Title: Must Have Been the Wind
Genre: Percabeth Songfic
Word Count: 2026

Author's Note: I'm totally not publishing this because I'm avoiding Breathe whaaaaa??? The song is Must Have Been The Wind by Alec Benjamin. Honestly this one shot is kinda meh but I love this song Alec Benjamin has such good songs. But anyways I hope you enjoy (By the way, a Breathe update is actually on its way I promise) <33

-(O)-

Restless sleeping was a subject on the list of Percy's least favorite things. Of course, this meant he fell victim to it every so often, tonight being one of those nights. He winced as he glanced over at his alarm clock, seeing the time to be 2:14 a.m. He was going to want to kick himself tomorrow morning when he needed to be awake and ready for work at 8 a.m. He huffed and turned away from it, closing his eyes. Percy imagined nothing, leaving his mind completely blank. He slowly began to drift, happily, into a sleep.

When he heard a crash above him, he tried not to think anything of it. He was so close to finally getting some shut eye; it was simply his brain being annoying.

I heard glass shatter on the wall in the apartment above mine
At first I thought that I was dreaming

But then he heard voices; a deep bellow of yelling, clearly a man. He cursed this apartment's thin walls, but it was all he could afford. Suddenly, he heard someone else's muffled words. A girl, who, he wasn't exactly sure, was crying. Suddenly, he couldn't sleep anymore. He forgot all about that. Another problem presented by ADHD; getting distracted annoyingly easily. His brain was occupied with a million thoughts, and part of him felt closer to the truth than the rest of him, but he didn't like it.

But then I heard the voice of a girl and it sounded like she'd been crying
Now I'm too worried to be sleeping

The noise seemed to die down, but the tornado in Percy's head didn't. He couldn't help it. He got up and pulled on sweatpants and a hoodie, for he only slept in boxers. He was now more awake than he had been before as he nearly jogged out of his door and over to the elevator. He pressed the 2nd floor button and looked down at his feet, just now realizing he was only wearing socks. It didn't matter. All he could think about was helping this girl, if she needed it, of course. He wished someone had helped him when he was younger, but he had to withstand it himself, and that was something he wouldn't wish on anyone.

The elevator finally arrived and Percy walked out before the doors were even fully open. He walked down to what he guessed was the apartment above his. He prayed he was right, knocking on the door. After three knocks, someone answered. It was the girl, he assumed.

The first thing he was drawn to were her eyes. They were a stormy grey, and nothing like Percy had ever seen before. Her curly blonde hair was up in a messy bun, small strands falling away to frame her face. She was gorgeous. But around those beautiful irises, her eyes were red and puffy; she had been crying. The skin along her jaw looked red and slightly irritated, as if someone had grabbed her. Percy had seen that mark before, when he was only eleven and looking in the mirror.

"Can I help you?" Her voice was stern but quiet. He could tell she was struggling to compose herself.

"Um..." Percy's tongue turned into sandpaper. She gave him a look—get on with it. "I heard something up here and was wondering if everything was alright,"

So I took the elevator to the second floor
Walked down the hall and then I knocked upon her door
She opened up, and I asked about the things I'd been hearing

"I don't know what you're talking about, I didn't hear anything," she said. Percy had a feeling she was lying—he had done it plenty of times. She fiddled with the zipper of her sweater, pulling it up. If she went any further, it'd be covering her mouth. "Thanks for your concern, but I really would like to get back to sleep. As for what you heard... it must've been the wind." She shrugged. Then, before Percy could say anything else, she closed the door.

She said
I think your ears are playing tricks on you
Sweater zipped up to her chin
Thanks for caring sir that's nice of you but I have to go back in
Which I could tell you 'bout the noise but I didn't hear a thing
She said it must have been the wind must have been the wind must have been the wind it must have been the wind

Percy didn't want to bother her anymore. Maybe it was just him. He tried to convince himself so, heading back to his apartment. He sighed.

-(O)-

Shaking out his umbrella, Percy placed it against the wall and closed the door. He pulled off his boots and hung his coat on the rack. He sighed, walking into the kitchen. It had been a long day at work, and one of his colleagues, Leo Valdez, would not stop talking. Percy thought he deserved a night of peace and cereal. He went into his cupboard, pulling out Lucky Charms. He grabbed a bowl, filling it to the brim. He was about to grab the milk when he heard something above him. It sounded like someone dropped something on the floor. It was followed by yelling.

