Chapter 13

I had definitely underestimated the Jackson's enthusiasm about their Fourth of July party.

I figured, party at two or three, breakfast at eight, and definitely time to take the horses out to the river like Percy and I usually did every morning.

Unfortunately, I was wrong. Percy came barging into my room the next day at five AM.

"Annabeth." He sang, shaking my side.

"Mmhmm." I mumbled, before falling back into unconsciousness.

"Get up!" His voice, barely a foot from my ear, was piercing.

"Percy, it's dark out still." I said, pulling the blankets up over my head.

"So?" He said, throwing the covers off of me. At least I hadn't slept in my underwear like I had two nights ago. "Time to start getting ready. We have lots to do."

I did my best to glare at him, but the kid was so happy I wasn't sure anything could put him in a bad mood.

"Come on!" He whined, pulling on my wrist.

"Coming, coming." I grumbled, slipping on a sweatshirt over my tank top.

We ran down the stairs, Percy pulling me most of the way. The usual fresh fruit and bacon smell wasn't there, and Percy gave me a banana to eat instead.

"Kids, come out here. We have to hang the lights up in the dark before it gets light so we know if they work." Sally called, the front door wide open.

We walked outside, me complaining about how I needed more than a banana, and found Percy's parents standing on ladders, stringing fairy lights around the roof of the house.

"Percy, pass me that hammer, will you?" Poseidon asked, holding a nail in place. Percy started to move, dragging over another ladder and a box of nails.

I was pretty sure I could have stood there in shock the rest of the day, but Sally caught onto me. "Sweetie." She said. "Can you go to the shed and grab the tents?"

I stood rooted in my spot. "Uh, do you guys think this is a bit much?" I asked, and the three of them looked at me weirdly. "It is, like, five AM, right?"

Poseidon chuckled. "You might have gone to a charity gala for the event of the season, but this is our favorite day of the year. Nothing is too much."

"Tents please, Annabeth." Sally said. "Percy, please don't chop my hand off." She said, wary of the hammer in Percy's hand.

I shook my head, chuckling, and headed towards the shed. There were three white bags, taking up almost the whole thing. I dragged them out, one by one, and Percy came over to help set them up when I was done. We spent the next hour working hard, the tents not always cooperating. Percy kept it light, joking around with me and his parents. The sun rose, a violent display of colors on the horizon.

I paused, smiling. "Kind of makes getting up at five worth it." I said softly.

Percy grinned at me. "Kind of." He said, not taking his eyes off me.

Once it was completely light out, Poseidon called a break. It was a little before seven, and we could smell the food Sally was making inside. My stomach grumbled angrily, and Percy and I tripped over each other trying to get to the door, laughing.

I took a couple pieces of bacon and some toast. "Thanks." I said, voice muffled by the food.

Percy took his fifth piece of bacon. Somehow, he had finished four in the time I had eaten one. "Do we need anything from town?" He asked.

"I don't think so." Sally said, dusting her hands off on her apron. "Why?"

"Just wondering." He shrugged. "I like the drive."

Sally rolled her eyes, putting some eggs on a plate. "We have plenty to do. After breakfast, we can set up the chairs and everything. Guests are coming over around one."

"You'll love it." Percy said, turning to me. "There's games and burgers and lemonade and we can probably take some kids out to the river for a swim, and-"

"Percy," I said gently, placing a hand on his arm. "I can't go." I gave him a little smile.

"What?" He asked, confused. I could see the sympathetic looks his parents were sending my way. "Why?"

"Too many people." I said. "I'm not that good at makeup."

"You went to that party." He pointed out.

"It was dark in there, and Silena did my makeup." I said. "This is in broad daylight, with even more people."

"But-" He protested. "You have too!"

"It's okay." I said, trying for another smile, even though it was killing me that I couldn't go. "I'll just stay in my room, it's not a big deal."

"It is a big deal." He said, looking imploringly at his parents. "There has to be something we can do. It won't be fun without you there!"

I rolled my eyes. "You'll be fine. You've gone every other year without me." I said.

"But-" He started to protest again.

"Percy." Sally chided. "There's nothing we can do."

"Really, it's fine." I insisted. "Come on, let's get out the chairs. We have work to do."

Percy nodded reluctantly, and followed me outside. The two of us set to work, bringing out tables, chairs, a couple barbecues. Eventually, I went inside to help Sally with the food. We made four different kinds of punch, cut up all the toppings for the burgers.

It was weird to see the behind the scenes of a party. We had thrown parties at my house in LA, but our staff and butler had always helped set it up. My mom and I hadn't touched a thing until that first glass of champagne was handed to us.

