Opposites Distract

by MaydayParade8123

If he's being honest, Percy never thought that he would end up being that cliché teenager with a summer love that he'd never forget. But someway, somehow, it happened. AU.

Summary: If he's being honest, Percy never thought that he would end up being that cliché teenager with a summer love that they'd never forget. But somehow, someway, it happened.

Disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians nor the characters mentioned.

;;;

Percy could hardly contain his excitement as his mother unlocked the door to what would be their home for the summer.

Usually, his grandparents stayed here, but ever since Grandma got a minor patch of skin cancer, Grandpa had been extra cautious. Instead, for the summer, his grandparents, as adventurous and active as they were, would be switching places with them – living in New York for the summer. The moment the door swung open, Percy dropped his bags on the ground and rushed to the back door that opened to a patio overlooking the beach. He couldn't wait to see the waves.

"Percy, at least put your bags in your room before you leave me here and rush down to the beach," Percy's mom said good-naturedly. He sighed, having not even reached the back door, and made an immediate U-turn. He gathered up his bags, several which contained his belongings for the summer, and instead dropped them on the bed in the room that they'd previously worked out would be his.

Percy had been eager for the beach long since they'd landed in San Francisco, so, luckily, he didn't have to waste any time changing clothes. Clad in swimming shorts and an everyday t-shirt, he kissed his mother on the cheek and restrained from speeding down to the water.

Percy was determined to let this summer away from home be the best one yet. Rather than ice skating and bowling, he'd be able to lounge around at the beach, all day, every day.

This is officially the life, Percy concluded inwardly.

As he made his way to the water, he slowed his pace in an attempt to look calmer. On the inside, he was bouncing off the walls. It'd been so long since he'd been to a beach, a warm beach, with the hot sun beating down on his back and the smell of sea salt overtaking his senses.

He stopped just at the edge of the water, feeling the cold liquid jump over his toes before slowly receding. He couldn't resist a full out grin. Closing his eyes for a few seconds, he let his other senses kick in. The constant rhythm of the ocean matched the beating of his heart. Percy had always considered the ocean his second home.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Percy turned around a full 180-degrees to see a blonde he hadn't even noticed was directly behind him. Then he wondered why he hadn't noticed her.

She was gorgeously tan, obviously a native of California, paired with her golden hair. Percy'd been expecting blue eyes, as you tend to see with blondes, but instead he stared into frighteningly intense gray eyes. Her hair was up messily and carelessly, but in that way that only girls can always make it look flawless. Then he noticed that this girl didn't look all that happy. In fact, she had a quite austere aura around her.

"Sorry?" Percy questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you enjoying blocking my light?" She asked, raising a book up to show that she'd been reading.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Percy apologized sincerely. "I didn't even notice that there was a person behind me."

She laughed, almost to herself. "Of course you didn't."

He took the liberty of seating myself on the sand next to her beach chair. Percy had to make allies here at some point, and now was as good a time as ever. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm just absent minded," he told her. "I was actually wondering how I missed you."

"Not interested," she said immediately.

Percy grinned at the fast response. "Not assuming you were. You know, believe it or not, a guy can appreciate a pretty girl without trying to date her." The girl seemed at a loss for words, instead staring at the horizon. He wiped the sand off his hand and reached it out to her. "Percy, by the way."

She snapped back to attention, looking at his hand oddly. "You're old-fashioned," she commented, shaking Percy's hand. "Annabeth."

"I prefer to be called 'classy' or a 'gentleman', but I suppose I can accept old-fashioned," Percy told her, leaning back on both his hands once more. "It's nice to meet you, Annabeth."

"My, you are classy," Annabeth muttered. It made Percy smile and he wasn't sure why. "And you have an accent. Where are you from?"

"New York," Percy shared. "I assume you're from here?"

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah. You're a long way from home, aren't you?"

Percy smiled. "Nah. I like to think that any beach is my real home."

"Oh, I see," Annabeth said as though she's been enlightened. She chuckled, almost to herself. "You're one of those surfing fanatics."

He laughed. "No, actually, I don't even know how to surf," Percy confided. "What makes you think that?"

"Long-ish hair, tan and you speak in a callow way," Annabeth stated bluntly, extending a finger with each point she made. Percy blinked at her bluntness, deciding that it wasn't a necessarily bad quality to have.

"I'm sure I'd agree if I knew the meaning of that word," Percy told her with a slightly bashful smile.

"Callow. Immature, elementary, not fully developed," Annabeth defined.

"So, basically, you were calling me stupid in a nice way?" Percy questioned, turning to his acquaintance with a raised eyebrow. He watched with amusement as she returned the gaze with no more than a raised eyebrow, raising her book up and turning the page.

Annabeth shrugged. "More or less."

Percy laughed, deciding that he liked her already. "Well, I gotta appreciate that honesty."

"Wow, 'appreciate'. Don't strain yourself now," Annabeth remarked sarcastically. All Percy could do was laugh.

"You might just be the most amusing person I've ever met, Annabeth," Percy told her unabashed.

"Glad to see someone thinks so," Annabeth mumbled, picking at the edge of her book.

Percy nudged her beach chair with his shoulder. "Wow. Next time we hang out, we'll have to work on your confidence."

"I have confidence," Annabeth disagreed. Percy sent her a sidelong glance. "You don't even know me! You have no right to judge me like that."

Percy shook his head. "Yeah, maybe I don't. But sometimes, a stranger's point-of-view can be one of the best things to go by," he said, standing up.

"Where are you going?" Annabeth inquired.

"Used to my company already?" He asked her with a smile. She looked back to the ocean, scowling. "It was a joke," Percy told her, pushing his hair away from his face. "But, yeah, I have to go unpack. See you soon?"

"If it happens, it happens," Annabeth vaguely said.

Percy considered her words. "If it happens, it happens," he repeated. "Well, if I never see you again, you were a lovely person, Annabeth."

"Same to you, Percy," Annabeth said off-handedly, obviously quite immersed in her book. Percy smiled, noting how different she was from the other girls at the beach with nearly all of their clothes off. He could admire her modesty, if nothing else.

Walking away from his new acquaintance, Percy headed back to the beach house to unpack for the summer, hoping that yeah, it'd happen.

;;

"So, Percy, how was the beach this afternoon?" Percy's mother asked as they sat down for dinner. Sally was quite handy in the kitchen, but tonight Percy and herself settled for a pizza ordered in. Percy seemed content with her choice.

She watched as her son's face lit up in a smile. "It gorgeous, Mom," Percy shared. "Not half as pretty as you – "

"Oh, look at you! Percy the Charmer!" she teased with a motherly smile.

He gave his mother an indulgent smile. "I try."

She shook her head and took a sip of her drink. For the lack of a father figure in his life, she couldn't be more proud of her son. "You think you'll like it here?"

Percy smiled. "Yeah, Mom. I know I will."

;;

As it turns out, it did happen again. Their second day in California, his mother surprised him with a surfboard. He seemed to have a natural affinity for it, after getting the basics from a fellow surfer and wiping out once or twice. The said fellow surfer claimed that he'd never seen anyone take to the sport so easily.

Percy had just laid his surfboard on the ground and had every intention of sitting down on it and taking a breather.

Turns out, the next thing he saw took his breath away.

Annabeth, his acquaintance from the previous day, was walking down the beach with her headphones in. He inferred that she was heading from the peer; it was in the direction from which she was walking away. Her hair was down today, frizzy and yet somehow perfect. Even if this girl never fell in love with him, Percy decided that she would probably make a perfect best friend. She didn't seem to be one of those girls obsessed with her reflection and she seemed... different. Percy liked that. He'd always had a deep appreciation for the misfits, since he was one of them.

She was busy fishing something out of her backpack as she passed him by, and this gave him the motivation to start walking alongside her, surfboard tucked safely underneath his arm. He was there for probably a good twenty seconds before she turned and saw him. Her expression was one of confusion, then realization, then smugness.

"We meet again," she said, taking both of her earphones out and draping them around her neck. "Stalking me?"

"Of course. Just can't help myself," Percy responded sarcastically. She raised an eyebrow. "So, Annabeth, what are your plans for today?"

"Curious one, aren't you?" Annabeth asked rhetorically. "Regardless, I'm not sure if I should tell my stalker where I'm going. What's the fun in following me if you know where I'm going?"

He gave her a dry look. "Aren't you hilarious."

"Thank you," Annabeth replied, as though the comment hadn't held any sarcasm. "You surf?" she questioned, nodding at the surfboard. "I thought you weren't one of those 'surfing guys'."

"I wasn't," Percy confirmed. "Until today."

"Ah, I see," Annabeth said. "Are you any good?"

"I'm told I'm a natural," he told her honestly. "But enough about me, really, what are your plans for today?"

She hesitating before deciding it couldn't hurt. The kid was kind of annoying, but he seemed okay. "I usually walk along the beach or read here for about an hour and a half before I go to the library," Annabeth finally enlightened. "I do it every Saturday."

"A creature of habit, I see."

"More like one who'd go insane without a schedule. What are you doing today?" Annabeth inquired. Percy liked the fact that the conversation was so easy. Annabeth decided that he wasn't all that bad when he wasn't blocking her light.

"Walking along the beach for an hour and a half and then going to the library," Percy told her with humor. She smiled, and Percy was seriously concerned that he was having a heart attack.

"Stalker," she teased.

"Only for the best," he replied.

"You don't even know me. What if I'm a serial killer?" Annabeth asked him.

"Then you'll be the prettiest one I've ever seen," Percy said after a moment of hesitation. She didn't hesitate to shove him.

"Shut up," she muttered.

Doesn't care for compliments; noted, Percy thought inwardly.

"We should become friends," Percy suggested after a brief silence. "I need a tour guide to California."

"And I need a stalker," Annabeth joked. "Look at us; the perfect two!"

Percy took the liberty of pushing her back for earlier. "Seriously."

"Deal," Annabeth decided. "But, you have to do something for me."

"Should I be nervous?"

"Maybe a bit," Annabeth replied with a laugh. "Well, I've always wanted to know how to surf."

"I'm your man," I told her without a second thought. "Deal."

"For free?"

Percy looked confused. "Do you usually ask for money when you give someone surfing lessons?"

"Absolutely not," Annabeth responded, too quickly. Percy rolled his eyes after a dry look sent her way.

"Smooth," he muttered. She raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Percy, I advise that you drop your surfboard back at home," Annabeth suggested, "because we'll be walking a lot today."

;;

He met Annabeth at the ice cream shop across from the main beach entrance after leaving his surfboard at home, grabbing a t-shirt, and managing to get thirty dollars from his loving mother. She teased him about going on a date, but he ignored her.

He entered the shop and shook his hair out a bit, since it was still fairly damp. Annabeth was at the counter, presumably ordering something as he approached her. Nudging her slightly with his elbow and narrowing his eyes at her and she elbowed him back, Percy thought that they were getting along great for being strangers.

"Just water," Annabeth told the young cashier as she asked for her order.

"You are at an ice cream shop," Percy asked, appalled, "and you get a water?"

"Yes," Annabeth replied simply, receiving her water from the worker, along with her change.

"You are the strangest person I've ever met," Percy admitted, staring openly at the girl he'd decided he wanted as a friend. She elbowed him once more.

"Shut up."

"Just being honest."

