Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Percy Jackson and The Olympians series, or the brilliance that Rick Riordan possesses.

Hey there, beautiful people! I have an update. And it's hella long. Like double my normal update. But I felt everything was necessary, and there was no place to split it up. I hope that's okay! I'm going to go ahead and jump right into thank yous:

Snoopycool01: Thank you so much! I'll try!

Ravenclawdiadem16: I was able to type your username by heart and I don't know if that's weird or not. Once again, thank you for reviewing! Percabeth nicknames are the cutest things on earth. And, yes, Percy can be a bit dim sided, but that's why we love him so. Your reviews always make me smile!

BookNerd101010101: YEEEE! I'm so glad you like it!

Percabeth824: What's good, homie? I'm so glad to see you again! Yeah, I can't totally see Travis doing that. And no, it wasn't Luke, thought be warned he may make an appearance. I'm not sure how, though. I'll have to think about it. Any suggestions? I love seeing your reviews! They're so sweet!

Katherine'TheChameleon'Jackson: You're username is absolutely precious. Thank you for dropping that sweet review! I'm so glad you enjoyed!

Marethyu-in-Tartarus: Yay! You're back! I get so happy when I see your username! As always, thank you so much for your lovely review!

Fratzy: Hey, you're back! That story is crazy. Some people out there are ridiculous, and you're my hero for slapping him. And hold the phone. You had a Percy Jackson look-a-like flirt with you?! What! You lucky duck!

Guest "Awwwwwwww Percabeth nicknames": Guess what? You make ME as happy as cheeseburgers make Percy!

Lexi: Thank you!

Guest "Mmmooooooooorrrreeeeee": Here you go! Thank you!

Story time!

Lunch proved to be an educational experience. Piper and Annabeth shared the story of how they met. They learned that both of the boys were, indeed, on the swim team. Jason told them how spectacular Percy was at the sport, while the latter boy threw a fry at him and told him to shut up. They connected the dots about Piper's dad and questioned her endlessly about her time on movie sets. The boys thought is was cool that Annabeth was an architect major, and the girls were shocked to find out that the boys lived off campus in an apartment with Jason's sister.

When they parted ways, they left with a promise to hang out again soon.

The day after, Annabeth was on her way to the quad to meet up with Piper. They had decided on Saturdays being "Help Piper With Math So She Doesn't Fail and Have to Take That Overrated Torture Ever Again" days. So, Annabeth prepared herself for two hours of pathetic moaning and mind numbing algebraic equations.

She hugged her arms around herself to combat the sharp chill in the air and made her way down the busy sidewalk. She knocked shoulders with people here and there and accidentally tripped over her own feet once. Before she knew it, small arms wrapped Annabeth in a fierce hug from behind and shook her side to side. She shoved them off of her and straightened out her favorite scarf.

"I have a horrible taste in friends." Annabeth commented when Piper came into view.

"I could say the same, nerd." They started walking side by side, weaving through those who passed them.

"Ready to get your study on?" Annabeth faked enthusiasm.

"Absolutely," Piper threw her arms in the air. "I love feeling like an idiot."

Annabeth shook her head. "You're not an idiot, Pipes."

"Tell that to my professor. Oh look!" Annabeth turned towards Piper's outburst, then followed the path her finger was pointing out. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

There in the middle of the of the quad, taking over a picnic table, sat a gaggle of bros.

Of course, Percy stuck out like a sore thumb with his midnight hair. It didn't take long after for her to see Jason seated right next to him. Naturally, they were in the center of all the commotion. She had caught Percy at the tail end of a statement, then watched as the table exploded into thunderous guffaws. A corner of her lip quirked at the sight of the smug expression that slid across his face.

One of the boys was sitting on top of the table, while all the others sat lazily on the benches in a variety of postures. And they were loud. Annabeth could hear them all the way from her spot on the sidewalk. But strangely enough, their overwhelming presence wasn't pretentious. They weren't trying to be the most noticeable, and they didn't seem to be after attention. They were just genuinely having a good time with each other. The rambunctious hands slapping the table and the boisterous laughs didn't make people want to leave. In fact, they seemed welcoming.

Piper must have been sharing the same wave length.

"We should go say hi," she said as she linked her arm through Annabeth's.

Annabeth looked at her indignantly, "What happened to studying?"

Piper frowned at the ground for a moment. Annabeth could practically hear the wheels turning as her friend came up with an excuse not to spend hours of her Saturday going through countless math problems.

Finally, she set determined eyes on Annabeth. "Let me fraternize with the hot blond, and I'll spend an hour with you at that bookstore tomorrow." Annabeth whipped her head toward Piper. No one had ever asked to go to the bookstore with her. Not in San Francisco or New York. In fact, she couldn't recall anyone who went with her willingly. Annabeth bit at her lower lip, and made note of how chapped it was. Her shoulders dropped with a resigned sigh. She obviously couldn't turn down that offer.

