Sorry! The last few days have been pretty hectic, what with Christmas, and Boxing Day, and whatnot. I wanted to update earlier today, since there's no school...But I had to go places. By the way, sorry for the late notice, but Merry Christmas! And, in advance, Happy New Year's! Sorry for all the randomness, time skips, and line breaks in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan does.

Chapter Twenty-One

(Annabeth's POV)

As Percy got up out of the couch, and started making his way over to me, my initial thought was, Yep. He just got cuter. His skin got a little more tan, he was a bit taller now, but his hair remained ever-so untameable. Luke touched my shoulder, reminding me that he was still here. Whoops, I guess I sort of forgot that.

Percy looked between us two, with an unreadable expression in his eyes. "Where's my hug?" He asked, opening his arms. I clenched my fists, in order to prevent myself from going towards him. Wasn't it against some unspoken rule to hug another male, in front of your boyfriend? Even if said male is your best friend? Once Percy saw that I wasn't going to hug him, he awkwardly put his hands back down. "Hey, man," he grinned at Luke. "It's been a while."

"Yeah it has." We then lapsed off into an uncomfortable silence. "Hey, I'm just going to go," Luke told me. "You two need some catching up to do." I slightly nodded, looking down at my feet.

Percy pouted, and yep. It's definitely still adorable. "But we need to catch up, too! It's been what? Three years?"

Luke smiled, "More or less. Maybe next time."

"I'll follow you to the door," I said, directing my statement to Luke. My eyes still remained glued to the floor.

He nodded, "Okay." Sparing one last glance at Percy, we walked towards the door, leaving him awkwardly standing in the middle of my living room.

"Are you sure you want to go?" I asked Luke.

One side of his mouth tugged up, "Yeah. It's fine." He gave me a kiss on the forehead. "I'll see you later."

I waved a little. "Bye."

I continued watching Luke's retreating back, when I suddenly felt a presence behind me, as I closed the door. "Well, that reunion didn't go as planned."

This time I didn't hold back. "Percy!" I exclaimed, wrapping my arms around his neck.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and laughed. Yep, it was still contagious. "I missed you, Wise Girl."

I dug my face in his shoulder, in order to hide my smile, and yep. He still smelt like the ocean, and of Sally's chocolate-chip cookies. "I missed you too, Seaweed Brain."

We continued hugging for gods' know how long. Long enough to start getting awkward, but short enough to not be satisfactory. I let go before it started getting uncomfortable. I held him by his shoulders, and pinched his cheeks. "Aww! Look at that. You're almost the same height as me, now!"

He scowled, and swatted my hands away, "Shut up."

I smiled, but then I suddenly remembered something. My smiled quickly turned into a frown, my eyes narrowed, and I started hitting him, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" With each syllable, I hit him.

He held up his arms, in order to block out my punches. "I'm sorry, okay!"

I glared at him, but still stopped, nonetheless. I pointed a threatening finger at him, "Explain."

Percy exhaled in relief, and rubbed the spots where I hit him. This time, I didn't feel guilty. "I wanted it to be a surprise?" He looked up at me with a hopeful expression, and puppy-dog eyes, and I just couldn't stay mad at him when he used that tactic on me. I'm not completely heartless.

I sighed. "How are you here, though?" Although, my main question was how did he afford to be here?

He rubbed the back of his neck, and yep. Nothing changed. "Well, uh, Paul had this teacher conference-thing in California, and because of the fact that it's Christmas, and teachers shouldn't have to spend it away from their families, they allowed Paul to bring us here, and voila! I'm here! Why they didn't just postpone it, I don't know. Why California? Don't ask me."

I disregarded the last bit of his explanation, "Wait, so your whole family is here?" He nodded. "So, Sally is here?" I pretty much exclaimed.

Percy looked at me oddly, "Uh, yeah?"

"Where is she?" I asked, impatiently.

"Unpacking at our hotel," he answered, simply.

"Why aren't you helping her?" I questioned, giving him a pointed look.

He tilted his head to the side, in an innocent manner. "I wanted to see you."

My features softened, and I faintly smiled. "You guys could've just stayed here, you know. We have plenty of space."

He waved off my offer, "They paid for our flight, and hotel, and everything. Besides, it seems like a pretty nice hotel. We might as well take advantage of it."

I rolled my eyes, ignoring who 'they' are. Percy just doesn't bother with elaboration, "How long are you staying?"

"A week," he stated, a bit sadly. "We're leaving on the twenty-seventh."

I frowned, "Well, that doesn't give us much time." I tugged on his wrists, "Come on then."

