357Alright, yall, buckle up because this is it: THE FINAL CHAPTER. A/N will be at the bottom of the chapter this time. Songs in this chapter are 'Praying' by Kesha and 'According To You' by Orianthi. I suggest looking up the acoustic performance for 'According To You'.
Annabeth can say with absolute confidence that the last few weeks, as February turns to March, has been the best of her life. She's never felt so happy or free. Looking back, she can see how much she's transformed. For the first time, since she was a little girl, she feels truly alive.
Currently, she and Percy are laying on her couch marathoning Disney movies on Netflix. Well, she's watching the movie that's currently playing. Percy passed out half an hour in. She doesn't mind. They've both have been busy with college. It doesn't help that their professors decided to load them with extra work to prepare for the finals coming up in April and May.
Annabeth is having trouble keeping her eyes open too. The warmth of laying between his legs with her head on her boyfriend's chest and his arm around her waist is comforting. She's starting to drift off when Percy shifts and mumbles something in his sleep. She lifts up her head from where it rests against his chest, observing his face. He mumbles again and frowns.
"No...please..." He murmurs. "Stop...stop...Mom!" He suddenly cries out. Annabeth, alarmed, pushes herself up. The blonde sits on his legs and watches him for a moment. "Mom, no!" This time the distress in his voice is clear.
"Percy?" She tries, shaking him but he doesn't wake. "Percy, wake up!" She lightly pats his cheek, and his eyes snap open. He breathes heavily, wide eyed and terrified. He almost seems to not know who she is.
Percy's green eyes flash with recognition as he stares up at her. Faster than she can react, he sits up as his arms are wrapping around her. He buries his face in the crook of her neck. He's shaking a bit and makes her worry even more.
Annabeth pats his back and lowers her voice to just above a whisper. "I've got you, Perce." She hears him sniff, and his arms tighten around her. "It was just a nightmare. You're okay."
A few minutes have passed when he pulls back and they move so they're sitting side by side.
"It was..." He sighs, running a hand through his hair. "It was bad and so realistic. Which made it worse. I haven't had a nightmare this bad in a few months."
Annabeth nods, understanding all to well how real the dreams can be. More often than not, the terror and hopelessness will follow you out into reality. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asks, voice soft. She isn't going to push him. After all, he's never once forced her to share more than she felt comfortable with.
After silent moment where he's thinking, Percy nods. "Gabe was a terrible person. No, actually, he wasn't even a person. He was barely human." Annabeth can hear the anger building in his voice. She uses her thumb to rub soothing circles on the palm of the hand she held. He continues on, "I don't remember anything before the time he became abusive.
"My first memory of Gabe was when he threatened to kick me out of the house. I was only five at the time. He blew the little bit of money Mom made on booze and his stupid poker games. He was always drunk too. Mom always hid the bruises, but I knew they were there. I had him too. Gabe broke my left wrist when I was seven. As soon as that was healed, he broke my right arm.
"I always told people that I was just clumsy and fell of my bike or something along those lines. I didn't even own a bike." His laugh is bitter and humorless. "He would lock me out of the apartment almost nightly, and Mom would have to wait for him to pass out before letting me back in. I was twelve when they finally divorced. Remember how I told you that he broke my arm and a few ribs?"
"Yeah," Annabeth answers solemnly. "I do."
"Well," He sniffs, and she can see the tears in his eyes. "That's what I dreamed about. He just hurt both my mom and me. And- and I couldn't do anything about it."
"Oh, Percy," The blonde squeezes his hand. "You were just a kid. I know you don't want to hear that, but that's the reality of it."
Percy rubs his eyes. "I know, but I was just so powerless. It made me so angry. It still does." She understands it - the feeling of being powerless. Weak. Helpless. So, she rubs his shoulder, and says, "I know."
And just with two words, their understanding of each other deepens. They have more in common than Annabeth had thought. Similar yet different pasts that effect them in similar ways now. They may have known one another for awhile now, but that was as friends. Now, they have learn each other as a couple. And that's completely different.
The minutes tick by and the two are still watching movies. They even added popcorn to the mix. Annabeth is trying to decide between Hercules and Mulan when Percy asks her a question.