"Well, be honest in a less annoying way," she told him. He gave her a dirty look. She sent one back.

Resorting to childish methods, he stuck his tongue out. Annabeth rolled her eyes and turned to leave the counter. As expected, he followed. "First stop?" Percy questioned.

"The park," Annabeth stated. "Well, my favorite one, anyways."

;;

After circling the park twice, he and Annabeth chose to sit on a bench.

"Annabeth, I just realized that we've spent over an hour together and I know close to nothing about you," Percy said.

"My last name is Chase," she shared. Percy waited for more words.

After a long silence, he inferred that she wasn't telling him anything else. "Fascinating," he remarked.

"Well, I'm not about to tell a stranger every aspect of my life," Annabeth sassed.

"Well, then you must have very little friends, because that's typically how you make them – friends, that is," Percy told her.

She scowled. "I have friends."

"I'll believe that when I see it," Percy dismissed easily. Annabeth looked angry. Percy smiled. "You really need to lighten up, you know?" This only deepened her scowl.

Annabeth hated it when people told her to 'lighten up'. She worked by a schedule; her way of life was very particular. When people messed it up, she never allowed herself to befriend them.

Two street artists walked by, a girl playing guitar and singing, a slightly older looking guy walking next to her with a handy harmonica. They placed themselves on the sidewalk, not too far from where Percy and Annabeth were sitting.

"What kind of music do you like?" Percy asked her, nodding at the headphones still hanging around her neck. The street artists had inspired the topic of conversation.

"Everything, really. I'm not big on rap, however. I usually like the more undiscovered bands," Annabeth shared after some thought. "But I do like a few mainstream bands."

"So, favorite band?" Percy prompted. Annabeth bit her lip and seemed to be considering carefully. He fidgeted with the class ring on his finger.

"The Script," Annabeth decided.

Percy grinned in recognition. "They're amazing!"

Annabeth seemed happy that he knew what she was talking about. "Right? I love their new album – "

" – Science and Faith," Percy said in unison with her. She nodded.

"What about you? Favorite band?" Annabeth questioned, gesturing to Percy. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, mentally scrolling through his music library.

"Coldplay," he picked, sinking down a bit to rest his head on the back of the bench. "'Paradise' is a great song."

"I remember listening to that just about nonstop after I heard it for the first time," Annabeth agreed, pulling one knee up to her chest.

"Favorite color?" Percy questioned after ten seconds of silence.

"Lavender," Annabeth stated. "And you?"

"I liked red for a while, but I think blue's my favorite now," Percy said. "Age?"

"Sixteen," Annabeth told him. "You're seventeen, I'm guessing?"

"Almost," Percy shared. "My birthday's in August."

Annabeth nodded lightly. "Oh."

"Oh," Percy repeated with a laugh. "Do you like food?"

"Yes?" Annabeth replied, as though Percy was crazy.

"Then I've decided. You're going to be my new best friend," Percy bluntly said.

She raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, you like the beach, food, and you have good taste in music," Percy listed. "What else can a guy ask for in a best friend?"

"What if there's a deal breaker?" Annabeth asked. "What if there's something about me that's not good; something that you don't want in a best friend?"

Percy lolled his head to the side and gave her a lopsided smile. "Oh well. You're stuck with me now. We get along good for strangers, you think?"

"Yeah," Annabeth agreed reluctantly. "But you're annoying."

"And you're brutal!" Percy accused, sitting up straight and dramatically resting his hand over his heart. "You wound me!"

"Well, if we're going to be best friends, you'll learn how to deal."

;;

Percy was rudely awoken by someone slapping his cheek lightly over and over. He groaned and rolled over. Though his eyes were closed, he could tell that it was still way too bright outside. "Mom, leave," he mumbled.

"Sweetheart, I've been calling you for a good ten minutes. There's someone I want you to meet," his mother said, ruffling his hair. "Get up, and put on something besides boxers, please."

"Mom!" Percy groaned. "Why?"

"I want you to meet this guy I met," his mother said, something that sounded almost shy. He opened one eye to see his mother's smiling face.

"You met met a guy?" Percy asked, his emphasis obvious. She shrugged vaguely. "Fine, I'm up." His mother smiled brightly and pinched his cheek before retreating. He smiled at his mother's excitement; she needs someone. Whether it's a boyfriend or just a guy to be there for her, she needs something. He slowly evacuated his bed and stretched his limbs to their extremities, glaring at the sunlight streaming through the windows.

In no more than seven minutes, Percy was walking one foot after the other into the kitchen, where he assumed his mom would be. It took him a moment to remember where it was, but he didn't get lost in the end. He immediately saw a tall man with a dark blue shirt on, accepting what Percy was assuming as tea from his mother.

"Oh! Percy, good morning," Sally said sweetly as Percy smiled sleepily. "This is Paul, and Paul, this is my son Percy."

"Hey, man," Percy said, nodding to him. "How'd you guys meet?"

"I actually came to the wrong house," Paul answered with a chuckle. Percy thought that he had a friendly, calm voice. "My sister's actually right next door, but I got the house numbers confused."

"He did it twice, though," Percy's mother said with good-natured teasing.

"I did," Paul replied, sending Sally a nice smile.

Percy was feeling a bit awkward in the situation, so with a kiss to his mother's cheek, a rapidly grabbed apple, and a 'nice to meet you' called over his shoulder, he was out the door. He grabbed his surfboard and opted for his beach flip-flops and left the premises in an impressive amount of time.

It wasn't that he thought his mother liking someone was 'gross' or anything of the sort, but it was a little uncomfortable to watch his mother flirt, or try to, anyways, with a guy. He was happy for her; Paul seemed cool. He took a bite out of his apple and started his trek down to the water.

It was still fairly early in the morning, and he wasn't by any means the only surfer out there. Some nice guys, and even a few girls, gave him pointers, which he took in stride. After about an hour and a half, Percy was fairly exhausted and a bit sore from straining his muscles. He collapsed on the sand, dropping his surfboard next to him. He stared out at the horizon for a while.

Leaning back on his elbows, he decided that he could live here forever. New York was great, it really was, but the beach was only enjoyable a few times out of the year. Living here would literally be heaven. Humming a combination of several Coldplay songs that were all stuck in his head, forming a medley, Percy laid back on the sand. He moved his arm so that he could rest the nook of his elbow over his eyes to shield the sun.

He paced his breathing to the sound of the waves, something that entertained him for maybe thirty seconds before he felt restless, sitting up straight and stretching. As he turned slightly to stretch his back, he spotted a familiar blonde curled up in a chair with the same book she'd been reading the first day he met her.

"Annie!" he called dramatically as he made his way over to her. A few people, Annabeth included, glanced his way. She sent a sharp glare as he took his seat right next to her with a winning smile. "Good morning."

"Don't call me Annie," she answered. "Only Annabeth, okay?"

Not a fan of nicknames, Percy noted. "How's your day been?"

"Great until some narcissistic teenage boy called me 'Annie'," she muttered. Percy grinned. Annabeth was blunt, rude even, and terribly sarcastic, but he couldn't help but like that about her. "'Narcissistic' means self-centered. Cocky."

"I knew that one," Percy said, sounding proud of himself. Annabeth rolled her eyes. "But really, how's your day been?"

"Great," Annabeth relented. "You?"

"Amazing, now. Been surfing all morning. Kind of sore," he admitted, rolling his shoulders once or twice. "What are you up to?"

"Is this going to be an everyday thing?" Annabeth questioned, raising a blonde eyebrow in question.

Percy pursed his lips, looking out to the water. Waves crashed on the shore; a beautiful symphony paired with the sounds of nature and the shrill screams of children touching the water for the first time. He leaned his head back, thoroughly enjoying the sun. "Well, Chase, like I said, you're stuck with me."

"Even if I don't want you there?"

Percy laughed, leaning upright. "Especially if you don't want me there."

"Oh," Annabeth said, seemingly not knowing how to respond. Percy thought it was cute.

"What are we doing today?" he restated, rubbing the sand off his hands and glancing to make sure his surfboard hadn't been stolen. Luckily, he's placed it close enough to another family that it seemed like the surfboard was theirs, stopping any thieves from stealing.

"I don't know. Didn't really have anything on the agenda," Annabeth said after a few moments, fidgeting with her book.

"Get up," Percy ordered, standing up. If Annabeth wasn't going to give any fantastic ideas, he'd pick something himself.

Annabeth scowled. "Why should I listen to you?"

"Because, I'm your future best friend and you'll regret it if you don't. So get up," Percy repeated, giving her a friendly smile. She sized him up before sighing, shrugging, and finally, standing. Percy's grin widened.

"Don't you dare get smug," Annabeth ordered. "It's only because I'm bored."

"Okay," Percy replied, putting his hands up in the universal sign of defeat. Still, he stole a smug smile her way. Her pride was almost endearing. Clearing his throat, Percy told her, "follow me."

She did.

After taking a moment to pick up his shirt off the ground and throwing it around his neck, he scooped up his surfboard. "You still owe me lessons."

"That I do," Percy replied, trying not to think too hard about the fact that she'd be in a swimsuit. "When?"

"I'm free all summer," Annabeth replied easily. "For the most part anyways."

"What a coincidence!" Percy said with mock surprise. "Me too!"

Annabeth shoved his shoulder. "Shut up, loser."

Percy smiled slightly. "Well, what about this Saturday? Think you can take a day off from your carefully crafted schedule?" He raised an eyebrow in question.

Annabeth bit her lip and Percy glanced away. Annabeth was nice, gorgeous and just an interesting person in general. She'd make a great best friend. And there was no reason to feel that way about her when they'd already decided on being best friends. And it was very rare that a guy escaped the friendzone.

"We'll see," Annabeth cryptically replied. "Where are we going?"

"Well, first," Percy replied, shifting his shoulder, "we're dropping my surfboard off at my house. Then we're going walking."

"To where?"

"Anywhere," Percy shrugged. "Everywhere. We're teenagers and it's summer. Endless possibilities." Annabeth gave him an odd look, as if he was crazy. "Oh, Annabeth," Percy proclaimed, "you are going to have a hard time having me as your best friend if you don't get used to spontaneity."

"I like predictability," Annabeth unnecessarily stated.

Percy snorted. "Obviously. But what's the fun in that?"

"Why me?" Annabeth asked suddenly.

Percy's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?'

"Out of every person at the beach that you could have chosen to make your best friend, why me?" Annabeth bluntly interrogated.

Percy smirked. "I couldn't tell you. I knew that you need some unpredictability in your life. And I'm the perfect answer to that, since I can't even spell schedule."

"S-c-h-e-d-u-l-e," Annabeth recited. Percy shoved her with his shoulder.

"Stop being a smartass."

"Oh, he cusses," Annabeth noted with amusement.

"Only when needed," Percy informed. He led Annabeth across the street to his summer home. "This is it."

"It's nice," Annabeth responded as he led her up the stairs on the back porch. He leaned his surfboard up against the house. "The paneling and trim is elementary, but it's nice. It works. Is there crown mold on the inside?"

Percy cocked his head to the side as he reached for the key hidden in the cliche flower pot. "What?"

If he didn't know better, he would have thought Annabeth blushed. "Architecture. It's my thing, I guess."

Percy turned and looked at her. "Well, that's unique."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Annabeth asked, sizing Percy up as though she considered punching him.

