Chapter 24
PART 1 - Two Kisses
Lacy scowled at a stubborn smudge staining one of the jewelry display cases, spraying more glass cleaner on its surface. She attacked the annoying smear with a wad of paper towels, smiling triumphantly when it disappeared. Lacy liked the store's glass displays to be pristine when she was working; people wanted to see the jewelry, not dirty fingerprints. As she was putting the cleaning products away beneath a counter, Lacy saw a young blonde walking into the store dressed in a pair of scandalously-revealing hot pant shorts and a tube top.
Normally Annabeth's eyes would be drawn to all the jewelry glittering from every corner of the store, but as soon as she entered from the mall she couldn't take her eyes off the girl behind the counter. Lacy was a stunningly beautiful brunette with wavy hair pulled into a ponytail that seemed to shimmer with the light. She was wearing a black pants suit and heels which hinted at her fabulous figure.
"Wow," Annabeth said as she approached one of the display counters, "When Percy said you were cute I didn't realize he meant drop-dead gorgeous."
Lacy smiled, though she colored slightly in the cheeks and looked a bit confused, "I'm sorry?"
"Hi," Annabeth greeted, "I'm Annabeth, Percy Jackson's girlfriend? Well, fiancé actually. You're Lacy, right?"
"Oh, yeah," Lacy nodded, recognizing Annabeth. "I've actually seen you before, in the mall with Percy. It's nice to finally meet you. How is he, by the way?"
"He's much better," Annabeth replied. "In fact, today is his first day back to work. I just dropped him off."
Lacy seemed relieved to hear Percy was doing well, "That's so wonderful, I'll have to go say hi to him later when I get a break."
"I wanted to come by and thank you," Annabeth said, "for saving his life I mean. If you hadn't have found him that night and called the ambulance, who knows what might have happened."
Lacy smiled at Annabeth, "You're welcome. I didn't really do anything other than dial 911, but I'm so happy he's going to be okay. Percy seems like a really sweet guy."
"He is," Annabeth agreed. "Listen, can I ask you something?"
"Sure," Lacy lifted her brows curiously.
"Where do you get your hair done?" Annabeth asked. "Because it's so fabulous."
Percy wandered into the small stock room in The House of Spandex, where Chip was unpacking several boxes of magazines and paperback books, "Hey Chip, can I give you a hand?"
"You shouldn't be lifting anything with your bum ribs," Chip warned.
"At least let me help you sort them," Percy said. "Theo's got the register covered and I need something to do."
"Yeah, okay," Chip agreed. "It sure is great having you back, Percy. We missed you around here."
"It's good to be back," Percy replied. "It was driving me crazy sitting at home while my mom treated me like a piece of fragile china."
"Whatever," Chip rolled his eyes and tore open a box, placing it on a counter for Percy to sort through. "I bet you were surrounded by hot girls, waiting on you hand and foot, the whole time."
Percy laughed, "I guess Annabeth was around a lot..."
"And Piper McLean, too. Right? She was even in here buying comics for you." Chip bumped Percy's arm with a teasing elbow, "I'm sure you had it real rough. You hang out with more hot girls than a rapper."
Percy grinned, "Okay, maybe it wasn't so bad. She mentioned you by the way."
"Who?" Chip bent over to pick up another box.
"Piper. She thinks you're cute."
Chip dropped the box, causing paperback books to spill out all over the floor.
Jason dug in his pocket as he sat at McDonalds for lunch, pulling out a buzzing cell phone. He glanced at the screen, smiled, and then flipped it open, "Hey Sam."
"Guess what?" Sam asked in an excited voice.
"Um," Jason swallowed some diet cola. "Marvel Comics called and they want to pay Percy and me a million dollars to publish Captain Darkness?"
Sam giggled, "Not quite; still working on that. But my news is almost as good."
"What's up?"
"You know that interview Annabeth hooked me up with? I got the job!"
"That's awesome," Jason smiled brightly. "But I thought you said you'd have to come to Tallahassee and do a personal interview?"
"I thought I'd have to," Sam explained. "But I did two phone interviews, and then they called me this morning and offered me the position. I start next month, which means I only have two weeks to move to Tallahassee."
"I'm sure Percy and I can help find you an apartment by then," Jason offered. "And I'll even come get you."
"You'd do that for me?"
"Sure," Jason replied. "I'll bring a U-Haul truck."
Sam laughed on the other end, "That would be so awesome, I can't believe how sweet you are."
"I may be sweet, but you have to promise to go out on a date with me once you're here. That means dinner as well as a movie."
"I'd love to," Sam replied in a beaming voice. "I can't wait to see you, Jason."
Percy winced as he sat down at a table in the mall's food court, having twisted wrong and feeling a twinge from his healing ribs. He realized he had pushed himself at work that morning and made a silent promise to take it easier after lunch.
