Chapter 30 - A "Safe", "Calm" College Frat Party
published: Monday, 11 February 2019
"So..." Hazel paused. "What exactly is this party?"
Percy shrugged as they cruised down the road in his new second-hand car — a birthday present from his mum and Paul. "It's a college fraternity party. My friend — Ken, who's a Psychology major — invited me last week and said I should bring some of my friends."
"But what are they celebrating?" Hazel asked, puzzled. "Is it his birthday?"
Piper laughed and shook her head. She ruffled Hazel's hair affectionately. "You're too good for this world, Hazel."
"He said it's a small thing," Percy assured his friends. "Just close friends."
"Are we almost there?" Leo whined.
"Pulling up," Percy promised.
Sure enough, as the car slowed down, an enormous building came into view.
Percy stopped his car with raised eyebrows, staring at the fraternity house in astonishment.
Flashing lights shone in all directions, leaving Percy blinking black spots away. Pulsing music dominated the area, deafening even from the car.
A whole crowd of people milled about the front yard, noisy chatter drifting around.
"How many close friends does Ken have?" Leo asked sarcastically.
Percy frowned. "The GPS says this is the house."
Jason squinted. "It doesn't look very quiet."
Percy sighed as he parked the car by the roadside and turned the engine off. "Yeah, let's see what's going on."
After they helped each other out of the car and Percy handed the keys to Jason — the designated driver for the night — they started towards the house.
"What time is Annabeth meeting us here?" Piper shouted over the music.
"Soon," Percy yelled back.
The second he stepped onto the front lawn, someone crashed right into him, laughing giddily.
"Sorry, dude," the boy said in a wobbly tone, a red cup clutched in his right hand with liquid sloshing around inside.
Frank wrinkled his nose as the boy staggered away to his sniggering friends. "Is that beer?"
Percy sighed. "I'm gonna kill Ken."
"Percy!" a loud voice hollered. "My dude!"
Percy blushed as Jason raised his eyebrows.
A boy a few years older than them with dirty blonde hair stumbled up to them with a dreamy grin on his face.
"Hey, Ken," Percy greeted cautiously, eyes flickering to the bottle of beer in his hand. "I thought you said it was...quiet."
"It is!" Ken exclaimed giddily.
Percy blinked as the stench of the alcohol in his breath hit him. He glanced around. "But Ken, most of the people here aren't even 21."
"Oh, lighten up," Ken complained. "It's a party, Percy!" He walked away to greet other guests.
Percy turned to his friends and shrugged. "Should we go inside?"
The party scene inside the house was so much worse than outside. Everyone dancing, jumping and screaming lyrics to the song at the top of their voices.
Hazel winced as someone almost crashed into her.
Percy turned around. "Hazel, you're 15. You sur roy don't want to go back? You can stay at our apartment."
Hazel shook her head. "No, I want to see what this is like. I'll just steer clear of all the alcohol."
"I'll stick with you," Frank assured her.
"There's fruit punch over there," Hazel said as she tip-toed. She grabbed Frank's hand and started walking towards the non-alcoholic drinks.
"Hey..." Leo cheered, dragging out the 'y'. He had three cups of beer in his hands and handed one each to Percy and Piper. "Sorry, Jason," Leo apologised. "You're the driver."
Jason raised his hands in surrender. "I'm really fine."
Percy frowned as he peered into the cup. "This is beer, Leo."
"Oh, come on," Leo complained. "We're 18 and you're 19. We're legal in literally every other country."
Piper looked like she was ready to down her beer. "I mean, I speak French. And in France, Ove technically been legal for 2 years, so..." She tilted her head back and swallowed a mouthful of it. Her face instantly wrinkled up. "Oh, it's bitter. And it burns."
Percy took a tentative sip and saw what she meant. But there was something good about the way it burnt his throat. Percy took a another gulp of the beer.
After a few cups, Piper and Leo were pretty tipsy.
"I love this song!" Leo squealed as he grabbed Piper and headed to the dance floor, refilling his beer on the way.
"I should make sure they don't do anything stupid," Jason sighed. "Anything more, at least." He glanced at Percy. "You coming?"
Percy shook his head. "I'll look out for Annabeth. She should be here by now."
Jason clapped him on the back and they split up.
Percy walked onto the dance floor, trying to see if any familiar heads of blonde curls could be seen.
He felt sharp nails dig into his arm, and Percy glanced down to see manicured nails circling round his bicep.
Without warning, Percy was yanked into the midst of some very drunk, dancing girls.
"Hey," one of the girls said flirtatiously.
