A/N: This is the second part, and I hope that you guys like it as much as the first. Even though it's only been a day since I put the first part up, the response I've gotten is pretty awesome. I'm glad that you guys like it so much!

Warnings: This AU is full of angst, adult situations, and profanity.

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Heroes of Olympus, or anything else that you might recognize.

This AU is dedicated to MaydayParade8123. Go check out all of her amazing stories! I have the link on my profile if you need it.

There is also a poll on my profile about some sequels. If you're interested, go check it out.

Annabeth sent Rachel a text message while Percy was in the shower, just like she had promised. Sure, she felt a little guilty, and she didn't want to let Percy see her doing it. She just felt like she owed it to Rachel to let her know how he was doing. Sometimes Annabeth forgot that Rachel missed Percy as much as he missed her. And besides, if it was Annabeth that was going without Percy, she would be dying to know if he was okay.

It was the least that Annabeth could do after they had been friends for so long.

She sent one long message that wouldn't require a reply telling her that they were home and that Percy was doing well. She told her that he still had the cast on his arm and that his eye was still bruised. She had even mentioned that he had loved his skateboard.

It was sent just in time. Annabeth had been lying on Percy's bed, and Percy walked back into the room just as Rachel replied with an 'okay.'

"Who are you texting?" Percy asked as he turned to his dresser to grab some clothes.

Annabeth should have just lied to him and said that it was her dad, but she already felt bad enough about not telling him that Rachel had come to see him while he was in the hospital. Would it really be so bad if she just told him? Why couldn't she just tell him?

"Um, Rachel Dare," Annabeth said.

She watched as Percy stiffened. He was standing with his back to her, and he was gripping the edge of his dresser. He still had a towel wrapped around his waist, and even from here Annabeth could see all of the muscles in his back clenching. He had missed a spot when he was drying off after his shower so some of his skin was glinting with water and—

Stop! Annabeth reprimanded herself. She shouldn't be thinking about Percy like that. He was her best friend for god's sake. She didn't need to think like that. Even if she did like him like that then she still shouldn't think it because she would do something stupid and—

Percy's body relaxed and he turned around to look at her. He tipped his head to the side. Since his face was still kind of bruised, Annabeth didn't like how much the dark spots contrasted with his green eyes.

He was frowning, "Why are you texting Rachel? And close your eyes. I need to get dressed."

Annabeth rolled over so she was facing the wall, and she closed her eyes for good measure. She said, "She asked me to let her know when we got home and how you were doing. I felt like I owed her."

"Owed her? Why?" Percy asked. Annabeth heard him pulling open a few drawers. "After all of the stuff that she did to me? Not to mention all of the rumors her friends spread about you."

"I know all of that stuff, Percy, but I used to be her friend too," she said, pulling at one of the blankets she was lying on.

"What are you saying? Do you wish you had stayed friends with her?" He asked in a short voice.

Annabeth sighed, "No, that's not what I mean. I just—I felt like I owed it to her. That's all."

"I don't think you owe her anything," he said.

"So are you saying that you don't want me to text her how you're doing?"

"That's not what I'm saying. I'm just wondering if you wish that you would have picked her over me," his voice faded, and Annabeth knew that he was taking his towel back to his bathroom so she could turn around.

She scowled when he came back in, "I can't believe you just said that to me."

Percy just looked at her. He had his arms crossed over his chest. He was still missing a shirt, but Annabeth knew that he needed help putting the bandages on the cuts on his side.

She stood up from his bed and snatched the cream and bandages from his desk before stomping over to him. She grabbed his hand and twisted him around, making sure she was extra careful while she put it on the cuts. She knew that he was still pretty sore.

While she was working on his side, she said, "I don't ever want you to say anything else like that to me again. If I still wanted to be friends with Rachel then I would be. If I had wanted to pick her over you then I would have. You're my best friend. I'm with you. It pisses me off that after everything I've done for you that you think I would rather be hanging out with Rachel. If I wanted to do it, then I would. There," she finished as she put the bandage on.

"Annabeth—" Percy started.

She leaned up and poked him in the chest, "Don't. I'm still mad. I get that you're tired and still a little upset, but you shouldn't be taking that out on me. I'm sorry that I can't handle it today. Just go to sleep or something and whenever you remember that I'm here for you and that I love you then you can call me."

Before he could say anything else, she walked out of his room, stopped by the bathroom and washed her hands, then she was gone.

Ω

It took Percy exactly seventeen minutes to call her.

She was already at home, and she had just been about to get in the shower when her phone rang. She had considered not answering and seeing how he liked the silent treatment, but her resolve broke when she saw his contact picture. He was making a weird face at the camera, and Annabeth rolled her eyes. Just looking at a picture of him would make her give up anything she had originally planned.

"I'm getting in the shower," Annabeth said instead of a greeting. "Hurry up."

"Annabeth, I'm sorry that I said that stuff to you. I didn't mean it. I know that you're my best friend, and I know that you love me. It just hurt when you said her name. It hurt when you said that you felt like you owed her because if anything she owes you. I'm sorry that I got mad like that, but it just bothered me when you said it like that, and I guess I've just been tired and stuff, but still. That's not an excuse. I'm just. I'm sorry," Percy spilled in a rush.

"It's okay," she said, clutching the counter in her bathroom. "I just couldn't believe that you thought that I could have wanted to be there for her instead of you. I thought that you knew that you mean the world to me."

His voice was soft when he said, "No, I know that. I was just being stupid."

"Yeah," Annabeth breathed, "Yeah, you were."

He laughed quietly, and the sound made Annabeth smile. "I know. I hate to ask you this, but… Would you maybe come back over after you get out of the shower? I, um, my arms feel kind of empty without you."

Annabeth nearly fell over herself because she was so surprised at him saying that. She found herself saying, "Yeah. Give me half an hour. Surely your empty arms can make it that long."

She could see the embarrassed look on his face as he said, "I hope so. Hurry up!"

"Okay," she said. "Love you!"

Wait. What. Had she just done that? Had she really just done that? Sure, she told him that she loved him all of the time, but she always covered it up with something else. She never really just let it hang at the end of any conversation.

But Percy said, "Love you too," before he hung up.

Annabeth stood there, blushing from head to toe, wondering if he meant it the way that she did. He probably didn't, but as long as he was saying it, then it didn't matter.

Ω

Annabeth didn't feel right doing this. The waiter came back with a water for her, and she mumbled a quick thank you.

