DISCLAIMER:I DIdn'T WRITE THE FIRST CHAPTER IT's A CHAPTER FROM DID YOU EVER BY FERB AND IT's LIKE THE COOLEST STORY I'VE EVER SEEN

For being the daughter of the goddess of wisdom, I didn't feel so wise.

In fact, I felt bitter insolence course through my during this summer's year at camp. Regret nagged at my mind at the sight of him and her together. In all honesty, I had thought that just because I left my mediocre affair with Travis Stoll meant that Percy would still be there for me. While with Hermes' son, I had watched the girls from the Aphrodite cabin and Demeter cabin flock Percy Jackson's every move, now that he was a bachelor.

Why was it that the moment I left Percy, the boy had gotten even more handsome than before?

The fates were not on my side obviously.

Even thought I had been the one to cheat on him, he was still the same sweet Percy. He was still kind to me, even though we had hastily broken up. Even their friendship had been marred by the incident, which goes to show that you should never date your best friend, even if you love him.

It wasn't really even an affair. Travis had been the one to kiss me first during their workshop training and for some reason, I imagined Percy and kissed the boy back. Unfortunately, Clarisse had been walking by—I hated her now— and out of loyalty, she told Percy what happened. After the big battle, Clarisse was considerably kinder to Percy, and some of that kindness was evoked from Silena's death. Percy had been mad, and I had never seen him so mad before, and the next thing I knew, Travis Stoll was all I had left.

By the end of last summer, I had been labeled many cruel things by my campers, just for one mistake. Percy may have forgiven me—and it took him a long time to do so— but no one else did. A whole year had gone by, and no other word of Percy Jackson reached my ears. During the winter, I had broken up with Travis just because there was no other reason.

I wanted Percy back.

Come this start of the camp, and I was more confident in getting him back. I ignored all the comments behind my back with a strong face, and I walked with my head held up high like a true daughter of Athena. Shame wouldn't hinder me in the slightest. I planned on claiming Percy as mine once more, just because I still loved him more strongly than ever.

But he had moved on. In more ways than one, this summer had been worse than the last. The insults that labeled me as 'tramp' or 'whore'—I could deal with. But seeing Percy and her together every single day gnawed at me. It simply killed me whenever I looked.

What was the worst of all was that my two best friends were dating each other.

Percy Jackson and Thalia Grace. Who would have thought of it? It was said that they would be either the best of friends or the worst of enemies. Who would have thought that they would be neither?

It was unexplainable, even to me who always seemed to have an answer to everything, why I was striding over to Poseidon's cabin at seven in the morning. It was a chilly summer morning, and not many campers were up yet, so no one had the chance to label her a freak or anything.

I strode through the door without even knocking. "Percy—"

I faltered in place, my heart dropping lower than ever with guaranteed pain. The sight I was seeing was one I didn't expect. I took a couple steps back. "I—I'm…"

"Annabeth?" Percy looked up from the map he had been studying. It was an aged map of ancient Greece given to him from his father, and it had once belonged to the great Odysseus.

I swallowed thickly, drinking in the sight in front of me. The map of ancient Greece laid strewn out on the blanket that covered his lower half. The seventeen year old was lying back, idly running his fingers through the dark strands of hair belonging to the pale, skinny girl that was sleeping beside him.

Oh, did I forget to mention that Thalia was there too?

"I-I didn't know you had c-company," I stuttered, and I inwardly cursed myself for it. "I didn't mean to intrude. I'm sorry. I'll just go—"

"You don't have to." Percy's cheeks looked flushed at my arrival, but he didn't seem too bothered by it. "It's not like we…did anything…" At this, he blushed even more. He noticed my crestfallen face. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head, like nothing mattered because it didn't. "It's nothing. It was silly."

"C'mon," Percy rolled his eyes teasingly at me. "I know you, Annabeth. You don't coming storming in early at seven a.m. in the morning just to tell me that what you really need to say is just nothing."

I contemplated silently to herself, looking between the handsome son of Poseidon on the bed and the gap of his cabin door before pulling out a chair and setting it beside him. I plopped down on the chair carefully, my gaze maintained from his eyes.

My hands were folded tightly on my lap. "I never apologized for what happened between you and me."

"Oh," he blinked. "That."

"Yeah," I added quietly.

Percy didn't know what to say. Being the boy that he was, and the space that had integrated between them during their post-breakup, he just assumed that things were alright with them. Even if she did cheat, he could never be mad at Annabeth for so long.

"You don't have to apologize," he replied a few minutes later. "It wasn't completely your fault. I mean," he paused, his other hand scratching the back of his neck nervously, "I must have done something to make you do what you did, right?"