The guy dancing next to her gave Percy a wink. Percy assumed he was gay.
Percy ran a hand through his air awkwardly.
"Uh, I have a—"
"Dance with us," one of the other girls insisted, grabbing his hands and twirling herself around.
Percy stepped away, but he merely crashed into another girl behind him. It was like he'd been ambushed by a pack of empousa.
"I won't remember any of this in the morning," another girl giggled. She took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. "But you keep this." She stuffed it into Percy's shirt pocket and kissed him on the cheek.
Percy withdrew in discomfort. "Uh, I don't think—"
Another girl interrupted him with a squeal. "Yes!" She also slid a piece of paper into his pocket, and soon, Percy's shirt pocket was bulging with their numbers.
He backed away slowly, stuffing the numbers in his pocket. "Right, okay. See you another time—bye!" He stumbled backwards and thankfully, out of sight.
<<< >>>
"Need some help, sweetheart?" a seductive voice whispered in Annabeth's ear.
She elbowed him in the gut and continued forward, trying to look for her friends.
Annabeth was tall, but the people at this party were taller. She could hardly see anything over their heads and raised arms.
The music was giving her an intense headache, and the smell of alcohol made her feel nauseous.
Annabeth groaned inwardly in frustration. Where could they be?
It wasn't like she could call Percy. Not only might it attract monsters, but it wasn't like he would hear it over the party.
Annabeth came to a halt as a boy around her age suddenly stepped in front of her.
"Want to play with us?" he asked in a friendly-enough tone.
Annabeth glanced behind to see two other boys standing at the beer pong table, a whole crowd of people surrounding them.
Annabeth shook his hand warily. He didn't seem too drunk. Yet.
She glanced around one more time. Her friends weren't anyway to be seen, and she hadn't really fixed any specific times with them.
"Why not?" she shrugged.
The boy led her over to the table and gestured her over to one side.
"Are you my partner?" Annabeth asked.
He nodded. "I'm Josh."
Annabeth snorted. "Oh, no. I don't plan on losing tonight. I'll play all three of you. Alone."
A resounding "ooh" crossed the people watching.
The three boys laughed.
"Confident," Josh remarked. "But, okay. Hopefully you can hold your alcohol well."
Annabeth took her place at the end of the table. "I won't need to."
The second boy gestured to her. "Ladies first."
Grabbing the ping pong ball, Annabeth eyed the other team's cups. She aimed carefully before tossing the ball, and it landed straight into the third cup of the second row.
The three boys groaned, and the second boy rapidly chugged the cup of beer.
He wrinkled his nose after he was done and picked up the ball.
Annabeth smirked. He was tipsy, nearly drunk. She was completely sober. There was no way he could make this shot.
Sure enough, he missed completely, staggering around dizzily. Josh had to hold on to him.
"Next time, next time," the boy told Annabeth.
She laughed. "Sure."
As the game continued, Annabeth learned that the names of the other two boys were Ned and Ollie. Ned was a Theology major, and Ollie majored in Mathematics.
"So, Annabeth," Josh asked. "Are you a new student?"
Annabeth tossed the ball, and it landed in another cup. "No, I'm an Architecture major at Harvard."
"Harvard?" they echoed in astonishment, so simultaneously it was almost comical.
Annabeth winked at them.
"Why'd you come all the way down from Massachusetts?" Ollie asked curiously.
"My boyfriend studies here," Annabeth explained.
"Really?" Ned said in surprise. "Maybe we know him."
"His name's Percy Jackson," Annabeth said.
Josh's eyebrows shot skyward. "Percy Jackson?"
Annabeth nodded, observing their reactions.
"You guys would have really hot babies," Ned told her, making her laugh.
"Thanks?" Annabeth chuckled.
"He's a Biology major, isn't he?" Josh said. He tossed the ping pong ball, and it missed the first cup by an inch.
Annabeth nodded. "I've actually been looking for him. But I can't find him."
Ned shrugged. "You might want to keep an eye on him. There are a lot of drunk people here."
Annabeth frowned. "Yeah, Percy can be pretty stupid at times. Not in a stupid stupid way, but more oblivious," she added. "But he's loyal."
Ollie nodded. "Oh yeah, people ask him out all the time in school. He always says he has a girlfriend though."
"Good," Annabeth laughed. She tossed her ball, but it missed the last cup by a little bit. She groaned. "So close!" She only had three cups left before she won.
Ollie tossed the ball, and to her surprise, it landed in one of her cups
The boys cheered wildly, yelling and shrieking loudly.
