Annabeth's POV.

I looked at myself one more time in the mirror.

"I look ridiculous." I muttered to my self.

It was the night of the dance, and I was getting ready.

Percy was in the bathroom, and I in my own room.

Hana and Cath had forced me to buy a dress, and to wear it.

I always felt idiotic when I wore dresses. Therefor I hadn't been in a dress since Percy and I had been on Circe's island. And when I looked in the mirror, I remembered why.

By Zeus, why am I even wearing this thing?

We had arranged that all of us would meet at my house 20 minutes before the dance. And there was about 15 minutes left, before the rest of them would come.

"Hey Annabeth, are you ready?" I heard Percy ask me through the door.

"Yeah, I guess." I answered, and he opened the door and walked into my room.

He was wearing a blue bottom-down shirt, the color almost matched the color of my dress, and black jeans. His hair was.. It was his hair.

He looked good. My heart skipped a heartbeat. Stupid. It wasn't logic.

"Wow, Annabeth you look.." He said and smiled widely.

"Not one comment," I mumbled under my breath.

"You look great!" He said.

I raised an eyebrow at him, but he kept on smiling at me, looking dumb and Percy-ish.

"You think? Well you too." I said, and smiled at him.

"We should go downstairs, your dad wants a picture of us." Percy said, and grabbed my arm.

"Oh no way! It's one thing that I'm wearing a dress, but another that there will be pictures of it, that he can show to other people."

"Come on Wise Girl, it's just one picture. And besides, do you think I'm enjoying wearing this?" He asked, and gestured to his shirt.

I stared at him, and he stared back. Not one of us blinking.

"Okay then, but only ONE picture!" I gave in at least.

"Yes!" Percy said, and pulled me downstairs.

"You two look great!" Helen said, as we passed her on our way down.

"Thanks," Percy said, and kept on going down the stairs.

"Dad, Percy says that you wanna take a picture of us?" I said, as we walked into the living room.

"Oh yes. Right. Just a second, I'll go find my camera." He said, and left the living room for a couple of seconds.

He came back a half minute later with his old camera. It was a camera that printed the photos right away.

"If you'll just stand there," he said, and pointed in front of one of the walls.

"Okay, come on Annabeth." Percy said, and dragged me over there.

My dad took the camera up in front of his eye, but then he regretted.

"Something isn't right.. Percy, can you put an arm around Annie's waist?" He asked.

Percy eyes grew big, and almost popped out of his head.

"Uhm.. Yeah.. Sure. Come here Wise Girl," He then said, sounding nervous.

I took a step toward him, our bodies touched, and he put left arm around my waist, and I swear my heart stopped for a moment. Stupid. It was so stupid, but I couldn't help it. I had tried. I really had, but I was about to give up, and just let my heart do and want, what it wanted. Which in this case was Percy. But I didn't dare say anything to him. And even if he liked me, what would it matter? With everything going on, and Kronos rising, Percy would probably be dead by the end of August.

Oh gods, why did I thought this way. Percy wouldn't die. Percy wouldn't die. He wouldn't leave you. Everything will be good, I told my self. But I wasn't fooling anyone.

I came back to reality, when my dad shot a picture of us.

It got printed out, and my dad grabbed it.

Percy still had his arm around me.

"Oh.. Annabeth, you don't smile on this picture, can we take another one?" He asked me.

"Really dad? Just one picture, that was the deal! " I tried.

"Just one more picture, for me?" Percy asked, and made his I'm-a-cute-puppy-and-you-can't-say-no-to-me face.

"Ugh.. Okay then." I agreed.

"Okay then, SMILE!" My dad said, and I made sure to smile, cause there was no way in Hades, he would get to take another picture.

The photo got printed, and again my dad took it, and looked at it.

"Oh, you look so cute! Everyone is gonna be jealous of how good you to look together. I'm so glad you're going together to that dance." He said, and smiled a happy-daddy smile.

"Uh.. We are not going together." Percy said, and looked down at the floor.

"What do you mean you're not going together?" My dad asked. "Of course you're going together. You have matching clothes and everything."

"He means, that I'm going with Miles, and he is going with Cath." Even though I wished I was going with Percy. But he either didn't had the nerve to ask me, or didn't wanted to go with me. "And we didn't meant for our clothes to match." I finished.

"Oh." He said, and his face was full of disappointment.

I wondered if that was how I looked, when it was Miles who asked me, and not Percy. I hoped not. I had always been good at hiding my emotions, and not showing my feelings.

"Do you want the photo Percy?" He asked.

"Yeah, thanks," Percy said, and reached out with his right hand to take the photo.

My dad sent me and Percy a few more sad looks, before leaving the room.

"Helen did you know that Percy and Annabeth not are.." He asked, as he made his way upstairs, and his voice slowly faded.

"How bad do we look?" I asked Percy.

"Pretty good actually," He said, and showed the photo to me.

We actually did. On the picture, the color of my dress and his shirt looked the same, and both of us was smiling happy into the camera. Our eyes wasn't filled with worries. We just looked like normal and happy teenagers who was going to a dance together.

"I hate wearing a dress." I said. "There's nowhere I can put my knife, and I look stupid."

"You may be right about that knife thing, but you don't look stupid. I don't think you have ever called yourself stupid before, actually.. But that's not the point. You look.." He moved his eyes from the photograph to me. "You look beautiful."

"You think?" I asked, and looked into his eyes.

"Very much."

I was surprised that he didn't moved his eyes. He always did that lately, whenever we got eye contact. Unless we were fighting a monster. Then we talked through the eyes. Through many years of fighting together, we knew what the different looks meant.

"But I swear, if you ever show this picture to ANYONE at camp, especially the Aphrodite cabin, I will kill you."

He laughed, and I joined in.

"Don't worry. I would never do that."

"I know," I said.

"Hey! We're here!" I heard someone call from my front door. It was Hana and Liam.

"Hey guys!" I called back.

Percy must have got snapped back to realty, because he for very busy removing his hand from my waist. It was okay though. I would feel pretty awkward if they walked in on us, standing like that. I think.

"Wow, you two look amazing!" Hana said, and hugged me.

"Thanks, you too." I said and smiled.

"And the two of you wasn't going together?" Liam asked, and looked from me to Percy several times.

"No," Percy said, "why?"

"Oh. Never mind. You just look like you're going together." He said, and rubbed the back of his neck.

Miles came five minutes later.

"Wow you look.. er.. Matching.. I mean great, good, you know.." He said, as he saw me and Percy.

He was wearing a white button-down shirt and dark blue jeans. He looked okay, I guess.

"Thanks, you too Miles," I said, and hugged him.

Percy send me strange eyes, when I hugged Miles. It wasn't like he had never seen me hug a guy before, so I don't really know why he looked like that. But I kind of liked it.

Cath came two minutes later, looking wonderful in her dark green dress.

We left after 10 more minutes.

Hana and Cath had tried to make me wear high heels, but I refused, and wore my grey sneakers.

I had my knife in one of those stupid little bags, that girls always walk around with. Percy had Riptide in his pocket.

Okay, so I don't know how I feel about this chapter.. I kind of like it, and kind of don't. Please review what you thought about it!