He laughed. "Calm down, Princess. It means just that: your career choice is unique."

"Oh," Annabeth replied. "Okay." Percy sent her a smug look. "Don't even with that expression. And don't call me 'Princess'!"

"Demanding," Percy muttered, opening the door, finally. He grabbed his surfboard and leaned it up against the wall right inside. "Come on, Chase," he called over his shoulder as he ventured deeper into the house. "Mom!" he yelled, checking to see if she was home. Percy entered the kitchen and grabbed a can of pop out of the fridge, plucking a note from underneath a magnet. "With Paul," he mumbled to himself. Well, okay.

He turned after hearing Annabeth enter the kitchen. "If you want anything to drink, help yourself," Percy offered, gesturing to the fridge. He tapped a cabinet. "Cups are in here. I'm going to change."

Percy left the room, not really waiting for her answer. He threw his clothes from earlier into a hamper and shrugged on a new t-shirt and board shorts, shoving his wallet in his pocket. He attempted to tame his hair for all of about three seconds before abandoning the issue. He watched his hands in the bathroom one door over to get rid of the sand and small particles of shell remains on his hands. When he reentered the kitchen, Annabeth was carefully pouring her drink into a glass.

Percy took a sip of his from the can and Annabeth gave him a dirty look. "What?"

"Do you have any clue how many germs – "

"No, actually, so please don't tell me. Don't ruin canned drinks for me," Percy interrupted with a smile. He always preferred to stay blissfully ignorant. Plus, his mother told him that his 'cluelessness' was all part of his charm.

"So, what now?" Annabeth asked, sipping her drink.

"Well, I'm going to finish my pop," Percy stated.

"Soda," Annabeth corrected. "You're going to finish your soda."

"I'll call it what I want," Percy replied with a fake pout. "What do you hear when you open a can? A 'pop'. You don't hear it whisper 'soda'."

Annabeth started laughing at his remark, and Percy couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"And after this," Percy said after the laughing was over, "we're going to walk aimlessly."

"We don't have a route planned?" Annabeth asked uncomfortably. "Even a vague one?"

"Not in the slightest," Percy replied. "I'm going to break you of the nasty habit of 'always having a plan'." Annabeth pulled a face. "One step at a time," Percy said, patting her sympathetically on the shoulder. She rolled her eyes.

Percy opened the fridge and retrieved a box of cold pizza. Annabeth opened her mouth to speak. "Don't you dare ruin cold pizza for me," Percy demanded with narrowed eyes.

She raised a perfectly manicured blonde eyebrow. "I was going to say that I loved cold pizza." Percy dropped the box on the counter and flipped it open.

"Good, maybe we can make this 'best friend' thing work," Percy said with a nod. He gestured for Annabeth to eat all she wanted. She obliged, taking a piece with mushrooms only. He mentally sighed in relief as she didn't pick at her food. It was always annoying when girls did that. Guys really do not care about how much you eat; or he didn't anyways.

After they finished off the half-a-pizza left, Percy put the box in the general area of the trash bin and chugged his pop. Annabeth did the same. "And we're off."

;;

While walking down a random abandoned road, a group of three teenagers singing a Spice Girls song at the top of their lungs ran past. Percy laughed, assuming that it was someone fulfilling a bucket list or performing a dare. Annabeth's eyes were wide and astonished.

"You can't honestly tell me that you've never seen anything like that," Percy said, rubbing his face.

"I have," Annabeth replied. "I just think they're crazy. Who would purposefully make a fool out of themself? Seems a bit – "

"I'll never let go, Jack!" Percy began to shout. "I'll never let go!"

"Rose!" someone yelled back. Percy grinned and laughed, glancing around for who'd replied.

"I guess I'll never know," he muttered.

"Why?" Annabeth asked, looking positively flabbergasted.

"Why not?" Percy replied. "Yell something. Right now. Anything you want."

"No," Annabeth replied immediately. "I'm not looking stupid on purpose, Percy."

"Why not? You'll never see anyone again. There's a group of teenagers over there – they won't even remember this tomorrow. There's a mom over there – she'll think back on her teenage years fondly. Come on, Annabeth. Either that or I start proposing to you in public. Talk about embarrassment – "

"Percy, stop," Annabeth commanded. "I'm not doing that."

"Yell something. Something you've never said but always wanted to. Something stupid. Something meaningful. Something meaningless." Percy paused and let Annabeth refuse for a good five seconds before counting down from five. As he reached zero, he caught her hand and knelt down. "Annabeth Chase," he loudly proclaimed.

"This is stupid!" she shouted, prohibiting him from proposing. He grinned. "I don't know why I'm actually listening to you!" Percy rose from his kneeling position. "Why am I doing this?"

"Because it's fun!" Percy yelled back, twirling her in a circle. He adopted a horrible southern accent. "Annie dear, won't you run away from me?"

Annabeth hesitated before replying, "Oh, but Percy, what will my daddy think?" in a loud, Southern-belle accent.

Percy smiled so that his eyes crinkled at the sides. "Why does it matter? We're in love!" he projected. Annabeth looked down at the ground. "Ready, set, go," Percy whispered, loud enough for her to be alert. As if she were following his exact train of thought, they started racing down the street. Percy let out a delighted laugh as he heard applause.

They rounded the corner and Percy pulled Annabeth down so that she leaned up against the fence next to him. Annabeth's grin was the widest he'd ever seen it. He nudged her lightly with his elbow, and she turned to him. "You can't tell me that wasn't fun. We even got an applause!"

"It was," Annabeth admitted, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. "I have never done anything like that."

"Get used to it. I quite like the occasional dramatic street scene," Percy shared with a chuckle. He looked at Annabeth, who still had her eyes closed. He allowed himself a moment – and that moment only – to study her features and appreciate how gorgeous she really was. Even if she was just his best friend, or soon to be, anyways, he couldn't deny how pretty she was. Especially in the way her cheeks were slightly flushed from both the excitement and the unexpected running.

Annabeth's mind was racing. How was she already letting this random guy influence her so easily, after only a few days?

She didn't know why. She couldn't find a single explanation. But in a weird way, she thought that maybe he was just the best friend she needed.

Annabeth opened her eyes as she heard him stand. He held out a hand and Annabeth pushed it away, helping herself up. "Independent, noted," Percy said with a nod.

Annabeth shrugged in silent agreement. Percy looked around in all directions before taking a right. "Where are we – "

"Don't know," Percy answered before she could even finish the question. "But I know that I could seriously use a drink after all that shouting."

;;

They ended up at a milkshake joint, ordering one vanilla and one vanilla with blue food coloring. Percy had gotten two weird looks – one from the cashier and one from the beautiful girl next to him – but he raised a challenging eyebrow. The cashier shook her head and rang them up.

Percy and Annabeth argued for a whole minute about whether or not she was paying for herself, but eventually he grabbed her wrist and pushed her behind him as he handed over a ten and clasped both her wrists together behind his back. She struggled, whisper-yelling creative ways to murder him in his ear. "Thank you," he said politely upon receiving a receipt and his change. He released Annabeth's wrists and smirked cockily, waving the receipt. "I win."

She scowled deeply at him before the cashier shyly spoke up. "I was just wondering if you two would like a picture on the wall? You're actually our one-thousandth customer."

"No, thank you," Annabeth replied.

"Absolutely!" Percy exclaimed. She sent him a dirty look. "We would love a picture." The shy girl smiled and retrieved a camera from somewhere behind the counter. She turned it on and held in up.

"Okay, on three," she replied, counting backwards from the said number. Percy wrapped his arm around Annabeth's shoulder and smiled. He hoped Annabeth was too. The cashier smiled at the photo she'd taken. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome," Percy replied respectively, pulling Annabeth over to a booth. He sat across from her, smiling his charming grin until she stopped scowling.

"Don't look at me," Annabeth said, turning and looking out the window.

Kind of hard not to, Percy thought. "That shouldn't be hard," Percy said, kicking her foot to show he was joking. She still scowled, making Percy laugh. "Admit it: I'm the best friend you've ever had."

"Maybe the best at being annoying and reckless," Annabeth replied sassily.

"I'll take it," Percy said proudly. Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Tell me a secret."

"Why would I? You're virtually a stranger," Annabeth shot back.

"Why wouldn't you? If I'm a stranger, there's no strings attached. You can walk away and never talk to me again," Percy responded.

I could never do that, Annabeth thought. Not anymore. The sudden thought took her by surprise.

"I don't have any good secrets," she lied.

"Then give me a stupid one," Percy replied easily, jostling her feet with his.

"Um, I like to read?"

"Obviously. Give me another," Percy suggested. Annabeth looked perplexed.

"I haven't had this much fun in a while?" she said hesitantly.

Percy grinned. "Now there's a secret!" She smiled slightly.

"What about you? Tell me a secret," she ordered.

"My mom is my favorite person ever," Percy decided after a moment of thought.

"Mommy's boy?"

"I am a man!" Percy proclaimed jokingly, hitting his fist on the table. The other couple diagonal from the both gave him an odd look. He only laughed.

Annabeth couldn't help but smile. "How do you do that?" she asked, accidentally out loud.

"Do what?" Percy inquired.

"Not care what people think of you," Annabeth replied.

He leveled their gazes and his eyes sparkled a devilishly pretty blue-green. Annabeth glanced away, disarmed at her own thoughts. She looked back to him, but he was looking out the window to the sunny skies. "You just... don't." He bit his lip. "Why does it matter what they think anyways? You are who you are, and if they don't like it, that's a personal issue. I hate to get all deep, but you just have to do what you want. Don't worry about everyone else." He turned back to her with a slight smile. "Sorry. I do have my moments of deep thought," Percy admitted.

"No, it's fine," Annabeth replied easily. She liked that he had layers. He wasn't just some confident, beach-fanatic Yankee. Percy, on some level, had deep thoughts. He returned to his task of looking out the window and Annabeth did the same, trying to ignore the way his shoe was putting slight pressure on hers.

A few minutes later, a waitress set down the normal off-white, vanilla milkshake and the odd blue, vanilla milkshake. Percy gave his thanks and immediately set to work on finishing it.

After taking a long and fulfilling sip, Annabeth stared curiously at Percy's blue milkshake. "Are you going to explain, or what?"

Percy took a break from his blue shake. "Story time," he announced, moving his milkshake and leaning forward. "My mom used to date this guy – Gabe – I hated him. I think he hit her once or twice," Annabeth noted Percy's immense anger, "and he was always a jerk. He once told my mom that blue food wasn't possible, or real, I honestly can't remember. So, as a 'screw you' she started going out of her way to dye our food blue," Percy recounted with a small smile. "Blue pancakes, blue milk, blue cakes for my birthday, blue everything. Gabe used to get so mad," Percy laughed. "It was her own little rebellion, so to speak."

Annabeth smiled. "I think your mother is my kind of woman," she shared, taking another sip.

Percy nodded. "She'd love you. You'll have to meet her one day."

"Sure," Annabeth confirmed. Percy smiled in acknowledgement, focusing once more on his milkshake. She directed her attention out the window once more, silently disproving of the girl in a bathing suit top and shorts. She simply couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that people walked around without a shirt over swim tops. Annabeth noted that Percy was often shirtless around her, but she believed it was of different circumstances because he was a guy. And maybe she liked seeing him shirtless. Or at least, she didn't find it unattractive.