Annabeth couldn't help laughing as she picked up the cup and took a sip. "Gross," she said in disgust. "It's not even worth breaking the law."
"You're underage?" Josh said, his eyes widened. "I thought all Harvard students were stocks in the mud."
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Just because we don't enjoy getting absolutely smashed doesn't mean we can't have fun." Though she had to admit this was pretty fun. At Harvard, there were never any house parties, or parties in general. She didn't need alcohol, just some fun nights.
The game ended with Josh, Ned and Ollie being pretty drunken, and Annabeth was a little tipsy from the two cups she had drunk.
She hugged each of them and waved goodbye as she left. Her throat was parched from all the beer, so she headed over to the concession stand and grabbed a cup of non-alcoholic fruit punch.
Annabeth took a sip and set her drink down on the couch. She was feeling slightly dizzy, but she was itching to head onto the dance floor.
Annabeth joined the throngs of people dancing in every direction, shrieking and screaming.
There were some girls who welcomed her into their group, and she danced with them for a bit. But then some guy pressed up against her, and Annabeth decided that it was enough after that.
She grabbed her fruit punch off the couch and took a swig, sighing as it quenched her thirst. Annabeth was sure she wasn't a pretty sight. Her cheeks were flushed from the heat, and her shorts were stained with drops of beer from the beer pong, and Annabeth wished she hadn't worn her favourite blouse.
But it was nearing midnight, and she sill hadn't found her friends.
Annabeth shook her head frustratedly. She must've had more to drink than she thought, because the world was starting to spin around her. She desperately blinked the blurriness away.
She felt the couch sink in as someone sat next to her. It was a boy, probably a few years older than her, with green eyes and a charming smile.
Annabeth tried to give him a friendly smile, but her eyelids nearly drooped close. She shook herself awake again and gave the boy a weak smile.
Annabeth closed her eyes and gritted her teeth against the sudden vertigo that overtook her.
Someone clasped her hand in theirs.
She opened her eyes giddily to see the boy looking at her in concern.
"Are you okay?" he asked, reading her face.
"Yeah," Annabeth panted. "Just..." She winced. "Need some fresh air."
She felt herself being helped up by him, and his arm circled around her waist to support her. Annabeth stumbled forward as she was led in another direction.
Her head was rapidly whirling, sending her into a flurry of confusion.
Annabeth was vaguely aware of the stairs they were going up, as her eyelids fluttered open and close.
"Almost there," she heard the boy whisper.
Annabeth reached out to grab the staircase bannister, but he pried her fingers of of it and swept her off her feet, carrying her in his arms.
Annabeth wanted to protest or ask what was going on, but she felt her tongue go fuzzy. Her hand fell to her sides weakly, and a state of sleepiness washed over her mind.
It was a few seconds before Annabeth heard the creak of a door in the back of her mind, and she felt the softness of a mattress pressing against her back.
Something was terribly wrong.
Annabeth tried to roll over as she sagged to one side. "What's...what..."
She heard the slamming of a door, and her eyes opened fragilely to see the boy who had helped her up towering over her as he unbuckled his belt.
Horror washed over Annabeth as she realised what was going on. Somewhere in the back o her mind, Annabeth realised that there must've been something in her drink.
Annabeth breathed heavily as she cried, "Help!" The energy is took just to call out nearly made her pass out.
"Shut up," came a growl, and Annabeth felt the growing panic inside of her explode into terror.
"No," she cried desperately. "Please!"
Annabeth slipped her hand into her pockets and fumbled for the ambrosia she always kept on her.
The boy was pulling off his shirt, not paying any attention to her.
Annabeth feebly slipped the ambrosia into her mouth, and she muttered up enough energy to chew and swallow it.
Almost immediately, the exhaustion weighing her her mind seemed to lighten.
But it was too late.
Strong hands pressed down on her wrists, restraining her from moving.
Annabeth struggled frantically. "Help!" she screamed. "Help!"
The boy muffled her screams with his hand, and glared at her. "Stay still, and this'll be easier for the both of us."
Annabeth thrashed wildly, kicking her legs and screaming as loudly as she could against his hand. Her strength was slowly returning.
One of his hands crept under her shirt, reaching for the back of her bra. He kneeled over her, his knees straddling her waist, as he unhooked her bra and ran his cold fingers over her skin, making her shiver in fear.
Annabeth head was spinning again. Not from the drug, but from terror.
With a last spurt of strength, Annabeth forced herself to focus and brought her knee up. She felt him crumple as her knee hit his groin, and he collapsed on top of her with a groan.
