Dreams (A PERCABETH AU)

Chapter 3- Reckless Behaviour

Piper POV

Saturday 17th October

Song Tribute: [Robbers – The 1975]

Night was falling when we gathered around one of the benches on the promenade. The salty sea air whipped around us slicing against any bare skin that dared to show. I was absolutely freezing as I clung to Jason for comfort, his body was warm and familiar against mine.

The other boys were all throwing loose stones out onto the beach and seeing who could throw further while the girls perched on the bench and chatted away. We'd been out a while by now, celebrating Percy's 18th birthday-eve and things had gotten pretty wild. By the time we'd left the nightclub, we were all pretty drunk but Percy was completely off his head. He was so far gone, he couldn't tell the difference between the boy's and girl's bathrooms anymore. That's how he'd stumbled in on a guy harassing Thalia and how that guy had ended up getting punched in the face so hard his nose was gushing. I think that's why we'd been kicked out much to Leo's dismay. He'd really been hitting it off with this Californian girl and was way too smug about it for my liking. The idiot.

He was nowhere to be seen now, Percy. We'd lost him somewhere back at the club and I was starting to freak. Percy, when he's drunk, is bad enough but he'd been doing weed with the Stolls in the bathroom and when you mix that with Vodka, Tequila and God knows what else, it's an entirely different story.

We shouldn't have brought him out tonight. I wish I'd known that earlier. He hadn't been right in the head even before he'd started drinking. This whole Annabeth thing was tearing him in half—anyone could see it. He'd spent every hour trying to drown his problems with alcohol. At first, he'd been this miserable dark figure at the back of the group and then suddenly, after a few shots, he was the crazy guy dancing on top of the bar, holding a bottle of Smirnoff. I'd tried to stop him but Grover had egged him on so much, he found it hilarious.

He was out of control. And it was all because of one girl.

Speaking of the devil, he reappeared moments later as if sensing that we were all talking about him. His tall, built figure emerging from the shadows like some criminal. He wasn't dressed for this chilly weather in jeans, a grey, black and white checked shirt with a grey hoodie over the top and black Vans. He'd even pulled the thing up to his elbows as if the cold breeze wasn't stinging the skin on his arms enough.

There was a dark glint in his eyes and he was smiling.

"You've got some nerve, Percy Jackson." I scowled at him as he came over with a joint hanging from his fingers.

"Get off your high horse for once Pips and live a little." He rolled his eyes, bending down close to Thalia so she could take a puff.

She smiled up at him, breathing in the smoke and blowing it back to him, inches from his lips. There was always something about those two that was a little less than lovers but more than cousins. He relished in the smoke, straightening up and sweeping his dark hair back from his eyes.

"Who even are you anymore?" I frowned as he flicked through his phone and began to play The 1975 out loud. He hardly took notice of my remark.

"This is because of Annabeth, isn't it?"

That caught his attention and he looked up at me with dark eyes. Something softened behind them, though he was quick to conceal it. "So what if it is?"

"Percy." I sighed, moving away from Jason and closer to him now. "She's going to be okay. You both are." He shrugged at that, glancing at the floor and switching his focus to a can of empty coke on the ground.