To be blunt, Annabeth allowed herself to acknowledge the fact that her "best friend" wasn't by any means ugly. In fact, if he weren't her "best friend" and extremely stupid, she would think he looked like a god. He had flawless skin, an unfair thing, considering that he was a teenager. His body was sculpted but not overly muscular, and his hair hung slightly in his eyes. He had a defined jawline, paired with a charming eyes were perhaps the most unfair advantage of all – as strikingly green, yet blue, they were. Annabeth had always had a thing for pretty eyes.

A small but brief memory of a past love made her wince slightly, keeping her eyes out the window and taking in the view.

"Annabeth," Percy sing-songed, stirring his milkshake. "Please talk."

"Nothing to say," she replied easily with a shrug.

"Tell me about architecture."

Percy knew her weakness.

She immediately started ranting about how most didn't appreciate the detail in so many buildings. "It's all so intricate," Annabeth stressed. "And people who aren't as interested in construction and architecture don't always give it the notice it deserves. Someone put so much time and effort into something – crown molding, for example – that's so poorly appreciated. It makes me sick."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I will now look at the crown mold, whatever that is, in every building I enter," Percy sweetly replied to her anger.

She managed a small smile and his ignorance. "Look up," Annabeth suggested. "Now, at the edge of the ceiling, where it meets the wall – "

"The light green?" Percy interjected.

"Exactly," Annabeth affirmed. "That's the crown mold."

"Now I know," Percy responded, giving her a winning smile.

"Now you know," Annabeth repeated, forcing herself to look away from the overly charming smile.

"So is that what you want to be? An architecturist?" Percy questioned, finishing off his blue vanilla milkshake.

"An architect," Annabeth corrected with a laugh. Percy looked a bit embarrassed. "And yes."

"Cool," Percy replied with a nod. "I think you'll be good at it."

"Thank you," Annabeth said with a genuine smile. "My dad thinks it's a waste of time."

"He's wrong," Percy shrugged. "No dream is a waste of time, unless you never try to achieve it."

"Percy the Philosopher," Annabeth muttered. "Is that what you want to do?"

Percy laughed, and Annabeth noticed that he did that quite a lot. "Nah, I have no clue what I want to be when I grow up. I mean, what's the rush? I'm a junior. I still have another year to figure things out."

Annabeth looked offended. "You don't have a college planned out? A major? Nothing?" Percy shook his head. "How?"

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm more of a last-minute kind of guy," Percy said with humor. Annabeth scowled at him. "I think you should take a lesson from me."

"What, stop caring about everything and go surfing?" Annabeth sarcastically asked. Percy narrowed his eyes and she raised an innocent eyebrow. He kicked her foot under the table.

"That wasn't very nice, Miss Chase," Percy told her with still narrowed eyes.

"Who ever said I'd be nice?" Annabeth asked defensively.

Percy smiled broadly. "I really like you. As a friend, I mean. You're just – cool."

"Thank you?" Annabeth said, appearing confused. He's not shy, Annabeth thought.

"You're welcome," Percy replied easily. "Now hurry up, we've got more abandoned roads to explore."

;;

By the time that Percy and Annabeth made their way back to the beach, it was nearing noon.

"I should head home," Annabeth told him, turning to be on her way.

"You want me to walk with you?" Percy asked, catching her wrist.

"No," she answered, almost too quickly. Percy didn't seem to notice, thankfully. "No, thank you."

Percy sent her a small smile. "Alright. See you... when I do?" Annabeth nodded. "Cool. Surfing on Saturday. Don't break my heart."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "I'm stuck with you now, aren't I?"

"Uh, right," Percy replied, scratching the back of his neck. "Okay."

"Okay," Annabeth reiterated.

"Bye?"

"Bye."

Annabeth turned on her heel once more, heading towards her house. It was further down the beach, closer to the pier, and deeper into the city. That was part of the reason Annabeth had been so quick to reject Percy's gentlemanly offer to walk her home.

Annabeth's house wasn't a shack or anything. It was quite the opposite, actually. Annabeth lived in a three-story house, one whole story full of a library, desks, and a few computers. Everything you needed to run a home study. Her dad had even moved a bed in by his main desk. He hardly left the place.

Annabeth was scared that Percy would treat her differently if she knew how insanely rich her family was. She didn't want to lose someone who seemed to be like a quality friend. You can never be too careful.

;;

Four weeks later, and Percy was still determined to make Annabeth his best friend. He gave her surfing lessons on whatever days she felt like it; she wasn't as natural as him, but she wasn't horrible. Luckily, Percy didn't have to worry too much about Annabeth being is a bathing suit; she so graciously opted for a t-shirt and female board shorts. Percy didn't think he'd ever been so relieved.

She was still as sarcastic, and gorgeous, as she'd been the first day. He was still ignorant, but thanks to Annabeth, he was getting a bit smarter. They fought nearly every ten minutes, but there was never any serious fights. Usually, they were minor dissensions that lasted no more than a few seconds. Sometimes, she'd punch him, but he'd never hit back. They were both amazing and glaring and even better at being stubborn.

Now, it wasn't unusual for Annabeth to turn up at Percy's house in the morning and have a conversation with Sally before Percy wandered into the kitchen. As expected, Sally and Annabeth got along wonderfully. Percy often joked that Annabeth was favorited by his mother.

As predicted, they became best friends. Percy always laughed when guys made advances on Annabeth, because he knew she would turn them down. Annabeth snorted when foolish girls began to twirl their hair and sway their hips as they walked to flirt with him. Percy hardly noticed when these girls threw themselves at him, and he often tried in vain to have real conversations with them, which only caused Annabeth to be further amused.

It was easy. Well, no, not easy – but it was a simple friendship. They fought, like all friends do, except more often. They were opposites, and yet they got along. Annabeth learned to cope with Percy's spontaneity, and Percy learned to cope with Annabeth's constant need for a plan. It was nice, and a fairly relaxed friendship.

Until it wasn't anymore.

And it was all Annabeth's fault.

It was after they'd walked the pier, something that they'd taken to doing on a daily basis. Annabeth had offered to walk home with Percy, since she honestly had nothing better to do. They were both fairly wore out from a day full of surfing and walking the streets. As always, Annabeth was invited in for a cup of tea by Sally.

She and Sally had been conversing about politics before Percy entered the room in sweatpants and a white t-shirt, claiming that he couldn't sleep. It was ten-thirty, Annabeth noted with shock. "I have to get home," she said quickly, standing up. Percy ran over and caught her in a swift hug.

"No," he whined. "I just got here."

"I can't let you roam the streets this late, Annabeth," Sally said apologetically. "I'd feel terrible. Maybe call your parents and see if it's okay for you to stay over?" Sally suggested. Percy pulled back from their hug and nodded dramatically.

"Okay," Annabeth said, causing Percy to hug her so tight her feet lifted off the ground. "Percy," she laughed.

"It's a best friend sleepover!" he exclaimed, his eyes no longer dull from attempted sleep. Annabeth looked away, intimidated by the proximity. "Go! Call your parents! We have best friend things to do!" He pushed her away slightly and waved her off towards the house phone. Sally smiled good-naturedly at her son and his closest friend. He'd met a few other friends, but none quite like his Annabeth.

There'd been a period of time that she accused Percy of being in love with her, but he shot down the idea instantly. They'd only known each other for a few weeks, and they were only best friends. It wasn't the first time that Percy had a girl as his best friend, so Sally accepted the fact, and kept her thoughts of how cute they were silent.

Percy laid face down on the wood floor as he waited for Annabeth to finish her phone call. He smiled brightly at her as she reentered. "Sleepover?"

"Yes," Annabeth confirmed. "But I'm tired."

"So, we'll go to sleep," Percy stated blankly, rising from his position on the floor and pulling her up from the couch. Keeping hold of her hands, he dragged her to his bedroom.

"Percy," his mother said warningly.

"I'll be on the floor," he called back with an eyeroll. Annabeth smiled.

"Okay, goodnight you two!" Sally called from the living room.

"Night, Mom, I love you," Percy replied, finishing the original job of leading his best friend to his bedroom. He raised a jokingly suggestive eyebrow at Annabeth and she returned an equally seductive look. Percy laughed, closing the door behind them. He dramatically offered his bed to Annabeth, nabbing a pillow and a spare blanket. Annabeth sat carefully on his bed, running her hands over the covers.

"Hi," Percy greeted from his spot on the floor. He gave Annabeth a large, cheesy smile. She grinned back.

"Hi."

"Hi," Percy said again, waving and probably blushing. She rolled her eyes and situated herself underneath his covers. Burying her face in his pillow, she laughed.

"It smells like you," she announced.

"Is that a good thing?" he questioned.

"No," Annabeth lied with a small snort of laughter. Percy pouted as he stood to turn off the lights. She heard him and watched his silhouette come closer to her. He sat on his knees, close enough in the darkness that she could see him.

"Hi," he said with a grin.

"Hi, dork," Annabeth replied with an eye roll. He smiled, pulling at her curls. She scowled.

"I'll never get why you don't like them. I love them," Percy shared.

Annabeth closed her eyes in exasperation, pinching the bridge of her nose. "For the last time, Percy, they aren't that easy to take care of."

"I still love them," Percy whispered, leaning his head onto the sheets. "You trust me, right?"

"Sure," Annabeth replied uneasily. "Why?"

"No reason. Just... why don't you talk about your family?" Percy asked quietly, forcing Annabeth's fingers to run through his hair. She complied easily, hoping it would distract him from the question. He sighed, probably in contentment, and Annabeth thought it was cute. "Answer me," he whined, nudging her hand with his head.

"It just never came up in conversation," Annabeth responded with a shrug.

"Well, it is the conversation now," Percy mentioned lightly. Annabeth swallowed uncomfortably.

"I'm tired," she said, not lying in the slightest.

Percy sighed this time, something more of resignation as he leaned over her and pulled Annabeth into a hug. "You can tell me anything. I'll never judge you. I swear."

"I know that," Annabeth dismissed.

Percy shook his head, leaning back slightly from the hug. "I don't feel like you do." Feeling somewhat urgent, he pressed his forehead against hers. "You know you can talk to me," he told her forcefully, closing his eyes.

"Of course," Annabeth said, almost in such a quiet voice he didn't hear.

"Good," Percy answered, moving his head slightly and kissing her cheek. Annabeth was glad the lights were off; her cheeks were a ridiculous red shade. His lips lingered for seconds, minutes, maybe even years. Time seemed infinite and yet limited. "I care, you know," Percy told her, his lips still brushing her cheek in an almost tantalizing way.

It was odd. Not very often did Annabeth think about Percy as more of a friend, but this was one of those moments. She felt like maybe, in some weird way, she wanted to kiss him. Not trusting her voice, she nodded. Percy kissed her cheek lightly once more before moving to lay down on his blanket laid out on the floor. After two deep breaths and some serious calming of overwhelming emotions, Annabeth found her voice. "Night, Percy."

"Night, Annie," Percy replied easily. Within ten minutes, she knew he was sound asleep.

And that's when Annabeth Chase let one tear fall from her eye. The reason? Percy Jackson was the first one who she ever felt like cared about her. And the feeling was both beautiful and terrible at the same time. Feeling pathetic, she wiped the sign of weakness from her face and laid on her stomach, practically inhaling Percy's pillow as she fell asleep as well.

