"The answer isn't 42, it's 35." Percy groaned with frustration. Math was supposed to be one of his better classes, at least there wasn't much reading involved, but he was still struggling to pass the course, despite Annabeth's best attempts to tutor him. That was one of the perks of dating a daughter of Athena, he thought to himself, free help with homework.

"How on earth did you get 35?" Annabeth looked slightly smug as she led him through a complicated process of plugging things in, carrying numbers, and seeming to pull new equations out of thin air. No matter how many times she explained it, Percy doubted he would ever successfully manage to find X.

As he struggled through problem after problem, Annabeth went to go hunt down a snack for both of them. She was currently living in the guest room of the Jackson/Blowfis household, a fact that delighted the two teens, but never ceased to bring a slightly knowing and wary look to Sally and Pauls eyes. It wasn't that they had anything against Annabeth, quite the opposite actually, they loved and treated her like their own daughter, but Sally had a hard time seeing Percy as anything but the young, innocent twelve year old she had first brought to Camp Half-Blood. The thought that he was all grown up, that he had a girlfriend, that he would soon be leaving her to go to college, created a bittersweet tang in her heart. He had changed so much.

The SPQR tattoo caught Percy's eye as he waited for Annabeth to return. It was a reminder of darker times, but also of the power of friendship, hope, strength, and the strength of doing the right thing. When Annabeth came back from the kitchen carrying a sliced apple and a dish of peanut butter, Percy pulled her onto his lap and held her tight. He was remembering Tartarus.

"Everything ok, Percy?" Her voice was soft, worried but not surprised, she got the flashbacks too.

After a minute he nodded his head, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, and let her go. He ducked his head towards his problem sheet, once again scowling at it.

Suddenly he exclaimed "Screw it" to the room. Annabeth just rolled her eyes.