Opening his carton of milk, Percy heard someone call his name from behind. He pivoted, trying not to twist his torso too much, and spotted Lacy.
"Hey Percy," Lacy greeted, carrying a tray of Chinese food. "Want some company?"
"I'd love some," Percy smiled.
Lacy set her tray down, then leaned to kiss Percy's cheek before sitting. "It's so great to see you. How are you feeling?"
"Pretty good," Percy replied, putting a straw into his milk. "I'm stiff, but I'm glad to be back to work."
"Your girlfriend came by the store this morning," Lacy said as she tore open a packet of soy sauce. "She is awesome, by the way."
Percy grinned, "Yeah, she is."
"We're going shopping after I get off work, tonight."
Percy looked surprised, "Really? Wow, you guys must have really hit it off. Annabeth doesn't go shopping with just anyone."
"Yeah, well, she hung around the store for a while this morning and we got to talking." Lacy stirred her rice with a plastic fork, "Turns out we have a lot in common."
"Like what?" Percy asked before taking a bite of his sandwich.
"To start with, we both like shopping, we're both big Lady Gaga fans, and each of us wishes our boobs were bigger."
Percy laughed shyly, "I'm sure your breasts are just fine."
Lacy smirked, "I can see why she adores you. You're such a sweetie."
Piper sat on her bed sorting through pictures on her laptop from high school, thinking about putting together a scrapbook of memories. For some reason she had been feeling nostalgic ever since her abortion and thought it would be fun to go back to memories of a more carefree time in her life.
Most of the pictures were dominated by Annabeth and their other high school girlfriends, but as Piper moved into the pictures from their senior year Percy and Jason started showing up more and more. She paused on a picture of Jason, recalling how he reacted to the news of her abortion. He seemed relieved when she told him, like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders, which only validated her decision to abort her pregnancy. Jason hadn't been ready to be a father any more than she was prepared to be a mother. She missed him.
The next picture she clicked on was one of her, Annabeth, Percy, and Jason at the beach. Piper smiled as she thought back to the day that photo was taken. It had been the summer before they started college and they all looked so happy. Jason was still chubby and seemed shy, Annabeth was blowing a kiss towards the camera, and Percy was holding Piper in the air with his arms under her shoulders and knees. Piper laughed as she remembered that moment; Percy had scooped her up and Piper had a surprised but laughing expression in the photo.
Percy was the best of them, Piper knew. It was because of Percy that she and Annabeth had matured past their high school cliques and stopped judging people by the way they looked or how popular they were. And despite the fact that Percy had started dating one of the most popular girls at their school he never stopped being his sweet and innocent self; he could have easily turned into a pompous self-absorbed jerk with a girl like Annabeth on his arm.
She missed Percy, Piper realized. They hadn't seen each other much since she moved out of Annabeth's apartment, and he had always been a good friend. Closing the lid of her laptop, Piper decided she needed the company of her friends.
"He said 'I'm sure your breasts are just fine' but he was blushing the whole time," Lacy recounted as she held up a bra, glancing at the price tag.
Annabeth giggled, "Percy doesn't really care how big a girl's breasts are. He's not a boob guy."
"Whatever," Lacy said as she and Annabeth were browsing the lingerie store. "All guys are boob guys."
"Not Percy," Annabeth stated. "I mean, don't get me wrong, he'll play with my tits every now and then or suck on my nipples, but he'd much rather play with my butt. He's always squeezing my ass when we make love."
Lacy laughed, enjoying Annabeth's unashamed candor.
"So what about you?" Annabeth prodded, "We've been shopping for an hour now and you haven't mentioned a boyfriend."
Lacy sighed. "Twenty-five years old and single," she lamented. "Pretty pathetic, huh?"
"Seriously?" Annabeth glanced. "You're totally hot, Lacy, guys must be drooling over you all day. You must meet a ton of guys coming into the jewelry store."
"Yeah," Lacy nodded. "And they all come in looking to buy something for their wife or girlfriend."
"We need to find you a boyfriend," Annabeth remarked as she sorted through sets of panties. "Think of how much fun we could have double dating."
"Does Percy have any friends as sweet as he is?"
"His best friend is Jason, and sometimes he hangs out with these two guys he works with. They're all sweet, but they're also all wrong for you."
Lacy smirked, "Can I ask you something?"
"Yeah, of course," Annabeth nodded.
"How did you and Percy hook up? I don't want to sound mean or anything, because I think Percy is awesome, but he's kind of a..."
"Geek?" Annabeth finished for her.
Lacy winced, hoping Annabeth wasn't offended. "Yeah. And you're like a total prom queen."
