Percy's POV

When Anna and I exit Wal Mart, we have about eight bags and "Frozen." I carry the bags, four on each arm, while she has the movie tucked under her arm. She keeps offering to take some of the bags, but I decline each time. They really aren't heavy, and this way I have to walk behind her to keep from being in the way of passing cars as we walk back to her Pontiac. I'm not complaining.

She unlocks the doors, then leans over to press the button that opens the trunk. She stands again as the trunk pops up and motions me over to it. She helps me move the bags from my arms and sets them down. She reaches up to yank the hatch down, and that damn shirt comes up again. I hurry around to the passenger side of the car, and soon she's in the car too. She starts it and lets the air run for a little bit before she closes her door. It seems to be a kind of habit with her. We buckle up and she backs out of the parking space, then we're on our way to get my key.

I didn't switch out the Cool Traxx! CD, so we listen to some more of it as we retrace our drive back to the road leading out of town. Our final stop is to grab my key. The key guy, Mr. D, is definitely what I'd classify as a son-of-a-bitch, and he'll probably give me hell for not remembering to get the stupid key. Anna taps her brakes and flips on her blinker, then turns right onto a long gravel driveway, not unlike the one between the cabins Anna and I are renting.

I had forgotten how much of a friggin' dump Mr. D lives in. I always wondered why the cabins were so well kept, but his house was shit. I think it's more that the money from the cabins goes to a.) the cabins, and b.) his wine. Like seriously, the guy could put a decent restaurant to shame with his stash. Anna parks and shuts the car off, then takes her seatbelt off. She turns and grabs a book from her back seat.

"What are you doing?" I ask, unbuckling my own seatbelt. "Aren't you coming with me?"

She opens the book. "You're a big boy, aren't you, Seaweed Brain?" I notice the cover.

"'Architecture of Ancient Greece'? Why would you read that?"

She sighs, but doesn't look up from her book. "Maybe because I'm an architect?"

"Really?"

"Yes. Are you going in or not?"

"Please come with me," I plead, "I don't want to go by myself."

"Are you serious?"

"It won't be long!"

"Then why can't you go alone?"

"Why won't you come with me?"

"Ugh, Percy!" she puts her book down and abruptly turns to face me. I give her the best baby seal eyes that I can, but she just raises an eyebrow. "Not gonna work. Do you want your key or not?"

"Oh come on, Anna!" I beg. "Please?" She gives me a hard look, then exhales loudly. She grabs her door handle and opens the door. I hurry to do the same, and we silently walk up to Mr. D's door.

"Thank you," I smile down at her. She just rolls her eyes.

"Gods, you're such a pansy." I shrug as I knock a few times on the door. We stand in silence, but no one comes to the door. After a few minutes I knock again. Still, no answer.

"He must be out," I say. Anna shakes her head. "Nah, his car is back there. He might be passed out, but there's no way he's out out." Suddenly the door swings wide open in front of us.

"Damn kids, what do you want?" a fat, hairy man glares at us, a bottle of wine dangling from his right hand.

"Uh, hi Mr. D," I start, "I rented a cabin from you-"

"And forgot to pick up the damn key," he finishes, rummaging around in a drawer in a desk by the door. "Here it is, Peter Johnson." He hands the key to me.

"Percy Jackson."

"I don't give two shits. Speaking of-" He slams the door shut, cutting off his sentence. Anna and I stand there and stare at each other, then she shrugs. We walk back over to her car. We get back on the road in silence, until I hear muffled laughter from beside me. I give Anna a sideways look and see her trying to pinch her lips shut.

"What?" I ask, the corners of my mouth stretch upwards and outwards. She shakes her head, still attempting to keep her giggles to herself. "What?" I repeat, turning to face her. She starts to snicker and hits her blinker for the left turn we'll take to turn in the driveway.

"I just can't believe you couldn't go on your own! It really wasn't that bad!" she howls.

"Yeah but I didn't know that!" I huff, sticking my tongue out at her. We both fall into laughter as we move down the gravel. We're still chuckling when she pulls to a stop beside her house. She presses the trunk button and doesn't waste time to go back and retrieve the bags. I hop out and help her grab them.

"Here - I'll grab bags if you'll open doors," I bargain, snatching her bags from her. She rolls her eyes, but steps aside so I can thread my arms through the handles of the bags. Once I have them all, she closes the trunk and leads me to her door. She unlocks it and pushes it open, gesturing for me to go ahead of her. I walk in and stand there awkwardly, not sure of where to put her things.

"You can just set them in the little kitchen area," she says, turning on the lights. I carefully place her stuff on the small counter. We exit her house and walk over to mine. She goes to unlock the door.

"I didn't lock it," I tell her as she raises her key.

"Seriously?" She puts her key back in her purse and opens the door. "And you left your TV on?"

"Hey, I was in a hurry!" I defend myself.

"I wasn't rushing you."

"I didn't know that." I drop my stuff gracelessly on the floor of the kitchen.

"What time are your friends coming?" she asks me.

"Probably closer to seven," I reply, glancing at the clock on the stove top. 5:32. "So yeah, about an hour and a half from now."

She nods. "Thanks for coming with me," she says, suddenly looking shy.

"Thanks for the ride. I had a good time, Anna."

"It's Annabeth, actually."

I knew something was missing! "Oh?"

"Yeah." She wraps her arms around herself. "I didn't know if it was smart to tell you my real name since I didn't actually know you, and also Luke...I couldn't risk giving away my identity, you know?" She looks at me, trying to gauge my reaction.

"It's not like I'd hold it against you. Annabeth sounds better anyway," I grin. She tucks a stray curl behind her ear. "Thanks, Percy."

"It's Perseus, actually." I mock her. She rolls her eyes, but her smile doesn't move.

"Okay, but I'm still calling you Seaweed Brain."

"Fine by me, Wise Girl." She tosses a laugh over her shoulder as she turns and walks back out my door.

Wait! I want to shout, but I don't have a reason to keep her here other than I want to spend more time with her. Get an effing grip, man. She JUST broke up with Corn Flakes. I shake my head and flop onto my couch. I turn my head to the right and look out the window. I see her go back in her house and close the door, but then she leans back against the door and slides to the ground, her head in her hands.

I feel a harsh pang hit me. I want to go to her, to help her, but it's not really my place. Instead, I focus on the TV. I find that I don't really care to watch the "Blackfish" reruns, so I flick through the channels. As I pass station after station, I halt at Channel 9. Entertainment Tonight is on, and a big picture of Luke and some girl with short, choppy black hair is blown up on the screen. My hand tightens around the remote. Douche, I think bitterly, glaring at the photo as the host chatters about her opinions of what the relationship is between them. It's more of an "I boned my best friend while my girlfriend was at a funeral" kind of relationship.

I turn the TV off and peek through the window again. Annabeth has gotten up and is now curled up on her couch reading a book. She looks up and we lock gazes. Gods help me, I plead as we hold stares though the glass. Help me not to fall for this girl.