She was out to lunch with Rachel Dare (Annabeth didn't know why she always used her last name like that when she was referring to the other girl). Rachel had called her earlier this week and had asked if she wanted to go out and do something together. She didn't know why she had said yes.

Annabeth hadn't told Percy where she was going either. He had texted her this morning, but instead of telling him the truth, she had told him that she was meeting her dad for lunch. Sure, she felt bad for lying to Percy, but they had both gotten mad the other day when she had told him the truth, and she wasn't ready to fight again.

Rachel cleared her throat, and Annabeth looked up. She looked just as uncomfortable as Annabeth felt, but at least they were trying to be friends again.

"So," Rachel started. "How are you and Percy doing?"

"Percy's fine. He's still a little sore from the accident, but he's okay right now—" Annabeth started.

She interrupted, "No, I meant how you two aredoing. Not just Percy."

Annabeth blinked, "I mean, I guess we're fine. I don't really—"

"I honestly thought you guys would be together by now," she said.

Annabeth tried not to blush, but it wasn't working. What had she been thinking when she agreed to this? Of course Rachel would ask about her and Percy. Back when they had been really good friends, all they had done when they were together was talk about either Rachel's relationship with Percy (and now Annabeth knew some stuff about Percy that she wished she didn't) or Annabeth's non-existent relationships or college. Sure, sometimes it was boring, but Annabeth really liked having Rachel to talk to. She just felt weird when she tried to talk to Percy about a guy that she thought was cute, and Rachel had never really laughed at her for anything.

She had kind of… missed this.

"He's still a little… broken," Annabeth admitted. "I don't think that he's ready for a relationship."

"I guess it's my fault then, huh?"

Annabeth didn't really know what to say. She still blamed Rachel a little for what happened with Percy, but she knew from personal experience that Percy was a little difficult to deal with sometimes. Lately, she was having a hard time remembering that all of this was Rachel's fault. Maybe that meant that she didn't need to blame Rachel anymore. Maybe it would it make her feel better if she just let it go and tried to be friends with her again.

"Not really. I mean, if you hadn't broken up with him then I think he would have married you," she said finally.

"That's not true," Rachel said.

Annabeth shrugged, "I know him. He would have married you."

"We would have gotten divorced in no time," Rachel said. "Besides, there's no way that you would have let him marry me."

"I'm just the best friend. I wouldn't have stopped him," Annabeth said.

Rachel didn't say anything, and they just stared at each other for a few seconds. She looked a lot different than she did a few weeks ago. Her eyes had their usual sparkle back. She looked happy.

"How are things with Mark? You're with him right?" Annabeth asked.

"Oh, I'm not with him. We just… hang out?" Rachel said awkwardly.

Annabeth laughed at her expression, "Yeah. I'm sure that's what happens."

She shrugged, "It's fun. Mark is too much of a dick to date though."

"Yeah," Annabeth said. "Rachel, do you think this is weird?"

"What?" She asked. "Us going to lunch together?"

"Yeah."

"No," Rachel said, tipping her head to the side. She took a sip of her drink. "Why would it be weird?"

"I don't know. I just feel like I'm betraying Percy. I didn't even tell him where I was going. Last week when I texted you he asked me who it was, and he flipped out when I told him that it was you," Annabeth explained.

Rachel at least had the decency to look embarrassed, "Oh. Is he still mad at you?"

"No. It took him twenty minutes to call me and apologize," Annabeth said.

Rachel raised her eyebrows, "He must love you more than he loved me. When I got mad and walked out on him he always waited two or three days before he called."

"I don't know. I know that he loves me, but I'm not sure if it's just because I'm his best friend or if it's something more," she said cautiously.

Rachel looked skeptical, "Percy Jackson is way different than any other guy that I have ever met. When we first started dating, and I realized that you were his best friend, I figured we wouldn't last. I saw how much you meant to him, and the longer we dated, it seemed like you got more important every day. Even when he wouldn't talk to me, he would always be able to call or text you. Or when he felt like being alone, he could always go to your house and spend time with you. It bothered me, but since you and I were really good friends, I knew that you wouldn't let anything happen. And now, when I see the stuff that he puts on his Snapchat or his Instagram, or even the way that he looks at you when we're at school, it's different than it used to be. He's not looking at you like a best friend anymore. Even I can tell, and I'm not even around him that much anymore."

Annabeth was speechless. Percy really looked at her like that? He really thought about her as more than his best friend? How had Annabeth not seen it? Maybe she had just been so used to seeing him every day, and she had just gotten used to the looks he gave her. Maybe she hadn't noticed it because she had gotten used to it and started expecting it.

"He does love you," Rachel continued. "He probably just doesn't know it yet."

Ω

Annabeth let herself into the house, smiling when she heard Sally in the kitchen cooking dinner.

"Sally?" She asked, walking into the room.

Percy's mom was standing at the counter, chopping up some vegetables. There was a pot of water boiling on the stove, and as Annabeth watched, she dropped some of the vegetables into it. The older woman turned at her voice, and she smiled, reaching out for a hug.

Annabeth had always loved Sally's hugs. They were almost as good as Percy's.

"Annabeth!" She exclaimed. "I didn't know you were coming over! You have to stay for dinner. I'm making this new recipe, and I need you to be here to counter Percy when he says that it's awful."

She laughed, "It will not be awful! But yes, I'll stay if you don't mind."

"Of course I don't!" Sally said, pushing a curl behind Annabeth's ear. "We love to have you over for dinner!"

Annabeth laughed and smiled, "Okay, thanks. Is Percy here?"

"He's in his room. He said that his arm was hurting, and that he was going to take a nap," Sally said. "Go check on him. I haven't been up there."

She nodded and headed for the stairs, "Okay."

Annabeth climbed the stairs and walked down the hallway until she got to Percy's room. The door was closed, but she opened it slowly, slipping inside the room.

Percy was lying on his bed. He had his arms and legs tossed across the bed, covering it from every side. He had his bad arm hanging off of the side of the bed (no wonder it was hurting), his fingers grazing the floor. He was muttering something, but Annabeth couldn't understand what he was saying. He had on a pair of boxers and an old t-shirt that he slept in all of the time.