Annabeth grinned, "That's exactly what we were when we hooked up. But Percy managed to get my attention and I just fell for him, you know? The way he'd look at me made me melt inside, like I was the most special thing in the world to him. He still looks at me that way."
"That's so romantic," Lacy said, holding up a teddy. "I have to try this on."
Percy paused the DVD he was watching when there was a knock on the door. Even though he hadn't moved into Annabeth's apartment yet, he spent most nights there and had been waiting for her to return from shopping.
"Hey Pipes," Percy greeted after opening the door.
"Hey," Piper smiled. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
Percy shook his head, "No, not at all. Come on in. I was just watching The Incredible Hulk."
Piper accepted Percy's invitation and entered, "Where's Annabeth?"
"She's out shopping with Lacy," Percy replied, returning to the couch.
Piper followed, sitting next to Percy. "Who's Lacy?"
"She's this girl who works at the mall. She's actually the one who found me after I got mugged. So what's up?"
Piper lifted a shoulder, "I was sitting at home and feeling lonely. I thought I'd come see what you and Annabeth were up to."
"Well, you can hang out with me?"
Piper grinned, curling a bare leg beneath her. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a skimpy tank top, "Can you believe this heat? I hate it when it's so humid."
"That's Florida for you," Percy commented, dressed just as casually in a pair of cargo shorts and a loose tee.
"So how are the ribs?" Piper wondered.
"They're better every day, but still pretty tender. The worst part is trying to get comfortable when I sleep, I'm used to laying on the side they're broken."
"Oh, that's the worst," Piper said. "I remember when I was a kid and dislocated my shoulder. I couldn't sleep for a week."
"So what about you?" Percy asked, "How have you been handling things?"
"I'm okay, I guess. I still feel depressed, but it comes and goes. I've been trying to keep myself busy with different things." Piper suddenly smiled, "I was going through old photos earlier and found one of you, me, Annabeth, and Jason at the beach last summer."
"The one that wrinkly old guy took of us with your digital camera?"
Piper nodded and laughed, remembering the old man they asked to take the picture, "Yeah."
"Annabeth has that one framed in her bedroom," Percy remarked.
"That day was so much fun," Piper mused. "Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever be that happy again."
"Sure you will," Percy promised.
"I don't know," Piper fidgeted with her hands. "I feel so alone lately."
"You've still got me," Percy said. "I don't have a lot of friends, Pipes, but you're definitely one of them."
Piper turned her gaze to Percy, smiling at him. "You're the best, Percy. Seriously."
"Give me a hug," Percy said, leaning towards Piper.
Piper sniffled, feeling vulnerable, but eagerly wrapped her arms around Percy.
Percy winced as Piper squeezed, "Go easy."
"Oh god!" Piper let go, "I'm sorry, your ribs..."
"It's okay," Percy smiled. "Sometimes love hurts."
Piper gazed at Percy, who was still close. The hug had felt so good and she missed having intimacy with a man. Without even thinking, she closed the gap between them and placed her lips against his.
Percy was taken completely by surprise as Piper kissed him. Her lips felt amazingly soft and nice and he actually kissed her back for just a moment, but then he put his hands on her shoulders and broke away.
Piper stared, stunned by what had just happened, "Oh my god. Percy, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean... oh god."
Percy blinked, not sure what had just happened.
"I don't know why I did that," Piper said as she hurriedly rose from the couch. "I'm such a wreck lately."
"Wait," Percy urged. "Piper-"
"Just forget I was here, okay?" Piper moved for the door, "It didn't happen. Forgive me, Percy."
Percy tried to come up with something to say, but his mouth failed to produce any words before Piper was gone.
"Annabeth, come in here," Lacy called from the small dressing room she was in. "I need your opinion."
Annabeth peeked out of her own dressing room, making sure no one was looking, then pranced across the fitting area wearing the bra and panties she was trying on.
Lacy was modeling the lacy teddy she had been eyeing earlier when Annabeth slipped in, studying herself in a long mirror.
"That looks really hot," Annabeth remarked.
"Yeah?" Lacy turned her hips as she continued to stare in the mirror, "Oh wow, you too. You have to buy those; purple is definitely your color."
Annabeth grinned and struck a pose, "I think so too. Plus, these panties are crotchless. Percy's going to love them."
Lacy's eyes were drawn to Annabeth's reflection, "You have the cutest figure. I would kill for your stomach."
Annabeth checked herself out in the mirror, standing beside her newest friend, "Well, I'd kill for your hips."
"Whatever. Your hips are perfect."
"They're too bony," Annabeth complained, fidgeting with the panties she was wearing. "Percy's grandma says they're not very good 'birthing hips'."
Lacy blinked at that, "Birthing hips?"
Both girls suddenly started laughing and giggling.
"I better go change back," Annabeth said, still chuckling as she turned for the dressing room door.
