Only Thirty Days
Summary: Thirty days is all I need to change my best friend into my girlfriend, but whoever said that it would be easy? To start this off right, this is 'Day 0,' leaving me with thirty more days to make Annabeth mine. Just remember, things are never that easy.

Thank Yous: ZoeRose24, WisestOwl, sweetpurplecandy, Mitzipitzi, Tajee165, n99chang, FireAngel7, Mookeypoop, ChildOfWisdom, I am Perseus Son of Zeus, flyonfan14, CimFan, riku, NerdBird83, yanksrock615, Guest, Child of Athens, Pandastyle, AAZ (I hope you guys aren't scarred by her writing), XxPerliaFabinaxX, dollyluvsya101, B, UKnowIt, crazybooklover99, Bobz1212, annonomos, Arrow of Artemis, Awesomel, Bobz1212 (2), Namittheking, leprechaunlady, Awesomel (2),
Disclaimer: I don't own PJO…

A/N: Okay, I just finished a ridiculously long one shot, this chapter, and started the next chapter for this story… SO, I had originally just posted this chapter without replying to reviews and hadn't reread it. Gosh, I made so many mistakes when I was typing half asleep. Therefore, I took it down to reread, edit, reply to reviews (anonymous especially at the end of the chapter), do Thanks Yous, AND reformat it.

Anywho, I'm kind of in love with this story again. Honestly, it's a really nice feeling. Blargh, I'm also obsessed with writing which explains a 19000+ word one shot for percabeth about Christmas that I wrote. On the plus side though, I'm somewhat in love with that one shot, and I'm definitely in love with this story again. It's a nice feeling. ;D

So, here we go again, thanks given, replies added, reformatted, reread, edited (thank the gods), and all.
xx

Chapter 11

Day 11.

I slung the bag over my shoulder, jumping off the stage at the end of rehearsal. To say the least, I hated ever agreeing to the stupid play especially now that I had no idea where I stood with Annabeth; it would be easier if I knew for sure that she would be there for me, to help with all the backwards language and words that I just didn't understand. Chiron was annoyed that I kept messing up. The crew was mad that I stepped on the props. And well, I was just tired of everything not going how I wanted. Yeah, some might say that I was throwing a temper tantrum, but I was just mad, frustrated, and annoyed.

"Percy," Chiron called to me, his voice echoing from the middle of the audience. I could have sworn that the entire cast and crew stopped to watch me walk to him, but I ignored it as being my overactive imagination or something.

I pulled at the strap on my shoulder, dreading whatever Chiron had to say to me, "Yeah?" I questioned, dropping the bag at my feet and taking the chair next to him that he was gesturing at with his hand.

He smiled knowingly, his eyes scanning the stage before they came to rest on me, "School is starting up soon, you know." I nodded, knowing well enough that come two days, not tomorrow, but the day after, I would have to go to school again. "That means you're going to have even less time to really focus on the play. The opening night is the 27th of January, you know. You have to get the lines down before then. You can't keep reading from the book."

"I know," I mumbled, running my sneakers against the bottom of the auditorium ground; there were bits of dust lying against it, being pushed into a pile and flattened by my shoe. I would have rather been dust right then and there than have to listen to Chiron's lecturing.

He nodded, watching the crew fix the prop that I somehow destroyed during practice, "If you can't take the responsibility then just say so. We can find someone else, you know." His voice was short, and I turned to see his brown eyes penetrating mine, serious and concerned. I knew Chiron liked me even though I pretty much sucked at all of English except for the Greek units. You see, I had him for, now, four years because the grade that he taught always seemed to change each year or align perfectly with getting the chance to teach me.

I could have dropped it right now, the play that is, and just go on like life was before. But the problem was, I needed the extra credit, badly, and it just didn't seem like it could have been an option to get kicked off the swim team, "Can't. I need the credit to raise my English grade and stay swim captain."

