scales and arpeggios

chapter nine: annabeth

I grab my phone and sneak down the stairs early Saturday morning, leaving Piper, Hazel and Reyna asleep in Piper's room. I walk into the kitchen and see a person with black hair sitting at the island.

"Hi," I say, and Percy whips around to face me.

"You scared me!"

"Boo." I grab a box of CoCo Puffs from the pantry and pour some into a bowl. Percy laughs at me as I grab milk from the fridge.

"What?" I ask, pouring it on top of the cereal.

"You just know where everything is."

"Of course I do." I grab a spoon and sit down next to him.

"How'd you sleep?" he questions.

"I slept better than I've ever slept before," I say sarcastically, "How did you sleep, Percy?"

"I actually slept pretty well." He walks over to the fridge and pulls out a jug of orange juice. "Where are the cups?"

"Ooo I want some orange juice. They're in that cabinet." I point to the cabinet by the sink before taking another bite of cereal. He pulls two cups out of the cabinet and fills them with juice before handing me one. "Thank you, ma'am," I say.

Percy rolls his eyes. "Did you sleep at all?" he asks.

"Of course. If not, I would be very cranky right now."

"You're always cranky."

"Rude." I finish my cereal and juice and put the dishes into the dishwasher before running over to the couch and jumping onto my stomach.

"What's wrong with you?" he asks, sitting down next to me.

"Absolutely nothing is wrong with me. I think something is wrong with you, though."

"Oh yeah, definitely. I'm a mess."

"Hey Perce?" I ask, looking at the shaggy rug in the living room. "What happened yesterday? You kind of shut down."

"My dad happened." I look up at him and see how uncomfortable he looks talking about this.

"Perce, you don't have to tell me." I scoot closer to him and grab one of his hands in both of mine, tracing the outlines of fingers lightly.

"No, no, I shut down, and it's not fair for you not to know why." He steadies his breathing and looks at me.

"My dad left when he found out my mom was pregnant. With me. He and my mom had been dating for a whole year before she got pregnant, and she had loved him. I know she did. And he did. They both did. But my dad's this businessman who can't be bothered with anyone but himself." His voice is angry now, and I can't tell if it's directed towards himself or his dad. "So when my mom found out she was going to have a baby, she was ecstatic. She told him and he just left. And, my mom doesn't blame him. For some reason. She doesn't blame him," His voice was quiet now, as if he could hardly believe it. A tear traces its way down his cheek, but I wipe it away quickly. "But I do. I blame him. I blame him for all of it. For the years my mom suffered through barely having enough to keep us going." He looks at me, his face red, and I lean over and wrap my arms around him. "She used to tell me about his eyes every night. How they were bright like mine, as if nothing could dull them." He pauses for a second, his face buried in my neck, his tears soaking the collar of my shirt.

"I can't stand the fact that I have the same eyes as him. He never came to visit, Annabeth. His name isn't even on my birth certificate. It's blank. I don't want to see him. Ever," his muffled voice is so hurt. I just want to hug him and take all the pain away.

"Percy-" He shakes his head, and I stop talking.

"No, I don't want to talk about it anymore." I nod and run my fingers through his hair, trying to calm his shaky body. His arms are around me, and he seems to be holding on for dear life. Slowly his breathing steadies and he stops crying. I sit up and sit with my legs pulled up to my chest. He stands up and walks back into the kitchen, returning a few seconds later with our glasses of orange juice.

"Thanks," I say, taking the glass from him. He sits next to me, and I shift so that I'm sitting with my legs crossed, one of my knees touching Percy's foot. He turns the TV on to the cooking channel, and he looks so intrigued with someone making cupcakes I giggle.

"What?"

"Nothing, you're just funny."

"Funny looking," Piper says from the top of the stairs.

"Ah, look who's awake," Reyna says.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep with you people, personal space. Anyway, I was waiting for you guys to wake up because I actually have to go. It's almost tournament time, so I have practice all day today." I run up the stairs and throw my stuff into my small duffel bag before walking back down and waving goodbye.

"See you guys on Monday," I say, walking out to my car. I start the engine and drive away, blasting reputation as I go.

;;;;

I knock on the door of Percy's house at 6 p.m. on Monday. It swings open, revealing Percy wearing a sweatshirt and basketball shorts.

"Hi," he says, gesturing for me to come inside. I step inside and glance around the house, which is surprisingly clean considering he has a two-year-old sister.

"Sorry, I know we planned for free period, but I had some things to do."

"It's fine, I have nothing better to do. Have you eaten?"

"Uh, no. Why?" I ask.

"Oh great, I'll be right back." He walks down a hallway, leaving me standing at the kitchen island. A few minutes later, he returns with a toddler in his arms. "Mom said that you should stay for dinner."

"Are you sure? I don't want to be a burden or anything," I ask him as he readjusts his little sister.

"My mom loves to cook, so just roll with it."

"Okay, I can stay."

"Sweet! Let's go to the family room, it's quieter." I follow him into a small room with a couch and coffee table.

"Okay, what do you want to work on first?" I ask, pulling out my books.

"Well it wouldn't make sense to start now, dinner's almost ready," he says, moving my books so I can't reach them.

"If we aren't going to study then what are we going to do?"

"Anything else. I'll go get Estelle, she's fun." He walks out of the room, returning a few minutes later with a giggling toddler. He sets her down and she runs over to me, holding up a stuffed elephant.

"That," Percy starts, pausing for dramatic effect, "is-" he's interrupted by the doorbell ringing. "I'll get it! Can you grab her?" I pick Estelle up and follow Percy to the front door.

"Hello, can I speak to Perseus?" A man says when Percy opens the door. He's wearing khaki pants and a blue button down shirt. His hair is slicked down and he has bright green eyes. Eyes that look similar, almost identical, to Percy's.

"Who- who are you?"

"I'm Poseidon. Now, I don't have much time, so please, I need to speak to Perseus."

"No." Percy closes the door in his face and locks it before turning around and walking back to the family room. I set Estelle down and follow him. I close the door and he looks at me, burying his face in his hands. I gently pull them down and hug him.

"I can't believe he chose now, of all times. I want nothing to do with him."