𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 - 𝐀𝐧 𝐀𝐔

Annabeth

I raised my hand, "Don't apologize, you haven't said or done anything wrong", I reassured. "I just... I don't really know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything, it's alright, I was just asking-"

"My mom is this really amazing architect", I started, effectively shutting Percy up. "She always wanted me to be intellectually stimulated, and independent. She never took 'no' for an answer, and strived for nothing less than perfection."

"She always had a particular way of decorating the Christmas tree, so she never let my dad touch it cause he could never get the hang of it." I chuckled. "She and my dad loved books, and always bought them for each other and for me. She had a strict face, one of those people who scared you with one look. But there was warmth somewhere inside her, something she reserved for me and my dad, and I loved being privy to it. I loved her, and I'm pretty sure she loved us too."

"So, what happened?" Percy inquired, when I'd gone silent for a beat.

I sighed, running a hand over my face. "My dad loved my mom for her personality, her strength and ambition. She had a tendency to prioritize work, cause she loved her job, and at some point, it tore them apart. I don't exactly know when they wedged away from each other, but my mom would stop spending time with us. She'd spend hours at work, come back home anxious and exhausted, and we stopped spending as much time as we used to, and... I don't know, it felt like she didn't care about us as much anymore."

"My dad never confronted her about it, thinking a little space would help her see it by herself. But he could only handle it for so long, and when he finally had enough, they both erupted. He said he wasn't sure what she loved more, and she said he never understood her to begin with. I didn't know what had happened: whether my mom's love was temporary, or whether it was always going to be work over us to begin with. Both hurt, and eventually, she left. I was seven."

"My dad was a mess for some time after, but he never forgot about me. He never asked me to forget my mom either, and I'm grateful for that. I'm positive she didn't want to leave. I guess both of them saw it wasn't working out and let go, not wanting to cause any more trouble. It was efficient, clean, but there wasn't any love anymore. I love my mom, and I love my dad, but it's probably for everyone's sake that they realized their differences and moved on."

I looked at Percy, who had gone quiet and just listened. I smiled, and he did too. "So do you still see your mom?" he asked, opening the microwave once it signaled the popcorn was done.

I shrugged, "Sometimes, during holidays. It's awkward at first, but then we both settle in and talk and just do things together. I do love spending time with her, she is my mom, and she inspires me. I've learned so much from her, but sometimes it just hurts that she doesn't want to stay, even if I know it was for the best."

Percy gave me a warm smile. "I'm sure she's proud of you."

I returned it, "Thanks, Percy." I let my hands fall to my side. "I don't really meet a lot of people who want to hear all of this out."

He emptied the popcorn into a large bowl. "I'm glad you told me", he informed, turning to me. I smiled.

"Your mom is incredible", I said.

He laughed. "Yeah, she's great. I don't know what I'd do without her."

"What happened to your dad?" I asked tentatively.

His smile thinned a little. "Yeah, he's not so great", he chuckled wanly.

"Want to talk about it?"

He shrugged, seating himself at the island and gesturing to me to sit as well. I grabbed the popcorn bowl and sat down, grabbing a kernel and nibbling on it.

He scratched his eyebrow, before tapping his nails on the table. "My mom met my dad just after she graduated. They bonded over a shared love for Greek stories, the beach and road trips. She's always telling me about how he was this great person, confident, outgoing. He was terrible at singing and couldn't cook to save his life."

"Mom said that they were both so excited to see and meet me, and when I was born, they both decided I should be named after the Greek Hero Perseus, whose story he loved the most, and she wanted it too cause she said that no matter what, she wanted me to have a happy ending like he did."

Percy smiled. "I was two when he died of cancer. I barely remember anything of him, except his smile and some things we both did when I was a baby, though half of those are her stories, so I wouldn't rely on my memory. My mom still has the seashells he collected on trips to the beach with all of us. The photographs we have of him holding me as a baby are the only times I get to see us together."

I stared at him, as he continued to tap his nails on the table. His voice while explaining everything was calm and composed, though I saw his eyes turn a little red. I placed my hand on his, as he continued to gaze at the table.

"I do miss him sometimes, but only when I think about it. What does hurt is that I barely knew him. I'll never have a chance to get to know my father, and whatever I do know is based on stories and pictures. I will never know the man he was, how he treated my mom, and I know that if he was here, everything would be a lot better. I wish he was here, gods, sometimes it's all I can think about."

A single tear streamed down Percy's cheek, as he picked at his fingernail. I gripped his hand a little tighter, looking at him. He didn't turn his gaze from the table, but I could see him biting his lip, and his eyes were still very red.

I didn't know what to say; what could I say? I raised my arm, and he finally turned to me. He took my offer for a hug, entering my embrace and wrapping his arm over my shoulder. I felt his head bury on my shoulder, shaking a little. I put my other arm around him, rubbing slow circles into his back.

We remained quiet, save for his occasional heavy breaths and muffled sobs. It wasn't easy to say or do nothing while he silently cried into my shoulder, but I knew that the best thing for him right now was to offer my comfort.

We didn't break the embrace, even as he calmed down, because honestly it was quite nice. His arms felt warm around me, and I didn't really want either of us to move. After a while though, he broke away, putting his arms on the table. His eyes were less red, though there were still tear tracks on his face. He looked fine now though, and he looked at me, chuckling a little. "Sorry about your shirt", he said, and I looked down and laughed a little, waving it off.

"Don't worry about it", I waved it off with a smile. "So, want to watch Uncharted? I didn't see it when it came out."

He gave me a look. "You're a Tom Holland person?"

I shrugged. "I loved him everywhere except Marvel."

"Why, what's wrong with Spiderman?"

"I hate spiders."

He laughed. "Of course, Wise Girl. Come on."

We made our way to the TV, where Percy proceeded to flop on the couch and I laughed, sitting a little carefully holding the popcorn bowl. I love popcorn, no way in hell am I dropping a kernel. Percy played the movie I asked for, and we both settled in a little more comfortably after turning off the lights for a more cinematic effect.

A little way in, "Annabeth?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you."

A smile refused to exit my face.