IMPORTANT!
A/N: Noticed I switched up the punctuation marks on the title of this chapter?

PIPABETH CHAP. PLEASE SKIP TO NEXT CHAPTER IF BOTHERED BY THIS.

If you want to read the parts where there isn't any Pipabeth:
-Everything in between the first and fourth lil' dots including the ones right after this A/N except for the 2nd paragraph of Annabeth's POV

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. . .

Annabeth's POV

I'm laughing with the others in the water when I notice that one of us is missing. I turn around to see Piper still on the beach, smiling at us. I tell the others that she didn't join us and Katie yells at her.
"Come on! Have some fun!"
She looks over and says back "Coming!"

She takes her skirt and shirt off and wow, she looks hot in that bikini. The bottom part is mostly white but the edges are light pink and it has a cute bow on it. The top part is the same, white in the middle and light pink on the edges but no bow.

I catch myself blushing for the first time in a long time and look away just as Piper looks back at me. She has her arms around her stomach, I wonder why. Although I think I have my suspicions.

She enters the water and soon, I forget myself in the moment.

. . .

Piper's POV

Katie calls me over to join them in the water. I feel irritated. Why did they have to notice that I wasn't with them? I sigh, plaster on a very convincing smile and reply that I'm coming.

I really don't want to do this, but I get undressed anyway, my back facing them. They don't need to know about the scars on my stomach. At least that bruise on my cheek from yesterday had faded, so you could barely see it anymore. I turn around with my arms covering my belly, cursing myself for not thinking of secretly buying a one piece when my mom wasn't looking.

I sigh through my nose and join them in the ocean. At least the water will cover my scars.

. . .

I admit I had fun. I was a bit skeptical at first. Even though I was exited to come, I didn't want my new friends—if I can call them that—to be embarrassed by my presence.

We get out of the water and get changed. Katie is the first to ask, "Hey, why didn't you want to come in the water? I thought you loved the beach!"

I frown. I don't like where this is going. "I do," is all I answer. Because I really do love the beach.

Then Lou backs Katie up. "Yeah, and why did you look so nervous? Do you not like the water?"

I start to get really annoyed. It's not there place to ask me all these questions!
"Of course I do! Why wouldn't I? Stop asking me all of these questions!" I say, raising my voice.

"Hey, we were just curious." Lou says.

"Yeah, well, too much apparently! It's not your problem, what I feel and how I act!" I'm yelling now.

"Piper!" Katie cries out. "We're your friends! Of course it's our problem!"

I don't bother answering. I take my bag and slip out of the hidden spot. I start running along the beach, fighting back tears and with no idea where I'm going.

They have no right to ask me these questions! It's my private life!

. . .

After a few minutes, I slow my running to a quick pace. I'm far from all the families now and near me are the cliffs. I stop and face the ocean. I stand there for a couple more minutes when I hear a voice behind me."Hey!" I start walking again.

"Hey! Hey, come on, don't run away. It's okay." The voice is somewhat soothing so I come to a stop in the sand. The person puts a hand on my shoulder but I turn my head away.

"Piper?"

What? Annabeth...? I turn to face her.

"Piper." She repeats my name and looks into my eyes. I suddenly feel very conscious of her hands on my shoulders. They feel soft, like smooth, silky fabric.

I blush, for some reason, and look away. I bring my arms around my chest. Tears fill my eyes so I only see blurry shapes around me.

I try to explain myself to Annabeth, but my voice cracks. "I..." I take a deep breath and try again but she cuts me off.

"Piper. It's okay. You don't have to explain anything. I get how you feel. I think I now what's going on, and I have a similar situation. If you don't mind, can I see your stomach?"

I'm surprised she figured out what was wrong—if she was right. A tear rolled down my cheek and she wiped it off.

"You know, she starts, it's okay if you don't want to." 

I cut her off. "No, no it's fine. I'll show you." I sniff and wipe away more tears. Then I proceed to gently lift my shirt up. My fingers brush against my stomach and I wince. The scars hurt even more after the salt water. I internally groan. Why hadn't I thought of that?

Annabeth crouches down and to examin my scars. They're all red and irritated and hurt when I move. A couple of them re-opened in the water. Annabeth lightly touches them with her finger types. I flinch.

"Sorry," she says.

My voice is shaky when I talk. "It's okay. It...it doesn't hurt that much," I say in a not-very-convincing tone.

"Don't lie to me, Piper," is all she answers.
She opens her bag and takes out disinfectant and a roll of bandages. "I suspected such a thing," she says, pointing to my stomach. "So I ran to my house, grabbed some bandages, and came back to the beach to find you."

"You didn't have to..."

She laughs a bit. "Believe me, I did. I wasn't about to let you run off with untreated wounds."

I smile. She sprays disinfectant on the wounds and I lurch back to almost fall in the sand but Annabeth grabs my wrist just in time.

"Oops. Guess I should have warned you. Sorry," she apologizes.

She starts rapping the bandages around my stomach and I do my best to not flinch.
She finishes up and puts the disinfectant and remaining bandages back in her bag.
"Okay, I'm done," she says. "Now you can go home."
"Thank you so much, Annabeth,'' I reply.

I pick up my bag and we walk together up to the city. Annabeth insists on walking me back to my house. We arrive and I'm about to enter the front door when Annabeth calls me back.

"Wait, Piper, can I have your number?'' she asks.

"Of course! Here.'' I write it down on her phone and we say goodbye to each other.
"Thanks, Piper! See you soon!" she calls as she walks away.
"No problem, Annabeth! Bye!" I answer. Then I enter my house, ready for a good night's sleep, right after I get the privilege of answering all of my mom's questions about today through what she calls a mother-daughter dinner with a meal that she supposedly cooked all by herself.

I really hope Katie and Lou Ellen will forgive me though. They've been really nice to me, and I don't want my friendship with them to be ruined because of what happened earlier today. I didn't want to yell at them like that. I just got really mad that they wouldn't respect my privacy.

Well, I'll text them tomorrow and make sure that we're still on good lines. 
For now, wish me luck for when I enter the dining room and my mom will start to ask me a ton of questions. Most of the time, they don't even make sense!

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Word count: 1404
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Noooooooo i forgot to post the chapter this afternoon! Sorry guys!
Posted on Saturday 20 July 2024, at 11:11 pm, when i was supposed to post it at 3:35 pm this afternoon.

Oh, btw, a new book will be coming out soon! Probably around next week. It's called My Weekend Is Ruined and it's a hoo AU including the seven + Nico, Will, Thalia, Reyna, Rachel, Travis, Katie, Connor, Miranda, Lou Ellen, Cecil, Chris, Luke, Grover and Juniper.

Have a nice time!
~Az'

Later update: for some reason this chapter didn't post so this is a few days later.