Proposals

Because I took so long to update, this is really long. If you don't want to read the Prologue, you really won't miss anything. I really should have left it out, but I didn't. So, sorry. Even after the prologue, I wrote this long thing that just kind of summed up what's happened since, but you also don't have to read that. Pretty much in the 'xxxxx' after the Prologue is where you should start if you just want the Proposal.

Prologue:

A few years ago, Percy and I ended our relationship. We went on in college and got over each other. That summer we agreed to be just friend again, and that's been going great. We're closer than ever, which is all I can hope for at this point. Friends for life, like we were supposed to be.

Life went on after that. Percy actually introduced me to my new boyfriend, Wyatt, who is a four star chef and strangely thinks that microwave popcorn was the best thing ever invented. They met when Percy's company had a gala, where Wyatt catered. Percy introduced me to him later, and Wyatt and I quickly started dating. It didn't take long until we moved in together. I love him, especially how he understands work obligations as his job is demanding, too, and that was what had broken me up with many guys, Percy included.

I love Wyatt. I really do. We've been together a year now. Well, 364 days. Tomorrow is our anniversary. Well, I count it as our first date was 364 days ago. We've technically met earlier than that, but Wyatt and I agreed that our anniversary is on our first date, which is why I was so upset to have to be in New England during that time.

I'm almost done with Olympus, but I didn't have to go to New England for that. The company I work for has a big job in Maine, for a museum, and I was chosen to lead it. Of course, I didn't want to have to move there. So, every week or so, I have to get on a train and come out to Maine.

I was supposed to be there this weekend, when our anniversary of was. Being me, I worked until my fingers couldn't move, and I finished early. I got on a train, ready to surprise him.

Smiling, I looked at the apartment door. Wyatt wouldn't be home yet, of course. He'd be cooking up a storm at his restaurant, but he would be back soon, which meant I wouldn't have to wait too long. I fished the key out of my purse, my fingers brushing over my cell phone. I felt a sudden urge to call him, but I knew not to. It was too late anyway. I was already here. So, what would it matter? I might as well go through with it.

I unlocked the door and pushed it open.

The apartment was empty as usual. It was cold, just like Wyatt always kept it to my dismay. I found that I was still smiling as I pulled my bag into the apartment. Wyatt and I loved this apartment, as it fit both of our personalities, and that was just a miracle. I used to live in the apartment above my job (the place I worked for had apartments on the top few floors of the building), but I got a better job offered to me. I moved out, and Wyatt's rent was up at that time. So, we just agreed to move into together in a new place.

I went straight to the heater and turned it up. Knowing I didn't want to go through the hassle of unpacking and such, I wheeled my bag into the bedroom and left it there. My stomach lurched a little, and I blamed it on the many drinks and greasy food I ate on my way here. Kicking off my heels, I came to the kitchen and pulled out a coke, ignoring how it was like poison to your body. I've had real poison before, and I'm still here.

The sound of another key turning the lock made me almost spit out the drink from shock. The door opened, and I was about to call out to Wyatt when someone spoke first.

"I promise. It'll be a simple weekend. Just to work things out," Wyatt spoke, and I tensed to where I couldn't move.

"Wyatt Quinn, I know you. You said that last time. And the time before that. And the time before that."

I felt my heart stop.

I knew that voice.

I knew her.

"You'd think your little genius of a girlfriend, Annabell, would figure it out already. I mean, after all this time," she spoke again, only in a mocking way now.

"She trusts me," Wyatt almost laughed.

"Bad move, eh?"

I felt like my soul had been ripped out. It wasn't as bad as the 'Luke' thing, but nothing would be. There was nothing I had felt before that felt like this. The only word I knew to describe it was betrayal. It was the only word that fit. I had trusted him, Wyatt that is.

And he didn't give a damn.

"Yeah, it was," I was even shocked to hear my voice. I didn't know that I planned on speaking, and I didn't know that I even could speak.

Neither of them spoke, and I found myself walking towards them. They both stood in the hallway by the door, where I had just come in earlier.

I was right about who the girl was.

Three months ago, I met her. She made the dessert at his restaurant and she was good at it. She was beautiful even covered in flour, which I definitely wasn't. Her name was Ronni, and she kept eyeing Wyatt when I first met her. I didn't think anything of it of course. Wyatt was handsome, incredibly so. He had those bright brown eyes that made you melt, and he saw the brighter side to things. A lot of women saw what I saw in him, too, and they sometimes went after him. But he was mine, or at least I thought he was.

