Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Wow, 24 reviews for last chapter! That's the most for one chapter thus far! Thank you!

Please take notice that the rating is still T and the rating will not go up.

Last Chapter: Percy remembered moments of his and Annabeth's past friendship.


The Tutor

Chapter 7

Percy

I was smiling and leaning my head in my hand as I watched Annabeth complete a couple of sample math problems. But I wasn't really watching her examples. I was just watching… her. Every now and then some of her golden curls would fall from her braid into her face and she'd tuck it behind her ear. Annabeth's stormy eyes were so focused on her task that she didn't even notice me staring at her dreamily. But maybe she did notice. Not a lot of people could really tell what was going on in her head. Sometimes she could look like she's thinking one thing, but is thinking of something else entirely. She was mysterious. And I found that incredibly sexy.

"There Percy. Do you understand now?"

I didn't really hear what she was saying; I just started nodding my head stupidly and grinning at her. Then I realized what she was asking. "Huh?" I snapped out of my trance and she laughed like she used to when we were friends. "Can you do it again? I'm sorry I was a little distracted."

Annabeth smiled as she shook her head and then stood up. I raised my eyebrow when she locked the door to the conference room we were in and closed the blinds on the glass door that are always supposed to be open. She walked back to our table and sat on it… directly in front of me. I looked up at her from my seat and she looked down at me with a seductive smile.

"Um, Annabeth?"

"What can I do to make you pay attention, Percy?" She asked and began unbuttoning her shirt. Alarmed, I shot up and grabbed her wrists before she could unbutton her shirt any more. A deep blush colored my cheeks and Annabeth laughed.

"What do you think you're doing?" I demanded. And I don't know what came over me. The girl of my dreams was about to take off her shirt and there I was, stopping her. I must have gone insane.

"I thought you wanted this, Percy." Annabeth answered. She wiggled her wrists out of my grip and wrapped her arms around my torso. "Isn't it?"

I stared down at her as she laid her head to rest on my chest. I wanted to answer that this is what I wanted. But it doesn't seem right. Annabeth has not been very nice to me since we started tutoring. And now she seems to be willingly offering herself to me? As much as I wanted to, I didn't want Annabeth to regret being with me. She deserved all the pleasure in the world and I wanted to be the one to give it to her, but not if she didn't want me to. I'm willing to give up my own desires for whatever is best for her.

"Annabeth, of course this is what I want." I told her the truth. She glanced up at me and smiled. "But I don't know if we should…"

She kissed me and I forgot the words I was about to say because my mind turned into mush. Annabeth pushed me down onto my chair again and straddled my hips. I don't know what came over her but I can't say that I didn't like it. She wrapped her arms around my neck and met my lips again. Annabeth was an even better kisser than I imagined. She flicked her tongue with mine and my stomach erupted with butterflies.

"Annabeth," I whispered when she began kissing my neck. "I love you, Annabeth, I love you."

She immediately stopped kissing me and stared into my eyes. My heart almost stopped. Shit, did I screw things up for us already?

Annabeth gently stroked my face but she didn't say anything back. But I was okay with that. If she didn't love me but was into me that means there was a chance that she would eventually fall in love with me. And I took what I could get. I would give her time. I didn't want to rush her into saying she loved me because she didn't and I only wanted her to say it if she truly meant it. For now, I was okay with just making out.

I could feel the smile on her lips when we started kissing again and I sighed in relief.

I don't know how, but in a twisted and unlikely chain of events, things escalated quickly.

Then all of a sudden, a thunderous knock on the glass door echoed through the small conference room.


I jolted awake and realized my alarm clock had gone off. (Why the hell do I have an alarm on a Sunday?)

"Fuck!" I whispered because Grover was still asleep. I pounded my fist on the alarm clock, effectively silencing it but I didn't get up. I stared at the ceiling.

What an amazing dream. The corners of my mouth turned upwards in a goofy grin.

But that's all it was. Just a dream.

I took a deep breath. Why had this kinky dream decided to resurface in my life? It's been maybe almost a whole year since I had an erotic dream about Annabeth. Maybe it was because this week had been so different from all the other ones. I had a huge dose of being with Annabeth because of tutoring. Hopefully as I spend more time with Annabeth in real life, I won't have to dream about her.

