chapter one.

His mom was going to kill him. This is what Percy was thinking as he drove along the interstate at three in the morning. His mom was definitely going to kill him, and that little note that he'd left behind to apologize for his absence wasn't going to satisfy her. It wasn't his fault honestly. He just honestly needed to get away - from everything. Maybe he was being a little melodramatic for a seventeen year old, but he just needed to do this. There had been a feeling inside his chest, like a sort of pressure for the past five months, and it made him feel like he was drowning. Now, on the interstate with nothing but miles of road in front of him, that pressure was finally gone. He felt free.

"Oh, dear god, please don't call the cops on me," he whispered to himself. Hopefully his mom would realize that this was just something that he needed to do, but her overwhelmingly maternal concern would probably override that part of her. If he was being honest, he felt more than a little guilty for just taking off in the middle of the night, but what was he supposed to do?

Percy shook his head and rolled down the windows, letting the cool night air clear his head. He turned the radio on and hummed along to some random pop single as he let his mind go blank. His old Honda Accord rolled patiently onwards into the night, and Percy enjoyed the feeling of not thinking for a while. The sun began to peek out over the horizon as time bled past, and Percy squinted as his eyes adjusted to the light. He'd have to stop somewhere and grab breakfast, he realized.

There was quite a bit of money in his wallet from his time working at the grocery store. He had about a thousand or so dollars on him, so he wasn't too concerned about running out. Sleeping in the car was just fine to him, and it would save him money that he would have wasted on hotels. There was a sleeping bag in the trunk and a suitcase with a bunch of his clothes too. He'd packed practically considering the nature of his venture. What that nature was, he didn't know. All he did know for certain was that he was going to drive to California, coast to coast, before he would let himself think about what to do next. He just hoped the old car would last that far.

A few hours later, he saw a roadside diner and decided to stop by and grab breakfast. He walked in and was greeted by a cheerful brunette woman. She showed him to a seat and took his order of bacon and eggs without harassing him about his age or asking too many probing questions, which was something Percy was grateful for. A red haired girl about his age was also working behind the counter, wiping the counter top and giving him a cautious look. Percy felt uncomfortable under her steely gaze so he decided to ignore it. When he finally got his food, he began to wolf it down, unaware of how hungry he truly was.

"Slow down, hun, or you'll choke on something," the waitress laughed.

Blood rushed to Percy's cheeks and turned them pink as he immediately slowed down. The news was on, and Percy was watching as he continued to eat. There was some boring story about the fire department doing something or other, but there were little snippets of other stories airing at the bottom. Percy nearly choked on an egg as he read one: New York teen runs away from home - police on the lookout. That had to be him unless some other New York teen was also running away from home on the same day that he was.

That settled it. He had to finish his food and scram. If they put up a picture of him or something, the people in the diner might recognize him and turn him in. He quickly finished his meal and left some cash and a tip behind as he raced back to his car. He started it as quickly as he could and sped back onto the interstate. When he was about twenty or so miles away, his heart rate finally dropped back down to a more manageable level. He sighed to himself. He'd have to be more careful if he ever wanted to reach California without getting caught by the police or something of the sort.

He turned the radio on again and sang to pass the time. If it wasn't for the fact that he had to concentrate somewhat on the road, he would have gotten really bored. Even so, driving wasn't as stimulating an activity as he needed. Percy sort of wished that he had a companion or someone to go along with him, if only to have someone to converse with. But alas, things weren't ever really that easy, so he decided that he might as well get used to it. It being the life of solitude as a runaway vagabond.

"Uh oh," Percy muttered to himself as he saw a car smoking on the side of the road. The car looked completely done for, and he knew that it wasn't going to be mobile anytime soon. There was a blonde girl standing next to the car kicking angrily at the tires. Part of him really wanted to drive past and continue on his merry way, but he couldn't just abandon her to her own devices. So with a sigh, he found himself slowing down and drawing to the side of the road despite his better judgment.

"You need a hand?" he asked, stepping out of the care.

The girl looked up at him with a frustrated expression. She threw up her hands and cried, "The damn thing just went and died on me as I was driving!"

"So why don't you just call up Triple A or something?" Percy asked.

She drew a sour face. "I can't," she said.

"You can't?" he repeated dumbfounded. "What do you mean you can't?"

