Rated T/M

Shout outs:

emmett2
AliceTonksHP
Sora Loves Rain
Guardian'sDragonOfDeath

Chapter 3: You Little Lying Bitch

"But it's a bad debt
Certain death
But I want what I want
And I gotta get it
When the fire dies
Darkened skies
Hot ash, dead match
Only smoke is left…"

"Come on, Annabeth! It's Jason's party!" Silena yelled from the phone and I had to move my phone away from my ear, unwilling to become completely deaf all of a sudden.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "It's just one party, Silena. There will be others that I can come to, probably in the next week or something. These guys throw a party for the most unimportant reasons one can think of." Daah.

"You can't do this! You can't leave me alone now that I need you! I will not allow you to refrain from this one!" she screamed again and I pinched the bridge of my nose after closing my eyes.

"Whoa, I did not promise anything. I simply said that there was a possibility that I'd come to the party." I pointed. "And besides, you won't be alone; you are too popular to be alone in a party. Any party. There will always be someone to flirt with or simply chat." I said indifferently, thinking it was obvious enough for anyone to get. I mean like, seriously?

"Yeah, but Anna; we both know that it won't be the same." she insisted. "You are my best friend."

"Lena, chill. Katie is probably going to be there too. She never misses this kind of stuff." I noted, trying to make her forget about the possibility of me actually going to the party, but no; Silena was convinced I had to stop by the stupid freaking party.

"Katie is on a date tonight, smartass. And if she actually comes, it'll be after that midnight movie she went to with that weird guy." she told me and I murmured an 'oh'. My luck really sucked.

"Yeah, he is weird." I agreed, striving to change the subject of the conversation. "What was his name again? Trevor? Todd?"

"Travis, I think. He is a dork, like that new guy, Jackson, only not that hot. I believe he pranked her with those lame fake flowers that shoot water once you smell them and they agreed that he'd make it up to her by taking her out on a date." Silena explained and I was momentarily relieved that the plan had worked. But as I said, momentarily. "But that's not the point. You will come to this party one way or another." she demanded and I raised my eyebrow at particularly no one.

"Says who?"

"Me." she answered bossily. "You will put on a sexy dress and those Gucci high heels, turn into the smoking hot bitch I love, and eventually come to the party."

I smirked. "As flattered as I may be by your comments, I still won't come."

She groaned frustrated and took a deep breath afterwards. "If you give me a perfectly good reason for that, then I will back off. But if you're not, I'm gonna come to your house and drag you to the Grace's mansion. And trust me; it will most likely be a long, painful ride."

I paused and thought about it. Well, I didn't actually have a pretty good reason. I just didn't feel like it. Especially with the whole war thing going on. So, I did what I knew how to do best that day; changed the subject. "Why do you want me to come so badly? I've turned down other parties before and you were never that insistent in trying to convince me to change my mind. What's the real reason behind…all of this conversation?" I asked and she remained silent for a couple of moments. Gee, I might have accidentally hit the nail on the head.

"I…It'd be better if you and I talked about this face to face." she said eventually.

I jumped while I sat on the bed. "What on Earth did you do, Beauregard?"

"Oh, shut up already! I did nothing. I mean, even if I wanted to, I would certainly not pick him to do it." she murmured and I blinked confused.

"Do what?" I pressured. "Wait. Did you… Did you sleep with someone?"

"What?! No! Of course I haven't. What the- No." she said decisively and I shrugged. I had to ask. "Gosh, Annabeth… Look, um, you have to promise not to tell anyone. I mean, not even Katie or Nate."

"O…kay. I promise." I said and waited for the big announcement, hoping an earthquake would not take place the second she opened her mouth.

She sighed and chuckled. "Okay, here it goes. I…think that there's a possibility that I have a crush on someone I really shouldn't have."

I felt like lightning stroke me. That was all? Goddammit Silena, you scared the hell out of me. "Like?"

She hesitated, obviously deciding whether to take advantage of the situation or not. Which she did. "I'm not gonna tell you unless you come to the party tonight."

I responded with a shocked and betrayed sound. "That is so not fair! You're using my own curiosity against me."

"Well, I learned from the best." she teased and frowned. "Just please come to the stupid party and I'll explain everything there." she pleaded and then, I suddenly figured it out.

"He is gonna be there too, isn't he?" I asked full of realization. "That's why you want me to the party."

