Disclaimer: No one is as awesome as Uncle Rick. Especially me. Characters belong to him.

Warning: slight cursing

Previously: "Annabeth," a reporter said tentatively, drawing her attention. "What made you want to leave the world with a poorly-written note and try to commit suicide?"

She paused. "What?"

The reporter- a man who had to be no younger than 40- asked again, gaining more confidence. "Well, since it was obviously about Percy-"

"Excuse me? What makes you think it had anything to do with Percy?" She demanded, standing up and ignoring the flinch she received from the younger girl next to her. Hazel put a hand on her wrist, looking up, pleading Annabeth to sit down with her eyes. Percy sat at the other end of the table his jaw tense and his hand clenching around his pen, but otherwise he looked completely unfazed, unaffected by the accusations.

"Well, many people believe that you tried to end your life because of your on again off again relationship abruptly stopped because of Kel-"

Annabeth sat down again with more force than necessary, biting her lip to refrain from yelling."Percy and I are not dating. He's in a serious relationship with Kelli Empsai. And my personal issues are not anyone else's business but mine." Despite all she just said, the crowd of nosy reporters, paparazzi and fans, started talking among themselves, basically only extracting the fact that Annabeth confirmed the suicide note.

Percy stood up and whistled sharply in the microphone in front of him, receiving a wave of feedback, drawing everyone's attention to him. "If I'm not mistaken," He said slowly, making eye contact with almost every reporter in the front row, "this interview was supposed to be about our upcoming movie. Not the very personal lives of the leads." And with a charming smile, everyone's uneasiness slipped away.

But she could see straight through that smile. He was trying not to lose it himself. He glanced at her, his eyes asking if she was okay. She nodded, looking down. Her good mood had been quickly decreasing, but now it burned in Tartarus. She just wanted to leave so bad. To leave this stupid world of drama and gossip where no one has any privacy and you're ridiculed by the tiniest of situations.

"It's going to be okay," Hazel said, squeezing her arm reassuringly. She couldn't make herself smile back.

The rest of the interview went by smoothly, no one speaking a word about the latest buzz about 'Percabeth' or Annabeth's suicide note. Whenever anyone would step out of line, mentioning even a word about Annabeth, Percy would glare, and they'd quickly steer the conversation from her. And then Percy would look over at her and smile slightly, presumably making sure she was still okay.

She was really getting mixed feelings from it all. On the one hand, Percy acted as if he didn't care- like he had a life and he was planning on living it, with or without her. And then on the other hand he was being all protective of her, threatening anyone who would dare bringing a frown to her face and then proceeding to check if she was okay. It didn't make sense- if he loved her like he claimed, why was he still with Kelli, hurting her even more?

But what she said earlier wasn't completely untrue: Percy and Kelli were kind of getting serious. She was always around- on set holding coffees and waiting for him to finish, or even waiting outside their hotel door for him. It was obvious she loved him too- or at least had some feelings running deep- which was probably the only thing she and Annabeth shared in common.

Kelli was so insecure, she'd do anything to secure her position as Percy' s girlfriend. Annabeth was the type to sit and watch- as long as he was happy and she wasn't too miserable she could deal.

But, this whole 'diplomatic' thing sucked. Annabeth was all about being mature and stuff, but Kelli had taken this to a whole new -and beyond personal- level. She'd been a bully since day one. She made herself promise that if she saw Kelli, she would put her in check. So far, the smug little world-traveling-expensive-clothes wearing she-devil always thought she won simply because predictable little Annabeth acted exactly how she was expecting.

But Annabeth was done with the games. Maybe it was time to stop being so predictable. Percy was right- she rashly ended things between them simply because she was bitching about Kelli. Well, he never really said that, but it was kind of implied.

Kelli could go jump off a cliff if she thought she could get the best of her. Annabeth was not going to let herself get walked over anymore; she was Percy's girlfriend, not hers. Annabeth was done caring.

