hello all, thank you for the lovely response to our last update. it's so great to know that people still enjoy and follow this story... keep them coming and we'll keep the updates coming :)

we're both on tumblr if you have any questions ananbeth and percyyoulittlepumpkin

the chapter title is from Gabrielle Aplin's song, Sweet Nothing

Wednesday, 17th March, 2010.

Piper knew by the slam of his bag on the cafeteria table that it hadn't gone well. She picked up her overturned jello pot and looked over at Percy as he threw himself down in the seat opposite her. His hair was damp and falling into his eyes and his collar was sticking up. Piper reached over to flatten it down.

"How was practice?"

"Fine," Percy grunted.

"You're not eating?"

"Not hungry."

And that, more than anything, told Piper that he definitely wasn't okay.

"Percy..."

He looked up at her, scowl etched into his face as it permanently seemed to be these days. "My lab partner sucks."

It took piper a moment to remember that Percy wasn't referring to Annabeth, because Annabeth wasn't his lab partner any more. Piper had hoped that the fight between the two of them on Valentine's Day was a one off thing for which they would awkwardly apologise to each other the next day. But that would have been far too easy for Percy and Annabeth who, four weeks later, were still not speaking to each other.

Piper wasn't even sure if they were angry with one another any more or if things had just become too awkward between them for the gap to be bridged. It was easy enough for them to avoid each other too, what with Percy spending most of his free time in the pool and Annabeth hanging out with her friend, Dave or holing herself up in the library. The only time their paths had really crossed was in their Biology class, and Annabeth had swiftly removed that obstacle the week following Valentine's Day.

Piper had found out by way of Percy storming over to where she and Leo had been sitting in the skatepark and throwing his board down.

"She's switched lab partners!" he'd exclaimed in anger.

Piper sat up from her slouched position. "What?"

Percy started pacing and Piper knew then that things were bad. Percy became extra agitated when he was irritated. "I was all ready to go and apologise to her, even though it was her fault too, and I walk into class and Dr Bowman pulls me aside and tells me I have a different lab partner and that I need to move seats. Annabeth wouldn't even look at me. She's being so fucking petty, now I'm never talking to her again. And I'm definitely not apologising."

But Annabeth had not been being petty, she'd been hurt and angry and had acted before really thinking. Which was usually Percy's thing. When Piper had gone to her asking why she'd done it, Annabeth had explained that this would just make things less awkward, and that this way she and Percy wouldn't be forced to work together while they were angry with each other.

Piper wanted to smack their heads together.

Jason kept telling her to stay out of it and not meddle, that they just needed time. But Piper's patience was running out, and she missed her friends. Percy and Annabeth's fight had shifted the whole dynamic of the group, causing them all to spend less time with one another.

"At least it's Spring Break soon," Piper told Percy now. "One more week and the project is done, right?"

Percy grunted again.

She wished he would stop grunting.

"If we manage to finish it. I doubt we'll pass, Jeffords is a moron."

She sighed. "Just look forward to break. We'll be back in East Summers for two weeks, we can spend the whole time at the diner and in the skatepark. It's gonna be great."

Percy didn't look convinced. In fact, he looked a little guilty.

"What?" Piper asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I don't know if I'm going home over Spring Break."

"What?"

Percy glared at her and looked around them like her outburst might have caused the bustling cafeteria to drop everything and stare at the two of them. "I need to stay and practice in the pool."

Piper narrowed her eyes at him. "Bullshit. You still haven't made up with your mom, have you?"

Percy winced.

Piper threw her jell-o at him. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

He caught the jell-o but didn't start eating it like he usually would have done. "Just forget it."

"You just expect me to forget that my best friend isn't speaking to his mother? I was planning on staying at yours over break, you moron. Now I'm gonna have to put up with two weeks of Leo and Esperanza talking about cars."

Percy rolled his eyes. "My mom will still let you stay if I'm not there."