"Fine. Let's do this." Piper smiled appreciatively and drug her across the snow blanketed yard. Halfway there, approximately 10 seconds into their strides, Annabeth got a strange feeling. Her head started buzzing and her stomach erupted in flutters. It was like she was nervous, but their was more to it than that. She felt...shy. She had never been shy. When she was a child, she was notorious for sitting herself at random tables filled with random people and striking up conversation. Of course, her mother would drag her away while apologizing, then reprimand the bouncy-haired toddler. But moral of the story, Annabeth was not a reserved person. So why was that uncharacteristic feeling bombarding her right then? More importantly, where did it come from?

That feeling was the sole reason why she stopped Piper in her tracks. She clutched the brunette's arm. "Are you sure about this?"

Piper gave her a strange look, "Um, yeah. Why shouldn't I be?"

I don't know. "Because. I, well, I feel like we're diving head first into an awkward situation." That seemed to be a suitable enough answer. And not a total fib. This could totally turn into an awkward situation.

"Really, Anna?" She turned towards the tables just as a boy dressed in all black shoved a curly headed boy from off the top of the table. She looked back to Annabeth. "They seem harmless. Now, stop tripping. We're just going to say hi."

Annabeth swallowed her worries and tugged her coat closer to her.

Upon reaching the table, nobody noticed them. They were too wrapped up in their weird boy business to pay the outside world any mind. Then Jason, bless his heart, glanced at the two girls. He slammed a hand into Percy's chest making him flinch and glare at the blond.

"Dude, what the hell?" Jason nodded towards the two girls, making percy look their way. Surprise skirted across his features then gave way to a smirk. "Well, hello there ladies." He looked Annabeth in the eye. "Wise Girl," he nodded.

Annabeth felt her neck heat up. She grumbled and tugged at her light gray beanie.

"Seaweed Brain," she mumbled out. His smirk transformed into a bright smile. Someone cleared their throat.

"Hey, Piper," a blushed danced across Jason's features and made the blue of his eyes crystallize even more.

Piper winked at him. And suddenly, Jason was a tomato.

"What are you gals up to?" Percy questioned while leaning further onto his arms.

"Nothing much," Piper untangled her arm from Annabeth's while walking to the space Jason had so frantically made for her. She slid onto the wooden bench with grace.

Annabeth stood stoically while her teeth latched onto her lip. I really need chapstick. For a fleeting moment, she allowed herself to take in her first person who really stood out, was the wiry boy who sat on top of the table. He had this sort of madness that infiltrated his irises. His lips were tilted upwards with a promise of mischief. He looked like the type of guy who would pickpocket you just to prove he could do it, then return your belongings because of an inner moral code. Sitting across from Percy, there was a buff dude. This guy was huge, but weirdly enough, he kinda had a baby face. This resulted in him being somewhat endearing. The guy next to him seemed to be the embodiment of a shadow. Annabeth felt that if she were to blink, he would disappear. His dark hair shielded his eyes, and he was decked out in all black. He fiddled with a large, silver ring. She decided that they were the strangest bunch she had ever seen.

"Annabeth?" A faraway voice brought her back to the present. She turned to see Percy looking at her with eyebrows raised. "You okay?"

There's that damn blush again. Cue Piper to save the day.

"She's probably over-analyzing. It's her favorite thing to do." Thanks, Piper.

Percy simply smiled, "Do you want to come analyze from a seat instead?" He slid closer to Jason making a spot available for her. She tentatively took it. It was quiet for a minute. Everybody was taking each other in. Percy finally stepped in as the noble ice breaker.

"Okay, so I'll take the liberty of introducing everybody. This," he said pointed towards Mr. Buff, "is Frank, And that," he motioned towards shadow guy, "is Nico, my cousin." Frank gave a kind wave while Nico dipped his head in acknowledgement. He looked toward the maniac sitting above them. "And this is-"

"Your next boyfriend." The strange guy cut him off, sticking his hand out for Annabeth to shake.

"Uh," Annabeth trailed off.

"His name is Leo, but he usually goes by stupid," Percy deadpanned. Leo clutched his chest with his neglected hand.

"Hurtful, man." Percy closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Guys, this is Wise Girl." He placed his large hand on Annabeth's head.

"Annabeth," she bit out, taking him by the wrist and throwing his hand off.

"It's all good," Leo's cocky voice grabbed her attention. "I'd rather call you mine anyways."

"Down, Leo." Percy's tone was deep.

"And this is Piper," Jason popped in. Piper fluttered her fingers as a wave.

Trying to pull together any dignity she had left, Annabeth spoke up. "What going on over here?"

"Oh! We're playing truth or dare!" Leo's voice held unsolicited excitement.

There was a beat. Then another. Then Annabeth snorted.

As if she couldn't hold it back, laughter started tearing through her lips. Soon, Piper joined in and they weren't able to contain themselves. The boys looked at the girls questioningly.

"What's funny," Frank asked, sounding like he genuinely missed the joke.