Chiron smiled knowingly, "Percy, when has your grade ever truly been a problem in my class?" His voice sounded like he was hinting at something, telling me that my grade would somehow miraculously rise within the next month before report cards came out. I shrugged, and he merely continued, "We need someone dedicated to the part, and if you're only in for it for the grade, then I can just scrap together some other work for you to do, and you can be on your way. Think about it," he clasped my shoulder before standing up and limping towards the stage.

I leaned my back against the top of the seat I was in, slinking down so my legs stretched out and went under the next seat. I closed my eyes; there was no way I could possibly do this without having Annabeth help me, and it didn't seem like she would be there anytime soon to help me. I missed her, truth be told, and I would even apologize to her for the argument we got in if it meant getting to talk to her again; I didn't know if she actually missed me. For some reason, I really doubted it. I figured she'd maybe talk to me after crying into my shoulder on the doorstep of her dad's new apartment, but she merely stood up and walked inside after she had stopped crying. It was like I wasn't even there; she didn't even say thanks. Maybe she didn't even know it was me.

"Percy," a familiar voice whispered, and I desperately wished it was Annabeth even though I knew for a fact that it couldn't have been. Slowly opening my eyes, I hoped to see the grey eyes and blonde curls that I had come to miss so much in the span of twenty-four hours. They were green and red. "Um, sorry, are you okay?" Rachel continued onward, awkwardly fidgeting with a paintbrush that she held in her hand.

"Yeah," I stated simply, turning my head away from her and watching the people meander around the stage, fixing props. Calypso was still up there going over some lines with Chiron, and the second I saw her, I felt bad for being the one to ruin her big show.

I heard Rachel sigh, and glancing towards her, I saw her look out towards the stage where I had been looking before. I slid down a seat, letting her sit down that way she didn't have to stand anymore. "How do you feel about Calypso?" Rachel asked abruptly before sitting down in the seat next to me. I turned my head towards her and raised an eyebrow, "Percy, I can't read eyebrows." She chuckled lightly, but I could tell that she was being serious.

I opened my mouth to answer then closed it again, looking back out towards the stage where Calypso stood. She was definitely pretty: her hair fell in ringlets down her back, the brown eyes seemed to, well, sparkle, and her skin always tan. She could almost give Annabeth a run for her money, almost, and Calypso as well as everyone else in the school knew that, except for maybe Annabeth. I frowned, "What do you mean?"

"You used to date her," Rachel continued, shifting in her seat uncomfortably. I said nothing, and a silence filled the air in which I spent watching Calypso move about the stage as if she were born to do it; sometimes, I wished that it came that easy to me just as everything seemed to come easy to Annabeth and acting to Calypso. Then, I wondered why I would want to be good at something that I would never truly make use of such as acting. It would just be a wasted talent. "You guys used to date," Rachel broke the silence and interrupted my thoughts.

I shrugged, "I know." Obviously, I just didn't get what Rachel was getting at; this would be when Annabeth would say something about how I was ignorant or clueless and then go on to explain why it truly isn't 'blissful.' Annabeth…

"You're going to have to kiss for the play you know," Rachel mentioned timidly, and I nodded, breaking my eyes away from the stage to her. Just because I was clueless and didn't understand Willy Shakespeare didn't mean I lived under a rock. Everyone knew that Romeo and Juliet kissed at least once in the play. "Sometimes…people realize, you know, they realize that they might have feelings…for the other person…even though they're acting. And—and sometimes—"

"What are you trying to say, Rachel?" I cut in again, just wanting to know exactly what she meant and cut out all the cutting around the bush. It would have been a lot easier if girls just told you what they meant and wanted in the first place instead of thinking that you should figure it out. Then, they would just get all mad that you couldn't figure it out and huff and puff until you got into an argument about something else that was stupid and then they told you what they were really mad at; girls made absolutely no sense.

She frowned, slightly, shaking her head and muttering something under her breath before addressing me, "Percy, what if you decide that you have feelings for Calypso after you kiss her?"

