Disclaimer: Rick is the owner of all this and more. He gets the credit for PJO and HOO folks, not me! No matter how much I wished he did.

Author's question: What is your favourite book from either HOO or PJO series? Mine, personally, is House of Hades so far. I loved every sentence of that book (even Jason's!) and could not put it down when I got it. Screw school and learning, I'm reading Percy Jackson and it is first priority. Lately I've been so excited for Blood of Olympus it's crazy- therefore my writing comes out more.

oooOOOooo

"Please, Annabeth," Athena's disappointed voice was the first thing to greet Annabeth as she entered her house that night. "Tell me you did not walk home from the swim meet."

She looked up, eyes dull, feet aching. "Mother-"

Athena wasn't swayed. Hair up in a bun, wearing a red sweater and jeans, she looked as if she had been writing all day. But now she looked angry, disappointed and…. something else. Something, if Annabeth had been looking more closely, she would have seen as caring.

"You told me you would find a ride," her mother stressed. "You said you were going to be with Thalia. Did you lie to me?"

Athena's ignorance of her state made Annabeth feel even worse than she was already. "Mom-"

"These aren't the actions of a responsible young lady, Annabeth. I wish you would plan these things instead of walking to here from town like a hitchhiker."

Annabeth sighed, dejected enough to give up on Athena at the moment. The swim meet had gone worse than she had ever anticipated, she hadn't been able to drown out her thoughts the entire walk home, her feet ached, she was hungry, tired and just flat out miserable. She really wasn't in the mood for her mother to get angry at her again. Wasn't ready to face yet another disappointment. "Yes, mother," she muttered, looking down again.

A new note entered Athena's voice. "Annabeth," she said, quieter than before, "what-"

Annabeth, expecting another round of insults chose to start walking to the stairs leading to her room. "Get mad at me later, mother," she said dejectedly. "I'll come down for supper."

And she left Athena standing there, looking after her daughter worriedly.

oooOOOooo

Annabeth dumped off her school things in her room and went to take a shower. It would freshen her up, she hoped. Besides, she always did her best thinking in the shower.

She got turned the handle to hot and let steam fill the room before slipping out of her clothes, stepping into the white bathtub and pulling the dark blue curtain closed so that she was enclosed by it and lavender coloured walls.

The tears pooled in her eyes before she could stop them and then Annabeth was crying again. She was so sad and hurt and disappointed in herself for letting everyone down again. She hurt everybody, no matter her intentions.

She felt so alone.

Percy's face, so happy and triumphant from his win, filled her mind and the tears just streamed down her face faster. Rachel and everyone else must have told him by now, she was sure. He would hate her. Never want to speak to her again. He would come up to her and tell her he was sick of her being such a bitch all the time and end things between them.

Somehow that hurt more than everything else combined.

And after he did she would try to forget. She would stay with Luke, act like she always had- uncaring about anyone else, ready to leave this godsforsaken place- and move on. She would pretend that Percy was nothing to her and act happier than ever. Nobody would know, everyone would fear her once again, respect her and her status. She would be queen once more, turning a blind eye to everything that was horrible in her life instead of trying to fix it like Percy had made her want to.

But every night she would cry herself to sleep from thoughts of Percy, what she could have had and what could have been. Of what she wanted. She would miss him and it would be a physical ache, her heart would fracture a bit more each time until she was a shell of herself.

She would work hard in school, get a scholarship and go to a city. Not New York, that would remind her too much of him. Maybe somewhere completely random, like San Francisco. She would leave everyone behind and try to forget her life here. Forget who she had become and the things she had done. Forget the people she had hurt, forget the people she had disappointed. She was Annabeth Chase and she would escape.

It would be like a quest, she thought with an almost smile. A quest to finally get out of this place- gods knew she had wanted to for long enough.

And maybe- just maybe, if the Fates were kind- she would meet a guy. They would hit it off and she would forget there had ever been a Percy Jackson.

Or maybe she would see his face the first time they kissed, miss the jittery feeling she got when they touched, like she was a nerve on end. She would miss his humour, how sometimes he could be so stupid but so smart at the same time. The first night she made love to the new man she would wonder what it would have been like with Percy, if he would have been like any other guy or someone special.

She would stay with the mystery man though, and eventually they would get engaged. Annabeth would come back here, hoping to be strong, hoping she would be able to handle it. The plan would be to marry in Rivers. The engaged couple would stay with her parents and she would twirl in dresses, flash the ring, reunite with old people she had called her friends at one time.

