So I had the best day of my life on Tuesday, and I just had to write about it. Sadly, I didn't finish it until today, and I couldn't post it until now because I just saw Ender's Game. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little outpouring of my extreme happiness!

Sitting in a Tree

Two hundred fifty-six days. That's how many days in a row I've talked to Percy Jackson. It didn't matter if it was on the phone, through Skype, or in person, Percy and I have been in near constant contact for nearly three hundred days. Although, it wasn't the excessive number of days in a row that we had communicated together that had gotten me excited. It was the fact that I was going to Percy's apartment after having not seen him since Friday.

It was during the school year, so I had to wait until Percy was out of school, and with the recent lull of camp activities it was hard not to spend the entire day bored waiting for him to get out of school. Once it hit three o'clock, though, I was over Half-Blood Hill and making my way down to the road to try and hail a cab as I walked into the city.

Once I was in the city, I got out of my cab a few blocks early and quickly jogged to Percy's apartment, and as I approached his building, he ran out at a speed I didn't think he was capable of reaching and enveloped me in a hug so passionate that he literally swept me off my feet and spun me around.

I laughed. "What is it, Seaweed Brain? Been too long without seeing me?"

Percy's face reddened. "Sorry. I just missed you so much."

The sad puppy look in his eyes was unmistakable, and my heart melted instantly at the sight. "Can we go inside and say 'hi' to your mom and Paul? Or are you going to hug me forever?" I teased gently.

Percy stepped back hastily, apparently having just realized he had never unwrapped his arms from around my waist. When he released me, we walked inside to greet his mom and stepdad. They both hugged me, happy to see me alive again, after Percy told them about the dangerous quest I had just returned from with some of my siblings. We headed into the living room and sat down on one of the couches. I leaned against him momentarily, and he brushed his hand through my hair.

"What do you want to do?" he asked me softly, a small smile playing at his lips.

"I don't know," I replied, distracted by the headache that had formed about an hour before I left Camp Half-Blood. I had hoped that the Tylenol I had taken before I left would at least lessen the slight pounding in my left temple, but I hadn't had any such luck. "What do you want to do?"

"We could go for a walk," Percy suggested. He stood and pulled me to my feet, leading me to the apartment door. "We're going for a walk, Mom!" he called. He walked out the door before she could even acknowledge his declaration.

We walked down the broad city street for a little while before I said, "Can we just go on a short walk today? I have a little bit of a headache." I instantly felt bad. It's not that often I get to see Percy outside of Camp, and then it's only for short periods of time and usually with mom and stepdad.

"Of course," he relied easily. He's smiling at me, and I knew he wasn't disappointed in the least.

Percy led me past a small pocket park that made up one of the city's many alleyways. There were four trees that were evenly spaced, dividing the park in half. He led me down the park to the last one and looked up at it like he was trying to decide whether or not to climb it. I took the initiative and began climbing. Once I reached a stable position, I stopped and glanced down at Percy. He smiled and followed me

Up in the tree, as high as we could go without breaking any branches, we just sat and talked. Percy filled me in on what was going on at his school, and in turn I told him about everything he was missing at Camp Half-Blood. After a few minutes, we fell into a companionable silence, and he moved his hand to rest on top of mine. I stared at the ground and smiled.

"Whatcha doin'?" Percy asked me after a few minutes.

"Thinking," I replied, looking up at him. He was smiling.

"About what?"

"Stuff," I stated simply. We had been dancing around this for months, and just two days ago, he admitted to me that he was almost ready.

"Stuff stuff?" He asked, his smile growing.

I looked up at him. "Yeah."

"I think I'm ready," he told me quietly.

"Me too."

"I love you."

My heart nearly leapt out of my chest. I had been waiting for so long for him to say it, and now that he finally had, it was a lot better than I had ever imagined it would be. "I love you too."

He grabbed me and pulled me into a kiss.

So there it is. Thank you so much for reading! If you have a moment to spare, I'd really appreciate a review!

~Red~