As some of you may know, and this pertains the story somewhat, DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. This more or less says that banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and cannot be banned in states.

And now, moving on to the story. I want to thank all those who took the time to review, fave, or follow. I know this last chapter got over 200 views, but only some bothered to comment.

Percy Jackson— 11:10 P.M.

"What are you talking about?" he snapped.

"Boyfriend issues," she replied simply.

"Excuse me?" Percy demanded, the incredulity clear in his voice, "What did you just say?"

"Boyfriend issues," she repeated, looking at him like he was crazy. Annabeth pointed at the drunken, now once again unconscious, man on the floor, still hugging Percy's legs.

Percy shook off Leo in frustration, trying to prop him up against the wall for someone to find later. "Look, you're misunderstanding the whole situation. It's not what it seems like."

"Right…"

"You don't believe me?" he asked defensively. "I told you that this man and I…Forget it, he's just an employee who needs to learn his place and time."

"So, you rejected his love?"

"Are you trying to tick me off?" he retorted. "I said I am not romantically involved with that man!"

Annabeth looked at the drunken man once more pointedly, deciding not to push the issue further. Besides, who was she to meddle in the love life of some crazy maniac?

"If you insist…"

"Why do I even bother proving anything to you," he replied in frustration, following her into the elevator that had now opened up. "And I don't think you have any rights to make judgments. Considering the fact that you were about to be proposed to just this afternoon, and now, you're at a hotel with another man, it could raise some eyebrows."

"Why don't you mind your business, and I mind mine. I've seen enough of you today, and frankly, at this point, I don't care about your opinion."

"Ouch," he whistled as the elevators dinged, opening up again. The two stood by the hotel entrance, once more in competition to get the cab first. The fresh, cool air was a nice change from the stuffy atmosphere of the hotel room, not to mention the stench of vomit still on Percy's suit.

Annabeth turned to him, debating whether or not to ask him, "Would it be too much to ask if I could have the cab first?"

Percy snorted, "What would make you think that I'd do that?"

"Because you could be a nice gentleman willing to help a lady," she replied hopefully.

He rolled his eyes in response, "Oh, now I'm a gentleman. No can do. By the looks of you, I would never want to help you."

"Jerk," Annabeth muttered in irritation. "God, I'm going to look awful at Thalia's wedding tomorrow. Thanks to someone I might add."

Percy glared back at her, "How is this my fault?"

"I need to get home soon!" she said, not noticing the queer look that had appeared on his face; it was as if the name had wrung a bell.

"Wait, whose wedding?"

She looked at him in surprise, "Why do you want to know?"

"Don't argue. Just what is the name?"

"My friend, Thalia Grace."

Percy let out another low whistle, too low for Annabeth to hear. Not only was Luke a two-timing bastard, so was his fiancée. He should have known. The two were a match made in heaven. Percy knew he had recognized the name from somewhere before. It was from the wedding card, but he had had no idea that the girl was also friends with the blond over here. 'Great friend' he thought sarcastically.

It looked like Luke had broken up with her, hence her drunken appearance, but she had no idea about the bride to be. More like vice versa. She knew the bride, but had no clue it was her recently made ex-boyfriend. He had a sudden, compelling urge to warn the girl.

"Look," he started. "About this wedding."

Annabeth looked at him sharply, "How does it pertain to you?"

"Just let me finish for once, will you? Just take it as some friendly advice in the future. I know Luke broke up with you."

Annabeth opened her mouth but shut it under Percy's glare.

"As I was saying, don't be disheartened by the break-up. The man's not worth it. Trust me. I've known him for quite some time now. And for the wedding, you were anticipating being proposed to, and tomorrow is a friend's wedding, don't be envious. You'll realize you can do better than Luke. I know this sounds weird now, but it'll get better. You'll understand soon enough."

She looked at him speechlessly. Who was he, of all people, to comfort her? "What?" she asked, the only thing she was able to day.

"Looks like there's a taxi here for me," he flashed her a grin, showing off his perfectly straight teeth as the car pulled up in front of him. He got in, and with a wave, he closed the door behind him. Annabeth stomped her foot in frustration. Today just plain sucked.

In the cab, Percy pulled out his phone to make a phone call. He knew Nico would be up at this time of night, so why not? He felt like Luke's wedding tomorrow was going to get a whole lot more interesting than he had originally anticipated. Of course, that wouldn't be the reason he would tell Nico.

"Hey, Nico, man, listen. Yeah, I know what time it is right now. And no, I am not drunk. Leo was though. Anyway, look, we're going to Luke's wedding tomorrow. No! I am not drunk, you idiot. I am feeling perfectly fine. It's for the sake of the company. Hermes Inc. has invited all of the top level board members from Olympian Architect to his wedding. Yes, now do you get it? We can get on their good side if we get a chance to talk to them. And one more thing," Percy added, "Before I hang up here, make sure to dress presentably. We need to make a good impression."

Percy Jackson—10:00 A.M.

Percy had cleaned up well the next day, his OCD for cleanliness causing him to take a shower multiple times until he was completely certain that the stench had gone. He shuddered as he recollected the moment when Leo had thrown up over his suit.

