Yo! What's up my peeps?

Today is Percy Jackson's birthday (Woot woot! I made it my mission to post this at 12 am… well in my time :P) and yesterday was my third(?) anniversary here in FanFiction.

Therefore, I have written a very special one-shot to celebrate both occasions.

What makes this special you ask?

Well, this is my first "epic" one-shot! Yay! As you probably noticed before, this story consists of 6,000+ words. That is a huge first for me, and I am really excited.

I had so much fun writing this story. It took me about three weeks to write everything (two if you don't count the days where I would just stare at the document without writing anything) so I hope you guys enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or Imagine Dragons' song "Every Night."

PS: My knowledge of New York is literally all from a three day trip. So, not everything is real and/or correct so please… no hate.

(The school Annabeth goes to has no name. You can decide where she wants to go. Same goes with the aquarium that Percy works at, and the neighbourhood Annabeth lives in.)

Word count: 6,209

Finished on: August 16th, 2013

Edited on: August 17th, 2013

Published on: August 18th, 2013

Pairing: Annabeth/Percy

*AU and very OOC*

"I'm coming home to you, every night…"

Every Night-Imagine Dragons

...

Chapter One

The girl closed her leather-bound notebook, placed it beside her textbook and let out a deep sigh. She placed her pen on the table beside her books and grabbed her plastic smoothie cup. Taking a sip, she glanced around the busy mall and watched the people buzz past her.

A woman, who was struggling to keep her two children away from the sweets shop.

A poor guy, who was clutching a giant mass of shopping bags as he regretfully, followed his girlfriend.

A teenage girl, who was swiftly weaving through shoppers while keeping her eyes glued to the phone in her hands.

A man, who was sitting on the far side of the rectangular fountain staring at Annabeth's wandering eyes.

The girl looked at the black-haired man with the shining green eyes with a confused look. The man stood up, walked over to the trashcan, (That was conveniently on her side of the fountain) threw his Starbucks coffee cup away and sat right beside her.

"Um..."

"Why hello there."

"...Hi."

"The name's Percy Jackson."

"...Annabeth Chase."

Annabeth sat in a small ice cream bar down at the boardwalk. A pair of earphones sang out music just for her and a cup of blue bubble gum ice cream was waiting to be eaten. A small bag hung from her chair and Annabeth's head slightly bobbed to the song playing. Her notebook was sitting on the wooden table beside her studying notes and her thin silver pen was being twirled around in Annabeth's slim fingers. The blonde-haired girl glanced around, as usual, and observed the people around her.

A guy, who was playing an acoustic guitar and smiled when people threw dollar bills into his case.

A family, who was walking to the cotton candy stand, bursting with excitement as they saw the assortment of flavors that they could choose from.

A group of teenagers, who walked out from the photo booth and laughed once they saw their pictures.

A man, who stared at Annabeth with his beautiful green eyes.

With a smirk, Annabeth looked at the man and motioned for him to come over. He gladly did.

"Nice to see you here Percy Jackson."

With a chuckle, Percy sat down in the chair at Annabeth's table. "Annabeth Chase. Are you stalking me?"

The girl gasped dramatically and her eyes grew wide. "Oh no! You've caught me!"

"Whoops. Sorry."

"What are you doing here anyways?"

Percy took the cup of ice cream and scooped some up. "The boardwalk is near the ocean. I like the ocean. Therefore, I like the boardwalk."

"I see."

"I also like ice cream." He grinned. "How'd you know that I love the colour blue?"

"I didn't, because that cup of ice cream is mine you Seaweed Brain." Annabeth snagged the cup back and scooped up some of the melted ice cream.

"Oh, so now we have nicknames. I'm breaking down those walls of yours Annie!" Percy laughed and poked Annabeth's small nose. "Why Seaweed Brain?"

"Because that big head of yours is filled with seaweed." Annabeth scowled and rubbed her nose in annoyance.

"Very well… Wise Girl." He scooped up the last bit of blue ice cream and popped it into his mouth.

Annabeth tilted the now empty cup and frowned. "You suck."