So if Kelli wanted to target Annabeth, she could go ahead. Annabeth would happily stand still and let her take aim.

For the rest of the month, Annabeth had been the center of attention in the media. Everyone targeted her, good and bad. But she pretended what Kelli did didn't matter to her, and it all kind of blew away when a new star to harass came along.

Sure, people still looked at her and pointed every time she walked around, but since when did they not do that? It was nothing she couldn't handle. Kelli had also gone so far as to talk to Annabeth, something she'd never really done before. She wasn't threatening her. She just asked what was wrong with Annabeth and why she wasn't caving. Why she wasn't bothered by everything she'd done. She actually seemed sincerely guilty, and Annabeth actually considered forgiving her.

You know, until she turned around and purposely kissed Percy in front of her. But Annabeth wouldn't react. Even though she felt as though Percy might as well have stabbed her, she kept it inside, smiling whenever she made eye contact with Kelli over Percy's shoulder. And she could tell it was driving Kelli insane.

Kelli was so needy and insecure it was kind of hilarious. Every second the model would be snatching Percy away if he even smiled at a girl or she would constantly take up his attention and practically eat his lips, even if she was just trying to look good. She almost felt bad for Percy. And then she remembered all the shit he put her through and decided he deserved it, at least for now.

Oh, and you should have seen Kelli after they shot the kissing seen. She was absolutely furious Annabeth had to take pictures. And, to piss her off further, Annabeth asked if she could take a picture with her and posted it as 'hanging with my new bestie who's feeling green at the moment'.

But, eventually, Kelli was out of Annabeth's hair for good. The last day of filming, Annabeth was relieved to go back home. Yeah, she'd have to see even more of Kelli and her new-old boy toy eye candy in interviews and premieres, but at least she wouldn't have to stay in the same hotel that created an extreme awkward atmosphere where the tension was palpable.

And everything turned out great. Hazel and a lot of the other extras and minor actors went to a college in Manhattan, so she could see her new friends more, and it seemed as if their weird group of freaks they called friends were all in the same area, so they could all see each other. The only downside to that was the fact that Percy was also a part of their freakish friend group and that would require seeing him a lot more than necessary on those rare 'under the radar' hours.

When their opening premiere rolled around, Annabeth was less than excited.

Apollo had offered to take her, it kind of being an obligation as her "boyfriend" so she agreed. After the whole 'suicide note' fiasco, the fans had banded together ans solidified "Percabeth" making the ship harder and harder to sink. They'd even made fanfictons and blogs about them. Nothing she could do. So she gave up. She would go out with Apollo, specifically when there were a horde of paparazzi were around, but it was obvious they weren't really buying it.

So they planned to break up tonight, at the premiere. It gave her a good excuse to leave after she went on stage with Percy for her speech about how fun the movie had been or something and she wouldn't be required to go the the after party strictly for celebs. She could say she was too heartbroken.

They planned it, and it was perfect. That is, until the plan started. It had been a train wreck since the beginning.

Silena- who had insisted to continue being Annabeth's designer while she went to college part time- had gone all out in making Annabeth look the best and draw all the attention. So, she had put Annabeth in a dress so glamorous she could hardly believe belonged to her. Despite Silena's severe berating about proper wardrobe choices, she just decided to wear flats beneath the billowing dark blue fabric.

First, they'd been late. The second she stepped out of the limo, the carpet was practically deserted, save for a few fans who didn't have tickets but were hoping they would get to see something. It kind of ruled out her option of flaunting around her "super hot date".

And then Annabeth was chided for being late and shoved into some dark room. No one told her that she would be risen up on a platform onto the stage- so, of course, she turned around so quickly she practically tripped over the fabric of the dress, hearing a small rip. She closed her eyes and cursed. It wasn't that bad- just the front had practically ripped a whole layer of the front of the dress, revealing another white layer, which kind of made it look better in a sense, like it was supposed to be two different shades. So she just tied the extra fabric around her waist in a bow.

It wasn't like she could do anything now.

