Going Viral

Chapter 10

June 19th

"Mom!" Percy was bright pink and very thankful that she couldn't see his face over the phone.

"Well, I think abundantly clear, my love, though she did say you had seaweed for brains."

"Remind me why I rang you again?"

Sally laughs. "Because you need your mama to fix your girl troubles, sweetheart. Give her time if you say that's what she needs, but she cares for you. That much is clear."

"Yeah, yeah, okay." He tried to make himself sound annoyed but the smile in his voice was obvious. "We still on for dinner on Saturday?"

Percy heard the key turn in the lock before Sally spoke again. "Of course, it's all Stella's been talking about." The door clicked shut. "I've got to go, love, but I'll speak to you soon."

"Bye, mom. Thanks for your advice."

"Anytime, Percy. Stay safe. I love you."

"Love you too."

As soon as he put the phone down, Thalia was at his shoulder.

"Advice from the legendary Sally Jackson? What do you need fixing this time?"

He put the guitar strap over his shoulder and stepped away from her, trying to get some space.

"Nothin, Thals."

They were in the studio for the first time since they'd toured. There was no deadline or to-do list of what had to be recorded, but they planned to make a few demos to help get started.

"It's because of that Instagram post, right?" Nico asked, opening a fresh set of drum sticks.

Percy shrugged off the question and strummed a few chords to distract himself.

By that afternoon, they'd managed to record the demos for several new songs. Thalia and Nico had written a few songs themselves but they were all working titles, nothing set in stone. After some convincing, Percy had agreed to let them record 'Daydream', one of the better songs he'd written about Annabeth, on the condition that the demo didn't travel. No one was to hear this besides Annabeth, at least until he worked out what was going on between them.

Chiron arrived when they were packing up to give them the rundown of the next few months. A mock album needed to be ready by the end of July, the singles needed to be released over August, the first being their summer song, and the album would go public in September. Already, Chiron was booking venues for next year's tour and the thought alone made Percy tired and aching for a nap. When he'd finished, he called Percy aside.

"Percy, son," His voice was stern and made Percy feel uneasy. Chiron had been The Halfbloods manager for the entirety of their career since he'd discovered them in 10th grade, he acted as somewhat of a father figure for the three of them seen as their own fathers were never present. "I don't know what the deal is between you and that young lady, what happens behind closed doors is none of my business, but I implore you take things steady. We don't want any bad press about this. Treat her right, as I know you will."

Apparently that was all Chiron had to say. Watching him walk off, Percy noted the strange feeling burning in his chest. His hand curled into a fist. It wasn't Chiron's fault, he was a good guy and it was Percy who had signed himself away for a stupid contract, but the anger that built didn't seem to care who's fault it was. How come Percy needed permission to 'take things steady' with Annabeth? He knows what Chiron was trying to do: warn Percy - you can do what you want, but don't let it come off badly on the band. It was frustrating, but he tried to understand. This wasn't just his career the press had the power to ruin, it was Nico's and Thalia's too. And Annabeth's now that she was tangled up in this mess.

~~~

June 20th

Annabeth's phone had not stopped buzzing. She'd logged out of Instagram to try and get some peace but it had barely made a difference, her phone was still constantly lighting up.

So maybe the impulsive decision to post that photo the other day hadn't been her best idea.

The comments were nothing but positive, several were claiming they knew it all along (Annabeth wasn't sure what 'it' they were referring to) and many noting how cute it was that they were hanging out. The only comment that mattered to her, though, was Percy's. After she'd posted it, he'd sent her a single photo of himself smiling softly with several hearts drawn on around his face.

Since she'd posted, her follower count was tentatively dancing upwards. Presumably, the new followers were in it for the romance — that made the most sense. It stung that they weren't there because of her or her content, but she supposed that's just how it worked.

Filming videos had always been a creative outlet for her, and things were no different now. Her first musical theatre themed video was scheduled to upload at 5pm and she was genuinely excited to find out what her followers thought of it. Annabeth was also debating posting another cover, she had a few recorded but wasn't sure which she preferred.

'You're always your own worst critic.'

The words echoed in her head. They were true, sure, but someone had to be critical. She didn't want to post something and totally embarrass herself. Give her a few days to mull it over and she might consider uploading one.