Of course she would, but that wasn't the point. Piper would be more than happy to stay at Leo's house, but she was trying to guilt trip Percy and it wasn't working. She wanted to press him on it, but Leo, Frank, and Hazel joined them at the table, effectively ceasing their conversation.

Piper would have been annoyed, but Percy's mood improved from there. And she herself became so caught up in the conversation and laughter that she forgot she needed to press Percy about the Sally issue.

She also didn't notice Annabeth walk into the cafeteria, spot their table and walk back out again without getting any food.

Annabeth was elbow deep in geometry when Piper walked into their dorm and fell down on her bed.

"How was cross country practice?" Annabeth asked without looking up.

Piper's response was muffled into her pillow. "Horrible. And I'm mad at you for abandoning me."

Annabeth rolled her eyes and spun her chair around. "The student council meeting ran over," she explained.

Piper rolled over and propped her head up on her arm so that she could pull a face at Annabeth. "Gross."

"You think any extracurricular activity is gross."

"I'm not disagreeing with you."

Annabeth stood up and crossed over to Piper's bed, nudging her until she made room for Annabeth to flop down next to her. "And yet, your boyfriend and your roommate are two of the most actively involved students at Moncada. Congratulations, McLean."

Piper elbowed her. "Shut up. Being best friends with Percy and Leo balances it out a little."

Annabeth felt herself involuntarily stiffen. Piper must have felt it because she turned her head a little to look at her. Annabeth continued staring at the ceiling.

After a moment, Piper spoke again. "Mind you, I'm not talking to Percy at the moment."

Annabeth looked at her. "Why not?" she asked, voice tinged with panic. The last thing she wanted was for her feud with Percy to result in a divide between he and Piper.

But Piper was rolling her eyes. "The idiot's still not talking to his mom. I swear, I will beat him with his own skateboard one day. It might knock some of the stupidity out of him."

"He's not stupid."

Piper raised a questioning eyebrow and Annabeth felt her cheeks burn. She trained her attention on the ceiling again, following the lines in the paint with her eyes.

"No he's not," Piper said eventually, sounding something close to smug. "And I'm not really not talking to him. I'm just feeling frustrated."

"At Percy?" Annabeth asked, already knowing the answer.

Piper pursed her lips. "Yes, and also some other people...person. A person who's very intelligent but is being very dumb right now."

"I'm not being dumb!"

"I never said your name!"

Annabeth narrowed her eyes, feeling her mouth tug up at the corner when Piper grinned at her innocently.

"But since you're feeling so supportive of Percy..." Piper started.

"I wouldn't say supportive."

Piper fidgeted. "Well, you might be feeling supportive of me. And, and, you owe me for bailing cross country practice."

"Piper, what are you up to?"

Piper was playing with the torn hem of her shirt, pulling a thread between her fingers and tugging it loose from the fabric. She was about to ask a favour, one which she didn't expect Annabeth to agree to.

"Well...There's this gala thing."

Annabeth sighed. "It wouldn't be a swim gala, would it?"

"Well, what would you know…"

Annabeth sat up and got off the bed, crossing back to her desk chair. "Nope."

"Oh come on, Annabeth! You owe me!"

"I absolutely do not. And there is no way I am going to support Percy when he's been such a...an ass."

There was a creak as Piper got up off the bed. "To be fair, so have you."

Annabeth spun around in her chair. "Have not!"

"Have too and you know it."

Piper had that satisfied look on her face and it made Annabeth want to throw something at her. She turned back around before she could become too tempted.

"I'm not going."

"Annabeth, I know you want to bridge the gap. Come on, be the bigger man. Take the high road, be the righteous dude."

"What?"

"I don't know, it was something Leo said."

Piper moved to wrap her arms around Annabeth and rested her chin on her shoulder.

"Please?" she asked into Annabeth's ear. "This could be the perfect way to dissolve all the tension. Plus, you get to see Percy in jammers."

Annabeth slapped Piper's arm. Piper just laughed and squeezed tighter.

"Please?" she asked. "For me?"

Annabeth let out a long sigh, wondering vaguely how Jason ever stood a chance when Piper wanted something.