Percy grinned, again. "Sorry 'bout that. Would you like me to get you another cup? How about Saturday, which is convientley tomorrow. Same time and same place?"

Annabeth raised her eyebrow. "Is this your way of asking me out on a date?"

"Let's not call it a date. How about a friendly outing?"

"…Pick me up at 7." Annabeth stood up and slung her bag on her shoulder. She picked up her book and scribbled her name, number and address before ripping it out and sliding it towards the beaming green-eyed man.

"Tomorrow at 7 it is."

This time, Annabeth was sitting comfortably at home with a big container of blue bubble gum ice cream in her lap. Pens and papers were scattered across her glass coffee table. In the middle of the mess sat Annabeth's leather book with her favourite pen tucked inside of it. A pile of assignments and papers sat beside her on the couch. The radio in the kitchen softly played music that was suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door.

Groaning, Annabeth placed the ice cream on the coffee table and stood up heading to the door in her tiny little apartment. She quickly pulled her curly blonde hair into a ponytail with the hair tie that she always kept on her wrist and peered into the small eyehole on her door. The first thing she noticed was the sparkling grin that silently waited for her to open the door.

"Annie! I know you're in there!"

With a roll of her eyes, Annabeth unlocked her door and pulled it open to reveal a tall man leaning against her doorframe.

"Why hello there Annabeth Chase. How are you this fine evening?" He bowed and tipped an imaginary hat.

"Oh gosh Percy. Just walk in." Annabeth poked his stomach (and just so happened to feel his abs, which were very hard… but Annabeth didn't say that) and padded back towards her dark brown couch.

"But Annie! My mother always told me to wait for the other person to ask me to come in." Percy cried while staying put in his position by the door.

Annabeth threw her head back against her couch and turned towards the door. She glared at Percy who gave her an innocent smile. With a sigh, Annabeth threw on a sickly sweet smile.

"Oh Percy Jackson. Please join me on this brown leather couch and help me finish off this big tub of blue ice cream."

Grinning, Percy took a step inside. "I would be delighted to join you Annabeth! Thank you for asking." He quickly made his way to Annabeth's couch and plopped himself down causing Annabeth to pop up slightly. Percy grabbed the spoon from Annabeth's hand and reached for the ice cream that was placed in her lap.

"Oh go ahead Percy. You can have some." Annabeth rolled her eyes as she watched Percy shove spoons of ice cream into his mouth like there was no tomorrow.

The pair soon fell into a comfortable silence on Annabeth's brown leather couch. Percy continued to eat Annabeth's ice cream, while Annabeth lost herself in the novel she currently was reading. Time passed and the ice cream was now long gone. The black-haired man intently watched the girl who sat beside him. Her grey eyes quickly darted back and forth across the page.

"Let's go do something fun!" Percy exclaimed.

Annabeth glanced up from her book and looked at her friend. "Excuse me?"

Percy smiled. "I suggested that we, Annabeth and Percy, should go do something fun. As much as I love watching you read, I would really like to move around."

"Its like ten in the evening Percy. I'm pretty sure we can't do much at this time."

"We don't necessarily have to go into a building! We can walk around the streets!" Percy grabbed Annabeth's hand and pulled her up from her seat.

"But Percy… Do we have to?" Annabeth pouted.

"If you're worried about getting kidnapped, don't worry! I'll keep you safe."

With one final groan, Annabeth pulled on her jacket and boots and followed her black-haired friend out the door.

Those nights soon became a ritual for the pair. Every Thursday, after Annabeth got home from her classes at the University, she would throw herself on the couch to wait for Percy. A couple hours later, Percy would come to visit after working his shift at the aquarium, and both of the young adults would throw on their jackets, and pull on their shoes before venturing out to explore the streets of New York.

Annabeth watched as Percy skipped through the dimly lit streets outside of Annabeth's apartment. They usually weren't the only people out at night, but when the clock reached eleven, Annabeth and Percy found themselves alone in the far corner of the neighborhood park.

