Disclaimer: I have that weird I've been working on the railroad song stuck in my head. No I'm not Rick Riordan and I don't own his characters.

Chapter 4

Percy POV

After I drove Annabeth home and parked in my garage, I rushed to my room and powered up my computer. Once it turned on, I clicked on the Google Chrome icon and typed the name of my favorite website, YoungBookwormsUnited, into the search engine. Then I logged onto my account and checked my inbox eagerly for a message from OwlACe. There wasn't any new messages so I slumped back in my chair in disappointment. Right when I was about to log off for the day, the red circle by OwlACe's username turned green, indicating she was online. I immediately sent her an invite to a private chat in which she responded to by immediately joining.

PJTrident: Hey ;)

OwlACe: Not this winking stuff again!

PJTrident: Awww c'mon you know you secretly love it.

OwlACe: It's not a secret if you know that I love it, dumbo.

I sit back in shock at this total outrage. Hey! She just called me dumb! I will not let this stand! And wait, didn't she just confess her love for my winks indirectly? I knew she liked them!

PJTrident: You basically just admitted that you love it! And I'm not dumb, you're dumb!

OwlACe: Is that like, a standard guy response to being called dumb?

PJTrident: Not that I know of, why?

OwlACe: It's nothing. Nevermind.

PJTrident: So how did hanging out with your friend go? Did he remember?

OwlACe: He remembered the general plan to hang out but forgot the time so he was late picking me up.

As soon as I read her words I instantly feel bad all over again for this morning when I left Annabeth waiting. I was over fifteen minutes late. I bang my head on the desk once, I am a terrible best friend.

PJTrident: Yeah actually I was late picking my friend up earlier, I felt so bad.

OwlACe: Don't worry I'm sure he'll forgive you.

PJTrident: Well I really hope SHE does.

OwlACe: Oh. Your best friend is a girl?

Suddenly I start thinking about all the ways in which Annabeth is a girl. Her beautiful sweet smelling long hair (I call them her princess curls), the cute high pitched way she screams when she needs me to kill a spider, the delicate curve of her face, her lips all moist and pink from when she bites them in concentration. Thinking about these things makes me realize just how bad I have it. But I also start to think about why it is that OwlACe cares if my best friend is a girl or not. Is it...is it possible she might like me? No way. She's too smart to ever go for a guy like me, just like Annabeth. But I do think I like her too. Why do I have to have a thing for smart girls who are too good for me?

PJTrident: Well she's not very girly but she's definitely a girl, trust me. Why, is that a problem?

OwlACe: Not at all! You just seem like the type of guy who has lots of dude friends who call each other "homies".

PJTrident: Well I have those too, but none of them are as good friends to me as she is.

OwlACe: Oh, okay.

I can sense she feels bad for some reason. To cheer her up I decide to try and delve deeper into our bond by invoking the sacred title of best online friendsmanship.

PJTrident: But you know, you're a girl and you're a really good friend to me too. How about I call you my best online friend if you do the same with me?

OwlACe: I already do consider you my best online friend.

Her reply is so quick and immediate that I can't help but smile and feel a little smug that I was the one who managed to connect to her best and break down some of her walls.

PJTrident: And I already considered you mine but I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page so I wouldn't embarass myself later.

OwlACe: Don't worry, I'll still leave you plenty of opportunities in which you can embarrass yourself.

PJTrident: Oh gee, how thoughtful of you. I can't wait.

OwlACe: You're welcome. I'm tired and I'm going to sleep. We'll talk more tomorrow.

PJTrident: Yeah I'm getting kinda tired too, I better hit the hay. You know, beat it up, slap it around a little bit?

OwlACe: ...really? -_-

PJTrident: Bad joke?

OwlACe: Yep. Goodnight PJ.

PJTrident: Goodnight Owl.

OwlACe signed off

PJTrident signed off

After I log off and shut the computer down, I lie awake in my bed thinking about Annabeth and OwlACe. I've liked Annabeth for awhile now but she's my best friend and I can't risk screwing things up between us. I can't lose her when I need her like I need the air to breathe. And then there's OwlACe. I like her, but I can't be sure she feels the same way. There's just something about her that draws me to her. For a few minutes I entertain the idea of telling Annabeth about OwlACe and asking for advice. But I can't keep away this niggling thought that Annabeth might have feelings for me too, and if I told her about OwlACe it would ruin my chances. I groan in frustration and reach over to turn off the light. Turning over, I lie belly down and shove my face into the pillow in such a way that it cuts off my air supply. Then I wait to die.