Next Friday I had my first big test. Whether I passed or failed this test would set the tone and my confidence level for the rest of the semester.

If I failed this test, there was no way I could get my grades up in time and I would be on academic suspension and I couldn't go out for sports.

If I passed this test, I'd get a major ego boost but then I would have to keep my end of the deal and introduce Annabeth, the girl I had just had a dirty dream about, to Luke. That was probably just as bad as being on academic suspension.

But I couldn't fail the test on purpose. Annabeth was too smart for that and would for sure be suspicious. And then she wouldn't want to tutor me anymore and then I wouldn't be able to spend anymore time with her. I know Annabeth hadn't been the nicest person to me since we started tutoring, but there were little moments when it felt like the good old days. And although those moments were rare and short lived, they were worth putting up with studying.

So I guess it's decided. I would do my best to pass the first major test of the semester. Even though I would be forced to introduce Annabeth and Luke, at least I would still get to spend time with her.

I sighed and got up from bed. I took a cold shower and got ready for the day. Maybe I could relax since Annabeth had quiz bowl today. But I still wanted to see her.


After lounging around in my dorm until noon, Grover came back to the dorm and asked me if I wanted to go to the library with him and Juniper. I decided to go since there was nothing to do.

I guess it wasn't one of the best ideas. Grover and Juniper kept quiet and did homework for an hour while I was trying not to fall asleep. Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw Annabeth walk in. I perked up and got up from my seat. Grover and Juniper didn't even notice. Annabeth took out her phone and started texting when I approached her. She wore her blue cardigan open revealing a black V-neck shirt and dark gray yoga pants. Score!

"Hey, Annabeth. I thought you said you have quiz bowl on Sundays?" I asked, a little irritated that she might have lied to me. Then I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I got a text message from Annabeth: Quiz bowl ended early. Do u want to meet me in the library?

"Did you think I was lying?" Annabeth said with a hint of anger in her voice. I felt stupid for jumping to conclusions.

"Sorry." I rubbed the back of my head. "Actually, we finished all of my homework on Friday, remember?"

Her eyes glanced to the upper right in thought. "Oh, yeah." She stuffed her phone into her cardigan pocket. "Okay, bye." Annabeth turned around and started walking away.

"Wait." I grabbed her arm but she yanked it out of my grasp.

"What is it, Percy?"

"Well, since you're free and I'm free and we don't have tutoring, wanna hang out?" I asked as gently as possible.

"Of course not." She responded and tried to walk away again when we heard Silena's voice.

"Oh, my gosh! It's Percy and Annabeth!" She practically yelled. A librarian hushed her and she mumbled an apology. Silena walked closer to us followed by her boyfriend, Beckendorf.

"Hi, Silena and Beckendorf." I didn't sound very happy because I was disappointed with Annabeth's rejection once again. She's been doing that a lot recently and I'd think I'd be used to it by now but I'm not.

"Hey." Annabeth said. Once again, she turned away and began walking away.

"Don't leave, Annabeth! I wanted to talk to you guys!" Silena said, making Annabeth stop and turn back to us. She audibly sighed in agitation but Silena didn't seem to notice.

"So! I've been seeing you two together a lot lately. Any news I should know about?" Silena asked and I immediately knew what she was getting at. She was trying to play matchmaker… again. See, she's the writer for the school newspaper's love advice column. Personally, I think it's total bullshit but I would never tell her that to her face. But then again, Grover wrote in using a pseudonym: Rover Thunderhood (yeah, that's so not obvious, G-man) and Silena's advice got him and Juniper together. So I guess it wasn't all BS. Anyway, Silena thought it was her duty to get two people who were "just perfect" for each other together, even if it was against their will. I thought her current project was Tratie. That's what she calls the pairing of Travis Stoll and Katie Gardner.

"I've just been tutoring him." Annabeth answered like it was no big deal.

"Tutoring, huh?" Silena nodded her head while giving me a look that said she knew a secret. It reminded me of when SpongeBob figured out that Squidward liked Krabby Patties.

"Yeah, I'm pretty close to landing on academic probation so Annabeth is helping me." I tried not to react to Silena's odd look.

"That's awful nice of her, don't you think, Charlie?"