She hesitated again before she answers. "No! It's not just about that! And he is probably not gonna be there…"

I guffawed loudly. "You little lying bitch! He is so gonna be there and you so want to use me as an excuse to either avoid him or hook up with him!"

"Shut up!" she shouted, probably blushing or something, while I was laughing my head off. "Annabeth, seriously! Stop laughing at me! It is not funny, it's annoying!"

"O-Okay." I managed between my laughs. "But Lena, seriously, you could just ask."

"Well, once again, I did learn from the best. Wasn't it you who used me as a distraction to get to Nate in a similar party, without even asking? And before I even notice, you two were making out in the toilets like there was no tomorrow? I had to drag the drunken you out of there or I'm pretty sure you'd do him the next second. I still remember that rushed 'Call me!' you told him before I slam the door behind us. Ah, good times." she said and I laughed again.

"Fair enough. But you can't blame me; the drunken me does have the habit of becoming slutty." I admitted and she consented with a sigh. "So, who is he?"

"I already told you. You will have to come and find out. Just, come to the party. It'd mean the world to me." she pleaded again and I sighed.

"I don't know. Speaking of Nate, I remembered I haven't called him the last few days because of the whole Irene thing and I was thinking of making it up to him tonight." I said truthfully. What I never said though was that I had smelled that lame ladies' perfume on him the other day and I just kept avoiding him since then. If only he was cheating on me… Guess that's what happens when you make out with a guy drunk in the toilets and then you start dating him. Never, ever do that.

"So, in other words, you're just bailing me off to my death, in order to sleep with your boyfriend because he might be angry at you. Wow, Annabeth, that's really a respectable example of a best friend. Thank you, for being mine and setting your priorities like that." she responded in a false-serious tone and I scowled.

"Who in the name of God said I'd sleep with him? And gosh, to your death? It's just a guy, Silena!" I exclaimed, momentarily pissed. I must have made my short moment of anger pretty obvious, because her respond was just as intense.

"Well, do you think I'd go into so much trouble into convincing you to come to the fucking party if it was just a random guy?" she asked and I didn't answer. She was right. And besides that, I knew that Silena was worth a hundred times Nate did. "It's not just any guy, in case you still haven't realized." she noted and I half-smiled apologetically at my wall.

"I know, Silena. Gosh, I know. I'm sorry. We both know I'd never bail on you for a guy, no matter how long I've been with him or something." I told her and fell back on my bed. Damn girl, you'll be the death of me. "I'm coming, in case you haven't realized." I said and she screeched over the phone. I can already feel it; the waves of death washing over me!

"I knew you would! That's why I love you, girl! I owe you one." she shouted and I chuckled.

"C'mon, I'd come anyways." I confessed. "Besides, I'd never want to miss the chance of me dragging you out of the toilet, while you were making out drunk with someone."

"Shut up." she snapped, but you could easily say that she was super-excited. "Look, about Nate, why don't you bring him along to the party? It's a plus one after all, right? You could… make it up to him there."

"That tone might better not refer to anything dirty or I promise you, you're gonna regret it." I warned.

"Of course not, my queen." she said all ironically and hanged up with a 'Love ya'.

I chuckled and hanged up too. I started typing Nate's number on my touch screen, but I hesitated to press the 'call' button. What if he was mad at me for not having spoken to him for a couple of days? I mean, even when he was on vacation we used to talk almost every day. But now that he was back… It's like he wasn't him. Like he wasn't the Nate I knew. And I wasn't sure if I wanted to be with this new version of him. I wasn't in love with this one. Hell, I wasn't even sure if I was in love with him at all. Of course, he wasn't the only one who had started to change. Ever since the war declaration, I began to see some major changes in myself. I did actually consider choosing Nate over Silena. But if I broke up with him, then everything would change.

See, breakups are a controversial subject. They can either be one of the best things that have ever happened to you, or one that you will regret for a seriously long time. But regardless of the outcome and based on your social position, you could easily see the consequences on your social status. For example, in my case, they could always be extremely good, when everyone supported me and my decision, or extremely awful, when everyone took Nate's side, thinking I manipulated him and broke his heart. And since I am not famous for being one of the luck's favorites, I guess I was pretty much screwed.

And after all of this thinking, we return back to the same conclusion; I did not know whether I would break up with Nate, because it could backfire on my popularity. Pathetic. I slapped myself subconsciously and landed back on reality.