For a while they sat beside each other and just talked. They talked about their childhood. They talked about Percy's love for blue food. They talked about Annabeth's courses in architecture. They talked about how Percy's dad died at sea. They talked about Annabeth's parents getting divorced when she was little. They talked about how Annabeth was afraid of getting hurt like that. And they talked about how Percy wouldn't let anything happen to her.

"Annie…" Percy laid his head down on Annabeth's lap as they sat together under the big oak tree.

"What's up?"

"So… my mom's getting married to this really cool guy in a couple weeks who has a last name that sounds like blowfish and I wanted to know if you would like to come with me?" Percy rambled while holding a crisp red leaf that had blown off from the autumn wind.

"I would-"

"You don't have to if you don't want to. I was just thinking maybe because we're like best friends and all, bringing you to my mom's wedding wouldn't be so bad. Plus, my friends are invited and they really want to see whom I've been spending so much time with. I told them that we weren't dating when they asked if I had a secret girlfriend but they won't believe me. My mom really wants to meet you too. I told her about you when I went over for dinner a few weeks ago, which was also the day after I ate your ice cream on the boardwalk. Sorry about that by-"

"Oh my gods! Just shut up Seaweed Brain. I would love to go to your mom's wedding with you." Annabeth exclaimed and lightly slapped Percy's arm.

"Oh, okay." Percy smiled sheepishly and held onto the hand that previously slapped him.

The rest of the night was spent under that oak tree in the neighborhood park. At midnight, Percy was already fast asleep on Annabeth's lap and she tried not to laugh at the drool that fell onto her jeans. Half past midnight, Percy woke up to see a sleeping Annabeth and he smiled before shaking her awake. At one, the pair started to walk through the empty streets of the neighbourhood towards her apartment by themselves.

And throughout the entire night, Percy never let go of her hand.

And Annabeth never pulled away.

"What's that guy's name again? Y'know, the one you keep hanging out with."

"His name is Percy Jackson." Annabeth held her white phone against her ear and held her laptop bag in the other.

"Is he cute?"

"Why is it that you always ask me questions like this?" Annabeth laughed as she walked through campus. "Besides, you don't even like dating, Thalia"

"That doesn't mean I don't like learning about the boys in your life, Annie."

"You weirdo."

"So you guys aren't dating."

"Yes Thalia. We are not dating."

"Really? That's strange. When you first told me about this guy, it seemed like you wanted to jump on the poor guy and rape him."

"You suck."

"Yeah, yeah. But hey, do you want to grab some lunch? I just got off for my break."

"Sorry Thals, I made plans with Percy already. How about tomorrow?"

"Oh see! You would rather go for lunch with this guy instead of your best friend. You like him!"

"Shut up!"

"Wise Girl!" Percy poked her stomach.

"Unngh."

"Annie!" He poked her side.

"UUNNGH"

"Annabeth!" He poked her nose.

"What do you want from me?" Annabeth groaned one more time and chucked a pillow at Percy's face.

Percy chuckled and held onto the purple pillow. He flopped onto the bed beside her and draped an arm across her stomach. Little touches here and there were common for these two. A hug from behind, kisses on the forehead, they weren't rare. (And neither were the fluttering feelings in Annabeth's stomach.)

"I want to take you to the aquarium today! Then we can go to the zoo that's right beside it, and spend the night at the fair that's in town!"

Annabeth flipped onto her side and faced Percy. "You are a twenty four year old man Percy. Don't you think this is a bit childish?"

"Oh come on Annabeth! Just cause you're in university doesn't mean you have to be so serious all the time!" Percy frowned.

"You're three years older than me Percy! I'm still a junior, so that means I'm not exactly done studying yet."

"…I'll pay… for everything." Percy looked at Annabeth with a hopeful smile.

Annabeth sighed and rolled her eyes. "...Fine."

_._._

"Here are our beluga whales. The smaller one is the female and her name is Suzie. The other one is somewhere in the far corner, his name is Henry." Percy stood in front of the big window and pointed out the two animals that contently swam around. Annabeth walked up and stood next to Percy as she watched Suzie glide through the water.

"They're amazing." Annabeth smiled.

