Going Viral

Chapter 45

March 7th

Her head is spinning.

Truthfully, Annabeth hadn't even considered the fact that her mother was still alive. She didn't think Athena was dead as such, but more or less that when she had abandoned her daughter with an unprepared college graduate who had nothing to his name but common sense and an American and Military History degree, she kind of ceased to exist. As far as Annabeth was concerned, she wasn't worth the waste of energy it would take to worry about her whereabouts.

That's why, when her thoughts have cleared, she doesn't even mention the situation at hand.

While she was dazed, Percy had led her to a grassy clearing between two grand looking buildings. There's a patch of pink flowers a few feet away from where she's sat that she focuses on, avoiding Percy's concerned glances.

Annabeth makes a split-second decision: she could sit here and dwell on the bombshell the kid at the corner store dropped on her (why on earth this random kid knew about her mother, she wasn't sure), or she could spend the day with her boyfriend on their only mutual day off. She knew instantaneously which she would prefer. Her mother had left Annabeth to wonder about her for twenty-two years, the least she could do in return is put off worrying for twenty-four hours.

"So," Percy looks up when she speaks, his lips parted and brow drawn together in concern. "This fancy museum, what's it for?"

He looks as though he's going to bring the conversation back round to Athena but decides better of it at the last minute. "I'm not entirely sure. Art, I think. We can go in if you want? I thought you'd at least like to see the building."

The design is interesting to say the least. Annabeth isn't quite sure what to make of the cylindrical entrance that sits between three wings of buildings. It looks a little choppy, what with the balcony that protrudes from one half and the zigzag roofing to one side likely housing solar panels. If she were the architect, she would've used a different material to replace the white panelled walls to make it seem a little less industrial. It wasn't a bad design by any means, but wasn't quite to her taste.

Percy, bless him, was watching her with glittering eyes and waiting for her reaction. He'd clearly put some thought into his plans, even despite having next to no warning that she was visiting. The hopeful sparkle that reflected the sun when she met his eyes made her appreciative of his attempt. It didn't matter that the building wasn't up to her nitpicking standards, he'd brought her here because he knew she liked to admire all the fancy buildings. He'd tried to find something she would enjoy. Her heart flip-flopped in her chest.

"It's beautiful, Percy, thank you."

Their morning consists of what Annabeth presumed you might find in a cheesy rom-com movie. They sit, feet tangled together on the grass, throwing food into one another's mouths with minimal precision and an infectious laugh. Maybe it was just a trick of the light but it looked as though Percy's teeth twinkled whenever he smiled wide like what happens to the dreamy male lead in any Disney Channel Original Movie. They hurl candy at each other and giggle like teenagers when it smacks them in the face rather than landing in their mouths; she wipes cupcake frosting onto his nose when he tries to steal a bite and he sprays her with his water bottle when she attempts to lick it off of his face. Before she can comprehend how long they'd spent chatting, the daylight starts to dwindle and the sun lowers itself behind the museum. They pack up their stuff and stroll away, in no rush. Percy plays hopscotch on the flags on the sidewalk and twirls her under his arm periodically. Truly, Annabeth felt like she was fifteen again.

Instead of dining out at some expensive restaurant, the two of them opt to get room service at the hotel and spend their evening lounging on the bed and on Skype. There's a moment of irony when they set up the laptop and realise that even when they're together, they're constantly on the phone. Piper would chastise her for not 'living in the moment' but they two of them have had plenty of moments today with undoubtedly more to come, so she lets the guilt subside as they call Sally.

To no ones surprise, the first face they see on screen is Estelle.

"Percy! Abeth!" She squeals as they come into focus. Annabeth watches as Percy's face splits into a grin, not failing to notice the hint of wistfulness that lingers on his features. Her fourth birthday was in a few weeks and he was going to miss it.

"Hey, little star."

There's a lag on the screen so they can hear Sally before they see her, her hand brushing Stella's loose hair out of her face and then pulling her daughter onto her lap so that they were both in the shot. Annabeth tries to suppress the slight envy that she always feels when she watches them together, the perfect mother-daughter duo, loving and happy. Annabeth was never privy to that kind of relationship. Of course, she tries to quell her frustrations, it's not Estelle's fault that she was born into a family that loves her, and Sally's had her fair share of challenges before she was able to get to this point. But watching them still stings. Especially after learning about Athena's decision to meet Annabeth as though twenty-two years of nothing should just go unspoken between them.

"Annabeth, sweetheart." Sally pulls her attention back to the present. "Oh, look at you two. I'm glad to see you together again, I know the distance is tough on you both."

Even though her face is only a bunch of pixels on Percy's laptop screen, covered in finger prints and dried water specs, there's so much pride in her eyes that Annabeth almost lets herself believe that Sally was her family too. She might as well be seeing as she's offered more advice and love in a few short months than Athena had her entire life.

Their catch up is brief and cut short by Paul arriving home with their groceries so they say goodnight to Estelle with the promise that they'd call again tomorrow when she's at school to have 'grown up talks' with Sally.

Percy and Annabeth work their way through their contacts and check in on their friends. Piper and Jason are busy together so don't pick up the call - they're afraid to ask what they're busy doing that's deemed more important than them - but Leo answers and introduces them to his new girlfriend. Calypso seems to be nice enough, but they can't delve into how good of a match the pair would make as she spends the entire call whacking Leo with a couch cushion when he says something stupid (spoiler alert: it was every other sentence). Their conversation with Frank and Hazel later on is pleasant and polite but the both of them seem pretty preoccupied with their guest, a stern sounding woman who never appears in the camera. Frank shoots several concerned glances at the voice so in the end, they decide to say their goodbyes and leave them to it.

They eat their food in silence, both of them scrolling through their phones and pausing periodically to smile and show the other a video or post. On Annabeth's feed are several recordings from the previous night, the song he'd played for her was one she hadn't heard before and in the moment, she'd paid little attention to the lyrics so she enjoys re-watching the clips and catching the words he was singing.

There's a part of my heart made just for you
A part of my soul, you know it's true
There's a piece of my life reserved for you and only you

There's static in my head when I look at you
There's one thing on my mind when I'm down and blue
You're the one thing a need, it's all 'bout you

I think we both know what's happening, girl, it's God's honest truth
I'm in love with you