Sorry for the delay! I said it was going to be an update per week but school made me really busy the past few weeks. But this chapter is longer! I hope you like it and please review! It means a lot, even if it is to criticize. This chapter doesn't have much action or things happening but it's a little bit more about explaining some things.

All characters (c) Rick Riordan

It was late morning when Percy woke up with the annoying sound of a vacuum somewhere in the apartment. He didn't even know they had a vacuum, so he walked to the living room to check out the sound, just to find Annabeth cleaning the whole room. She seemed angry and he didn't need a clue to know she was angry at him.

He decided not to bother her more – and being the ass he is sometimes – than she already was and started helping her cleaning. He didn't believe he couldn't eat breakfast until later. Though sometimes having a hungry stomach was far much better than having a furious Annabeth. Finally, by midday they were done with the cleaning but they still hadn't talked a word and for the first time he decided to talk first.

"I'm sorry," it was a start, wasn't it?

"Damn straight you should. You left a huge mess after your friends left and I have been cleaning since I woke up and you kn-"

"Know how early you wake up, yes, I know. I'm sorry again." Annabeth muttered something under her breath, maybe how much of a Seaweed Brain he was. He didn't blame her.

"You want to do something to make up for it?" Obviously that wasn't a question. He nodded.

"I will hand you a list. You have to buy the things on the list. It's movie night with the girls, so it's my turn to use the apartment, but unlike you, I will clean afterward."

Percy took Annabeth's not so little list and went to his room and change to clean clothes. In his usual punk outfit he grabbed his leather jacket – which Annabeth could swear it was the thing he loved most after his mother – full of patched band logos, he went outside to the chilly air of New York City.

He followed the list exactly as Annabeth asked; he no longer was in the mood to be upset with her. Since they moved in together a month ago they had fought a lot, more than Percy ever remembered. Not even when she was jealous of Rachel taking Percy away from their friendship used to fight this much. He certainly missed their old friendship, it was easygoing and relaxed, he knew he could tell anything he wanted to Annabeth without causing any trouble but now he wasn't so sure of that. Of course they were still inseparable but sometimes Percy felt a pain in the gut that he might lose his precious Wise Girl if they kept at this pace of bickering back and forth. Percy sometimes thought the reason all this happened was because he was so much into his punk style. He didn't remember when it started, but he never felt more comfortable ever in his life. Annabeth didn't like it at first and thought maybe it was just a phase that he would move on from hearing loud Sex Pistols and The Clash, leaving the sides of his head and stopped using that Mohawk, but he never moved on and Percy is pretty sure Annabeth started liking his new phase, or at least accepted it.

Percy knew he must do something even if it concerns awkward talking and spilling their feelings to each other, he would do anything as long as he didn't lose his Annabeth.

When he was done with all the things she asked for, he headed to the cashier and finally ending the painful and boring duty of going to the grocery store. Before he even knew it he was back to the warm apartment with no sign of Annabeth.

"Annabeth, are you here?" He went to her room but it was empty and proceeded to check the rest of the floor and looking for any signs or notes she might had left. With a defeated sight, he started getting the things out of the bags and ordering them into the fridge and different cabinets of the little and warm kitchen they had. Percy was really starting to worry; he picked up his phone, the one he only used for emergencies, and called her.

The phone was ringing from his room.

"ANNABETH." Annabeth was lying on the floor. His room was messy as always, things thrown everywhere, making it harder for Percy to reach her faster. He crouched next to her and took her pulse. Her heart was still beating. He sighed and gripping his Mohawk he dialed 911.

It can't be happening, she was never such a long time unconscious, Percy thought.

"Hello, 911, can I help you?"

"M-my friend lost consc-"

Annabeth bolted up right as she was breathing for the first time. Percy dropped his phone and grabbed Annabeth's torso before gravity played against her body and hugged her tightly. Annabeth's breathing was heavy and fast, tickling his neck as she clung to his neck.

"Shh, it's okay, Beth, 's okay," they hugged for a few minutes, Percy always reassuring her with soothing words, he tried to comfort her in any way he could, he just wanted Annabeth to stop crying before it was too late.

It has been four years since the last war with the giants but the scars it left were too big to forget in such little time. Best case scenario, Annabeth would have insomnia when the fear of nightmares became unbearable. Worst case scenario, Annabeth would lose consciousness from time to time, relieving old, nasty memories from the war. But for the first time she was out for a very long time. The gods' knew how many minutes she was out before Percy arrived. He on the other hand would get hallucinations and sometimes even episodes of anger. They both knew they didn't have it easy.

