Hi! Sorry about that little mishap with the double posting - oops! Thanks to everyone who helped me rectify the situation, and here's a little over-tired writing I did to appease you, my lovely readers. It's longer, to be sure, and the chapters are getting slightly (fingers crossed) more cohesive. Stay tuned, folks.
xoxo Pinepitch

He hadn't given her an answer, and never in his life had Percy been so glad that no one else could read the ink markings on his wrist. He could tell that Annabeth was conflicted about the idea of even finding her soulmate, although he couldn't imagine why. Percy couldn't bring himself to admit that he couldn't be her soulmate. Aside from not being able to crush her that way, he couldn't help the way his heart sped up when he saw her, the way she could choke him up with one quirky expression. He hoped she was his soulmate. He could easily convince himself that it was just his dyslexia spreading to the most intimate part of his life, making him believe that what he had always believed was 10/11 was actually 11/10. But since he couldn't ask anyone to check it for him, he could never be sure.

He was with Rachel again, and she was idly doodling.

"Look, Percy, I don't see why this is such a big deal." Rachel, said, finishing a mandala on his breakfast table. He would've told her off, except for the fact that she'd done this on every other piece of furniture he owned. Besides, the things she did normally came out pretty beautiful.

"Because I don't think she's my soulmate." He said, exasperated.

"And what's wrong with that?"

"Well, what if I fall in love with her?"

"Yeah?"

"And then meet my soulmate?"

"Wouldn't you just choose her, the person you're in love with?" Rachel was looking at Percy with the expression that infuriated him the most; the one that said he was an idiot. Percy ran his hands through his hair, trying to bite back the irritation building in him.

"Look, it's not that simple."

"I would think staying with someone you love instead of someone pre-destined for you would be simple."

"You don't get it." Percy said through gritted teeth. Rachel had a quick temper, and he could see it about to set off.

"And why's that, Perce? Because I'm a seer? Or because I couldn't possibly imagine loving someone like a soulmate?

"No!" Percy said, trying to backtrack. "I just - I just meant…" But he didn't know what to say. On some level, that was exactly what he'd meant. He thought seers didn't consider things like soulmates. Rachel stood.

"Lord, Percy, I work in the business of soulmates, you think I've never thought about it?" Rachel's eyes were suspiciously shiny. She stood, taking the pen she'd been doodling with and stalked out the door. She passed Annabeth on her way out, and avoided looking at her. Percy stood as well. Frustration and anger and confusion were boiling in him. Annabeth shut the door gently, unsure of how to approach the situation. Since the night she'd met Percy and Rachel three weeks ago, she had her suspicions about the seer, and was worried that she had expressed her feelings. Percy stood there running his hands through his hair - a characteristic move on his part. He was clearly stressed. Annabeth walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him silently. It felt much longer than three weeks since she had met this boy, but she didn't want to voice her fears, because she was afraid she was falling in love with him. With her head pressed to his chest, she could feel his heartbeat. It was like home - a place she'd never known. She would have to talk to Thalia, but first the boy in front of her clearly needed some TLC.

"What happened?" Annabeth whispered into his chest. She felt one hand come down to stroke her hair, a gentle gesture that made her own heart flutter.

"Rachel just… I don't know. I think I upset her." Percy said quietly. He tried to pull back from her, without realizing she needed him as much as he needed her. She clung to him even as he said "I need to tell you something."

"No, you don't." Annabeth said firmly. She knew what he was going to say, and she couldn't bear it.

"Yes, I do." Percy unattached himself, and looked her in the eyes. "Miss Chase, will you go to dinner with me?"

She looked beautiful, at least in Percy's opinion. Her hair was pinned away from her face, so he could see her steely eyes flashing in the firelight. She was wearing a dark blue dress with beads that looked like starlight. And her smile. It was unreserved, completely and utterly free. They had dinner, at a small place with too posh couples that served its food in tiny portions for too much money. But after an affair like dinner had been, they'd felt the necessity of getting back to the real world, at least what had been real for them. So with his suit jacket around her shoulders, they'd made a bonfire on the beach, and sat there, just staring at the waves, occasionally looking at each other. Small smiles and stolen kisses and every moment was as golden as the flames dying on the sand. Percy couldn't think of a better way to spend the evening, and he realized with a horrifying certainty that despite his fears of falling in love with Annabeth, he was already there. In the space of a few weeks, this girl had already captured his heart, and made it impossible to think about anything else. Maybe she was his soulmate. The thought terrified and elated him all at the same time. He held her in his arms, saying nothing, because nothing needed to be said. For the first time in his life, he wasn't thinking about work, or his friends, or anything except the beautiful girl in front of him.

"What are you thinking about?" Annabeth asked, half turning towards him.

"You." He said affectionately.

"What about me?"

"Just that you're amazing and wonderful and beautiful and smart and awesome." He sighed. She laughed.

"Well, I definitely agree with your conclusion, but how did you get there?"

"Ummm…" Percy trailed off.

"Don't worry, Seaweed Brain."

"Seaweed Brain?" He asked, indignant.

"Yeah, I think it suits you."

"I'm not sure I like it." Percy said, wondering if she was calling him stupid.

"Oh, Percy, it's not an insult, more like a term of endearment. You're my Seaweed Brain." She said, holding one of the arms wrapped around her, eyes trained on the driftwood fire slowly dying. Percy couldn't argue when she called him hers.

"Alright then, Wise Girl."