Exceptions

AN: Alright... This is an extra long chapter just for you guys. Deal with this as you want, but let me just say that I worked extremely hard on it so keep that in mind. I feel like some of you guys will be mad at me and I'm sorry for that. But I've had this story planned out in my head for a while now and this is how I wanted this to happen so yeah. Enjoy. Or not.

Percy

"Move move move! Pick up the speed! Knees up!" I yelled at the mob of running swimmers around me. I'd finished my required laps before practice, so now I was just timing. Annabeth told me she'd be a bit late, but I was surprised that she still wasn't here. I watched as Jason pulled up to the finish line and clicked the stop watch.

"Good, 22:35. Nice." He nodded at me while huffing, his face flushed. He proceeded to sit down on the turf of the Goode football field, but before I could even say anything, a voice stopped me.

"Don't sit, Jace. You run a greater risk of hyperventalating if you lie down. You need to strech your muscles and breath, that's how you're gonna be able to cool down." She tossed him a bottle of powerade and then her gaze shifted to me. I wanted to look away, and badly, but her eyes had me captivated.

Truth is, things haven't felt the same since Sunday. At least for me anyway. I've kissed girls before, yes. But that was different. I never felt so much excitement from a single kiss before. And by the gods she can kiss. I know that sounds like an idiotic statement seeing as everyone can kiss, but she... I mean wow. I'd never experienced something like that before. I didn't know what to say after it happened. I just acted like nothing had changed, which was true actually because nothing had changed. I mean it was just a kiss. Right? I shook my head trying to clear my thoughts.

"Where you been Chase? You've missed like half an hour of practice." She smirked at me and slowly made her way over to me.

"Miss me?"

"Not even a little." She rolled her eyes at me, but the playful look in them didn't leave.

"Hmm, guess I won't be able to tell you the surprise." I instantly perked up. Surprise? What surprise? Did she find out who Mistry is? Because knowing who she is would be a great surprise.

"What is it?" The smirk makes its way back to her face.

"Eager, are we Mr. Jackson?"

"Always, Ms. Chase. Now tell me before I 'accidentally' tickle you until you cry."

"Oh whatever. Are you ready for this?" I nodded. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Super sure?"

"Oh gods just hurry up and tell me." I said exesperated. The smile she'd been holding in finally broke through her facade. She looked beautiful smiling. Her eyes glinted with cheer and excitement.

"Grant Havartie!" I stared at her with a blank expression as she jumped around like a little child who'd just been handed an extra piece of candy.

"Um... Yes I know who he is. Famous swimmer. Why are you telling me this?"

"We're gonna get to see him!"

"What? What do you mean?"

"I just finished talking to our principal, she's gotten him to come to the charity ball this Saturday! We'll get to talk to him, get his autograph, maybe even a couple tips! Grant! I told her that it'd be great if she could a famous sport figure to come talk and give a speech and she said it was a great idea!" My eyes widened. I'm going to see Grant Havartie. I'm going to see Grant Havartie. He's only been my swimmer idol since the beggining of time.

"Are you serious, Chase? Grant Havartie?" She nodded excitedly and I closed the distance between us, wrapping her in a bone-crushing hug. The amount of glee I felt right now was indescribable.

"Oh gods, you're amazing, you're perfect, you're wonderful and great and other synonyms and I just love you right now and oh gods Grant Havartie. I can't even believe this right now." I muttered into her hair. I could feel her smiling against my neck and just the slight movement affected something deep inside me.

"Maybe I'll be the one giving you the hickey this time." She muttered against my skin. It felt strangely welcoming for some reason.

"You'd wouldn't dare." She smirked against my skin. "You're right. I wouldn't. We're in a crowded area right now, too many witnesses. I wouldn't want people to see you cry." She backed up with a smirk and I missed her presence instantly. I almost frowned, but I stopped myself in time.

I felt an unwelcome presence creep over me and realized that most of the team had finished their laps now and were staring at us like they'd just witnessed hell freeze over. Their eyes demanded an explanation and some even looked betrayed. Jason looked like he'd just been slapped across the face. He strolled over and placed his arms protectingly around Annabeth's shoulders. Well, guess he took his brotherly role more seriously than I thought. I cleared my throat nervously and grabbed the stopwatch.