Thalia would be her maid of honor, despite the lapses in their conversation when Annabeth had left. They would act just as they always had the first moment they saw each other, friends despite the years and distance. Luke would come and congratulate her, saying he also had a girlfriend. One who changed him, one who had made him the same Luke she had loved. Jason and Piper would still be together, inseparable as they were. Leo would have finally found a girl to appreciate him in all his humorous ways. Katie and Travis would be together, one of them finally gaining the courage to stop skirting around the other and just say 'I love you.'

Annabeth would even make peace with Rachel, wanting no bad karma or energy around her perfect day.

But Percy would be in her thoughts constantly, every day, because Annabeth didn't think she could ever forget him. Despite their relationship- or lack of one- he was a part of her. He had become a part of her fast and unsuspectingly and Annabeth couldn't imagine a day she didn't think of him.

One night, about a week before the wedding, she would see him somewhere. In a bar she had chosen to drink at on a bad night, he would walk in and stop dead in his tracks at the sight of her. They would meet each others eyes for a minute or two, both too shocked to move or speak, until finally he would swallow and she would take a breath and he would walk over, sliding into a seat beside her and ordering his own drink.

They wouldn't speak for a bit, instead covertly taking the others in. She imagines him taller, more muscular, older and more worn. Maybe they would be in their mid-twenties and she would notice, even if no one else could, how the reality of life had changed him. Taxes, colleges, family… relationships. She would see the changes in him as he would in her.

They would start a conversation. A simple hi, a reply back. They would ask about each others lives since graduation, he would crack a joke to ease tension. They would slowly fall back into their pattern. Teasing, arguments, flirting and chemistry that would have been apparent to even a blind man. He would tell her he had gone back to Manhattan, became a marine biologist or something along those lines. He would tell her, watching carefully for a reaction, that he had had several girlfriends but nothing serious, no one he cared enough about to settle down with. He would tell her that he and Rachel had tried things out but hadn't even lasted a month before he broke it off.

He would tell her it had been too awkward since they were friends, that something was missing. But she would know that really, the only thing wrong with Rachel and all those other girls, was that they weren't her.

They would say lots of things, they wouldn't say lots of things. Eventually, after the girlfriend/Rachel conversation Annabeth would show him the ring, tell him she was engaged to a man she had met in college on her way to becoming an architect. He would stare at it, she would see the change in his expression, and the emotions he would feel.

Disappointment, disbelief, anger, hurt, sadness… regret.

She would swallow the revulsion at the sight of the band on her finger. Would smile, lie and tell him yes, she was happy. That the mystery man was good to her and everything she wanted.

But Percy, being the only one who ever could, would see right through her. He would meet her eyes, reach across to hold her hand and say, 'Great. Now tell me the truth.'

Her eyes would tear up and she would look away, a lump appearing in her throat. He was supposed to be an almost, a tutor student. A passing crush at most. Not somebody she fell head over heels for and stole her heart. Not someone she couldn't go a single day not thinking about. Not somebody who broke her heart but still kept the pieces as his and his alone. He was just a boy. A friend who had become the love of her life.

A tear would fall before she regained composure and she would finally push away from the bar, leaving money for her drink and walking out because if she spent one more second in his presence she would either break apart completely or do something she would regret.

But he would follow her and corner her outside the dingy bar. It would be raining and they would be soaked in seconds. She would be distracted by his clothes sticking to his body and his gaze would flick down to observe her own appearance more than once. His eyes would grow darker, his tone lower and he would hesitantly reach out to stroke a stray piece of hair away from her face, brushing it behind her ear. They would both jerk at the sudden electricity their skin contact made them feel and Annabeth would feel her heart start racing.

She would be pressed against the wall and he would step a bit closer, lowering his head ever so slightly. He would groan her name and say in a whispered confession that all through high school he had had a crush on her, ever since he saw her. He had never forgotten her, never gotten over what could have been, what he had wanted. He would confess quietly that he had loved her, that he loved her still.

She would freeze a millisecond before meeting his eyes, hope rising in her even though she tried to push it down. Thoughts of her fiancée would flee and she would forget that this shouldn't happen, wasn't supposed to happen or be this way. She would forget everything except her and Percy.

She would open her mouth, ready to speak, raindrops still sliding down her skin, but he would finally give in and kiss her like he had been wanting to do for years, like she had wanted him to do for years. Hard and desperate and wanting and passionate. Fireworks would go off and Annabeth wouldn't be able to breathe but she would not stop kissing him because it would make her feel alive, and right, and happy for the first time in years.