Annabeth placed a hand over mouth and inhaled largely. "You're a bunch of college dudes sitting at a picnic table playing truth or dare, and you want us not to laugh?" Annabeth could see tears pricking Piper's eyes. Out of nowhere, an unfamiliar chuckle joined them. They all turned toward Nico, who was hiding a smile behind the sleeve of his zip up hoodie. Noticing their stare, he shrugged.

"They're right. It's weird." The boys, who were fighting off the redness in their cheeks, scowled at him.

"You're playing too," Leo pouted. Nico just shrugged again, seemingly unbothered. Annabeth had newfound respect for the brooding boy.

"So I guess you guys aren't up for playing?" Frank asked sheepishly. Annabeth sent him a warm smile and he returned it.

"I think I'll just observe."

"Me too," Piper agreed.

"Alright." Percy clapped his hands together, something Annabeth found odd. Or cute. Same. Thing. "Nico, it's your turn to ask." Nico sat up and brushed the fringe from his eyes. He purses his lips in thought, then turned to Leo.

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare all the way baby!" Annabeth was questioning this boy's sanity with every passing second.

"I dare you to flirt with that brunette over there." Nico nodded to his left. There, like Nico said, was a tall brunette. She had an athletic physique with a no-nonsense expression. Everything about her screamed discipline, from her sharp jawline to her erect stance. She was really pretty in the "I'll kick your ass then make someone else clean up the mess" sort of way. Annabeth was worried for Leo.

But Leo on the other hand, wasn't intimidated at all. He wiggled his eyebrows at Nico, then gave the rest of the group his best smolder. "Watch and learn, kiddies." He rolled backwards off the table, and sauntered towards his certain demise.

Piper looked up at Jason and put her hand on his. "I hope you've come to terms with your friend dying."

Jason scrunched up his nose and his smiled brightened. "Meh. He's a resilient little fellow."

The group watched as Leo tried to be sauve. He ran a hand through his hair and leaned on the brick building beside him. Everybody giggled when he fell slightly off balance. Throughout the entire conversation, the girl's face stayed the exactly same. Completely unreadable. It was rather unnerving. At one point Leo's face went slack. He turned away from the brunette and made his way back to the table. The girl had a sinister glint to her stoic face.

Leo crawled on the table, and layed down on his stomach. His face was directly in front of Percy.

"Well, what happened," Percy prompted.

"Hm, her name is Reyna." Percy made a go on motion. "And she thinks I'm a moron."

"Okay." Jason said.

"Naturally." Percy countered.

"What else?" Piper pushed.

Leo's face paled. "She threatened to casturate me."

Laugher exploded across the table. Piper clutched her stomach, and Jason leaned on Percy for support. Even Nico was having a hard time reigning himself in.

"It's not funny." Leo hid his face in his arms.

"Yes, yes it is." Frank weezed out.

The joyous laughter made Annabeth feel weightless. She couldn't remember the last time she laughed this much. It was freeing. Unfortunately, her lips stretched too much and she felt skin split because of how chapped they were. She gasped lightly and held her fingers over the sore spot.

Percy sobered up and turned toward her, concern flooding the sea green of his eyes. "Are you alright?" Everybody continued bantering without noticing their exchange.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. My lips are just chapped."

"Oh." He looked down and stuck a hand in his pocket. He pulled out a bright yellow tube. Carmex. He held it out to her. "Here."

Annabeth sucked air through her teeth. "I'm not putting my mouth on that." Percy rolled his eyes.

"I don't put the tube on my mouth. I put it on my finger then put it on my lips." He unscrewed the cap then took her hand. He held up her finger questioningly. She nodded once. He squeezed a small amount of gel onto her finger tip, then let her go. She rubbed it lightly over her cracked lips and sighed in relief.

She wiped the excess on her jeans then looked at the green eyed boy. "Thank you."

He gave her that goofy grin and she felt light headed. "Sure thing, Wise Girl."

"Well, that was romantic." Leo's voice disrupted their eye contact. Annabeth blushed and looked at her converse.

"Ass." Percy flicked Leo's forehead. Percy turned back towards her, and gave her a scandalizing look.

"Don't worry babe, you're the only girl I share my Carmex with."

She scoffed and slugged his arm. He chuckled and held up his hands. "I'm serious!"

The flutters returned to her belly at full force.

She was in so much trouble.

::

Bam! There it is. I hope it didn't drag on or anything. I'm pretty happy about it. I can totally relate with Annabeth's bookstore woes, and Piper's hatred of math. Thank you for reading, and please drop a review! Stuff you liked. Stuff you didn't. You're favorite PJO character. Or just say hi! I love hearing from you all!

Also, does anybody have a suggestion for a one-shot? I want to write one, but I'm out of ideas at the moment. I'll give you credit when I post it.

P.S. There's your girl, byebyebaby! She'll probably pop up more.

Thank you all so much, and I hope you have an extraordinary week!

Gray:: John 3:16