"On the track, Chase." She sent me a hidden smile and made her way on the black path. "Everyone else, partner up and start leg streches. First person lay down in the turf with one leg up. Second person strech the leg back until the person says to stop. This will increase blood flow in your muscles and get you ready for the pool. After you're done with the first leg switch to the other one. Then Jason will set you up between fowards, midfielders, stoppers, and goalies for the soccer game."

"Why are we playing soccer? We're swimmers, I don't think that sport has anything to do with balls unless we're talking about speedos." Hunter said.

"Because. Being active in other sports helps your muscles." Annabeth replied snarkily. Her and Hunter did not get along at all.

"Yeah? Well I don't think you're being a good leader by making us do this, and I don't think you're being a good Captain by PDAing with the other Captain." Her face twisted and she exploded.

"I was not PDAing with Jackson. I was just sharing some information with him and we both got overly excited. Even if I was, which I wasn't, my social life shouldn't concern you. It's my life. You better calm your attitude down before it lands you outside the swim center instead of in it. I can get you kicked out I promise, and I won't hesitate to do so if this keeps going on the way it is. Give me forty push-ups." She met Jason's eyes.

"Make sure he does them." She said bitterly before walking back to the track. I started her time and she ran in silence. She finished her laps with a time of 18:47 and grabbed a bottle of powerade.

"You okay?" She nodded through short breaths. "That was a really good time. Like extremely good for a 5K." Jason nodded as he walked over to us.

"Impressive Anna." She smiled at him and nodded. "Are you sure you're okay? I don't want you passing out on me again."

"I'm fine Jackson. Strech me out." She said laying down on the turf. I blinked. She wanted me to strech her out? I'd never done that to a girl, it'd always just been guys on the team. Streching someone out was different than the normal leg strech we did. It involved more muscle kneading from the base of the thigh to the calf.

"What's a matter? Having sexist thoughts? I can handle you groping my thigh, Jackson. You've done it before anyway, remember?" I smirked.

"Yes and I also remember you not stopping me." I said grabbing her raised leg by the calf and moving my hands up slowly.

"I thought you were going to hurt me, I decided not fighting was the best way to stay alive." She said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes at her.

"Hardi har har." I stopped my hands at the base of her thigh. I started kneading circles into it then pushed back on her knee. Then, I moved back to her calf and pushed her leg back.

"Tell me when." She nodded and I kept pushing back on her leg until I was leaning over her. I stared at her in disbelief.

"Are you an olympic gymnast?"

"Nope. Just flexible. Stop and hold." She said with a smile.

"Are you flirting with me, Chase?" I said copying her words from Sunday. I brought her leg back slowly then started repeating the process with the other. She made a face of disbelief.

"Oh, you wish. Stop and hold." I held her leg.

"So, I was thinking that maybe you could come over tonight? You could bring Charlie and we could work some more on math?" I let her leg down and she sat up, her tan midsection crunching in the process.

"So eager to spend time with me I see. I'd love to Perce, but I can't. I have a dinner with Will and his family today."

I wanted to scowl but I couldn't. She called me Perce. That made me so god damn giddy for some reason and I couldn't wrap my head around why. But I really did want to scowl. I really wanted her to come over, I liked spending time with her she's really fun to mess with and I really just like the fact that she'd be with me. The thought of her and I sitting on the couch next to each other watching The Big Bang Theory while she layed her head on my chest made my shriveled up grinch sized heart grow three sizes. And I really did not like the fact that she was going to be hanging around Will for the whole evening. How could she not see that he was trying to hit on her? It was so obvious.

"Okay." I managed even though I was shooting imaginary daggers at Will's imaginary face in my head. She laughed at me.

"Oh will you calm down? I'm coming over tomorrow night after we leave the YMCA so just wait twenty four hours and we can 'work' on your math." I stared at her.

"You're coming over tomorrow night?"

"Yup, and you can't stop me."

"But...You just invited yourself over."

"Yes I did. Unless you're not going to be there?" She asked slowly. I shook my head at her and she smiled.

"Well good then, I'm coming over." And just like that, Ms. Annabeth Chase made a date with my house tomorrow night.

"So, what's up with Piper?" I asked throught a mouthful of popcorn. I turned to Jason. He looked like he could devote his life to the game he was playing right now. The week had winded down and we were now trying to run away from stress.

"Hmm?"

"I said what's up with Piper?" He turned to me and set his controller down.

"What do you mean what's up with Piper?" I stared at him knowingly and he cracked.

