This is the longest chapter. But it's really crappy, I think. Again, it was written in the middle of the night. YAY!


Disclaimer: Yes, I do live in Boston, and I do own Percy Jackson. Because, you know, I'm a magical unicorn.


Manhattan Traffic: ABCDEFGH. H is for Homework, and homework is for girlfriends


PERCY'S POV:

It was the end of the week. I had time to rest. Had time to think. Had time to think about Annabeth… I guess I would if my friends didn't have to come over.

The last time I had seen Annabeth in person was two months ago at the beginning of the new school year. She had to go to her all-girls' boarding school, and I still only attended Goode High.

I was depressed, and it showed when I sat down in the driver's seat of my car, my mortal friends hopping into the passenger seats. A large sigh escaped me.

Eyes were pasted on me. "Percy, you ok?" Shawn, a boy in the back asked.

Shrugging and putting the key in the ignition, I replied. "Yeah. Fine. Great. Never been better. I'm loving life." I rambled. I could have gone on longer, though Christiana, who called shotgun, laughed.

Her brown eyes set on me. "You're not alright, Perce. You can tell us whatever's on your mind," She suggested.

"Percy?" Curtis called from the back, too.

I didn't feel comfortable. Sure, they were my friends for the past two years, but I didn't trust them to tell them what was on my chest. Quite literally, I'd rather choose Clarisse to talk over them. They were nice, though they just didn't know me. They didn't know Annabeth. They didn't know us.

Ignoring the statement, I pulled out of the parking lot and entered the heavy traffic on the roads. I hated Manhattan. I hated large cities. I wanted to move to camp. I wanted to be safe. I wanted to know that Annabeth was alright.

My feelings just got worse ever since Annabeth was even too busy to IM or call. I'd throw in my drachma into a misty haze, just to see her face for ten seconds, and a simple explanation coming out, something like, "Percy, it's not a good time right now. There are mortals. I'll IM you later." Before she whipped her hand through the mist, her face dissipating.

It made me wonder what was up with her. What she was hiding.

The car was silent. I could feel them waiting for me to respond.

I stopped the car at a red light and sat back, wringing the wheel in my hands. I tried to loosen my jaw, but it wouldn't unclench. I wish they were all gone. Why had I agreed to hang out with them in the first place?

Why couldn't they be replaced with Annabeth and Grover and Thalia... Or even the Stolls?

I shrugged. "Just some stuff on my mind…" I explained.

Boy was Christiana pushy. "What's on your mind?" She asked. They all looked expectantly at me, as if I should just blurt out my whole life story.

I kept it simple. "Just some family and friend issues."

They all took it all too seriously, jumping to conclusions. "What did we do?" they shouted, simultaneously.

I scoffed, but immediately tried to turn it into a laugh once it came out. "Believe it or not guys, I have a life out of school. I'm just having some problems with my best friend." I tried for a nonchalant hand gesture, though it was awkward.

Shawn gasped from the back seat. "I thought we were your closest friends… You just never talk about anyone else."

"Well, I don't really talk about her because I don't want to make a deal out of it," I started.

"A girl…" Curtis contemplated.

Staring at him by the rearview mirror, I nodded. "Yes, a girl. I'm not that much of a loser that girls think I'm too weird to hang out with," I tried for a small smiled.

Christiana agreed with me, though. "He's right, guys. I hear what the other girls say about Percy, and he's actually quite popular. All the girls are dying to talk to you sometime." She explained. Then she added, "I don't see why, though. You're not so special." We all laughed.

After a few seconds had passed in awkward silence, Shawn spoke up again. "So, what about this friend?"

I couldn't believe I was telling them all this. I couldn't believe I even got this far. But if I was already here, was there time to go back?

"Well, it's just that she's now going to an all-girls' boarding school, so I barely get to see her, and when I call she's always busy, or I get her at the wrong time, and I haven't seen her in two months, and it's crazy because I don't actually know how I could live without her, and she said that I could take her out every weekend, but she's always got some stupid club meeting… I'm rambling, aren't I?"

No one responded until Christiana sat up. "Wait, she said you could take her out every weekend, as in taking out as in date?" She inquired.

If my face was as hot as it felt, I must have looked like the insides of a watermelon. I shrugged. "Well… I… fine, yes." I gave in.

The three of them all leaned in. "Whoa! Hold up! So, you're dating this girl?" Shawn asked.

I bit my lip. I hadn't meant for them, or anyone in fact, to find out. I had to reply, so I did. "Yes, okay? Yes, I am dating her."

They gasped. "How long have you been together?" Curtis asked.

"One year and two months."

The tension became intense. "You were dating all this time? And didn't even tell us? Why?" Christiana asked. "I think we'd like to know if you had a girlfriend or not!"

Embarrassment took over me. "I'm sorry guys, but Annabeth and I-"

"Ooh, her name's Annie-beth!" Shawn teased.