She frowned and before she knew what she was doing, she shut the door behind her and walked over to his bed, picking his arm up and holding it. She sat down on the edge of his bed and scooted over until she was resting comfortably against the headboard. She gently moved Percy's arm until she could cradle it to her chest so it would stop hurting. She was wearing a tank top today, so Percy's fingers were brushing her collarbone. Annabeth had read that you were supposed to keep injuries above your heart to keep it from throbbing, so maybe his arm would stop hurting now.

He shifted beside her and threw one of his legs over hers. He was still lying on his stomach, and he had his face buried in his pillow. He sounded like he was still asleep. Annabeth put her other arm around him so she could trace her fingers through his hair and down his shoulders.

It took him another thirty minutes to wake up (in which time Annabeth had touched every part of him that she could reach and memorized every detail about him that she hadn't already known). Percy inhaled loudly and turned over, blinking up at her. He looked a little disoriented (and really cute), and he smiled lightly.

"Hey," Annabeth said softly.

He tapped his fingers against her collarbone, "I don't remember you being here when I fell asleep."

"That's because I wasn't. I got here about half an hour ago," she said.

"So you snuck into my bedroom to come cuddle with me?" He asked smugly.

Annabeth cuffed him on the head, "Your mom actually sent me up here to check on someone."

Percy grunted, and she smoothed his hair down. He was quiet.

"How's your arm?" She asked, running one of her hands down his cast.

"Better now," Percy said, looking up at her with a smile. "I'm going to keep you here as my new pillow. You can't leave."

"I can't leave?" She asked, amused.

He pushed his face into her side, "No."

"Mmm… Okay," Annabeth said.

Percy looked up at her, "Okay?"

"Sure. This seems like a pretty good deal. I can just sit here and read my book and—"

"And snuggle with me," he said. "Let's not forget the best part."

Annabeth laughed, but it sounded kind of wrong. She sounded pretty nervous and unsure of herself when she shouldn't. Normally being with Percy was as easy as breathing. Hanging out with him was one thing that always came naturally to her. And it should. She had been with him for the past thirteen years. She knew him better than she knew herself.

Which also meant that Percy knew her inside and out too. He frowned at her and said, "What's wrong?"

She shook her head and didn't meet his eyes, "Nothing."

"Come on, Annabeth. Something is wrong. I know you," he said softly, reaching up with his other hand and touching her jaw.

The words bubbled to her lips before she could stop them. "I lied to you."

Percy didn't stop tracing his fingers across her jaw, and his voice was soft when he said, "About what?"

"I went out to lunch with Rachel today, not my dad."

Annabeth didn't know what she was expecting him to do. Maybe she thought he would get mad and not talk to her for the next few days. Maybe she thought he would yell at her for lying. Maybe she thought that he would get upset because she was trying to be friends with Rachel again.

He didn't do any of those things. Instead, he kept tracing circles on her skin and raised an eyebrow. He said, "Okay."

"And that day before your accident when we were taking a nap after school and I answered the door, it was Rachel. She was here to talk to you, but I wouldn't let her," Annabeth spilled. She was talking way too fast, and she was staring up at the ceiling. "And when we were in the hospital the day that I gave you your skateboard, Rachel came to visit you. I told her to leave because I still wouldn't let her talk to you."

Percy said, "Okay."

"That's it? Okay? That's all I get?" Annabeth asked, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "I know that I shouldn't have done it. I know that I should have told you sooner, but the other day we got into that fight, and I just didn't want to do it again and—"

"Annabeth," Percy said, putting his fingers on her lips to make her stop talking. "I'm not mad. I said okay because it is okay."

"No, it's not okay," she said. A few of the tears dripped down her cheeks. "I lied to you about Rachel. You were miserable because you thought that she didn't care, and it was just because I was lying to you. You should be mad at me. You should hate me. You could be back with Rachel right now but I lied and—"

Percy sat up and covered her mouth with his hand. He turned her head to his so she had to meet his eyes.

"Stop, Annabeth," Percy said. His voice was hard. "You did that stuff to protect me. If you had told me that she had been there then I would have listened to her and begged her to take me back. If you had let me, I would be right back with her getting cheated on and treated like shit. You saved me from that, Annabeth. So what if you tossed in a few lies? I mean, they were to protect me. I would do the same for you."

She didn't know why she was acting like this. Percy had just said that it wasn't a big deal, so why was she crying and thinking that it was? Why didn't she just smile at him and forget it?

Maybe it had something to do with going out to lunch with Rachel. Ever since she had left the restaurant she had been all over the place. Her thoughts had been scattered, and she could physically feel her heart beating faster.

Actually, she knew what it was. Just thinking that Percy could possibly maybe love her had her stomach twisted into knots. What if he really did? What if he cared about her like she cared about him? What if Rachel was right? What if—?

"Okay," Annabeth said finally, swiping the tears from her face and hoping that Percy hadn't noticed.

He did though. He leaned up farther and gently brushed at her eyes, removing the last of her tears. He frowned at her, "Why did you get so upset?"

She shook her head. She didn't want to tell him. Instead, she said, "I don't know."

Percy pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. He looked like he wanted to push her to find out what was wrong, but he didn't say anything else. Maybe he was afraid that she would keep crying if he asked her about it again. She knew that Percy hated it when she was upset.

"Fine," he said. "At least tell me how your lunch with Rachel went."

She stiffened at the question. Why was he asking about Rachel? She blinked at him, "It was fine."

He just looked at her without saying anything so she felt like she had to continue.

"I mean, it was kind of awkward too. We used to hang out together all of the time, and I think it was kind of difficult for me to get used to her again? But, it was kind of… fun," Annabeth stammered, looking toward the window to avoid his gaze.

Percy was looking at her with this expression, and something inside of her clicked into place. His green eyes were soft, and his lips were turned up into a small smile. His black hair was sticking up in plenty of different directions, but it was cute.

Looking at him right then, Annabeth realized that it was dumb to be nervous around him. Even if their feelings had changed, he was still Percy and she was still Annabeth. They were best friends. Maybe they would change the label soon, but it wasn't going to change who they were. It wouldn't change how they were together.

His good arm slipped around her waist and held her tightly. He ducked his head and pushed his face into her neck, huddling closer to her. His other arm and cast relaxed against her chest again, and he spread his fingers over her skin.

"I'm glad you're hanging out with her again," Percy murmured. "I want you to be friends with her if she's important to you."

Annabeth could only nod and brush her fingers through his hair. Her voice was embarrassingly breathless when she said, "Okay."