"It means I can't, you nincompoop. Don't make me repeat myself," she huffed.

Percy held his hands up in surrender. "No reason to get all touchy - I was just wondering," he muttered, starting to thoroughly regret his decision to stop and help out. The more miles he put between him and home, the less likely he was to being caught. He hoped this wouldn't be too costly a distraction.

The girl bit her lip and studied him for a moment before sighing wearily. "Oh fuck it, I don't really have any options. I can't call because I'm running away from home. There. Stupid, I know," she explained.

Percy's eyes widened. Holy shit. This was unreal to him. Apparently there was another teen runaway from New York on the same day that he decided to run away. Fate must have a cruel sense of irony, he mused. "So let me get this straight: you're running away from home, and your car broke down as you left?" he asked, stifling a smile.

"Yeah, you're right. Laugh it up, asshole," she huffed, sitting on the trunk of her car and hugging her knees to her chest.

Percy started laughing and wheezing. This seemed to piss the girl off even more, but he couldn't help it. He finally managed to pull himself together to formulate a coherent sentence, all while she glowered at him. "It just so happens that I am also running away from home, so if you want, I could give you a ride maybe," he offered, despite thinking his words through.

Her eyes widened in surprise before she glowered at him. "Eat shit and die. That's not funny. I actually believed you for a second," she spat.

"No no, I'm being serious!" Percy protested, holding his palms up. "I'll honestly give you a ride if you want one."

She cocked her head to the side, still unsure whether Percy was playing some elaborate practical joke on her. Percy huffed impatiently. "Look, you're wasting my time, and that means there's a much higher chance that someone finds us out here. I mean think about it: two teenagers parked on the side of the interstate during a school day is sure to look suspicious to anyone that drives by. So hurry it up," he said.

"Fine," the girl said cautiously. "I'll grab the stuff in my trunk."

"I'll help out," Percy said. She gave him a defiant look, so he rolled his eyes and explained, "So that it'll go faster, Wonder Woman. Geez, offering to help doesn't mean I'm looking down on you."

At that, she rolled her eyes but allowed him to help without any further protest. There wasn't enough room in the trunk for all of the girl's belongings, so her suitcase was sitting in the backseat, but within a few minutes, they were back on the road again, sitting beside each other in taciturn awkwardness.

"I'm Percy by the way."

"Annabeth," the girl replied, pointedly looking out the window.

There was another awkward silence before Percy ventured to make conversation again. "So where are you headed?" he asked.

Annabeth simply shrugged, sending her golden ringlets into a frenzy. Percy found himself sighing again, and he realized that this was probably going to be a routine occurrence with her around. "Look, Annabeth, if we're going to be traveling together we might as well try to act friendly. I'm not saying we have to be best buds, but it would be cool if we weren't at each others throats, you know?" he said.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Annabeth replied noncommittally.

Percy pursed his lips and drove on silently. Maybe he'd just have to wait a while for her to open and stuff. After all, laughing at her when she was stranded on the side of the road wasn't a good way to make first impressions. It would probably take some time, but at least his wish from earlier on was granted: he had a travel companion. She was kinda pretty in the right light, Percy supposed. Her hair was golden and fell in messy ringlets down to her shoulders, and she had an athletic form. Her skin was pretty tan despite her being from New York. Her eyes were gray, which was kinda weird, but Percy wasn't about to go comparing it to something cheesy like pools of silver or anything. They were just gray and kinda steely looking.

He decided to turn on the radio instead of sitting in awkward silence. Percy looked at her to see if she was going to give off any sort of reaction, but she didn't stir from her window gazing. It was some indie song with a catchy guitar part, and Percy found himself humming along. He'd heard the song before, so he knew the lyrics and the tune somewhat.

"I was scared of pretty girls and starting conversations," he sang. "All my friends are turning green. You're the magicians assistant in their dreams."

He didn't really have a good voice, but he enjoyed singing anyways. Annabeth turned around when he started singing, and she gave him an upturned eyebrow. Percy shrugged and kept singing along albeit poorly. "I love you when you're singing that song, and I got a lump my throat because you're gonna sing the words wrong."

"You're a fan of Vance Joy?" Annabeth asked, surprising Percy.