"Suzie is a sweetheart. I get to feed her everyday." Percy explained as he watched the blonde admire the whales. "Would you like to feed them?"

Annabeth turned around and looked at Percy with bright eyes. "Can I?" She asked excitedly.

Percy laughed and nodded before leading her to the back. "That's just one of the perks of having the assistant manager of the research department as a best friend."

He intertwined their fingers and led Annabeth through the hallway toward the beluga whales. Along the way, Annabeth would occasionally peek her head into random doors and Percy would introduce her to some more animals.

"That's Daphne the dolphin." He pointed to the small grey bottlenose dolphin in the clear blue water.

Annabeth walked a little bit further and turned the corner. Percy held the door open for Annabeth as she looked inside the penguin exhibit that was right behind the orange door. "And over there we have Tony, Natasha, Clint, Steve, Nick, Bruce and…"

Annabeth turned around and gave Percy an amused look. "Let me guess, his name is Thor?"

Percy grinned.

"I can't believe you guys named the penguins after the Avengers!"

"Oh- and don't forget about Loki. There always has to be a Loki. He's the penguin sitting in the corner by himself."

"…Oh gosh."

_._._

"Unfortunately, I do not work at the zoo. I guess we'll just have to view these animals like normal people." Percy said as he looked through a map he got from the information booth. "Ooh! Let's go see the monkeys!"

Annabeth laughed as Percy grabbed her hand and dragged her towards the monkey exhibit. "I'm telling you! You are a man-child."

The black-haired man walked to the far corner of the exhibit and tried to find the monkeys that were hiding in the trees. "Annabeth."

She walked up beside him and he wrapped his arm around her waist. "What's up?"

"I want a monkey."

"You can't have one."

"Why not?"

"'Cause you are one." Percy turned to the small body beside him and gaped. He let go of her waist and faced her completely. As Annabeth was laughing, Percy slowly moved his arms to her sides and started to tickle her. With a shriek, Annabeth slapped his arm and scurried away, only to have Percy run after her.

"You take that back Wise Girl!"

"Never!"

_._._

The festival lights hung above them and lit up the black sky. Annabeth walked through the fair, with Percy trailing behind her, and glanced around. Various games were set up throughout the area and food stands were scattered around. A giant stage stood in one corner with a local band playing.

Percy grabbed Annabeth's arm and dragged her towards an ice cream booth.

"I'll take two cups of blue bubble gum ice cream please." Percy handed the ice cream guy a ten-dollar bill and smiled.

"You're such a loser. Only you would get blue bubble gum." Percy laughed at Annabeth's remark and draped an arm around her shoulders.

"Oh yeah, but you love me."

She smiled.

The pair continued to walk through the fair and would stop by a festival game every now and then. Twenty dollars later, and only two small stuffed bears; Percy refused to go near another booth.

Annabeth clutched onto the green bear with one arm, while Percy held the yellow one in his large hand. The other one was occupied with holding Annabeth's small hand. Annabeth's height reached just up to the chin of Percy's towering body. Percy would always think that their bodies fit perfectly against each other. They were pretty much the "perfect couple". Except for the fact that they weren't exactly together.

The stage slowly became bigger as their feet carried them forwards. A different local band was playing covers of famous songs acoustically while the audience danced. Annabeth led Percy to a nearby bench underneath a small tree and set her bag down. Percy propped his small yellow bear on the bench and placed Annabeth's right beside it. He grabbed her hand and dragged her towards the crowd that gathered around the stage.

"Dance with me."

"Okay."

Percy's green eyes smiled when he placed his large hands around Annabeth's small waist. Her tan arms hooked around his neck and they gently swayed along with the music.

"I'm coming home to you. Every night…" The singer's voice sang out smoothly for the people to dance to. Percy hugged Annabeth's small body closer to his and rested his chin atop her blonde head.

"Thank you for bringing me out today." Annabeth mumbled against Percy's white t-shirt as she hugged his torso.

He kissed the top of her head. "You're welcome."

"You're my best friend. You know that right?" She peeled her head away from Percy's chest and looked up at his face.

He placed a kiss on her forehead. "Of course."