I pressed 'call' and waited, until he picked up. "Why isn't that my girl, Annie, actually calling me after two days of complete silence? I have to tell you, I was about to start looking for clues to see if you were still alive." he greeted and I chuckled.

"Well, now you know that I am." I said and he chuckled too. "I'm really sorry. I got caught up with this thing in school and well, I completely forgot about anything else. Forgive me?"

He remained silent for a few moments, probably thinking of ways to torture me. "I'm not quite sure. My magnanimity is endless, but I could actually use your sincere apology to my own benefit." he teased.

"Keep going, oh magnanimous king Nathaniel." I teased back.

"I know my servant, I know. Oh, I have an amazing idea!" he exclaimed and I raised my eyebrow. "How about, I don't know, you come here and well, chat with me about your possible punishments?" he finished and I smirked.

"When you say here, I'll assume you mean your place and not just some lame hotel like the previous time, right?"

He chuckled. "Your assumption is correct, my servant. And that hotel was anything but lame."

"As much as I'd love to, and you know I would, I will have to say no, my king." I answered and he made a 'deeply-frustrated' sound.

"Oh, that is really unfortunate Miss Chase. May I know why?" he asked and I pursed my lips.

"Because I may have a more interesting option than yours, my king." I informed him and he made a shocked sound.

"How dare you dismiss my offers, you filthy servant?" he continued the joke and I laughed.

"I would never, had I not known that my offer is better. And perhaps… it includes the chat." I said and he made one pleased sound, waiting to hear my suggestion. "How would you feel about going to some old lame party with me tonight?"

He chuckled loudly. "A party over the chat? You're seriously putting a party over the chat?" he said falsely shocked and I laughed.

"Well, if you're with me at the party, I don't know, maybe we could chat there too…" I told him seductively, leaving the offer lingering in the air. And then, I made it clear enough that he didn't have much of a choice, with my very own special way. "But if you're not planning on coming, I could totally chat with someone else. It might be fun."

He guffawed. "I'm afraid you're stuck with me, little Annie." I bit my lip at my nickname. He knew how much I hated it, so it was like his revenge. "I'd never leave you alone in Grace's house along with a bunch of guys drooling over you anyway."

I grinned and bit my lip slightly harder. "What happened to your magnanimity, king?"

"Got lost the minute you talked about chatting with other guys. What time shall I pick you up, my lady?" he asked, pronouncing the last sentence with a British accent he managed terrifically.

"Around eight and a half, oh my gentle man."

"Splendid. Oh, I almost forgot." he stammered and I waited. "I got this photo that Irene sent me a couple of days ago. It's you and a guy holding hands. Should I be worried or something?"

I believe it is needless to say I got whiter than a ghost. That bitch. "I-I'm not sure what you're talking about." I started, right before a ridiculously good plan hit me. "Wait. Is it in Starbucks?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah." he answered.

"Uh, babe. Funny story actually." I went on rambling, choosing my next words very, very carefully. "That is my…Cousin! Yes, it's my cousin from L.A."

"Your cousin? What's his name?" he asked confused.

Great. I know a million of names and now, my brain got the day off. "Um…Cedric. Cedric…Stark." Thank you Harry Potter and Game of Thrones, thank you! I'm so thankful my dad made me both read you and watch you –at least the first one, the other I chose it on my own. I'll be your eternal servant.

He chuckled and I breathed relieved. "Stark? That's a hell of a name. Anyway, see you at eight and a half?"

"See you then." I agreed and hanged up, calling Irene whatever names you can possible think of. I fell back to my pillow and put on the earphones of my iPod. That was the only way I could think. And my thoughts were circling around one person; the one and only Percy Jackson.

These past three days we hadn't spent much time together, except for the P.E. and Biology class which we had in common and some random talks in between the breaks. The only things I thought were worth of worrying was the smug glances Irene shot at both of us, along with the one time I saw them talking after Geography. She was laughing, probably at one of his stupid –but god knows how funny- jokes, and he was smiling, perhaps pleased that he made another popular chick chuckle. Maybe he had a thing for bitches or something. Anyway, when I asked him about it in a note during Bio, he wrote that they were just starting to hang out together, like he and I did. After that he went back to paying attention to the lesson, and left me boiling in my own blood from the lack of information.

