AN: Here's another chappie.

Percy's PoV:

"Annabeth, please, pick up the phone. I know it wasn't right for me to do that-- I'm sorry. I don't-- I have no idea what I was thinking-- um, listen. Just-- just call me back as soon as possible. Bye," I sighed, and hung up.

I'd been calling her all week. She wouldn't text me. She wouldn't call me. She wouldn't answer any of my voicemails.

What if I did something horribly wrong? How could our friendship ever recover?

I sat cross-legged on the couch, staring at my phone, willing it to ring. It didn't work too well. Ben came downstairs, making airplane noises as he held his small toy airplanes, "flying" them around the living room. "Look, Daddy! Dey're going to Gweece!" he giggled. I smiled weakly at him, as he came and plopped himself onto the seat next to me.

"Whas wrong?" he asked. I sat up straighter.

"Huh-- oh, nothing!" I replied shakily. His green eyes burned through mine for a second, as if his young brain could decipher something in my tone. "What do you want for dinner?" I asked, changing the subject.

He shrugged. "I dunno. You a bad cook," he said playfully, grinning. I laughed and tickled him. He giggled, fighting my hands, trying to swat them away. "Can—we--have—pizza?" he managed to get out. I nodded.

"Okay. Just cheese? Or do you want sausage on them, too?" I asked, continuing to tickle him. He hiccuped. He had a bad habit of hiccuping after laughing a lot. I finally stopped. "Hiccup," I said quietly, and he hiccuped. He frowned at me disapprovingly. "Hiccup," I said again, and he jumped, and hiccuped.

"Stop it!" he insisted. I smiled, and he stuck his tongue out at me.

"Hiccup!"

Hiccup~

He clamped his hand over my mouth. "Hiccup!" I said, my voice muffled. He hiccup again, and ran downstairs.

"Aw, c'mon, Ben. I'll stop. Promise," I said solemnly, holding my right hand up.

"Sweaw?" he asked. I nodded, and he grinned. We walked downstairs, and he looked up at me. "How do you do that?" he asked, and I smiled.

"Magic," I said quietly, waggling my fingers mysteriously. "So, do you still want that pizza for dinner?"

He nodded. "Wif sausage, pwease," he said, reaching for his DS.

"'Kay," I said, reaching for the phone.

Ben burped.

"Scuse me," he said. I laughed. "I'ma gonna go watch TV, Daddy," he said. I nodded, and he ran upstairs, his small feet thundering up the wooden steps.

The phone rang. "Hello?" I asked into the phone.

"Hey, Percy, it's Michael." Michael was Rachel's lawyer, but we were somewhat close.

"Oh, hey. Whatsup? She finally decided on a date?" I asked, annoyed, not at him, but my ex-wife, for taking what-- a year?

"Yeah. Next Saturday. She says if you don't take it, she's getting Benjamin. Is Ian ready?" he asked. I could tell he was trying to keep a good-natured voice, but it felt awkward, since he was my friend.

"Ian's been ready for the past ten months, Mike. Yeah, Saturday is good. I'll get my mom to take care of Ben, or something. Is that it?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'll see you next Saturday, Perce. I really hope you keep Ben," he said sincerely, and hung up.

"Mom?"

"Oh, hi, Percy. How are you?" she asked. I smiled.

"Great, Mom. Hey-- if you're not busy, I'm asking you to take care of Ben next Saturday. I'm going to court for that Rachel thing, and I don't want to bring Ben," I said, drumming my fingers on the counter. I'd already tried asking Grover, but he was on his somewhat honeymoon with Juniper still. Nico seemed immature, and Thalia was with her Hunters. Also, Jayk was working.

"Oh-- Percy, I'm sorry-- I'm going to be working that day. I'm really sorry, dear," she said sincerely.

"Ah. Okay, Mom. It's fine. I'll just call someone else. Thanks, though," I said, hanging up.

Who else was I going to call?

As I thought, my eyes wandered to a picture on the wall of two teenagers, one with black, messy hair, and one with blond curls.

"Crap, Annabeth."

Annabeth's PoV:

"Hey, Annabeth. It's Percy. Um... next Saturday, I have to go to court for the Rachel thing, and I was wondering if you could possibly take care of Ben that day. I tried calling some others, but they were all busy. Sorry to bother you. Uh-- call me back as soon as possible. Thanks."

I sighed as I hung up my voicemail. He'd sent me about twenty other voicemails, and I'd actually taken the time to listen to them. At least this one was different, not apologizing about the... uh... kiss.

How could he think-- that after all these years-- that we'd be alright? Sure, he may have not been thinking, but he didn't know how much it would affect me. My heart was racing, just thinking about it. The softness of his lips-- the ocean smell that lingered on his skin-- the hungriness I felt-- wait.

I still remembered the hungry kisses we'd shared when we were teens, the ones that would keep me awake at night just wanting more-- it all came back. And now, it was still keeping me awake, the monster that had been tamed inside my chest was stirring, remembering the fiery kisses from what felt like so long ago.

I needed him, still. I still loved him, but would things ever be the same again? How, next Saturday, could I stand not kissing him again? How, next Saturday, could I keep my eyes away from his god-like lips? Why now, was Aphrodite ruining everything that she'd strived for when we were sixteen?

I left a voice SMS, not wanting to hear his voice again. It would just make me stutter. Then again, I was stuttering when I left the SMS.

"Hey, Percy, it's Annabeth. Uh-- I can-- uh-- t-take care of Ben next Saturday. Err-- yeah-- well, bye." I hung up.

"Crap, Percy," I whispered, putting my head in my hands.