Things would never be able to return to normal again. Annabeth officially cared about Percy, and apparently he cared about her. If Annabeth wasn't with Percy, she probably would have started cussing a ridiculous amount, simply to take out her frustration.

This was bad. Very, very, very bad.

;;

When she woke up in the morning, Percy was pulling a shirt over his head and leaving the room. His blankets from last night were askew on the floor, a gesture that summarized Percy in a perfect way. She smiled, still somewhere between being awake or asleep.

Sitting up and stretching, she tossed the blankets off, wincing at the sudden chill. She thought about carting Percy's comforter with her, but instead spotted a apt and green hoodie thrown on the chair in the corner. She pulled it over her head, not caring if he had anything to say about it. Blushing slightly at late memories from last night, she put her hair up and ventured out of the room. Percy was leaning against a counter in the kitchen, bleary-eyed and messy-haired, his mother cooking across from him. His eyes lit up when he saw Annabeth and he held one arm out. She immediately fit into his embrace, him rubbing her shoulder in a comforting way.

"I like your jacket," Percy mumbled sleepily into her hair. She nodded, too tired to think of an appropriate response.

"Good morning, Annabeth!" Sally said happily. She gestured to the coffee maker. "You can help yourself while I finish up. Percy will have to wait if he wants me to make his coffee."

"It's not good when I make it!" he protested with a pout. Annabeth pulled away from him and walked to the coffee machine.

"I'll give it a try," Annabeth offered. Percy gave her a judging look, but gestured for her to carry on with her actions. She scoffed, setting about the procedure of the perfect coffee. Percy was an easy read – he'd like a lot of sugar and even more creamer. She did just that, putting three teaspoons of sugar and more than enough creamer. Stirring the creation three times, she handed it to him.

He stared at it for a moment, jokingly, before Annabeth pinched him. He gave her a sleepy smile and took a sip, soon after sighing happily. "I think I love you," Percy said, point-blankly. Sally laughed and Annabeth turned to finish her coffee.

She felt a small raincloud of overthinking sit over her. First he kisses her cheek, and now he says that he loves her. It was joking, sure, but it still alarmed Annabeth slightly. She didn't want to lead Percy on, or start feeling more for him than he felt for her.

Besides, he leaves at the end of the summer, right?

Annabeth jumped at the sound of Percy calling her name. When she finally turned, Percy frowned. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Always," Annabeth replied, sipping her coffee. Percy raised an eyebrow but was soon distracted by his mother handing him and plate. With surprising speed, he dropped his worried expression, grabbed his plate, and sat himself down at the table. He looked on impatiently, trying to be polite and wait for everyone to sit down at the table.

Sally made two more plates, turning off the stove and grabbing silverware for the two of them. She sat down at the table with her plate, knowing of her sons growing restlessness, but Annabeth was beyond ready to annoy Percy. She casually took a sip of her coffee, setting it down on the counter. Walking as though she had hours, Annabeth retrieved her plate. She heard Percy drop his head to the glass table and groan.

Annabeth could only laugh, now fastening her pace and taking the seat next to Percy. He sat up and glared at her, kicking the back of her foot underneath the table. A few more kicks and one loss of patience later, their legs were left slightly tangled. Percy sent her a smug smile, as though he had won, before eating his breakfast.

Neither of them even considered disentangling their feet.

It was after the lovely breakfast that Annabeth decided, with slight remorse, that she had to head home at some point. Percy offered once more to walk her home, and was met with the same answer as always: no. He shook his head in a way that screamed 'why did I even ask at all?' before opening his arms to give Annabeth a hug.

She tried to pull away almost as soon as they wrapped their arms around each other, but Percy kept her close. Percy hated short hugs. She had no choice but to rest her head on his shoulder and sigh. "I wish you'd talk to me," he whispered, maybe too intimately and private into her ear. She gripped his shirt, wanting to explain everything; wanting to give him every dire detail so that he would stop feeling as though it were his fault.

Instead, she broke the hug, shouted a final goodbye to Sally, and gave Percy a once over before leaving.

It wasn't until she was halfway home and rather warm that she realized that she was still bundled up in his hoodie.

As expected, when she got home, her dad hadn't even noticed that she'd been out all night. He hadn't answered her call from the previous day, and sure, she didn't really expect him to, but it still stung. With a sigh and a glance around the painfully big and awfully vacant house, Annabeth retreated to her room on the second floor.

She tried reading for all of about ten minutes before deciding that she had no focus on this fine day. Bringing out her phone, almost hesitantly, she ghosted over the contact name 'Luke'.

Luke was kind of a funny story. He was her first love, maybe her last, and always the most painful to remember.

Luke had always been the perfect boyfriend, up until she realized a brutal change. Rather that cute smiles and charming winks sent her way, she received the bitter end of his mood. He would lash out on her, yell things too awful to repeat, then apologize and say he loved her.

Annabeth had always been the take-no-shit type, but Luke was different. She loved him. And like every teenage girl in love, she believed she could help him.

In the end, the only place that helped him was the recovery center. Drugs are bad, kids, Annabeth thought twistedly to herself.

Stuck in a nostalgic moment, Annabeth barely heard the doorbell ring. It reverberated through the entire house, making Annabeth wince at the sound. She knew that her father surely wouldn't be getting it, so she hopped up off her bed and made her way down the stairs.

She opened the door, glad that the person wasn't one of the annoying impatient people who constantly rang the doorbell if someone didn't open it within five seconds.

Her jaw felt slightly slack when she saw the guest.

"Mother?"

;;

Percy would be lying if he said he wasn't worried. He'd texted Annabeth late last night with some pointless random fact he'd learned on television. No matter how ridiculous or stupid his texts were, Annabeth always answered in a timely manner. And here it was, ten o'clock the next day, and Percy was getting antsy. He'd even gone down to the beach, glancing around to see if she was reading. However, after walking the boundaries of their typical vicinity and not seeing a gorgeous, curly-haired blonde in sight, he retreated to his house.

He texted her again, a simply 'good morning, annie x' hoping that the 'Annie' bit would get a rise out of her and have her send an annoyed response. Not a single one came.

He waited an hour, an hour of trying to keep busy but honestly obsessing a bit. After a whole hour had passed, without a single reply, he called her. It rang three times before going to voicemail. "So, she's ignoring me," Percy mumbled. He thought about calling her again, but decided against it.

Falling lazily onto the couch, and nearly having a heart attack as he just about fell off, Percy brainstormed on what he'd done to upset her.

Then – finally – realization hit him. He muttered a litany of cuss words, mostly aimed toward himself.

It'd been the kiss on the cheek. It had to have been. And the game of footsies. She was uncomfortable. Percy smiled something almost mocking to himself, wondering what her reaction would have been if he'd kissed her lips rather than her cheek – something that he'd felt temptation to do. He'd started feeling that way about Annabeth lately, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to punch himself or just talk to her about it.

He decided on neither.

Finally, not enjoying the silent treatment at all, Percy sent her another message: 'I'm sorry.'

;;

This was the first time that Annabeth's father had been out of his study in, well, Annabeth can't even remember. He's still clean cut, styled hair and freshly shaven, but his eyes are tired. She wonders if he sleeps at all.

When she'd barged into his study and alerted him that her mom was downstairs, he'd started choking violently before following Annabeth down to the living room, where her mother awaited.

"Frederick," she said pleasantly. "It's lovely to see you again. And Annabeth, my dear! How beautiful you've become." Annabeth appraised her warily, feeling her phone vibrate once more in her pocket. She nearly groaned. Percy had called and texted her a few times, but she simply had no time to deal with him right now.

"What brings you by?" Frederick asked, narrowing his eyes. Annabeth glanced between her parents, confused at the palpable tension.

"In the neighborhood."

"Sure," Frederick remarked sarcastically.

"Fine," she relented. "I'm here to present an offer."

;;

Percy was balancing his phone on his forehead and staring at the ceiling with much ennui when his ringtone – Paradise by Coldplay – started blaring. At a speed he didn't know he possessed, Percy answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Hi," Annabeth replied. Percy breathed a sigh, a bit disconcerted by the amount of relief he felt at hearing her voice. "I need advice."

"Better not be about guys," Percy joked, somewhat serious.

"No, worse," Annabeth said without a tinge of humor. "I need advice about my parents."

Percy sat up immediately. This was it. She was reaching out to him. He ran his hand over his face. "Talk to me."

He heard a somewhat ragged sigh through the phone. "Um, a while back, my parents broke up. They're still legally married, but they aren't together. They decided to separate because, well, they were both cheating."

"I'm sorry," Percy whispered, knowing that she didn't want sympathy, but unable to hold back the apology.

"Not your fault," Annabeth dismissed. "But my mom..."

The following silence lasted for over a minute, and Percy took it as his queue to speak. "Look, Annabeth, I'm sure what you're trying to tell me won't be easy, but... I care about you. We may not know each other that well, but I'm always here to listen. So, please, don't hesitate to talk to me. I won't tell. It's just me," Percy told her soothingly.

When Annabeth responded, he noted that her voice sounded a bit... strained. "Dad asked Mom for a divorce," she said, speaking the words rapidly as though she were afraid she wouldn't be able to say them if she didn't hurry.

Percy winced. Divorce was never pretty. "God, Annabeth..." he muttered, dropping his face into his freehand.

"Oh, but wait," Annabeth added with mocking humor, "that's not the kicker. Mom asked me to move in with her."

"No!" Percy said, almost too quickly. He silently chastised himself for losing his cool. "I mean... where?"

A silence. Then, "Greece."

"No!" Percy repeated forcefully. "No no no no no no no no no no no," he stressed. "No. No. No."

He heard Annabeth laugh something that sounded suspiciously like a sob. "And that's why I need advice."

"You know my vote," Percy told her. "You aren't getting rid of me that easily."

"You'd follow me there," she said with a laugh. It sounded off. Percy still managed a smile. "But, Percy," Annabeth replied in an almost broken voice. Percy wished more than anything that he could hug her and pet her hair and whisper sweet nothings until she stopped being broken. A broken Annabeth would create an even more broken Percy. "I love my mom. And if I say no, it's like I'm picking a side. And that's not fair."

"No, 'not fair' is showing up out of nowhere and expecting your child to runaway with you. That's pressure."

"But Dad... he doesn't even know I exist Percy. He's always in his stupid study with his stupid papers and stupid research – "

"And he's stupid for forgetting about his perfect daughter," Percy finished for her, hoping his words would somehow mitigate her. "But you have to tell him that. I know what he's doing – forgetting about you, I guess – is wrong, but you just gotta tell him that you don't like it and see if he changes. If he screws it up from there, that's on him. I'll kidnap you and you can live with me forever."

Annabeth laughed, another half-sob, and felt pathetic. "Sorry for dropping all of this on you."

Percy shook his head furiously, though she couldn't see him. "No, I like this – us – I mean, you – talking to me. It's – nice."

Annabeth didn't respond to his words. "Final verdict?"

"Stay. Talk to your dad about it. At least give him a chance to get his stuff straight," Percy said, half persuading and half begging. "Please."

There was a long, painful silence in which Annabeth deliberated and Percy counted the seconds.

Then, finally, a shaky breath. "Okay."

Percy grinned somewhat ridiculously. "Great." Relief left him weightless.