His eyebrows scrunched up, "Where are we going?"

I gave him a secretive smile, "I want to show you something." In the end, all I did was lead him up to the balcony in my bedroom, which might have been just a tad bit anti-climatic.

"It's pretty," he finally admitted, after a few seconds of awed staring. "You, Annabeth, are a very lucky person."

I rested my forearms on the rail. Out of my peripheral vision, I saw Percy do the same. "I know." We then lapsed off into a comfortable silence, the breeze blowing through our hair.

Although, after a little while, Percy broke the peace, "So, what next?" At my raised eyebrow, he further explained. "As much as I'd love to just stay here, and watch the grass grow, my ADHD is starting to act up. You're just lucky that I'm not throwing pots, right now."

I let out a breathy laugh, "There are no pots out here, Seaweed Brain."

He looked around, only to find my statement true. "How about that chair?"

I looked at said chair, and glared at him. "You wouldn't dare."

Percy gave me a cheeky grin, "Would you rather have me throw you?"

My glare hardened, "I doubt that you could carry me."

He raised an eyebrow, "Dare to test that theory?" I glared at him some more, until he put his hands up in surrender. "Kidding, okay? But still, what now?"

"I don't know. Since someone here," I gave him a pointed look, "didn't tell me that he was coming sooner, I don't have any plans."

He gave me a sheepish smile, "But, you are a Wise Girl. I thought that plans are your type of thing?"

"Okay then," I looked at the clouds, thoughtfully. "How do you feel about meeting my friends?"

His eyes widened, "Uh, no. That meeting can be prolonged until later on. I don't need a repetition of the first time I Skyped with them." I grinned. It was pretty awkward for him. "Speaking of which, you never really told me how your first date with Luke went."

I gave him an innocent look, "No? Must've slipped my mind."

I could tell that he didn't believe me. "Really? Nothing passes by you, though." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I don't need all these high expectations looming above my head, like clouds that never go away. Percy suddenly grinned. "But, being the nice friend I am, you can tell me now!"

I snorted. More like persistent. "We went to the movies, he was polite and nice, end of story. Tell your overprotective side to take a break."

He laughed, "Sorry. He took up all his vacation days." After a while, he sobered up, until he was just left with a small smile. "But really, though. Luke's a good guy, he suits you."

I looked down at my hands. "I guess. But, I mean, I'm moving away soon, and you know how long distance relationships are. The doubt and accusations become too much for someone to bear."

"Distance makes the heart grow fonder," Percy pointed out.

I thought it over, "Maybe, but," I hesitated, "that's not always the case. Relationships are meant to be built upon trust and faith, but with long distance, it starts to get tested." I stretched my arms upward, just for something to do. I was starting to get restless. "Not much couples pass that test. Besides, first-time relationships hardly ever work out."

"Then why would you date someone, if you know that it's never going to work out?" Percy asked.

I sighed. Why must Percy choose now to be curious, but still logical? "I thought that this relationship would be worth the inevitable heartbreak."

He cocked his head to the side, "Is it?"

I smiled bitter-sweetly. "It kind of is."

Percy rose an eyebrow. "Kind of?"

"Kind of," I focused my eyes on the thin strip of water, bordering the horizon.

"Well," Percy straightened his back, "that's enough sadness and philosophical questioning for today. What now?"

My answer was prevented by the doorbell ringing, that I can still hear from out here. The door opened seconds later. "We're home," my dad shouted.

I turned to Percy, with an evil glint in my eye. "How about a nice little reunion with my brothers?"

His eyes widened, "N-no." I started dragging him, by the hands. "Please Annabeth!"

I smirked, "Too bad. This is your punishment for not telling me you were coming, earlier."

"You're still on that?" He exclaimed, his struggle being only half-hearted, now.

"Of course," By now, we already reached the end of the stairs. The twins were too busy play-fighting with each other to notice our presence. "Hey Bobby and Matthew! Look what I found."

They looked up at me, with their jaws slacking at the sight of Percy. "Percy? Percy!" They squealed—yes, squealed—and attacked him with a bear-hug.

Percy blushed, and bent down to meet their height. He hugged them back. "Hey kiddos." Percy is probably the only person they allow to call them 'kids.'

"I missed you!" They said, in unison. Yeah...they sort of worship the ground Percy walks on.

He grinned. "Missed you too."

"Where's our hug?" My grandparents asked. They came back from their travelling about a week ago, only to stay until after New Year's.

Percy visibly lit up. "Nana! Papa!" He hugged them, tightly. "It's been so long!"

They laughed. "Yeah it has, Pumpkin," John said.

