Falling for You (A Percabeth AU)

Chapter Five

Annabeth's POV

I trudge through Central Park to get back to my apartment after school.  I've decided to walk to and from school today instead of taking the subway.  Might as well go outside while I still can, right?  Winter's going to be here soon enough, and I'd much rather be out here than in one of those overcrowded subway cars.  I guess it also helps that the park is one of my favorite places to go in Manhatten regardless of whether I'm just strolling through or not.  I've always found it calming, which might sound surprising since thousands of people come and go each day.  But it's pretty much the only sizable part of New York that's not completely modernized, the only remnant of nature, really.  And it is huge.  Even though I'm only crossing it the short way, it's a good mile-long walk.  

I glance around at one of the many playgrounds littering the park, where parents supervise their children climbing on a huge rock wall.  Little girls and boys scurry up the sides of the mass, with their parents looking on and chuckling from below them.  I'm not proud of it, but I've always envied families like these.  Families that love each other.

Families I've never had.

I push that depressing thought away and continue to make my way across the park.  Being New York City on a Monday afternoon, the place was bustling.  That's the one thing I enjoy about living in Manhatten now: the energy was unmatched.  Sure, pretty much everywhere in New York was constantly crowded.  I mean, the least populated area I've ever lived in is Brooklyn, for God's sake.  But Manhatten's just different.  Purer, I guess.

I'm whipped away from my train of thought by a buzzing in my pocket.  I grab my phone and glance down at its now lit-up screen.  A friend request on Snapchat.  Huh.  I never really use the app anymore, but nevertheless, I open my phone.  Some kid named Jason Grace.  I'm pretty sure he was in some of my classes, so I accept.  What the hell.  I stuff my phone back into my pocket just as I approach the far end of the park.

After a couple more blocks, I finally reach my building.  With a smile and quick "Hello" to the doorman, I enter the elevator and click the button labeled 6.  I rise up, up, up and with a ding!, the elevator stops at my floor, and I begrudgingly exit.  I stroll down the hall and stop at my door.  Hesitantly, I remove my key from my backpack and open the door.  I can hear Helen screaming from the living room before I even step inside. 

"ANNABETH, MAKE YOUR BROTHERS A SNACK!"

"Just a minute, I need to-"

"NOW, YOU LITTLE BRAT!"

I sigh.  Bobby and Micheal sprint into the kitchen before I can think.

"Annabeth, we want our snacks!  Hurry up!" says Bobby.  I drop my backpack by the door and walk over to the kitchen counter.  I pour some goldfish into a couple of bowls and slide them across the table for inspection by the twins.

"Annabeth, we don't like this kind of goldfish.  The white cheddar ones are gross," complains Matthew.

"Yeah, they're yucky.  Yucky, yucky, YUCKY!"  Bobby's scream echoes through the house.

"Okay, okay, fine," I say, snatching back the bowls.  I give them some pretzel sticks instead, which they seem satisfied with, before turning on a TV program for them.  Finally, I grab my backpack and going upstairs to my room.  

A lot of people might think my family's rich for having a two-level apartment, but honestly, it's pretty crappy.  Looking around my bedroom, the wallpaper is peeling off in places, and the floorboards creak with each step I take.  

I toss my backpack onto my desk chair and collapse onto my bed.

It's already been a long day, and it's barely three in the afternoon.  I glance around my bedroom. Same old, same old.  

The bed I lay on is pressed up against the far side of my room, with a window overlooking a cheery-looking neighborhood in east Manhatten.  

At the foot of my bed is a closet, with a couple of different outfits in it.  Mostly just the same old leggings, t-shirts and hoodies.  I don't really care about clothes.  Just something else on which to spend the money I don't have.

The only other thing on the wall in front of me is the door to my room.  Directly to my right lies my nightstand, which is bare except my alarm clock and a few random items- keys, reading glasses, et cetera.  On the far wall, right behind it, is my desk.  It's pretty basic, just a plain white table with a desk lamp and a stack of books laying on top, an old Chromebook that's at least five years outdated, with some miscellaneous papers and pencils scattered around the remaining surface.  I've never been one to keep things neat per se, but it doesn't bother me, although the mess does seem to annoy Helen. I guess it's a win-win.

A white folding chair sits next to my desk, and a small framed picture of me and some of my old friends hangs above it all.  The photo always makes me smile.  It was taken at one of my birthday parties a long time ago, back when my father cared enough to take notice of what was going on in my life.  The picture is one of those crappy ride photos from amusement parks.  It shows my friends and me, screaming and laughing at the same time as we go down what I remember to be the scariest part of the ride.  That bit was always my favorite, no matter what ride I was on.  And although my friends usually needed a little convincing to take on the scarier rides with me, I was always able to win them over in the end, and boy did we have fun.  The memory makes me sad.  I miss the good old days.  No crazy stepmoms.  No annoying boys or new schools.  No bratty "brothers", if you could even call them that.  It was a simpler time.

As for the present, though, I'm exhausted both physically and mentally.  Thank the gods no teacher was cruel enough to give out homework on the first day.  I decide I'll take a nap.  Knowing Helen and the boys, that would last about five minutes, but I close my eyes anyway.  For some reason, my last conscious thought is of one of the boys from school.  The final thing I see is a wisp of black hair and green eyes before I'm out like a light.

A/N: Hey guys!  I'm pretty happy with this chapter, even though it's short & sweet like the others. It was a nice surprise to see I've been getting some reads, so thank you for that!  It really does mean a lot.  So, as per usual, leave a vote if you want, and I'll see you in the next one.  Peace for now.  

-L (Author)

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rick Riordan, and I do not make any ownership claims over any person mentioned.