"I'm sorry, what?" The blonde blinks in confusion at Percy. The majority of her attention had been focused on the internal debate going on in her head; so, she had not heard his question properly.
"When do you think we should, y'know, make our relationship public?" He asks, and for once, Annabeth's not surprised. She had been expecting him to ask at some point.
"Um," She hums, thinking. "I don't know. We've been dating for about three weeks, right? So, how about a few more weeks - or even a month? That would be nice. I've just enjoyed it being our friends and us."
Percy nods and smiles. "Yeah, it has been. Though, we need to tell my parents."
Annabeth looks up at him. "Wait, you haven't told them yet?" He shakes his head. "Oh, I thought you would've already, because, you know, they're your parents."
"Babe, I would've told you if I told them." He responds. She bites her cheek to keep from grinning. Her heart flutters every time he calls her 'babe'. God, she feels like a schoolgirl with a crush.
"Okay, well, we have to tell them sometime." The blonde asserts. "Because, honey, you're mom will probably kill us if she finds out at the same time as the rest of the world."
"Yeah," He agrees, then pulls his phone out of his pocket. "How about we call her?"
"Wait, now?" Annabeth blanches. "Percy, it's 10 pm. They're probably asleep or going to bed now."
Percy waves her off as he starts to dial and places it on speaker. "It's fine." After a few rings, the phone is answered and the sleepy sounding voice of Percy's mother fills the speaker. "Hello?"
"Hey, Mom, sorry. Did I wake you up?"
"Percy?" Sally's voice is more awake than before. "No, Paul and I were just heading to bed." Annabeth mouths an 'I told you' to him and he (very maturely) sticks his tongue out at her. "You're calling later than usual. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," he smiles. "Everything's great! I just have something that I have to tell you."
"Oh?"
"Mhm," He hums and meets Annabeth's eyes. "Uh, so for the past, like, three weeks-"
Sally interrupts him before he can continue. "Are you and Annabeth finally dating? I knew it!" The couple stare openmouthed at each other. "Oh, Percy, that's fantastic news!"
Percy splutters. "How did you even...?" He's unable to finish he's so confused. Annabeth starts shaking with suppressed laughter. Meanwhile, Percy just gives her a confused look and shrugs his shoulders. "Mom, how did you know?"
They can hear the smile in her voice. "Well, you've been the happiest I've ever seen you for the past few weeks. Also, I'm your mother. How long did you say that you've been dating? Was it three weeks?"
"Yes." Percy sighs, sulking just a little.
"You're father owes me twenty bucks." Sally says, almost as if she's talking to herself.
"You and Dad bet on this?!" Percy asks, incredulous. At this point, Annabeth can't take it anymore and starts laughing uncontrollably. She laughs until her sides are cramping and she's crying.
She's never cried tears of joy before. So, that's new.
A few more weeks pass by and March turns to April. The rains start to become more and more frequent with the beginning of the rainy season starting. Annabeth and Percy are sitting on her couch. Which quickly has become their favorite place to spend time together. It's quieter compared to his apartment, where one of his roommates is always doing something.
Annabeth has her legs stretched across Percy's lap. A pillow has been placed on top of them, and Percy's laptop rets on top of it. She writing in her songbook while he edits a few videos. The room is quiet except for the scratch of a pencil and the clicking of laptop keys.
"Hey, babe?" Percy's voice breaks through the comfortable silence.
Annabeth looks from her writing. "Yeah?"
He sets aside his laptop, pulls her songbook and pencil from her, then takes her hands in his. "I think it's time to announce that we're dating."
The blonde considers this for a moment. "I agree, but we should have a little fun with it." Her smirk is full scheming as she tells him her idea.
He matches her grin. "It's devious - I love it."
The next week is spent leaving little clues on their social medias. A picture here and a vague suggestion there. They read the comments, laughing as their followers are basically freaking out over the small hints. They really start to go insane when Percy posts a picture of him on Instagram captioned 'date night'. Then, Annabeth tweets out 'A perfect night for an outing'.