I rose my eyebrows, surprised at Rachel's question, "Um, well, I don't think that's going to happen…" I trailed off, not certain as to why Rachel even brought that up as a possibility. Dating Calypso in the first place was a mistake, and I definitely didn't plan to make it again, seeing how I didn't exactly like her that way in the first place.

"Then why did you invite her over to your place to rehearse some lines?" She prodded me, continuing with asking me questions about Calypso which, might I add, I had no where they were even coming from; they were completely out of the blue if you asked me.

I shook my head, "Calypso invited me to rehearse the lines with her, not the other way around. That was the day she decided that I had offered to give her a ride even though I never remembered even doing that." I had no idea where Rachel was getting her facts from, but obviously she needed to employ a fact checker or something since they were pretty far from the truth. Okay, they weren't that far, but they were far enough.

She nodded slightly, seeming to be zoning out before she said, "You know, you have a better chance with Calypso than with Annabeth." Her voice wasn't loud, and I almost could have sworn that I was imagining her saying it if I didn't see her lips move when I heard the voice.

"What—wait, what are you even talking about Rachel?" I sat up straight, now paying full attention to what Rachel was saying. One might say that it was because Annabeth's name was mentioned, and another might say that it was because she was making absolutely no sense. Maybe she had a fever, "Are you sure you're okay? Are you sick or something?"

"No, I'm fine, Percy," she swatted my hand away when I brought it up towards her forehead. "Look, I know you like Annabeth, but you see, the thing is—"

"Hey," I heard a familiar voice behind me say, and I turned to see Annabeth standing near her brother, Malcolm, with Luke behind her, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

I turned back to Rachel, realizing that she had probably finished whatever thought she had been saying to me, "Look, Rachel, you can finish that thought later, right?" She opened her mouth as if to object but then merely nodded, moving out of the aisle to allow me to get out. Grabbing my backpack, I started walking backwards towards Annabeth, saying to Rachel, "Later, alright?" I sent her a thumbs-up and turned around before she could even answer.

Annabeth looked the same, and I guess I expected her to look different. But as I neared closer, I noticed that her face looked tired even though her eyes were sparkling as she talked to Malcolm. She still hadn't noticed me or maybe she had and was acting like I wasn't actually there, "Hey, Malcolm." I clasped his shoulder, just now realizing how odd it was that he was here. "What are you doing here?" I avoided looking at Annabeth, focusing on Malcolm whose grey eyes reminded me distinctly of Annabeth.

He grinned, "Not a fan of Shakespeare, are we?" And, I could have sworn that I heard Annabeth lightly chuckle. But when I glanced at her, she was looking downward at her shoes. Maybe it was wishful thinking, thinking that she was paying attention to me, but I focused my attention back to Malcolm. "I'll take that as a no. Chiron called me to help out with the backdrop and the balcony and all of that stuff. He said he called in Annabeth," he jerked his thumb in her direction, "a couple days ago, but she declined his offer. I'm still trying to figure that one out since Annabeth always jumps at any opportunity to do some form of architecture."

She smiled slightly, mumbling, "I had my reasons, Malcolm," but she only looked at Malcolm and not me.

"Care to share them, sis?" He teased her lightly, and I wished that it were me bugging Annabeth instead of Malcolm.

"No," she shook her head, glaring at Malcolm and sending what I thought to be a silent signal to stop. I missed when it was me who she glared at… Okay, maybe I didn't exactly miss the glares, but you know what I meant.

"Come on," he prodded her side, making Annabeth notably annoyed with him.

Knowing that this wouldn't help my chances of talking to Annabeth, having her annoyed that is, I butted in, "She probably had good reasons, and she doesn't have to share them." For the first time, Annabeth glanced towards me, a confused expression in her soft, grey eyes before glancing away from me yet again. I sighed, running an annoyed hand through my hair, "How long are you going to be here, Malcolm?" I asked, actually pretty curious as to how long he would be sticking around; it would increase the chances that I got to see Annabeth more often.