"And I'm really glad that you came up to me at the mall."

He pecked her nose. "Me too."

"Thank you."

Percy softly smiled and cupped Annabeth's face. He stared at her small face, her grey eyes, her button nose, her rosy cheeks, and her pink lips. His gaze lingered on her soft lips before flickering back up to her eyes. Slowly he leaned down, waiting for any sign that showed she wanted him to stop. Nothing.

Annabeth felt his warm breath against her face and closed her eyes. She carefully tilted her head upwards and lifted herself up onto her tiptoes.

He kissed her on her soft, pink lips.

Annabeth's eyes fluttered open. An arm was wrapped tightly around her sheet-covered waist, and a leg was thrown around hers. She turned around in her purple bed to have a mop of black hair tickle her face. When she completely wiggled around to face a sleeping Percy, she kissed his nose and wrapped her arms around his bare torso. Memories of last night flashed through Annabeth's head and she blushed.

Percy's opened his sea green eyes and grinned. "Why hello there, beautiful."

"Hi." She whispered.

Annabeth closed her eyes again and snuggled into Percy's embrace. She listened to his slow breaths and heartbeat.

"What does this mean?" Annabeth felt the vibrations of Percy's voice and looked up.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, are we together or… not?"

Annabeth smiled at Percy's furrowed eyebrows and kissed him lightly.

"Let's not talk about this right now." She wrapped her arms around Percy as he nodded.

Suddenly, Percy flipped Annabeth onto her back and hovered above her. Leaning down, Percy kissed Annabeth sweetly. "What do you want to do on this fine Sunday?"

"We could just stay here." Annabeth grinned as Percy leaned down again.

He pulled the covers around their bodies and nibbled on Annabeth's ear.

"I like the way you think."

"Good morning Wise Girl." Percy walked to the small coffee table in front of Annabeth's leather couch, holding two paper cups of Starbucks coffee.

Annabeth replied with a wave as she continued to read the notes in her book.

"How'd your test go yesterday?" He handed her a cup that she gratefully took and pecked her on the lips.

Annabeth took a sip. "I think I did well. The questions were pretty straightforward."

"That's great." He casually threw an arm around Annabeth's shoulders and she leaned into his side. He placed a kiss on the side of her head and watched as she highlighted a few lines.

"I hated being a college student." Percy stated as Annabeth continued to study.

"Yeah well, look where it got you now." Annabeth gave him a pointed look.

The blonde turned back to her notes and continued to read. Her eyes scanned back and forth through the pages of physics notes. Every now and then Annabeth would purse those soft, pink lips of her and all Percy would do is stare.

"Annabeth."

"Yeah?"

"What exactly are we?"

Annabeth looked up from her book and stared at Percy with a confused look.

"What?"

Percy groaned. "You know what I mean! We act like a couple. I pretty much take you out on dates! We hold hands, we're always touching each other, and we kiss like all the time! I have a drawer in your room Annabeth! For crying out loud, we've slept together! More than once, may I add!"

She closed her grey eyes.

"So… what are we?"

"I-I don't know." She breathed out.

"That's bullshit!" Percy stood up from the couch and crossed his arms.

"Well what else am I supposed to say?" Annabeth huffed.

"Just tell me what you want."

Annabeth ran her hands down her face and sighed. "I just… I feel like if we actually make this official, I'll end up freaking out and it'll complicate everything."

Closing his eyes, Percy let out a long breath and sat back down beside the blonde. She removed her hands from her face and looked at the thinking man beside her.

Percy opened his eyes and looked at Annabeth. "Okay."

"Okay?"

He picked up Annabeth and placed her on his lap. He wrapped her legs around his waist and lightly brushed his lips across hers.

"Okay."

"Hey Percy! Someone's on the phone for you at line two."

Percy looked up from his computer and then at his phone. "Oh awesome. Thanks Will."

He pressed the "Line 2" button and picked up the receiver. "Percy Jackson speaking."

"Hey buddy! What's up?"

"Oh hey Grover. How's it going?" Percy leaned back in his leather chair and propped his feet up on his desk.