"I asked her out, we're going on a date in two weeks." He muttered as I laughed.

"It's about damn time Jace." He rolled his eyes at me.

"Whatever. What about you and Anna?" I spluttered out the drink I was drinking and stared at him with wide eyes. He couldn't possibly know about Sunday, could he? If he did Thalia would have my head, and with the way he's protective of Annabeth, so would Jason.

"What about me and Annabeth?" He raised his eyebrow at me.

"Come on, I'm not stupid. You were practically drooling over her last week when she came in all dressed up and you guys seem a lot more comfortable with each other. So when was it?"

"When was what?"

"When did you start falling for my sister?" I stared at him. What the fuck was he saying right now?

"I never did... I don't like Annabeth like that."

"Hm. Okay, whatever you say. I'm just warning you Percy, I've known Annabeth longer, and if you hurt her I will hurt you, don't care if you're my cousin." His phone rang ending the conversation. I sat there stunned. He really did care about her. But why would he think me and Annabeth would be something?

"Oh?" He made eye contact with me, his blue eyes narrowing with amusement. "Well, he doesn't look ready to me. Oh don't worry, I'll send him on his merry way." He laughed. "Yeah, alright. Tell Mal I said hi. Love you too, bye." He hung up and looked at me.

"Annabeth says you're supposed to be at her house already." My brow furrowed.

"What?" He laughed.

"This is priceless. Come on I have a suit in my room and we're the same size."

"What? Why would I need a suit?"

"You're so late right now. Annabeth's going to have your ass." That's when it clicked. My eyes widened and Jason started his laughing fit all over again. The ball. The charity ball. Oh she was going to kill me. I can't believe I forgot about this! I checked my phone. Oh gods. It was already six PM, we were supposed to leave fifteen minutes ago! Jason dragged me to his room and I scrambled in his closet for a suit. Baby blue, purple, pink. Why in all of gods names would he need to use a pink suit? I banished the thought and started throwing the black one on. Oh I was so incredibly immensely screwed. I shrugged the pants on, grabbed my wallet, and took a look in the mirror. I'd slap myself if I had time but I didn't. I rushed down the stairs.

"You're forgetting your shoes smart one." He threw them at me from the top of the stair case and ran down as I glared at him.

"I'm still swim captain, I can work your ass at practice Jason."

"Co-Captain." He said grabbing the flowers I'd brought earlier today and shoving them at me. Gods how did I forget when I brought the flowers for Annabeth to his house? I must be a bigger idiot than I thought.

"Oh suck it." I said walking out the door. I rushed into my car and sped off into the direction of Annabeth's house. It took about ten minutes, but I got there. I ran up her driveway and knocked on the door. She looked so pissed off. I think she was saying something but I couldn't understand what as I was too busy drinking her in. She looked absolutely amazing.

She looked even better than last week. Don't get me wrong, she always looked great but it was like she was radiating something and I didn't know what. She was in a full-length gown that highlighted her curves and heels that brought her a little closer to my height. It started out silver then moved down to a beige color. Gods I didn't even know I knew what beige was... I was trying to keep my eyes away from her chest area because if I let them wander I'd get slapped across the face. I'm a decent guy, I promise, but all guys have weaknesses, and right now mine was Annabeth. She looked absolutely breathtaking. I wanted to reach out and touch one of the curls that was hanging down from her classy braided updo thing.

"Hello? Percy please move out of the way we have to go." She said snapping me out my admiration for her. I can not believe I just thought that. Admiration? I heard a barking sound behind her and instantly thought of Charlie.

"Percy. We're late, we have to go now." She said side stepping me and glaring in the process. I almost cringed. She hadn't glared that intensly at me since before we agreed to be friends. She shut herself in the passengers side of my car and I ran back in it. I started the engine and backed out of her house.

"I'm so sorry I'm late." I said plugging in the address she texted me into the GPS on my phone. I pressed the route and started driving.

"Doesn't matter." She said stiffly.

"You look beautiful." I blurted before I could think better of it. I could feel her gaze shift to me but I couldn't look at her. Oh gods what was wrong with me? I so should not have said that. I probably just screwed myself over even more. She stayed silent. That is until we got on the highway and we saw the massive traffic jam.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?" She yelled balling up her fists. I made the observation that she looked incredibly hot when she was mad. She looked at me with fire in her eyes.

