8: The Breakup

Annabeth POV

Things settled down in the weeks to come. People at school got used to Percy's presence (for the most part). Of course, girls still showed a lot of attention towards him, much to my despise.

Percy was very kind and funny.

I realized that I missed him a lot in the past few years.

It bothered me every time he'd interact with all of his girl fans, who clearly just wanted to get with him. But, I didn't know why. It shouldn't bother me to see Percy with other girls, but it did.

"Hey, Percy," a cheerleader greeted as she came to our table.

We were all sitting outside and enjoying lunch. It was slightly chilly today, but it was still manageable to be outside with sweatshirts.

"Hello, Hylla, what's going on?" Percy asked politely.

It still surprised me how bright and positive Percy could be with his fans. I mean, many of them simply bothered him with the constant attention. Regardless, Percy was cheerful and respectful.

"Well, there's a party at my home on Saturday; it's Reyna's birthday and she's a huge fan. I mean, we all are," Lindsey said. Her cheeks were rosy with lust.

"Um, all of your friends can join too," she added. "Practically the whole school is coming anyway."

"We'll be there," Leo exclaimed excitedly.

Hylla's gaze fell back on Percy as she smiled. Percy simply nodded in agreement before smiling back. I noticed that his sea-green eyes sparkled when he smiled. It actually made him very attractive.

I shook my head to knock out my weird thoughts.

"Well, I'm quite excited about the party," Hazel said. "I don't get invited that much. Perks of having a pop star friend."

Percy chuckled as we all sighed. To be honest, our friend group was composed of diverse characters and different social statuses. However, I believed that our diversity made us such good friends.

"So, who's birthday is it?" Percy asked.

It made sense that Percy wouldn't know Hylla and her family. Reyna and Hylla Arellano were sisters at Goode Academy. They were quite nice, but their family was beyond richer than most of the people here.

Technically, only Rachel, Jason, and Thalia compared in terms of wealth with the Arellano family. Even Percy (who was a self-made multimillionaire) wasn't as close.

"Reyna Arellano," Jason answered. "She's a senior that goes to our school. She's turning eighteen this year and will become a part of the family business."

"Oh, okay. Wait, is this the Reyna that you used to-"

Percy faltered off as his gaze fell on Piper. This was a little awkward considering Piper was Jason's current girlfriend. However, I knew that Reyna and Jason had both mutually moved on. Thye were just friends now.

"Yeah. she is a huge fan of you (not in a weird way though), so it makes sense Hylla would ask you to come," Jason said.

"Maybe, you could perform at her mansion," I suggested.

Percy's eyes locked onto mine as he smiled. "I was thinking the same thing. I love performing and if it will make her birthday special, then why not."

I knew that Percy would think like this. Generosity and selflessness were some of his best qualities.

The conversation shifted to other topics after that. The whole school was buzzing with news about the Arellano party. Pretty soon, people started talking about Percy's willingness to perform even though he didn't admit to anything.

"You usually get paid to perform, right?" I asked as we walked down the hallway.

Percy and I were walking to our last-period classroom. We shared the class together, so he met me at my locker beforehand.

"Well, yeah. obviously. Selling my music and performing shows is how I make money."

"And, a lot of it too," I added. "But, I like that money didn't change you, Percy."

Percy simply sighed but didn't say anything. To be honest, when you interact with Percy, you didn't get the wealthy teenager vibe. He acted so normally and ordinary with everyone.

Suddenly, we stopped after rounding the corner.

Travis and Connor were sitting in the hallway against the lockers. Connor had his head in his arms (one of which was holding his phone), and Travis was trying to console his brother and friend. Travis was patting his back and talking to him, but Connor seemed very emotional.

Percy and I shared a concerned look, but we decided not to intervene. We didn't know what was going on, so we were staying back for now.

"Bro, it'll be all right," Travis said as he rubbed Connor's back.

"I really liked her man. I can't believe that he dumped me over the phone. She said that she couldn't face me in person because of what she did," Connor expressed sadly.

Dang. That was rough. I immediately felt bad for Connor.

It was weird seeing either one of the Stolls like this. They were usually so free and happy, trying to prank everyone around them. It was such a sad thing to watch.

I noticed Percy's eyes intensify as he watched his friends.

"Bro, I know that it hurts, but it'll be all right. I know that you loved her, mate, but things will get better. It's okay," Travis said again.

I nudged Percy to keep moving. It didn't seem right to simply watch Connor when he was feeling low.

Percy nodded as we started moving through the hall again.

"Gods, this sucks," I said quietly.

Percy nodded. He seemed lost in thought as we walked towards biology. His tone was so serious as he said, "you know, it' really hard to love someone who won't love you back."

"Do you have personal experience with that?" I asked quietly.

My eyes were on the ground as I awaited his answer. I wasn't sure if I was prepared for his answer, but I wanted to know.

"Yeah," Percy whispered. "I, I think that I still feel it."

