Hi. I have like zero life updates. Except I'm back to lifeguarding full time this summer as of this week. So yay for that.

As promised, I'm answering reviews today.

Alicia: I have some but limited experience with alcohol and tried to use that as best I could. Mostly it came from watching other people experience much more alcohol than me. In regards to your PM, I do expect we'll see a scene like you messaged me about. I haven't quite figured out how to put it into the flow of things but a scene like that has been in my head for a while.

The Sixth Day of Division: Ya know. That's a fair point. And I'm not quite certain how to answer except that I would think in Annabeth's PoV that this bizarro world is just like an alternate reality that has replaced her own reality? So her Percy wasn't taken or anything he was just changed a little due to a change in experiences?

TheWingedGirl: AHHHHHH HAVE MORE

Trizen: Love you!

Adrift an Open Sky: Thanks! That's nice to hear in a fandom so large with so much fanfic

Guest: Thanks! Will do!

Thanks for the reviews guys keep em up.

REVIEW and READ ON

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Not too long later, Annabeth and Percy were walking back down the steps of the house and Annabeth wasn't sure if the grin on her face was because of the alcohol in her system or the warm hand in her own. They headed right for the door because Percy and Annabeth had decided that they were done with the party for the night. As much as Annabeth didn't want to go home, she already knew she was going to regret the last few shots she took in the morning. And while maybe a Saturday night drinking fest was the other Annabeth's idea of a fun night, this Annabeth decided that a night in with Percy still held so much more appeal.

She looked at Percy as he held open the door for her. They'd get there again. One day.

Annabeth muttered a thanks and Percy smiled in return. "Let me walk you home."

Annabeth, used to having a weapon strapped to her at all times, shook her head. "I'll be fine, Percy."

"You're drunk, Annabeth, and it's late."

Annabeth started walking towards the sidewalk. "You're drunk too, Percy."

"Actually, I'm not."

Annabeth turned and suddenly realized that he hadn't drank anything. When they were in the kitchen he had been so focused on making Annabeth take a break that he hadn't been able to drink anything himself. "Sorry. I was a bit of a buzzkill, I guess."

Percy walked towards Annabeth, eyes downcast and his head shaking. "No. I, uh, I don't drink."

"Then why go to high school parties at all? Isn't free booze pretty much the entire attraction?"

Percy shrugged, but when he raised his eyes, they were guarded. Annabeth had always been excellent at reading people, and especially so at reading Percy Jackson. With her, he didn't hide much, but every now and then he lifted a shield. Annabeth had a feeling that she had seen this shield before, had struck this same nerve in the past, but with her intoxicated, mortal mind, she couldn't place it. All she knew was that when he finally spoke, he wasn't giving the full story. "Because one day I might want to."

Annabeth wasn't capable of analyzing his facial expression or tone at the moment, so she didn't press the matter, but tried very hard to store it away for later. "Alright, Percy Jackson. I'll let you be my hero this one time, but don't get used to it," she warned, waving a finger at him. "I'm no one's damsel."

He chuckled. "Don't worry. Even intoxicated, you continue to intimidate me. Now, tell me you still remember where you live."

She pathetically shoved him as she offered her address.

It was nice talking to Percy. She was drunk and he kept having to catch her, but then she'd laugh uncontrollably and he wouldn't be able to stop himself from laughing. He told her stories of all the dumb times he's tripped and fallen and how in seventh grade he got a concussion during dodgeball. Annabeth couldn't stop laughing. Gods, she loved him.

They reached her building too quickly. "Is it crazy that I don't want to go inside?" she asked, looking up at her building.

Percy's hands were in his pocket. He wasn't smiling anymore. "Believe it or not, I know what you mean."

Annabeth snorted. "Yeah, I bet Sally and Paul probably aren't thrilled about you being out this late. There could be monsters." Annabeth wiggled her eyebrows at him, enjoying her own inside joke, but Percy was looking at her strangely.

"Paul? Who's Paul?"

Annabeth lightly punched him in the arm. "Your step dad. Duh."

Percy shook his head. "My step dad's name isn't Paul."

In Annabeth's short life, she's hit the ground hard on more than one occasion. She's been thrown by monsters, fallen off great heights, and been knocked down by war trained demigods more times than she'd like to admit. But this felt like she had let the sky fall from her grasp and crush her.

Suddenly, she simultaneously felt all too sober and way too drunk. "Oh, gods." She whispered.

Percy put an arm on her shoulder. "Annabeth, are you alright?"

Annabeth had gotten Percy to talk about his first stepdad a grand total of one time and it had quickly turned into an argument. After complaining about some new incident with her step mom, she had tried to get Percy to open up about his own experiences with his step parents.

"Doesn't this ever happen to you?" She had asked that day when they were alone in his apartment. "Where your step parent just can't seem to understand what it means to be a demigod no matter what you do?"

Percy had just shrugged. "I mean...no. Paul's pretty okay, but I know that's not the case with a lot of demigods." He grabbed her hand. "I'm sorry you're going through this."

