PERCY JACKSON THE HAMILTON PRODUCTION

19

The next day was Tuesday. I came home to Piper's late, and I left early in the morning.

I wasn't quite sure why, but I wanted some time alone. Looks like my mood from yesterday hadn't changed one bit overnight.

I take a deep breath of fresh air, as I step outside the front door. I had slipped out of the bed unnoticed at an ungodly hour, this morning. I got ready, and ate breakfast in record time, before I was able to escape the walls of housing.

Shouldering my bag, and checking my phone, 7:00am, I smiled. It wasn't a particularly big smile, but it was a somewhat genuine one, which was saying something, considering I had been very down, the last couple hours.

I didn't know exactly where I was walking, but my feet seemed to have a good idea, so I followed them, letting my thoughts wonder.

There was four weeks left until the performance. Well... three weeks and four days, to be exact. I didn't feel my usual nervousness, but instead excitement. So much was happening in school right now, but nothing changed the fact that I still got to do what I loved made it just the more better.

I blinked and realised where exactly I was.

Facing my house- not Piper's, mine. As in, the one where my mother lives.

I turned on my heel and headed in the opposite direction. Why I was standing there, clearly a mystery.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts, making sure that no one had seen me through the house windows.

I was just about out of the town when I heard an all-too-familiar-voice.

"Bye Dad!!!"

My head shot around so fast it gave me whiplash.

As if my suspicions from days ago were answered Drew emerged from the house directly across from mine, waving to someone inside, who I couldn't see, standing where I was.

I gave myself all of three second to register, before I took off down the road reassuring myself at every second that no Drew didn't see me.

I made it to school in record time, it not even being eight yet.

I had an hour to do basically anything I wanted.

As if I had an already existing list in my head, I went through every possibility of available options.

Library- Too bright and studious (Seriously who let people design modern libraries differently from midievil ones???)

Coffee van- Dairy makes my singing voice shit, so that's a no

Music rooms- well, what other option did we have?

I made my way through the school. Not many other students were here yet, and I wasn't surprised, considering we had Soo much more time until it was necessary to be here.

Just as I was passing the arts section, I saw Rachel, a girl in my visual arts class, painting a gorgeous piece inside a classroom.

I mouthed to her through the classroom window It looks so good! While I was pointing at it and giving her the thumbs up.

She rolled her eyes at me, even though she was grinning nonetheless.

I smiled to myself as I entered one of the empty soundproof music rooms. It wasn't hard- nearly all of them were empty.

I shut the door behind me and slipped my phone out of my back jeans pocket, opening Spotify.

I carefully dropped my bag to the floor and scrolled through the soundtrack of the musical.

It was progressing nicely, if I do say so myself. We had nearly all the songs down, and the choreography was all falling into place. Apollo was like a proud father, even though he was c onsiderably pissed off 90% of the time.

Absentmindedly, I clicked on Burn, letting the music fill up the room.

"I saved every letter you wrote to me
From the moment I read them
I knew you were mine
You said you were mine
I thought you were mine."

It was one of my favourite songs on the soundtrack. Beautiful written, and I also didn't have to do much choreography throughout the song. It allowed me to pay full attention to the song itself, and I've grown to love it more and more each time I rehearse. It was the type of song I get lost in, when I perform it, similar to how I felt when I sang In My Life in Les Miserables, though I shared that with Piper.

This time singing Burn was no different, I let the song envelope me, and I sang; letting out all my emotions from Percy all the way to Drew. It felt cleansing and altogether just wonderful.

When the song faded away until silence I was panting lightly. I turned towards my bag, reaching for my water bottle, when I recognised a figure standing in the doorway.

My hand flew to my heart and I swear jumped so high my hair rose from where it rested on my shoulders.

"Shit Percy!" I exclaimed, "Wha.."

"Oh gods Annabeth!" Percy took a step towards me, "I didn't mean to scare you! I just was walking here, y'know how it's always best to get some practicing in? I mean that's what you're doing right now- until I stopped you... I really didn't mean to scare you, I was just- I'm repeating myself, aren't I? Well I was walking past and I saw you, I just thought maybe we could talk, and so I knocked but you didn't hear, so like, I assumed you were singing, because that's what people do in here, so I came in and you sounded really fucking good by the way. And then like, here we are..."
Percy took a deep breath at the end of his long ramble. I held my water bottle in my hands, raising my eyebrows at him.

"Um, but I wasn't like, staring at you in a stalker way or anything," Percy rambles, his voice a semitone higher than usual, "I was just like..." He trails off, "I'm just gonna stop talking now..." Percy scratches the back of his neck, a blush creeping into his cheeks.

I chuckled, breaking the silence, even though I knew my face was burning as well. "Ok then." I responded after what felt like forever.

"So, what are you doing here so early?" Percy asks me, his voice going back to normal.

"Just woke up early. I went for a walk and then came to school. Figured this was better than my other options. You?"

"I had to drop my cousin, Nico, off at some club he's joined... Mytho-magia or something?

"Magic," I corrected, "Mythomagic. Frank is in the same club, Hazel told me."

"Ah, right."

The silence fell like a dampening blanket. It wasn't exactly bad, but it wasn't comfortable either. Some unsettling place inbetween.

"I-I think I should get to practising, y'know?" Percy suggests, pointing his thumb to the door behind him. "I'll leave you to your own stuff, and I'll see you in clas-"

"No you can stay!" I blurted. Heat rose to my cheeks as Percy's hand paused on the doorknob.

"What?"

"I mean, it's always better to practise with a partner, and it's only if you want to, of course." I suddenly became extremely aware at the fact that Percy was the one who suggested he leave. That's like the number one sign for someone who wants to go, right? My eyes found a concerning interest in my shoes. Why on earth did I just-

"I'd love to."

I looked up at him, seeing him smirking at me through his eyelashes. "Really?"

"'Course I would." Percy walks from the door and drops his backpack onto the floor. "What song do you wanna do?"