Annabeth shoved him off of her and leaped off the bed, her heart racing rapidly and pounding against her ribcage.
She stumbled towards the door, slightly dizzy from the rush of blood and the effects of whatever drug he had put in her drink.
Annabeth staggered out the door and slammed it behind her, tears running down her face as her breath came out in short, shuddering pants.
She didn't have enough ambrosia to combat all the effects of the drug, but it had been enough to escape.
Annabeth pressed a hand to her forehead as she slid to the floor, wrapping her arms around her legs as sobs tore from her lips. She wasn't exactly sure when she started crying, but now she gasped for breath as the tears blurred her vision.
"Annabeth?" a familiar voice asked.
Annabeth felt someone kneel in front of her, and she lashed out in blind fear, throwing out punches and kicking forcefully.
"Annabeth!" the person yelped. "It's me! It's me!"
She opened her eyes, the grey shining with fear. Percy was kneeling in front of her, holding her hands and staring at her in concern.
"P-Percy," Annabeth cried, grasping his hands. "I-He—"
Percy shushed her comfortingly, sliding a hand under her legs as he picked her up like she was as light as a feather.
He carried her into the next room and set her down on the bed.
Percy sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her. "I couldn't find you—what happened?" His eyes were filled with concern.
Annabeth explained as best she could between gasps and wracking cries. Her skin still felt like it was on fire, and she felt sick to the bone.
She watched as Percy's expression slowly turned murderous, and his sea-green eyes flashed with rage.
Percy made to stand up. "That son of a—"
Annabeth pulled him back down. "Don't," she pleaded. "It won't help anything."
Percy engulfed her in a hug, closing his eyes as he tried to process what she had just told him.
"No," he whispered. "I should've been there."
"I-It's okay," Annabeth said shakily. "I've already made sure he won't be having children anytime soon."
Percy let out a weak laugh.
Annabeth swallowed. "He didn't get to anything—anything serious. But I just kept seeing flashbacks of..." She clenched her eyes shut as another tear rolled down her cheek.
Annabeth hated crying. She furiously wiped her tears away.
Percy hugged her. "I'm sorry," he whispered desperately.
Annabeth closed her eyes. She leaned against him, her heart starting to slow down now she was with him. She always felt safe in his arms.
<<< >>>
It was 1 o'clock in the morning when the seven demigods met up again by the car.
Percy and Annabeth were the first there. She had fallen asleep leaning against him.
Jason came stumbling up to the car, his right arm around Piper, and left arm around Leo. He was practically carrying both of them.
"They took a few shots," Jason explained. "Then proceeded to play beer pong. While drunk."
He shoved them into the backseat, and glanced down at Annabeth in surprise. Red tear streaks marked her face as she slept in Percy's arms.
"What happened?" Jason frowned.
Percy's eyes were dark. "She got roofied."
Jason gritted his teeth. "What?" He glanced back at the house.
"She already beat him up," Percy assured him.
Jason growled. "That bastard." He brushed Annabeth's agir away from her face in concern. "Is she okay?"
Percy chewed on his lip. "I guess. She said he didn't manage to do anything much, but after the last time..." He trailed off.
Jason nodded in understanding. "She can sleep at our place." He jerked his head in Piper's direction. "She definitely will."
Frank and Hazel were last, talking and laughing quietly to one another.
"Did you guys drink?" Jason asked as Frank climbed into the front seat.
Hazel shook her head. "I didn't have any alcohol." She sat next to Annabeth.
"Good, you need your brain to be working properly," Jason said.
"I had a tequila shot," Frank told the others. "A bit tipsy, but not drunk."
Jason drove them all back to the boys' apartment, where they had a massive sleepover in the living room.
Piper and Leo fell asleep with Jason wedged between them, and Hazel and Frank curled up together on the carpet, using Frank's blanket and pillows for a makeshift bed.
Percy and Annabeth lay together on the couch, cuddled up together.
Annabeth felt something in his pocket. "What's this?" She drew out the crumbled wad of paper.
Percy laughed. "Nothing." He tossed the ball of paper into the kitchen trash can, watching as all he numbers he had been given disappeared into the bin.
"I'm bringing my knife to the bet party," Annabeth murmured sleepily.
"We don't have to go ever again," Percy promised.
Annabeth shook her head. "No, it was fun up to then. I played beer pong, and I made friends."
Percy kissed her cheek. "Yeah?"
Annabeth nodded as she snuggled into him, her eyes fluttering close.
"I love you," he whispered as she fell asleep.
Percy tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and closed his eyes, ready to finish the eventual night.