Ronni was beautiful in that prim and proper way. Her cheekbones were high, and her brown eyes looked proud. Her lips were forever in a pink pout, like she wanted to cry or something. Ronni's skin was always a warm tan, even if it was winter. Her brown, almost black, hair was cut at a sleek bob that stopped at her jaw line and got shorter as it went to the back of her head. Even though you basically never saw her teeth through her thick lips, they were perfectly bleached.

I had never seen Ronni in a moment without flaws.

Her hair was always perfect.

Her skin was always tanned.

Her lips were always perfectly pink and glossed.

She always looked thin.

Even when she was covered in flour and other such cooking supplies, Ronni looked good. Always.

I had never noticed it until today. Maybe I didn't care. I didn't have a reason to. Well, I did, but I didn't know it.

Neither of them spoke, knowing they were caught.

"Get out," my voice was pained, and I was clearly on the verge of tears, though I didn't want them to know that. Of course, they already knew that. They'd have to, unless they were complete idiots.

"Annabeth-"

"Annabell wants you out," I growled.

Wyatt turned his 6'0 frame around to do as I said. He had learned to do as I requested, which was a good lesson, but I didn't want him to do that. I wanted him to tell me that I was wrong and stuff like that. But their eyes let me know that I had the right idea about this. It was enough to make me sick.

They opened the door, about to leave, and I was about to collapse and cry when Wyatt turned around.

"Annabeth-"

"I'll move out this weekend. The rent is in your name, and I don't want to stay here anyway. I'll stay with a friend until I get a new place. You'll need to stay with someone while I pack up though," I spoke in a business tone, like I was telling him that I was going to stay with my dad for a month because he was sick or something. There was no emotion, even though I felt flooded with them.

Wyatt looked at me with guilt or sadness or maybe even pity. I didn't know what it was. I did know that for first time in 364 days, I wanted him to walk to walk out that door.

"I'm sorry," Wyatt told me, making the pain in my heart triple.

"I loved you, Wyatt," my voice became pained an emotional, how I felt inside, "I worked until I could have broken my fingers so that I could come back here for our anniversary, and this is what I get for it. I never would have ever done this to you."

Two Weeks Later:

It was seventeen days since my break-up with Wyatt.

It would have been a year for us sixteen days ago.

But we didn't make it. At least Percy and I survived two years, and that relationship was so over by now. I had thought I would marry Wyatt. We would marry, have beautiful children, and maybe even move to the suburbs. Or at least, that was my plan.

We'd probably never see each other again because I definitely wouldn't be able to forgive him, even if I wanted to.

It was hard packing up all of my stuff, especially since most of it was my stuff, not his. Either way, I did it. Most of my friends didn't have space for me, and I even thought of moving to Maine, like I was supposed to.

But there was Percy thankfully.

"You okay?" Percy set the final box at the wall. It was the last of my stuff, and I was tired from moving in, even though Percy did all the work and I wasn't going to be staying forever. It was just until I could find something.

"Yeah, I was just thinking about how lucky I am to find a friend like you," I smiled, and it was true. I had thinking of that, but I was also thinking about Wyatt, like I have every right to do after all that happened.

"Hey, I was getting lonely after my roommate moved out. You're doing me a favor. Maybe you could even permanently move in," Percy did that thing where you get on your toes and rock back and forth. I simply smiled at it, remembering how often I did it when we were kids.

"Percy, I'm already being an ass. I can't," I smiled weakly.

"You're not being an ass. Wyatt was being an ass," Percy realized the mistake of bringing up Wyatt only moments after he spoke. One day, I'd be able to laugh about it, too. I knew I would, just like I had with all of my other ex-boyfriends including Percy. But that day wasn't today.

"Want some Oreos?" Percy nodded towards the see-through box where I had candy, spoofs, and other such things that I knew I would need if I was to stay with him because, let's face it, Percy never grew up after fourteen.

I nodded with a smile for a moment, knowing I'd forget about Wyatt if I put on 'Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth' and had a bottle of vodka.

But Percy didn't do that. Instead, he got out the Oreos, left the movies, and closed it again. He sat down beside me and unwrapped the box. He took out the first Oreo, and I took the second, remembering how I used to put food dye in the icing of the cookie to make it Blue for Percy. But that was when we were dating, and I hadn't done it in years, except for a gag on his twenty first birthday.

"So, what ever happened to Monica?" I asked after I finished off the cookie.

