*Sorry for the late update. School should be a good enough excuse, eh? :/ This chapter's more just of a recap of the party.*

*Chapter 8: The Hangover*

(Percy)

When I woke, my head was pounding. I looked around. The room was familiar . . . and I realized it was mine. I started to get up when movement made me freeze.

How the heck did Annabeth and I end up in my room? In bed? Together?

Please let us be dressed, please let us be dressed, I pleaded. I lifted the covers . . . and sighed in relief. We were both fully dressed, even in our shoes. The worst that probably happened was that we kissed.

She stirred, and then opened her eyes. It took her exactly four seconds to take in her surroundings before sitting up. "Where-" she asked.

"My room. I have no idea how we got here," I told her.

Her eyes widened. "Please tell me we didn't . . ."

"We're fully dressed, so I'm guessing no." I held my head in my hands. "But I have a killer headache."

"Ow," Annabeth groaned. "Thanks for bringing it up. I need aspirin."

"Well come on, we might have some downstairs." We got up from bed, and I got a head rush and had to sit back down for a second. "Ahh." My head felt like it was being pounded on by a hammer.

Annabeth followed me down the stairs. She was silent as we walked, and that made me nervous. What was she thinking about?

As we passed the living room, we stopped. There were bodies spread out everywhere. Silena and Beckendorf were sharing the couch, the Stolls were in nothing but their boxers on the floor, Piper and Jason had the other couch, Katie was curled up into Travis's side, Clarisse, Chris, Hazel and Frank were on the floor, and Leo was spread out over the coffee table, his head hanging off the side.

"How the heck did we all wind up here?" said Annabeth. "And where are Nico and Thalia?"

We checked their rooms. Thalia was snoring soundly in hers. Then we went to Nico's room.

"Oh my . . ." Annabeth covered her mouth with her hand.

Nico was sprawled out on his bed. And he wasn't alone. A girl was lying next to him. It was Melissa, the cashier from the ice cream shop.

I shut the door. Wow, I mouthed. Annabeth nodded her head in agreement.

In the kitchen, we got some aspirin and shared a bottle of Ginger ale.

"Feel better?" I asked her.

"A little," she admitted. "You?"

"Same. I'm never drinking again, though." My head throbbed in agreement.

Annabeth smiled. "Same." There was a pause.

"So . . ." I cleared my throat. Man, this was awkward. I wish I knew exactly what happened last night.

"Percy," she sighed. "Look, since nothing too bad apparently happened between us, can we just forget it? I mean, the last thing I remember is sitting on the couch with some guy."

I racked my brain. "The last thing I remember is the Stolls setting a tree on fire. I think. It's all really hazy and fuzzy."

"Then it's agreed: whatever happened last night is behind us."

"Agreed." But how could I really agree when I don't even know what happened? Does Annabeth remember something that she's not telling me?

"We should make breakfast," she suddenly said. "Wake everyone up."

I just stared at her. "Uh, I can't cook."

"Then you can be my assistant." She then laughed at the look on my face. "Oh, don't look like that. Get the bacon, eggs, and pancake batter out for me."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(Annabeth)

By the time the others had woken up Percy and I were just finishing the sausage and bacon.

They huddled into the kitchen with glassy tired eyes. I saw Melissa standing next to Nico, and Percy and I shared smirks.

"You guys made breakfast?" Thalia asked.

"I made breakfast, Percy helped," I corrected. Percy scoffed.

"Sweet." Nico trudged forward, dragging Melissa by the hand. "Come on, Mel."

"Hey, you got any aspirin?" Connor asked, holding his head.

"And some clothes?" Travis added. "We have no idea what happened to ours."

"On the counter," said Percy. "The aspirin, I mean. You can, uh, borrow some of my clothes."

As the others took the medicine Percy got the plates. We all sat down in the living room with our food and turned on the TV, keeping the volume low since all of us were still hungover. When Travis and Connor returned they were wearing some of Percy's shorts and T-shirts that were a little too small since they were taller than him. But hey, it was better than being practically naked.

