Chapter 22 - Say Goodbye
published: Monday, 20 April 2020
"To Calypso!" Piper declared, popping open the bottle of fizzy grape juice.
The cork flew into her pool, floating away with the ripples. As Piper poured glasses for everyone, the gang started readying themselves to dive in.
It was Calypso's farewell party early in the evening on Thursday, seeing as she was leaving right after school the next day.
"I'm excited to go back to England," Calypso admitted. "But I'll never forget you guys. If I'm ever in the country—"
"Call us up immediately," Hazel enunciated for emphasis. She was disappointed to have to live with the other girl again, having only her half-brother for company.
As hugs and chatter were exchanged, Annabeth glanced to where Percy was sitting on one of Piper's beach chairs beside Jason.
In one smooth move, Percy tugged his shirt off.
Annabeth unconsciously clenched her hands together till her knuckles turned white.
"Jesus Christ," she muttered under her breath.
Of course, she knew Percy was a swimmer and an athlete, but she'd never really seen him...half-naked.
"You just licked your lips," Leo snickered.
"Shut up," Annabeth said hotly, turning her head away as Percy looked up at her.
Percy was gorgeous. Obviously, somewhere in the back of Annabeth's mind, she'd always known it. But she didn't really register it until now.
He was deliciously tanned and muscular in a lean, lanky way, and Annabeth had to practically swallow down a dreamy sigh.
"Aren't you glad I made you wear your navy blue bikini?" Piper murmured.
Annabeth glared at her, though she slipped her white dress off, tossing it to the side as she walked up to the pool.
Dipping a foot inside tentatively, Annabeth yelped as the cold water lapped up to her ankle.
"How mad would you be—"
The voice so close to her nearly caused her to stumble into the pool, but Percy caught her by the arm.
Annabeth desperately tried to keep herself from blushing. There were a minimal number of items of clothing they were wearing. And he was awfully close.
"—if I pushed you in," Percy finished, shooting her a devilish grin as he released her arm.
Leaping away from the pool, Annabeth glared at him. "Don't even think about it." She had barely finished her sentence before Percy canon-balled into the water, a massive wave dousing her from head to toe.
Annabeth felt herself shivering madly as her mouth fell open indignantly. "You dickhead!"
Percy reached out an arm, feigning innocence. "Help me up?"
She snorted. "Please, that's the oldest trick in the book. You're crazy if you think I'd—" She cut herself off with an abrupt yell as Jason shoved her from behind.
When Annabeth surfaced, spluttering curses and threats, she was drenched again with Percy splashing water over her.
"I'm gonna kill you," she said menacingly, advancing into him, paddling as best as she could without her top falling off.
That would be pretty embarrassing.
+++++
"I'm gonna miss you all so much," Calypso said miserably.
It was the end of the following Friday's lessons, which coincidentally marked the end of Calypso's American adventure.
Annabeth and her friends were gathered under the shelter of the waiting area to avoid the pouring rain. The country had been in a sort of wet season the last week. It had been raining cats and dogs every afternoon.
As Calypso arrived at Annabeth, she gave her a stern look and an order to "text her as often as possible". Annabeth hugged her tightly, feeling sadness tugging at her heart.
She really was going to miss Calypso. They might not have gotten off on the right foot, but Annabeth had grown to enjoy her company.
"Keep me updated," Calypso whispered as she stepped away from the hug. Her gaze flickered to Percy and back to Annabeth meaningfully, giving her a pointed look.
Annabeth rolled her eyes but obliged.
The rest of them shuffled back as Leo, sheltering Calypso and himself under an umbrella, started a slow walk to the bus.
"I feel so bad for them," Hazel murmured. "Imagine not being able to have the one person you want."
Annabeth averted her gaze, feeling Percy's presence like a thorn in her side. Really, the irony of Hazel's words was hilarious.
As Calypso and Leo exchanged their farewells and a heartfelt hug, she climbed onto the bus, waving at them through the window as the vehicle took off.
"We'll see her again," Annabeth comforted Leo, slinging an arm across his shoulders. He visibly dropped with disappointment.
Leo looked at her warily. "How can you be so sure?"
Annabeth shrugged. "Trust me on this. Just a feeling."
Another significant consequence of Calypso's departure was that it marked the beginning of the exams of junior year.
All of Annabeth's teaching and Percy's determination boiled down to these two weeks. Annabeth didn't think she'd ever seen him this stressed in her entire life.
Walking out of exams brought on both relief and panic for the following test, and it wasn't uncommon to find the two of them huddled in a corner, burying their noses in books and firing off rapid facts.
Day 8 found Annabeth at Percy's doorstep, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for him to answer the door.
They were planning to study for the third paper of maths, which was scheduled for the next morning, and the exam with the highest stakes for Percy. It was the subject he found the most difficult, but was extremely important and facilitating for majority of university courses.