"I'm good! How's the aquarium?"

"Busy, really busy. The pay is good though! Just curious here, but why are you calling?"

"Why? Can't a guy just call his friend? And, your mom wanted me to ask you if you still had a guest coming with you for the wedding."

Percy groaned and threw his head back. "I forgot to call her back didn't I? Shit. Could you tell her that I'll call her after my shift is over, and that I do have a guest?"

"Sure thing."

"Thanks dude."

"No problem! By the way, whom are you bringing? That girl that your always with? What's her name?"

Percy smiled. "Her name's Annabeth, Annabeth Chase, and yeah, she's the one."

"I'm guessing you like her."

"Yeah. It's complicated though."

"Just ask her out. If she's spending this much time with, she obviously likes you."

"We'll see… Hey, I gotta go man. I'm meeting Annabeth for lunch. See you at the wedding."

"See, you're meeting up with her for lunch! You never did that with me."

"Oh gods Grover."

"Percy! We're going to be late! Hurry up!" Annabeth crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe of her bedroom where Percy was fixing his suit.

"Okay, okay! I'm done, I just need to put my tie on." Percy turned to the blonde and smiled sheepishly. "Could you help me?"

Annabeth laughed and walked over. Her grey dress swished with every step she took. "Come here, Seaweed Brain."

When Annabeth fixed his tie up she stepped back and grinned. "You clean up well."

Percy stepped forward and kissed her nose, then her lips. "You do too. Now let's go." He took her small hand and they walked out the door.

_._._

"Hey Paul!" Percy called out and a man with peppered hair turned around.

"Percy!" He smiled and walked over to give him a hug. When he pulled back he looked to Annabeth who was standing behind them. "You must be Annabeth."

Annabeth smiled and stuck out her hand, only for Paul to laugh. Annabeth frowned.

"We don't shake hands in this family, Annabeth." He took her in for a hug.

Annabeth laughed and hugged him back. "I should've known. I do know Percy anyways."

Paul released Annabeth from the hug and grinned. "I'm glad you could come Annabeth. We have a seat just for you in the front with Percy." He motioned for a thin, black-haired boy to come over. "Nico, why don't you show Annabeth to her seat?"

The boy smiled. "Sure thing. I'm Nico Di Angelo by the way. Percy's cousin."

"It's nice to meet you."

When Annabeth left with Nico, Paul pulled his stepson to the side as the remaining guests flowed into their seats.

"She's cute." He said when Percy stood in front of him.

He smiled. "Yeah, she is."

"How long have you guys been together?"

Percy's smiled dropped slightly. "Well…"

Suddenly, a voice interrupted. "Places everyone!"

"We should go Paul." Percy said and walked over to his place at the altar.

_._._

As the ceremony went on, Percy sat down beside Annabeth and smiled.

"They look really happy together." Annabeth took Percy's hand and held it in her lap.

Percy nodded in agreement. "They do. My mom looks beautiful. I'm also really glad she chose a garden venue. Although I miss my dad, it's kind of like a fresh start." He whispered in her ear.

Annabeth smiled and turned back to Sally and Paul who were now reading their vows.

_._._

"Everyone! Stand up and welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Blofis!" The reception hall doors burst open and Sally and Paul danced their way in. All the guests cheered and clapped as the happy couple moved into their first dance.

As the newlyweds swayed to the slow song, Percy and Annabeth sat in their spots at the head table.

"Thanks for bringing me." Annabeth placed her glass down and leaned her head on Percy's shoulder.

"Your welcome." With a smile, Percy wrapped his arm around Annabeth. The song came to an end, and the reception room burst into applause. Sally and Paul walked smiled at everyone and walked towards the head table.

"Hey mom!" Percy got up from his seat and hugged his mom.

"Oh Percy! This must be the lovely Annabeth, right? You look beautiful." Sally smiled and motioned towards the blonde sitting down. Annabeth stood up and hugged Sally.

"Hi! Thank you so much for having me. You look absolutely amazing. I may not know you personally, but Percy here won't stop talking about you and Paul, I could probably write a biography!" Annabeth laughed.