After her speech about how the experience had been so fun and joking around with Percy on stage, pretending to be best buds, she had kind of been drained of all her energy. She considered calling it in early. But that wasn't an option, because reporters were swarming her about "quick interviews". But being on stage with Percy made her realize that that was the way she wished the were, in real life, like when they were kids. But that time was long gone, and the lighthearted times had run out. Things were broken between them and they both knew it.

Annabeth, Piper and Apollo were seated in row H, almost out of the spotlight of the front row, which was the best news she had heard all night. Unfortunately, a camera was positioned in front of row G, kind of zooming in every few minutes to see her reaction.

When the movie started, she let out a small breath of relief. If that thing had been pointed in her face the whole night, she would've gone insane. The lights dimmed and Apollo retracted his hand that had been around her shoulder while the cameras were filming.

The lights dimmed and the introduction lines started, her voice filling the almost silence of the unbelievable filled theater. Halfway into the movie, she was starting to get fidgety, no doubt her ADHD working up. Suddenly wanting to move and not watch her horrible acting that people seem to find 'fantastic' for some reason, Annabeth stood up and ducked her head. "Where are you going?" Piper whispered, eyeing a reporter who was talking to Hazel a few yards away. Annabeth shook her head and her assistant sighed. But she agreed earlier. No interviews tonight.

So she let Annabeth go, telling her not to draw attention to herself. Of course, if a reporter actually spotted her, she'd no doubt be publicly shamed- "breaking news! Annabeth ditching out on her own premiere? Who does she think she is?" But after going through the 'suicide note' expose, she felt like she could kind of do anything. If she could go along holding her head up high and act as if she wasn't affected through something like that, why would it be so hard to ignore what some low-life thinks of her?

It was kind of clear that the celebrity life wasn't for her- there was absolutely no privacy, and there was also the fact of dealing with critics and mean actors and pretending what they say doesn't affect them even when it does. She didn't want to be a puppet anymore. She had only become famous because it was temporarily making her money- what was her reason for doing it now?

Either way, she wanted that sense of normalcy again that she had taken advantage of when it was available to her. Now that it was gone she cherished it and wished it back, like wanting a mother back from the deceased. She was just so sick of all the the lies and falseness of it all- why couldn't people be interested in the truth?

Startled, Annabeth was brought out of her thoughts when she nearly tripped on a bag outside the women's restroom. She picked it up and gingerly opened the door. She paused at the girl in a heap on the marble floors in front of the sink, sobbing loudly.

"Um, is this your bag?"

She froze when the girl looked up. How had she not realized it before? The large mass of midnight black hair, smooth chocolate colored hair and probably the most expensive dress Annabeth had ever seen in her life. Kelli was a mess, to put it lightly.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, still filled with tears, which where highlighted by streaks of mascara and eye liner smudged and running. She stood up, and slowly walked to Annabeth, her eyes narrowed. Although she still looked threatening, the fact that her lip was trembling to hold in the tears ruined the 'scary' effect for Annabeth.

She snatched her bag away. "What're you doing here?"

Annabeth shrugged; she couldn't find it in her to get upset. Kelli wasn't worth it. All her hate for the girl had somehow morphed into pity; she was lonely. She had no one, and she resorted to manipulation and spitefulness to get what she wanted.

"You could say thank you, you know. It's not a crime to be nice every once and a while. I'm sure that bag costs more than your dress and shoes combined." Annabeth said, leaning on the sink while she watched Kelli's fruitless attempt to compose herself and yell at her.

"Is there something wrong?" Annabeth asked. Stupid question, really. If everything was okay, Kelli wouldn't be losing it on a bathroom floor while her boyfriend and thousands of fans were waiting on her. But she was just being polite- actually, Annabeth wanted to be anywhere but here.

Kelli narrowed her eyes. "What do you think?" she hissed. And then, all the effort of trying to be malicious to Annabeth seemed to drain and she slid down a wall, leaning her head back and sucking in a shaky breath. "Everything about this night went all wrong. I thought- I thought I had everything under control. And then everything unraveled and- oh gods," She bit her lip, shaking her head.

