Here, hold this."
He handed me the wet cloth and I gently placed it on my skin again.
Percy walked to the door, and opened it.
"Hi-" he started.
"Hi." It was a girl's voice that interrupted him. I heard the stomping of shoes, so I was guessing that the person had entered the apartment.
I was right.
A girl, probably my age, walked into the room like it was her own. She had short black hair, and was wearing all black clothes.
"What are you doing here?" Percy asked, closing the door and coming into view.
"Leo is being annoying and Jason took my knife away so-"
The girl looked to the side and noticed me.
"Hey," she said casually.
"Uh, hi."
She stared at me. "Whoa, what happened to you?"
She walked over to me and looked at my injuries.
Percy followed.
The girl looked around at him. "I hope you didn't do that to her," she said.
"No! Of course I didn't!" he said loudly.
The girl held up her hands. "Alright, alright." She looked back to me. "I'm Thalia, by the way. I'm his cousin."
She tilted her head in Percy's direction, then held out her hand.
"I'm Annabeth," I said, sitting up as well as I could and taking her hand.
"So," Thalia said. "You his girlfriend?"
I blushed. "Um, well, we're not really..."
"Why are you here, Thalia?" Percy said quickly.
Thalia looked at him, her eyebrows raised. But she didn't say anything else about Percy and I.
"Leo was being annoying, and Jason hid all the knifes in our house, so I need a knife."
"No," Percy said. "I'm not letting you almost kill Leo... Again."
"Who said anything about almost killing him?" Thalia said, smirking.
Percy rolled his eyes.
I stared at the two confusedly.
"Well, I'm still not giving you a knife," Percy said, walking back to me and taking the cloth in his own hand.
"So, what happened to you?" Thalia asked me.
"She got beat up," Percy said before I could even open my mouth.
Thalia's eyes filled with anger. Her eyes were electric blue. I wish my eyes were like hers.
"What?! Seriously?! You poor girl."
I looked down.
"Yeah," Percy agreed quietly.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked in a softer voice.
I winced as Percy pressed the towel against my skin a bit harder.
He muttered a sorry, and wiped some fresh blood away with his finger.
"No, it's alright," I said, responding to Thalia's question.
Thalia nodded. "Well, I better get going..." The girl turned and started to walk towards the door.
"Thalia," Percy said without turning. "Take the knife out of your boot."
She froze. Thalia muttered a curse at Percy, then reached into her black combat boot and threw a knife to the ground.
"You suck, Perce," she mumbled and walked out of the apartment.
+++
I could tell that Percy was staring at me.
I tried to focus on anything else- the walls, the ceiling, the fly buzzing happily around the room, my folded hands, anything.
Percy was putting a piece of gauze on my side. (Even though I insisted I could do it myself, he wanted to do it.)
And instead on focusing on my wound, he was staring straight at me.
I swallowed nervously.
"So," I said. "Um... About that thing that Thalia said..."
"That kid Leo is pretty annoying," Percy said. "At least two people always want to kill him, so-"
"I mean the other thing," I interrupted in a soft voice. "About... Us."
I turned and looked at him, and his eyes met mine for a second before he turned his gaze back to my side.
He waited until he was finished until he started to talk again.
"Well, what do you think?" he asked as I pulled my shirt down. "Do you think of yourself as my girlfriend?"
I blushed.
Did I consider Percy and I a "couple"?
Were we dating?
Did he think that we were dating?
I cleared my throat. "Um... We have kissed a few times, but that doesn't exactly mean that we're together... But, Percy, I really like you. And, uh, I mean, I know that you're letting me stay in your apartment, but I don't really know wether or not-"
Percy laughed, interrupting me.
"Man, you really can talk," he said with a chuckle.
I blushed even more.
Of course I had to go and start babbling.
I looked at Percy for a couple seconds, then he walked up to me and put his hands on my shoulders.
"I really like you, Annabeth," he said. "So, do you wanna be my girlfriend?"
I stood there staring at him for a second.
My inner little girl was screaming, "YES YES YES YES!"
But I couldn't seem to form the words.
I just stared at him open-mouthed.
Percy smirked. "I'll let you think about it," he said and kissed my forehead softly.
He walked away, but I could still feel the pressure of his lips on my forehead, and his fingers on my shoulders.
+++
It's been a week.
And I still hadn't replied to Percy's question.
I wanted to be his girlfriend.
I really did.
So why couldn't I tell him?
+++
I stood in the bathroom two days later, staring at my arms.
Five fresh cuts on each wrist.
I felt bad for lying to Percy.
I promised him that I would stop cutting, and I just kept doing it anyway.
But I didn't want to stop.
I sighed and put my razor back in the hiding spot under the sink.
I unlocked the door of the bathroom and walked out.
Percy went out earlier, and his mom was at work, so no one was home.
I didn't have to cover up my scars.
I walked into Percy's room-and gasped.
The black-haired boy stood in his room.
He turned around and looked at me, and he smiled.
"Hey," he said. "I decided- Why are you staring at me like that?"
I tried to hide my arms behind my back, but Percy noticed them.