"I've been a victim of Percy's rambling as well. All he ever talks about is his, and I quote, "wonderful and beautiful girlfriend." Annabeth's mouth slightly dropped open and she glanced over at a wide-eyed Percy. Noticing the tension, Sally and Paul excused themselves, claiming they had to go see the other guests.

Annabeth sat back down in her seat beside Percy and crossed her arms. "Percy…"

Percy turned to Annabeth and tried to flash her a sweet smile, only for her to shoot him down with a glare.

"What the hell did you tell your mom?" Annabeth hissed.

"I might've said something that may or may not be true…?"

"We agreed that we wouldn't do this right? But instead you go prancing around telling everyone I'm your girlfriend! You know I'm not ready for this!"

Percy threw his hands up in exasperation. "What was I supposed to say? This is my mother. The one who doesn't want to hear that her son is having an intimate relationship with a girl that he isn't dating."

Downing her last drink of wine, Annabeth got up and pushed in her seat. "I'm getting a drink." She muttered before stomping off to the bar.

_._._

The wedding came to a close at midnight, with a show of fireworks outside of the reception hall. Percy stood next to his stepfather, and Annabeth, who still wouldn't talk to him, as they watched the show light up the sky. When the fireworks slowly died down, Sally and Paul gave a final goodbye before leaving for the airport for their honeymoon.

Percy walked over to his mom and she gave him a kiss on the forehead. "I love you Percy. Take care of yourself and Annabeth."

"Yeah…" Percy sighed as he kissed his mother's cheek.

Sally gave her a son a sympathetic smile and hugged him one more time. She leaned into his ear and whispered before pulling away, "Just try and fix it. She'll forgive you for whatever you did. I see the way she looks at you."

With a final farewell, Percy gave his new father a hug and waved them off. Annabeth stood beside Percy and waved as the car drove away. Annabeth and Percy waved goodbye to the remaining guests and walked over to his car.

"Annabeth." Percy started the ignition and placed his hands on the wheel.

"Drive home Percy." Annabeth muttered and stared out the window.

"No. Look at me." He turned the car off and turned slightly to the right.

"Percy, I'm tired. Let's go home."

With a final sigh, Percy turned the key and backed out of the parking lot.

The ride to Annabeth's apartment was dead silent with tension filling in the spaces. Annabeth continued to stare out the window, not even looking at Percy once. Percy would keep his eyes straight on the road while glancing at Annabeth every now and then.

When Percy pulled into the parking lot of the apartment building, Annabeth quickly opened the car door and walked straight to the entrance. Percy groaned and slammed the car door before following Annabeth up.

"Annabeth! Look at me, please!" Percy pleaded as Annabeth threw her house keys on the kitchen table.

Annabeth turned around with an annoyed look. "What the hell do you want?"

Taking a step forward, Percy ran his fingers through his hair. "I know that I shouldn't have said anything to my mom without talking to you about it."

Her face stayed the same.

Percy took another step forward.

"I just hate that I can't officially call you mine."

He took another step forward and took Annabeth's hands in his. Annabeth's face showed no emotion.

Percy leaned down and placed his face right in front of Annabeth's.

"Talk to me. Say something."

Annabeth breathed. "I-I… don't know what to do."

Percy stepped back and threw his hands up in frustration. "Damnit Annabeth! That is bullshit. It's all bullshit. You know what you want! You're just too damn scared to open up to me." He slammed his hands on the kitchen counter.

Annabeth flinched.

"Just let go Annabeth. It's not hard!" Percy exclaimed. When Annabeth said nothing Percy growled. "Can't you see it Annabeth? Can't you see that I won't hurt you? We won't end up like your parents. Do you know why? I know we won't because I love you okay. I fucking love you Annabeth Chase, but you won't let me in." He cried out.

Percy huffed stared at a crying, silent Annabeth. He stared at her, waiting for a response. After a minute, Percy swiveled around and grabbed his keys and jacket from the small bench beside the door. He pulled open the door and looked behind him one more time.

"Percy…" Annabeth whispered.