"Of course." He didn't seem like he cared that much. "Baby, are we leaving soon? I wanna beat traffic." Beckendorf said impatiently.

"Yes, yes. Charlie and I are going into the city today. Would you two like to join us?" Silena asked. Her eyes seemed to have gotten bigger. She was begging.

"Oh, um, I have to, um…" Annabeth was put on the spot and couldn't think of an excuse to say no. She sighed. "I'd love to…"

"Wonderful! And what about you, Percy?" Silena turned to me.

I didn't really want to go out today because I'm lazy. I'm so lazy that I get excited over cancelled plans and if I can't reach the T.V. remote, I sit through a show I don't like until my mom comes home and hands me the remote. But then I glanced at Annabeth looking at me expectantly. There was no way I'd pass up an opportunity to hang out with her.

"Sure."

"Great, let's hurry." Beckendorf said and grabbed Silena's hand, leading her out of the door.

"I'll meet you guys in the parking lot." Annabeth said when we exited the library. "I need to get my purse."

"Okay, we'll be close to the parking lot entrance so you don't have to look for us." Beckendorf told her.

"Okay, thanks."

"I'll go with you, Annabeth." I said, about to jog to catch up to her.

"No, thank you." She snapped.

I frowned but followed Beckendorf and Silena. We were waiting for Annabeth when Silena spoke up from the shotgun seat.

"How exciting! It will be just like a double date!"

"Annabeth and I aren't together." I hated to admit that.

"Silena, why did you invite them?" Beckendorf suddenly asked. "You know how awkward it gets when they're together."

"I know but they seem to be friends now." She explained.

"I don't know. I was picking up an I-fucking-hate-Percy-and-wanna-kill-him vibe from Annabeth."

"Uh, I'm right here." I said but they ignored me.

"Oh, Charlie, can't you see they were made for each other? Percy's just too shy and stupid to make a move."

"Hello! Right here! And how come she can't be the one to make a move?" Silena rolled her eyes as she turned to look at me in the back seat.

"Because, sweetie, she hates you."

Just then the car door opened and Annabeth slid in next to me. She freshened up a bit, putting her hair in a neater ponytail and trading her yoga pants for black leggings. As simple as she dressed, she still looked like a million bucks to me. I shoved memories of my dream to the back of my mind.

Silena and Beckendorf talked amongst themselves while Annabeth and I stayed quiet in the backseat. I glanced at Annabeth every now and then. She kept her eyes glued out the window but sometimes I saw her eyes dart towards me.

When we finally got into the city, Silena dragged Beckendorf into a vintage clothing store, leaving me alone with Annabeth. So much for "double date." But at least I get Annabeth for myself, even if she was kinda forced into spending the day with me. Wait… Did Silena… plan this?

I owe her one.

"So…" I said awkwardly. Annabeth crossed her arms.

"I'm going to the Disney Store." She announced and started walking away.

I followed without asking because I knew she would have said no. We got to the Disney Store pretty quickly because it was only a block away from where Beckendorf parked.

Annabeth immediately went to look at the dolls section. She picked up a box set of Brave with the three little brothers.

"Have you seen the movie?" I asked her.

"No, not yet." She looked on the back of the box and saw that the dolls could be changed into little bear cubs. "Wait, why can they change into bears…?" She said slowly. "Dammit, spoilers!" Annabeth roughly put the box back on the shelf.

I laughed. "Haven't you seen the commercials?"

"No, I avoid commercials because they might have spoilers."

We walked upstairs to the stuffed animal collection. Annabeth was browsing The Lion King stuffed animals when I got an idea.

"Hey, Annabeth, watch this!" I took a Mufasa stuffed animal and dangled it at the edge of the shelf by a Scar stuffed animal, mimicking the scene in the movie where Scar is about to murder Mufasa. Annabeth's eyes went wide when she saw what I was doing. Faster than I could react, she snatched Mufasa and carefully set him down on a shelf away from Scar.

"Don't do that!" She smiled widely at me. I held my breath in amazement. I haven't seen her smile like that in such a long time. "Don't mess with my feelings like that!" Annabeth let out a melodious laugh and I joined her.