They wouldn't be able to stop and that night Percy would bring her back to his place because she would remember she was staying with her parents and the mystery man. He would bring her to his rented house- a temporary place, he would explain hurriedly, until he figured out whether he wanted to go back to New York or stay here. She would nod as he closed the door behind them before slamming into him and sliding her lips against his.

They would strip each other down; fumbling their way slowly to his bedroom, that night Annabeth would come alive like she never had before.

Afterwards, in the morning with sun shining through the windows to highlight Percy's face, she would cry as she watched him sleep and slowly get her things on and head home, careful not to wake anyone and change.

She would explain to her fiancée that she had come home late to find him asleep in their bed and, not wanting to wake him, had slept on the couch. After that she would sit him down, ignoring the insistent ringing of her phone, and calmly tell him the wedding was off.

She would check her phone after he went to pack his things, seeing missed calls from Thalia and three unknown numbers that she later found out to be Nico, Percy and Grover. She would wake her parents and tell them everything, saying she just wasn't happy. She would explain that it didn't feel right and something was off.

Her mother would be angry and disappointed, of course, but Annabeth and her father would convince her and eventually she would realize that it was for the best. Her father would convince her everyone would be happier and Annabeth would leave to appear once again at Percy's doorstep.

He wouldn't be home so she would wait, sitting on his front step. He would come back around lunch and stop after getting out of his car, once again too surprise to do anything.

But she would do the right thing this time. She would stand up and smile, nervous but excited, and tell him she had called off the engagement, showing him her bare left finger. She would go to him and hug him, whispering in his ear that she loved him too, that they were meant to be together against all odds.

He would breathe out and hug her back and Annabeth would know that they were going to work, that this was really happening. They would kiss and Annabeth would later tell he parents that she was in love with Percy Jackson, damn everything else to Hades.

Her mother would get over the fact that he was Poseidon's son and a bastard. Thalia would be ecstatic and Luke would get over everything that had happened in high school and learn to like Percy. They would be friends.

Percy's friends would love her, she would show them that she wasn't who she had been those years ago, that she loved him more than anyone else in the world ever could. She would spend the rest of her life devoted to him. Percy would reintroduce her to Grover and they would be friends just like old times.

She would have everything she wanted and more, she would be happier than happy. She would have Percy, which is all that she had ever needed.

"Annabeth," her mother's voice broke her out of her daydream and everything came crashing back as the knocks on her door disappeared. "Dear, dinner is ready and you've been in there long enough. Will you come out now?"

Annabeth stood there, frozen by sadness from the fact that her daydream wasn't real. "I'll be right there," she called out hoarsely before clearing her throat.

It was several seconds before her mother's footsteps signalled her departure from outside the bathroom door.

Annabeth blinked water out of her eyes and reached back to turn off the water. It was growing cold and she hadn't even noticed, too wrapped up in her thoughts.

It had been a silly fantasy, nothing more, she thought with crushing realization as she dressed. Her life wasn't so easy that she could leave it all behind the moment something went wrong. She wouldn't be able to do it and her mother wouldn't stand it. She was a Chase, and that meant facing your problems efficiently and honourably.

Sometimes Annabeth just wished she didn't have to be the one fixing things all the time. She was sick of everything being her fault. She wanted someone to realize how she was feeling and come asking about her, caring enough to bother. She was sick of being strong.

No, she thought. Pity party over. Stop moping, she told herself, and act like you always do- flawless.

Her smile was completely false as she walked down the stairs to the dining room, but apparently looked real enough to fool her parents.

oooOOOooo

"So how was your day dear," Frederick asked, cutting into his chicken cutlet at the table.

Annabeth looked up, opening her mouth to speak before realizing her father was speaking to Athena.

"Not the best," her mother replied with a sigh. "There's just one scene in my book I'm stuck on and can't seem to get right. No matter what I do the words seem unrealistic and the characters seem downright repellent."

Annabeth's dad reached over to squeeze his wife's hand. "You'll get there," he assured her. "You always do and you're a magnificent writer."

"Hmm, yes well." Athena murmured back. "Not so far. Oh, and did I tell you that Annabeth walked home from school today?"

Both sets of eyes flicked to her and Annabeth realized the pretense of conversation had reached it's destination- interrogation of her. Or, rather, casual conversation at the dinner table about her.

"No," Frederick responded, looking down. "Annabeth?" He asked when he looked up from his food. "Care to explain?"

It was said gently but she grew angry. They treated her like such a child, as if she didn't know what was going on. "What? I walked home from school, big deal, lots of people do it."

