Fate (PIPABETH FF) ✔️

I Didn't Think

A N N A B E T H

I walked outside with a sigh, feeling the warm rays of the sun pepper my face as I stepped out. I fought the urge to rub at my eyes yet again as I stifled a yawn. I'd barely gotten a wink of sleep last night, considering that my brain had gone into overdrive and filled with thoughts that were not very sleep-inducing. Most of them prompted questions and left me even more confused than I already was.

The thoughts plagued me as I groaned, biting my lip as a distraction. I just hoped that everyone around me got the hint and stayed back, even just for a little bit. The last thing I wanted would be to lash out at any poor unsuspecting individual that only wanted to ask me a question, or something along those lines. I raised a hand to my temple and sighed, exhaling as I felt my head throb in pain.

"Hey, Annie!"

I spotted Piper waving to me and hurrying over and I gulped, suddenly a bit more awake as I sat down at my table. The ache in my head seemed to hum a little louder. Gods, please, not now...

It wasn't that I didn't want to talk to Piper. It was just that it would be a little awkward, considering that most of my sleepiness came from her. Or, at least, the thought of her. It was a little disorienting, how much her name had circled in my head. Just Piper, Piper, Piper, repeating endlessly like some sort of cursed mantra. It was a bit too much for me, and had led to me thinking about the plan once again. I couldn't help but worry– most of the possible outcomes that I could think of all ended with both Piper and me drifting slowly but surely due to sheer awkwardness.

At this point, the best outcome would be if both of us just acted like nothing happened and returned to how things were. Except with exes. Who happened to be dating each other.

"Hey. Earth to Annabeth...?" It took some time for me to snap back into reality, and I noticed her snapping her fingers in my face. I blinked before offense began to fill my senses. "Did you just snap at my face...?" I muttered quietly, brows scrunching in disapproval. "I'll ignore that for now. What do you want?" My tone was sharp.

"Woah, who poured perfume in your cereal?" she asked, taking a cautious step back. Although she moved away, a hint of a smirk was painted on her lips.

"Please. Not now, Piper," I pleaded, already suppressing an irritated groan. The chatter of campers coupled with Piper's gaze and the unbearable throbbing of my head made me want to drop dead right then and there.

The other girl seemed to notice, and her face shifted into one of concern. "Oh. Sorry."

I sighed. "Just please tone it down a bit. I'm tired, Piper."

"You're... tired?" she asked disbelievingly. "Yes. It's natural for everyone to get tired once in a while, Piper, it's common sense." My voice was void of any emotion, and the other girl seemed to deflate. "I already apologized, Annabeth. If you want some alone time you could just say so, you know."

I couldn't help but feel a little bit regretful at my sharp words. I picked up my iPod (that I had smuggled from one of my adventures), and slowly turned up the calming music, exhaling as I did so. It was effective enough to shut out the chatter of the outside world, and though it didn't help the headache much, it seemed to help by acting as a type of "barrier" from sensory overload.

At this, Piper seemed to huff before standing up and wordlessly heading back to her own table.

I felt a strange prickling at my side and turned to see Malcolm looking at me strangely. Giving him a curt nod, I turned back around and poked at my food.

I sighed and finished my food, not forgetting to leave an offering at the smoldering bonfire first. After, I stood up and walked to the fields. In the distance, I saw Zeus's Fist. For a moment, I was transported to another time in the past.