Troubled

45

chapter forty-five
percy

"Happy Birthday, wise girl."

Annabeth slowly opened her eyes and grinned up at me. "It's not even my birthday yet!"

I shrugged as I helped her sit up. "It's July, close enough, right?"

She rolled her eyes as she yawned and stretched, peering out at the morning sky. "There's still a few days before my birthday, seaweed brain."

"Whatever. I wanna start celebrating you now," I replied as I stuck out my tongue at her. "I will be celebrating you and there's nothing you can do about it."

June went by quickly. Every day Annabeth and I spent nearly every minute together. I showed her around New York some days, and others we just stayed at home and relaxed.

My mom mostly left us alone. She had her new job to worry about and her new boyfriend Paul, who really seemed to like her. Apparently they'd been dating for half of a year now.

After Annabeth and I got dressed and ready, we made our way to the kitchen as the smell of blue pancakes was strong.

"Good morning, sleepy heads," my mom said with a smile as she presented us with two plates stacked with blue pancakes.

Standing besides her, helping to wash the dishes, was Paul. He was a tall man with salt and pepper hair and kind eyes. He'd been coming over to our house a lot more and was always kind to me and willing to get in some intellectual conversation with Annabeth.

I nearly drowned my pancakes in syrup before digging in. Annabeth rolled her eyes at me but couldn't help but smile.

After we finished our pancakes Paul kissed my mom on the cheek and left, claiming that he had to teach a summer school class at some community college.

Paul was a professor who often grew restless during the summers. He spent nearly every morning with my mom and then had some seminar to either attend or run.

After he'd left my mom headed into her own room to finish something. I was more than certain she was working on her book, which she was hoping to get published soon.

"You wanna go see New York some more?" I asked Annabeth as I brought my syrup soaked plate towards the sink.

She shrugged as she followed my example. "I dunno, I mean we went out yesterday and the day before that. I'm exhausted. New York is tiring."

"You'll get used to it," I assured her. "So, we're staying in today?"

Annabeth nodded. "I guess we are. Why, did you wanna do something?"

I shook my head. "Nope. We can watch a movie if you'd like. How about Finding Nemo?"

She rolled her eyes. "Ugh, no! I've seen that movie a million times. I could recite it by memory, seaweed brain. Are you seriously not sick of it yet?"

"No way. A movie about talking fish? What could you not wanna rewatch?" I questioned with a laugh. Then her phone went off. She sighed after reading the message and tucking it back into her pockets. "Your parents again?"

Annabeth nodded. "Another text."

They'd been texting her nearly daily now, demanding to know where she was and even threatening to hire a PI if she didn't tell them.

"I just keep texting back that I'm safe and don't want to be with them," she responded. "It's just...hard. Anyways, Thalia texts me, too. She keeps telling me she's trying to convince her mom to let her go to college in New York, god knows they have the money."

I frowned. I had never considered Thalia rich. Maybe it was her aggressive clothing filled with rips, her choppy hairstyle, or just how she acted, but I didn't think of her to be rich. I suppose she had to have some money to be able to afford a boarding school. Or at least her family could.

"Who is Thalia's family?" I asked, embarrassed since I didn't even know her last name.

"Wait, you don't know?" she asked. I shook my head, growing more embarrassed. "Percy, her mom is Beryl Grace. The Beryl Grace."

My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. "Wait, like soap opera star Beryl Grace? Beryl Grace who is literally insane?!"

Annabeth nodded. "Yes, that's who. She is crazy, by the way. I've met her before."

"You've met her before?!" I exclaimed. "Wow. I always thought she was kinda cute before she went off the rails."

Annabeth sarcastically punched my arm. Before I could retaliate a knock at the door interrupted us.

"I can get it," Annabeth volunteered as she stood up and ruffled my messy hair. I nodded and smiled at her. Then the door swung open.

"I've been looking for you."