"Lots of people who actually live in town," her mother replied not looking at her. "Not people who live out here."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "I run there every Sunday. I don't see what the problem is."

Her father frowned. "Annabeth."

"What?" She asked exasperated, playing with her food.

"Don't speak to us as if we're less knowledgeable than you," Athena responded. "We're concerned about you."

"Yeah right," she snorted quietly but both her parents looked at her in shock. She hurried on before they could speak, hoping to ignore the words. "It was nothing, I swear. I just wanted to walk."

"Annabeth," this time her father's voice was gentle and understanding. "We've noticed a change in your behaviour lately… we're growing worried. It seems to have started around the time you started tutoring your newest tutor student."

"We wonder if he's a bad influence on you," her mother supplied.

It was that moment when Annabeth realized her parents didn't know her at all. Since she had started tutoring Percy she had been happier and more carefree and relaxed and all around better, than before. Yet her parents thought he was dragging her down, making her sad and giving her mood swings, the cause for her 'erratic' behaviour. (Really, it was a walk home from school, it wasn't like she had been caught doing drugs or drinking or something.)

"It's not him," she replied cooler than before. "It's called being a teenager, geez."

"Even so," her mother replied, obviously not believing her. "We would like to know who he is, to be able to judge for ourselves whether he's appropriate for you to be around."

Annabeth's mouth hung open. "Oh my gods, you've got to be kidding me. This is a joke, right?"

"Annabeth," her dad cut in, a pleading note in his voice. "We're your parents and we love you. We also worry about you."

She narrowed her eyes. "Well stop," she replied, standing up, chair scraping. "I'm not a little girl anymore, I can take care of myself just fine. Gods know I've been doing it for years."

Her mom had an intake of breath and her father stood up as well. "Young lady-" he started.

But she had already turned away and ran up the stairs.

Just an average day at the Chase house, she thought bitterly.

oooOOOooo

She slammed her bedroom door behind her and collapsed onto her bed, lying on her stomach. Today had been such a crappy day, all she wanted was for it to be over already.

She turned her face, opening her eyes as she did, and they landed on her computer. On a sudden whim she logged in and opened Facebook, checking her message inbox.

She was half filled with dread and half filled with curiosity and hope at the sight of six messages from Percy Jackson.

After a minute of staring at the screen she moved the mouse and opened their conversation.

The first message read: 'you okay?'

The second: 'Annabeth?'

And so on. 'Was it me?'

'am I getting the silent treatment?'

'I'll give u a cookie if u answer me'

'talk to me. please.'

Gods, why was he so damn caring? He was the only one who bothered asking her how she was. He was trying to talk to her, wanting to understand. He thought it was his fault. She felt another lump in her throat and moved to log out before seeing the sign appear- Percy is typing.

Finally the message appeared. 'I see that you're online and read them. I'm not stupid.'

Annabeth didn't do anything. She just waited to see when he would finally go offline, giving up on her.

It happened a few minutes later.

'Fine. Don't tell me. I can see I'm being ignored.' A few seconds later: 'See you later.'

Annabeth resisted the urge to reply, not knowing what she would say, as she saw his name go from her online to offline list. She swallowed, throat dry, and logged out, going once more to lay on her bed.

Eventually she managed to fall asleep, thoughts of Percy never leaving her mind.

oooOOOooo

Daffodils. That was what Annabeth woke up to.

If you want to b technical, she actually woke up to her father, knocking on her bedroom door saying her name.

"Annabeth? Annabeth, honey, open up please."

She didn't reply.

After four minutes or so he sighed so loudly she could hear him from where she lay on her bed. "Alright then. I'll just tell you that a boy was here earlier; he dropped these off for you." There was a rustle at the floor on the other side of the wood and silence for a few seconds, as if he expected her to open the door. He sighed loudly once again and left, leaving whatever he had put at her door.

She sat on her mattress, hugging her knees. The boy, she determined, must be Percy. Unless it was Nico, Frank or Grover dropping off something unpleasant as a practical joke. And if it were Percy….

… she could expect anything really. Rachel must have taken the chance to tell him what she did, and if not him than even Nico or anyone else that had been there. Thalia, Annabeth remembered, hadn't been too happy with her when she had left either.

And what had she done?

Exactly what Rachel had accused, Annabeth thought bitterly, she had run away.

So what could be on the other side of that door?

Unable to resist she got up and walked towards it, opening it a crack. Enough to peek out and see if anybody was there.

The house was deserted. With a quick grab she swiped the objects on the floor and closed the door behind her as she turned.