Annabeth ripped her hand away. "God, even you don't understand. Even as a demigod you still have pretty much a perfect family life."

Percy frowned, but quickly tried to cover it up. "I know I haven't had your same problems, Annabeth, but I wouldn't call my mortal life perfect."

"You have Sally and Paul-"

"Paul wasn't always my step dad." The anger that had caused him to speak up faded fast as regret settled into his features.

Annabeth froze, remembering. "His name was Gabe, wasn't it?"

Percy looked tired, as if that confession had taken a lot out of him. "Drop it, Annabeth."

"Why don't you ever talk about him, Percy? All I know is that he smelled awful, made our first quest even harder, and gave your mom a small fortune when he got the Medusa makeover." Annabeth sat next to Percy, trying to act soothing. "You never talk about him."

"Because you've already got the bullet points." He wasn't looking at her. "Besides, Annabeth, weren't we talking about you and your family?"

"We were, yeah, but now I want to talk about yours. Percy, I know you don't like to talk about him but-"

Percy suddenly stood from the couch. "So then why are we?" he demanded, his now stormy eyes trained on her.

Annabeth took a deep breath to keep herself calm. If she got angry, it would only make Percy worse. "Because I love you, Percy and you know that." She slowly stood and reached for his hand. He didn't stop her, didn't step away, but his eyes stayed dark and dangerous. "You know everything about me and after everything we went through last year with Gaia and...everything… Percy, I want to be able to help you like you help me. You listen everytime I talk about my family and you never talk about your own."

"Gabe wasn't my family," was all he offered.

"No. No, you're right, he wasn't. But he certainly affected your family for the first twelve or so years of your life. Not to mention the lasting effect he's clearly had."

Percy pulled away again and walked towards the kitchen. "I don't want to talk about this."

Annabeth tried to keep her eye roll hidden. "Why not?"

Percy grabbed a glass with more force than necessary and started pouring himself a glass of water. "Gabe was a world class jerk and that's all you need to know."

"Percy, I can't help you if you don't talk." Annabeth's frustration started leaking through to her voice. Percy didn't look at her as he walked to the counter and drank from his glass. "If you don't talk to me then what sort of a relationship is this?" Percy set down his glass of water and raised his head to look at her.

His eyes had gone from a storm to a hurricane. The sink behind him turned on without anyone touching it. "So if I don't spill my deep dark secrets, we're done, is that it? Is that what you're threatening? All or nothing and you're prepared to walk out that door?" This wasn't the first time Annabeth had seen Percy get like this, especially after Tartarus. His anger would take over and he would regret everything he said later so she had learned not to take things like this too seriously. After everything they've gone through, it would take way more than a petty fight to break them up.

"No, you idiot." She walked to stand across the counter from him. "I'm here because I love you and I want to help you because I love you and if you decide to tell me to go screw myself I'm still going to be here because I love you whether you talk to me or not. Got it, Seaweed Brain?"

Percy stared at Annabeth, seeming to will the anger in him to die down. Eventually he broke his stare and looked down at glass of water in his hands. "I don't know what you want me to say."

Annabeth could see how tense he was, how hard he was trying not to lash out. The sink behind him had turned off again and Annabeth took it as a sign that it was safe to approach. She moved slowly, but didn't say anything as she walked around the counter to stand behind him and slip her arms around him. He stood tense and still, hands on the counter, as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "I want you to tell me why, after all these years, he can get you so worked up like this." She took a deep breath. "But it doesn't have to be today. I shouldn't have pressed so hard about this when I know how much-"

"He hit my mom."

He said it so quiet that she almost didn't hear it. For a moment she was tempted to convince herself that she hadn't.

"I don't know for how long," he continued, his voice monotonous and barely above a whisper. "And I don't know how often. I just know he did. She didn't deserve that. She should have had an amazing life and the only reason she was forced to be with that monster was because of me."

Annabeth removed her arms and gently turned Percy to face her. "You're mother didn't deserve that, you're right. And you didn't deserve to live in an apartment with a man that cruel. But I know your mom doesn't regret what she did because she did it to protect you." Annabeth kissed Percy and he returned it, though somewhat hesitantly. "Besides, he got what he deserves." Annabeth looked deep into Percy's eyes when she said, "He can't hurt anyone anymore. He can't hurt you."

After a moment of pause, Percy smashed his mouth to hers. They didn't talk again for quite some time after.

When Percy had confessed about Gabe, Annabeth had felt more murderous than she ever had ever felt towards a human. She was almost angry that he was a stone statue because that meant Annabeth couldn't confront him herself. Briefly she had even tried to track the statue down so she could smash it to dust.

She'd known Percy since he was twelve years old. She'd watched him face monsters, gods, titans, and giants. Yet, it seemed like it was a pathetic human that had left him the most scarred. Barring, perhaps, Tartarus himself.

"Annabeth, are you alright?" Percy had asked.

Annabeth forced a nod. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said.

If Gabe Ugliano really was still alive, Annabeth would find a way to make him pay.