He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them once more. Looking through his closet, he selected another one of his black formal pants, and donned a cream colored pressed shirt. His suit was pinstriped and his bowtie green. In attempt to tame his hair, he had combed it to the side, gelling it to keep it in place. After all, he had to make a good impression and couldn't afford to look like a hobo.

After dropping by Crate & Barrel to pick up a gift card for newly-weds to be, Percy managed to get to the wedding by 10:30 A.M. where he found Nico waiting for him by the steps. Nico had done a decent job cleaning up, deciding to sport a vest as opposed to a suit.

"Hey man, do you have a gift? I completely forgot about buying one!" he exclaimed as soon as he had spotted Percy.

"Yeah, no problem. I've got it covered. Picked up a gift card on the way here."

"You're a lifesaver."

"I know," Percy replied, no hint of modesty at all at which Nico grumbled.

"C'mon, wedding's going to start in a half hour or so. We should probably take our seats."

"I wanted to see if we could meet with some of the architects on the board first," Percy began before being interrupted by his colleague.

"Look dude, we'll have plenty of time for that later. For now, let's just get in there so we aren't fashionably late or something."

Percy consented to Nico's logic. The ground floor was surprisingly empty when the two men entered. They waited for the elevators to come down when Nico spoke up, "Small crowd, eh? And he was making such a big deal of it."

"They're probably all seated or something," Percy replied. He took a look Nico, noticing something was off in his attire, "Nico, I said dress properly."

"I am dressed properly!" he mumbled angrily.

"Your bowtie is crooked and you buttoned your vest incorrectly."

"I don't know how to tie a bowtie."

"Let me help you with that while you fix your vest buttons. They're all down one," Percy removed the bowtie, and then re-secured it around Nico's neck. He tucked one end in between Nico's neck and the other one, then folded the other end so that it resembled a bow.

Just as he was about to bring the first end of the tie back, the elevator dinged, opening on the main floor. A red haired woman with a young child at her hand stood agape. She immediately closed her child's eyes with her hands, as though the scene was something wildly inappropriate for the child's eyes.

"I'll just take the next elevator then…" she said, getting ready to press the button to close the door.

"No, it's alright. We're all done in here. You can come," Nico said cheerfully.

"You're done?" she asked dubiously. She shuffled in, moving as far away as humanly possible in the congested box. Percy mentally slapped his forehead, realizing what she had been implying. From an outsider's point of view, it could have looked like anything. And knowing woman, they always thought the worst.

He sighed, banging his against the elevator once instead of looking at the red-head's face.

Rachel Dare— 10:40 A.M.

Rachel knew Annabeth would show up late to the wedding considering that she had gotten in late last night. The other girl had called her at 12:30 A.M. to relate the news of the break up. In all honesty, it didn't come that big of a surprise to her. She saw it coming, and so should have Annabeth. But now, it was a done deal. Annabeth had cried constantly throughout the conversation on the phone.

She had comforted the girl, saying that attending the wedding might lighten her mood a bit. If only Rachel had known how wrong she was. She waited outside the entrance of the wedding venue to see if, by any luck, Annabeth would be there on time. The girl was always in a rush everywhere, losing track of time to her work.

After waiting a good fifteen minutes, Rachel had given up and decided to go to wedding chapel area. She was waiting for the elevator door when it opened to reveal two men inside. Both men had dark black, raven colored hair. The one facing her with pitch black eyes was fiddling with something on his chest, the other helping him.

Almost instinctively, Rachel placed her hand over her son, Tommy's, eyes protectively. Really? Those men had no decency. They had the nerve to do it in a public elevator where anyone could get on at any moment?

She cleared her throat getting ready to press the button to close the door, "I'll just take the next elevator then…"

"No, it's alright. We're all done in here. You can come," said the one facing her cheerfully.

"You're done?" she asked dubiously, wondering if she had heard right.

Giving them the benefit of the doubt, she walked in quickly, taking a place as far away from them as possible. She still had Tommy's hands in her own.

The dark eyed one spoke up, "So, how did the meeting with Leo go yesterday?"

"Ah, I don't want to talk about that idiot again," replied the other. "He got drunk last night."

"I heard. He called me in tears last night afterwards. You wrote that he was fired on the mirror."

"After what he had done," he retorted.

"So, hotel room, huh? Couldn't think of something less scandalous?"

"Shut up!"

Rachel covered her son's ears as the men continued their conversation. The other man, whose face she had yet to see, gave her a brief glimpse before he turned to rest his head against the elevator.

Although the glance was brief, Rachel was surprised at how attractive she had found the man. His deep sea green colored eyes had seemed to bore into her own green eyes in that instant. Stop it Rachel! She was a married woman with a child who couldn't afford such thoughts.

Why did all the attractive ones have to be homosexual? The two men got off on the same floor she had. Were they also attending Thalia's wedding? She had never mentioned knowing these men before. And knowing Thalia, she would have talked given how gorgeous and Adonis like the men were.

The shorter one, with the black eyes, gave her a small grin before following behind his rather agitated, angry looking, but much handsomer partner.