"Oh, right," Percy sighed and reached for another cookie, "We broke up."

"What?" I stared at him, completely shocked.

"Well…Monica and I had only been together for a few weeks. We weren't in love or anything yet. It just seemed petty to bring it up when you were going through…this…I mean, you loved him. I thought you guys were going to get married. The two of you had a future. Monica and I…" Percy trailed off and bit into another cookie.

"You still should have told me," I smiled weakly as I nudged him. He simply wrapped his arm around me and kissed the top of my head.

"We suck at relationships, don't we?"

"We still have each other," I tried.

"Not in the way we used to," Percy looked at me with an all-knowing look. I huffed a 'When you put it that way' like I always did when he started making sense. I didn't like it when that happened, not that it happened a lot or anything. I just didn't like it when it did.

"I blame our parents," I put my head on my shoulder and sighed. He of course smiled like he always did when I blamed my mother, which I did a lot.

"How'd we screw it up?"

"Well, we either don't trust enough or we trust too much in relationships-"

"I meant with us, Annabeth," Percy looked down at me, and I didn't know how to respond.

"Oh…"

We both sat there in silence as we tried to work it out.

There had been a reason. I knew there had been.

But I couldn't remember it. We didn't fight much. We didn't cheat.

We loved each other, but we were supposed to break up at that point.

As I thought about that, I thought about my life since the breakup.

Every guy I dated was either like Percy or was good friends with Percy.

Every guy I broke up with had basically the same reason for me ending it: he wasn't Percy.

One of the guys, Eli, even told me that I was really just stuck on Percy, and that I was leaving him because I felt bad about leaving Percy, not that I ever thought about that. I thought he was just being an ass who was upset that I broke up with him, but he was a phycology major. He would have been right, which he was now that I thought about it.

"Why did we end it?" I asked, my voice small, and Percy stared at the wall with his eyebrows knit like he was thinking it over.

"I don't remember," Percy's green eyes met mine, and I felt the same sparks I had felt many years before.

I shrank back from the sudden realization that I was still in love with him, and that was my mistake. Percy knew me well enough to know that something was up. His eyebrows stayed knit, and he continued to stare at me, making it worse for me.

"What?"

"Uh…nothing," I lied, even though I knew Percy could tell when I was lying.

"You're lying, Annabeth."

See?

"No I'm not."

"What is it? Did I say something wrong? I mean, it's been years. You're over it," Percy smiled and I didn't respond.

"You're not over it?"

"I thought I was," I crossed my arms and moved my head from off his shoulder, but I didn't wriggle out of his grasp. It always gave me courage, and this was dam well the time for courage.

"But… I mean, you've moved on. You had this life…" Percy trailed off, not bringing up his own feelings like he always seems to do.

"Where I dated guys who were just like you. Or your friends."

"But…" Percy trailed off again, leaving me not to know anything.

And, as I have made pretty damn clear, I hate not knowing things.

"Listen, it doesn't matter. I'll get over it again. We'll be fine. It's probably about the whole 'newly broken up thing'," I got up and brushed the cookie crumbs off me, knowing we would then need some space. By morning, we'd be fine, as we always were.

"After all these years..." Percy didn't give in though. Instead, he just looked at me blankly as he thought it all over.

I didn't say anything because I wanted him to hone up to something after I did all the confessing.

"You didn't tell me. After all those years of watching you date my best friends…"

I hated it when Percy trailed off, but he always seemed to do it. And that just pissed me off.

So, I picked up the box of Oreos to start cleaning up.

"I could have had you…"

"Wait, what?"

Percy looked at me with surprise.

"I said that out loud?"

"Yeah."

My eyes were still wide, and I could have passed out at that very moment. My brain couldn't function, not that I cared or anything. Even if it did function, what would it matter? I would ignore what my brain said and just let the loud sound of my beating heart drown it out like I had done time and time again. There are times where I tried to think during those situations, but I couldn't. So, I might as well give in and accept the very annoying fact that I couldn't think. I was an Athena descendant for Zeus's sake! How can I not think?

"Damn it."

I tried to smile, but it came off as weak and distracted.

"So, did you just admit to….?" I let him finish the sentence.

"Being a coward and letting you date all of my friends when I was still head over heels for you, yeah," Percy shook his head, ignoring the obvious.

"And I just admitted basically the same."

"You did, didn't you?" Percy shook his head in thought.

