Hey everybody. I know I haven't updated in a while and I want to apologize for that. I've been extremely bust lately, and my other grandpa isn't doing too well. Add that to the fact that my email hasn't been working and it wouldn't let me log onto fanfiction until yesterday. I should have been writing, but after my grandpa died last year, I guess I had lost my will to write and do other hobbies that I usually did, but I plan on picking all of them back up. I hope you can forgive me for taking so long. I wrote this chapter as quickly and as well as I possibly could. I hope you enjoy it and don't forget to review.

I got a couple flames in the past few months, and let me tell you, they made me laugh considering I know I'm a better writer than that. I just want to let those people know, I started this story when I was really young and to put that kind of language in a review is just wrong to such naive eyes. I've done quite a bit of growing up since then and as soon as I'm done with this story, I plan on going back and fixing all the mistakes and will probably end up splitting this story into two parts. So don't get your panties in a twist and get all pissy for my poor grammar when I know you probably make mistakes too.

Now that this long AN is over, I'd like to get back to what you all came to read.

As soon as the dust and steam settled completely, I swam to the edge of the pool. There was no doubt in my mind that security would be here soon to see what had happened and when they got here, they were not going to be happy.

I looked around at all of my friends. They were all stretching and trying to work the soreness out of their bodies. I could tell they were all exhausted; I was too; and with Ashley gone there was definitely going to be some emotional stress. If we didn't rest soon, then there was going to be some arguing. Tyson was holding Rachel over his shoulder while Nico and Thalia were both making their way over to me with a still unconscious Annabeth.

"I think we should find someplace safe to sleep for the night. Hopefully we have enough money to get a room at a motel or something." I said mentally going over our supplies. We only had a little money left and without the mist, Tyson's one eye would be visible, meaning it would a lot trickier to get a room.

"Let's get out of here before we're caught. Annabeth needs medical attention and we can't really do any of that out in the open." Thalia added.

I nodded, but before we were able to leave, a couple-dozen Telekines (AN: I still have no clue how to spell it) ran out of nowhere and started attacking us. I had completely forgotten about them. The others looked tired, but they got ready to fight none-the-less. There was no way I could let them fight in the condition they were in.

"Tyson! Get them out of here. Ask the Nereid to get them to safety!" Tyson nodded and pulled them all under the water, not giving them the chance to reply.

I faced the onslaught of Telekines and stood my ground. I was getting tired of these things. Annoyed, I put Riptide away, waited for Cyclone to turn back into a beanie and willed the water to create a large tidal wave.

The dolphins moved behind me and I let the tidal wave go. I watched with satisfaction as the tidal wave easily picked up the large group of Telakines and as soon as they were high enough in the air I waved my arm up. The water froze over with crackling and popping noises, freezing the angry faces of the Telekines.

Without so much as another glance, I ran and dove after my friends, hoping they didn't get too far. It was certainly easier swimming by myself and before I knew it, I had found my friends sitting on the beach about three miles down the shore, taking care of Annabeth and Rachel. Both hadn't woken yet.

I was worried about Annabeth, to say the least. She had gone through so much, though I knew she would be fine. She was a lot stronger than this and maybe with Ashley gone, she would go back to being her bossy, know-it-all self. I missed the old Annabeth, the one that wasn't trying to be different for Ashley. Yes I would miss Ashley and I knew everybody else would as well, but she had changed Annabeth over the last few months.

"Percy?" I looked up to see Thalia with a little plastic baggie of money. "We've got enough money to stay one night at a motel." I nodded and took the baggie and shoved it into my pocket.

"Let me talk to the Nereid for a minute, then we can head out."

I walked back into the water and found the Nereid waiting for me.

"Thank you for your help. Do you need to take Tyson back with you?"

"Actually, I think he would be of more use with you and your friends. He has grown much since you last saw him. I will take my leave now. If I am needed again, then just throw this into the sea." She handed me a palm-sized shell. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the shell was a glowing faintly and let off a low hum.

"You can hear the sea if you put your ear to it." She said with a smile, before disappearing.