I sighed. Oh, Percy. I didn't need to remember my past to understand that he felt something for me. Friendly or not, it was always there, either smirking or laughing. I could see it in the way he glanced at me sometimes, when he thought I wasn't looking. But it wasn't me he was having these feelings for. At least not my current version. Whatever he felt about me were about Annabeth his friend, not Annabeth the struggling-to-be-queen of the school. The Annabeth that I am not quite sure I'll ever be again. The Annabeth I might not want to become again.

I shook my head and focused. What I ought to be worried about was the fact that Irene was up to something. Something that would piss me off and cause me to explode. And she'd make sure that when she detonated the bomb, she had an audience with Percy in it.

~xXx~

Two hours later, I was properly dressed for a party; black lace bandage dress, black Gucci high heels and dark diamond-shaped earrings. I grabbed a small purse, only fitting my phone and the earphones, and headed downstairs. I took the turn to the living room and found my dad showing the twins how to build something out of Legos. I smiled wishfully, being unable to remember if he and I ever did that before. Before the accident. Before my mother left. I knew I'd have kicked his ass though, main reason my modesty. I cleared my throat and said, "Dad, I'm leaving" and he looked at me like I had fallen from the outer space.

"To where?" he asked, completely unfocused.

"To Jason's party. I had told you that I was going." I reminded him patiently enough. Or at least, my thought of enough.

"Yeah, I remembered now." He checked my outfit and frowned. Oh, no. "Don't you think you should wear something else?" Here we go…

I looked down at my clothes and sighed. "Dad, my clothes are fine. It's a party for God's sake. Why would I wear something else?"

"I think they might seem a little bit…provocative. Have you thought about a gabardine?" he suggested grinning and I scowled.

"Very funny, dad. Don't wait for me, I'm gonna be late." I said and was about to go for the door, when my dad literally jumped up from the floor like the carpet was on fire.

"Whoa, whoa. How late are we talking about?" he asked.

I frowned again. "I don't know. Three, four o' clock?"

He sighed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Goddammit he remembered. Thanks luck. Really helpful. "Annabeth, it's a school day tomorrow. You can't come home at four in the morning."

"Dad!" I protested. "The party won't even start before midnight!"

"Daddy, Mattie broke my wall!" Bobby whined suddenly, leaving me a disorganized Frederick Chase. Wow, thanks bro. Helpful as always.

"Uhm, Matthew leave your brother's things alone." Dad told him and Matthew pouted briefly before he draws that mischievous grin all over his face.

"I'm not Matthew, daddy. I'm Bobby!" Matthew yelled at my dad, craving for revenge. Well, his wish did come true since the trick totally worked and dad frowned even more. When Sue wasn't here to help, he was left helpless in the hands of the evil twins.

I sighed and stepped in, giving him time to pull himself together. Yeah, I know, I was the greatest daughter he could have ever had, thank you. "Matthew," I said to the original one lowering to his level, "apologize to Bobby."

"No! He called me Mattie! He knows I don't like it!" my half-brother yelled loudly and I closed my eyes. Oh, he and Silena would be such a dynamic couple in making me deaf. Keep going guys. You're just about to achieve it.

"Well, almost everyone in here calls me Annie. I don't like it, but you keep doing that. Though I'm not breaking anyone's Lego walls because I'm angry, am I now?" I told him and he dropped his look on the floor, still pouting. "Now, apologize to Bobby."

"I'm sorry." he said eventually and I smiled pleased at him.

"Now Bobby, apologize to Matthew and promise to never call him Mattie again." I told the other one.

He sighed and crossed his arms. "I'm sorry for calling you Mattie." he said eventually.

"And..?" I waited.

He groaned, to which I bit my lip to prevent myself from laughing. "Fine. And I won't do it again. I promise."

I gave him a warm smile as well and got up. "Good boys. Now, shh." I ordered and was attacked by a synchronized "Whatever, Annie!" and sighed. Children. Incorrigible as hell. Katniss was right; I'm never having kids.

I turned to my dad and waited. He sighed both relieved and defeated smiling. "Just because you kept me from going crazy. Be back at three."

"Three and a half." I bargained.

"Don't test me, young lady." he said and I grinned widely. I stepped forward and hugged him.

"Thanks, dad." I whispered and pulled away. "Oh, and could you find sometime tomorrow? I need to talk to you about something."

He scrunched his eyebrows and looked at me worried. "About what?"

"That accident I had a couple of years ago. Just, something came up and I need to know more about it." Well, someone came up. "Nothing to worry about." I added and smiled.

