"Let's play a game," Percy suggested, entering Annabeth's cabin and seating himself at the table.

"A game?"

"Yeah. Ever play two truths and a lie?"

Annabeth nodded. "Sure. But what are the M&M's for?" Percy took a packet and ripped it open, scattering M&M's across the table.

"We take turns," he explained. "One of us tells two truths and a lie. The other person has to guess the lie. If they get it right, they get to eat an M&M. If they get it wrong, the other person gets an M&M. Make sense?"

"I'll figure it out. You go first," Annabeth said, eyeing the M&M's hungrily.

"My favorite subject is English, my favorite color is blue, and I'm a pro at skydiving," Percy rattled off.

"Skydiving's a lie."

"How'd you know?"

"Cause Zeus would blast you out of the sky if you tried it," Annabeth said, popping a red M&M into her mouth. She said smugly, "My turn. I'm deathly afraid of spiders, I've never failed a test, and I own a pair of yellow socks with smiley faces on them."

"How am I supposed to know that?" Percy complained. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"That's the point. You don't."

"The socks?" Percy guessed.

"Wrong!" Annabeth crowed, snatching another M&M up from the table. "The never failing a test was the lie."

"You failed a test?" Percy exclaimed. "How?" Annabeth frowned.

"It was dumb algebra. I solved for x in my head, but then we had to show our work. My ADHD kept kicking in and I couldn't sit still and write down all the steps for all forty problems," Annabeth grimaced as she recounted the torture.

"Okay. Um…I've been to Texas, my mom thinks she's pregnant, and…" Percy trailed off.

"What?" Annabeth prompted.

"I love you."

Annabeth looked away and blushed.

"The one about me is a lie."

"Actually, it isn't. I have been to Texas – the one about my mom thinking she's pregnant is a lie… I do love you." Percy brushed his dark hair out of his eyes as he fixed his green gaze on Annabeth.

When she leaned over the table to kiss him, it tasted like M&M's.