"Uh, sorta?" he answered with a shrug. "I like this song a lot. It's kinda quirky in that pseudo-romantic, John Green kinda way, you know?"

Annabeth smirked. "That's awfully specific of you."

Percy gave her a sidelong glance and tried to ignore the way the sun was hiding behind her, casting a halo of light around her hair. "What can I say, I'm a born poet, Annabeth," he said.

At this Annabeth scoffed. "You're being rude," Percy said, sticking out his tongue. "And you called me some very hurtful names when I was trying to help you out back there."

"Cry more," Annabeth deadpanned, crossing her arms on her chest. "I love me some male tears."

Percy laughed and found himself in good spirits. At least it wasn't boring anymore, and for that, he'd kindly put of Annabeth's brashness any day. Suddenly, Annabeth took off her shoes and put her legs up on the dashboard. Percy gave her a look to which she gave him a defiant smirk in return. He found himself sighing before turning to focus on the road again. He tried to ignore her long, lean legs. Personally, he'd never understood the thing that guys had for long legs. Like, how was that in any way attractive? Yeah, nothing got him off like a nice long pair of legs, yessireebob. Still, he couldn't deny that there was something kinda attractive about Annabeth's legs, and it annoyed him for some reason. Her being attractive was proving to be a source of irritation. As for why, that was beyond him. Maybe it was because he felt the looks were wasted on someone with a rotten personality.

"Put your legs down. They smell," Percy lied.

"Excuse you, my legs smell great! I put lotion on them pretty often, I'll have you know," Annabeth replied.

"They're smelly!" Percy protested.

"Fine," Annabeth said with a shrug.

"Fine?" Percy asked, furrowing his brow.

He hadn't expected to win that argument that easily, but he was glad it ended quickly. Her legs were distracting him, and that in turn annoyed him. However, he was thoroughly unprepared when Annabeth rested her feet on his lap and let out a sigh of content. Percy was absolutely dumbfounded with what was happening.

"Your feet are on my lap," he said stupidly.

"Well you said I couldn't put them up on your dashboard, so," Annabeth trailed off, like it was the only natural thing to do.

Percy bit back a retort and decided to ignore the situation at hand. "If you get a boner, I swear to god, I'll kick your ass," Annabeth said suddenly, and Percy nearly swerved off the road.

"Where the fuck did that come from?" he asked incredulously.

Annabeth shrugged. "Just saying because my legs are on your lap and stuff. I don't want anything gross poking me, ya feel me?" she explained.

Percy actually had to stare at her to convey how absolutely flabbergasted he felt. "You're a real piece of work, you know that Annabeth?"

"Thanks darling, I try."

~oOo~

When he stopped for the night, they had driven all the way to the edge of the Pennsylvania. They were hugging Lake Erie, and Percy had actually stopped on the beach so that they could set up their sleeping bags there. It was warm outside seeing as how it was May, but the lake allowed for some gentle cool breezes to wash over them. Percy unfurled his sleeping bag and sat down with a yawn. He hadn't slept for an entire day since he'd started driving early last night. He collapsed on his back and let out a sigh of content.

The night sky seemed so big. Maybe that was a stupid thought, but it was the first time Percy had actually been able to see the sky. There were so many stars that he'd never even seen. He remembered his mother teaching him constellations as a kid when they went to Montauk, but he had forgotten them by now. Annabeth was still rummaging around in the car for her clothes, but Percy didn't bother to check up on her. It was nice to have some peace and quiet devoid of militant sarcasm.

Suddenly he saw Annabeth run past him clad only in her underwear as she yelled and jumped into the lake water. Percy propped himself up on his elbows and stared incredulously at her. Annabeth was splashing around in the water, making all sorts of commotion. Thankfully, there wasn't anyone else on the beach on a Thursday night.

"What are you doing?" Percy yelled. "Get out of there! Are you crazy?"

"I'm just enjoying the water, killjoy. Come over here, it's not as cold as it looks," Annabeth yelled back.

"I don't have a swimsuit with me," Percy protested.

"Just wear your boxers, geez," Annabeth huffed.