When I was about to escape from the house of the diabolic twins, a loud car horn was heard outside. Both my dad and I walked to the window to check who it was, only to see Nate riding in a ridiculously expensive two seated car with its roof down, parked briefly right outside my house's gate. "Who's that?" dad asked me and I shrugged indifferently.

"Just some guy…" I murmured carelessly and started pacing to the door.

"Just some guy?" Frederick asked again with an eyebrow raised. "Did you mean just my boyfriend-guy?" he continued and I flushed a pale red.

"Dad!" I whispered-yelled at him, but it was too late. I got attacked again.

"Annie's got a boyfriend!" the twins sang from the living room and I glared at them, before I glare my dad.

"See what you did?" I blamed him falsely and opened the door. "You're ruining their minds from such a young age, without even thinking about the consequences. Shame on you, dad." I rambled while opening the door and stepping almost outside. So close!

He shot me a suspicious look and crossed his arms in front of his chest again. "And you're avoiding the question."

"Gotta go, dad. See ya tomorrow." I said before I close the door behind me and walk to Nate's car.

Once he saw me, he whistled and smiled smugly. "Hey gorgeous. Wanna give you a ride?" he asked teasingly and I grinned.

"Only you can make that sound so dirty." I teased back and he chuckled. I opened the only other door and sat on the only passenger's seat. He leaned in and kissed me fully, his hand finding is way up to my thigh quick enough. Oops, not an M section. Sorry guys, really.

"Maybe I meant it to be dirty." he said low-voiced and I kissed him again. Incorrigible. Both of us.

"I figured." I responded and he smirked.

"Shall we go to that party or what?" he asked and I laughed nodding.

~zZz~

When we arrived, Nate got out first and opened the door for me, like he always did when we were arriving in a public place. Uh, remember this; you don't know who the person you're dating is, until you see their reaction in public. Nate was clearly a cocky smug jackass that pretended to take care of his dates until they got inside.

His hand found my waist quickly and brought me closer to him. I simply smiled up at him and we walked together inside the Graces' mansion. All I knew about the Graces was that they were very rich. One of the wealthiest families in New York. But unlike everyone expected, Jason had turned out not be a soulless dick, but a kind-hearted guy and consequently, most girls' dream man. Oh, plus I had heard that he had a sister, but I had never really met her.

I greeted a few of my acquaintances, like Mitchell and Clarisse, and finally managed to spot Silena in the mini bar, while Beyoncé's 'Partition' was making those teens move. I'm serious; some girls had even stepped on the main bar's counter and danced. "Hey babe, I'm going to Lena. Are you gonna be okay?" I asked Nate and he nodded. He kissed me one last time on the lips and went away to Castellan and the others.

I started walking towards my best-friend and observed her outfit. She was wearing that mink Little Mistress dress that belonged to her mother, Aphrodite, along with a pair of white Badgley Mischka pumps. Her mother had disappeared when she was five. She was one of the most famous clothes' designers in the world and one day, she was just gone. That broke Silena, since she never really got a closure or anything. Her mom was just… not there. But except breaking her, I believe it made her also stronger. Tougher. And if anything, it would make her turn into a beautiful independent woman one day.

Once she saw me, she choked on her drink. "Oh my God, you're here!" she exclaimed loudly and as relieved as I had ever seen her. I laughed and hugged her.

"You look amazing. You're totally killing this dress." I praised her and she smiled smugly.

"Well, you look pretty nice yourself, but I'll take the compliment." she joked and we both chuckled. "Damn Annabeth, you're here God knows how long and you're already starting a war." she said and glanced behind me. I turned briefly around, only to see a couple of dudes checking me out and smirked at them. Uh, if Silena only knew how right she was that night…

"Now," I said, getting straight into my main concern, "who is your famous crush and why wouldn't you tell me over the freaking phone?" I asked and she looked around uncomfortably.

"Look, I just wanted to have this conversation face-to-face with you, because I think that you and him might… be kind of involved." she forced out.

I frowned and widened my eyes. Did she mean…"Do you have a crush on Nate?" I asked murderously.

She widened her eyes and gave me a disgusted expression. "What? No! Your soon-to-be-drunk smug prince is all yours." she told me and I grimaced. Of course she hadn't. She'd never do that.

"Then who?" I asked, absolutely and definitely confused.

She glanced at Nate's gang and then back at me. "Luke…" she whispered under her breath and I widened my eyes and stared at her.

