Annabeth:

As I had expected, our parents had kept Percy and me apart for the first day. It always seemed to happen when we came to see each other. Our families would come to say hello, and we'd unpack. Then dinner always came early so that everyone could ask us about how we've been doing since they last saw us even if it hasn't been long at all.

By the time either of us finally had enough time to talk, it was time to get ready for dinner.

"Perseus, when is your wedding again?" Olivia asked before taking a sip of wine, and Percy looked at her from where he had been discussing literature with my sister, Olympia.

"This August, Queen Olivia," Percy nodded toward my step-mother, trying to fake being happy about it, but I knew him too well to believe that.

"That's about the time of Annabeth's," Olivia smiled at me like she was proud of me marrying, and my father continued to eat instead of speaking. Only Olivia had few enough brain cells in that beautiful blonde head of hers to bring up my wedding.

"And Olympia's, right?" Percy quickly averted his attention to my older sister, and my sister blushed merrily as she looked down at the ruby engagement ring her fiancé, Alexander, had given her.

I had seen my sister happy, like when she found out that Olivia was unable to have any more children after Eli, meaning we wouldn't have more younger siblings running around and annoying us. I had seen her through every emotion, but I had never once seen her as radiant and glad as she was with Alexander. I don't think even my parents, whose match was made in the heavens, were as much in love as Alexander and Olympia.

I longed for that sense of love that was overpowering like the way she felt for Alex. But I knew I'd never get that chance.

"That's right. On July fourteenth, Alex and his wedding party are coming here, and we get married on the twenty-sixth," Olympia smiled widely as she looked down at her glass of wine, and I swear I saw my sister blush, which I didn't even know happened ever.

"Cheers to the happy couple then," King Paul raised his goblet, and we all did the same to toast.

"Cheers," my father nodded as he raised his glass again, and he drank the red liquid. It was rare for my father to let me drink, so I took up on the offer.

I didn't understand why he didn't let me drink. In a few months, I'll be married, and everyone will be hoping for be to become with child so that they can have a new heir. But I can't drink wine in his presence? That's just hypocritical.

I looked across the table towards Percy, who was almost finished with his dinner. As I sat there, I thought back to how long it had been since I had last seen those sea green eyes of his.

It was Rebecca's birthday, and I had come to wish her happy fifteenth birthday. So, that was… three? Four months? Around there, but I had written to Percy repeatedly since then. Sometimes, it was easier to write, but not in a time like this. Not when I was being forced into a marriage with a man I could barely stand.

"Ready?" Percy mouthed while everyone looked away to discuss their own matters, and I nodded.

"Your highness," Percy looked towards my father, "I've had a long day of traveling. Would you mind if I returned to my chambers for some rest?"

"Of course not, Perseus. Do you remember how to get to your room?" the king asked, even though it would be insane if he didn't know after all of these years. Percy had always stayed in the same room of the same wing, something I made sure of for my own reasons.

"I just keep forgetting, Your Highness," Percy apologized with a boyish smile, and my father turned to me.

"Annabeth, can you walk your guest to his room?" my father asked.

"Of course," I nodded, shocked at the fact he still bought it. If I had a pent for every time we pulled that trick, I'd be able to buy my own country. But maybe my dad just knew that I wanted to see him alone without a bunch of people talking about weddings around me.

Percy and I both stood, bowed towards the Kings and the Queen, and left quickly as we had been taught to do. No one was out in the halls, or really everywhere, when we came through the door and closed it behind us.

For the first thing, no one was really home. My two brothers were away, taking some of the friends that were here so often that I worried they lived here. My two best friends, or at least the ones who live here, Thalia and Reyna, were off on a hunting trip of their own to prove to Jason that they could do what guys can do, if not do it better. And the castle staff was all tucked away and eating, I suppose.

Percy made sure the heavy door was closed, and he looked at me with a devilish smile I knew all too well.

"No."

"I didn't even get to ask," Percy protested.

"You don't have to. I know what you're going to say, and I'm not doing it, not in these shoes," I crossed my arms, and he faked a pout.+

"This is our last summer, Anniebeth. Don't want to break tradition this late into it," he smirked and started walking off without me, in the opposite way of his room and towards the archway to the garden. I struggled to keep up and spout of reasons why we shouldn't, but it wasn't making a difference.

"Annabeth, you're the one who thought of this," he stopped in the middle of the garden and crossed his arms.

"I know, Percy."

"And you're the one who always makes me join."

"I know."

"That means you're doing it."

I stared at him for a long time, so long that I couldn't tell if it was minutes or hours. I hated when he did that smart thing. I was used to him being the idiot that tries to talk me into dumb things while I use the voice of reason. So, this completely blindsided me.

