Beyond All Expectation (Percabeth)

Chapter 21: Annabeth and Piper

Author's Note: Hey, can any American's help me out? I'm from England so I'm really struggling to understand when you guys take your tests in Senior Year lol. I did some research and can't conclusively decide whether December is actually when Senior's do their SATs, but I'm pretending for now that they do so please don't judge XD

Annabeth POV:

The week with my Mother passed by in a blur, and as much as I tried to have fun I couldn't help but resent her slightly. Every time we would smile and laugh together she would ruin the moment by saying something like "I really am going to miss you during the Christmas break" and I would have to hold my tongue from saying something like "then don't leave me".

To make matters worse, once I returned to my Dad's house, my Stepmom was trying to do everything in her power to make me run away before Christmas. I hardly had a second of free time - as soon as I got through the front door I was made to clean, wash and make dinner like a real-life Cinderella. And, of course, with every mistake I made or every unhappy glance I delivered there would come the unsurprising slap or kick. She covered me in bruises like never before, and this time she was being reckless. It became much harder to hide my scars from Nico, who spent a lot more time with me nowadays. 

Him and Piper were the only good thing in my life right now. 

My exams flew by without too much of an issue, but the entire time I was worrying about Percy and how he was finding them. I had been selfish not to carry on with his tutoring. He had needed me - trusted me - and I had been the one to turn him away. Even if he was giving me the cold shoulder now, it was only because I started it. 

That being said, I had an odd sort of faith in Percy. People didn't see him the way I did - they didn't know how smart he actually was. In his homework he had been getting high C's and B's and even a few A's. He had worked hard to get those grades, too, but when it came down to it he really did have a natural sort of genius that couldn't be taught. It made me proud of him. 

I often think about the way he used to furrow his brow when he read a question, and how his eyes would be looking into a whole other world as he thought of how to answer. There were so many things I missed about tutoring him - the laughs, the stories, the smiles, the hidden touches we couldn't admit we were acknowledging, the trust - but those moments were my favourite; the silence that fell as he realized he was smart enough to answer something by himself. He always seemed surprised - as if all his life he had been made to feel stupid, and he was only now just realizing he wasn't - and I always wanted to shout at him loud enough until he understood that he was the smartest person I knew. 

But most of all, I missed him. Not a second went by when I didn't think of him, and if Nico earned a dime for every time I mentioned Percy's name around him he would have become a millionaire. I had grown so close to Piper, I wanted desperately to tell her about Percy and I, but she was best friends with Percy and I didn't know how he would react if he found out I was telling Piper about our arguments. 

"Here, listen to this," Piper said to me one evening at the bookstore, motioning me over to where she sat at the window. I left the till and joined her. "What's the best thing in the world? June rose, by May dew impearled... have you heard of this one before?"

I grinned. "Barrett-Browning, I'm familiar."

"Sweet south-wind, that means no rain; truth, not cruel to a friend; pleasure, not  in haste to end; beauty, not self decked and curled till its pride is over-plain, oh, I love that," she smiled and hugged the book to her. "Light, that never makes you wink; memory that gives no pain - Oh, this is my favourite part - love, when, so, you're loved again. What's the best thing in the world?"