A/N: I'm so super-excited right now! My dad's going to teach me how to play guitar (electric). I've just been kind of practicing the D-Chord. The problem is, I have next to no idea on how to read music. But my sister didn't either when she started taking clarinet. My dad's going to let me use his other electric, it's kind of plain, and I think it might be Fender. Either way, I'm really excited. I constantly daydream about me in a band or something…
On the Seventh Day of Christmas…(Avoid at All Costs)
After the argument they had shared in the car, Percy and Annabeth were giving each other the silent treatment. Annabeth had taken the car, leaving Percy at home with Marco. His head was still buzzing with ideas on what Annabeth wanted him to ask. Not only that, but one of the few and most recent argument they had had was playing over in his head. And being in this apartment wasn't helping, either. He needed somewhere else to think, or someone to talk to.
"Marco? You want to go for a walk, buddy?"
The snow had settled down, allowing him and his dog to walk without being too cold. His boots crunched as he walked through the snow and towards the park he took Marco to occasionally. When they arrived, he opened the gate for his dog, freeing him from his leash so he could run free. Percy squeezed the tennis ball in his hand tightly before tossing it across the park. He sat down at a bench, watching Marco bolt across the snowy park to retrieve the ball. Percy tucked a few lone strands of hair back under his hat. Marco trotted through the snow and over to him, dropping the ball at his feet. Percy picked the ball back up, squeezing the tension out of his hands before tossing it again.
He didn't know what to think about the whole thing. But then again, he couldn't stop thinking about it. He assumed that he was probably just too stupid to know what it was, and that anyone else besides him could figure it out in a flash. Percy threw the ball again, followed by a frustrated grunt. The question was also beginning to make him even more self-conscious about his recent descisions lately. After his grades began to plummet in college, he had quickly decided on taking a class at the aquarium. But to make it worse, he hated the fact that he hated his job. It felt like it was slowly eating away at him. And it almost did in a way. It took so much energy out of him that he never had time to spend any time with Annabeth. Was he not making her happy because he couldn't spend time with her?
That couldn't be it. He never had time to spend with her when he was in college to begin with. Finally, it dawned on him.
"Oh my gods…" But his thoughts were interrupted by a pair of feet walking around him. Annabeth said down beside him, handing him a coffee.
"Hey," She said.
"Hi." He sipped it as he glanced over at Annabeth. She threw the ball for Marco, and he ran off, panting heavily, "How did you find me?"
"You always go here when you need to think." He nodded his head.
"I-I'm sorry."
She shook her head, closing her eyes, "It's fine. I just…I really like you Percy. I love you. I just thought that you wanted to build…something permanent."
Something permanent. He looked down at the coffee in his hands.
"I do, too. But I just don't think I'm ready to marry anyone just yet. I mean, I'm not even out of college yet. And we're…struggling, quite frankly," He took Annabeth's cold hands, "It's like my mom said, you're just going to have to wait." Annabeth gave him a big, but watery smile.
"Okay." He leaned in, kissing her lightly on the nose,
"I love you, Annabeth."
A/N: As I said before, I'm super sorry that the chapters are rapidly dropping in words. I honestly ran out of time on this little project. But I promise I'll make Saturday's chapter (and the last chapter for the story) as best as I can, depending on how much I juggle my time tomorrow.
Peace!
~L-P