"Wait," Lacy stopped her, taking Annabeth's wrist.
Annabeth turned back around, wondering what Lacy wanted.
Lacy didn't say anything at first, simply looking into Annabeth's eyes. She needed a moment to build up the courage to speak, "Annabeth, I hope this doesn't freak you out but I really like you. I'm having so much fun, and you're so gorgeous."
Annabeth bit her lower lip. She'd never had another female flirt with her, and certainly not in such an obvious manner. She wasn't sure how to react, but she was surprised by the fact that she felt flattered and a little excited. "I'm not freaked out," she murmured.
Stepping closer, Lacy touched a light hand to Annabeth's shoulder. The two girls stared at each other for a moment, trying to gauge what the other was thinking.
When Lacy moved even closer Annabeth knew exactly what was about to happen, but was paralyzed by a conflict occurring inside of her. Part of Annabeth was screaming at her that she was about to make a mistake. The other part was insanely curious. Unfortunately, neither of her two halves could resolve their battle before Lacy's lips were on hers.
Lacy's mouth was soft and gentle, and she moved her lips against Annabeth's with an undeniable passion. Annabeth couldn't help but respond as the curious side of her gained the upper hand, and before a moment went by the two girls were kissing so passionately that they discovered what the other's tongue tasted like.
A sudden image of Percy flashed through Annabeth's thoughts and she had to break the kiss and step back, bumping into the dressing room door as she did so, "I can't do this."
"You can't?" Lacy sounded disappointed, licking her lips.
"I mean, I can..." Annabeth's tongue got tangled, "I-I could. It's not that I-"
"It's okay," Lacy interrupted. "I shouldn't have done that, you're probably not into-"
"No," Annabeth interrupted in turn. "It's not that. I could totally be into it. But not without Percy; not behind his back. I love him, Lacy, and I can't do anything that would result in me hurting him or losing him."
Lacy pushed a hand through her bouncy blonde hair, collecting herself. "Are you suggesting we let him watch next time?"
Annabeth studied Lacy, trying to determine how serious she was, but then she saw the mirth in Lacy's expression and both girls started laughing again.
When Annabeth returned home to her apartment she found Percy sprawled out on the couch, bathed in the glow of the television. She smiled fondly at his sleeping expression and tried to be quiet as she deposited her shopping bags on the floor near the door.
"Hey," Percy stirred on the couch, squinting towards Annabeth.
"Hey baby," Annabeth glanced over her shoulder. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."
"It's okay. What time is it?
Annabeth glanced at her cell phone, "Um, almost ten-thirty."
Percy sat up on the couch and wiped his eyes, "How was shopping?"
Grabbing one small bag in particular, Annabeth moved towards the couch to join Percy. "It was fun," she said, sitting beside him. "We had dinner at that new Mexican place, and I bought some sexy new lingerie. But I need to tell you something..."
"Okay," Percy said with a yawn, muting the television with its remote.
Annabeth took a deep breath, not sure how Percy would react, and then blurted, "I kissed Lacy."
Percy turned a blank look towards Annabeth, "You kissed Lacy?"
"I mean," Annabeth corrected, "she kissed me."
Percy squinted, "Lacy kissed you?"
"In a dressing room, at the lingerie store. I was wearing purple panties."
"You were in a dressing room with Lacy, and she kissed you?"
Annabeth nodded, biting her lip nervously, "Yeah."
Percy blinked as he tried to process that information, "Is Lacy a lesbian?"
"I think she's bi," Annabeth answered. "Are you mad?"
"I guess not," Percy replied. "Unless you guys are going to keep kissing?"
"Of course not." Annabeth touched Percy's cheek, "I'd only smooch with someone else if we were doing a threesome, or something."
Percy looked confused, "You want to have a threesome with Lacy?"
Annabeth shrugged a shoulder, "Not especially."
Percy exhaled, "You're a mysterious girl, Annabeth Chase."
Annabeth giggled, "Yeah?"
Percy nodded, "I'm a little confused."
Annabeth shrugged again, "I would only do a threesome if it was something that got you hot. I'd totally do it for you."
"Are you bisexual?" Percy suddenly asked. "I mean, I remember that time with Piper but I didn't think you were really into girls?
"I'm not sure," Annabeth answered casually. "I don't think so. I mean, I could never be in a relationship with a girl or anything, so if I am bi it's only a small part of me. I guess the most exciting part of it for me would be turning you on."
Percy furrowed his brow, "I'm still not real clear. Is Lacy into you or something?"
"Maybe, but it's not like that at all for me. You know that I only want to be with you, right?"
"Yeah, I know that," Percy smiled. "I never doubted it for a second."
"Good," Annabeth beamed. "So, do you want to see the panties I bought? They're crotchless!"
