A Deal with a Player

Chapter 20: The Loss

BONUS CHAPTER - Thalia POV

"Hey, Annie, have you talked to Percy yet?" I asked with caution.

This was a sensitive topic, but I had to bring it up. While Annabeth was my best friend and I always supported her, Percy was a good person. I could only imagine how hurt he had been by Annabeth's words, especially with everything he was going through.

Even though Annabeth didn't show it, I knew that she was feeling bad about what happened at Piper's Christmas party.

"No, Seaweed Brain didn't take any of my calls, and then, I got distracted," she said with a sigh.

"Wait, what do you mean? You didn't even come over like you usually do during the holidays. Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, it's nothing bad, Thalia. Don't worry," Annabeth said with a light chuckle.

I stared at her as I waited for the response.

"Thalia, seriously, it's a good thing. My dad came and stayed home for the holidays. It was really nice to spend time with him. He even said that he'd make an effort to be at home more," Annabeth said with a bright smile.

It was good to see Annabeth smiling. I knew how much she missed her father.

"That's amazing, Annabeth. Why the sudden change?" I asked curiously.

"That's the thing; I don't really know," she said earnestly. "But, I'm so grateful for whatever happened because the house actually feels complete again."

"I'm happy for you, Annabeth. Say hi to your dad for me," I said.

"Of course."

Our conversation ended soon after that because some of our friends joined us. The five of us (Piper, Katie, Juniper, Annabeth, and me) were crowding around Annabeth's and Piper's lockers. There were still a few minutes left before classes start.

"Ugh, I cannot believe we're back at school," Katie groaned.

"I know right. Why can't winter break just last forever?" Piper exclaimed.

"Because we all need an education," Annabeth suggested.

Katie and Piper both gaped at her as Juniper laughed. Our entire friend group was composed of diverse characters, yet we all got along well.

"Annie, only you would be excited about reconvening school," I said. Everyone nodded in agreement as Annabeth shrugged.

Just then, I noticed Percy walking down the hallway. He was walking towards us. I knew that his chemo cycle started again, and it slightly showed on his face and body. There were tension and tiredness in his walk, and his eyes looked a little red and droopy from fatigue.

Jason told me that the deal was over, so he was allowed to have sex again if it helped him. However, he didn't seem like he was devoid of pain, nausea, and exhaustion at all.

Percy stopped in front of us.

"Hey, Percy," Juniper greeted brightly. "I see that you don't want to be back in school either."

Yeah, he looked tired and out of place, but that wasn't because of school. Of course, no one knew the real reason besides a handful of individuals.

I noticed that Percy was holding a piece of paper in his right hand.

"Hello, yeah, I'm not a 'get back to school' type of guy," he said. Even his jokes were weak/fake today.

Annabeth was just staring at Percy with slightly parted lips. Everyone stood rather awkwardly as we waited for them to acknowledge each other. The whole school knew that the deal was over, and Percy had lost. Honestly, Percy's loss was probably justified.