"Flattery's not going to get you anywhere."

"What are you talking about Chase?"

"You just called me hot, Jackson. Watch out for the car!" I slammed on the break as my eyes widened. No. I can not fucking believe I said that out loud. What was wrong with me today?

"My mistake."

"Yes, I know." She said bitterly. I smacked the wheel causing the car to honk.

"Okay, I get it I was late. Can you just calm down?" I think that set her off because she retaliated as soon as I shut up.

"Calm down? Calm down? Let me tell you something Percy. I spent two hours getting myself ready, burned my neck with a curling iron, had to put on makeup which I never do, and run to the store to buy some pads for my shoes so I'll be able to walk without killing my feet. But of course, I have to sit around waiting for you to come pick me up and you were thirty minutes late on one of the most important nights of my life. College scouts are going to be there, and so is Grant Havartie, but all that's in jeopardy because when they see us walking in late it'll leave a bad impression. You knew how important this night was to me, but you forgot. How could you forget something like this? And then you just show up to my house looking the way you did and you make me just so mad. Ugh you're insufferable. So how can I calm down when you make it so hard to be mad at you?"

"Look I'm sorry I already apoligized. I know that I was stupid for letting time slip away and I'm sorry okay? I'm just sorry. Gods. Just please calm down. And looking the way I did? What the hell does that mean?" I risked a glance at her and saw her flush. Did I look that bad? I wouldn't blame her for thinking I did since I literally just threw the suit on and fled. She shifted in her seat so she was turning to me. We were now stuck in traffic so I couldn't even move the car. Just our luck. She placed her hands near my neck and then met my eyes.

"You were distracting me." She said fixing the tie I'd hastily thrown around my neck. Her fingers grazed my neck lightly as she tied it. I was distracting her? She was distracting me.

"How was I distracting you?" She finished off the tie but stayed near me.

"Are you really this oblivious or are you doing this to torture me?"

"No, I'm really this oblivious." I saw her smile for the first time that day. She sat back in her seat and I almost objected.

"Well, if we're giving compliments... You were distracting me because you looked really... hot if I'm using your terms." I swear to the gods above I almost ran into the car in front of me. She thought I looked hot? Annabeth gasped at the sudden lurch in the car and I grabbed her hand in instinct. She looked at me from under her long eyelashes and I felt something deep in my chest. Wait was I getting a heart attack?

"Wait. You think I look hot today? Why not when I'm shirtless in a pool?"

"You look hot then too."

"What... Where is this coming from?"

"It's coming form the surge of adrenaline I'm getting from being upset at you."

"It's giving you more confidence than usual." I muttered.

"Is that a bad thing? Because I really don't think it is."

"No. But Annabeth Chase doesn't call her Percy hot. She calls him stupid." Her laugh filled the car and relieved some of my stress.

"Her Percy?" I smirked.

"Problem?" She shook her head.

"Nope. You're my Percy. And I can call my Percy hot if I want. I'll call you stupid if you want."

"Nah, I'm good with this. Does this mean I can call you my Annabeth?"

"Oh I'd be honored." She said with a hint of sarcasm. I stepped up my game.

"You know... I'm really sorry about you getting that burn on your neck. Maybe I could kiss it and make it better?" She smirked.

"Only in your dreams, Perce. Oh thank gods." She said as we started moving again. After we started moving it didn't take long for us to make it to the place where the ball was being hosted. We were around thirty minutes late when I parked the car. I grabbed the flowers from the back and placed them on her lap.

"These are for you. Sorry for being late. Again." I ran around and opened her door. When we walked up the stairs we were greeted by many official looking people who I didn't know the names to.

"I'm still mad at you." Annabeth muttered through a smile. She waved at some people and glanced at me.

"Ms. Chase!" We turned to see a short man with gray hair and brown eyes hobbling over to us.

"Ms. Chase, I'm Josh Bivens. I'm head of admissions at Colombia, I've been dying to meet you in person." I looked at her and realized her face was impassive. Looks like she was really playing this off.

"Mr. Bivens, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"You as well Ms. Chase. You know it's very few times that we've seen someone turn down an acceptance to Colombia." She looked at me sending me a sign that she'd talk to me later and I nodded as she walked off with Mr. Bivens.

It'd been thirty minutes since she left and I was still sitting on one of the couches in the ballroom waiting for Annabeth.

"Hey." I looked up and was met with green eyes.

