I'll be here forever

chapter 21

I walked through the curtains, blinking away tears. I felt strange without Percy by my side, without the reassurance of his presence. I didn't like it.

"Okay honey, sit down on over here," the lady gestured to an empty chair, gathering various supplies in her arms. I walked over and sat down softly, melting into the plush chair. I felt awkward and out of place as she bustled around, turning things on and off and grabbing hair products I couldn't hope to pronounce, even if I wasn't dyslexic. The lady draped a smock over me, tying it loosely behind my neck.

"Mkay. Do you want it long- or, well longer, or short?" she asked me, grabbing a magazine and flipping a couple pages. She set it in front of me, and while even attempting to read the words gave me a headache, the pictures were enough for me to get the gist. They were hairstyles for girls with curly hair; long and short, brunette and blonde and black and red.

I just stared at it. I didn't even know that so many options existed.

"Why don't you pick for me?" I decided, handing the magazine back to her. Giving her the decision lifted a huge weight off my shoulders.

The lady pursed her lips, pausing.

"Are you sure? What if you don't like it?" she fretted.

"I'm sure that I'll love whatever you do," I assured her, and she nodded determinedly.

The first thing she did was lead me over to some sort of contraption, where she washed my hair; it felt amazing. Lemon and vanilla filled the air, the scent of the shampoo she rubbed into the roots of my hair. She gave me a washcloth to wipe the dirt off my face as well, which I was grateful for.

After washing it, she led me back to my original chair, letting my wet hair fall into its natural part and then brushing it out, wincing as the more badly burned pieces fell out, coming apart in her hands.

I wasn't really sure what was even going on with my hair, and I couldn't focus on trying to guess, because the lady was really talkative. She asked me all about my life, most of which I made up on the spot.

"How old are ya?"

"I'm, uh- I'm 22."

"How long have you and that boy been together?"

I choked.

"Uh, we're not- he's not-"

"Oh, cut the crap. I saw the way he looked at you," she sighed, the scissors in her hand snipping away at my hair, "I remember being in love like that. It's the best feeling in the world."

My voice died in my throat. I didn't know how to respond. What am I supposed to say, that I actually don't remember who I am and I met him literally 5 days ago? That there's no possible way he could be in love with me, because he doesn't even know who he is?

It was a good thing that she decided then to pick up her hairdryer, humming as she blew hot air on my hair. The heat singed my ears.

The hour flew by, a lot faster than I thought it might, with the hairdresser lady (I didn't know her name, and at this point I felt it might be rude to ask) chattering on with her endless questions. I was glad that I found it easy to come up with fake answers, like making up the names and stories of my parents and when she asked if I had any pets, I invented a stray cat that Percy and I shared the custody of. Her contact stream of conversation in distracted me. Still, he never left the back of my mind, the constant throbbing of worry for him trying to weasel its way up to the front and center.

It took a long time, but then she was finally finished.

She helped me up and led me in front of the large, full-length mirror and displayed me proudly, like I was a painting that that'd been hung up in a museum. My jaw dropped.

It was the first time I'd been able to actually see what I looked like, not in the reflection of my dagger or a glance in the rearview mirrors. Percy had been right; my eyes were grey, and I actually startled myself with the intensity of the look I had. I had been right about my earrings matching Percy's, too. They were silver, like I'd guessed. My clothes looked like I'd just had a fight with a fire-breathing monster. Well, I had.

And my hair... My hair was short. It was really short. Now, not only would it be easier to manage, it'd mostly stay out of the way if I was fighting some Greek monster. It had gone from being about the length of my waist to almost chin-length. My curls had tamed themselves a little bit, looking a bit more curly than frizzy now.

"Oh my gods," I murmured. The lady rubbed her hands together.

"Do you like it?" she asked anxiously.

"I- I love it. So much," I whispered, tearing up. She'd been so kind to me.

I turned and I hugged her. She seemed very caught off guard, but squeezed me tightly for a moment anyways. I pulled back.

"I'm- I'm sorry, um-" I tried to apologize.

"Don't be sorry, dear. I haven't been hugged in a good while, thank you," she smiled warmly, leading me out of the curtains as I blinked away my tears.

(this chapter was based on the drawing of Annabeth (by Viria) that I attached above. It's one of my favorite fan arts of her and I wanted to share it with you :)