Ω

Percy reached back without looking at her and found her hand, twisting their fingers together. She had to shift her backpack onto her shoulder with her other hand, so she probably looked really weird, but it didn't seem that important if she was holding his hand.

They were on their way to their third period class (English, uggh) and the hallways were super crowded as everyone rushed to avoid being late. Annabeth couldn't even make it to walk at Percy's shoulder because of the other students in the hall.

He had taken to holding her hand most of the time now. He still had his cast on his left arm, so now Percy demanded to use his right hand to hold her left hand. It seemed like he was always holding her hand (which was perfectly fine with Annabeth) but that didn't stop some of the weird looks that they got.

It hadn't been that long since Percy's accident—maybe about two weeks—but he was doing way better. The bruises on his face had disappeared. The cuts on his side had healed, leaving a few thin lines as scars. His cast was getting old and smelly, but his arm was hurting less and less. He was smiling more, and he just looked happier. When Annabeth had first noticed it she had laughed and joked that the car that had hit him must have knocked some sense into him. Percy had blushed and gripped her hand tighter, smiling to himself.

Things were happening slowly. Annabeth could tell that they were changing as time went on. They were spending every possible moment together, and when they were with each other, they were always touching. Lately, holding her hand hadn't been enough for Percy. If they were at home watching movies, then she had to be sitting in his lap with his arms wrapped around her body. If that wasn't happening then chances were he wasn't happy. He was also giving her kisses a lot more. It wasn't odd or out of the norm to have Percy press a kiss to her forehead or temple, but in the last week he had gotten braver. Now he was kissing her cheek and nose. Yesterday he had even dropped his lips to her jaw.

It had scared her, and she had jumped when he realized how close he was. She had even felt him smirking against her skin right before he had pressed his face into her neck.

It was all weird. Annabeth didn't know what was going on with him. She wasn't sure if he was about to make a legit move or if he was just messing with her. She wasn't sure if she should say anything about it or not.

If he was planning on telling her that he wanted to be more than best friends, Annabeth didn't think it would be long. She could tell that he was almost at his breaking point, and even though he looked happy all of the time, Annabeth caught the glimpses of frustration on his face when she pulled away from him.

Percy's fingers tightened around hers as he pulled them into their English classroom. She waved and smiled at Rachel as Percy pulled them toward their desks.

"Annabeth!" Rachel said, following them. She turned around after she put her backpack on the ground.

"Hey, Rachel," she greeted easily. Things between them had gotten better, and now they were hanging out a few times a week. They usually sat together in their study hall, and sometimes they would grab lunch on the weekends (if Percy would allow Annabeth to leave his side).

"Hey, I need you to come over sometime tomorrow," Rachel said, pulling one of Annabeth's curls out from behind her ear. "I need help with this painting that I'm trying to finish. But that's all of the information that I can give you right now."

Before Annabeth could smile and say that she would be there, Percy leaned out from behind her and pushed her hair back behind her ear. He looked Rachel up and down before he said, "Tomorrow isn't good."

Rachel and Annabeth both turned to look at him. In unison, they said, "What?"

Percy just shook his head, "She can't do tomorrow. She's busy."

Rachel beat Annabeth to asking. She crossed her arms and said, "And what is she doing that's so important that she can't come by my house for an hour?"

"She's hanging out with me," he said smugly.

"You've had her constantly for the last two weeks!" Rachel said. "You have to share!"

"I don't have to do anything that you tell me to," Percy said defiantly.

Annabeth was too shocked about them arguing over her to do anything about it. She just looked back and forth between them as they traded snarky comments.

Percy and Rachel hadn't talked at all since their last break-up, and Annabeth was surprised to see them even acknowledging each other. Sure, maybe they were arguing over her, but at least they weren't screaming. Yet.

"So you're telling me that you will just be too busy to bring her by my house for an hour? What exactly are you going to be doing?" Rachel said as she tapped her foot against the ground.

"That's none of your business," Percy said, setting his hand on Annabeth's back.

"Percy Jackson! I haven't even got to hang out with her because you've been with her all of the time! It's my turn! She's my friend!" Rachel said.

"Well she's my—"

Annabeth turned to look back at Percy, and she honestly couldn't help the grin that covered her face. Her tone was way too smug, but she didn't care. "I'm your what?"

Percy glared at her, but his face was a little red. He said, "That's was it. You're mine. And I can't share her, Rachel. Sorry."

Rachel glanced at Annabeth before looking back to Percy, "Nice save, Percy. Now if you don't mind, drop Annabeth off at four tomorrow afternoon, and I will personally make sure that she arrives at your doorstep by six."

Percy shifted his glare to Rachel, "Five-thirty."

"Fine," Rachel said as their English teacher walked into the room. "See you then, Annabeth!"

"Okay?" Annabeth said. She still had a trace of a smile on her face from Percy's slip-up. She watched as Rachel scampered off to her desk.

Percy gently pulled her down into her desk just as their teacher asked them to sit down. She was pretty sure that almost everyone was staring at them, but she shot him a playful smile and she ran her hand through his hair and down his face before she turned around.

She knew that he blushed for the rest of the period.

Ω

Annabeth wanted to roll her eyes at how slow Percy was driving, but she was really choking down a smile. He was dropping her off at Rachel's house (Annabeth had offered to drive herself, but he had refused and demanded to take her). Annabeth knew that he was going to hold Rachel to her word, meaning that she better have Annabeth back to his house by five-thirty or else.

He was being kind of ridiculous about this whole thing, but Annabeth guessed she understood. If they were reversed, it would be difficult for her to accept it too.

Percy finally pulled up to the curb outside of Rachel's house. He put the car in park and cut the engine, but he refused to look at her.

Annabeth sat there for a second before she leaned over and smoothed the crease from his frown off of his face. His eyebrows were scrunched together, but she pushed her hand into his hair.

"Hey," she said. "Don't frown. You'll get wrinkles."

His frown deepened. "I don't care about wrinkles."

"I don't care if you care or not. Just stop frowning. I'll be back at your house in two hours," Annabeth said.

Percy finally looked at her, and Annabeth was surprised to see how upset he looked. His shoulders were stiff, and his whole body seemed tense. His hands were clenching the steering wheel.

"I can tell Rachel that I can't stay," she offered half-heartedly.

But Percy must have heard that she didn't want to do that in her voice because he shook his head and looked out of the window away from her.

"No," he said. "Give me a hug and go have fun. I'll see you later."