He shrugged, pulling out his phone and looking through the calendar, "Not too long. I have to go back to the University since my break ends after this week. I was hoping that Annabeth would take over for me afterwards, but she doesn't seem too gong-ho about that one. The main problem is I'll basically only have the blueprints done, if I'm lucky, to give to Chiron before I go back. After that, no one will be there to make sure that the measurements are correct, the angles aren't off, and the right materials are used. It'd be a lot easier if Annabeth would step up and do it, but I don't know what it is…" He said the last part in a whisper, only loud enough for me to hear.

I scratched the back of neck, shifting me eyes to Annabeth who was now talking a couple of feet away with Luke, "We got into an argument a couple of days ago…" I paused, watching the expressions that tumbled over her face before focusing back on Malcolm. "That's probably why she doesn't want to do it."

He raised his eyebrows slightly, looking at me quizzically, "You guys always get into arguments. Something different this time?"

I nodded, opening my mouth to say something, but someone got there before me, "Hey Percy." I felt a weight on my shoulder and looked down to see painting nails along with the long, slender fingers.

"Hi Calypso," I felt the urge to sigh but decided that it wouldn't be worth getting asked why I was sighing and for what specific reason I did it. She rested her chin on my shoulder and of course that was the time Annabeth decided to glance over at me. Her eyes were focused on my shoulder, and I shrugged my shoulder, causing Calypso to lift her head. Of course, that wasn't before Luke shot me a look, and Annabeth had already turned around; this time, I didn't hold back the sigh. "What was that for?" I turned around, facing Calypso who took a step or two back. Surprise showed clearly on her face.

"I-," she began pausing, looking over my shoulder for a second and focusing on me again, "I was just walking over to talk to…" Her brown eyes met my green, and I knew that she really didn't mean any harm in it. I felt bad that I took out my frustration on her even though she didn't really do anything wrong.

I shook my head, running a hand through my hair, "Sorry about that, Calypso. I just have a lot on my mind." And, it was true. A lot of things were going through it at that moment: Annabeth, Calypso, the play, quitting, and whatever Rachel had been trying to tell me earlier about Calypso; I still wasn't exactly sure as to what it could be.

She nodded, timidly, directing her gaze over my shoulder once more before looking back at me, "Chiron told me that he gave you the option to quit. I was just coming over here to hear what you were thinking." Her voice sounded dejected, much like the time when I broke up with her except this time it seemed to lack understanding. Before, it was as if she understood that we couldn't have lasted together, but this time, it was full of misunderstanding and uncertainty.

I frowned slightly, knowing that I would end up disappointing someone no matter what I chose, "I'm still thinking about it, and quitting makes it sound harsher than it would be. Chiron said that there was someone who could fill the spot anyways and that I would get to do something else for extra credit. That would mean everything would work out well for the both of us…" I trailed off, noticing how Calypso's eyes kept flitting to over my shoulder and then back at me.

"Since when were you a quitter," and I could hear the hint of joking underneath the words, but that was way beneath the noticeable stab that only she knew how to make. I turned to meet her stormy grey eyes as Annabeth regarded me, "It's still quitting even if someone fills your spot." She repeated the idea again, this time a tad bit slower as though I might not have understood the first time.

"I got it the first time," I replied, not sure why her words were bothering me so much. Maybe that was what Annabeth wanted—to anger me. I wasn't sure why that might be; however, I couldn't figure out any other reason why she would attempt to bug me about this.

She raised her eyebrows quickly, "Then why do you have to think about it?" Her voice was icy, and none of this made any sense to me for a second. "Plus, you wouldn't want to leave Calypso, now would you?" And then, it finally made sense to me. Annabeth must have thought that something was going on between me and Calypso… Or well, if she was thinking something else, then I was utterly confused.