"Luke? As in Luke Castellan?" I asked her and she nodded, taking a sip from her drink. "Silena!" I exclaimed and couldn't find the next words to continue. "Wha-Who- Oh, God. Wai-Wait." I muttered in completely astonished. "First and foremost, why would you think that he and I are involved?" Of course this was more important! I had had plenty of guys in my life lately and Luke –thank the powerful God that has been generous with me once- was not one of them.

She shrugged. "Have you seen the dirty looks that fly between the two of you when Nate isn't around?" she asked and I was like 'Whaaaat?' "I just thought it was a make out or something that you didn't want to tell me about because you were afraid I'd judge you."

I was shocked. And then I was laughing. I was both shocked and laughing. Me and Castellan? Pff, no…"Oh my God! Lena, there's nothing between me and him! I mean, even the whole thing is just… irrational!" I explained and laughed harder. "Gosh, me and Luke? Never gonna happen." I told her and she grinned, surrendering to the ridiculousness of the situation.

"Well, I had to ask. You know I'd never do something with him if you had a thing for him." she said and I smiled.

"Uh, girl. You should have gone for him even if I was feeling anything at all about him. My plate is completely full with men right now." I told her and she laughed. "But seriously Silena, a crush on Luke? Even Clovis would be better." I teased her and she scowled.

"I don't quite know how it happened. He just winked at me one day, like always, and well, those stupid butterflies started dancing in my stomach. And then it wasn't like always anymore. " she explained and I gazed at her smiling.

"Here she goes, Mrs. Castellan. Give her an applause people!" I mocked her and she frowned.

"Shut up, Mrs. Drunken-Making-Out-In-The-Toilets." she mocked back and I smirked.

"Come on, let's dance and celebrate your crush." I demanded and took her hand, dragging her to the dancefloor.

After a lot of Avicii, Martin Garrix and Rihanna, people were still arriving and the party hadn't lacked a bit. I might have accidentally gotten Luke a little bit loosen up and made him dance with Silena without being a total douche. I, on the other hand, finished my second glass of vodka and danced here and there with random people.

And just about when 'Animals' started, I turned around and saw the Apocalypse with my own bare eyes. Irene McAllister had arrived. Her majesty, wearing a black strapless corsage short dress with a pair matching Sergio Rossi platforms, was escorted by the only person I didn't imagine she'd bring with. Yep, it was Percy.

She noticed me and shot me a scornful body-check. She began to walk at my direction, and after what seemed like an eternity, Percy saw that I was there. He mouthed a 'wow' and I didn't how to feel; flattered or betrayed. He had come here with Devil himself and had not said a word to me, his supposedly best friend.

Once they reached me, she smirked. "Well well, even I have to admit you look surprisingly good tonight, Annabeth."

I half-smiled and crossed my hands in front of my chest. "What do you want Irene?" I asked, successfully managing to hide all of the anger and slight surprise I felt. The choice of letting these feelings out in the front was not an option.

"Me? Oh, I just stopped by Jason's party to wish him and I thought it would be tremendously good if I brought you your dear old friend here. I'm sure that you didn't have a proper chance to catch up now that you're so busy with Nate and everything." she answered and let go of Percy, who was currently confused by her behavior. Both of our behaviors.

"Um, am I missing something here?" he asked and Irene shrugged again. I greeted my teeth and managed to let a low-voiced chuckle out.

"How did you find out about that Percy is one of my dear old friends?" I asked my nemesis, ignoring Percy's question, and she smirked.

"I always find out things, one way or another, sooner or later." she bragged and made a dramatic pause. Gosh, this girl is unbearable. "Plus, your dear old friend told me all about it."

I glanced at Percy murderously, but he shrugged it off, being too busy trying to understand why we were acting like this. Poor baby… "Um, girls? You know I'm standing right here, right?" he asked. Silence. "So, as the dear old friend that I am, mind if one of you explains to me what the heck is going on?"

Irene grinned at both of us and stroked Percy's shoulder. "I'll let you do that while I'm going to wish Jason happy birthday and have some real fun." she told me and turned around. Thank god, she's- Oh, no. She's not. When I thought she'd finally walk away and leave me alone for the rest of the night, it seems like the night hadn't even started yet. Because instead of my hopes, she snatched a girl's drink and turned around hastily, spilling her drink all over me and Percy. Oh, she's dead. Like so dead. "Oh my God." she exclaimed in false shock as I gasped. "I'm so awfully sorry. When did I become so clumsy? I'll go get help." she continued and walked away faster than an antelope.

