CHAPTER 9

There was a silence after that. Annabeth's fork fell from her fingers, clanging lightly on her unfinished plate.

Percy saw the shock flashed across her face—the shock that was probably evident on his face as well. He had just been telling them about his relationship with Annabeth. How did it come to this?

"Well? Say something you two." Sally said with a warm smile, "Isn't this great?"

Annabeth was the first to speak, "…It's—fantastic. I'm. Happy for you, dad, Sally."

Percy looked to her mother then to the Chancellor sitting next to her. They looked so…happy. And he knew Annabeth saw it too.

It was pure bliss and joy that was shared between them as they held each other's hands. Her mother had told him that she had always meant to meet her childhood buddy again—the love—he must have missed it somehow.

"Yeah, I'm happy for you too." he managed to say.

His mom broke into a wide warm grin. Brightness filled her face like it had never before.

He looked over at Annabeth and saw the intial shock passing over her eyes, leading into an ache— a growing one starting in his own chest very quickly. Her eyes were cast down to her plate.

He let out a quiet, hushed breath.

Crap.

~o00o~

Percy's room wasn't as extravagant as the rest of the house, but that was what she liked about it. Simple and a bit messy—like she imagined it to be.

It was huge, there was no doubt about that.

She stood next to his bed as he sat on the edge. The two of them not touching each other, not daring to give in to a temptation that was now—uncalled for and just plain wrong.

"What are we going to do?" Percy voiced the same question that was burning in both of their heads.

She let out a sighing breath, "—I don't know. I don't know, Percy. Should we tell them about us?"

"...I don't think we should." Percy said. He looked more defeated then she had ever seen him before, "I've never seen my mother that happy ever since my father left us."

She paused, more hesitant.

Something about her father's eyes on her gave her an unease like she had felt many times before. He had changed so drastically after her mother had died, she had let all the times he was acting weird slide. Another marriage especially with someone like Sally would definitely change him back.

It had to.

And as ridiculously hard as it was for her to think it, she would see this marriage through to get her Dad back.

Her precious, loving Dad back from the cold brutal man he was right now.

"Yeah, me too. I mean, my dad. Even though I hate him right now… he...deserves someone like Sally." She finally said.

He nodded slowly, looking at her with such a pained expression, she had to avert her eyes— his green beautiful eyes were iridescent with the same ache that was throbbing in her.

This marriage though, meant— losing Percy. And she just didn't want to face such a decision right now.

Unfortunately, Percy wasn't making things any easier.

He reached out for her hand, holding it—running his thumb lightly over her knuckles, sending tingles over her skin where his touch had been.

In the end though, ten years of brutal strict torture from her father's relentless hand felt much greater than the few amazing months with Percy.

She hated it to her very gut, but knew inside it was the right thing to do.

—for the sake of their parents. For the sake of herself. Both of them.

"No matter what— I love you, Annabeth. More than Anything."

She nodded, biting her lower lip to keep tears from falling. He seemed resolved as well, his mother's happiness undoubtedly a first in his book.

She didn't blame him.

Though her resolutions had been a lot more complicated to get to.

"More than anything." She whispered.

He nodded, smiling that gorgeous smile that had made her heart stop the first time she saw it. Annabeth had known that she would eventually fall for the guy the first time she met him, but she had still been with him in more ways than one.

She gave him a smile of her own then leaned down and kissed him one last time.

"I'll miss you." she said against his lips.

~o00o~

The ache in his chest was greater than he had ever felt it as she kissed him— for the last time, he would think.

Her lips. He tried to memorize everything about kissing Annabeth. In those few moments, but it wasn't enough.

She pulled away, her sweet breath fanning his face. His hands came up around her face, cupping it with gentle care, then coming around her neck. She leaned into his touch. He didn't want this end.

He didn't.

When they would leave the room, she would no longer be his and the thought knocked him painfully every single time he thought it.

She ran her own hand up the back of his neck and through his hair and he relished in the feeling—memorizing every touch and caress.

Soon they had to go back downstairs—

and it was the hardest thing he ever had to do.