"Percy?"

"Yes?" he replied, dragging out the syllable.

"I can't be home right now."

Percy smiled. "Meet me at the place."

"What place?" Annabeth asked with a laugh.

"I don't know. But we should have one. We should have a 'the place'. That way if we ever need to meet up..." he trailed off, blushing. "Hey, Annabeth?"

"Yeah?"

"You aren't upset with me, are you? I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable with all the sudden..." Percy grasped blindly for a word. "Affection."

"Oh, no," Annabeth said, coughing. "It wasn't about that," she stressed. "No, that's – okay, I guess. I mean, you don't have to, but I'm not opposed to it. I like the hugs. I mean – they aren't... bad, or anything. And the kiss," Annabeth prated on, "the kiss on the cheek – that's fine. Friends do that all the time. And I liked it – as a friend, I mean. It was comforting, I guess, and yeah, I... um – "

Percy laughed, having never seen, or heard, rather, the awkward version of Annabeth. Resisting the urge to say how cute she was, Percy grinned stupidly at the phone. "Thank you, I suppose," he replied. "I'll meet you... at the street."

"That street?" Annabeth asked with humor.

"Our street," Percy corrected. "See you?"

"Soon," Annabeth assured, hanging up. Percy stared at the ceiling, still smiling at how adorable Annabeth was. Seeing that side of her... it made him feel like he really did know Annabeth. And yeah, he liked that.

Jumping up from the couch, he retrieved a pair of socks and laced his Converse up with practiced ease. Humming under his breath, Percy shoved his phone and his wallet in the pockets of his cargo shorts, closing the door behind himself and using the hidden key to lock it. He only knew his way to the street – what was it called? – from the beach, so it took him a bit longer to get there.

By the time he saw his turn, he made a point to see the street sign. "Fauller Avenue," he read, memorizing it for future reference. Repeating it a few times to lock the information in, he turned to see Annabeth walking towards him. He jogged to her, not wanting to make her walk as far. "Hey," he said breathlessly. Annabeth was about to reply, but all he heard was a muffled response against his collarbone as he hugged her fiercely. Running his hands through her hair, he apologized several times, only to be told not to several times.

After a good five minutes, Percy ignorantly asked, "Are you okay?" Annabeth only pulled back from the embrace, sending him a desert-dry look. "Okay, dumb question," he muttered, hugging her once more. She buried her face in his neck and Percy tried not to feel guilty for having no way to help.

Eventually, Percy tired of standing and instead opted for sitting on the ground. He pulled Annabeth to sit next to him, tossing his arm around her shoulder. Deciding that he needed to see her smile, Percy started telling her the foolish stories of his childhood. She couldn't help but laugh at how clueless Percy was, even at a young age.

"Some things never change," she told him, after a story about Percy being – you guessed it – ignorant.

He sent her a silly and crazy endearing smile. "Yeah, suppose not..."

"Well, my legs are asleep," Annabeth bluntly stated, standing tall and stretching all of her limbs. "We should walk."

Percy stood up obediently, positioning his arm over her shoulder once more. Luckily, they had no trouble matching each other's pace. "Let us do so."

"And also, I think we deserve a milkshake," Annabeth mentioned. Percy smiled down at her with approbation evident on his face.

"That we do."

"You're paying."

Percy only laughed, his eyes twinkling. "I had a feeling."

;;

It was two weeks later that Percy made the worst and yet best mistake of his life. Worst, because it caused ridiculous amounts of embarrassment. Best, because... well.

It was another one of those nights where Annabeth had accidentally stayed too late (and if Percy had actually asked her about architecture just to keep her from leaving, he'd never tell). She called her dad, who answered, said it was fine, and told her that he loved her. Ever since Annabeth called him out, he's really cleaned up his act. Percy stood up tiredly, yawning.

"Percy," his mother said as he kissed her cheek to bid goodnight, "no sleeping in the same bed."

"Duh, Mom," Percy said with an eye roll. Annabeth said goodnight to Sally politely, and she wished them both sweet dreams.

Just like the last time Annabeth slept over, Percy opted for the floor and sacrificed his bed to Annabeth. She sat criss-cross on his bed, not exactly ready to sleep yet. Percy found several blankets and pillows laying haphazardly around his room and arranged himself a place on the floor. He glanced over at Annabeth, who didn't look exceptionally tired as she looked around, examining the posters on his wall.

Lately, for her, thinking of Percy as just a friend was starting to become difficult. It was rare that she actually – dare she think it – liked someone, but, slowly but surely, Percy'd slithered his way into her conscious. Sometimes he consumed her every thought. And that, she decided, was very, very, very dangerous.

"Not tired?" Percy asked finally. Annabeth glanced at him, shrugging.

"Let's talk," Percy suggested, leaning against his dresser, meeting Annabeth's gaze. She raised a challenging eyebrow, sizing Percy up. He gave her a jokingly suggestive face, petting his chest, and causing Annabeth to laugh so genuinely that her eyes crinkled at the sides.

"You are too much," Annabeth told him, shaking her head.

Percy shot her a sassy look. "I can't help that I'm so damn sexy." Annabeth snorted. "Oh, admit it, Annie-dear," Percy said dramatically. "You've got it bad for me."

"Sure," Annabeth said sarcastically. And if Percy saw the blush on her cheeks, he didn't say a word. "Just can't resist those eyes."

"I always have been a sucker for blondes," Percy shared with a wink. "Especially smart blondes. It's like an oxycontin."

Annabeth started laughing so hard that she started choking. "Percy, oh my god. Oxycontin is a narcotic pain reliever," Annabeth told him between bursts of laughter.

Percy frowned, cocking his head to the side. "Oh. Then what – "

"Oxymoron, you idiot," Annabeth said, smiling and shaking her head. Percy thought that it sounded like fond name-calling.

"Oh," Percy repeated. Annabeth laughed once more. Percy closed his eyes and leaned his head back against his dresser.

"Tired?" Annabeth questioned.

"A bit," Percy admitted, leaning upright. "But I don't want you to just sit there, awkwardly awake."

"My hero," Annabeth muttered.

Percy rolled his eyes. "I want to keep talking to you, though," Percy assured her. "It's nice – like this." She noticed that his voice was softening; something that only happened when he was tired, she learned.

"We can talk all day tomorrow," Annabeth dismissed easily. "You should sleep."

"But..." Percy trailed off. "Hey, Annabeth?"

"Yeah?"

"What did Mom say out there?" he inquired.

"That we weren't allowed to sleep in the same bed," Annabeth recited.

"Right," Percy affirmed. "But she never said we couldn't sleep on the same floor." He kept his eyes closed, torn between wanting to see her expression and never opening his eyes again so he didn't have to face embarrassment.

"Oh," Annabeth stammered. Percy almost smiled; he could almost feel her blushing from where he was. "I-I mean – "

"You don't have to – "

"I never said I didn't want to," Annabeth snapped. "Stop cutting me off."

"Stop being so feisty," Percy muttered, finally opening his eyes. "And stop being so difficult. Please, just lay down on the floor with me and try to ignore how awkward that sounds," he said with a smirk. Annabeth rolled her eyes, and Percy saw that blush again. He didn't mention it though – he never did.

Percy laid down, dropping his face straight into his pillow. "But Sally – " Annabeth hesitated.

"She never said we couldn't sleep on the floor," Percy deadpanned. He lifted one arm up, a silent invitation. The silence that followed made his feel extremely uncomfortable, but when he heard his bed creak the slightest bit, he knew that she was accepting the invitation. "Light?" he begged, looking up at her and pouting. She rolled her eyes and sighed heavily, following his request. She retrieved a pillow off his bed and dragged the comforter down with her.

"I'm not waking up in the middle of the night because I'm cold," she explained. Percy smiled at her, and he wasn't sure why. It made Annabeth's heart flutter, and she didn't even want to think about why.

"Well, my dearest best friend," Percy said, tangling their legs, "I'll have you know that I am quite a cuddly sleeper, so you can't hold me responsible for whatever position we wake up in."

Annabeth snorted in laughter. "You dork."

He smiled sleepily. "You love it," he teased, sticking his tongue out childishly. They were facing each other, both laying on their sides, legs all kinds of tangled. Percy moved her hair from her face, sighing. She may never believe it, but Annabeth so gorgeous it hurt. So gorgeous that she made it really difficult to think of her as just a friend. He closed his eyes, brushing his knuckles over her cheek a few times.

Percy had always been an affectionate friend, no matter their gender. Hugs were a must, and some joking flirtations always happened at some point. But this – them – no, Annabeth, was different. Or... maybe the way he felt about her was different.

Because, no, she wasn't 'just a friend' anymore. The way his breath stuttered slightly as she started fidgeting with his hand proved that. She removed his class ring, then put it on once more. He was self-conscious about the pounding of his heart. He opened his eyes, maybe half-asleep or maybe just ridiculously content. The distance between their faces almost mocked him, as if it were reading his inner thoughts. Already yelling at himself inwardly, Percy risked a glance at Annabeth's lips. It was dark, but he was ashamed to admit that he'd stared at them before – so he knew exactly how they looked. He leaned forward, briefly considering kissing her properly, but copping out last minute and kissing her cheek. He lingered, trying to memorize and possibly live in the moment, if he could. After he knew he couldn't satisfy his wants any longer, he pulled back, laying his head back on the pillows, incidentally closer than he originally was.

"Um, goodnight," he whispered, hating the blush on his cheeks, but loving the darkness that masked it. He closed his eyes soon after, not sure if he wanted to see any reaction.

Annabeth bit her lip, feeling heat rush to her face. That's the second time, she thought idly. However, this time, her stomach knotted up, and she's one-hundred percent sure that she stopped breathing. Blushing even more at a small, absentminded dream in her head, Annabeth swallowed her pride and embarrassment, leaning over and pressing her lips against Percy's crazy soft cheek. "Night," she whispered, and maybe it was an accident, or fate, or just luck, but when Annabeth laid her head back down, her nose was almost touching Percy's.

There was one, then two, shaky breaths.

Then Percy moved forward, urgently as though he'd lose all courage, and – kissed her.

That's when Annabeth really stopped breathing. However, luckily, she recovered and thankfully remembered to kiss him back. He rested a hand on her cheek; she buried a hand in his hair. Breaking the kiss, only momentarily, for air, Percy pulled her closer. She's not really sure who deepened the kiss; they were a mess of limbs and Percy was all around her and wow, she couldn't think straight.

Percy's heart was going to beat out of his chest, he was sure. He pulled back, desperate for air, but instantly missed the feeling of her lips. He opened his eyes and they both looked at each other for one, two, three beats of silence before Percy started laughing somewhat manically.

"What?" Annabeth whispered. Percy shook his head, tucking hair behind her ear and kissing her softly and lazily, yet with a hint of hesitancy. He was still scared she might punch him.

"Why didn't I do that a long time ago?" Percy asked himself, accidentally out loud.

Annabeth snorted. "I was wondering the same thing." He shot her a glare, one that was wiped away when she kissed him swiftly. "Joking," she said lightly.

"Mhm," Percy hummed, closing his eyes. "Joke all you want." Annabeth laughed softly, and couldn't resist the urge to kiss her again. Her lips were soft and perfect and everything, but he gave her a sheepish smile afterwards. "'M sorry," he said sleepily. "I just..."