The comments are along the lines of:
PERCABETH IS REAL AND I REFUSE TO BELIEVE OTHERWISE
Your date better be with Annabeth or I will throw hands.
istg if they don't confirm that they're dating soon Im rioting
Percy's Instagram said date night and now Annie's talking about a perfect night? Are they going on a date?
Piper, who's reading the comments over Annabeth's shoulder as they stood in the blonde's kitchen, says in a sort of awed voice, "You two are evil."
"It was Annabeth's idea." Percy, ever so kindly, points out.
Annabeth rolls her eyes. "You agreed to it! And you had way more fun than I did."
"Semantics."
Piper interrupts before their bickering could continue. "Okay, let's do this." She takes both Annabeth's and Percy's phones. "Get into position." Annabeth hops on to her counter. Percy stands in front her and between her legs. She winds her arms around Percy's neck, and he places his hands on her waist.
"Alright," Piper says, holding both phones. "Make it real romantic, Perce."
Percy looks at the brunette. "I know how to kiss my girlfriend, Pipes."
"Yeah, yeah," Piper brushes off. "Whatever. Do it." Annabeth laughs as she leans in towards Percy. The warmth spreads through her as their lips connect. He tastes like joy. "Got it and it's adorable!" They both pull back, and Piper hands them their phones. They study the photos. They're perfect.
"Piper," Annabeth praises. "Your photography skills are excellent as always."
Piper flips her hair. "Of course, they are." Annabeth chuckles. The brunettes confidence is enviable.
"Ready, Beth?" Percy asks. Annabeth nods, and on Piper's count they both post the picture on their Instagram and Twitter with captions reading 'Feb 15': the day of their first date. And, of course, they gave photo credit to Piper. The comments fly in rapidly.
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG
FINLLY TANK GOD
ITS OFFICIL AND HOLY SHIT
You mean to tell me thAT YOUVE BEEN DATING SINCE FEBRUARY?!
Since FEBRUARY ARE YOU SHITTING ME
OH MY FUCKING GOD
The photo goes viral in fifteen minutes. Soon, the entirety of the internet know that Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase are officially dating.
Annabeth sits in front of her piano, camera and microphone on and recording. Her song book is opened in front of her, just out of the camera's view. She smiles at the device. "Hey, guys, it's Annabeth! So, I have a new song for you today. This one is difficult for me both vocally and for what it's about. Please be gentle with me in the comments."
The blonde laughs softly because she knows a majority of them will. She takes a minute to prepare herself. Then, she starts to play.
Well, you almost had me fooled
Told me that I was nothing without you
Oh, after everything you've done
I can thank you for
How strong I have become
'Cause you brought the flames
And you put me through hell
I had to learn how to fight for myself
And we both know all the truth I could tell
I'll just say this as I wish you farewell
I hope you're somewhere
Praying, praying
I hope your soul is
Changing, changing
I hope you find your peace
Falling on your knees, praying
I'm proud of who I am
No more monsters
I can breathe again
And you said that I was done
Well, you were wrong
And now, the best is yet to come!
'Cause I can make it on my own
Oh, and I don't need you
I've found a strength I've never known!
I've been thrown out
I've been burned, oh!
When I'm finished
They won't even know your name!
'Cause you brought the flames
And you put me through hell
I had to learn how to fight for myself
And we both know all the truth I could tell
I'll just say this as I wish you farewell
I hope you're somewhere
Praying, praying
I hope your soul is
Changing, changing
I hope you find your peace
Falling on your knees, praying
Oh, sometimes, I pray for you at night
Oh, someday, maybe you'll see the light
Oh ohh oh, some say,
In life, you gonna get what you give
But some things, only God can forgive
Praying
I hope your soul is
Changing, changing
I hope you find your peace
Falling on your knees, praying
By the time she finishes playing, the tears are threatening to fall, but she blinks them away. Clearing her throat, she smiles at the camera. "Thanks for listening! See you next week. Bye, guys."
She turns off the camera and heads over to Percy's. Walking in, she spots Piper lounging on the couch with a laptop. Looking around, there was no one else present.
Annabeth asks, "Where is everyone?" She drops down on the couch next to the brunette.