"Hey Rachel." Her eyes demanded that I stand up and I cowered under her gaze. She set a hand on my shoulder.

"Who are you here with Percy?"

"Annabeth, actually. She's talking to the head of admissions at Colombia." She fipped her straight hair over her shoulder.

"Mm, of course she is. It's so like her. So how's your night been?"

"Eh, a little stressful if I'm being honest." She looked at me with sympathy.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Why don't we dance? It would get your mind off things and I don't think Annabeth knows how to waltz."

"Don't worry, I know how." I turned to find Annabeth with her hands on her hips and her eyes narrowed.

"Hey, Rachel. Didn't know you were coming tonight. I thought you had a date with Luke. You look great." Annabeth said as she made her way next to me. Rachel stared at her.

"Oh that got canceled. I didn't know if you were coming tonight either. I thought you'd be singing tonight." Annabeth's eyes widened.

"It is Saturday after all." Rachel said with a small smile.

"You have a nice night, Rachel." Annabeth grabbed my hand and dragged me to the dance floor. I stared at her.

"What was Rachel talking about? You don't sing you have stage fright."

"Yeah I know. She's just being stupid probably an inside joke I don't get. I don't know. Hand on my hip." She said grabbing my other hand. I placed my hand on her waist and pulled her closer to me. She looked at me in surprise and smirked.

"I see you want to put your hands on me."

"Dying to, Ms. Chase." I whispered into her ear. She glared at me.

"I'm still mad at you."

"Hm, maybe I'll have to convinve you not to be mad at me." I said as we swayed to the music. I dipped her, catching her by surprise.

"Don't think you can." She said quickly.

"Is this a challenge? Don't think that's very wise of you, last time you challenged me you ended up with a bruise on your neck." I brought my lips up to her ear in a swift motion.

"I wouldn't mind doing it again, Chase." I smirked as I heard her breath falter.

"Maybe it'll be you who ends up with the bruise on their neck this time." She rebutted. I dug my thumbs into her waist and she stared at me in confusion with her big gray eyes. If she wanted an explanation she wasn't getting one, I didn't even know what I was doing myself.

"We should go somewhere else, I don't want the college scouts to be disappointed in me when I beat the shit out of you." She whispers with a trace of a smile.

"Annabeth Chase wants to sneak off somewhere? Never thought I'd see the day." I said back as I followed her lead. She walked towards a door a little after the bathroom, her heels the only noise in the hallway. She turned to me with an expectant look in her eyes then walked in.

"So, now that we're alone, what are you going to do to me?" I said smirking as I shut the door behind me. She grinned and ran up to me as best as she could while wearing heels.

"I hate you so so much." She said wrapping her arms around me. I so did not see that coming. I wrapped my arms around her waist.

"Well, guess someone's in a better mood." She looked up at me with a glare.

"Whatever." She sat down on one of the couches and I took the time to observe the room. It looked like a waiting room, or somewhere to hold a reception. I sat down next to her.

"I'm not as mad as you now." She commented. I grinned.

"No one can stay mad at me. Even you fall to my superiority." She rolled her eyes at me.

"You're so impossibly arrogant. Tell me things, Perce." I looked at her confused.

"Huh?" She smirked.

"Last time we played twenty questions you asked me. I get to ask you now, and you'll tell me things." She said matter-of-factly.

"As you wish, your highness. Ask away." She stayed silent for a minute and I could tell that she was trying to think of a question to ask me.

"I know I wasn't your first kiss. Who was yours?"

"It was a truth or dare kiss. The girl who I kissed moved away, I think her name was... Avalon? It was some time ago." She nodded.

"Um...What's your favorite food?"

"Blue chocolate chip cookies." I laughed at her bewildered expression.

"Blue?" I nodded.

"It's a family tradition. Ever since I was a kid."

"What about your dad? How often do you see him?" I cringed. That was kind of a sore subject for me.

"My dad's a buisness man, he's always traveling, so I don't see him much. A few times every six months I'd say." She nodded and rested her pretty little head on my shoulder.

"Ever had a pet?"

"Goldfish, named him Silver."

"Silver?" She smirked at me.

"Yeah because I was stubborn. Everyone told me to name it goldy, so I named it Silver."

"Hm, seems like you. Okay, be honest, am I helping you with your dyslexia?" Wow, she certainly switches gears fast.