"So, how are you, Cookie?" Rosie asked, a little breathlessly. I noticed that she seemed worse, than the last time I saw her.

"I'm fine. How are you?" He asked, politely. For the next ten minutes, everyone got reunited with Percy. I noticed that everyone was shocked by his presence, except for my dad.

I pointed a finger at him, "You knew, didn't you?" My dad just gave me a sheepish smile.

With some difficulty, I let it go, and just looked back to Percy. I noticed Bobby and Matthew light up with excitement, and they were spouting off a bunch of things that they would do with him, now that he's here. "We're going to go to the park," Bobby started.

"And then we just have to show you the new Lego's we got." Matthew continued.

Bobby nodded, gravely. "We must. We'll show them to you, now."

They started dragging Percy up the stairs, and he sent me an expression that just screamed Help! I watched them go with a soft smile on my lips. Sometimes I think that my own step-brothers love Percy, more than they love me. You're on your own, I mouthed back.

Percy fake-glared at me. Traitor, he mouthed.

I snorted, and gave him a barely noticeable curtsy. Why thank you, I replied, but nonetheless followed. I had to make sure that Percy didn't die from tiny plastic boxes, any time soon. The next few hours consisted of a frustrated Percy, a laughing me, and two evil-yet-innocent twins trying to teach us the ways of Lego's.

"Please?" I asked, giving him my puppy-dog eyes.

Percy turned away. "Nope."

"Please?" I tried, once more.

He gave an exasperated sigh. "No, Annabeth. I'm not going to Piper's Post-Christmas party."

"Why not?" I exclaimed, throwing my hands all over the place.

Percy smiled, "Because I don't know anyone there."

"You know Luke!" I pointed out.

He hesitated. "I'm not much for parties, anyways."

"It's a small one, though!" I tried. "Only like, eight other people!"

His eyes slightly widened, "That's eight too many."

I rolled my eyes, "You weren't this anti-social, a few months before."

"I'm not anti-social!" He protested. "Also, I doubt that my mom would allow me to go."

I raised an eyebrow in challenge. "Shall we check?" I ignored Percy's pleas, and dialed Sally's number, on my phone.

She picked up after the second ring. "Hello. Sally Jackson speaking."

"Hey, Sally! It's Annabeth." I smirked at Percy's horrified look.

"Oh, hey sweetie! Is everything okay? Percy didn't do anything, right?"

"I didn't do anything!" Percy exclaimed, apparently being able to hear every word Sally says.

"Percy didn't do anything," I told her. She probably couldn't hear Percy, anyways. "I was actually calling to see if Percy could come somewhere with me, on Friday."

"Where?" She asked, with curiosity.

"One of my friends' place. She's having a party."

"A party?" I could hear the worry in her voice. "Like, a high school party? With lots of people, and drinking, and-"

"Not like that," I quickly reassured her. "There's probably only going to be eight other people there, and come on, Sally. We're only fourteen."

She laughed a bit in relief. "Right. Well, as long as you're going, Annabeth, I'm okay with it. Just keep him in line, all right? Not too much sugar, and no rum cake."

I laughed. Partly for her regulations, and partly at Percy's betrayed face. "Of course. I'll take care of him, Sally. No need to worry."

"It's my duty as a parent to worry, but I'll try." I could just imagine her smiling bitter-sweetly, after that statement.

"Okay, thank you!" I replied.

"Goodbye Annabeth."

"Bye!"

"Bye mom!" Percy added, but I doubt that she heard him.

I hung up, and looked at Percy victoriously. "Ha!"

"Merry Christmas!" I greeted Percy, Paul, and Sally, once I opened the door. They were holding some presents and a tray, probably filled with food. My parents decided that it would be a good idea to spend Christmas with the Jackson-Blofis family, since they were here, anyways. Besides, my dad and Helen already treat them like part of our family. Percy as their own son, and Paul and Sally as their siblings.

Sally kissed me on the cheek, "Merry Christmas, Annabeth."

"Merry Christmas, Wise Girl," Percy hugged me. Paul just gave me a smile, and a pat on the shoulder. The following minutes just consisted of some more Seasons' Greetings, and hugs and kisses. After our little reunion, the adults helped prepare the food, and the table, while us children did nothing helpful or productive. At all.

The next hour and a half consisted of Bobby and Matthew running around, mindlessly, all hyped up on sugar, while Percy and I sat on the couch, watching some Christmas movie that had this cheesy plot. The best part of it, however, was Percy adding in his own unnecessary comments, every two seconds.

"They'd look cute together," Percy said.

I rolled my eyes. "They're cousins, Seaweed Brain."