"Fine," she said. "But I'm not waving a banner or anything."

Saturday, 20th March 2010

The banner was blue, with glitter on it and the words Jackson for the win emblazoned across it. Annabeth wanted to strangle Piper. She was sandwiched between Frank and Jason however, which meant she wasn't going anywhere any time soon. She sat in her seat with her arms crossed, scowling at the back of the plastic seat in front of her as her friends chatted excitedly.

Jason nudged her. "You could look a little less miserable."

She looked at him. "You're right, I probably could."

"Annabeth, come on. You didn't just come here to be a misery guts."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I came here because I was bribed."

He wrapped his arm around her and tugged her to his side. "If you really want to go, I can get you out of here," he said quietly, so the others couldn't hear.

Annabeth looked up at him and gave him a grateful smile. She shook her head. "No, you're right. I'm here, I'll stop being such an ass."

"Well, I didn't say ass…"

"You were thinking it though."

Piper leaned over Jason then. "What's this about asses?"

Annabeth nodded down at the pool. "We're about to see a bunch of them," she said, as a group of swimmers walked out from the changing rooms.

Piper grinned and Jason made a show of covering her eyes dramatically.

Without really meaning to, Annabeth scoured the students milling around below for Percy. She hadn't expected there to be so many people here. As involved with school activities as she was, she rarely attended sport events. The bleachers were full of both students and adults from Moncada as well as other schools in the district, and there had to be at least a hundred kids in tracksuits. Some sat on benches as their coaches riled them up, others wandered around stretching and shaking out their limbs. But Annabeth couldn't see Percy anywhere amongst them.

"He's there," Frank said into her ear.

Annabeth looked up at him in surprise before following the direction of his pointing finger. It took her another moment, but then she saw him, dressed in the purple and gold Moncada tracksuit with the hood up over his black hair. He was jumping up at down on the spot and swinging his arms around.

Annabeth, feeling Frank's eyes on her, averted her gaze back to her knees.

"I wasn't…"

"Okay," Frank said. And bless him, he didn't push it any further.

There was a lot of waiting around for races to be set up and swimmers organised. Annabeth cheered for any and all Moncada students, feeling a sense of school spirit as she shouted and clapped alongside her friends. Every now and then though, Annabeth would find herself following Percy's movements.

He'd swum twice now, and Annabeth had been captivated both times. It was incredible how graceful he became once he hit the water. Annabeth never thought she would use the word graceful to describe Percy Jackson, who, when they first met, was laughing so hard that he snorted milk out of his nose. But he truly was amazing to watch. Every stroke cleanly sliced the water like a knife to warm butter, he dove into the pool like he belonged there.

Not to mention when he was out of the water; Annabeth had seen him up close and personal with water dripping down his chest over the soft lines of his stomach and disappearing into the dark material of his jammers. She couldn't see those details of him now, but she could picture them quite clearly in her mind as he pulled himself out of the pool and loped back to the bench.

But she was mad at him still. For the things he said to her, for how careless and bitter he had been since that night.

She was mad, but that didn't stop her cheering for him along with her friends, and it didn't stop her walking down from the bleachers with them afterwards to find him and congratulate him. Annabeth even felt excited, perhaps it was the shared exhilaration of the crowd, but she felt like this might be the chance to bridge this gap which had been created between them. One created through pride if not anything else. But she could congratulate him and maybe they could move past all of this. Maybe they could- wait...

Who was that?

As their group approached, Annabeth saw that Percy was not alone. There was a girl hugging him, with wild red hair and her arms around his neck. When she pulled away, Annabeth saw the smile on Percy's face and she felt her heart sink into her stomach. An uncomfortable feeling spread through her chest as she watched them together, laughing and...flirting?

Before Annabeth could think about it any more, she let the others walk past her and slipped away, making a quick exit before anyone could see her.

Irritation burned within her like acid in her throat. She had been miserable and guilt-ridden and ready to make amends with him because she'd assumed he'd been feeling the same way. But no, he was smiling and hugging with a girl who was clearly flirting with him and he seemed quite happy about that fact. And who was she anyway?