"My bad." I said and we continued to look and comment on the different Disney memorabilia. It was amazing. We were getting along and she was laughing at all my jokes even if they weren't very good and smiled at me whenever I started to sing along to the Disney songs playing throughout the store.

"You know I heard Octavian got banned from here." I said to her when she picked up a Beauty and the Beast tea set that looked just like Mrs. Potts and Chip.

"Really? Why?"

"Something about him brining a knife in here and started hacking all the stuffing out of everything."

"Why am I not surprised?" Annabeth laughed loudly, catching the attention of a male employee.

"Remember when he tore apart that girl's stuffed dolphin after show and tell?"

"Of course!" She shook her head. "He was the worst! And he seemed to love targeting us especually! Like when he called us stupid because we have dyslexia."

"I could hardly take his bullying." I pause and Annabeth walked to stand in front of me. "But at least I had you to comfort me. We always had each other's backs." I smiled down at her.

"Yeah…" Annabeth stared at me sadly and I lifted my hand to stroke her cheek but before my hand could make contact with her face, she moved towards The Avengers display. While I tried on a pair of Hulk fists and pretended to punch Captain America's shield that Annabeth was holding up, the same employee who looked at Annabeth approached.

"Hi." He said. He wasn't that tall, maybe an inch or two taller than Annabeth and had dark hair.

"Hi." I said back. I was afraid he was going to ask us to leave the store for messing around but he wasn't even looking at me. He was looking at Annabeth. She and I put down our toys.

"Is there anything I can help you guys with?" His question was aimed at both of us but his eyes were still on Annabeth. I'm not really sure he even noticed me.

"No, thank you." Annabeth said politely. The guy smiled at her making her smile back. I looked closer at the guy's face and realized that he looked vaguely familiar but Annabeth called to me. "Come on, Percy. Let's go back downstairs. I want to look at the princess section." She grabbed my arm and tried to lead me away.

"Wait, hold on." I said and she stopped pulling on my arm. I narrowed my eyes in concentration at the guy. "Michael…?"

His smile signaled that I was right. Annabeth gasped.

"Michael Yew?" Annabeth smiled and left my side to hug him. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe it's you! I haven't seen you since middle school! How are you?"

"I'm okay. A little bummed that you guys didn't recognize me right away."

"I'm so sorry!" Annabeth said.

I stepped in front of Annabeth and wrapped my arms around Michael's shoulders but he didn't hug me back like he so enthusiastically did to Annabeth.

"Nice to see you, man!" I said.

"Yeah, good to see you, too." He didn't seem as thrilled to meet me again. I guess he was still mad about that one time on Valentine's Day when I kinda rubbed it in his face that I was holding hands with Annabeth.

"So where are you going to school?" Annabeth asked.

"Eh, just some public school in the city."

"Is it true that Octavian got banned from here?" I asked, holding in a laugh.

He rolled his eyes at the mention of Octavian's name. "Oh gods, yes! And I was the one who had to restrain him until the police arrived." Annabeth lightly put her hand over her mouth while she laughed. "So are you two are together?"

Annabeth and I glanced at each other and I was about to answer no when she interrupted me.

"Yeah, we are." I raised my eyebrow at her but she latched herself onto my arm and cuddled into my shoulder. I could feel my face heat up.

"Since when?" He asked. There seemed to be a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Almost two years, right, baby?" Annabeth said looking up at me. Her eyes sparkled.

"Yup." I played along. "The best years of my life." I'm not really sure if Michael was buying my act because I was blushing like crazy. It should have been a sure sign I was faking.

"That's great." Michael said sincerely.

I felt bad for lying to him but I also admired him. Judging by how he looks at Annabeth, I could tell there is a part of him that still likes her. But she obviously isn't interested in him. And now here he was, watching her show affection towards another guy. I guess I could identify with him. It's just like when Annabeth asked me to introduce her to Luke.

"I should get back to work. It was nice seeing you guys again." He smiled.

"Yeah." Annabeth nodded. "See you around."

"Bye." I said and Annabeth and I walked away. She kept her arm around my waist and I put my arm around her shoulder while we walked downstairs. But as soon as we got to the princess section, she pushed me away. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing." She answered. But I gave her a stern look. "I didn't want him to know that I was single." Annabeth explained and looked at a Jasmine doll.