It looks like Annabeth wasn't the only one with a plan tonight. They kind of fell into an odd silence. She slid down the wall next to Kelli, her dress pooling around her legs, looking like water. Annabeth closed her eyes, listening to Kelli's uneven breaths. "Percy broke up with me."

Annabeth's eyes opened and she turned her neck so quickly she nearly got whip lash. Her eyes were as wide as saucers. Kelli, who had been watching Annabeth closely, shook her head and laughed sadly, looking away. "You should see your reaction. Of course. It's you."

"What?" Annabeth asked. Kelli looked at her with a knowing expression. "Wow, you really are clueless. I mean, its been obvious since the beginning. Why do you think I've done such horrible stuff to you?"

She didn't answer. She didn't know what to say. "Crappy night, huh?"

The other girl sighed, balling her fists in her messy hair. And then she stopped, staring at Annabeth with wide, tear-filled eyes. "Annabeth, you're a good person. I- I'm sorry. I just..." And then she lost it again, sobbing.

She nodded, awkwardly patting Kelli's shoulder. What did this mean? Obviously, Kelli was going to leave her alone from now on, but what this this make them? friends? Acquaintances? At least, for now, it was a truce.

Kelli sniffed, standing up. She looked towards the door ruefully. "I think I've been in here long enough. People are going to start wondering."

Annabeth watched as she cleaned herself up, washing her face and fixing her hair. "Kelli?"

"Hmm?" She stopped, her hand resting on the door. "Do you ever just want to escape the flashing lights? You know, under the radar?"

A slow smile appeared on the other girl's face. "Of course I do. But it's too late for me. You- you actually have a future. Don't stick with something just because you're afraid you won't get another chance. I mean, it's pretty obvious you hate it here, in front of the cameras. You're going to be successful, other than entertaining people."

Ignoring the double meaning in her words, she nodded, her head buzzing. Kelli left without looking over her shoulder.

A few minutes later, she figured she had been gone for too long and it was time to go back to the theater where the movie would be almost over. But when she exited the bathroom, she found her feet glued to the ground for the second time that night.

Had he been waiting out here this whole time? For Kelli or for her?

There he was, across the hall, staring at her with bright green eyes. Without hesitating, Percy walked up to her and he finally seemed to realize what he was doing. "Do, um-do you want to get out of here? Tonight doesn't seem to be either of our nights."

She nodded, hiding a smile. "Um, yeah. But what about your-"

"She's not my girlfriend anymore. But I'm sure you already knew that," he said without the slightest hesitation. He glanced at the bathroom door. "Kelli's out of the equation and should've been a long time ago."

And for the first time in months, she allowed that fluttering hope to shine. She could see it in Percy's eyes too.

He held out his arm. "Would you care to accompany me to dinner?"

She grinned like an idiot. "Like, a date?"

He nodded. "Yes, like a date. This was something I should've done a long time ago."

A/N:

I promise you I didn't intend to take this long updating. Most of the first week I was thinking "yay, I have time!" and then next thing I know it was over two weeks. And this week I was sick, so I wasn't really in the mood to update.

Oh, and I was too lazy to write extra for a time warp, so just keep in mind that the second part it skipping a whole bunch of weeks at a time and stopping at the premiere.

But, here it is! I realized that the next (and last chapter) is kind of an epilogue.

Okay, so I kind of had a lot of hints regarding my sequel. If you caught them.

ilikepercabeth123: I tried to add a little Annabeth sass in the first part. I kind of forgot to add it with her encounter with Annabeth :/

Seaweed and Wise: if you're still confused after the next chapter p.m. me :)

Jessica Jasso: Thanks!

Questions, thoughts, anything you want to tell me, now may be the last time! Well, maybe not, but I'll only get to answer you in the last chapter.

Review

~greekfreak302

P.S.: 32,292 views? Sweet!