~o00o~

The days passed by—very.. slowly. Suddenly there was nothing of value in his life- as dramatic as that sounded. Classes were even more of a bore than it had before and dorm parties were now even more dull. Even cute girls who came up to him, flirting like he was the only guy in the world, were dull and boring.

No one could replace her.

He felt beyond repair. He felt empty.

And that lasting ache in his chest never went away. It didn't help either when he saw Annabeth in the row in front of him every class period for old man gramps.

They acted like friends in front of others, but other than that—he barely ever saw her. It was like everything between them had never happened.

And he hated it.

But he knew his selfishness couldn't get in the way of his mother's happiness.

Percy knew his mother deserved every happiness that was to come from being wed to the Chancellor.

The wedding, which was ten months away.

~o00o~

A month went by and nothing had changed.

Two months went by and still he couldn't get over her.

Then four months went by—and it was the engagement party and Percy was dreading it. He had survived by rarely even talking to Annabeth, but now—he had to act the step brother part.

And he didn't know how he was going to be able to handle it.

Percy wore his jacket blazer over a beige flannel then settled for a tie that he loosened a good amount—he hated tight ties.

But that was the first thing his mother fixed when she saw him, "Seriously, Percy, why does your tie always manage to be so loose." she fussed.

He shrugged then gave his mom a smile, "Happy engagement, mom."

She gave him a warm smile, "Thank you, dear. Cake is soon, so don't eat too much pastries."

Always, his mom.

"I won't. Don't worry, now go be with your fiance." He said with a smile of his own—a smile that was rare on his face nowadays.

Sally smiled at him before leaving him to go find his friends.

He spotted Nico and Grover by the pastries he was told not to eat too much.

"Wow, how are you feeling?" Nico said apologetically, taking a champagne glass from a passing waiter.

"I don't know. I feel fine I guess." He said. I feel horrible.

"Don't worry, Percy. I know you will be able to live past all this and start anew with someone else." Grover said, patting him on the back.

"Yeah, I hope so…"

"Oh, there's Annabeth." Nico said, "And Thalia— Hey, guys, over here." He said, waving them over from across the catered restaurant cathedral of a room.

"Can you believe it?" Thalia called out as they reached hearing distance, "We're now step cousins. Who would have thought we would all become one big happy family."

She said, probably trying to bring up the mood.

He was grateful to her for trying, but it wasn't working.

Annabeth broke into a small smile, but Percy could see that it didn't reach her eyes.

Those grey silvery iridescent eyes that glanced up at him. His chest ached even more.

She looked exactly like the level-headed girl he had seen when he first met her—the girl every guy would fight to get together with.

She looked incredibly amazing in the dress she was wearing. It was dark grey and simple, but it fit her figure absolutely perfectly, accentuating all the damn right places.

"Hey, sis." He said with a smirk—might as well break the ice.

She broke into a soft laugh, something he had been missing for days, "You're not my brother yet."

"Soon." He said with a sad boyish smirk.

~o00o~

Percy was sitting next to Annabeth where they sat right next to their parents at the high table. The Chancellor was making a toast.

"Thank you so much for gathering here today. Today is my engagement party!" Everyone gave a loud appluase at that.

Nico leaned closer to me and whispered "I've never seen the Chancellor so happy. It's almost creepy."

Percy shook his head at his friend's remark then returned his attention to the Chancellor,

"And I am so grateful that all of you are here to support me and my soon to be wife, Sally. It is an honor. And I know, it would be a sin to not include our children."

He turned to them sitting there.

"Thank you two for supporting us wholeheartedly. You mean the world to us."

Percy caught his eye.

Something was unsettling about the Chancellor's smile.

Maybe it was because Percy had never seen the guy smile ever.

Cuz, Nico was right, the Chancellor never looked happier.

A/N:

You guys think percabeth won't happen-Uh, NO Way. It's GOING to happen even if the story doesn't make any sense. Haha but don't worry. It will make sense.

Wait for the next update and be sure to give me those reviews!

:DD