I stare out at the black night.

I hear her footsteps before I see her, her light ascent of the staircase as she moves to stand beside me on the porch. I don't bother pretending I'm fine; she knows me well enough to tell when I'm lying, and she might just be the only person that I wouldn't bother deceiving, anyway.

"Hey, Luke," she greets.

...

Turn around, and you're walking toward me
...

I turn just enough to get a look at her. She's so calm, so logical. I hate that about her sometimes.

"Hey," I manage.

We just look at each other for a while, her grey eyes fixated on mine, and for a moment we're children again. Still thinking that our parents love us. Still believing that we can take on any monster who dares to come our way.

I'm not a child anymore.

Neither is Annabeth. She looks even older in the moonlight, somehow. It makes her skin glow faintly, like she's made of porcelain. Her blond hair shines in the blue-white hue of the moon.

"You're beautiful in the moonlight," I whisper.

I swear, I could've seen her blush from halfway across camp. "Thanks," she says, and I can hear her breathing quicken. She inhales deeply, lets out a long exhale. Her breathing slows to a steady tempo in sync with my skipping heart.

I turn away; stare back out at the empty, cold expanse of the night sky.

...

I'm breaking down, and you're breathing slowly

...

It's too quiet. I strain to break the silence, something that's usually effortless for us. But not tonight. Not after today's announcement.

My fault –

I get the words out, any words are better than this. "So what'd you do today?"

"Read some books, mostly."

"Why am I not surprised?" I tease, but the humor is gone from my voice. The words stick in the back of my throat, dry and empty.

"I have to be ready for when my quest comes, right?" Annabeth says.

I swallow hard. She means well, I just can't stand to think this is my fault. "I'm sorry," I choke out. "About everything."

Her hand wanders up to catch my shoulder, a wordless comfort. "It wasn't your fault."

"You'll never get your quest now." I grind my teeth, bite my lip so hard, it almost bleeds. "I did this, Annabeth. I did this. It is my fault. And I'm sorry."

"I don't need a quest that badly, Luke," she says. The words are hollow, and she no doubt knows that I can tell.

My eyes burn at the starless sky. "Annabeth, I know you're lying."

She tries to speak. I see her lips start to part into a word, but a choked gasp lodges in her throat and suffocates her voice. She gasps hard.

My fault –

I see her grey eyes mist over, a haze of tears beginning to force their way through her stone expression. She squares her jaw. The tears don't stop. I see them begin to streak her red cheeks.

"I'm sorry," I sigh. "I know how much you wanted this. I've ruined it, and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

She smiles, just enough. "I know you didn't mean for things to end this way."

"I'm sorry," I say again.

Her hand on my shoulder tightens, like she's afraid she's losing me, she's trying to hold me close. "You can stop saying that," she says. "I forgive you."

"Of course you do," I growl, through gritted teeth. "You're stupid that way."

"I'm the daughter of Athena. If I'm stupid, you're a satyr."

I have to laugh at that. "Okay, not stupid."

"And you said I was beautiful."

"Don't push it."

"Well, you did."

My smile widens. "I guess that's because it's true," I say, turning to face her.

She blushes again, fiercely. "I... thanks." She releases my arm, like she's afraid she's pushed to far, crossed some boundary.

Her intense gaze burns into my own. My heart leaps, bouncing against my ribs. A knot ties itself in my chest. Something about those eyes... I can't breathe right. She looks at me, and I can't think.

...

Say the word, and I will be your man, your man
...

I find myself reaching out to touch her hair, probably could be more subtle at least, but I've never been subtle. I stretch out tentatively. To my shock, she doesn't push me away. My heart races thump, thump, thump with my scattered thoughts and uneven breathing.

My fingers slide down, and my palm finds her shoulder, settles there.

She smiles, nervously. She's never nervous, except around me I realize, and I'm not sure what to make of that.

Her fingers move up to trace the white scar on my face, slowly moving down the jagged mark. "I can't stay mad at you. I thought I could but... you've dealt with enough, and I... you're my friend. I just – can't –"

My hand on her shoulder shifts, eases up to rest against the side of her neck. Her eyes widen, still she's nervous, but she's very still, shivering ever so slightly against my palm.

"I know you wanted a quest more than anything," I whisper.

"I wanted it. More than anything... I don't know," she admits, blushing again. Always blushing. "I wouldn't want to go without you, anyway. I just... I've never had a real family – you know, just... parents that love me, I've never had that." She pauses. Words fail her. "I've never done anything right, and I just need to do something... for myself. To prove myself, if only so I can know I'm not the – the demon he treated me like... like..."

A fresh swell of tears pushes out of her eyes. She blinks repeatedly, but it only serves to make it worse. She stares at the floor. The skin of her neck is cold beneath my fingers.

...
Say when
And my own two hands will comfort you
Tonight, tonight

...

I don't know how or why, but I'm leaning closer to her. She hesitates. My heart skips, hammers inside of my chest, and something twists horribly inside of me, terrible, until I see her lean towards me, slowly, nervously (as always, so nervous with me,) but I'm not scared. I'm not subtle. I'm stupid for trying this, and she doesn't care.

Our lips meet. I'd like to say that everything changes, but the amazing thing is, it doesn't. It's exactly the same, but it's more beautiful, closer, intimate... I'm falling into the embrace of the best friend I have, swimming in those grey eyes.

I gasp for air, unable to draw in oxygen. She is all I see, all I feel.

My fault –

My fault that she's trapped in camp, that she'll never get a quest, that everything she's worked for is impossible –

And it doesn't matter.

Our kisses begin to intensify, all the naked, unsheltered emotion that's always been between us, pouring out into each other. I can feel the passion in the way her lips move with mine, the urgency in my response. My other hand moves up to intertwine with her hair, and I see that my fingers are shaking. I'm terrified and perfectly secure, but at the same time.

...
Say when
And my own two arms will carry you
Tonight, tonight
...

When she pulls away, sharply – because it's Annabeth that ends the kiss, I don't know when I would have – her cheeks are beet red. Her icy breath blows against my face. Her lip quivers; she trips over her words.

"I'm sorry," she chokes out.

"For what?"

"For letting you do that."

I breathe hard. "I'm not sorry."

"It can't be this way," she whispers. "Not if you're ever going to prove yourself to Chiron again. Not if I'm going to earn a quest, regardless of what you've done. I can't hold you back like this, can't let this hold us back..."

"There is an us?" I retort, sudden rage in my voice. I hate this lie I've told myself. She doesn't, couldn't, won't love me, and I'm so stupid, so stupid, so stupid... She should hate me.

My fault –

She forces the words out, looking right at me as she says them. "We're friends now. We can't afford to do this to each other. We can't play these games, not now."

She's so rational. Why does she have to be so rational?

I stare into the void of the sky. "Friends now?"

"Friends," she whispers. "For now."

I have no choice; she's dead honest, and as always, she's right.

I decide that friends is enough.

For now.

...

A/N: More to come. Reviews! Please!