"Really?" Percy peered curiously at the bag Annabeth was holding, completely distracted away from thoughts of Lacy and lesbian kisses.
Reaching aside, Annabeth switched on a lamp that sat beside the couch. "Yeah, they're really sexy. And I don't even have to take them off for you to... to..."
Percy squinted at Annabeth as she stared at him, "What? What's wrong?"
It was a tiny smudge on Percy's upper lip that drew Annabeth's gaze, something that she hadn't seen until she turned the lamp on. "Percy, is that lipstick?"
Percy lifted a hand to his mouth, "Lipstick?"
Annabeth leaned closer, "It is! Percy, where have you been tonight?"
"Nowhere, I've been here all night."
"Then who has been over here kissing you?" Annabeth demanded to know.
"Um, I can explain," Percy said.
"Yeah?" Annabeth fumed, "This had better be good!"
"Piper was over-" Percy started.
That was all it took for Annabeth to blow her stack, "Piper?!" she cried, rising from the couch. "You've been kissing Piper?!"
"No!" Percy stood up as well, "No, she kissed me. I didn't-"
"I'm going to kill her!" Annabeth threw her shopping bag to the floor. "I can't believe that boyfriend-stealing bitch!"
"It's not like that, Annabeth. Please, chill out."
"You want me to chill out?!" Annabeth exclaimed. "When my best friend goes behind my back and kisses my man? Forget it Percy." Annabeth narrowed her gaze, "Unless..."
Percy gave her a clueless expression, "What?"
"Unless you kissed her back?"
Percy exhaled, "Of course not. Just calm down, all right? Let me explain."
Annabeth folded her arms across her chest and pushed her lips together, still fuming but willing to listen.
"Piper was feeling really alone," Percy explained. "And depressed, and scared. I gave her a hug, and then she just kissed me. I'm sure she didn't even think about it, it was just one of those things. She felt terrible about it too, and ran out of here before I could even stop her."
"When were you planning on telling me this?" Annabeth asked angrily.
"I wasn't," Percy admitted.
"You were going to keep this a secret from me?!"
"Nothing happened," Percy argued. "It was meaningless. She was confused and made a mistake. I knew you would get mad and I didn't want to drive a wedge between you two."
"I can't believe you, Percy," Annabeth glared. "We've never kept secrets from each other before."
"I wasn't keeping a secret from you because there was nothing to tell, it was a harmless mistake."
Annabeth angrily gathered up her shopping bags, "I hope you were comfortable on the couch, buster, because you're not sleeping in my bed tonight!"
"Annabeth..." Percy spread his hands as Annabeth stalked down the hallway. "Come on, Annabeth! Can't we talk about this?"
A slamming bedroom door was his only answer.
PART 2 - Sorting it all out
"Dude, you look like hell," Jason said as Percy slid into the restaurant booth.
"I was up late last night," Percy said, reaching for a menu. He was glad it was Sunday and that he had the day off work. It had been hard enough waking up in time to meet Jason for breakfast at a local pancake house.
"I don't even want to hear about how horny Annabeth was," Jason warned. "I haven't gotten laid in weeks."
"It's not that," Percy replied dryly. "We got into a fight. She banished me to the couch, but I just went home instead."
"No shit? Are you guys fighting?"
"I guess so," Percy replied amidst a yawn. "I couldn't sleep after, either. I kept thinking about it, and my ribs were bothering me."
"What's she so pissed about?" Jason asked, blowing on a cup of coffee.
"Piper kissed me," Percy answered without thinking.
Jason's eyebrows rose, "Say that again?"
Percy glanced up from his menu to see the anger boiling in Jason's eyes. "It wasn't like that," Percy backpedaled. "It was more of a friendly thing; a hug and then a kiss. You know, between friends?"
"Uh huh," Jason didn't sound like he was buying it. "Then why was Annabeth so pissed?"
"I don't know," Percy answered. "But she doesn't have any right to be angry at me when she was making out with Lacy."
Jason blinked, momentarily distracted from his anger, "Who the hell is Lacy?"
"Evidently she's Annabeth's new bisexual BFF," Percy replied in an annoyed tone. "They kissed at the mall last night, in a dressing room, at the lingerie store, while they were buying crotchless panties."
"WHAT?!" Jason said too loudly, causing people at a nearby table to glance over towards him.
"Shh," Percy scowled, "Keep it down."
"Why is it whenever I hear about your life, I feel like I am watching an episode of 90210? Jeezus dude, what the hell is going on? Annabeth is bisexual? You were making out with my ex?"
"Piper and I weren't making out!" Percy growled, frustrated. "And Annabeth isn't bisexual. I mean, I don't think she's bisexual... Fuck. I don't know."
Just then, a waitress appeared beside their booth and cleared her throat.
Jason looked up at her, "Can you give us a minute, lady? We're having a bit of a crisis here."