She had tears streaming down her face as Percy looked back at her with hurt written all over his face. He closed his eyes one more time and walked out the door.

"Percy, hun, just give her some time. I understand that you're feeling very upset, but imagine how Annabeth would be feeling."

Percy threw himself on his unfamiliar leather couch in his unfamiliar living room in his unfamiliar apartment.

"I know mom. It's just… She really hurt me y'know?" Percy rubbed his forehead in frustration.

"It'll all work out in the end sweetie. Trust me."

"Okay… Look, I should probably make dinner now. See you mom. I love you."

"You should really be eating dinner earlier. Anyways, I have to go as well. I love you too, sweetheart."

Percy hung up the phone and threw it on the couch beside him. He slowly got up from his seat and trudged towards his tiny little kitchen. Under the counter, Percy grabbed a pot and filled it with water. He threw a bit of salt in and set it onto the burner to boil. With a sigh, he rested his head arm on the counter and placed his head on top. The oven clock read 9:45. It was a Thursday.

There on that partially broken leather couch, Annabeth sat. There she sat for hours, never bothering to move. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her clothes were wrinkled. The usual blonde hair was now thrown into a messy bun and bags of junk food surrounded her.

Curled into a ball, the TV played in the background, but all Annabeth could hear was Percy's voice in her head.

"We won't end up like your parents…I know we won't because I love you. I fucking love you…you won't believe me."

She thought about everything. She thought about how she missed his smile. She thought about his sweet voice. She thought about his addicting kisses. She thought about she didn't believe in love before. And she thought about how she believed in love now.

She thought about how she believes in him.

Because she was in love with him.

And she wanted to come home.

The sound of trickling water from the fountain and voices chattering filled the air in the busy mall. Over in the far corner, Percy sat in a table with a cup of coffee sitting beside his work notes. Percy sighed and ran his fingers through his dark locks.

It was the first time in a while that he got out of the house. The only time he did get out was to visit their tree. Every Thursday he would visit the park, but it just wasn't the same.

Everything reminded him of her. He wanted to dial that familiar number, or go and drive through those familiar streets, but the thought of her not taking him back killed him.

So, here he was in the small Starbucks in that busy mall. He rubbed his eyes then looked up at the people walking by.

A man that eagerly walked into a jewelry shop with an excited smile passed by.

A girl who walked around with a new guitar strapped to her back.

A group of teenagers who went from store to store.

A girl, with curly blonde hair who sat on the edge of a fountain with a book in her hands. As if she felt Percy's green eyes on her, she immediately looked up and met Percy's gaze with an emotionless expression.

Slowly, she closed her (all too familiar) leather book and tucked it into her bag. Percy blinked and stayed still as the girl walked forwards.

Percy stood up from his seat as the girl with the grey eyes reached his small table. Her hand gripped the strap of her bag and she grinned.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"My name's Annabeth Chase."

Percy smiled.

"…Percy Jackson."

Chapter Two

Look at that! You made it to the end :D

Although the last two words make it seem like there will be a sequel… there won't. Sorry.

I hope you guys enjoyed this! I apologize if there was some confusion or mistakes as you were reading. My writing kind of becomes a tad sloppy near the end… so… sorry. :P

I would love to hear your feedback because I'm thinking of writing another one-shot with this length! Your opinions and tips would really help.

Thank you guys again!

With love, Chrissy.

(Oh and by the way… For those who are interested, I have a story that you probably know… The Dating Game. Thanks to my awesome readers, TDG has made it into an awards fic! "The FanFiction Choice Awards" by Lightning-at-221b is currently in the process of voting, and I was wondering if you could help me out. If you guys could, I would really appreciate it if you voted for TDG when it comes to the time for the "Tratie category" votes. I can't do this without you guys, and this nomination is mostly because of you!

If you guys really think we can win this, I would love it if you voted for TDG! Also, vote for the other categories too because there are so many amazing stories that are up for votes!

Thank you guys again, and hopefully I can get my other one-shot up, as well as a new chapter of The Dating Game :D I'll see you guys later, and be prepared for a bunch of rambling once I get back to school! I love you guys!)