"Follow me then," I walked to the right, making Percy smile as he followed behind me obediently.

Four years ago, when we were about twelve, he came to the kingdom while his sister was sick, and we had decided to climb this wall, something we now did every time he came. We had a lot of weird traditions, mainly just because we could. Usually, those traditions went away after a year, but this one just stuck.

When I reached the stone wall that overlooked the ocean, I could instantly tell which stones we had used as stepping places for years. On one, Percy had even carved his initials, so they weren't too hard to spot.

"Ladies first," he nodded towards the wall, and I stared at him, "Fine, I'll go."

He had forgotten some stones that made it easier for climbing, but he made it to the top of the wall and took the spot that he always had. While he got situated, I took off the shoes that Azabella had insisted I wear. Percy offered his hand for help climbing, and I just handed him the shoes, making him laugh.

It was a little difficult to climb the wall, as it had been three inches of height and ten pounds since I had last climbed it, but I managed better than Percy.

"Was that really so bad?" Percy smirked, and I pointed towards the grass stains on the white shoes.

"Tell that to the shoes."

"So, you're never going to wear them again, I'm guessing?"

"I guess not," I narrowed my eyes, trying to figure out what was going on in that sick and twisted head of his.

He smiled as he threw the white shoes so far that they landed in the ocean, and he used his son-of-a-sea-god abilities for the water to take the beautiful heels far out to sea.

"Percy!"

"You weren't going to wear them!" he laughed as I tried to hit him, but it's not like it was a fair fight. He had spent the last ten years being trained by the best retired Generals his parents could talk into training him.

So, I was like a toddler against a Spartan warrior.

"Oh shut up," I nudged him, and he just laughed.

"What do you think it's going to be like? Next year, I mean."

I shrugged and pulled my knees to my chest as I watched the sun finished setting.

"I don't know. This thing here, the wall climbing, is over. But we'll be closer to each other, I guess, even if Lucas doesn't like you. I can complain enough that he'll cave."

He laughed.

"You're forgetting about Katarina, Annabeth," he shook his head, "She even got jealous of me spending too much time with Abbalee. My sister, Abbalee. You really think she'll let me see you?"

I wanted to cry as I thought about that.

If I was to think about everything in my past, every big moment in my life, Percy was there. When did I learn to ride a horse? Eight, when Percy dared me to. When my brother was born, who did I go to talk about it? Percy. When did I learn to fence? Thirteen, Percy taught me. Who was there when I broke my leg? Percy stayed with me, determined to make up the fact that he had suggested racing.

And I wanted him to be there when everything else happened, like me getting married or meeting my first child. I wanted him to tell embarrassing stories to my children, and I had been sure that it would happen.

I put my face into my knees, and I forced myself not to cry.

Percy scooted closer to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, and I didn't say anything. Instead, I pushed my face into his chest and leaned more into him.

"Princess Annabeth is crying. Someone get a scribe, this needs to go into history."

I laughed and looked towards the water again.

"You're awful, Perseus."

"But you love me."

"Maybe," I shrugged, and he shook his head.

"Shut up."

"Dinner should be ending soon, and Olivia will come to check on you. I better get you to your room."

"At least Olivia didn't walk me back like my mom does," he nudged me one last time before letting go of me and turning to climb back down the wall. I looked back towards the ocean, silently vowing that I would avenge my shoes.

Percy:

I tapped my foot impatiently as I waited for Annabeth.

How long have I known Annabeth?

Ten years? Maybe even to the day.

How long have I been in love with her?

Nine years and three hundred sixty-four days.

That I know.

I even remember when and why it happened, even if it was so long ago.

My mother had Zee, Olympia, and Annabeth study with us, and we were all sitting in the class room. As usual, Abbalee was brushing her long blonde hair in the back of the room. Rebecca stared at the teacher, trying not to roll her eyes at our older sister. Olympia and Zee, as usual, were talking between themselves. Annabeth and I, being the same age, were sort of sticking together, so she sat beside me. I was almost about to fall asleep, and I turned to look at Annabeth.

Her eyes looked hungry, hungry for knowledge. She wanted to know everything, and she wouldn't quit until she did. She was like a sponge, soaking up everything our tutor said. I had never seen a girl like that. I had never seen anyone like that, but especially not a girl. With a sister like Abbalee, it's not like I expected girls to be like that.

It was also then that I saw her beauty, the inner and outer. Her grey eyes were unique, and I loved them. And she was undoubtedly the only blonde that I didn't want to drown, including my mother sometimes.

At the time, I had no clue what it was. I even tried to tell myself it wasn't there. By the end of the week that Annabeth stayed with us, we were best friends, and I promised myself I wouldn't screw it up. As years went on, it grew and grew, but I didn't hone up to it. My father even told me when I was nine that he wouldn't get us engaged because he knew we were just friends, and I didn't know how to feel about that one. By the time I was thirteen, when she came for a month, I finally let it in, those feelings I had for Annabeth.