Annabeth smiled and jumped out of the car, running around to his side. Percy had already climbed out, so once he was standing up straight she threw her arms around him.

He hugged her tightly, gripping her hip and her shoulder. Annabeth could feel his heart beating through both of their shirts. His breathing was steady, and he pulled back faster than normal.

Percy gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and met her eyes for half of a second before he turned around and climbed back inside his car. He gave her a weak smile, "I'll see you in a little while."

Annabeth caught his arm because something felt wrong. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Sure," he said, leaning up to give her another kiss on the cheek. "See you soon."

"Okay?" Annabeth asked as he slowly drove away.

She watched his car disappear from view, and she got the feeling that something wasn't right and that they weren't okay.

Ω

Rachel turned the radio down as she pulled into Percy's driveway. She didn't bother to turn the car off, but she looked over to Annabeth before pulling her in for a quick hug.

"Thanks for coming over," she said. "Good luck with Percy."

Annabeth had told Rachel about her feeling that something was wrong when she had gone inside. Actually, Annabeth had lounged the whole time and ranted about Percy while Rachel had painted. Well, maybe it was more worrying than ranting. Rachel had given her some advice (nothing that Annabeth didn't know, but the sentiment was still nice) and she had wished her good luck.

Annabeth smiled lightly and got out, "No problem. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Bye!" Rachel called as she started to back out of the driveway.

As soon as she was gone, Annabeth turned and walked to the door, opening it and letting herself in. The lights in the kitchen were dark so Sally must have stayed late at her office.

She climbed the stairs and walked to Percy's room, knocking on the door lightly. She didn't hear anything so she opened the door slowly.

Annabeth found Percy lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He was still wearing his clothes from school (which was weird because he normally changed into sweatpants as soon as he got home) and his sneakers were still tied on his feet. It looked like he had come straight up here and fallen down on his bed without moving. He had probably been lying here since he had gotten back from dropping her off at Rachel's.

"Hey," she said softly, edging closer into the room and toward his bed.

He glanced at her and murmured, "Hey."

She frowned and sat down on the edge of his bed, staring down at him. He wouldn't meet her gaze, and when she reached out to touch him, he turned his face away from her.

For some reason, that hurt her. Something inside of her broke when he did that. He never turned away from her. What was happening?

She sighed, "What's wrong?"

He shook his head, but he still wasn't looking at her. "Nothing."

"Something is wrong. Something has been wrong since yesterday in English when Rachel asked me to come over and help her, and now I want you to tell me what it is so I can fix it," Annabeth said.

After another second he looked up at her. His eyes were cold, and it made Annabeth even more nervous. He scowled and said, "Maybe you can't fix it this time."

She pulled back up when Percy sat up and rolled out of his bed. He walked over to the window.

"What?" She asked.

"Maybe this is something that you can't fix," he said again.

Annabeth didn't understand what he was saying. What did he even mean? How could she not fix something? She had been here for him this whole time, and she knew him. She knew how to help him and keep him steady, but right now it kind of seemed like he was broken. It was almost like he was too broken for her to fix this time.

But she refused to believe that he was right. Annabeth could fix anything. She could help him in any way possible, and if she couldn't do it herself, then she would find somebody who could. She never gave up whenever Percy needed her.

"I don't understand," she said, standing up too.

He stayed silent.

"Percy," she begged. "Talk to me. I'm right here."

"I think that may be the problem," he said.

Annabeth stepped backward in shock, and she almost fell to the ground. What was he saying? Did he have a problem with her? Was Annabeth the problem?

"What?" She tried to ignore how her voice broke, but she was sure Percy heard it.

He finally turned around to look at her. Instead of wearing a painful expression like she was used to, his jaw was clenched and his eyes were cold. There was something off about it, maybe like he was trying too hard. But that didn't make it any less painful for her to look at.

"I don't know," he said evenly, straining his voice. "Something doesn't feel right. Something is different. Maybe it's because we're so close or we've been together so much. Maybe we need a break."

She felt tears prick her eyes and her throat felt like it might close. "What do you mean? What's different? Are you still made that I went to Rachel's? Is that what this is about?"

His expression hardened, "No. That's not what this is about. This is something else. I'm saying that I need a break from whatever this is."

"A break?" She asked, trying to keep her voice from slipping into a shriek. "What exactly are we taking a break from? We're best friends! I don't get—"

Percy cut her off, "I just need some space. That's it."

She thought that space was the last thing that he needed right now, but she wasn't going to stand here and argue with him. It would just make her look stupid. If Percy was going to push her away when he needed her the most then that was his problem.

Except it wasn't just his problem. She didn't want space. She wanted to be closer to him. She wanted to be with him. How could he expect her just to walk out like he didn't matter to her?

Annabeth swiped the tears off of her face and turned toward the door. Her vision was blurry from crying, but she wasn't planning on letting Percy notice.

Of course, he did, and the hard look melted off of his face for half of a second before it was back.

He said, "Let me drive you home."

"No," she said firmly. "I can walk myself."

"It's too cold for you to walk."

"Why do you care?"

Percy's face twisted into a harder expression, "Don't. I'm driving you home."

Annabeth turned away from him when he tried to grab her elbow, "Don't touch me. I said that I can walk myself."

He crossed his arms over his chest, "And I said that it's too cold for you to do it."

"I don't care what you say," she said, wiping her eyes again and heading toward the door.

She had it halfway open and was stepping through when Percy said, "Wait."

She looked back to him, and he was holding out the hoodie that he had been wearing.

Annabeth scowled at him and walked out without taking the jacket. She tried not to slam the door, but she was pretty sure that it happened anyway.

Percy had been right. It was too cold for her to be walking outside by herself, but she had done it plenty of times before. Besides, she definitely didn't want Percy's help right now. She still didn't even understand how he could think that space would be a good thing for him. The only thing that had ever helped him was being close to someone else.

It didn't matter what she thought though. She couldn't change his mind for him. She knew that it would be stupid to argue with him and just make this whole thing worse than it already was.

She also knew that neither of them was okay, and this time neither of them was there for each other.

Ω

Annabeth had finally managed to stop crying. Sure, it had taken a few hours (okay, maybe all day) but she had finally run out of tears. Now her eyes were puffy and red, and she had a headache.

She had made it home last night and threw her phone across the house. She was pretty sure it was still lying at the bottom of the stairs, waiting to be stepped on. Percy hadn't called or texted her—not that she was expecting him to—but she was still upset.

