Falling for You (A Percabeth AU)

Chapter Seven

Annabeth's POV

When I open my eyes again, the sun has already set over the city.  I roll over to check my alarm clock.  It reads 9:43.  I rub my eyes for a better look, thinking I saw it wrong.  I didn't.  Did I sleep for 6 whole hours?  Damn, I didn't think I was that tired.  I sit up in bed.  Naturally, Helen didn't wake me for dinner, so I make my way downstairs as quietly as possible and hope to the gods my father is already at home and in bed.

I get down to the kitchen without interruption and quietly begin to make myself a quick "dinner" of instant ramen and some of the goldfish Bobby and Matthew refused earlier, and grab a Gatorade from the fridge.  I know it's not the healthiest meal, but it'll have to do for the time being.  I sneak back upstairs and, surprisingly, am not greeted by an angry stepmom waiting to bash my brains in.  I creak open my door and reenter my room.

For lack of anything better to do, I grab my Chromebook and plop down on my bed with my food.  A couple of YouTube videos (and a hell of a lot of white cheddar goldfish) later, I finish my meal and decide I'll throw it away in the morning, stuffing the wrappers under my bed so Helen doesn't have another excuse to yell at me before school tomorrow.  I put my laptop back on my desk and grab my phone.  I mean, after a six-hour nap, I'm not really in the mood to be sleeping again anytime soon.  I just downloaded a really great book, The Outsiders, and I can't wait to dig into it.  So, I open up my eBooks app and start reading.

I kind of lose track of time after that.  You know that feeling when you're so engrossed in something you just kinda forget about everything happening around you?  Because that's exactly what happened.  The next time I look up at the time,  my clock reads 1:28 a.m.  Wow.  Time flies, I guess.  I know I'll be exhausted in the morning, long nap or not, so I finally turn in for the night.  I silence my phone (although I probably won't be getting any notifications anyway) and feel myself slowly drift into semiconsciousness.

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When I wake again, it's not in such a pleasant way.  Helen is banging at my door, screaming for me to come out and make her and the boys some breakfast.  

"Alright, already!  I'm coming!" 

The banging stops, and I hear footsteps echo down the stairs.  I drag myself out of bed, briefly checking the clock beside me.  7:30.  Fantastic.  

Slowly, so as to annoy Helen, of course, I walk down the stairs and into the kitchen, where the twins are already seated at the table.  Seriously, do these kids wake up extra early just to annoy the crap out of me?  Honestly, I wouldn't doubt it.  I trudge over to the cabinets to get the cereal boxes, then to the fridge for milk.  I begrudgingly fill their bowls and return to the stove to make eggs for Helen.  I crack one into a pan and begin to wait for it to fry.

"Annabeth, forgetting something?" My stepmother says, with a nasty grin on her face.  I shoot her a look over my shoulder before heading back over to the fridge for another egg.  Leave it to Helen to find something wrong with the way I make eggs.

Please. 

I serve the cereal and eggs to Helen and the boys, "accidentally" spilling milk all over the table (and all over my step-mother).  I know I'll be forced to clean it up later, but whatever.  It was worth it.

After the daily breakfast fiasco, I go back upstairs to my room to figure out what to wear today.  I grab a plain grey T-shirt and some jean shorts.  I unplug my phone and quickly run a comb through my hair before checking the clock again.  7:45 already?  Shit.  I'm supposed to be at school early today to meet with Piper and some of her friends in the cafeteria.  I rush down the stairs, hurriedly grabbing my backpack on the way, and race to the elevator and out of my building.  Guess I'll have no choice but to take the subway to school today.  Luckily, there's an entrance just down the street from my apartment complex.  

I fly through the station and am able to catch a westbound train right as it's about to pull out and take a seat, out of breath.  It's not until the train has passed a couple of stops that I notice who's sitting next to me.  What are the chances that, out of the millions of people living in this city, the single person I least want to see is sitting next to me for a good twenty-minute subway ride?  Not great.  But here we are.  Just my luck, I suppose.  

Naturally, I'm sitting right next to none other than Percy Jackson.

A/N: Hope you liked this chapter!  Sorry to leave it at a *slight* cliffhanger, but the next chapter should be out pretty soon.  So, like always, feel free to show this story some love- every read, vote, and comment helps!  Thanks for the support, and I'll see you in the next one.  Love you guys. 

-L (Author)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story, they all belong to Rick Riordan and I do not make any ownership claims to any person mentioned.