I shot him daggers. "Hey, it's Annabeth. She doesn't like nicknames. That's just not my Wise Girl."

"But isn't Wise Girl a nickname?" Curtis asked.

Christiana squealed. "He has a nickname for her!"

I facepalmed. "Oh gods."

Curtis sat up. "But you just said she doesn't like nicknames, but you just called her by a nickname!" He said, still baffled by this.

I nodded. "Well, I'm really only aloud to call her different names, and sometimes another one of our friends, Thalia."

Christiana clapped. "That's so cute!"

I tried to pay attention to the road.

Shawn muttered something.

Curtis was still baffled.

Christiana grinned.

I prayed to the gods the conversation was over.

I thanked Aphrodite when silence fell over everyone. The rest of the car ride was long and filled with traffic.

When we finally got to the apartment building, I parked and we entered the lobby, going straight to the elevator.

"Hey, will your mom be home?" Curtis asked for a light-hearted topic.

I nodded. "Yeah. She stays at home, but I don't think Paul will be back for a while. He had an after-school conference." I explained.

We entered the apartment, and I threw my bag by the door, my friends following suit.

My mom called from the kitchen. "Hey guys!" I could smell something baking and I recognized it as cookies. I tried to contain my excitement, though I loved everything about my mom's cookies.

I entered the kitchen, Curtis, Shawn, and Christiana also coming, awkwardly following me around. They were just acquaintances with my mom, and all three of them had been to our apartment a total of four times altogether.

Christiana excused herself to go to the washroom and Curtis brought his bag into the living room, grabbing some homework to start on.

Shawn followed him.

"Hey mom, are you going to use the living room? We wanted to use it to study." I asked.

As mom placed some of the cookie dough onto a tray, she looked at me, eyebrows raised. "Studying? Percy Jackson studying? Maybe it's a good idea to get Annabeth over more often. She's wearing off on you."

I smiled. "Well what can I say when I have an amazing girlfriend." I shrugged.

Mom nodded. "I'm not using the room yet. You guys have it as long as you want."

"Thanks," And I left to join the others who had their spots on the couch and who had found the remote for the TV, switching from different channels.

I took the seat facing to the wall since that seemed to be the only spot left, and we opened our books, reading the text. I had a hard time, though I managed to follow along.

After a few minutes, the door opened. No one called out. I assumed it was Paul. Who else would come home?

My friends looked up as the door closed, but I kept reading. They stared behind me…

What were they looking at? I kept reading aloud, finishing the paragraph from the book we were reading in English class.

When I finished, I waited for someone else to continue, but they all looked distracted.

"What are you guys looki-"

I was stopped short when two arms found their way around my neck and those soft, familiar lips found my ear. "You're getting better at reading," Annabeth whispered.

I closed my eyes as she showered my neck with kisses.

When her hands found my torso, outlining everything with her fingers, I dropped the book.

"Holy shit." I muttered. I got out of the chair and stood, immediately kissing her. It felt right, especially after two months. I was back. The real Percy Jackson was back.

I put my hand behind her neck, bringing her closer to me, my other hand on her waist. Her arms flew around my neck.

When we broke apart, I picked her up and swung her around twice, squeezing her as hard as I could.

"Gods I missed you so much," I kissed her ear.

I put her down, her hands up against my chest. "Seaweed Brain can't handle two months without me?" She laughed.

Shrugging, I frowned. "Well, It's just so hard." I tried to explain.

She hit me. "You used to go full school years without seeing me."

I kissed her. "Well, if you don't kiss me so much during the summer, I wouldn't miss them so much during the school year, therefore I wouldn't mind."

Shaking her head, Annabeth widened her eyes. "That's never going to happen." She kissed me again.

I looked at the bag she threw by the door. "Are you staying overnight?" I asked. Annabeth nodded.

She hugged me once more before turning to my friends. "Um, hi," she stumbled awkwardly.

I took a step forward. "Oh, Annabeth, this is Curtis, Shawn, and Christiana. Guys, this is-"

"Annabeth." They simultaneously interrupted me.

"Yeah." I swallowed the awkward lump in my throat. There was an odd silence before Annabeth grabbed my hand.

"Well, Percy, can we maybe go to your room, or something, to talk a bit… I want to tell you something. In private." She asked.

I nodded. "Yes! Definitely!" I stopped and looked at the others. "I mean, if you guys don't mind… you can continue without me, we won't take too long." I explained.

Christiana's grin told me it was okay, and that she knew more than talking was about to go down, though she was most probably was right. . "Take as long as you want," She told us.

I grabbed Annabeth's bag, and we headed to my room, shutting the door behind us.

. .oOo.

Shawn's POV

I mean, when Percy said he had a girlfriend, I never thought he meant he had a girlfriend. Well, I knew she'd be real, I just never thought she'd be so pretty. Or hot. Or gorgeous. And I definitely did not expect her to shower him with kisses. I just didn't see Percy as a boyfriend type. Well, maybe he was the perfect boyfriend type since he never even looked at a person of the opposite gender. But then how would I know? I've never had a girlfriend.