I looked up quickly. My eyes were red-rimmed. "Don't say that," I commanded him chokingly. "None of it was ever your fault, so don't you think that way. This was all me."

When Percy was stunned to silence, I continued. "I'm so, very sorry, Percy," I whispered, my traitorous tears strolling down my cheeks, taking their leisurely time. "If I had things my way, I'd reverse time and avoid the mistake I did. I don't know why I did it when I had you. Percy, you were— are perfect."

"I'm not perfect, Annabeth," the other boy shook his head in disagreement.

I sniffed. "And I'm far from it. I don't deserve it, I know that, but would you ever forgive me?"

Percy reached out and held his hand, his palm facing up. I blinked down more tears before I placed my hand slowly in his, sighing when his warm, long fingers enveloped in mine. This one, simple touch gave some indication to me that Percy might still love me.

I knew better than that.

"You should know that I forgave you a long time ago," he smiled gently. "I could never stay mad at you for too long. You're one of my best friends."

Friend. Of course I would always remain his friend. There was a time in which me and Percy were more than just friends, but I blew it.

Thalia shifted in place, rolling over to face Percy, her bangs falling on her face, the covers slightly thrown back to show that she was wearing an over-sized orange Camp Half-Blood shirt that hung off her thin shoulder. It wasn't as hard as rocket science to figure out that the shirt was Percy's. A small, natural ball of envy budded in me. I had never worn anything of Percy's when I was with him.

Automatically, Percy let go of my hand, forgotten, as he was enamored with the girl beside him. It was true to say that Thalia Grace was one of the most beautiful girls in camp, and maybe of all New York. Now that Thalia had grown out of her punk/Goth phase, letting her hair grow out longer, she was even more beautiful than ever. Some referred to her as the second Helen of Troy, her being the daughter of Zeus, even though Thalia detested the similarity between her and the older woman.

She had such long hair now. Those black, endless curtains reached to the girl's waist now, a far cry from what Thalia's short-cropped hair a couple years ago.

I felt mordancy as I watched Percy push back Thalia's black bangs with evident tenderness. It was as though the daughter of Athena wasn't even there, when Percy leaned down to kiss Thalia's bare shoulder before pulling the shirt up to cover it.

Thalia, somehow sensing his presence, snuggled a bit closer until her head was lying on his lap. Her arms were subconsciously and loosely snaking around his slim waist. Percy only smiled at this, his hand returning to playing with her hair. I felt forgotten.

She cleared her throat. "Uh…Percy?"

Percy looked up curiously, but did not remove his hands from her long hair. "Sorry about that, Annabeth. Almost forgot you were there," he gave a light chuckle at his tactlessness.

Of course you did, I thought soberly, but I managed a tight grin. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Did you ever…" I trailed off, trying to find the right words to fit this. It was now or never. "Did you ever love me the same way you love her?" I nodded over at sleeping Thalia. "When we were together?"

Silence. And then: "Honestly?"

I nodded. "Yes, the truth."

"Well, there was a time when I thought I felt that way for you," Percy answered, his seawater gaze never once wavering from mine. "And to be honest, when we broke up, I didn't miss you as much as I should have."

Ouch. That one really hurt.

"And then I realized that I didn't love you the way I thought I would. I love you like you're my sister."

This seemed like a déjà vu, doesn't it? Luke Castellan had asked me the same question I asked, and I had responded in the same manner as Percy did before Luke had died.

I accepted the cold, hard fact. "And Thalia?"

Percy's response was a beautiful, soft smile. "I love her more than anything else. More than my life. I couldn't live without her," he murmured, his eyes dropping down to stare again at Thalia. It was a short declaration of love, and as simple as it was, it was perfect with a flair that was simply Percy.

The more Percy's love grew for Thalia, the more my heart was breaking. I couldn't bear it. Be strong, daughter, I heard her mother's calm voice in her head, We all learn from our mistakes and we excel from it.

"Thank you, Percy," I willed herself to smile as she rose from her seat. "I needed this. Closure, you know?"

The son of Poseidon nodded. "I understand. Don't worry about it."

"Alright. See you at breakfast," I breathed before running out of the cabin.

It was right outside of his cabin did I let her tears fall again, doubling even more than the first time I cried that morning. My breathing came out in ragged chokes, my heart hammering as I tripped over her shoelaces. I fell forward, my face pressed against the dirt below, tears still streaming from my grey eyes. Life wasn't fair.

And yet, I had to see them together every day, each day, my pain doubled and my hate for the girl whom I once called family grew.

I went and sat by the lake, I would lean against his chest and he would stroke my hair in return.

"Those were good times." I murmured, and to add to my fantastic day, Thalia and Percy came out of cabin three holding hands, I turned away, stood up and ran.