He walked up to me and took my hands in his.
He looked at my scars for a few seconds, then he looked back up at me.
"Annabeth," he said.
There was something in his voice.
It wasn't anger, or sadness.
It was disappointment.
I looked down.
"I'm sorry," I muttered. "I just can't stop."
"I thought that you were happy," Percy said.
"I am," I said. "I'm happier than I've ever been since my dad died."
"So why are you still cutting? If you're happy, why are you still doing this to yourself?"
"You don't understand," I said. "Just because I'm happy doesn't mean I can just-"
"Just what?" Percy asked. "You're happy, but you're still going to cut? Why? Why would you-"
"You just don't understand!" I shouted. Tears threatened to spill out of my eyes. "Percy, I can never forget my past! I will never forget how I got abused, how my mother died in front of me, how I found my father's dead body. There's no way that I can forget that!"
I started to cry.
Percy didn't do anything for a moment, then he pulled me into his arms.
"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I just don't want you to do this to yourself anymore."
"Do you care?" I asked. "Do you really care about me?"
Percy pulled me off of him, but he kept one hand on my waist.
He raised the other and cupped my cheek, and wiped tears away with his thumb.
After a few seconds, he leaned down and gently pressed his mouth to mine.
He pulled away too soon.
He kept his face close to mine.
"Annabeth," he whispered. "I love you."
I looked down.
Percy didn't say anything else; he was obviously waiting for me to say wether or not I loved him back.
But did I love Percy Jackson?
Yes, I liked him a lot, but did I love him?
I looked up at him, our eyes meeting.
"I love you too," I said.
+++
"Annabeth, right?"
I turned around and looked at who the voice came from.
It was Thalia, Percy's cousin.
She was standing with a dark haired girl, and holding hands with that girl was a pretty good-looking guy with blonde hair.
"Uh, yeah," I said. "Hi."
"You remember me, right?" Thalia asked, smiling. "I'm Thalia, in case you don't. We met a couple weeks ago."
"Yeah, I remember."
"Cool. Well, I wanted to introduce you to Piper-" she pointed to the dark haired girl- "And Jason, my brother."
Piper and Jason both smiled and said hi.
"You're Percy's girlfriend, right?" Piper asked.
I tried not to blush at the question.
Yes, we said that we loved each other, and yes he had asked me to be his girlfriend.
But I still had not given him an answer.
"Um," I said. "We're not exactly dating..."
"But you like him, right?"
"Yes." A blush rose to my cheeks.
"Aw, that's sweet," Piper said, smiling.
"Anyway," Thalia said. "We were wondering if you wanted to hang out with us and some of our other friends."
I was surprised.
Besides Percy, no one ever wanted to hang out with me.
Ever.
"Uh... Okay," I said quietly.
Thalia smiled. "Great! Come on, I have to introduce you to everyone first."
I nodded without saying anything as I walked away with Thalia, Piper and Jason.
In a few minutes, we entered a large cafe.
A group of teenagers sat in the corner or the cafe, taking up one extra-large booth.
There were probably about seven teenagers, but my eyes went directly to a certain green-eyed boy sitting at the end of the booth.
He didn't notice me-he was too busy having a conversation with a dark-skinned girl sitting across from him.
"There they are!" Thalia said.
The four of us walked up to the booth.
"Hey, guys," Thalia said. "This is Annabeth. She's a... Friend of Percy's."
The dark-skinned girl who was talking to Percy before raised her eyebrows at him.
Percy blushed slightly.
I heard Piper giggling behind me.
"Anyway..." Thalia continued. "Annabeth, that's Leo, Calypso, obviously you already know Percy, Hazel, Frank, Luke and Nico."
I looked at all of the teens.
Leo was a scrawny kid, with curly brown hair and a mischievous smile.
Sitting beside him was Calypso, a pretty girl with caramel-colored hair.
By the way that Calypso was leaning against Leo, I got the feeling that they were dating.
The dark-skinned girl was Hazel. She was pretty with curly brown hair and gold-ish eyes.
Frank was a Asian boy with muscles and short brown hair. He smiled shyly at me.
Luke was a fairly good-looking guy sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. He had the same the same mischievous smile as Leo.
Finally, Nico sat in the corner of the booth. He had pale skin and dark hair and eyes. He didn't smile.
Percy and I locked eyes.
Leo noticed, he and Calypso stood, letting me pass so I could sit with Percy.
There wasn't room on the booth for the four of us, so Percy pulled me down into his lap.
"Hey," he whispered in my ear.
Hearing his voice sent shivers through my body.
"Hi," I whispered back, quiet enough so only he could hear.
"So," he said, in a very low voice. "What should I say that you are if anyone asks? My friend? My girlfriend? My female acquaintance?"
I thought for a second.
Was it time to tell Percy what I wanted?
Was I ready to tell him that I wanted to be his girlfriend?
I took a breath, then turned my head around and whispered in his ear, "You can tell them that I'm your girlfriend."
+++
It's been three days since I officially became Percy's girlfriend.
Girlfriend.
I loved that word.
