And they were roommates

Chapter Thirteen

The next week I tried to talk to Annabeth as little as possible. Most interactions were a quick 'hello. How you doing' then going about our business. Luke had come back yesterday and when I was leaving for work, there he was with Annabeth in the living room. I said a quick goodbye before leaving the apartment as soon as possible.

I was halfway through my day and work wasn't any easier. I was constantly on my feet waitering everyone who came through the door. It was surprisingly busy today.
When I was behind the counter listing an order, I heard the door open and huffed in response. I looked up and froze when I saw Luke come through the door. He had a stern look on his face and his jaw was clenched.
"H-Hey Luke. How are you-" I tried to play it cool before he interrupted me.

"Hey Perce." He shot me cold look. "Can we talk?" I could tell it was more of a order than a question.
I swallowed and turned to my boss. "I'm gonna take a quick break, Roy." I walked out the door with Luke. He led me a little ways away from the diner and I started to regret following him.
"Uh Luke-?" He whipped around and shoved me to the ground.
"You little shit." He spat at me.
"Hey-"

"Annabeth told me you kissed her. I told you to stay away from her." He growled and kicked me on my side. He grabbed me by the shirt and slammed me against the wall a couple times before he started throwing punches at me. I tried to cover my face as best I could. I didn't try fighting back, that would just make it a lot worse. He shoved my head against the wall and threw me back to the ground. He sent a few kicks to my side again before spitting on me.

"Stay the fuck away from her or next time you'll get a lot more than a beating." He walked away leaving me lying in the middle of the sidewalk. I turned to my side and coughed up some blood.
My vision became blurred and I could barely see in front of me. Pain rang through the entirety of my body. I tried moving but pain shot up in my rib cage. After taking a few deep breaths I hauled myself to my feet and made my way back to the diner using the wall to support me.
Once I got into the diner I got weird looks. I leaned against the counter and told my boss I was done for the day before leaving to my car.

I tried to drive through the traffic as best I could. My body ached but I managed to get home without crashing.
Once I got into the apartment I tried to get to the bathroom as soon as possible but lucky for me Annabeth was there on the couch.
"Hey Perce-" She looked up at me and all the color drained from her face. She stood up and tried taking a better look at my face but I rushed to the bathroom. I shut the door and locked it.
She banged on the door. "Percy what happened. Open up! Let me help."

"Leave me alone." I mumbled. I coughed up more blood into the sink and looked up in the mirror. Bruises and blood covered my face and arms. I took a gentle poke to my side and winced at the sudden shock of pain.
I sank to the floor and closed my eyes. Before I knew it tears started to stream down my cheeks. I tried to wipe them away but more replaced them. Annabeth's yelling faded away until I heard nothing but the ring in my ears.
Soon after the world faded away and I passed out.