"Yeah, yeah, can't resist me and all that," she said sarcastically. Percy smiled, pulling her even closer, hoping that he wasn't crossing any boundaries.

"Yeah," he whispered. "Something like that."

;;

When he woke up, and registered the fact that he was alone, he wondered if it was all a dream. A really, really realistic and perfect dream.

Deciding that he would seriously hate life if it was, he dragged himself into the kitchen. His mother's back was to his, as per usual when he leaned up against the opposite counter. Annabeth entered the kitchen a few seconds later, holding an empty coffee cup and freezing at the sight of Percy. "Morning," he mumbled, with a half-hearted wave.

"Hi," Annabeth managed, her cheeks turning rose. She placed the coffee cup in the sink and cleared her throat, nodding to the living room subtly. Annabeth left the kitchen and Percy followed after her.

Once they were alone, there was an awkward silence. "So – " Percy started at the same time that Annabeth said, "I – "

"Was it a dream, or did we make-out last night?" Percy asked without the slightest bit of shame. Annabeth slapped his arm.

"Shut up! We kissed," she whispered.

"So, it wasn't a dream?" Annabeth shook her head. Percy grinned. "Good."

"Okay," Annabeth replied, coughing. "I was thinking we should wait until at least later today for your mom to know, since we don't – "

Percy was listening to her, he really was, but kissing her seemed like the most important thing at the moment. He pulled back, giving her a smile. "Morning."

"You already said that," she snapped, without any really bite behind her words.

"Not properly," Percy shot back. "I would have gotten much more into that, but I haven't brushed my teeth yet," Percy admitted simply. His honesty made Annabeth smile begrudgingly.

"You loser," she teased.

"I escaped the friendzone!" Percy exclaimed. "I am a hero to teenage guys worldwide!"

"Still a loser to me," Annabeth said fondly, ruffling his hair. He swatted her hand away and attempted to fix his untamed hair. "Come on," Annabeth laughed, pulling his hand. "Breakfast time."

;;

Because Percy had always had this ridiculous fantasy about kissing someone while the sun set, they did just that. He'd been so crazy happy after that Annabeth couldn't resist stealing another kiss from him.

They stood in the doorway for a good ten minutes, Annabeth constantly saying that she had to leave and Percy relentlessly kissing her until she forgot. After she finally, magically, found the strength to push him away, she laughed somewhat breathlessly – which was definitely not something that made Percy want to let her leave. After a chaste and final kiss, Annabeth had walked home, saying that it wasn't far, and yes, she would let Percy walk her home one day.

Percy had stood outside for a few moments, breathing in as much as possible (he was still a bit out of breath) and finally retreated indoors.

"Mom!" he called immediately.

"Yes, sweetheart?" she answered. He followed the trail of her voice to the laundry room. "Hm?" his mother asked, folding a red shirt.

"Nothing. Annabeth and I are together though, so don't be alarmed if you see us kiss," Percy said nonchalantly, turning to leave.

"What? When? How? I don't even get a story?" his mother asked with a small frown, inwardly squealing. She'd called it. "You kids, so secretive these days."

"There's not really a story," Percy lied. "I wanted to kiss her, so I did, and she kissed me back." He hoped that his face wasn't as red as it felt.

His mother sent him a smile. "Okay, I won't ask for details," she relented. "But, for the record, you two are cute." She tapped Percy's nose twice and he smiled crazy big. "Now, put these clothes away."

And it was just that easy.

Annabeth started coming over even more often; the unspoken thought always lingering that yes, they had a time limit. The one time Percy let his mind venture there, he'd felt his heart fall into his stomach; therefore, he vowed not to think about it until the matter was pressing.

Annabeth was still sarcastic and bitter sometimes, and always punctilious. When they argued, he just kissed her until she forgot. That usually didn't blow over so well, since it started another argument, but that was just them. Small arguments were inevitable.

Days weren't spent either sprawling out lackadaisically in the living room and wasting their lives away watching horrible television, going to the beach, or running around downtown. Every morning, since Annabeth claimed that exercise never hurt anyone, they met at Fauller Avenue before picking their agenda for the day. Percy's mother became "official" with Paul, and Annabeth often mentioned how great of a couple they were.

As great of a coincidence it was, Paul resided in Manhattan as well, but he was in California for the summer as a book editor. Apparently, he had a few jobs offered over here, and he was going to give them a try. Well, until he met Sally. He'd ultimately decided that he'd stay with his job in New York, in hopes that he'd be seeing more of Sally. Sally said he would.

Summertime was ticking away, slowly but surely. They didn't talk about it, often avoiding the topic. The thought was painful.

So, they wasted away the days and talked all night until Annabeth went home. Percy was constantly floating on air, even more happy and constantly in a great mood than usual. Annabeth was a bit less angry and serious, and if she was, there was a good, justifiable reason.

She eventually told Percy that her trust issues and bitterness was mainly the result of family issues and past-relationship trauma. She told him about Luke, and Percy was ready to track him down just to sit down and have a long conversation about all the things he did wrong. He didn't ask for details – something that Annabeth had always loved about Percy – and he simply promised that he would never act like that towards her, and to kill him if he did.

Sally knew that look; the look they gave each other. It was precisely the way she'd looked at Percy's father. When she saw them kiss, she could only smile in remembrance of her teenage years – where you fall in love without a second thought or regret. It was a cute romance, and they were still the best of friends.

Her son loved to talk about Annabeth, and any time he brought other friends to his house, they teased him for it. She'd met some nice adolescents through Percy – save the troublesome twins he'd brought over once.

Annabeth was the only steady guest, usually arriving for breakfast in the morning and staying to have a cup of tea with Sally after the days events.

Without noticing, they'd created a schedule.

It hit Percy one morning, particularly sudden and surprising, that he loved her. Like, really, honestly, truthfully loved her. And, like the impulsive idiot he was, Percy said, "I love you" brusquely and with the least amount of grace in the history of confessions of love. Annabeth hadn't said anything for a while, and he'd thought she was mad – which made him begin to apologize profusely. "I – sorry," he stuttered. "I just – well, it just hit me and you know that I don't have a filter in my mind that keeps me from saying things when maybe I shouldn't – "

"Shut up," Annabeth said fondly. Percy tended to start talking a lot if he was embarrassed or uncomfortable. She put her coffee down, scared that she'd drop it from how bad her hands were shaking. Leaning up carefully, she kissed Percy's cheek. "Love you, too," she said simply, taking a deep and subtle breath to calm herself before finishing her coffee.

Percy stared at her in amazement, curious as to how she handled every situation with aplomb. "What?" Annabeth asked, slightly annoyed at the staring. She gave him a dirty look, and he returned it with a charming and almost shy smile.

"I just – love you," he said again, leaning down and kissing her properly. "Like, a lot," he insisted, kissing her again. Annabeth laughed into the kiss, and he thought that maybe he could die happy.

The thought that he loved her was both exhilaratingly perfect and terribly imperfect. The thought of saying goodbye in less than two weeks lingered deep in his mind, but he suppressed it every time, instead kissing Annabeth until he was incoherent.

;;

And then, sooner than either one of them expected, they were coming up on their last three days together. Percy figured it was a pressing matter, finally, and they sat at the end of the pier until midnight. It was full of deep conversation, meaningless jibes, shameless flirting, excessive adulation, and constant repetitions of Percy confessing his love, just to see her blush.

Then, the next day, Percy realized that he didn't have a single picture with her. The day was spent visiting their favorite places in town – their street, the milkshake shop, the pier and other sentimental places. They asked strangers to take the pictures for them. The one of him kissing Annabeth's cheek by the sign reading 'Fauller Avenue' was his favorite. And finally, that night, Annabeth let Percy walk her home.

Earlier in the summer, she'd constantly made up excuses for why he didn't need to – at first because she was worried of his reaction, but later because she felt that it was a hassle. Plus, she didn't mind the walk home. It was only about fifteen minutes, twenty when you took Fauller Avenue (and she always did). But tonight, Percy wasn't taking no for an answer, and Annabeth decided that maybe it was a good time for him to meet her father.

Percy had been nervous as he walked with Annabeth to her house, fretting slightly and silently. "He'll like you if you like me," she constantly told him. Percy was still nervous.

Whatever image he had in his head of Annabeth's home, it definitely wasn't a three story house with a garden and a wrought iron fence. He stared at it in shock for a few minutes, making Annabeth worry about his reaction, but then Percy just asked, "If the house is this big, I want to see the fridge."

And, yeah, she kissed him.

They made their way up to the front door, Annabeth grabbing the key from above the door frame and unlocking it. Percy kissed her shoulder while she was doing it, and she gave him a weird look. "My shoulder?"

"I like your shoulder," Percy stated. Annabeth smiled and shook her head, making Percy grin. Her smile was contagious.

"Ready?" she asked, pushing the door open. Before Percy could muster a reply, she called, "Dad!" Percy pinched her arm in alarm, but she pushed him forward, shouting for her father once more.

"Coming!" he yelled back, obviously making his way down the stairs. He stopped short when he saw Percy, narrowing his eyes. "Who are you?"

Frederick Chase may have been more on the scrawny side, but he had a superior look about him. He made you feel less smart simply by standing there. Percy awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. "Percy, sir."

Frederick raised an eyebrow. "And your significance?"

"Dad!" Annabeth hissed.

"No, it's fine," Percy told her with a good-natured laugh. He knew that Mr. Chase didn't mean it in a rude way. "Um, I think I'm dating your daughter."

"You think?" Frederick questioned.

Percy glanced at Annabeth, who was giving him a withering gaze. "I'm sorry, sir, I am dating your daughter."

"Glad to see that this one has manners, Annabeth," he told her with a laugh. "Nice to meet you, son."

"You, too, Mr. Chase," Percy replied, moving his hair out of his face.

"Are you taking care of my daughter?" he asked. Annabeth sighed in annoyance, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Percy grabbed her hand with a smile. "Trying my hardest, sir. She makes it difficult at times. She's a bit independent."

"Shut up," Annabeth muttered. Percy smiled down at her, chuckling.

"Well," Mr. Chase said, giving Percy a nod of approval. "I'll allow it. But, it's getting late, Percy."

"Yes sir, of course," Percy said. "Just walking her home."

"And a gentleman," Mr. Chase said, seemingly impressed.

"Dad?" Annabeth said suddenly.

"Hm, sweetheart?" he replied.

"Not to be rude, but can you leave, for a moment?" Annabeth asked with a smile.

Mr. Chase held his hands up as if to say 'say no more'. "Of course. Good meeting you, son."

"Lovely to meet you, too," Percy replied. Mr. Chase sent him a tight lipped smile before retreating up the stairs. Percy let out a breath, rubbing his face.

"He likes you," Annabeth told him.

"I'm so bad with parents," Percy admitted, pursing his lips.

"No, you're charming," Annabeth ameliorated, kissing his nose. "They all love you."

"Not as much as you love me," Percy teased with a wink.

"I sure hope not," Annabeth responded, scrunching her nose up in a terribly cute expression. "That'd be creepy."

Percy laughed, and kissed her for as long as he could before Annabeth kicked him out.

;;

Their last day together was spent with Annabeth helping the Jackson's pack. Paul was there as well. Annabeth spent the day trying her hardest not to cry – because that was weakness, and that was the last thing she wanted to leave Percy with a memory of. Percy kept trying to make her smile, and he mostly succeeded. Something about Percy just gave her no choice but to be happy.