"Without a doubt. In fact, I got an 87 on the vocab test yesterday. You're doing wonders to my brain." She smiled, obviously pleased with herself, and nuzzled into my chest.

"I'm really really proud of you." She said quietly.

"Well thanks. I'm really proud of you, for being such a great tutor." Her face flushed and she cleared her throat.

"Who's your best friend?" That question caught me off guard.

"That's actually a question I've never thought about. Let's see. Leo and Connor are high up there. Jason's higher up above them though. I... Think it's you actually." The words slipped out of my mouth before I could rail them back in. Her eyes widened. Oh no. That was a mistake. I was all over the place today.

"Me? How?" Stop talking, I urged myself.

"You know the most about me. You've had my back, and I feel like you understand me better than most would ever take the time to." My mouth spoke for me, disobeying my orders.

"I think you're my best friend too. I mean Thalia's my best friend. But you're my best guy friend. You're my best friend." She said as if she was trying to process the words in her mind. That just happened. Can two people become best friends in a matter of seconds? Because that's what just occured. I felt a strange desire to hold her close.

"Um. Sorry, lost my train of thought."

"Really? Thought that wasn't possible for you." She smirked at me.

"Anyway... Have you ever kept a secret from a friend? Like a big secret?" She seemed anxious all of the sudden.

"Um. One time I ate Connor's chocolate bar and never told him it was me who did it?" She laughed, but it didn't meet her eyes. Something was up with her.

"Why did you call me beautiful today?" I met her gaze and stared at her. How could I not? She was radiant and perfect in every way.

"Because I wasn't capable of lying to you at that moment. You looked, and still look beautiful. You look beautiful every day." I really needed to learn to stop talking. That was a rush to say. She stared at me with flushed cheeks and bright eyes, biting her lip in the process. That brought an unnamed feeling up to the surface of my being. What was with me? Why am I now suddenly feeling all these things towards her?

I didn't even notice when she moved her face closer to mine. I only realized it when I felt her lips on my cheek, lingering pretty close to my lips. Oh for the love of the gods, that is not where I wanted her to kiss me. Wait. I didn't want her to kiss me anyway. My subconscious shook his head at me. Oh who was I kidding? I wanted to kiss her until the sun came back up.

"You missed." I said without thinking. She looked so flustered and I wanted to just laugh at her expression.

"Um. So. You say you don't like Rachel. Do you like anyone and if so who?"

"Why would it matter if I liked someone?"

"It's twenty questions, I just want to know Percy." I thought about it. Did I? I glanced at her and scolded myself. No. I refused. It wasn't happening. It wouldn't be happening. It could never happen. She was my cousins' best friend, they'd have my head. And it simply could not work. Don't ask me why it couldn't, it just couldn't. I urged myself to say no.

"I don't know, maybe." I mumbled like a fool.

"Really? Are you thinking about anyone in particular?" I edged closer to her without thinking about it. I wanted to make her lips so swollen she wouldn't be able to speak. But obviously I wasn't thinking about her.

"Maybe. What about you?" She smirked.

"Last I remember, you were the one being asked the questions not the other way around." Her phone rang and I backed up instantly. That was good. Distractions will prevent me from thinking about her. Because I didn't want to think about her. Not one bit.

"Hey, dinner's being served, we should go." I nodded and followed her out the door, thinking about anything that didn't start with an A.

The drive back to her house was uneventful. It was around eleven at night, and we were both exhausted. I pulled up into her drive way and ran around to open the door for her. I walked her up the front steps and she fished around in her purse with one hand while holding the flowers in the other.

"Would you like to come in?" She asked after unlocking the door. The living room was lit up, but the dining area was pitch black.

"I don't know if I should. Your mom's not here I suppose?"

"Nope. You could come in for just a couple minutes maybe?"

"Uh, I guess maybe just for a couple minutes. I'll have to head on my way after that." She nodded and we made our way up the stairs. As soon as the lights flickered on in her room she threw her shoes to the side an plopped down on her bed. I laid down next to her quietly and she looked at me.

"Thank you." She whispered quietly.

"For what?"

"Making this night perfect. Even though you showed up late, you helped me have a good time. I would've been really bored without you." I smirked.

"I'm always bored without you, Chase. If we ever stopped arguing I think I might die." She laughed.

"I love hearing you like that." I said under my breath. She turned on her side so she could face me.