I liked it this way better. The work that went into something like this made me appreciate it even more. The food looked amazing, and I started to really wish I was going to be there. Sally suggested I box up some fruit and maybe a sandwich for my dinner, which just made me even more depressed.

Percy and Poseidon came in a couple hours later to grab some lunch. They were sweaty and gross, which made Percy think this was the best time to give me a huge warm hug.

"Ew!" I squealed, pushing him away. "Shower, first."

Percy pouted, pulling on my arm. "So mean. All I want is love."

I rolled my eyes, blushing. "Shower." I insisted, grabbing a peanut butter and jelly for myself.

Percy grinned. "Fine, fine. Want to come with?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

I was sure I was a deep shade of red, and before I could stutter out an answer, his mom talked.

"Percy Jackson." She said, glaring at him. "Not funny."

Percy raised his arms in defense. "Sorry, just joking. Be down in a sec." He said, rushing upstairs.

Poseidon raised an eyebrow at me, and started to laugh. I blushed harder, and took a seat at the table, pretending to be very interested in my nails.

Percy was back in less than five minutes, and a lot more unfazed by his previous comment than I was. He snatched one of my chips, and shoved it in his mouth, eliciting a "Hey!" from me.

Percy smirked. "Come on, let's go meet the guests. They'll be here any minute."

"I can't go, remember?" I said, shaking my head.

"Oh, right." He frowned. "I kind of forgot."

I laughed, rolling my eyes. "I should probably get upstairs." I said, hearing the gravel turn as a car pulled up.

Percy looked hesitant, but he nodded, grasping my arm. "Yeah, I'll see you later." I smiled up at him, grabbed my weak dinner, and headed upstairs for the night.

-0-

It wasn't long before I got absolutely bored out of my mind. I had read two of the books I had brought with me, watched an episode of Gossip Girl, and now I was currently sitting on my bed, staring at the ceiling.

It didn't help that every five seconds laughter wafted up the stairs, and the smell of a fresh cooked burger made it to my nose. My mind wandered, trying to pass the time. I checked my phone, groaning when I realized only two minutes had gone by since the last time I had checked it.

I turned on another episode of Gossip Girl and tried to get into it, but it wasn't working. I turned it off, flopping back down on my bed with a sigh. I was wallowing in self-pity when I heard the creak of the stairs. I bolted upright, and heard another creak. I looked around the room, and headed towards the closet, shutting off the lights and trying to steady my breathing.

The footsteps got closer, and I heard the slight turn of the doorknob. Why would anybody even come in here?

"Annabeth?" A voice asked – Percy's voice to be exact. I breathed out a sigh of relief.

"In here." I called out, opening the door and unfolding myself.

He laughed. "What are you doing in the closet?"

I glared at him. "I didn't know it was you! You scared me." I said, running a hand through my hair.

"Sorry." He said, but he didn't look very apologetic.

"Why aren't you down at the party?" I asked.

Percy shrugged. "Wasn't very fun without you. Besides, I figured you might be hungry."

"Percy," I chided, giving him a look. "This is your favorite night of the year. You need to go back."

He shook his head firmly. "No, there's always next year. You are only here this year." He said, grabbing my hand. "Come on, let's go to my room."

"Percy." I protested, but I let him lead me away. His room faced the front of the house, and a huge window overlooked the party. I saw a bunch of people I had already met, and a lot I didn't recognize. It seemed like the whole town had showed up, and considering only like three hundred people lived here, the idea wasn't out of the realm of possibilities.

His room was surprisingly clean, and there were a few floor pillows laid out for us to sit on. He sat down in front of the window, the sun low in the sky, casting an amber glow on his face.

"I got some burgers that were just grilled a few minutes ago, some chips, a couple sodas, and some grapes. Oh, and my Aunt May's famous potato salad. It's awesome, you have to try it." He said, grabbing the paper plates and napkins.

My stomach growled on cue, and I dug in. I had eaten a couple hours ago, but the freshly grilled burgers and buttery bread tasted so much better.

We ate in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the food, before I eventually talked. "What are you doing up here?" I asked quietly, glancing over at him.

He grinned at me. "I couldn't let you sit up here for ten hours alone." He said.

"What did you tell everybody?" I asked, taking a bit of potato salad which was definitely delicious.

"Told them I had a stomachache. Mom and Dad helped set this all up." He said, finishing off the last of his burger.

I raised an eyebrow. "You're gonna get a stomachache if you keep those eating habits up."

Percy just grinned, and stuffed ten chips in his mouth all at one time. I giggled, shaking my head.

"Tell your parents thanks, then." I said. "This is a lot better than the rereading of Pride and Prejudice I had planned."

Percy shook his head. "So boring." He commented, throwing a grape up and catching it.