I paused, glancing towards Luke and Malcolm who took the sign to walk away from us. Sadly, Calypso decided to still stick around, but I just shrugged it off, "You know well enough that I'm not good at Shakespeare." I muttered it under my breath, taking a step closer to her, hoping that she wouldn't back away.

She stood her ground, "Maybe if you really gave it a try then you wouldn't be so bad at it." Her voice wasn't as icy, but her retort came quickly and snappily. It reminded me of when Annabeth and I used to argue when we first met; it was simpler then, before feelings developed and, well, stuff changed. It was just easier back then.

"I could say the same to you," I stated simply, watching as surprise and confusion covered her features before they went back to stoic. I continued before she could say her next comeback, "Since when did you give up the chance at doing something that involved architecture?"

She shook her head, the curls falling back into their normal place once she stopped, "Since when did you keep things from your so-called best friend like the fact that you had a girlfriend?" Was this was it was really about? She thought I was keeping things from her? I wondered as she directed a finger towards Calypso. I glanced towards Calypso and nodded towards the stage, hoping that she would take the signal as meaning that she should leave; I was lucky because she did but not before rubbing my shoulder much to Annabeth's obvious annoyance. I knew she was only trying to comfort me, but Calypso definitely didn't pick the right time.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair again, "I don't have a girlfriend, Annabeth. Calypso and I are just friends." I probably sounded tired, and honestly, I was. I was tired of having arguments now with Annabeth over things that just, truly, weren't worth it. I didn't get why she was mad, but most of all, I didn't get why I had gotten mad. I simply didn't want to get mad.

She paused for a second, examining me with her grey eyes before saying a very un-Annabeth, "Oh..." I smiled lightly at the response and could have sworn that the corner of her lips went up slightly, "So, are you going to quit?"

I shrugged, and she nodded her head, as if considering the options she had, "Are you going to do the architecture-y stuff for the play?" I noticed her expression turn sour, so I threw in, honestly, "They really need you to help them, Annabeth. There's no one better cut out for it than you."

"And, what about you?" She barely said the words, but from what I could hear, they were dipped in sadness and sprinkled with disappointment. I didn't realize that I had said 'they' until her response, and I truly considered it. Maybe the problem was that she knew they needed her help; that was obvious. Annabeth may be modest, but she knew she was good when she was good. Maybe the problem was that she didn't know if I truly needed or wanted her help. Maybe that was it. But more likely, I was probably overthinking it, something that I almost never do. Or maybe, I was under-thinking it. Yeah, that was more likely. And, what about you? I was definitely under-thinking whatever was happening. "I'll consider it," her voice was stiff, and then I wasn't certain if she had said the first four words at all anymore. I nodded, watching the conflict pass over her face. She sighed, tugging on the end on one of her curls, "Luke and I were going to get hot chocolate." Her face contorted into a somewhat painful expression before she uttered, "Do you want to join?"

I tried to bite back the smile, but I had a feeling that it wasn't working out too well. "Yeah, sure." I paused, watching her once worried expression turn relaxed and knew there was only one thing I needed to add, "As long as it's blue." And for the first time since our big argument, she smiled: no, not one of those half smiles or anything like that.

She really smiled.

…

"Percy," Luke paused, glancing at me as we sat inside the ice cream shop, "why is your whipped cream blue?"

I shrugged, stirring the whipped cream into the rest of the hot chocolate. "It's a long story, but to make it short, it was kind of proving someone wrong about there not being blue food. So, now I eat blue food. Makes everything better." Annabeth chuckled lightly, avoiding my gaze.

Luke nodded, tapping the side of his coffee cup. "I guess you're not the poster boy of the perfect life." Perfect life? Yeah, I was definitely pretty far from that one.

"What made you think that?" I scoffed, deciding whether or not I wanted to risk burning the edge of my tongue on the hot chocolate that was definitely going to be too hot.