After a few scenes in the movie passed, Percy finally relented. "Oh right. Well, this is awkward."

I patted his shoulder, "It's okay. There are other ships in the sea."

"You see that blurry guy in the background?" Percy pointed vaguely at the screen.

"Which one?" I asked.

"The one in the blue shirt."

I rolled my eyes, "There are four males with a blue shirt, Percy."

He sighed, over dramatically, "The one with the blue shirt, and a sketchy hat."

I finally found the guy Percy was talking about. Pssh. That hat wasn't even sketchy, at all, "Oh yeah. What about him?"

"He's the bad guy," Percy stated, triumphantly.

I looked upwards, exasperatedly, as if asking for the gods above to come help me, "This is a Christmas movie, with a plot surrounding two people in their quest for love," I slightly recoiled at how cheesy that sounded. "There are no bad guys."

He deflated, "Darn it."

I patted his cheek, slightly slapping it. Whoops. It was supposed to be comforting, "It's okay, Percy. Next time."

"This is so cliché," Percy muttered, as this couple kissed under a mistletoe, while it was snowing. "And they're messing up my ship," he threw this stray piece of wrapping paper at the television screen. It landed only halfway. "Stop sinking my ship!" He screamed.

I sighed. "Percy, unless you are into cousins dating each other, the ship was never even built, in the first place."

He was silent for a few seconds, "Uh, right. Never mind."

Percy fake-sniffled, "This is so beautiful! And emotional!" He dabbed at his eyes.

I rolled my eyes, "Gods, Percy. These people are just getting married. They aren't even the main characters!"

He looked at me, "So?"

I sighed, "I swear, Percy. If you act like this at any wedding we go to, I'm pretending that I don't know you."

He hesitated, "What if I get emotional at my own wedding?"

"Then it's acceptable!" I grinned, "It's perfectly normal to be emotional at your own wedding. If you aren't, then I don't know you."

"Gee thanks," he mumbled. "Because that isn't confusing, at all.

"Of course not!" I exclaimed cheerfully, which sounded foreign, even to my own ears. "It makes perfect sense!"

Sally peeked her head around the doorway, preventing Percy from giving an eloquent response. "Dinner's ready."

Percy whooped, "Finally!"

Sally fondly shook her head at her son, as we stood up to go to the dining room, which was more suitable for special occasions, and more people. My eyes slightly widened, once we entered. That was a lot of food. Although, I guess with Percy here now, I have no doubt, whatsoever, that it won't eventually be finished by the time this night is over.

"This looks great," I politely told my parents and Sally. It was the truth, anyways.

"Great?" Percy grinned, "It looks absolutely amazing!"

My step-mom laughed, "Thank you, Percy." Okay then. Just ignore me, I thought.

We all took our seats, and after a while, we were finally allowed to dig in. I noticed Percy's eyes shine with happiness, from across me. That guy sure loves food. Seeing Percy so joyous (because of food. Out of all things!) made me smile through my turkey.

After around an hour, filled with incredible stories, told by the adults, and corny jokes, that still somehow make us laugh, courtesy of Percy. To my surprise, there was still some food left. Oh well, the night is still young.

"Present time?" Percy asked, hopefully, once all the dirty utensils and plates were put away. He reminded me of a little kid, on Christmas morning, excited to see what Santa left for him, underneath the tree.

Sally laughed, "Yes, Percy. Present time."

I hope you liked it! Once again, sorry for all the line breaks. Also, I didn't say this for a while, now, but thank you for all the reviews/favorites/follows!

Guest: I had to add this in, last minute. ;) I'm sure that your sister is very adorable when pouting, so now I shall worry. But I updated, so...yay!

Arcflash: Thank you! Merry Christmas, and Happy Boxing Day, to you too. As for my age and gender...You know, stranger danger, but I guess I can tell you that I am a female, and still in high-school. :p Sorry for the vagueness, but yeah. Stranger danger. And, yeah! Milestone!

Sinthia1123: Thank you!

BookNuts: Sorry that I didn't incorporate your idea. I hope that this was good enough, though! And, thank you!

oliviaxoxo1230: It is possible. And thank you! I think I surprised a lot of people...

Chouxes: Sorry! And, I update every Friday (well, according to my time zone), so hopefully that helps! (With the checking every ten minutes.)

Guest: Thank you!

taylorluvsPJO: Sorry! But still, thank you!

lovesyourstory: I don't know about the Percabeth...But there are definitely some Percy and Annabeth moments! Don't worry, I get excited too. Thank you!

