Going Viral

Chapter 35

January 11th

Everyone was crying.

Okay, maybe not everyone was crying. It was easy to presume everyone was when his own eyes were swimming in tears. And Percy doesn't cry at just anything.

(That might also be a lie... he cried at Finding Dory every time they watched the movie. Sue him.)

In any case, Piper and his mom were on either side of him dabbing at their faces with tissues and someone on the row behind was definitely ugly sobbing. Even when things had gotten bad in Act Two and he'd watched a fake-pregnant Annabeth fall to her knees as her hopes of a better life were ripped from her grasp, Percy was determined to blink the tears out of eyes and pretend he wasn't touched by the show. Despite the inkling of jealousy he felt when the handsome, blonde doctor kissed Annabeth (he knew it was part of the job, but really would any sane boyfriend feel okay during that?) he was quite proud of his ability to remain unbothered right up until the very end, though his lip had started quivering during She Used To Be Mine. He'd lost whatever part of him was holding back the flood of tears when the young girl playing Lulu ran across the stage to bow with Annabeth, curly blonde pigtails swinging by her ears. It was only a few tears, nothing that could damage his rock star image, though he would still prefer no one to catch him in the act.

He whooped and hollered as Annabeth blew a kiss to the audience. Even from where he sits, he can swear her cheeks are wet with tears.

So, yes, everyone was crying. Everyone there that mattered to him.

The auditorium cleared out and Piper darts up to the lighting box to find Nyssa. Percy's mom clung to his arm as they're guided down some back corridors and down some stairs that lead backstage. As they turned a corner, Percy paused.

"We're down two." He frowned, noticing the absence of Jason and Thalia.

"Oh, they headed out." Piper spots his confused faced. "They had some stuff to do, I think." Before he can question it, Piper's expression changes and he catches a hint. Don't ask.

As the final door swung open Percy hears a large crowd cheering. Nyssa points them to the stage and he smiles when he spots her.

Annabeth is stood in the centre of the stage, the young blonde girl on her hip. The girls that Percy recognised as Dawn and Becky were hovering around her, periodically hugging her and snapping photos. Amidst the fuss, Annabeth spotted him stood off to one side and her face split into a grin.

"Hey," She greeted, walking over. "This is Ella." Ella smiles shyly and tucks her head onto Annabeth's shoulder, face partially covered by her hair. Up close, Ella looks like she might actually be related to Annabeth. He realises that it was done on purpose so that she could pass as her daughter, but it was still jarring to see them together. The part of him that has set his sights on forever with Annabeth doesn't fail to notice the green of Ella's eyes and the familiar slope of the bridge of her nose that he saw every time he looked in the mirror. Give it a few years and Percy imagined that Ella is exactly what their child would look like. (The thought is simultaneously thrilling and terrifying.)

Her eyes go to Piper, who is frantically typing on her phone. "Piper, can you just take a photo of Ella and I?" The two blondes pose for the camera and then Ella hurried off with her chaperone and disappeared backstage.

Annabeth softened, shoulders relaxing. "I need to be quick, Harley's going to want my headset."

He stands for a moment, just taking her in. He recognises the gleam of sweat on forehead and there's definitely some extra color in her cheeks, but she's happy and she's practically glowing with pride.

After a moment, she rushes into his arms and his arms circle her waist. He presses a kiss to her hair before remembering that she's wearing a wig and the false hair feels warm from the stage lights as it scratches his lips.

"How're you feeling?" He asked, wiping a stray tear from her cheek.

A determined look in her eyes, she holds his gaze and bites her lip. "Shattered. But amazing."

The laugh that escapes his lips brings a twinkle to her eye. "Well, I'm glad to hear that. You'll have to do it all over again tomorrow." There's a shutter sound and Percy spots his mom holding her phone up in their direction, she winked at him and pocketed it.

Piper congratulates her, as does Sally, and then she's dashes around the theatre delivering her wig, mic and costume to the relevant locations. When she emerges again she's in her Ravenclaw hoodie and a pair of black leggings, bag thrown over one shoulder and ready to go. In a single look he knows she's exhausted so he takes her bag and her hand, presses a kiss to her temple and guides her out a side exit towards a cab. Sally says her goodbyes and gets a car herself, though she makes yet another fuss off Annabeth before she leaves and gets rather teary all over again.

The three of them, Piper, Annabeth and Percy all pile into the cab and head to their apartment. When he asks about Jason and Thalia he's met with a blank look from both of the girls so he sends a quick text to his cousin.

percyjackson18 you dashed off pretty quick, is everything ok?

He glanced at her profile and spotted that she hadn't been active for a few hours so he slipped his phone back into his pocket with the intention of checking in on her again later. For now though, he would focus on getting his girlfriend home safe and resting.

His heart swelled when she wriggled in her sleep and gripped his shirt tightly in a fist, eyes squeezed shut and lips parted. Percy could certainly get used to life being like this for a while, Annabeth living out her dream and him doing nothing but watching her and holding her as she slept. It sounded perfect.