"Listen to me, man," Percy instructed as the waitress walked away in a huff. "Piper isn't herself. I mean, normally she's so confident and poised, you know? But she's been really depressed ever since she had the abortion."
Jason leaned back in the booth, feeling guilty that he hadn't seen Piper since they broke up.
"She would have kissed anybody last night," Percy continued. "I just happened to be the one sitting there."
Jason nodded, "I get it, dude. I'm not pissed at you."
"Good, because I have enough problems with Annabeth."
"Just like high school," Jason grinned. "So she seriously made out with a chick?"
Percy sighed, "I need some pancakes."
Paul Blofis was enjoying the peace and quiet of having the house to himself on a Sunday morning. Percy had gone out for breakfast and Sally would be at a craft fair all day with friends. He let out a satisfied sigh while pouring a cup of coffee, contemplating what he could do with a couple hours of freedom. There was a Clint Eastwood marathon on cable...
Then the doorbell rang.
"Good morning, Mr. Jackson," Annabeth greeted when Paul opened the door.
"Annabeth," Paul said, still holding his coffee. "How did I know it would be you?"
"You must be psychic. Is Percy home?"
"Nope, he went out for breakfast," Paul replied, taking a sip while standing in the doorway. "I thought you kids used cell phones to triangulate one another's positions?"
"I was just checking. I actually wanted to talk to Sally. Is she home?"
"She's gone too," Paul replied.
Annabeth pouted, "Damn. I was really hoping to talk to her about something."
Paul suddenly hoped Annabeth wouldn't want to talk to him, that would put a real damper on his time with Clint Eastwood, "She'll be gone all day."
Annabeth looked to Paul with a set of doe eyes, hoping he would be willing to talk to her if she looked suitably pathetic.
Paul sighed, unable to resist Annabeth's assault, "You having some kind of problem?"
"Yeah, do you think we could talk? I won't take up much of your time, I just need some advice."
Paul glanced over towards the TV longingly, "You're not having any female problems, are you?"
Annabeth's face screwed up in confusion, "What do you mean?"
Paul turned back to her, "You know, girl stuff. Something Sally would be better at."
Annabeth laughed, "Oh, no. I'm having Percy problems, actually."
"All right," Paul sighed, "come on in."
Leading Annabeth into the kitchen, Paul invited her to sit at the table and then proceeded to pour her a cup of coffee. Setting it down in front of her, Paul sat as well, "So what has my son done now?"
"He kissed another girl," Annabeth said, sliding the coffee cup towards her. "Actually, she kissed him. I don't think Percy would ever cheat on me."
"He told you this?" Paul asked.
"No, that's the problem. He had a smudge of lipstick on his mouth. If I hadn't caught him he never would have told me. Can you believe that?"
"So this girl kissed him?" Paul attempted to clarify.
Annabeth nodded.
"But he didn't kiss her back."
Annabeth shook her head.
"And you're angry because he was going to keep it a secret?"
"Right," Annabeth blew on her coffee. "I'm Percy's fiancé, he's supposed to tell me everything. There shouldn't be any secrets."
"You know, Annabeth, sometimes we keep secrets from the ones we love for a good reason. I don't tell Sally everything."
"What do you mean?"
"For example," Paul gestured with his hand. "Let's say I go to the grocery store, and the cashier flirts with me and asks me out on a date. I would never tell Sally that."
Annabeth squinted, "You wouldn't?"
Paul shook his head, "I'd turn her down, of course, and nothing would come of it. I'd probably forget all about it in a matter of hours, so what would be the point of telling Sally? She'd only get unnecessarily jealous and worked up over nothing."
"Yeah but-"
"And I would expect her to do the same thing," Paul continued. "I don't want to know about it every time another man hits on her. I trust my wife. These things happen, but they're non-issues. So my guess is that Percy didn't want to upset you."
Annabeth took a sip of her coffee, considering Paul's words, "But what if the reason he didn't tell me was because something did happen? If the kiss was so meaningless, why hide it?"
"See, this is what I'm talking about," Paul said. "Now that you know what happened your brain is going down the worst possible path, and you're starting to doubt Percy when you probably don't need to. Look, Annabeth, I know my son. Ever since you two started going out he hasn't so much as looked at another female twice. That boy is one hundred percent all about one girl: you."
Annabeth beamed a smile, "You really think so?"
"I'm positive," Paul sighed, glancing at his watch. He knew there would be no chance at a Clint Eastwood marathon now that Annabeth was there, and wanted to avoid any more teen drama, "Look honey, I have a tee time I have to get to..."
Annabeth nodded, feeling much better after talking with Paul, "Don't let me keep you. Is it alright if I stay and wait for Percy?"
"Make yourself at home," Paul said, rising to carry his coffee cup to the sink.