I tucked the shell into my pocket next to Riptide and walked back onto the shore. While I was gone, Rachel had woken up and was busy chugging a bottle of water. Nico was sitting a few feet away from her, but looked too uncomfortable to say anything. At least he was trying. I smiled teasingly at him and he glared back.

"Ok, let's go find a motel. Anybody know where we might find one?"

"I saw one about a mile or two back." Thalia added with a yawn.

"Ok then, let's go." Tyson picked up Annabeth and I made sure that she was comfortable before we all started walking.

The streets were completely bare from any cars or people, probably because it was almost midnight.

"There's one!" Thalia finally said after a few minutes. We looked up to see a small little motel. It looked small and clean, but you never know with motels.

"I'll go up to the front desk. You guys wait our here." I walked in to see a little old lady listening to the radio and playing cards. She looked up when I got to the desk.

"Hello." She said with a bright smile. Her gray hair was flying everywhere around her face and her wrinkled face held excitement.

"Welcome! What can I do for ya?" She asked.

"I'd like a room for the night." I replied. She looked at me strangely and then at the clock.

"Do-ya know what time it is?"

I nodded. "That's why I need the room."

She smiled again. The lady seemed different. There was something about her that screamed "different".

"Ok!" She said finding a room key and handing it to me.

"How much for the night?" I asked, pulling out the baggie from my pocket.

"On the house sonny!" She said loudly and cheerily.

This got me really suspicious. "Are you sure?"

There was a sparkle in her eye. "Don't bite the mouth that feeds ya! Just shake my hand and accept the gift!" I cautiously shook her hand and as soon as our hands met an image of Hestia appeared in my mind and I couldn't help but smile, now understanding why she was being so welcoming and overly-friendly.

"You're a daughter of Hestia. I didn't know she had demigod children." I said, a bit more comfortable around the elderly demigod.

"She comes down to see what's new in the world every once in a while." She replied, before handing me a handful of quarters. "Now get yourself cleaned up. There's a laundry room next door."

I smiled and thanked her. She stopped me before I walked out.

"Are ya a son of Poseidon? You look like him." She asked. I smiled and nodded before continuing on my way out.

oooOOOoooOOOooo

"Looks like luck is finally on our side." I said showing them the keys then the full bag of money.

"How much did it cost?" Rachel asked, shifting her backpack.

"Not a dime. The owner is a daughter of Hestia, so she let us stay for free. She even gave us some money so that we can wash our clothes." I said as we looked around for our room. We finally found it and opened the door to two queen sized beds and a couch with a fold-out mattress. There was a TV, a bathroom, and a closet for our bags.

"Finally!" Thalia said diving onto the nearest bed and falling asleep without even taking her shoes off.

"Well, I guess I'll share the bed with her. But shouldn't someone stay up just in case Annabeth wakes up?" Rachel asked.

"I'll do that." I said, laying Annabeth on the fold-out bed and putting our bags in the closet. Nico and Tyson both fell asleep on the other bed before I even had time to grab the TV remote and sit on the other side of the fold-out mattress.

"Wake me up in a few hours and I'll take your place. You need to rest too." Rachel said. I agreed and she went to sleep.

As soon as they were all out, I let my thoughts drift off and soon they were centered on Wise Girl. I hoped she was alright. I hoped she didn't have any broken bones or a concussion. I looked over at her. There was something about her that was eating at me. It made my stomach twist in knots, as if I was nervous.

But there was no reason I should be nervous around her. Was I worried about her? Was I nervous at the prospect of telling her about Ashley? We've been best friends for years, why was I so nervous around her? I mean I knew her better than anyone. Why was I having this feeling around her?

Then suddenly it just clicked. What Nico and Thalia had been teasing me about; why I was suddenly so nervous around her; why I had been so focused on her actions lately. I swallowed thickly as it finally registered in my Seaweed Brain.

'I'm in love with her.'

I know, I know. Finally! I finally started with the romance, but we're talking about Percy here. He has a brain made of Seaweed. So, just so you guys know, I have never been to Florida in my life and with a quick look at google maps, I have learned that Sea world is actually not right next to the ocean, but instead connected to a bay that leads to the ocean, so let's just pretend it was right next to the sea for the sake of the story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review!