"Why?" She hasn't seen this guy in years. Why would she care if he knows that she doesn't have a boyfriend?

"He asked me out in eight grade and I said no." I didn't know that. But I guess that's no surprise. That's the year we stopped talking and became alienated from each other.

"How come?"

"I told him I liked someone else." I knew she was talking about Luke even though she didn't mention his name.

"I don't follow."

"Stop interrupting and let me finish then." She shut me up. "I told him I liked someone else and he assumed it was you." Annabeth laughed miserably. "Silly, right?" She looked at me with her eyebrows knitted.

My stomach twisted in a familiar knot. It felt exactly like the day I found out Annabeth liked Luke. But I answered her question anyway. "Yeah. How stupid. You liking me... Impossible. There is no way you'd ever like me." My heart clenched as the words left my mouth.

Annabeth nodded. "You saw how he was looking at me, right? Not to be self-centered or anything, but I was afraid he was going to ask me out again if I said I was single. And I didn't want to tell him no again."

"You've done it once. What's the big deal?"

"You should have seen his face when I told him I liked someone else." And I think I knew the kinda face Micheal might have been making. It was probably close to the face I had on when I found out Annabeth liked Luke and not me.

At least Michael had the guts to be direct with his feelings for Annabeth.

I was and am a coward. I always assumed that Annabeth was mine. So I never told her that I liked her. I was hoping that she already knew it by the way I was acting. And I assumed that she liked me too from the way she was acting.

I should really stop assuming things. I'm usually dead wrong.

"I get it." I finally said to her. Annabeth may be tough but she has feelings, too. She felt guilty for hurting Michael and she didn't want to put him through the same type of sorrow by rejecting his feelings once again.

I thought about how it felt to have Annabeth hold my arm or be so close to me. Maybe if I had told her how I felt before, our little act for Michael could have been truth. There I go assuming things again. But it doesn't matter what I could have done. Annabeth likes Luke. And I don't think I could bear it if she knew how I felt about her and said no to me like she did so many years ago to Michael.

But despite the wrenching feeling I had in my gut, there was a part of me that was happy. Annabeth was talking to me without scowling. I was able to make her laugh like old times and the time we spent in the Disney Store (minus fooling Michael) felt like were we never apart. But it wasn't enough for me. There more I get of Annabeth, the more I wanted. I just can't get enough of her.

"We should get going and see where Beckendorf and Silena are." Annabeth said lowly. While I walked by her side, I had an overwhelming urge to hold her hand. But I knew I couldn't.

We met back up with Silena and Beckendorf near the car when Silena said she wanted to see a movie.

"But we might be late for our reservations, baby." Beckendorf protested.

"Reservations?" I questioned.

"Today's our anniversary." He answered me.

"Anniversary?" Annabeth gasped. "Why didn't you tell me, Silena? I wouldn't have agreed to come if I knew I was imposing."

"Don't be silly, Annabeth. You and Percy looked like you could use a day out." Silena said and wiggled her eyebrows at me when Annabeth wasn't looking.

"Are you sure?" Annabeth hated to trouble people.

"Of course, sweetie! Now let's hurry so we can make it to our 8:00 reservation! I think The Perks of Being a Wallflower is still playing in this theatre!"

Beckendorf smiled and let Silena grab his hand and drag him towards the theatre. Annabeth and I lagged behind. Since we found out it was their anniversary, we wanted to give them space. But Annabeth kind of hurried me. She wanted to get there early so she can get a seat right in the middle. I told her that it would be fine. The movie had been out for almost a month or so. There shouldn't be that many people there.

And I was right. Annabeth got what she declared as the perfect seat (after moving three times, by the way). I sat next to her while Silena and Beckendorf sat more in the back, probably so they could make out. Annabeth and I shared popcorn and when our hands would brush every now and again, we would both flinch and retract our hands.

The movie was great. If my life were to ever be turned into a movie, I'd want Logan Lerman to play me. Maybe if I made Annabeth a mixed tape, everything would be cool between us. I'm not really sure if Annabeth liked the movie, too, because she cried a couple times so I awkwardly put my hand on hers to try to comfort her. It seemed to work.

We arrived at a restaurant whose name I can't pronounce at around 7:40ish which was good for Silena and Beckendorf.