YGBigBang2ne1: Yay! And, sorry. Every Friday.

the Oracle of Akemi: Sorry! But, thank you!

Horse1lover3: Thank you! And, sorry.

MyLittleBigBangSwitchAtOlympus: Thank you! And, yeah. But Percy's always adorable. :p Maybe he just wanted to Skype with her, anyways. You never know. And, maybe. Yeah. The friends might see something. And, uh...Well...I guess I might need some protection...*runs* Lukabeth isn't ending, yet, but it's not as prominent...? Thank you, again!

Abookenerdandproud: Sorry! And, yeah...Due to conflicting responses (more like two, but oh well), I had to sort of describe Lukabeth and their date. It was brief, though...!

SilverSeaweedBrains: Sorry! But, you know, it takes quite a while to write. (My procrastination isn't helping, either.)

mariaclara1400: It's fine. And, maybe...I'll see what I can do! And, it could be both, I guess...Sorry that the jealousy wasn't as evident, here! Uh...Like I said before, stranger danger, but I can say, for my age, that I'm still in high-school! (Sorry that it's so vague. :p) And, well, I just sort of wanted to write, so I did...? School, I guess, might've helped with the writing style, maybe. I'm not really sure. Your FanFictions will be great! I'm sure! If you're writing about Percabeth fluff, then you can't really go wrong. If I come up with anything more specific, then I might just PM you. And, it's fine. Longness is fine. Thank you!

Idk. yeah I really don't: Thank you!

XxThalicoRULZxX: It's fine! Thank you! Uh...I don't know about actually appearing in California, but I'll try adding mentions, here and there. And, yeah. They made an appearance at the beginning of the story.

Annabeth Chase: Thank you! And, aww. That's sweet. Oh no. Cheesier than Leo and Percy? The Leo and Percy I portray?! I wish you luck! I'm surprised you haven't melted into a puddle of rainbows, yet. ;) Uh, for the Lukabeth, eventually! I can guarantee that!

imaagine4ever: Muahahaha. I can. Thank you, though!

xXDaughterOfWisdomGoddessXx: Yesssss! A cliffy!

Rainbow Lava Ninjas: Thank you! And sorry that the description of the date was very brief.

SeaTurtle13: I prefer dark. :p Uh...I actually wanted Luke to be sort of "good" in this, so I'm sorry that I probably won't use that idea. Sorry!

kissmyquiver: Sorry! Thank you!

QueenofSilver: Thank you! And, you're welcome...!

Raibla: I can! Sorry!

PixelArtyGirl: That's good! And, yes, obliviousness is key! And, maybe she will, and maybe she won't. I actually thought that you were joking about that song...Until you actually verified it's real-ness. Now I shall debate whether or not to listen to it...

PercabethLover1235: Sorry!

OHaiImaWriter: Thank you! And, not yet, but eventually. And, it's fine. Ideas are always appreciative, although, I always feel bad whenever I'm not using someone's...And, yeah! Percabeth!

percyjacksonfan555: Yeah! Oh my gods. The fangirl pterodactyl noises always get me, every time.

Alexandra5Cats: Eventually! I can guarantee that! Thank you, by the way!

Sweet Cats: Because I like making feels explode...? I actually don't know. And, it's fine! And, aww! I inspire people! Yay! For you! And, I'm not perfect at writing...much less better than Rick...I'm sure your stories will be amazing, though! Thank you!

Smiles Burn In The Styx: It's okay! Rum cake can be special, even without Seaweed Brains! Make the most out of it!

CoralCrystals: I took that joke from the Internet, so if you want, you can search it up...? And, thank you! Oh my gods, thanks! Although, sometimes the fluff chapters can be random...Blame Writer's Block! And, yeah. Lukabeth just doesn't work with Thalia and Percy in the picture. Although, they probably wouldn't really work out, in the end. Even if age should not matter for dating, they are seven (more or less) years apart. So... :/ Thank you!

Guest: Thank you!

Demi-shark: Thank you! (Shh! She [or he...?] might hear you! Anyone like a hyper Percy can be disastrous!)

daughterofposeidon2001: We are friends! (I think.) But, well, even if cliffies are stressful to read, they are fun to write! Thank you!

spiesareawesome: Muahahahaha! And, well, uh oh, then. Now I shall worry. Who cackles and disappears? Besides you?

Ya I'm THAT chick

fortisle

Chouxes

Haseo420

gracelwis9

luigiman201

AncientTide

owlmagpie

Also, I didn't say this in a long time, too, sorry if I added someone, again, or if I spelt anyone's name wrong! Also, if I forgot anyone, please tell me, so that I can add you!