Percy pondered silently as Annabeth continued to splash around in the water carelessly. It wasn't that he wouldn't mind stripping down to his underwear when around a lake, well that was a lie, he would. It was all the more exacerbated by the fact that he was with a girl. Annabeth, for her part, didn't seem to care in the slightest that she was clad only in a bra and panties. For a seventeen year old girl, Annabeth wasn't exactly the shy and cowering type, Percy figured. Still despite his insecurity, he felt the water tempting him. He'd run away to feel free, so why was he constraining himself now, he wondered. Resolved, Percy stood up and chucked his clothes behind and ran into the water after Annabeth.

"God, it's so cold! We're going to freeze," Percy said, his teeth chattering.

"You're such a baby! It's not that bad," Annabeth said. "Besides, something tells me that you're a swimmer, so I'm pretty sure you're used to swimming in cold water."

"What makes you think that?" Percy asked with an upturned eyebrow.

"Just a guess," Annabeth muttered, her cheeks turning slightly pink.

Percy found himself grinning at her reaction. "I'm calling BS. Come on, spill. Was it my sexy bod?" he joked.

Annabeth snorted. "As if," she said.

"Then what?" Percy prodded. He wasn't about to let her off the hook that easily.

Annabeth groaned and put her hand on her forehead to look exasperated for effect. "God, you're annoying. I just noticed your arms while you were driving, and they seemed like swimmer arms," she spluttered.

"Were you ogling me?" Percy teased.

At this, Annabeth blushed even deeper before giving him a defiant look. "Maybe. You got a problem with that?" she challenged.

"Nope," Percy laughed.

He couldn't believe that he was flirting with a girl that he'd found literally on the side of the road. Up until now, he had somehow ignored the fact that Annabeth was wearing only lingerie, but he quickly became aware of it. "Uh, Annabeth, you're in your underwear," he whispered.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you ogling me?" she mimicked.

"Uh, maybe?" Percy replied truthfully.

"Remember what I said in the car, Jackson. I won't hesitate to kick your ass if you try something," she said.

Percy raised his hands in surrender. "Not trying anything, nope," he assured her.

She cocked her head to the side. "Isn't cold water supposed to help with this sort of thing?" she mused aloud.

"'Supposed to' being the operative phrase here, I think," Percy replied. "It's kinda hard when there's a half-naked girl right in front of you when you're an eighteen year old boy, you know?"

Annabeth laughed before turning serious. A sad expression crossed her face, but Percy couldn't have been sure in the darkness. "I have a boyfriend," she said quietly.

"Oh," Percy said stupidly.

"Yeah," Annabeth said, shifting slightly. There was an awkward pause before she spoke again. "I'm, uh, going to get out of the water and dry off."

"Okay," Percy said, stupidly again.

He cursed himself for making the situation so awkward, but in a sense he also felt relieved. He wasn't about to start developing a relationship with a girl that he just met. It would be better if they just remained friends, he decided. The fact that she had a boyfriend helped him shove all wayward thoughts about her aside. He floated on his back, staring up at the sky, giving himself time away from Annabeth. He didn't want to make this thing awkward. That would make this entire trip painfully tense. Eventually, he too left the water to go dry off.

When he walked back to his sleeping bag, it looked like Annabeth was already asleep. He didn't know whether to feel nervous or grateful as he sat down. With a yawn, he laid on his back and listened to the stillness around him for a while. He could hear small waves from the lake lapping against the coarse shoreline. The beach had more pebbles than it did sand, much to his chagrin.

"Hey, Percy, are you awake?"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

Silence.

"Uh, thanks for giving me a ride and stuff. I realized I never said thanks and whatnot."

"Oh, it's not a problem. I'm happy to help a fellow teenage vagabond."

Annabeth chuckled quietly, and Percy smiled openly, hoping the darkness would shield him from Annabeth's sight. "What time are we gonna leave in the morning?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. Whenever we wake up, I guess. First person that wakes up has to wake the other one up," he said.

"Okay, sounds good. I'll drive tomorrow, so that you don't have to the entire time," Annabeth offered.

"Hmm, okay," Percy said, stifling a yawn.

"Good night, Percy."

"Mmm, good night."

A/N: I hope all of you enjoyed the first chapter. I don't know how long this will turn out to be, so yeah. There's a lot of innuendo of the sexual variety so be forewarned. There's also some language stuffs too, so yeah. I'll proof this tomorrow. Let me know what you think in a review. Following and favoriting is mucho appreciated as well. Toodles.