"So," said Katie, breaking the silence, "that party wasn't so bad."

"Yeah, it especially got interesting when those two guys had a drinking contest, and one of them threw up all over a poor girl," Nico said.

"When did that happen?" Piper asked, taking a bite of pancake.

"Um . . ." Travis tapped his fork against his lips. "Around three o' clock in the morning, maybe. I think someone got it on video."

Katie suddenly started coughing. "You idiot, that was you and Connor! And the girl was me! I had to change my shirt!"

Travis blinked. "Oh. Crap. Katie, I'm sorry."

"But can you explain why we were practically naked?" said Connor.

Katie sighed and rolled her eyes. "Because you guys bet some dude that you could chug a gallon of beer. If you lost, you had to spend the rest of the party in nothing but your boxers."

"And we lost?" Travis shouted, a little too loud.

"Dude," Percy groaned. "Too loud."

"Sorry," Travis apologized. "Forgot. Dang hangovers suck."

After that we ate in silence for a while. Without really realizing it, I leaned into Percy a little, his shoulder pressed against mine. I don't think he noticed, he was too busy rubbing his temples.

When I told Percy about sitting on the couch with some guy being the last thing I remembered . . . I'd sort of stretched the truth a little bit. I just didn't want Percy's and my friendship to be ruined over some stupid drunk mistake, or to make it awkward between us.

While we were dancing and I pulled him closer . . . I'd kissed him. It was short and barely lasted four seconds . . . but we kissed. I was trying to forget, but it was hard. After that we'd finished off the bottle and my memory turned blank.

"So, does anyone know how we got here?" Jason asked.

"We must've drove," Leo muttered. "Oh geez, drunk driving. What were we thinking?"

"We weren't," Piper reminded him.

"I can answer that one," a voice said. Grover appeared, Juniper following close behind.

Grover smiled at all of our somber faces. "You guys look terrible. This is why Juniper and I skip out on the parties. But anyway, yeah Juniper and I had to make several trips to get you guys back here. The first thing Percy and Annabeth did was go to his room and stayed there all night."

Percy's face was red, and I'm guessing mine was too. Eyes and smirks turned our way. Thalia fist-bumped Nico.

"I wouldn't look so smug," Grover told Nico. "You insisted I pick up Melissa, and you guys disappeared in your room all night, too." This time it was Nico's and Mel's turn to blush.

"Percy woke me up when he called," Grover continued, "drunk and asking me to come take him home. So I called Juniper and we drove all of you back here."

"Yeah, you're welcome," Juniper giggled. The morning sun streaming through the window in a shower of gold made her face glowing and brightened, a fact unmissed by Grover, who stared at her. Percy kicked him.

"Ow!" Grover yelped. "I mean, so yeah. All of you guys just pretty much crashed around five in the morning. It's eleven now, you guys slept for six hours."

"No wonder we feel like crap," Jason muttered.

"I think that's the alcohol," Connor pointed out.

"Hey, can you help me in the kitchen?" Thalia asked me suddenly.

"Wow, you're doing the cleaning, Thal?" Percy teased.

Thalia glared at him. "Only because I'm nice, Kelp Head." She then grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the kitchen. I heard Percy and Nico laughing hysterically at the "nice" comment.

When we got to the kitchen Thalia spun around to face me. Apparently she had no intention of doing the cleaning. "Okay, what happened between you and Percy?"

I blinked, keeping a poker face. "What do you mean?"

"Cut the crap, Annabeth. I saw you two in there. Percy was glancing at you like some adoring puppy."

"He was?" Huh. Guess I didn't notice.

"Wow, and I thought Percy was oblivious," she sighed.

"Nothing happened," I told her. "Or, at least nothing Percy needs to know about. And I really don't want to talk about it."

"Okay, okay." She ran a hand through her spiky hair. "It's just . . . I don't want to see Percy end up getting hurt again."

"I know," I said softly. "I wouldn't do that to him."

Thalia smiled. "You know, Chase, you're not half bad."

"Neither are you, Grace," I joked. Arm in arm, we went back to the living room.