The girl, Percy thought. He hadn't thought about her much in the past week; it just slipped his mind. He felt a sudden urge to go help her. But then he remembered when he tried before. She said that everything was fine. He had a feeling something was wrong, but he couldn't just go based on that. There was no solid proof, and he wasn't trying to intrude. But he had to try, just once more.

So I was lying on the floor of my room cold concrete on my back
No I just couldn't shake the feeling
I didn't wanna intrude because I knew that I didn't have all the facts
But I couldn't bare the thought of leaving her

Once again, Percy was on his way, and once again, he had forgotten shoes. It was too late now, he was already on the elevator. He made his way down the hall to the same apartment; 32B, he remembered. He chewed his lip as he knocked on the door, it was a nervous habit. No one answered, so he knocked again. This time, she was back.

Her hair was down this time, her curls looking silky. He resisted the urge to reach out and touch it. It was like a golden curtain covering half of her face. She wore a different sweater, but it was still a sweater, and it was still pulled to cover as much as possible. Percy caught a split second of a glimpse through her hair. Her skin looked purple; bruised.

So I took the elevator to the second floor
Walked down the hall and then I knocked upon her door
She opened p and I asked about the things I'd been hearing

Her face fell to an exasperated look. She sighed.

"I heard something again. I don't mean to disturb you, but its just a little concerning," he reasoned.

"I don't know what you're hearing, but I'm not hearing anything. And maybe its just something with this building, because I think we all know that's a possibility," she said, smiling smally. Percy found himself smiling too. He was still worried. "But, I haven't heard anything. It must have—"

"Been the wind," Percy finished for her. It was the same thing she said last time. He seemed to catch her off guard for a second.

"Yeah," she almost smiled nodding. Her voice was breathy. They stared at each other for a second, and Percy was captivated in those stormy grey eyes. A strand of hair fell in front of her face. Before he could stop himself, Percy was reaching out and brushing it back. The girl flinched, looking more startled than Percy had ever seen anyone. Suddenly, her almost-smile was gone and she was slowly backing away.
"I should go," she said flatly. Then she closed the door in his face. Percy sighed, cursing his ADHD and impulsive reflexes. He walked back down the hall to the elevator, his socked feet padding against the cheap rugged carpet. He finally made it back to his apartment.

She said
I think your ears are playing tricks on you
Sweater zipped up to her chin
Thanks for caring sir that's nice of you but I have to go back in
Which I could tell you 'bout the noise but I didn't hear a thing
She said it must have been the wind must have been the wind must have been the wind it must have been the wind

-(O)-

It was 10 p.m., about six hours since Percy had last seen the girl. He realized now that he didn't know her name. Either way, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He was about 99.9% certain of what was going on now, but he couldn't just go back and say, hey I know you're getting abused in some sort of way, come with me and we'll work it out. No, that wouldn't work. Suddenly, he had an idea. He dug into a closet, finding an old stereo his mom gave him. He went out to his fire escape, playing a song. If talking wouldn't work, maybe singing would.

Aim my boombox at the roof I'm playing lean on me
Just so that she knows that she can lean on me
And when she hears the words I hope she knows that she'll be
Okay
Aim my boombox at the roof I'm playing lean on me
Just so that she knows that she can lean on me
And when she hears the words I know exactly what
I'll say

Suddenly, he looked up and saw her, leaning out over the rail. Her blonde hair fell around her face. Percy could barely see her in the dim light, but he somehow knew that she was smiling. He left the song playing and climbed up to her.

"Look, I don't know exactly what's going on, but I'm not stupid. I was abused as a kid, you know," Percy started to explain.

The girl looked confused. "Why are you telling me this when I don't even know your name?"

"I, as Percy Jackson," he threw his name in there, "feel like I could be a friend, or just someone to be here for you. I know I could have used that someone." He stared at his feet. "What I'm trying to say is, my door is always open... if you wanna talk about it. Only when you're ready, though. Until then, I'll say it must have been the wind." He looked down at her with a small smile. The corners of her mouth turned up in the slightest.

"I, as Annabeth Chase," she mocked him, making him chuckle, "appreciate that. A lot." He noted her name; it was pretty, and fitting.

"Good." Percy smiled. "Then I hope you'll take up my offer soon."

"Maybe I will." She smiled. They stared at each other for a second. "Until then." Then she turned, crawling back in through her window. Percy climbed back down the fire escape, smiling.

Promise I'm not playing tricks on you
You're always welcome to come in
You can stay here for an hour or two if you ever need a friend
We can talk about the noise when you're ready but 'till then
I'll say it must have been the wind must have been the wind must have been the wind it must have been the wind

-(O)-