Luke shrugged, changing the rhythm that he tapped on the cup. "Percy, half the girls in the grade want you, your best friend's Annabeth, and for some reason, all the teachers seem to love you. Plus, you have Mr. Blofis for a dad, and you have to have a good family life. There you go. Poster boy for the perfect life." Luke said it as though there could be no other possible way for things to go, as if it were obvious that I was perfect.

Yeah, me perfect? Not in a million years. "You don't know a thing about me, Luke," I said, shaking my head in annoyance. Maybe I didn't wallow in all my problems, but it didn't mean my life was exceptionally perfect like he made it out to be. Plus, Annabeth and I weren't even on good footing; he knew that one himself.

"I know enough," Luke stated, downing the rest of his hot chocolate as though there wasn't a chance that it might burn his throat. "You don't know what having a hard life is like, Percy."

"Guys, let's not get into it," Annabeth interrupted, turning the cup of hot chocolate in her hands uncomfortably. "No one has the perfect life, and neither one of you really knows what's going in the other's life." She rolled her eyes, shaking her head in disbelief, "I can't believe the two of you were really going to get into it over whether or not Percy has the perfect life, which, Luke, he doesn't."

"Aren't you the voice of reason," Luke teased, putting his arm around her shoulder and pulling her into his side. If it weren't for the fact that Annabeth didn't seem to at all enjoy it, I probably would have felt somewhat jealous… or, well, I at least would have disliked it.

"Shut up," Annabeth said, pushing Luke away from her and coming to walk with in the middle again, equal distance between Luke, Annabeth, and myself. She glanced towards me quickly, looking away the second she met my eye.

I felt pretty awkward, truth be told. It was more than obvious that Luke didn't want me there, especially the way that he attempted to get me pissed off and probably would have had Annabeth not stepped in and cooled the situation down. Plus, if I liked Annabeth, I wouldn't want Luke being invited in some. Okay, so I like Annabeth and don't want Luke around even though I didn't exactly invite Annabeth to go and get hot chocolate, Luke did. So, I guess I can't rea—

"Oh, sorry!" A lady exclaimed while continuing away from me after she had bumped into me, sending me into Annabeth.

I was only thankful for the fact that my entire hot chocolate wasn't spilled onto me. "It's okay," I muttered even though she was over twenty feet away. Obviously, she was really worried about my possible health. Yeah, that's what I get for being on the far left when there are people walking in both directions.

Feeling something warm brush against my hand, I glanced down, finally realizing just how close Annabeth and I were. She met my gaze, this time not breaking it, and gave me a small smile, squeezing my hand and letting it go as well as breaking her gaze from mine. I missed being this close to her, and I didn't want to move away. So, I didn't.

"Hey, Percy," Luke called my attention, tossing something towards me. "Do you watch the NHL?" I shook my head, lightly bumping my arm against Annabeth's as we continued walking to… Well, I really had no idea where we were going. I just sort of kept walking with them. "You're missing out then. Well, I guess not really since they cancelled the season. It sucks." I glanced down to see the newspaper he tossed to me, a headline talking about the NHL on it.

I nodded, sort of following what he was saying but really paying attention to the way that Annabeth's hand kept bumping against mine. "Must suck," I said, noticing that Luke had stopped talking and was probably waiting for an answer or a reaction or something from me.

He gave me a weird look before continuing, "Yeah, it really sucks. I mean, the players couldn't just give up a little money and come to an agreement with the owners?" Tossing the newspaper back towards him, I simply nodded, not really sure what else to do seeing how hockey wasn't my sport.

"It's not that simple," Annabeth stated, shaking her head lightly. "Why should the players have to give up the money that they fought to gain back to the owners who definitely aren't in need of the money. The owners aren't the reason that people fill stadiums to watch the sport. It's the players. If you ask me, it makes perfect sense that the players didn't just give in to the owners." Yeah, just like everything else Annabeth said, it made sense to me. Besides architecture, everything she said made sense to me, that is.