"Jason is running some errands." Piper explains. "Percy's in his bedroom livestreaming something and Thalia's at Reyna's. At least, I think she is."
Annabeth leans her head on Piper's shoulder. "Has Thalia confirmed that they're dating yet?"
"Considering the fact that she's been hanging out with Reyna for a few months and we've yet to meet her," Piper observes. "I'd say they just started."
Annabeth nods. "Hopefully, they get to it soon. Whenever Thals talks about her, she's really happy. It's nice seeing Thalia happy."
Piper snorts. "It also makes our lives easier. Happy Thals is easier than Grumpy Thals."
Annabeth chuckles. "True, very true."
Down the hall, a door opens and footsteps draw closer. Percy appears in the doorway, with his phone in hand. He spots the two girls on the couch.
"Oh, Beth," Percy exclaims. "You're here. Good. I need you to do something for me." He doesn't wait for her to answer before grabbing hand and pulling her dawn the hallway towards his room.
"What do you need?" Annabeth questions, letting him pull her along.
"Nico needs help with something," He explains. "And I'm live streaming, but this can't wait." Percy pulls the blonde into his room and makes her sit in his chair at his desk. She can see his camera set up and the game paused on the computer screen. A chat box is actively moving on the second monitor. "Entertain them for a few minutes."
"Babe, how am I supposed to that?" She laughs a bit in a surprise, glancing at the camera.
"I don't know!" He exclaims, then grabs his guitar from its stand and hands it to her. "Here! Play them a song or something." Quickly, he leans down, presses a kiss to her cheeks. "Thank you, love you!" With that, he's gone, shutting the door behind him.
She turns in the swivel chair towards the camera. A smile spreads across her lips. That's the very first time he's told her that he loves her. Annabeth thinks she can get use to that.
The blonde stares at the camera for a second. "Okay, uh, hi, I guess." She glances at the chat box as the greetings fly by. "For those of you who don't know me: I'm Percy's girlfriend, Annabeth. So, while he deals with whatever it is he and Nico are doing, I'll be your entertainment."
She reads the chat box, recognizing some of the names from frequent commenters on her own channel. "I guess this will be a kind of random, one time only, live concert thing for those of you who know me and watch my videos. So, guys, what cover should I play?"
The chat flies by and she tries to keep up with it, but it's basically impossible. It's kind of overwhelming. Annabeth doesn't know how Percy does this. Then, as she's scrolling down, a song suggestion catches her eye. She smiles and mumbles the song name to herself. Then, she looks up at the camera. "That's a great choice."
She readjusts her hold on the guitar and checks to make sure it's in tune. The blonde starts to play.
According to you
I'm stupid, I'm useless
I can't do anything right
According to you
I'm difficult, hard to please
Forever changing my mind
I'm a mess in a dress
Can't show up on time
Even if it would save my life
According to you, according to you
But according to him
I'm beautiful, incredible
He can't get me out of his head
According to him
I'm funny, irresistible
Everything he ever wanted
Everything is opposite
I don't feel like stopping it
So, baby, tell me what I got to lose
He's into me for everything I'm not
According to you
According to you
I'm boring, I'm moody
And you can't take me anyplace
According to you
I suck at telling jokes
'Cause I always give it away
I'm the girl with the worst attention span
You're the boy who puts up with that
According to you, according to you
But according to him
I'm beautiful, incredible
He can't get me out of his head
According to him
I'm funny, irresistible
Everything he ever wanted
Everything is opposite
I don't feel like stopping it
So, baby, tell me what I got to lose
He's into me for everything I'm not
According to you
I need to feel appreciated
Like I'm not hated, oh no
Why can't you see him through his eyes?
It's too bad you're making me dizzy
According to me
You're stupid, you're useless
You can't do anything right
But according to him
I'm beautiful, incredible
He can't get me out of his head
According to him
I'm funny, irresistible
Everything he ever wanted
Everything is opposite
I don't feel like stopping it
So, baby, tell me what I got to lose
He's into me for everything I'm not
According to you
According to you
According to you
I'm stupid, I'm useless
I can't do anything right
Annabeth grins at the camera and sets the guitar aside. She answers questions and just talks with them while waiting for Percy to return. They're having a serious conversation about whether or not another popular Youtuber should get a cat or a dog when Percy reappears.