She looked down as she walked back towards her bed. The flower stems were smooth in her hands and she smiled a small smile.

They were from Percy. They had to be.

The bouquet was a mixture once again. Daffodils made up most of it, along with a couple of gladiolus flowers. Then there were some iris's in a circle around the center. They were beautiful. Several lavenders sprinkled around the sides, an orchid, a red rose, a yellow rose, a tulip and several violets.

Annabeth smiled again, wider as she remembered all of their meanings. A red rose was love and desire- she tried not to read too much into that. Percy may not have realized, he may have just known red roses were the classic flower to give a girl. A yellow rose symbolized love and friendship… Percy obviously just meant friendship, she told herself. Violets- faithfulness, which was reassuring. An orchid, love and beauty. Was he calling her beautiful? Annabeth felt flutters in her stomach at the thought. Gladiolus flowers were strength of character, something she had told them their first tutor session. He must have remembered, she thought. The compliment made her feel more reassured than before; maybe he didn't hate her after all. Lavenders that signified loyalty- a strong characteristic in Percy that Annabeth had noticed. Iris's, which meant faith and promise…. that was interesting. Annabeth wasn't sure what his message with those were. A tulip meant love and passion… another cause for Annabeth to blush.

And finally, making up the rest of the bouquet, daffodils.

Their meaning was forgiveness.

In all, what did it mean?

Well-

A note fell out before she could think it through. With trepidation she picked it up and read it.

I called Thalia and Rachel and they told me what happened at the meet, it read. Care to talk about it over a study date and cookies?

P.S.- I hope you like the flowers. I picked them all out specifically for you.

Annabeth tightened her grip on the plants in her hand and bit her lip.

So many flowers meaning loyalty, faith, forgiveness… he must forgive her. He must realize that she hadn't meant it, that something had been wrong. He must have believed in her.

That had been more than Annabeth had dared to hope for. But Percy was Percy, how could she have ever thought he could just toss her aside?

And then there were the flowers that symbolized love…. promise… passion… it made Annabeth wonder…

Well. Whatever it was she would find out soon. No point in getting her hopes up.

She froze when she realized what she was thinking. Love? Getting her hopes up? What was this? Sure, she had a little crush on Percy- one he may reciprocate!- but that was not love. Annabeth had never loved anybody but her family and Thalia before. Even Luke…. she didn't love him. And she never had or else it wouldn't have gone away; love was eternal. It could not die. That was why it was so rare and precious. No matter what the person did, or what happened to them, you would always love them and care. That's what it was.

Annabeth had never actually been in love before- the idea was unimaginable.

But, the more she thought about it the more she saw herself falling in love with Percy. Gods, if she didn't know any better she would say she already was in love with him.

But no. That was ridiculous.

Wake up, Annabeth, she scolded herself in her head. First you need to get rid of Luke and start a real relationship with Percy if you want things to go any farther. You can't love him, you hardly know him.

But that wasn't true. She knew Percy was loyal to a fault, that he was rebellious. That people thought he wasn't the smartest but didn't see how observant and intelligent he really was. She knew that Percy's mother was the most important person in his life. That he would do anything for his friends. She knew he missed New York, loved it, despite all of its flaws. Annabeth knew that he scratched the back of his neck when he felt awkward or anxious. That he was an amazing swimmer and proud of it, but he would never brag because that wasn't who he was. That he was the nicest, most caring guy. That he made Annabeth feel the best she had in her entire life. She knew he hated school but did the best he could for his mom. That he loved both Paul and Poseidon, but tried his best to get Poseidon to acknowledge him, praise him, despite his absence in Percy's life.

That he was more attractive and sexy than any other guy she had ever known. He was the skater boy type, to be sure… but he made it work.

Annabeth knew that Percy was the only person to know her. He could spot a change in her in a second. She knew that he had gone to all of this trouble, getting flowers and writing a note despite being dyslexic, just to put her at ease. He was willing to forgive her, talk to her and let her explain.

She looked back down at the flowers. He was the perfect guy for her, he really was. She wanted to go up to him and kiss him, tell him that he was hers forever.

That's what Annabeth wanted.

And, she thought with renewed determination and a plan, what Annabeth wants, she will get.

oooOOOooo

Hello lovelies! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter actually, despite the sadness of it. Get ready for some serious Percebeth in the next chapter and some quotes from the series…. specifically Battle of the Labyrinth…. I'll let you figure it out.

What did you think? Leave me a review and let me know!

Love you all!

Percyjacksonfan3