"I try." I said, finishing my burger. "So, any other friends I haven't met yet?"

"Nope." He said. "I do have some enemies though."

I rolled my eyes. "Really, enemies?" I asked skeptically.

"You see that scrawny kid, right there? In the purple t-shirt?" We pressed our noses against the glass, and I followed his finger, nodding.

"That's Octavian." He said, shaking his head. "Hate that guy. And that huge girl over by the last tent? With the stringy hair." I laughed, but nodded. "That's Clarisse. She's pretty irritating too."

"What'd they ever do to you?" I asked, trying not to smile.

Percy shrugged. "Depends on who you ask." He said, pointing to some adults that were talking by the bonfire. "That's my Aunt May and her son, Luke. Nice, but overly chatty."

I laughed, shaking my head. We had laid down on our stomachs, tossing grapes in the air and seeing if we could catch them. Percy threw one at me, and it bounced off my head and back into his mouth, which had us giggling for years. When we finally calmed down, I asked, "Is Rachel here?"

Percy's eyes turned dark. "I don't know. Don't really care either. I haven't seen her, so I assume not." He paused for a second before continuing. "Probably at some rich person party in a stupid dress with her stupid rich friends."

I stayed quiet, not really sure what to say. "Are you… okay? With the breakup and everything." I said hurriedly, the silence between us deafening.

He didn't respond for a few minutes, and his voice was low when he did. "I don't feel a single ounce of remorse, which is probably the worst thing." He shrugged, picking at his plate. "I don't know, maybe it hasn't been long enough."

I fixated my gaze on a star out the window, trying not to look his way. "Maybe." I whispered.

Percy shook his head. "Enough about her. Tonight is about you and me." He said, grinning at me, and I couldn't help but return the smile. The sun was setting, the same colors of red and orange appearing just like they had that morning. The bonfire started, and Percy brought out the chocolates and marshmallows.

"We can't toast them up here." He said, grabbing a graham cracker, "But I thought we could eat cold ones."

I reached for the chocolate, but he put his hand over mine, stopping me. "I'll make it." He said softly, eyes swirling. We paused, staring at each other for a moment too long, before I coughed, blushing.

"Thanks." I said hoarsely, and he nodded, removing his hand. I watched him slip the chocolate and marshmallow inside the graham cracker and press it down so it stayed. I took a tentative bite as he made his, giving a hum as I bit in.

Percy grinned. "I make the best smore's."

"Technically-" I started, but he cut me off.

"I don't need your technically's, Wise Girl." He said, chuckling at me. I rolled my eyes, but I was laughing along with him. We sat in silence for a little, watching the sparks disappear into the now black sky. Crumbs tickled my lips, and we could just hear the sounds of laughter and chatter from below.

"Thanks." I said quietly, finishing off the second smore Percy made me.

"You really should thank my parents," Percy said, dusting off his hands. "I mean, they put all the food together and they-"

"Percy," I said gently. "You're the one here with me. Okay?"

He nodded, giving me a shy smile. The party was winding down, and Poseidon and Sally were sending the guests off with waves and hugs.

"We should pack this up." Percy said, standing up and stretching. I followed, stuffing the paper plates and plastic silverware back into the basket.

"It's late." He said when his room was clean once again. "You should get some sleep, I'll worry about clean up."

"No, you did all this for me, I can help clean it up." I protested, but my body betrayed me, and I had to stifle a yawn.

Percy chuckled. "Just sleep, okay?"

"Okay." I said, walking with him to the top of the stairs. He gave me one last smile, and was about to go down before I stopped him. "Wait." I blurted out, and wrapped my arms around his neck before I could think twice. I felt his hand tentatively land on my lower back, then he pressed firmer, his hand warm and sure on the little piece of bare skin peaking out. I burrowed my head into his neck, pressed a small kiss to his shoulder, then pulled away. I tried not to smirk at his bright red face, but I most likely failed. "Goodnight." I whispered.

Percy smiled, that stomach churning, tongue twisting grin that I stayed up at night thinking about. "Goodnight, Annabeth." He said, then turned and left, leaving me with a wide grin on my face that didn't go away until I fell asleep.

So, I am so sorry I have been gone for so long. My computer broke, and then I had the worst writer's block with this story. I know where I want to end up, but these next couple chapters are getting hard to come up with, because there are a few things I don't want happening just yet. Anyways, this was kind of rushed, and mostly dialogue, but I hope you guys like it.

Different Cities will probably be updated either today or tomorrow, and of course The First Season will be updated Tuesday. I'm working on a oneshot, but those are always afterthoughts so who knows when it's going to come out.

Review and enjoy!
-a