It had been almost a whole day since she heard from Percy (which was the longest time she had gone without at least texting him in years). Even though she was miserable, she wasn't going to call him first. If he wanted space then he would have to deal with her cold shoulder until he decided that he was being stupid and that he had made a mistake. And maybe even after he apologized. She wasn't going to forgive him so easily this time. He had never hurt her like this.

She hadn't slept any last night, and she hadn't eaten since yesterday at lunch. She knew that she was being ridiculous, but her heart was hurting. She wasn't okay without him. She just wasn't.

Of course, she had spent most of the morning pretending that she was. She had rolled out of bed (even though she hadn't slept any) and taken a shower before heading to school. She had driven to school by herself (which was weird because she always rode to school with Percy since they only lived a few blocks away from each other) but she had only made it through two periods before she couldn't handle it anymore. She had grabbed her books and the rest of her homework before sprinting toward her car. She hadn't spotted Percy at school so he must have stayed at home too.

After she got back home, she had finished her homework and started a new book to get her mind off of Percy. It didn't work though. He was everywhere. There were pictures of him and things he had bought her and gave her and helped her pick out and—it was just too much.

Pathetic. That's the word that kept going through Annabeth's mind when she started to cry again. She was strong. She was independent. She didn't need to get so upset over a boy—

But that wasn't true because Percy wasn't just any boy. Percy was her best friend, and she loved him. He was one of the only solid things that she had left. She had given her heart to him. And… she had thought that he had given her his heart. Maybe not.

So that's how Annabeth ended up sitting in the living room floor with her favorite blanket, watching Harry Potter and eating ice cream and popcorn. Sure, it was kind of cliché, but at least she wasn't thinking about him as much anymore.

She heard her phone ringing (it was still lying at the bottom of the stairs; she hadn't dared to pick it up this morning) but she didn't bother to get up and answer it. It could have been her dad checking up on her, but he would be home in a few hours anyway.

Over the next hour, her phone rang a few more times and she heard Percy's text tone at least a dozen different times. Even though she wanted to answer him, something kept her from moving from her spot on the floor.

She was putting in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when she heard someone knock on the door. She froze mid-step when she heard the voice that she had been trying to push out of her mind all day on the opposite side of the door.

"Annabeth?" He called, knocking on the door. "It's me. Open the door."

She didn't—couldn't—move.

"Come on, Annabeth," he said, desperation slipping into his voice. "Please."

Her feet started moving, and she found herself standing in front of the door.

"Annabeth, please," his voice was rough. "I don't know if you're even listening to me right now, but I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said any of that, and I was so wrong about it and—I just. I wanted to say that I was sorry. I really wish you would open the door."

Her hand was on the door as she listened, but when he stopped talking she still didn't open the door. She heard him walk away and then she counted the beats of her heart for one, two, three seconds and then—

Annabeth jerked the door open and found Percy sitting on the bottom step of her porch. It was cold outside, and she thought he might have been shivering.

He turned around when he heard the door open, and he let out a breath, like he was relieved just to see her.

"Hey," he breathed, staring at her. His eyes and expression were soft, and he had a small smile on his face.

Annabeth wasn't smiling, "It's too cold to sit outside."

"I know," he said.

"Then what are you doing here?" She asked, stepping behind the door.

He hesitated, "I needed to hear your voice. You wouldn't answer my calls or texts."

She crossed her arms over her chest, "That's because I didn't want to see you."

"Yeah," he said quietly. When he looked back up at her, there were a few tears in his eyes. He shoved his hand through his hair. "Yeah, I'll just go."

She watched as he turned around and walked down the sidewalk to his car. He was halfway there when she called out his name.

"Percy," she said. Half of her was screaming to run to him and hug him until he couldn't breathe, but the other half of her was shouting for her to tell him to get lost and then slam the door in his face.

He turned back and said, "Yeah?"

She stared at him for a second, wondering what she was about to do. She pushed the door back and said, "Come inside. It's too cold to stay out here."

He bit his lip, but his expression was a lot less sad. He nodded and followed her through the door, closing it behind him.

Annabeth walked back to the living room and grabbed her blanket before having a seat on the couch. Percy walked in behind her and sat at the other end of the couch. Annabeth thought that was weird because he usually sat right beside her. She guessed that he was trying to keep his distance.

She stared at him until he said, "What?"

"You came here. You talk," she said.

A surprised look passed across Percy's face before he ducked his head, "I don't know what to say."

"Why don't you start with apologizing for being such a dick?" She suggested, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

Percy winced, "I really thought that I needed space from you. I thought that it would make whatever this is less intense. Lately it seems like we spend time together and then we don't and I'm missing something. It literally feels like something is missing when we aren't together. I thought that if we spent some time apart then it wouldn't feel like that. But I was wrong. I was so, so, so, so wrong. I was miserable. I can't stand not hearing your voice or seeing your eyes or making you laugh or god, just being near you. I missed you. I'm not okay when you're not with me. I've been so upset and crazy and miserable since we fought and I can't do it anymore. I need you, Annabeth. I just—"

"Stop," Annabeth said, turning her head away from him. Tears were rolling down both of their cheeks, and she couldn't stand to see Percy cry when he was saying all of that stuff.

He scooted down the couch so he was right beside her, and he slowly reached out and set his hand on her knee.

His voice broke when he said, "I'll go."

"No," she said, surprising both of them. "It's fine. I am accepting your very long and heartfelt speech as an apology, but I am still a little mad at you."

He let out a breath that was somewhere between a sob and a laugh, "Okay. Tell me why you're still mad."

"We've been best friends for what? Thirteen years? Yesterday—you've never hurt me like that before. I never for one second thought that you would ever hurt me, and then you just told me that you didn't want to see me anymore. You literally rejected me. I never thought that you would do that to me. I gave you everything, and then you just—" she cut herself off and swiped at some of her tears. "I wasn't expecting you to do that. It hurt. I thought I was going to fall apart."

Percy wasn't looking at her, but he reached his hand out, offering it to her. After a few seconds, she put her hand in his. Something inside of her clicked back into place when he grasped her fingers.

"You know," he said, looking up at her. "If I were you I would still hate me. I really am sorry, Annabeth. More sorry than I've ever been before."

She nodded and looked down at their hands, "I know you are."

They were quiet for a few seconds, but it wasn't their same comfortable silence that she was used to. With Percy, things were normally easier and more comfortable, but right now, it was awkward.