Sunday, 21st March, 2010

Piper loved surprises, especially ones from her boyfriend. Especially ones which involved him leading her blindfolded somewhere so that she had to cling onto his hand and be guided by his voice and a gentle hand on her waist.

"There's a ladder," he said quietly in her ear. "Are you alright to climb it?"

She laughed nervously. "As long as you catch me if I fall."

Jason kissed her cheek. "Always."

Piper felt her cheeks blush furiously. This boy was too good to be true. They'd become more comfortable around one another over the past few months, but Piper still couldn't help but feel intimidated by him. He was Jason Grace, prefect and all round model student, his family owned one of the biggest companies on the East Coast. And Jason was set to inherit that. What could be more intimidating than that?

"Careful," Jason told her as she blindly climbed the ladder.

"I'm fine," she assured him, gripping the cold metal. "I've done far more dangerous things than this."

From below her, Jason chuckled. "Somehow, I believe you."

When Piper reached the top of the ladder, she hesitantly climbed over the low brick wall it was attached to and found her balance on the loose gravel under her feet. Jason joined her a moment later, bringing his hand to her waist again.

"You okay?" he asked in a low voice.

"Yeah."

He guided her forward a few more steps before stopping her again and before she could ask, his hands moved to untie the material covering her eyes. It fell and Piper blinked at the scene before her.

There was a red plaid blanket spread out on the gravel floor, on top of it was a large wicker picnic basket. As Piper looked around, she realised that they were on the roof of one of the school buildings. The campus was partially illuminated and quiet in slumber. The rooftop was lit by a string of fairy lights hanging on the low wall near the blanket.

"Jason...I- This is..."

"Do you like it?" he asked softly, nervously.

She turned around and stared at him. "Are you kidding me? Jason..."

He raised his eyebrows hopefully and tucked his hands into his pockets as he shifted his weight awkwardly. He looked so nervous, Piper couldn't believe it. She was reminded of when he'd come over to her house on Christmas Day to apologise to her. He'd been inexplicably open and genuine with her. He'd told her something close to his heart and trusted her with it.

And now he had done all of this for her.

Piper grabbed the collar of his jacket and tugged him down to her, pressing her lips to his firmly. Perhaps a little too firmly as he let out a surprised noise. Piper eased back and kissed his lips more sweetly as Jason's arms came around her waist. After a moment, she drew away and rested her forehead against his.

"You're ridiculously awesome."

Jason's laugh came out in a puff against her nose. He hugged her closer.

"You like it?"

"So much. Thank you."

He grinned and released her, taking hold of her hand and leading her towards the picnic.

"This is incredible," Piper noted. "How did you do all of this?"

They made themselves comfortable on the blanket and Jason opened the basket, pulling out items of food one by one and spreading them out between them.

"I had some help from the committee."

She was staring at him in something close to awe. "You didn't have to do this."

He smiled. "I know, but I wanted to." He paused and looked up at her in earnest. "I know you've been having a pretty rough time over the past few weeks, what with Percy and Annabeth having their issues. And you've been such a good friend to both of them, Pipes, you deserve to have a break."

Her breath felt trapped in her chest. She shook her head.

"You're too good to me."

His face took a serious edge as he watched her and Piper had to duck her chin to avoid the intensity there. Sometimes it felt like too much, there was too much to keep up with Jason. He was perfect, and she was...well, she was just Piper. She may be the daughter of a movie star, but in all other aspects she was perfectly average. She worked in a diner and had two best friends and could do a few skateboard tricks; up until now that had been enough. She knew who she was and she was fine with that.

But now Jason was in the picture, Piper couldn't help but compare herself to him, and to see herself as inferior.

"Hey," Jason said quietly. He had moved closer and he lifted a hand to brush her hair out of her face. "You okay?"

She drew in a slow breath and nodded, trying to bring herself back to this moment with him and lose herself in it.

"I'm perfect," she said, feeling exactly the opposite.