"Sorry I'm late," Annabeth hurriedly told me as she closed the secret entrance behind her.

It was a fire escape, or an escape for when the castle was attacked. Both of our closets, as well as many others, led to a hallway with a stairwell. It came down to the outside walkway, towards the ocean. Annabeth always made sure I had that room, something I loved, because the room next to it had another escape.

I bit my tongue not to gasp at how beautiful she looked.

Her long blonde curls had been tied into a long braid sweeping don her back, and she had worn a blue dress without sleeved with how hot it got here during the day, but I knew that she had shown her feet to remind me of how I had thrown her shoes out to see the night before.

"And she shows up," I crossed my arms, and she playfully pushed me.

"Let's go. Azabella and my dad would kill me if they saw us sneaking out again," she took my hand and started to pull me off.

"Why would your father be mad?" I asked as I hurried after her.

I knew about Azabella, who hated it when Annabeth didn't act like the perfect princess around me. But it had never made any difference to her father. It got his daughter smiling, and that was all he needed.

"A deal I made with him," Annabeth continued to pull me towards the safety of the forest separating the garden from the beach, which I knew my heart by now.

"What kind of deal?"

Annabeth mumbled something under her breath, probably for me to shut up, and she tightened her grip on my wrist and went a little faster.

"The kind of deal that would make this annoying for him."

I stared at her, realizing that Annabeth's stubbornness had grown so much since I had last seen her. I didn't know what I was going to do without it, without her.

It was a scary thought, something I had worried about for years now. Sure, I had known it was coming. But nothing, and I do mean nothing, prepared me for that invitation to Annabeth's wedding. Even if the invitation for Annabeth to come to my wedding went out the week before, it still hurt like Hades.

"Where are we going, Annabeth?" I finally gave up on why her father would be mad. I had a summer to pester that one out of her.

"I don't really know," she smiled widely.

"That's comforting."

XXXXXX

"Have I read long enough?" I complained.

I waited, but Annabeth didn't say anything.

I looked beside me to see Annabeth had fallen asleep on me.

"Was I that boring?" I laughed but quickly stopped myself so I wouldn't wake up the blonde in my arms.

She 'mmm'ed and cuddled closer to me, making me smile. I pushed a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear and smiled down at her.

What was I going to do without her?

Then again, what would I do if she wasn't marrying my worst enemy?

She would never notice me as anything other than her brother-like friend.

I guess I better explain some things about Luke.

I met Prince Lucas when I was about four, and we were sort of friends. Of course, we always tried to look better than each other all the time. It was constant competition, but we were still friends and everything.

Until we were fourteen at least.

By that time, I knew I loved Annabeth, and Luke knew she was marrying her. One summer, he came over, and we were sitting around in the fencing arena. We were both a little drunk, just a little, and he told me he'd be good to Annabeth and would change his ways. I didn't know what he meant by that. He stayed with me for a month, and his quirks that I had been fine with now bothered me. Then came the worst part.

The day before he was to leave, I couldn't sleep. So, I decided to go see Luke and talk into fencing again. When I reached the room, I knocked lightly, but I heard giggling. The giggling of Abbalee.

Now, I knew Luke was a flirt, but no one was compared to Abbalee. Abbalee was beautiful, and she loved for everyone to know it. My sister was even a flirt when she was but a little child, and my father quickly got a nice young prince to marry her when she was six. After that, she was determined to make everyone wish it had been them.

She was married now to a nice guy who can keep her good for the most part. But she wasn't then.

Once you see your older sister making out with your best friend, I swear to you that you will never ever un-see that.

After that, Luke and I were enemies.

I don't even think it was about Abbalee.

Sure, she was my sister and everything, but I kind of knew she would do that. I think it was about me seeing who he was, and how he would be to Annabeth.

I worried about not telling Annabeth, but I had never done it.

If anyone could ever change him, it would be Annabeth.

"Mmm," Annabeth's eyes started to blink open.

"Oh. Sorry, Percy," Annabeth sat up immediately, "I fell asleep. On you, which is worse."

She pushed her hair behind her ear.

"So hypocritical when you get mad at me for not paying attention," I sat up as well, smiling at how she was blushing.

"Yeah," Annabeth blushed again, "Uh…We should get back to the castle. It's almost lunch. And Olivia wants me to get ready for Reyna to come back tomorrow."

"Reyna. That'll be interesting," I laughed.

"Be nice to Thalia and Reyna. They'll be here all summer.

So, I know this isn't very good, but I kind of like writing it. But I have no clue really where I'm going.

I promise it'll get better though!