The revving of an engine spun Annabeth around as she spotted a Camaro pulling into the driveway. She frowned, not recognising the car.
Her gaze flickered to the man sitting in the driver's seat — middle-aged, balding, unshaven — and promptly froze up.
Gabe Ugliano. Percy's jerk of a stepfather.
The impulsive half of her itched to give him a taste of her right hook. The sensible half told her to stay put and stay calm.
The front door clicked open, Percy and Sally both appearing. Percy was pale, and they communicated in hushed tones.
"You shouldn't have come," Percy whispered guiltily as he stepped onto the welcome mat, his body angled protectively.
"I'll be fine," Annabeth hissed back. "Don't freak out. Just stay calm."
Gabe climbed out of the car and sauntered up to them, his gaze raking over Annabeth from head to toe. She shuffled uncomfortably, every nerve in her body tingling to run.
"Who's this?" he said gruffly, the unruly accent slipping off his tongue like second nature.
Before Percy could answer, Annabeth stepped in front of him, piercing Gabe with a steely glare. "Annabeth Chase, Mr Ugliano. I tutor Percy."
Annabeth could almost feel Percy's fear radiating off of him.
"Well, I'll leave you to it." Gabe smiled, revealing rows of yellowed teeth. "I have a business trip in Atlantic City. Dropped by to pick up my stuff. Sally, did you pack it for me?"
Business trip? Annabeth wanted to snort. My ass.
Percy's mothered stiffened, though she didn't cower. "Not yet, Gabe. I'll get right to it."
Gabe turned his gaze on Annabeth again. "Yes, we wouldn't want to embarrass ourselves in front of our...guest." He gestured to the door. "Please, come in."
Annabeth's blood pounded in her ears with the adrenaline, but she plastered a smile on her face and obliged.
"I'll tell him I need to walk you home," Percy murmured under his breath.
"And risk angering him?" she responded softly. "He seems fine, and he's leaving soon. Wait it out, Percy."
He gave her a wary look.
"Trust me," she whispered, taking a seat on the couch.
Even as they tried to look relaxed, Annabeth was anything but. Her eyes darted to Sally and Gabe, who stood by the fridge and spoke in quiet voices.
She had a feeling that Gabe was unusually calm today for her sake. A calm before the storm, to Percy.
"Annabeth," Gabe barked, making her jolt in her seat. "Want anything? A drink?"
Percy looked ready to leap up and defend her honour, but Annabeth gripped his wrist, urging him to stay down.
She flashed Gabe the pearly whites. "No, thank you."
The five minutes between Gabe arriving and leaving felt like an eternity. Sally rushed around, desperate to get him out of the house before he could do anything to hurt Annabeth.
Yeah, well, she could probably show him a few things.
Only when the Camaro was out of sight did Percy deflate, burying his face in his hands.
"Oh, Annabeth, I'm so sorry about that," Sally rambled apologetically. "My husband can be in a bad mood sometimes because of his work." The blatant lie made Annabeth wince, but since she technically wasn't supposed to know anything, she just smiled and nodded understandingly.
People like Gabe Ugliano deserved to rot in jail.
"So," Annabeth started once Sally was out of earshot. "That's Gabe, huh?"
"I'm so sorry that happened," Percy said, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Hey, it's fine," she reassured him, nudging his shoulder with hers to lighten the mood. "C'mon, I knew what I was getting into. If me being here keeps you and Sally from being hurt, then I'll set up camp in your garden."
That made him crack a smile, although Percy still wasn't convinced.
Since studying was about as interesting as watching paint dry, four hours was all they accomplished before Percy got the TV working.
"You have the oldest collection of movies I've ever seen," Annabeth complained as she shifted through the basket in the TV console table. "'Roman Holiday'? That was Helen's favourite movie when she was a kid. Back in the 1980s!"
"They're classics," Percy protested defensively.
Annabeth stifled a snigger as she flashed one of the cases at him. "'Finding Nemo'?"
"Oh, that's Percy's favourite movie!" Sally exclaimed brightly as she passed through the living room with the laundry hamper.
"Mum!" Percy burned red as he ducked his head to avoid Annabeth's amused gaze.
"Sorry, honey!"
"Okay, so I guess we're watching 'Finding Nemo'," Annabeth declared, inserting the disc. "I haven't watched a DVD in the longest time, but what kind of friend would I be if I didn't indulge you on this?"
"A good one," Percy retorted.
They climbed onto the couch, Annabeth using his jacket as a blanket. She draped it over her exposed legs to conserve warmth.
The opening credits and music appeared on the screen, and Annabeth had to squint when the fish came out. "The resolution is abysmal."
"I don't know what that word means," Percy informed her. "But 'Finding Nemo' is a masterpiece, and you didn't sound very impressed."
"It's a Disney film, Percy," Annabeth emphasised. "The box literally says 'recommended for children'."
"It's a work of art," he insisted obstinately. "Be warned, when they can't find him, it gets emotional."