"Annabeth," Percy's voice disturbed my thoughts. "Come on, let's go out somewhere."
"Where?" I asked.
"I don't know. Just somewhere."
I chuckled. "Okay. Fine."
I stood up along with Percy, and we walked to his car. Just as I was about to open the door, I saw three figures walking down the street across from Percy's apartment.
I gasped.
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god," I muttered, scrambling into Percy's car and hiding behind the seat.
"What?" Percy asked, looking from me to the figures.
"Don't look!" I whispered. Even though I knew that they couldn't hear me, I didn't want to take risks of any kind. "Percy, that's my uncle and cousins. The ones that I used to live with."
Percy's head snapped towards my relatives.
I myself peeked over the seat and looked out the back window.
They were closer now, my uncle holding my little cousins' hands. My uncle looked stressed. Was he still in shock about his wife getting thrown into prison? Was he looking for me?
I looked over at Percy.
"Please," I whispered. "Please get in the car."
He didn't argue. He jumped into the driver's seat and started the car.
I sunk down into my seat as we passed my uncle and cousins.
"I think that we're far enough away," Percy told me. "You can come up now."
I hesitated, but I slowly rose and sat up properly.
"So tell me," Percy said, keeping his eyes on the road. "Why didn't you ever run away from your aunt?"
I sighed. "I did. When I was eleven. But some stupid police officer caught me and made me go back."
Percy nodded in response.
"And you started cutting when you were twelve."
I mumbled a 'yes'. I really wished that he didn't bring up that topic.
But, surprisingly, he didn't say anything else for the rest of the trip.
+++
November 18th.
Tomorrow was the day.
Then November 21st.
Also the day.
Was I ready for this day to come once more?
No.
+++
"Hey, are you okay?" Percy asked.
I sniffed and wiped my eyes.
"Fine," I lied.
"You've been crying," Percy said, pulling me into his arms. "What's wrong?"
I knew that I couldn't hide this from him.
But I really didn't want to tell him.
I pressed myself into his chest and let tears come out of my eyes.
"Seriously, what's wrong?" Percy asked, rubbing my back soothingly.
"Tomorrow," I whimpered. "It's the day."
"What day?" he asked, not breaking our embrace.
"When she died."
Percy must have understood. I felt him nodding and he held me tighter.
I don't what came over me, but I burst into tears and couldn't stop.
I could hear Percy muttering things like, "Oh crap I broke her," and "Great, she sprung another leak."
Percy lowered his arms so they rested under my butt, then lifted me up and carried me over to the couch. He set me down gently, then sat down beside me.
"It's gonna be okay," he whispered in my ear.
"The... The 21st," I sobbed.
"Yeah?" he said softly. "What about the 21st?"
"He died."
Once again, Percy pulled me tighter against him. I wrapped my arms around his torso and squeezed.
"I'm sorry," he said long after I stopped crying.
I only nodded.
Percy pulled away.
"Are you okay now?" he asked.
"Yeah..." I said quietly.
Percy smiled. "Good."
I curled my hands around Percy's shirt and brought his face down until our mouths fell against each others.
The kiss was soft and gentle.
Percy fell forward, so I was lying on my back and Percy was on top of me.
Percy ran his hand up and down my side, giving me shivers.
I arched my back slightly so Percy could slip his hand onto my back, not breaking the kiss.
I trailed my hands over his body- his muscular arms, his chest, his stomach.
He pressed my body against his, making my back arch even more. Percy nibbled my lower lip softly.
"Percy," I moaned.
He pulled away from me. "Yeah? Do you want me to stop?"
"No," I said. "Keep going."
He kissed me once more. He took my lower lip between his teeth and sucked on it.
I resisted the urge to moan his name again.
I hooked my thumbs through the loops on his jeans and pulled him down on me, even though we were already close.
It could have been seconds, minutes, heck, it could have even been hours before we pulled away.
Percy leaned down, for a second I thought that he was going to kiss me again, but he passed my mouth and put his lips beside my ear.
"Did that brighten up your mood?" he asked.
I blushed, but I quickly nodded.
+++
So today was the day.
The 18th.
I sat on Percy's bed, wearing purple shorts and a purple hoodie.
Purple was my mom's favorite color.
I looked down at my wrists.
They were covered by sleeves, but I could still see the scars in my mind.
I knew that my mother would not be happy if she knew that I cut.
But if she and my dad had not died, I wouldn't have even started cutting.
But then again, if they hadn't died, I might not have met Percy.
Did that mean that I was happy about their death?
Would I rather my parents be dead than not being with Percy?
As guilty as it made me feel, I couldn't decide.
+++
Three days later, on the 21st, I wore my dad's favorite color, green.
Once again, the thought of my parent's death and my relationship with Percy popped into my head.
Did I really want Percy to be my boyfriend more than my parents being alive?
How could I even think like that?
+++
I stared down at my scarred wrist.
Eight cuts on my left wrist; five on my right.
I held the black razor in my right hand.
There was a clean spot on my left wrist.
A perfect place to leave a bleeding cut.
I touched the blade to my skin.
I took a deep breath.
And I threw the razor in the garbage.