"Laughing?" I nodded and with a rush of confidence cupped her face with one hand. Her eyes widened in shock as I let my thumb carress her cheek.

"I love seeing you smile." She replied through a breath, and she brought her thumb up to trace my bottom lip. My mind was telling me that if I continued with this I'd be screwing myself over, but I really didn't care at the moment.

"I should really go." I said trying to convince myself. We were sharing breaths now, and I didn't want to move.

"The door's open whenever you want." She said with a small smirk. The door opened and I scooted away from her.

"Annybeth, you left this on the couch." A small voice said. I watched as Annabeth's eyes grew wide and she jumped off the bed.

"What are you still doing up?" She asked Malcolm hurriedly.

"I heard you come upstairs. This was itching me under the blanket." And with that he handed whatever it was to Annabeth and shut the door. She turned to me, the object hidden behind her back. She was hiding something from me?

"What are you hidding?" I said getting up slowly and making my way to her. She looked like she could collapse right there.

"It's nothing."

"You're not a good liar under pressure." She stared at me with big eyes full of fright.

"What is it? You can tell me you know."

"It's nothing." She repeated. We stared at each other for what seemed like forever. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I reached my hand around her back slowly, so she'd know my intention, and grabbed the object. She didn't object or protest as I pulled it away. I could see her obvious cringe, though as I took it.

I looked down at the object in confusion. It seemed familiar, like I'd seen it before. It was a small dark brown wig. A wig? Suddenly, the video popped up in my head. I propose that Mistry wears a wig, and in reality, her real name isn't even Mistry. I looked up at her in surprise.

"What is this?"

"It's a wig." She said quietly. A thought appeared in my mind and I checked my youtube account. No new videos tonight. It's a Saturday, one of Mistry's posting days. Rachel's comment clicked in my mind. I thought you'd be singing tonight. It is Saturday after all.

"What do you use it for?" I asked quietly, trying to keep from exploding.

"I... Use it to sing."

"Gods damn it, Annabeth. Mistry." I said harshly. I could tell where this conversation was headed.

"Percy, please listen. I tried to tell you, I really really did, but-"

"But then things happened. That's what everyone says. Gods, you sound just like my father when he's fishing for an excuse."

"But Percy I did! I tried multiple times, but things got in the way!" I laughed bitterly.

"Things? Things like what? Like lying to me? Because you told me you had stage fright, and obviously you don't."

"No, I do! You don't understand I-"

"Damn it Annabeth. I trusted you. I told you exactly how I felt about Mistry, and you did nothing about it. Why didn't you tell me then, in the car? I just don't understand. How could you just lie so blatantly like that? I can't believe you." I shook my head. "Gods, I should've seen the signs. It was so obvious. You were so playing me. You're treating this like a game. Oh, let's see how long it takes for the idiot Percy to figure out who I really am." She looked so hurt, and it almost made me want to stop but now I was venting and I couldn't.

"No, that wasn't my intention!" I cut her off.

"Just stop. I just can't right now. I don't deal well with people lying to me. I honestly feel like you offered me those tutoring sessions to lead me on. I'm really upset right now, and I'd appreciate it if you'd stop trying to make contact with me for a while." Her eyes widened and I could see tears pooling in them. Oh, I needed to leave. If she cried I'd surrender to her.

"You promised you'd never leave." She said quietly.

"Mistry promised me sincerety, and so did you but obviously that didn't happen. Goodnight." I slammed the door to her room and rushed down the stairs heading to the car. I couldn't see her. If she walked out I'd never leave. I sped out of her driveway and headed to my house. How could this even happen? We were having such an incredibly amazing night and then this shit bomb explodes. She lied to me. She deceived the shit out of me and she just expects me to be okay with it?

My subconscioius was yelling at me now. I couldn't deny this anymore. I realized I'd been in denial for some weeks now. This girl just wounded me, yet here I am at 11:39 PM confessing to myself. I'm accepting it because there's no denying it now. I had feelings for Annabeth Chase, or Mistry Sheddy, or whatever new character she invented. But I had feelings for her and it was undeniable and strong and true, and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it except stay away.

AN: DON'T KILL ME. I know some of you won't like it, but this is how I pictured it and I didn't want to change it. Sorry. Anyway, thank you for all the reviews last chapter, it helped me! Please review, this was my longest chapter yet and I'd like feedback please. Until next time!- ShyGal