"Exactly why I didn't ask you," Luke joked, turning his attention to me. "Whose side are you on, Perce, mine or Annabeth's? Think of it this way. The players lost their chance to play a sport that they're supposed to love over a couple of dollars." I guess that's true, I thought, not exactly certain as to why he wanted to know what I thought of it; maybe it was Luke just being…nice.

"Millions," Annabeth corrected, rolling her eyes at Luke's attempt to sway me to his side, "and you really think Percy can't tell that you're attempting to make him agree with you? It's really obvious." Oh yeah, sure, definitely.

I chuckled, knowing that Annabeth had no plans in letting Luke simply manipulate me into agreeing. "Well, I gotta say that I agree with Annabeth on this one…" I trailed off, not entirely sure as to why what I thought really made a difference. "Not that it truly matters," I added in uncertainly. I mean, seriously, I don't even watch hockey for a second.

Annabeth stuck her tongue out at Luke, laughing at her childish actions; I smiled not at her actions but at the sound of her laugh. "Are you sure you don't want to try to be the only girl in the NHL and not an architect?" Luke questioned, shaking his head with a smile on his face.

"Hockey isn't really my thing, and I can't build something permanent doing that," Annabeth explained, tugging on a curl absentmindedly before taking another sip of her hot chocolate.

"Build something permanent," I muttered under my breath, tugging at a memory that seemed not too far away. "Build something permanent…"

"Her dream job?" I asked Mr. Chase

"Doctor?" He questioned.

I shook my head, "Architect. What she wants to build?"

"A building?"

"Wrong," I shouted, not believing that he didn't even know what Annabeth wanted to not only build but achieve in life. "She wants to build something permanent. Do you even know why?" He shook his head, his face seeming to have sunken and fallen more heavily, "Because of reasons like this. Because her family doesn't even know her, and she feels like everyone she cares about," I paused, before saying the last two words more quietly with realization, "leaves her," and maybe I was doing the same thing.

Annabeth nodded, sending me a confused look. "You act like that's such a big surprise or something."

"Or something," I muttered, taking a sip of the hot chocolate so that I wouldn't have to meet her confused gaze. And she feels like everyone she cares about leaves her, I replayed the words in my head again, shifting my gaze to Annabeth who was laughing at whatever Luke must have said. Everyone she cares about leaves her, and I felt myself being grouped into that everyone. I didn't want to be grouped into that everyone, even if it meant suffering while Annabeth dated someone else.

"—way you're dragging me into some chick flick of a movie. Wasn't making me suffer through He's Just Not That into You bad enough?" Luke groaned, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Bring Percy along or something, but I'm definitely not going. Not even if we were the last two people on Earth."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "I think there would be bigger problems than the fact that your ego might just have to shrink a little because you love chick flicks if it were the end of the world. I can assure you that you would not be dragging me into a chick flick."

"Woah, wait a second, since when was I the one dragging you into a chick flick," Luke laughed, shaking his head in complete disbelief. "You've got it completely wrong."

"I don't know, Luke," I joked, laughing along with Annabeth, "I could really see you with a box of tissues and crying because Bella kissed Jacob. Can't forget the team Edward shirt either. Definitely cannot forget that part."

"In your dreams," Luke retorted, chucking his cup into a nearby garbage can.

"I can assure you that you're not in my dreams," I shot back, earning a high five from Annabeth.