Disappointment welled in my chest as we walked quietly. A tense silence filled the air as I got lost in thought as well. This was such an uneasy feeling. Then, Percy stopped walking and took out his lyrics journal.

"Annabeth, I'm skipping last period, okay?" Percy said firmly. He had already opened his book and was scribbling down words.

I tried and failed at reading his handwriting.

"Yeah, I'll grab your work for you," I said.

Normally, I would drag his butt to class, but I didn't want to do that now. He seemed distraught, and technically, he was working on music (which as a part of his career was more important than one biology class).

Percy nodded as he walked towards the exit.

Percy still felt the effects of loving someone who doesn't love him back. I've read online that Percy dated over the past few years; one serious relationship of his was with Calypso. An acid feeling sunk into my stomach at the thought of Percy pining over Calypso or any girl for that matter.

It was a strange and horrible feeling. I knew that I shouldn't be feeling it. After all, Percy was only a friend. In fact, our relationship was so complicated and filled with emotions.

Yet, here I was with no clue why I was feeling this way.

***

Travis informed everyone in the group that Connor would be fine. We were all concerned, so Travis relieved us of our worries.

Even so, it was hard to not feel bad.

I sighed as I continued to vacuum the floor. Helen had another dinner party to go to, so she left me with a list of chores out of spite.

Gods, Helen was so frustrating at times.

I had already finished my homework, so that was good news. Also, the boy had already eaten, and they were simply playing games in their bedroom. After vacuuming and cleaning the kitchen and living room, I'd finally be done.

Once I turned off the vacuum, I realized that my phone was ringing.

"Hey, Thalia, what's up?" I asked in exhaustion.

"Hey, Annabeth, I was wondering what you were doing. I'm kinda bored, and I thought that I'd stop by for a while," Thalia said.

"Yeah, I'm just doing my chores. You can come if you want to help me," I answered.

"I think I'm gonna pass, Annie. I'm not exactly one for chores," she paused as I sighed. I didn't expect her to come over. "I'm kidding, Annabeth, I'm already on my way."

I smiled. I loved my best friend. Thalia was always there for me in all circumstances: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

"All right, I'll see you soon."

In a matter of minutes, Thalia was ringing my doorbell multiple times. She literally had no patience.

I chuckled as I opened the door.

"Gods, Thalia, the door was open anyway," I said firmly. Thalia simply laughed as she walked into my home.

Thalia always came by when Helen wasn't home. Helen didn't like Thalia because Thalia always told her off. After all, Thalia was too straightforward and cared too much about me to hold back her opinions of Helen.

"So, what's the step-monster making you do?" Thalia asked.

"I'm just finishing the chores. I have to clean the kitchen and do the dishes, and I'll be done. The boys are in the bedroom," I said.

Thalia grabbed a dishtowel as I continued doing the dishes.

"Anyway, where were you after school today?" I asked.

Thalia took the plate from me and started wiping. "I was with Percy. Leo and I were working with him to record another song. It's actually so good: one of my favorites."

"Really? Was it that good?" I asked.

"The song is spectacular and emotional. It was based on Travis and Connor, and what you guys witnessed today in the hall," Thalia said.

"Hmm. I kinda want to hear it."

"Why don't you ask Percy?" Thalia asked.

"I could, but it doesn't seem right. I mean, these are all Percy's new songs that aren't even released or ready yet. Also, Percy is just-"

I faltered off because I don't know how to finish.

"Things are just very weird, Thalia. I don't know. I thought that we could move on and return to our old friendship, but things are different," I explained.

"Well, yeah, the romantic connection between you two is practically tangible," Thalia said with a smile.

I stopped scrubbing the pot and turned towards Thalia. My eyes widened as I processed what Thalia said.

"What connection? That's absurd," I exclaimed.

"You can deny it all you want, but you guys do have a connection, I had Piepr confirm my suspicions," Thalia said before pausing. "Think about it, Annabeth, you tried to ignore him, but you simply couldn't."

"Thalia, that doesn't have anything to do with-"

"You and Percy easily became close again. Also, don't even get me started on the way he looks at you. You're at least subtle. My cousin definitely is not," Thalia said with a smirk.

I simply stared at Thalia. She was being completely serious, but I couldn't quite grasp everything at once.

I knew what she was suggesting, but that was ridiculous.

"I'm pretty sure you and Piper are wrong, Thals. Percy is a world-famous pop star, who could have any girl he wants. He is not interested in me. Furthermore, we're just friends," I said firmly.

Thalia laughed as we got back to work.

"As I said, you can deny it all you want," Thalia chuckled. "But, that doesn't change Percy's feelings or the connection between you two."

"Also, before Percy started his career, he, err-"

Thalia faltered off as she quickly shook her head. "Nothing," she responded quickly. My eyes narrowed at Thalia. She knew something that I didn't.

She knew the truth about Percy ghosting me years ago.

I sighed as many thoughts raced through my mind. However, I was too exhausted to decode and understand them.

My thoughts and feelings are gonna have to wait.