Percy gasped as well and looked at me. "What the hell? Why did she do that?" he asked and we shared a look, right before I grab his hand and start dragging around the house. I led us over to the nearest bathroom I found and shoved him in it. "Annabeth, just tell me what is going on! We both know I'm quite smart, but right now, I can't even imagine what this whole thing is!" he shouted kinda pissed and I glared at him.

"She's my nemesis, Percy!" I shouted back and the whole fury left his face, replacing it with guilt and remorse. I took a deep breath and continued. "She's my freaking nemesis. That's why she spilled that drink on us. You came here to hang out with my High School enemy."

He closed his mouth, which had momentarily opened and shook his head. "I didn't know, Annabeth. I- Your nemesis? I'm-" he started apologizing, but I cut him off.

"Just help me out with this, okay?" I told him and grasped the nearest towel I found. I started rubbing the wet spots on my dress and tried to ignore the intense scent of tequila. Percy looked at me guiltily as he grabbed another towel and I sighed. "You could have asked. I mean, when I asked about her, it was solely because of that reason. Now, we're both having tequila over our clothes." I said eventually.

He half-smiled apologetically and started cleaning his dark blue shirt. "I'm really sorry. She just talked to me one day and well, I was just glad she did. She didn't treat me like I was the new geek of the school. Now, I get that she just did it to use me and that I'm lucky enough that you're talking to me." he said and I half-smiled back.

"You are and you damn well should be." I agreed. He looked away and I sighed, placing my hand on his forearm. "Hey," I started, "you won't be the new guy forever."

He chuckled and placed his towel down. "I believe you." he responded and placed his other hand on mine. "But what I'm telling you is that I'll always feel like the new guy. I'm a geek. I wear glasses and throw jokes that average people don't get. I'd rather take a girl like out for ice cream than to the hottest night club of Manhattan. I don't drive an expensive convertible. I have a fucking motorbike." he said and I smiled.

"Perce, just because most people can't see who you really are and try to understand you, it doesn't mean that you are not worthy enough of their company. They are the ones that don't worth you. The ones that don't even bother with you. The cover judges." I told him and he looked deep in my eyes.

"Do you really think that?" he asked and I chuckled.

"I'd rather ride with you in your motorbike than wander around with a convertible. I also think that your jokes can be hilarious. And right now, I wish we could be silly together in Central Park, eating a huge bowl of ice cream." I said and he smiled back at me.

He broke our eye contact, by looking away and let out a chuckle. "Do you want to start fresh? Forget the whole night and start over?" he asked me and I grinned.

"I'd love to. As long as you take me for a ride with the motorbike." I bargained and he laughed.

"You're on, Wise Girl." he told me and met my eyes again.

I dropped the towel on the sink and chuckled as he gazed me up and down. "Like what you see, Seaweed Brain?" I asked him and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"I simply think that you look incredibly and stunningly beautiful tonight." he answered honestly and I think I might have actually blushed.

"Well, you look pretty handsome yourself." I returned the favor and he groaned.

"Uh, just take the compliment, Annabeth."

I laughed and took his hand. "I'm kind of bored of this party. Why don't you take me home?" I offered and he smirked.

"This way, my lady." he said and I chuckled.

I was about to open the door, when someone else opened it for me. I barely managed to avoid the opening door that run with a hundred miles per hour, but trust me; I wish I hadn't. Because I wish I hadn't seen what my eyes saw that night. I wish I hadn't seen Nate squeezing that slut's ass as they walked in the bathroom. I wish I hadn't seen his priceless face when he noticed I was in there. But most of all, I wish I hadn't seen her face.

"You little lying bitch."

READ: -Okay, I'm so terribly sorry for the long wait. I was out of town for a couple of weeks and trust me when I say that this chapter did not want to be written. I mean, I changed its plot like a dozen of times, one of which I introduced Piper, but I decided not to do that yet.

-I'd love to hear your guesses about who the chick that Nate is cheating on Annie is. It'd be fun. (::)

-Outfits posted on my profile.

-Anyway, do you have any QUESTIONS? If you do, I'd love to hear them via reviews or PMs.

-Also, thank you all for you feedback and reviews. Means a lot. (::)

~TWDoP23