Percy was seriously considering a nap as he arrived home from breakfast, but then he saw Annabeth's BMW parked on the street in front of the house and knew no sleep would be coming soon. He pulled into the driveway and noticed both of his parent's cars were gone.
"Annabeth?" Percy called as he walked through the front door, which wasn't locked. "Annabeth are you here?"
"I'm in here," Annabeth called from the direction of Percy's bedroom.
Percy walked down the hallway. "What's going on?" he asked, turning into his room. "Where are my-"
"They're not home," Annabeth said, laying on Percy's bed wearing nothing but her purple crotchless panties.
Percy froze in the doorway when he saw the sight of Annabeth. She was masturbating and had two fingers buried in the seam of her new panties.
"I guess your mom will be gone all day," Annabeth stated, spreading her legs a little further so that Percy got an eyeful of what she was doing. "And your dad went golfing."
"Cool," Percy murmured, transfixed.
"I'm sorry I was such a bitch last night," Annabeth said as she fingered her wetness. "Do you think you can forgive me?"
"Yeah," Percy muttered, distracted by the rapidly growing erection under his shorts.
"Let me make it up to you, baby," Annabeth said as she sat up. She rubbed her damp fingers against one of her small breasts, making her nipple stiffen, "I've already cum twice, so my pussy is all hot and wet for you."
"Twice?" Percy asked, unbuttoning his shorts as he approached the bed.
Annabeth nodded with a smoky, seductive expression. "I've been thinking about your cock," she slid forward to sit on the bed's edge, "and how badly I want you to shove it inside me."
"God I love make-up sex," Percy said, leaving a trail of clothing behind. "Um, can I taste you first?"
"You want to taste me?" Annabeth asked with a quizzical glance. "You mean you want to eat my pussy? Of course baby, you know I-"
Percy shook his head, kneeling "No, I mean I want to taste you."
Annabeth spread her knees as Percy knelt between her legs. She watched, somewhat fascinated, as he slipped his pointer and middle finger inter her slit. "Mmm, that feels good," she whimpered with a shiver. "It's always better when it's someone else's hand."
Coating his fingers, Percy curled them within Annabeth's sex before withdrawing his hand and lifting her flavor to his mouth. He liked the sweet taste of her fluids and moved his hand to get more.
Biting her lip in rapt interest, Annabeth asked, "How do I taste?"
"You taste good," Percy commented around licking his two fingers. "Much better than my cum."
Annabeth got a big smile, remembering the time Percy had tasted his own semen after she had jerked him off, "Let me have some."
Scooping more of her fluids, Percy lifted his hand to Annabeth's lips. She licked his fingers first, then sucked them into her mouth. She kept her eyes on Percy, watching his turned-on expression.
"That's so hot," Percy stared.
"You want to know what's even better?" Annabeth murmured. "Sucking on your cock after it's been in my pussy."
"Really?" Percy whispered.
"Yeah," Annabeth nodded. "Why don't you stick your cock in me for a while, then I'll suck your orgasm out?"
"Okay," Percy agreed. Not that he could refuse such an enticing offer, especially with the massive erection sprouting between his legs. "But we have to go easy, my ribs are still tender."
"Why don't you lay down," Annabeth suggested. "I can be on top. I'll go real slow."
Percy rose from between Annabeth's knees and then laid back on his bed. She grabbed one of his pillows to put beneath his head, then swung a leg over to straddle his hips.
"Do you like this position more than missionary?" Percy wondered curiously.
"I can get you deeper this way," Annabeth said as she reached down to grab Percy's shaft. She positioned his cock to her entrance, between the fold of her crotchless panties. "But I like it when you're on top too, because I like your pacing. You always start real slow, but by the end you're usually fucking me really hard and fast. I like that because you get so excited right before you cum and it's nice to get fucked real hard sometimes."
Percy smiled, but then his mouth hung open in pleasure as Annabeth pushed herself down and impaled herself on his cock. It felt exquisite as her warmth surrounded him.
"Doggy is my favorite," Annabeth continued, enjoying the subject matter. She planted her palms on the bed beside Percy instead of on his chest so as not to hurt him, hovering over his torso. "You get the deepest that way."
"Like the other day?" Percy asked, "When I was fucking you on my desk?"
Annabeth lowered her hips, working more of Percy's length into her pussy. "Yeah," she said, casting her head so her hair wouldn't fall into her eyes. "You were so deep that day, god Percy. I thought your cock was going to come up through my throat."
Percy couldn't help but laugh.
Annabeth giggled, "It's true. I love your cock, baby."
"Yeah?" Percy was looking up to Annabeth's eyes, his hands finding her hips.
"It's so big," Annabeth moaned as she pushed herself further, taking the full length within her. "And you fuck me with it so good."