After a few seconds of the same weird silence, she glanced over at him and said, "All of those things just you said, I feel the same way. I haven't been okay since we fought. I haven't eaten anything except for junk food. I haven't slept any. I couldn't even make it all day at school."

"At least you went," Percy said shyly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I couldn't even get out of bed."

Annabeth breathed out a laugh, but it didn't sound very real.

He squeezed her fingers and tipped her face up, "Are we going to be okay?"

She met his green gaze and nodded slowly, "We'll be fine. I just need some time to forgive and forget."

He looked away from her and winced again, "Yeah. Okay. Can you—can you just hug me and kiss me and tell me that it will be okay?"

Annabeth stared at him for a few seconds. His eyebrows were scrunched together, and he probably thought that he was about to tell him no.

She yanked on his hand and pulled him into a hug. His arms slipped around her back, and they both sighed when they fit together perfectly.

She had missed him. Oh god she had missed him.

She pulled back from him just enough so she could press a soft kiss to his cheek. She whispered, "Of course it's going to be okay. I'm here, and I'm okay. You're here, and you're okay. Everything is fine."

Percy nodded against her and pulled her closer again, making sure they were pressed together as much as they could be.

Annabeth relaxed into his arms, forgetting that they had just had the worst fight in the history of their friendship. But that was okay. As long as they were together, they were both okay.

Ω

That friendship ended two weeks later.

Annabeth remembered it perfectly. Percy and Annabeth were sitting in her room. It was a Friday afternoon, and Annabeth was planning on going to the movies with Rachel and a few of their other friends. She was getting ready, and Percy was lying on her bed and pouting because he wasn't going.

"I want to go with you," he whined.

"No," she yelled from the bathroom. She was finishing her makeup before she changed into the outfit she had picked out. "I told you that it was girls only."

She could hear him whining from the bed, "Annabeth, stay here and hang out with me."

"No way," she said, suppressing a grin and grabbing her lip gloss from her bag. "Besides, I've been with you every day for the past two weeks! And you don't even want to see the new movie that we're going to."

"I'm into chick flicks," he muttered.

She laughed, "Yeah right. Besides, you need to clean your room anyway."

Annabeth didn't hear anything else from Percy, but she knew he was probably still pouting and frowning.

When she was finally ready, she checked the mirror. She was wearing a pair of tight, black skinny jeans and a light blue, tight long-sleeve shirt with a V-neck. Sure, maybe her outfit was a little sluttier than what she normally went for, but she looked good. And Rachel had helped her pick it out, so.

Annabeth pulled her combat boots on and shook her hair out again before heading back to her room across the hall.

"Hey," she said, trying to get Percy's attention. He was lying face down on her bed. "How do I look?"

Percy groaned as he rolled back over, but he went quiet when he saw her.

Annabeth bit her lip and turned toward her mirror that was against her wall, examining her outfit again. Maybe it was too slutty.

"That bad?" She asked. "Should I change or—?"

"No," Percy said quickly. His voice was wobbly. He was sitting up now, letting his eyes flit down her body and back to her face. "No. You look good."

She laughed at the expression on his face, "Okay. I mean, I know that I don't normally wear stuff like this, but Rachel helped pick it out."

Percy stood up from her bed and walked over to her, standing behind her while she faced the mirror. She watched as he gently placed his hands on her hips and turned her around. He stepped closer so they were pressed together knees, thighs, and hips. Annabeth blinked up at him.

He stared at her, and there was something flickering in his green eyes that she didn't recognize. After a few more seconds, his gaze flitted down to her lips.

Annabeth wanted to shiver (or maybe just lean up and crush her lips to his), but she refused to let him know how much he was affecting her right now. She tried to ignore how fast her heart was beating or how shallow her breathing was or her hands shaking slightly or—

Percy leaned down a little closer, but instead of letting their lips touch like she wanted, he put his mouth at her ear and whispered, "You look great. Tell Rachel that I liked your outfit."

When he pulled back, Annabeth glared at him. He was smirking like he knew what that had done to her, and he was letting his eyes wander down her body, pausing on her shoulders and hips and legs and—it was too much for Annabeth.

She stomped her foot like a kid, and Percy bit back a grin. She strengthened her glare and said, "You can't do that. That's not fair."

His tone was way too smug when he said, "And what exactly did I do if I might ask?"

Annabeth crossed her arms over her chest, "You know exactly what you did."

"I do?" Percy asked innocently, smothering a gigantic grin.

"Yes," she said firmly. "You do."

He pretended like he was thinking about it, but Annabeth could see how hard he was holding back a smile, "Mmm. You might need to show me exactly what it is that I did."

"Fine," she said, stomping up to him.

She reached out and grabbed him by the belt loops on his jeans and tugged him in her direction until they were pressed together even closer than before. She left one of her hands there, easing her fingers under his shirt and teasingly running her fingertips over the skin just above his belt buckle. She used her other hand and ran it up his back, cupping one of his shoulder blades and running her hand in a circle.

Percy swallowed loudly.

She smirked and moved in even closer, nudging his nose with hers. Their lips were so close, and when Percy titled his head to kiss her, she moved her head back, rubbing her nose with his again.

"Annabeth," Percy muttered. His hands had moved up her side, and now he was grasping her hips.

Even though she was trying to irritate Percy, she was happy just standing here with him. She sighed and let her eyes close, leaning further into him.

He stopped fidgeting after a few more minutes, and once he did, he seemed happy to just stand there too. Annabeth wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, but all too soon she heard someone honking their horn outside of her house.

She opened her eyes, but Percy was already staring at her. She tried to squirm out of his grasp, but his hands and arms just tightened on her body.

"Don't go," Percy said.

She smiled and pushed against his chest. Her hand slid farther up under his shirt. She used her other hand to grab one of his, "Yes. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Is Rachel bringing you back home?" He asked, frowning.

She nodded, tracing her fingers in circles where his heart was.

"Tell her to bring you to my house instead. I want to see you," he said quietly.

"Okay, I have to go," she said, stepping out of his arms.

He pulled her back and offered her his cheek, "Kiss me?"

She moved to kiss him on the cheek, but she didn't realize when Percy moved his head. Annabeth caught his lips instead of his cheek. She pulled back in surprise.

She stared at him for a second, and all she could see was the green of his eyes.

Had she really—? She had just kissed Percy. On the lips. For the first time.

And she wanted to do it again.