Minutes later Annabeth was calmer and her breathing was rhythmic and steady. She curled up in his lap and looked up at him. "Thank you," she said with a soft voice. From time to time Annabeth wondered what she would do without Percy. She needed him an incredible huge amount of time contrary to people's belief. They always seemed to think Percy needed Annabeth more that she needed him.

They were back to normal, or at least what could be normal with the events happening in the last few hours. Annabeth recovered from her shock of realizing how long she must had been out and what had she seen after she told the details to Percy. Annabeth liked the difference between iris messaging and telling him in person her flashbacks. It felt more real.

As Thalia, Piper, Hazel, Rachel and Katie were coming for movie night, they started arranging the sofas so they could all look at the TV screen. Percy wasn't really fond of moving sofas here and there, but he loved Annabeth, and he loved the girls, and of course he didn't want to get punched by all of them. He might seem tough but he feared annoyed, pissed off, demigod or not, ladies, especially if it was a bunch of them.

With an exhausted sigh, Annabeth and Percy both plopped down on the sofa of the center and resting their legs on the coffee table. "I'm tired, man," said Percy. "Tell me about it, but at least I get to watch a cool movie afterwards, unlike you," she poked him in his stomach, "you're just going to… to… What exactly do you do for fun?" Percy shrugged. "I don't know? Maybe I'll dedicate to ruin your super fun movie night, or call the guys to, you know, hang out."

"Oh, no, you aren't going to do any of those. Go somewhere else or just stay in your bedroom, but don't bother us."

"Aw, why, Annabeth, are you so boring? What's the fun in all this if you don't get a little of fun from me?"

"Not dying? Remember three years ago when we used your mom's apartment while she was in some of her book events? I almost got killed twice, Percy."

"Admit it, either way you had fun! Everybody was there and alive and young!"

"Yeah, until that monster came out of nowhere and then those dracanae when we were getting rid of the other monster, we never even knew what on Earth was that monster. Hell! I even doubt it was Greek at all!"

"Stop complaining, Annabeth, you make my head hurt and you ruin everything," said Percy rubbing his messy hair. The hair on the sides started to grow up again, he noticed, it needed a haircut. Annabeth punched him once again and crossed her arm, staring at nowhere. The bell rang. "Your turn, Seaweed Brain," said Annabeth.

"Rock-paper -scissor," he dared and put his fist between them, ready to play. Because he didn't like the idea of getting up. Annabeth put her fist in front of her rolling her eyes because she knew this was Percy's rational way to solve things. Then he's complaining why Annabeth always think of him as a little kid.

"Rock-paper-scissor," they chorused. Percy formed rock and Annabeth laughed loudly at realizing she won while Percy grunted and stood up to walk to the door. Thalia was on the other side waiting impatiently, her foot tapping loudly on the floor. She walked inside and ruffled Percy's hair, though she had to stand on tiptoes to reach his head, and headed towards Annabeth who stood up and hugged her tightly.

"You've grown, kiddo," said Thalia with her voice full of love. It was rare to see Thalia with her guard down, noticed Percy. They always crumbled when she met again her little sister.

"And you haven't."

Percy went to the kitchen and started getting the food out for the girls; Annabeth was too busy with her best friend. He heard them talking about Annabeth's incident. He wondered why Annabeth had been so long unconscious. The flashback was just a flashback, nothing new; no sign of what could happen next, a threat, danger, nothing at all to give them something to worry about but Annabeth safety and mental health. Percy remembered that one time her mother suggested for both of them to go to a psychiatrist. It took a lot to talk he mom out of it, they didn't want any help and it wasn't like they could tell the doctor they were stuck in Tartarus while on a war he never knew about.

The bell rang again and Percy poked his head to the living room and put his fist in front of him. Annabeth look at him and sighed. She slowly put her fist out and from different rooms they rationally decided whose turn was for opening the door.

"Dammit, Annabeth!"

Paper against scissors. Percy's turn again. He punched the wall on his way to open the door. Piper, Hazel, Rachel and Katie walked in like they owned the place. Each one of them greeted Percy and went to meet Thalia and Annabeth. Oh I'm doing fine, my roommate left a few weeks ago, my best friend had a consciousness lose this afternoon, same ol' same ol', thanks for asking. He knew, he was being mean inside his head but, for gods' sake! They were his friends too and he missed them! But no! It was movie night and he was destined to be alone for the whole night.

Maybe he would call some of the boys to help him not get bored.