Luke raised an eyebrow, amusement in his eyes, "We all know you dream about Annabeth, Percy. There's no need to try to hide it. Just let it all out now because I just love confessions just like I love chick flicks." If I wasn't aware of the fact that he was joking, that probably would have been one of the most awkward moments of my life…

"Okay, alright," I played along, tossing an arm around Annabeth's shoulder, "I think it's time that I just let it all out and came clean. I am hopelessly in love with Annabeth, and every night, I wish that I could have the chance to marry her. But, since that will only happen in my dreams, I savor them every single night and hate waking up to the reality that I will never, ever have a chance." Luke grinned, breaking his expression of being serious. Annabeth merely shook her head, a smile on her lips. To be honest, I was having way too much fun to let it stop there, "So, I think today is the day I let it all out. Annabeth Chase," I cleared my throat and yelled, "I love you more than even the air I breathe, the sun I get energy from, and the water I swim in. Will you make me the happiest guy in the univer—"

She clasped a gloved hand over my mouth, looking around at all the smiling faces who were watching us. "If I say yes, will you stop yelling?"

I shrugged, playing it up for the audience we had gained, "Why don't we find out?" I asked a bit louder than a normal level through the holes made by Annabeth's gloved fingers.

Annabeth rolled her eyes while Luke did his best not to drop to the ground laughing, "Yeah, sure."

"Victory," I exclaimed, pumping my hand into the air while the people around us applauded, slapping me on the shoulder before going back to their normal life. I grinned down at Annabeth who rolled her eyes again and shook her head. "I love you?" I countered back, knowing she wasn't the biggest fan of random attention.

"Remind me of that when I get out the divorce papers," she shot back, not able to suppress her grin. I pulled her closer to my side, pressing a kiss to her temple as she pushed me away. Did I also mention she didn't like when I, and I quote her, tried to be cute when she was slightly annoyed? Okay, any amount annoyed.

Luke laughed, clapping his hands together. "Percy, I love you, man. I had no idea you had the guts to do that."

I shrugged, not really seeing the big deal in it. "'Course you didn't chick flick boy," I chuckled, while all three of us continued to crack up at the fact that people truly believed that I was proposing to Annabeth. So yeah, maybe a part of it was sort of true, and I'll let you decide which part, but no one needed to know that.

But the thing that I realized as we reminisced over what had occurred earlier with many laughs following suit, I could definitely get used to it, the three of us being friends, and maybe that was what I had to realize to continue to be in Annabeth's life. I mean sure, I still had no idea where I stood with Annabeth, but I had a feeling that wherever I was, things would end up alright…

…

January 3rd ~ Day 11.

…

A/N: Okay, so what'd you think? I thought it was nice, and well, I was kind of in a fluff-ish mood, obviously. For the next chapter, expect fluff and lots of it. It's been a while since there have been some nice percabeth moments in this story, but don't worry, I'll get back to the angst soon enough after the next chapter ;) Oh, if you guys want to know what I was working on that took over my days… It's my percabeth one shot The Christmas Wish List. So yep, that's why this wasn't updated faster. I'd love for you guys to check it out.

Until next time, where there very well may be some nice percabeth moments ;)

~ Jamieee.
26 RAK.

Anonymous Review Replies
Love you guys and thanks for taking the time to read and review.

Sweetpurplecandy – Thanks! Sorry about the long wait.

Riku – Thanks! I hope you know that the last part made me mentally breakout into song ;)

Guest – Oh, sweet. Happy (really belated) Birthday! Think of that as an early birthday present or this as a really belated one…?

Pandastyle – I like the name, first off. Second, thanks! Hm, you hate Annabeth? I can honestly say that I've never watched that tv show, but I have seen the previews for it. It didn't really peak my interest; in fact, the name alone kind of made me think of, like, a scary movie where the killer comes into the apartment or the apartment is haunted. Nonetheless, I'm glad you like the story!

B – Eyo, B. Ah, I bet this one was more than a bit too long, though. Aw, wow, thanks. Yes, Mr. Chase definitely has quite a bit to take care of and workout at the moment…

Bobz1212 – Hm, I don't know. That's a good question. ;) Looks like we'll have to wait to find out. That has been Percy's plan from the beginning, though.

Annonomos – Thanks! Ahhh, sorry about the long update time.

Bobz1212 (2) – Sorry about the long wait.

D – Sorry 'bout the wait.