Now, to find the wedding hall. She found a group of people gathered in front of a certain room. Their faces were filled with smiles as they pointed and laughed at the photos on the presentation board outside the room.

Out of curiosity to catch a glimpse at the groom, Rachel went to take a closer look. Her hand immediately flew up to her mouth upon seeing the wedding images. The groom was none other than Annabeth's ex-boyfriend, Luke Castellan.

This was the last straw in Rachel's book. Not only could she not forgive Luke for what he had done, but Thalia too? What had Annabeth done to deserve this fate? Rachel knew that she had to do something to stop it immediately.

She asked a nearby man for the directions to the bride's dressing room. As she approached it, she heard giggles coming from inside which stopped almost abruptly when a female voice spoke up.

"What if she comes? What will you do if she crashes the wedding?" the voice demanded. Rachel correctly identified the voice as Thalia's.

"Don't worry about it. I gave it to the Stolls to make sure they don't let her within 10 feet of the entrance. They're on the job."

"You sure?"

"Umhmm."

Rachel was disgusted at the sound which was coming from inside; she assumed it was them kissing. Not able to handle it any more, she broke in to the room, finding Luke carrying Thalia bridle style.

"Rachel?!" they both shouted in unison, Luke dropping Thalia from the position. Thalia gave him a murderous glare before turning back her attention to the interloper.

"Yeah Rachel! What the hell is this?" she demanded. "Are you serious right now? Do you two seriously have no shame? How could you betray Annabeth like this?!"

"Rachel, calm down," Luke began.

"Shut up, you a-hole. I heard enough about you last night, but you, Thalia Grace, I expected better of you. You've been her friend for the last ten years."

Thalia spoke up for the first time, "What's your point? He didn't love her, but I was there for him when he needed me. Annabeth was just a pathetic waste of ti—"

Thalia didn't have a chance to finish her sentence as Rachel promptly slapped the other girl on the cheek, leaving a red mark on the bride-to-be's face.

"You two are the worst kind of people in the world. You don't deserve a friend like Annabeth in your life," Rachel said with some finality. She stormed out of the room, taking out her phone to dial Annabeth immediately.

"Hello?" the voice answered on the other end.

"Annabeth?"

"Yeah."

"Listen, where are you?"

"I'm at the subway. There weren't any cabs nearby, so I decided to catch the subway."

"Stay where you are. Don't come to the wedding. It's not worth it."

"Rachel, how could you say that? It's Thalia's wedding. As in our best friend Thalia."

"Thalia, my foot…" Rachel muttered under her breath so that Annabeth couldn't hear.

"What's that Rach? Sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of the trains, but I'll see you in a bit. Wait for me,"

"No, Annabeth! Don't come…" But it was too late; the blond haired girl had already hung up on the other line.

Rachel turned to her son Tommy, crouching down to his level and brushing back his blond hair, "What's mommy going to do now? What do you suggest we do to keep Aunt Annabeth away, Tom-Tom?"

The five year old hugged his mother, patting her on the back as if to comfort her.

Annabeth Chase—11:10 A.M.

Annabeth knew that Thalia would never forgive her if she was late to her wedding, but there was no stopping the inevitable. Annabeth Chase was officially late for her best friend's wedding. It wasn't her fault that the train stopped at every single stop on the way. She rarely used that form of transportation and wasn't aware of the costs.

She knew she must look like a walking shipwreck after being squished inside with all those passengers. Annabeth quickly rushed to one of the bathrooms near the wedding chapel area to fix her hair, but redoing her makeup would take too much time.

She looked like a disaster, having woken up hung-over this morning. There were still dark circles under her eyes. Annabeth splashed some cold water on her face, hoping that would be enough for the time-being.

Instead of waiting for the elevator, she made her way up the stairs. Annabeth found Rachel waiting for her at the top with her son, Tommy.

"Rachel," she yelled out. "Have they started the wedding procession yet?"

Rachel looked panic-stricken, "No, Annabeth, let's go. I don't want to be here anymore."

"Why are you getting cold feet? It isn't like it's your wedding again."

"Anna, please," she pleaded.

"C'mon," Annabeth dragged Rachel up the stairs with her. By the time the two had arrived, the doors had been closed for the wedding ceremony and vows. There was no one monitoring the doors in sight, so Annabeth took it as a signal to open them.

Rachel tried to stop her, putting her hands on Annabeth's arms, giving one last try, but it was no use. Annabeth pulled the doors open. The bride and groom were already at the altar, their backs to Annabeth and the remaining guests.

At the sound of the doors opening, the surprised couple turned around, their jaw almost hitting the ground in shock upon seeing who it was.

Annabeth's heart almost stopped beating when she saw the groom standing next to who she had thought was her best friend. She uttered two simple words, "Thalia? Luke?"

Another chapter over 3000 words. Wow, I'm getting better. Anyway, to those who read my story, The Green Eyed Marine, I updated another chapter earlier today. So, make sure to check it out.

To the remainder of you, make sure to review. This last chapter got over 300 views, but only about a dozen bothered to review. So make sure to fave and follow also. I don't want to be that guy who doesn't update till they get a certain amount of reviews, so just leave a comment in the box below, be it a flame or a compliment.

~TJ