"Reservation for Beckendorf." Beckendorf said to the hostess. "I know the reservation is for two, but is it possible to change it to four?"

"Wait, no!" Annabeth said. "Don't mind Percy and me. You two should enjoy your dinner alone." I was secretly happy about this because that meant I could have dinner alone with Annabeth. It would be the first dinner we shared where one of our moms was not the cook.

Beckendorf and Silena were led away while Annabeth and I waited until we were seated at a booth close to Beckendorf and Silena. We would have been waiting a lot longer but I slipped the hostess a fifty when Annabeth wasn't looking.

Annabeth avoided meeting my eyes when we sat down. I think she was still feeling strange about us acting like a couple or something. It was only for a few minutes, but it seemed to have an impact on her. I know it certainly had an impact on me. It made me realize what could have been if I used my brain for once and didn't act so stupid when it came to her.

"Annabeth?" I asked her after we ordered.

"Hmm?" She was looking at a booklet advertising the different desserts.

"I had a really good time today. It really felt like the good old days."

Annabeth glanced up from the booklet and for the first time since we got to the restaurant, she met my eyes.

"I know." Was that really all she had to say?

"I hope we can hang out again."

"Percy," she said my name and sighed, like she was getting ready to tell me bad news.

"What is it?" I made a move to grab her hand but she moved it out of my reach in her lap.

"This was a one time thing, Percy. I don't plan on it ever happening again."

My mind was screaming at me to question her. Where was this coming from? I knew she had fun hanging out with me. Even when I was watching her from afar, never in the last three years have I seen her smile or laugh like she did with me today. I wanted today to show her that she and I still had something between us, even if that something wasn't romantic. We still had the potential to be friends. I wanted to fight for her, for our friendship, even though to her it was nonexistent.

But I didn't.

"Oh." I averted my eyes from hers. "Okay."

I felt like an idiot for even having hope that Annabeth and I could ever work things out between us. It's clear that she wants nothing to do with me. She didn't have any problem with telling me no. With Michael, she felt bad for hurting his feelings. But she doesn't give a crap about how much she hurts me. She has every right to be angry with me and treat me with hostility. And I deserve it. I treated her badly so I don't get to enjoy her friendship like so many others can. I have never said that I was sorry about ripping up her birthday card to me. I really should, but I'm scared. I'm scared Annabeth won't accept my apology and that solidifies the fact that things can't go back to the way they were between us. I already knew that things won't be the same between us anymore. I didn't want to be reminded about it, especially by Annabeth. But I can't let go of my feelings for her. It's so stupid that I know there is no hope for Annabeth and I but I still want to believe that there is.

We ate in silence when our food came. And when we were done, we waited for Silena and Beckendorf to finish because they probably were engaged in conversation during dinner unlike Annabeth and I.

After defeating Annabeth, Silena and Beckendorf's protests, I paid for our dinners.

It was 10:00pm when we started driving back to school. Annabeth must have been really tired because she didn't seem to care that she fell asleep with her head leaning on my shoulder. I forced myself to stay awake. I wanted to cherish this moment for as long as possible and I wasn't going to waste it sleeping.


Next Chapter: Percy helps Annabeth's chess club relocate and they have a run-in with a certain duo.

I severely tamed down Percy's dream. Sorry if you were expecting a lemon, especially since I was kinda hinting at it last chapter. But I decided against it and left the rating as T, only heavily implying at what happened in his dream. I personally don't think sexuality is that big of a deal to talk about but when it starts to make others feel uncomfortable or unsafe, then it is a problem. So I wanted to respect those of you who do not wish to be exposed to such material. But if you want to read what I originally wrote for Percy's dream, you can tell me and I can PM it to you. But I assure you, the rating will not be changed to M and will remain T.

Anyway, are long chapters bad? Does the length bore people and make them lose interest? I've noticed a lot of short chapter fics are actually quite popular. (But I think it's just because those authors are better writers.) Unfortunately short chapters are not my style anymore but I'm willing to adapt to writing shorter chapters if that's what readers prefer. If I do start writing shorter chapters they'd only be about 1-2 thousand words at most. (This chapter is roughly 5,500 words.)

I hope you enjoyed reading and please review. If it was boring, tell me so I can do better next time. :)