Eventually, after they'd packed all of Percy's things, he laid down on his bed, forcing Annabeth to lay with him. She rested her head on his chest and curled into his side, and he ran his hands through her hair. They were silent for a while, which typically didn't occur since Percy disliked silence. Annabeth was tuning in on Percy's heartbeat, and Percy was going through carefully filed memories.

"Hey, remember that one time that I screamed 'I'll never let go, Jack!' and someone yelled back 'Rose!'?" Percy questioned with a laugh. Annabeth laughed into his chest, and the feeling made his hands tingle. "And remember when I made you yell? You were so embarassed – "

"I was not! I was confused. There was no point anyways," Annabeth said, pridefully. Percy smiled, taking her hand and studying in. She changed her position so that her chin was digging into his chest, and she could look at him.

"Love you," he muttered softly, making Annabeth want to smile and cry at the same time. Percy was never one to hold back on telling her so. He actually told her an unnecessary amount of times, but she liked it. The reminder was always nice.

"Love you, too," she replied easily. Saying it back was as thoughtless as breathing. IIt was a fact; one that she knew for sure. It was almost like reciting your birth date, or your name. The answer came easily; and it was reflex to say it.

There was a long silence, one in which Percy stared intently at Annabeth's hands, as though trying to memorize them, and Annabeth stared at Percy, wondering how. How she'd fallen in love with someone so completely not her type. How one person could be so devastatingly perfect. How she would cope without him.

The last thought was acrimonious. "Percy," she questioned softly, "what next?"

She carefully watched his expression, which twisted painfully. He shut his eyes tight, as though he were wishing that they had longer, or something that could keep him from having to leave, but he came up empty. He met her eyes, which were stormy, a darker gray than usual. He thought that he liked it better when her eyes were intimidating. He hated them looking sad. "I don't know," he admitted, quietly.

"But – "

"Yeah, I know," Percy said with a sigh. "We have three hours."

"Three hours," Annabeth repeated. She moved up closer to Percy, kissing him softly, before burying her face in his neck. "We need longer."

"I agree," Percy said mournfully, wrapping his arm around her back. "I love you."

"I know," Annabeth said with a laugh, idly pressing her lips to his neck in a quick show of affection. She didn't see how big Percy smiled.

"I'm coming back," he told her determinedly.

"When?"

"Whenever I can."

And sure, that was a reassurance; the fact that she'd get to see him again. And hopefully soon.

But still, she just wished he wouldn't have to leave at all. Something, someway, somehow, had made her ridiculously attached to this idiot she was cuddling with. The thought made her smile. "You aren't going to forget about me, right?"

Percy snorted as if the thought in itself was foolish. "Definitely no. I'm printing out all of those pictures and taping them in my locker. And I'll tell all of my friends, and turn down every girl who tries to date me, because I'm taken. And I'll beat up any of the guys who try to flirt with you. Because... no."

"Jealous?"

"Possessive, maybe. But not creepily. Just, what's mine is mine, you know?" Percy explained with a shrug.

"And I'm yours?" she asked, pulling back and raising an eyebrow. He rolled his eyes. "How presumptuous."

"Whatever. We both know you've got it bad for me, so how about you just shut up, Chase." His statement made Annabeth laugh, and Percy memorized the sound.

"So, what are we doing for our final hours?" Annabeth said, attempting to sound light-hearted for the both of them.

"Sleep," Percy answered, pulling her impossibly closer. "I hear it's one of the best ways to bond."

Annabeth made a face. "Sleep," she deadpanned. "It's our last few hours, and you want to sleep together?"

"Well, we can do that, too," Percy said cheekily.

Annabeth slapped his chest. Percy laughed. "Seriously?"

"Joking," Percy assured. "Completely joking. But to answer your question, yes," Percy said honestly. "Because I'll start sobbing if we do anything else, and that's not really something I want you to see."

And, well, she couldn't argue with that; argue with the soft way he said it. So, she sighed, kissed his collarbone (a feature she'd always been fond of), tucked her head underneath his neck and fell asleep.

When she woke up, it was to the soft cooing of a female voice. Annabeth blinked her eyes slowly, noting that she and Percy were even more tangled. "Sally?" she muttered, rubbing her hand over her face.

Sally appeared guilty, immediately putting Percy's phone down on his nightstand. Paul stood next to her with a soft smile on his face. "She was taking pictures of you two," Paul said, ratting her out. Sally gave him a disbelieving look and slapped his chest half-heartedly.

Annabeth smiled at them, elbowing Percy harshly. He groaned. "Babe, why?"

Annabeth blushed at the term of endearment; it was a new one. "Wake up."

"Why?" Percy whined. "Waking up is stupid," he said in his tired voice. Annabeth smiled slightly, shoving him again. "Annabeth," he pouted. "Stop abusing me."

"Percy," Annabeth said lightly and sweetly. "If you don't wake up, I'm going to push you off the bed. Maybe the cold, hard ground will wake you up, yeah?"

Paul and Sally laughed as Percy slowly sat up, pushing his face into Annabeth's shoulder. "Bully," he mumbled.

"Percy," Sally said in a hesitant and soft voice. Percy squeezed his eyes shut tight and shook his head over and over. It dawned on Annabeth why Percy was signaling 'no', and she felt her heart hurt. She'd never known that it was possible to feel your heart physically hurt. "Sweetheart..."

"Mom," Percy said sharply. "Please leave for a moment." Annabeth was a bit shocked, having never heard him be so disrespectful. However, she saw Sally's face soften before dragging Paul out with her. Percy sighed, running his hands uselessly through his hair. He glanced at Annabeth, leaning over and kissing her softly at first, then more desperately. It felt too much like a goodbye.

Regardless, she felt him rest his hand on the back of her neck and pull her closer, always closer. He whispered countless apologies against her lips and Annabeth abominated the way her eyes stung. Her nails dug into his skin slightly where she was resting her hand on his neck. She didn't mean to, but she was taking her emotions out on him. He hissed after a minute, pulling back.

"Damn," he muttered with a laugh, rubbing his hand over the sting.

"You're blushing!" Annabeth accused with a devious grin.

"Shut up," Percy said, laughing more and blushing further. Annabeth touched his red cheek, making Percy fake frown.

"This is so cute. I think I'm dying," she laughed.

"Stop," Percy whined. Annabeth smiled and kissed his cheek, then the now reddened skin where her nails had done damage.

"Sorry about that," Annabeth shrugged. "Kind of hope it leaves a mark though. You're off limits."

Percy scoffed and knocked her shoulder. "Look who's possessive now!" She scowled at him, and Percy probably would have kissed her again, but Sally knocked on his door quietly.

"Are you two decent?" she called.

"Oh my god, Mom," Percy replied, burying his face in his hands. "Oh my god."

Annabeth laughed. "We're decent. Percy's blushing, but we're decent." He glared at Annabeth as Sally opened the door.

Sally smiled sweetly at both of them. "I hate to be the bad guy, but..." She shrugged helplessly.

Percy sighed heavily, standing from the bed. He offered his hand to help Annabeth, but she rejected him, as always. He grabbed all of his bags, pulling them over his shoulders and following his mother out of the room. He wanted to hold Annabeth's hand, but his luggage sadly prevented him.

After throwing his baggage in the back of the car, Percy pulled Annabeth off to the side and hugged her, maybe tighter than ever. She felt her eyes start doing that annoying thing, where they start stinging, and gripped his hair in an attempt to anchor herself.

Percy chuckled. "You're injuring me a lot today," he whispered.

"Sorry," Annabeth said, not sounding all that sorry and not removing her hands from his hair.

He decidedly broke the hug, stealing her phone from her back pocket and clicking on the camera application. "I always really hated it when couples did this, but..." He shrugged in a cute boyish way, leaning forward and kissing her. He snapped the picture, pecking her lips once before pulling back to examine the image. It was a little off center, but they were both smiling slightly, which made it undeniably cute. He craftily made it her lock screen, smiling as he did so.

He returned her phone, fidgeting with his hands for a moment. He looked up at Annabeth with a spark in his eye, and Annabeth realized that Percy had an idea. He slipped his class ring off his finger, dropping it in her palm and closing her hand around it tightly. "I don't care how, but wear this every day," Percy ordered in a polite way. "And – " he glanced at Annabeth's wrists. "You're going to give me a bracelet."

She approved of the idea, untying her favorite one. "It says my name on it, sorry," Annabeth said with a shrug.

Percy only grinned wider. "That's even more perfect."

She tried to smile back, but it probably looked more like a grimace. He glanced behind Annabeth, feeling his heart sink as his mother gave Paul what was obviously a parting hug. He leaned forward, kissing her quickly but deeply. "Love you," he sighed.

"Love you, too," Annabeth replied for probably the one-thousandth time that day.

"Text me. All the time," Percy begged. "I know the whole time difference thing, but whatever. And call me, even if you get voicemail. Please. E-mail me, something."

"Of course," Annabeth responded.

"Percy," Sally warned, tapping her wrist to signal they were out of time. Percy kind of felt like punching whoever created time. He kissed Annabeth once, then she kissed him, and he said 'I'll miss you' and 'I love you' too many times to count.

But, eventually, he did have to get into the car, with a conflicted expression on his face. Annabeth stood leaned in the car window as Sally started up the car. "I'll see you soon?" she asked, hoping and praying to anyone that was listening. She gripped Percy's class ring with all of her strength.

Percy grinned his stupid, lopsided grin and he tucked Annabeth's hair behind her ear. "If it happens, it happens," he mocked. Annabeth flicked him. "Yes," he promised.

"Okay," she said, able to breathe a bit easier after hearing it from him. "Love you."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Duh. Love you, too."

"Bye, Sally," Annabeth said, waving to her. Sally replied with motherly warmth, and then... they were gone.

Paul gave Annabeth a polite wave before disappearing into the house next door. Annabeth sat down on the stairs leading up to Percy's front door, trying the class ring on all of her fingers. It didn't fit well on any of them, but she had a leather necklace at home. With some readjusting, she could have his ring on a necklace.

Her phone vibrated in her back pocket, and she couldn't help but smile bittersweetly at her lock screen. However, upon opening the message, her smile became real.

It was a picture of her bracelet fastened around Percy's wrist. A second later, her phone vibrated once more.

Miss you already… x

She replied with a simple 'miss you too!' before standing, and feeling slightly lost, heading to Fauller Avenue to make her way home.

She smiled crazy big, still examining the class ring. It was weird; she missed him, sure, but she couldn't help but think of all the memories. Meeting, dramatic street scenes, milkshakes, flirting, arguing, kissing, holding hands... it was all like something she'd read on a book.

"Well," she muttered to herself, "you'll definitely have some good stories for your friends."

Sure, the whole 'summer love' thing was completely hackneyed, but their specific relationship was out of the ordinary. It was bizarre, really. Annabeth, an erudite California native, and Percy, a reckless guy from New York.

Her phone vibrated several times in a row, with the few pictures that Sally had taken of them sleeping. 'Are we cute, or are we cute?' Percy had sent.

And, yeah. They kind of were.

If this were a movie, she decided, there would be a cliché speech about how this summer was truly a summer to remember, because it was the end.

But she was really, really hoping there would be a sequel.

;;;