"Percy, are you making the connection?" I spoke in an annoyed way, even though I was too shocked to be annoyed.

I'd be annoyed in the morning.

"Wait, we just said we still loved each other," Percy smiled.

"Took you long enough."

The Actual Proposal:

Time: A Year Later

I stifled a yawn as I reached for the Five Hour energy. The stuff tasted like crap, but Percy liked it and it woke me up. So I bought it for the two of us. Then they came up with a new blue colored one and I got stuck with all those damn red I bought. Over time, I had come to accept the taste even though it still made me cringe.

The awful taste swept over my taste buds, making me choke a little bit. I bit my lip, and it got even worse when I realized I still had the taste on my lips. The energy surged through me, but it definitely wasn't worth it.

I was thinking about this when my phone buzzed from my office drawer.

It was my personal phone, and I was supposed to be working. It wasn't a mandate by my boss or anything, but I had sudden inspiration for Olympus, which was only a month away from being finished (thank god!). By focusing all of my efforts on that, I hadn't worked on this project. And the client would be here in a few days to check up on it.

I slid it out of my drawer and looked at the name before answering it.

"Percy, aren't you supposed to be in a meeting?" I asked even though I knew the answer. He had talked about it for what felt like forever. This client would be huge, and this was like the big thing. Percy had been worrying about it and had told me a million times when this meeting was, which was fifteen minutes ago.

"They're late. I was just making sure you'd be home tonight," Percy smirked. I blushed to the shade of Rachel's carnation red hair. As I said earlier, I hadn't gotten much time to work on this project. So, yesterday, I called Percy and told him I would be late. Five hours and a box of Chinese food later, I had fallen asleep at my desk. Since then, Percy had been making fun of it, and this wasn't going to stop any time soon.

"I'll be there, Percy," I tried to smile, but it was just futile.

"Listen, this is going to be-" Percy stopped, "Damn it, they're here. I have to go."

"Love you," I rushed to tell him before he hung up.

"Love you, too."

Click.

I set the phone down back in the drawer and pushed it closed.

It was five or so, and the winter sun was still shining into my office, giving me a migraine. It wouldn't be long until it set, and I would be much more happy. Procrastinating, I looked at the pictures on my desk.

First day at the firm, where my mom wished me good luck.

College graduation with Percy in his cap and gown beside me even though he graduated three days before.

And a picture of the two of us at Camp this last summer. It was a pain in the ass to get off work for the two of us, and we honestly didn't. We still had to work by Skype and email, which totally sucked. But it was worth it to be back there again.

I didn't like to keep pictures on my desk before now. It was a distraction, but I liked it these days. It reminded me of just how happy I was these days, which was immensely so.

Especially after the restaurant that Wyatt worked at moved to a location far away from my place in town. I didn't know if he stayed with the company, but I didn't care. I just got tired of seeing it all the time. I didn't care about Wyatt anymore. Percy was right. He was just an ass.

I did care a little about Ronni, not that I had heard anything. There were some days where I actually googled the two, which is a little desperate I know, but I haven't done that in over six months. Well, except for last week…

But that didn't count.

Anyway, it would be an hour until Percy would be done with the meeting. Of course, I was then supposed to meet him at a park in between both of our offices, but I knew I could talk him into going to the restaurant we loved nearby because I was starving. It doesn't take us long to get there, and I swear that it saved our relationship.

I slid off my shoes under the table, knowing that no one would be able to see my bare feet through the desk.

xxxxxxx

I worked for an hour and a half instead of the hour I was supposed to.

As I jammed my foot into a shoe and put on my coat, I sent him a text, which he didn't answer. That meant that he was running behind, too, which could easily mean good or bad news. I slid my phone into my coat pocket and signed off my work computer. The sun had set, and I sort of missed how the bright sun was made worse by all of the reflections of glass in this place.

Somehow, I made my way downstairs without running into my boss or anything. When I made it to the lobby, I saw that Percy had sent me a text saying that I should just go home because he was going to be late. So, I called a cab and called for Chinese to be delivered to the apartment. The cab lurched to a stop, making me feel like puking up the Five Hour Energy I downed an hour ago.I paid the man and went on to the apartment building.

My heels clacked against the sidewalk, and my feet ached from wearing four inch heels all day, even if I wasn't necessarily standing all day. I unlocked the front door to find that there wasn't the working people crowd gathered yet, which just made me smile especially since I got the elevator all to myself without having to make small talk or anything.