When Percy and Annabeth left to go to his bedroom to "talk", I couldn't help but hang my mouth open. Curtis looked at me, and I knew what he was thinking: the same thing as me. Christiana mumbled in the background.

"They're personalities are so cute… I mean, I don't even know her and she still seems awesome, you know guys?"

I didn't hear her. Well, I did, I just ignored her.

Mrs. Blofis came in, dishrag on her shoulder. "Hey, where's Percy?" She asked.

Christiana, the only one physically capable of speaking, pointed to the hallway. "He went into his room with with girlfriend… Annabeth, I mean."

Mrs. Blofis nodded. "Oh. I didn't hear her come in. Did she say if she was staying over?"

Secretly, I wished that Annabeth would fall for me, but I'd never do that to Percy. I just wished for someone like her. And I wished that someone like her would stay over at my house.

"Yes." Curtis finally slipped back into reality. I snapped myself out of it, too.

Mrs. Blofis smiled. "Oh. Ok, thanks. You can continue whatever you were doing." She walked out of the room and back into the kitchen.

Curtis spoke up. "Wait… but Percy doesn't have a spare bedroom… where is Annabeth sleeping?" He asked.

I shrugged. "Percy might sleep on the couch, or something." I suggested.

Finally, the two of them came out of the bedroom. Percy rejoined us and sat on the ground, Annabeth taking the chair. She calmly brushed out her hair with her fingers, and then she ran her fingers through Percy's hair, making it look a little more naturally everyday messy, not just-after-make-out-session messy.

Percy picked up his book off the ground, closed it, and set it on the table. "How about we don't do homework? We have all weekend, right?" He said urgently, all of us agreeing.

After we packed our backpacks again, no work or anything school-related in sight, Annabeth tackled Percy with a hug again, though this time less seductive and more playful. I had to admit, if I were a girl, I had been squealing. I'm a sensitive guy, alright? I find romance nice… I just really wanted it to happen to me, too.

Mrs. Blofis walked in, greeting Annabeth right away. "Annabeth! Sweetheart! How are you?" She exclaimed.

Annabeth hugged Percy's mom and let go. "Hey, Sally. I'm great. I was free all weekend, so I decided to come over. And I know it won't be such a hell here as at the dorms." She shuddered, staring off into space.

Percy hugged Annabeth from the back, his head on her shoulder. "You sure it's gonna be better here? Because I can be pretty stupid sometimes. You may just think you're in Tartarus…"

I didn't know what Tartarus was, but by the reaction Annabeth gave Percy, I could tell she didn't like it. "Oh, gods, Percy. Don't even joke about that." She slapped his face off his shoulder. "But on a lighter topic, it's more like a whole school of Aphrodite girls. I swear to the gods that no one there has an IQ over ten." All three of them laughed. I had no clue what anything she had just said meant.

Curtis, Christiana and I all watched awkwardly from the couch.

Mrs. Blofis opened a closet. "Well, Percy, if you want to set up a mattress on the ground now for you to sleep on, we won't have to do it later tonight," She explained, throwing Percy a sheet, and Annabeth a pillow.

They laughed, and they went to Percy's bedroom. We three got up and followed. When we entered, Percy immediately reached his hand under his bed, pulling out a mattress, placing it beside his bed. Annabeth helped him put on the sheet.

"There." Annabeth said, tucking in the last corner and getting up.

Christiana pointed at them. "You're just gonna leave it there?" She asked.

Percy shrugged. "Yeah. Why not?" He asked,

I chimed in. "Well… you're sleeping in the same-"

"Bedroom?" Annabeth laughed. "We've had to explain to to so many people…" She laughed and crossed her arms. "We don't do anything. Ever. It's just like having a sleepover with your best friend." She explained. "Except I guess an all guys' sleepover would be different than what Percy and I do."

Percy coughed and gave a sly smile. "Um… actually it's pretty much the same."

If I was thinking what I think that they were thinking, it was pretty different.

Annabeth perked up. "Guys play video games all night, too?"

This Annabeth girl was just getting better and better by the moment. She was hot, funny, and love video games.

Percy nodded. "Wow… something I know that you don't." He teased.

She rolled her eyes. "Come on. You're a guy. Of course you know… male things better than I do."

He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Whatever. How bout we all go get something to eat?" He turned back to us.

We all agreed.

We went into the kitchen, but Mrs. Blofis shooed us out. "No! Uh-uh! No eating me out of the house today! That's happened too many times before. If you're hungry, go out."

We all put on our shoes and jackets.

Percy led the way down the hall, arms licked with Annabeth. "To my car we go!"

Annabeth sighed. "I hate Manhattan traffic." She pouted.

We all laughed. "Join the club."