At the exact same moment, they both lunged forward and their lips met and god—it was perfect. Maybe a little cliché. But god she didn't care. Perfect. That was the word.

Percy kissed her deeply, running his tongue along her bottom lip until she opened her mouth wider. They both groaned at the same exact time, and somehow that made it even better.

Annabeth heard another honk, and she reluctantly pulled back from Percy's lips. She ducked her face to avoid his eyes, but he tilted her chin back up and pressed his lips back to hers a couple of different times.

She laughed and pushed at him, but he wouldn't move away. "Come on, Percy. I have to go."

"You can't," he breathed, kissing every inch of her face. "You shouldn't have kissed me. I can't let go of you now. Sorry."

She laughed again and finally managed to get out of his arms. "I am going, and you are going to go home and clean your room. Then I can come over and maybe we can finish this. If you're lucky."

He raised an eyebrow, "If I'm lucky?"

"Yep. I guess it will just depend on what kind of mood I'm in," she said.

Annabeth checked her outfit in the mirror, straightening her shirt and ruffling her hair again. Her lip gloss was ruined, but the rest of her makeup looked okay. She grabbed her wallet from her desk and turned toward the door.

Percy was pouting, staring at her with a disgruntled expression on his face. Annabeth grinned and darted back over to him, quickly pressing her lips to his before he could grab her and hold her. She pulled away and handed him his skateboard before running out of her room.

She yelled goodbye (he could make it out of the house on his own) and ran out of the door and to Rachel's car.

"What took you so long?" Rachel asked as Annabeth climbed into the passenger seat.

She sighed, "Percy distracted me."

"Distracted you? What—?" Rachel finally looked over at her. "Hey, your lip gloss is messed up. You need to—wait. He distracted you and your lip gloss is messed up?"

Annabeth bit her lip to hide her smile, "Yes."

Rachel's grin was bigger than her own, "He kissed you?"

"Yes!" Annabeth squeaked uncharacteristically.

They both squealed excitedly, and Percy chose that exact moment to open the door and start down the sidewalk with his skateboard in his hand.

When he passed them, they both blew him a kiss.

He blushed a dark red and glared at them before jumping on his skateboard and heading home.

Rachel and Annabeth both laughed as they started down the road.

She sighed, "Oh, that's awesome. I'm glad that you guys are happy."

Annabeth stared at the spot where Percy had disappeared, "Me too."

Ω

Annabeth waved at Rachel as she pulled away. It was too cold to linger outside, so Annabeth darted inside the house.

She had had a great time with Rachel. A few of their other friends—Piper, Silena, and a girl named Hazel—had met them at the theater, and it had been really great. Annabeth had missed going out with her other friends.

But she would be lying if she said that she wasn't happy to be at Percy's house right now.

Annabeth greeted Sally with a hug, and the older woman told her to go on upstairs to find Percy. Apparently he hadn't been downstairs since dinner. But Sally hadn't been too worried. Sally told Annabeth that the dreamy expression on his face was pretty amusing. She had only blushed a little before climbing the stairs.

Her hand hesitated on the doorknob. She was shaking slightly, and she felt a little sick to her stomach.

While she had been gone to the movies, her anxiety about seeing Percy again had skyrocketed. Even though he had kissed her first (well, accidentally, but still) what if he had decided that he didn't want to be together while she was gone?

And is that what was going to happen now? Were they going to start dating? Were they going to be boyfriend and girlfriend? Were they—?

Annabeth shook herself and tried to get rid of all of her thoughts. Whatever they were going to be now, they would have to figure it out together. If she stood out her and worried about it by herself, she would be out here all night.

She took a deep breath before she opened the door.

Percy was sitting at his desk (which surprised Annabeth because he never used that stupid thing) scribbling on some paper. He had his math book open, and he looked thoroughly confused. She was impressed though. He must have been really bored to break down and start doing his homework on a Friday night.

Annabeth smiled and shut the door. He finally looked up when she said, "Hey."

The next thing that Annabeth knew, Percy was pressing her up against the door, kissing her square on the mouth. One of his hands was threaded through her hair and cupping her face and the other was gripping her hip. He kept tilting his head and hitting brand new angles, and it was just awesome. Percy was a great kisser.

After a few more minutes (really it could have been hours; Annabeth would have been happy just standing there and kissing Percy forever) he pulled back and leaned his forehead against hers.

His eyes were shining, and he was grinning. He looked incredibly adorable, and Annabeth wanted to take a picture of him in that moment.

"Hey, yourself," he breathed, brushing his nose against hers.

Annabeth laughed lightly, trying to ignore how out of breath she was. She let one of her hands slid up his chest while her other hand threaded through his hair. He sighed happily and pushed even closer to her. She arched her back, bending her middle closer to Percy. She pressed a kiss to his jaw.

Percy made this weird sound like he was being strangled, and Annabeth experimentally moved her lips to his neck.

The ground disappeared from under her feet, and before she knew it, Percy was laying her down on his bed, hovering over her as she clung to him. They rolled over, and Annabeth was still pressing her lips up and down his neck, listening to him make a variety of different sounds.

"You know," he said breathily. "All you're really doing right now is pressing your smile to my skin."

Annabeth started laughing, and she pulled back up to his face. She gave him a quick kiss, and Annabeth was thinking that the sweetness of all of this was going to give her a toothache.

"Mmm," she sighed, blinking down at him. "I don't care."

Percy laughed too and covered half of his face with one of his hands, "What are we doing, Annabeth?"

She grinned and nudged his hand out of the way, tangling their fingers together. "Something that we should have done a long time ago."

"I know," he nodded. "I shouldn't have wasted all of that time when I could have had you thirteen years ago."

"It probably wouldn't have been as great though," she said thoughtfully, tracing the line of his mouth with her fingertips. "I think being best friends for so long is going to make our relationship better."

He wiggled his eyebrows, "Relationship? Oooh. Is that what we're in now?"

She rolled her eyes and kissed him again, fighting the urge to blush, "Duh."

"So I'm like, you're boyfriend?"

Annabeth batted her eyelashes, "As long as I'm your girlfriend."

Percy tossed his head back and laughed loudly, squinting his eyes until there were laugh lines in the corners of his face. "This is awesome."

Annabeth's own grin widened, and she squealed when Percy flipped them over again. When he kissed her, tipping her head up to hit this great angle, she realized that things were way better than okay.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it! Leave a review!

-SomethingMoreCreative