It took a while for me to push the key into the door because I just couldn't get it right for some stupid reason. My mind flashed back to opening the door at Wyatt's apartment, and my stomach lurched. I promised myself a shot of Tequila if I just opened the door, which I eventually did as the hallway is always freezing.

"Hi."

I looked at Percy with surprise.

"You told me you were going to be late."

"I said I might be late."

"Which is a nice way of saying late."

"Is not."

"Is, too."

I snapped myself out of it, realizing we were acting like we did when we were twelve, which was fifteen years ago. I hated acting like that, but I found that I quite often did when I was with him, not that Percy noticed.

"Besides, it's your birthday," Percy smiled.

I remained expressionless.

I never cared about my birthday. It reminded me that my father hadn't wanted me born. Sure, we've made up by now, and we get along really well now. But we didn't for a long time. If anything, I had a terrible childhood, and I really didn't want to think about that. I had a happy life now. So, why think of something sad like that?

This morning, he wished he happy birthday, and that was definitely enough for me. I spent a lot of time on his birthday, but he actually cared about the day he was born. His mom was so great, and she made sure his childhood was as happy as she could make it. So, his birthday was something we celebrate. We just acknowledge mine.

"Yeah, I'm another year closer to death," I mumbled, and Percy just shook his head.

"Anyway, I was supposed to pick you up a cake, but someone got here early," Percy smirked as he went on to the kitchen, and I followed him, picking up a bottle of wine from the Wine Cooler on the way.

"Or," I set the bottle down on the countertop and brought out a box of Oreos from the cabinet, "We could just eat this."

Percy simply shrugged as if to say 'What the hell?' and grabbed a cookie. I ignored how the crumbs went onto my new white blouse and bit into one as well. For a moment or two, it was like a day hadn't gone by.

We were still eighteen, sitting on a pebble beach as we talked about everything. College was coming soon, but we didn't think about it. And, if we did, we didn't care. It was our summer, and we had absolutely nothing to worry about. The two of us just enjoyed those precious months as if time would never catch up to the two of us.

"Hey, what happened with work today?" I asked, and Percy just slumped.

"They loved me."

"How's that a problem, Percy?" I nudged him.

"They want me to lead the campaign in Chicago."

"Oh, that is a problem," I finished off another Oreo.

"I have until Monday morning to decide," Percy shook his head as he turned around to the cabinet for the wine glasses.

"I told you my birthday sucks," I smirked, and Percy just shook his head as he brought out two glasses. I took them both from him and poured the wine into both, making sure Percy had just a little more. What? I have to talk him into staying in New York when a great opportunity is in Chicago. He needs to be a little intoxicated.

"I'm not going to go."

I was shocked. I mean, I didn't want him to go, but it is a great offer. And he kind of had every right to after I took the thing in Maine. His career would definitely take off if he took this. But… he didn't want to take it? What the hell?

"Why not?"

Percy looked at me like I was an idiot, which I hated thank you very much. It's not like I wanted him to go, but I expected him to want to go. I expected to have to beg and plead until he realized that he wanted to stay with me. I guess this was great and all, but I wanted to hear it from him. Plus, I really didn't want to feel guilty if he gave up this great offer because of me.

"You're kidding, right?"

I opened my mouth to say something, but I quickly stopped myself. It's not like I could say anything at this point. It was better to just let the Seaweed Brain talk.

"Well, um, number one, I love you."

I couldn't hold back a smile.

"And I'm not leaving my fiancé in another state."

My eyes widened, and I paused.

"What?"

Percy simply smiled and knelt to his knee. My mouth stayed in an 'O', and my mind wouldn't work, which again sucked. Percy brought out a velvet box from a pocket inside his jacket, and my heart stopped. I didn't know what to think even though I really knew what was going on.

"I said, I don't want to leave my fiancé in another state," Percy smiled wide, and my heart not only went back into action but went into overdrive. My mind was still a blur and my mouth stayed in an 'O'

"Annabeth Chase, will you marry me, AKA Seaweed Brain?"

This time I could form words.

"Of course," I nodded my head just incase he didn't hear me, not that he wouldn't. It was just a natural reaction. My smile became almost as wide as his. Almost. He slid the ring onto my finger, and my heart thudded a rhythm that reminded me of those songs you salsa to.

"So we're even on the big relationship milestones on birthdays, right?" he smirked, and I simply responded by kissing him.

Again and again and again.

I was going to include something with Wyatt at the end, but I realized I had over five thousand words. Sorry :-(