He leans on the back of the chair, and Annabeth looks up at him, smiling. "What are you and Nico doing?"
Percy grins at her. "Sorry, babe, but that information is top secret. Only Nico and I are allowed to know."
Annabeth narrows her eyes in suspicion. "Are you two doing something you're not supposed to be doing?"
"Nope," He replies. "And I'll tell you what we're doing... eventually. Just not right now." Annabeth eyes him as she stands up from the chair. He laughs. "What's that look for?"
She plops down on his bed. "Oh, I don't know, maybe it's because whenever you and one of your cousins are planning something, it ends up being chaotic?"
Percy sits in his chair and shrugs. "Alright, fair enough." He turns back to the camera, while she settles on his bed, watching him. The past year have been so different compared to her life before.
Annabeth's nineteen, she's living in New York, is going to college, and has great friends. She's in a relationship that makes her happy. She's happy, and she's confident that she'll be okay. It's been a log time since she's felt confident about, well, anything. Her life, for the longest time, was full of nothing but unhappiness with faint moments of joy.
Her prospect of the future had been bleak, but now? She knows that she'll be able to get through most anything that life has to throw at her. If she survived her past, she'd survive her future.
Thank yall sooooooo very much for all wonderful comments that I've received over the course of this story. I don't know what I would've done without the encouraging words that yall gave me. Last week, I was diagnosed with anxiety, so things have been difficult for a while now. Yall have stuck with me, though. Even when my update schedule went downhill due to anxiety. So, I will forever be grateful for all of you! Yall are amazing and I love all of you. Before my replies to your comments, there will be a description for my next story: Candid. Hope to see yall there!
Candid: Annabeth Chase's life as a popular YouTuber is chaos. Reasons? First, her very public and even messier break up with her boyfriend. There's also the fact that she lives in the same house as all of her friends, which means she's always surrounded by cameras. What happens when she finds herself falling for her best friend, Percy Jackson? Will she ever get a break? YouTuber AU
REPLIES TO REVIEWS:
DecemberRome: All good things must come to an end, as they say. And this, my dear reader, is the end. And, thank you, for blessing my story with your comments.
Guest: Thank you so much for reading.
Team Aurora: It so is.
Voldinette: I'm glad you enjoyed this story!
DreamCathcer06: Thank you!
loudlilylaugher11: Thank you!
swanglade37: Yes, sadly, this story has come to an end, but my next story will be coming real soon :)
ZebraGirl202: I'm glad you enjoyed it so much!
Truecolors459: There will be no epilogue. This is the last update or the story.
FreelanceWriter365: Thank you, that's so sweet!
oldestj1: John is definitely not coming back. Our girl deserves her happy ending.
TheFalcons: It's definitely a bittersweet for me that the story has come to its end, but I'm proud of it.
Guest: Thank you for your kind words! I don't really judge myself to harshly for being single as I honestly am in no rush to date. I think I judge my writing very harshly because I'm really insecure about it. It's just kind of a bad habit of mine to criticize myself.
Samantha: Lol, you make it sound like I'm gonna disappear after this. Don't worry, I'm not. My next story will becoming out soon if you want to continue reading my work.
Bookworm's fanfics: Sorry, this story is over. My next story will be coming out soon, though!
Abby: Thank you so much for reading and rereading this!
Wonderland A.K.A Cay-Cay: Lmao, I won't reveal what the thump was. I'll just leave that to the imagination.
Solangelo28: Oh, thank you so much!
YouWillAlwaysBeLovedJasonGrace: I know, I'm evil, and I have no regrets for it. Yeah, as much as I love clichés (like the ex coming back), I wanted to steer away from ones that would possible cause Annabeth even more trauma. I have anxiety, so, I have to plan things out or I will have get overwhelmed and have a break down.
Ara: Sorry, my dear, but the story has come to a close.
ThisIsanAlt0117: Yeah, the point of the story was for Annabeth to heal and find someone who makes her happy in the end. Those goals have been accomplished, so the story is complete.