Troubled

51

chapter fifty-one
percy

The city felt empty without her.

My mother was now engaged to Paul, it was official. And he had already started to move in, which didn't really effect me as he'd practically already been living at our apartment before.

So, on one of these days of Paul moving in, I left. I didn't go far, only to the city. But I had left. Paul's stuff being all around and all the boxes around me was just a disaster waiting to happen.

As Annabeth would say, I am clumsy. Far too clumsy to help.

And so here I am. In New York City which, suddenly, felt empty to me. People rushed by me on the subway and in the streets, but it was still empty to me.

Empty without Annabeth at my sight. Empty without her architecture rants. Empty without her wide grins and millions of touristy questions.

God, how I missed her.

My letter had been mailed just the way Paul had directed me to. I'd even tried to write her name and address the nicest I could.

No response. I wasn't expecting one. I hadn't even given her my address, which I was certain she didn't know. At least not by heart. Not the way I had hers memorized.

Am I creepy? I mean, I haven't even known her a year but her absence made me absolutely insane. Even going to the old places we'd gone together made my heart ache.

"Percy!"

I suddenly stopped in my tracks. Who was calling for me? Am I imagining things? In such a crowded place like this I certainly couldn't hear a single person calling me out.

"Percy!"

But I did hear it. It was a woman. At least I thought it was. Am I imaging things? Or is this someone who knows me? Is this someone who loved New York and architecture?

"Yes?" I cried out as I suddenly stopped walking, much to the people around me's dismay. I peered around, scanning for her golden curls. "I'm here!"

"I'm right here!" the voice said. I turned and immediately sighed with disappointment.

Standing before me was Piper McLean. She was tall with darker skin and feathery brown hair. She had deep brown eyes and a mischievous grin.

I didn't know Piper well. She was in my mutual friend group, which was basically whoever Annabeth was friends with.

Our 'group' included her, me and Annabeth, her boyfriend, Jason, Leo Valdez, Thalia, Frank Zhang, Grover, and Hazel Levesque.

I only really knew Grover, Annabeth, and Thalia well. The rest of them were just nice to me and we occasionally hung out together, but I knew that Annabeth knew Piper better than I did since Piper was dating Thalia's brother, and Annabeth was best friends with Thalia.

"Oh, hey, Piper," I said with a weak wave. "What are you doing in New York? I thought you lived in Oklahoma or something."

Piper, not unlike the rest of the kids at the boarding school, was not from New York. She'd told me she was originally from Oklahoma or somewhere near there, but I wasn't really sure.

Leo Valdez, who was close to Piper, had once told me she'd stolen a few cars, which I assumed was why she was here. He also alluded to her father, Tristan McLean, who was a famous movie star.

She nodded. "Yes, but I'm eighteen so I don't have to go home. And neither does Jason. Jason, come here! I found Percy!"

Piper's boyfriend, Jason, bounded over to us from the crowd and nodded at me. "This city is packed, it's so Piper-like to run into someone you know."

Piper shrugged. "The more people the larger chance to know someone. Anyways, what have you been up to? Last I heard, well....the whole scene at graduation."

My face turned red as I shoved my hands in my pockets. "Yeah, that's true. Uh, I've mostly been laying low this summer, staying in the city."

"Oh, cool," Piper said as she peered away, easily distracted by the amount of people and the size of the city. I could also tell she was losing interest in our conversation. "Well, we better get going."

"Wait!" I said as she turned. I grabbed her arm, causing her to raise an eyebrow at me. "Sorry, but...do you, uh, know where Annabeth is?"

Piper crossed her arms. "I knew that was coming. I thought you would know, as she was staying with you and all."

I shook my head. "No, one day her dad came....I haven't seen her sense. He looked mad, Piper, like really mad. Is she in too much trouble?"

"No, I don't think so," Piper admitted, causing me to sigh with relief. "The last contact I got from her was, like, a week ago. An email of all things. She told me that her parents were angry at her, even keeping her out of college for a semester so she could be an intern."

I frowned. "An intern? Where?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Annabeth's dreams were on hold because of what I did. Well, I guess we were both to blame, but her not being able to college for a semester made me queasy.

Piper shrugged. "I think at her mom's company. In New York, here."

"Wait, what?" I asked. Annabeth is here?! "Have you seen her? Do you know her place's address? What's the name of the company?"

Piper laughed wearily as she stared up at Jason, who looked bored. "I don't know much, Percy. Although she did mention really missing you and that her family is being insane. Look, I've gotta go, but I'll text you if I hear anything, okay?"

Even though I wanted to interrogate Piper for hours, I simply nodded and allowed her and an annoyed Jason to leave.

Even though I was disappointed by the lack of news on Annabeth, I knew that she was okay. And even that was enough to keep me going.