"Oh god that feels good," Percy said, closing his eyes as Annabeth held herself in place and started rolling her hips
"Don't cum in me, okay? I want to suck on you for a while so tell me if you feel like you're going to cum."
Percy grinned at the way Annabeth directed their sex with such casual authority, "Okay."
Annabeth took her palms from the bed and rose straight, letting her weight be supported by her straddling legs. She tossed her wavy blonde tendrils back and started bouncing slowly atop Percy, not wanting to jostle him too badly. She grabbed her own breasts, letting him watch as she squeezed her palm-fitting flesh.
Percy started pushing his own hips up to meet her, his hands sliding around Annabeth's hips to clutch firmly on her panty-clad ass cheeks.
"You like my butt, don't you baby?"
"Y-yeah," Percy breathed out. "You have the sexiest butt I've ever seen on a girl."
Annabeth grinned proudly. "Here..." she said, suddenly lifting herself off Percy and withdrawing from his cock.
Percy blinked in dismay as he felt the cool air against his erection; it fell against his tummy and glistened with Annabeth's wetness. "What are you doing?" he asked.
Annabeth sat on the edge of the bed and worked quickly to slip her panties off. "I'm not going anywhere," she said with a wink. When she crawled back up on the bed she took a reverse position as before and straddled Percy so that her ass was facing him.
"Oh yeah, I like that," Percy groaned as Annabeth once again gripped his cock and aimed it between her legs. He was staring at her backside and wasted no time in laying his palms on her butt.
"I thought you would," Annabeth said over her shoulder.
Percy kneaded his fingers into Annabeth's soft flesh, groping her ass as she resumed their fucking.
"Do you like looking at my butt while I fuck you?"
"Yes," Percy whispered, incredibly aroused by watching Annabeth's backside as she lifted and lowered herself. He stared at the sight of his cock disappearing within her stretched lips each time she took his length.
"Tell me why," Annabeth said, watching Percy's aroused expression as she looked over her shoulder. "Tell me what you like about my ass."
"It's so tan," Percy muttered in a voice hot with desire. "And smooth. And perfectly shaped."
"I like to tan in the nude," Annabeth said. "Because I know how much you like my butt to be tan. You don't like tan lines."
"I've never told you that, how did you...?
"I know my man," Annabeth assured him. "You like me tan all over, don't you baby?"
Percy nodded, his breath growing rapid as Annabeth was swiftly rolling her hips.
"You like to look at my nice tanned titties and ass while you fuck me, and think about shooting your hot white gunk all over my sexy tan body. Don't you, Percy?"
"Oh fuck, yes. Annabeth... I'm close..."
Annabeth lifted herself off Percy's erection and knelt on the bed beside him. She quickly took his cock into her grip, seeing his distress at suddenly being free of her warmth, "Don't worry, lover. I have you."
Percy issued a low moan as Annabeth knelt over him and suckled his cock between her lips. At first she took just the head, but it didn't take her long to start bobbing her head and working more and more of his length into her mouth.
"I do taste good," Annabeth gasped, taking a break to jerk Percy with her hand for a few moments. "My pussy is sweeter than honey, isn't it baby?"
"Yes," Percy gasped as Annabeth swiftly masturbated him.
"Do you want a taste?"
"Y-yes," Percy gasped again.
Annabeth smiled mischievously, swinging her leg once more around Percy. But this time she maneuvered her legs to either side of Percy's head so that she was over his face.
Gripping his hands to her butt, Percy lifted his head as Annabeth lowered her pussy to his mouth. He lapped between her lips and began eagerly eating her out. He could feel Annabeth's mouth return to his erection as they sixty-nined, and before long both of them were squirming with arousal. Fluids leaked profusely from Annabeth's sex as tremors of her orgasm arrived like a building earthquake between her thighs. She took her mouth from Percy's cock in order to gasp and moan, but she kept pumping him in her hand and masturbating his length with firm and swift motions.
"I'm going to cum," Annabeth announced in a raspy breath. "Oh fuck, Percy, I'm going to cum on your mouth!"
With his hands squeezing tightly into the flesh of her butt, Percy focused on Annabeth's clitoris and pushed her over the edge. She screamed and pushed her sex against his mouth, grinding her cunt against his tongue. Honey poured from between her legs and coated Percy's face.
"Eat my pussy," Annabeth coaxed desperately. "Eat my cunt, baby... oh god I'm cumming. I'm cumming!"
Just as Annabeth's orgasm reached its climax, she heard Percy's muffled groan as a spurt of warmth hit her face. She realized she was still stroking him and Percy was cumming as well. His semen jetted forth as she jacked him off, spraying out wildly. Ropes of it sprang up to land on her cheeks and forehead, and even in her hair. She kept pumping his length and lowered her mouth to suck the last of it from the tip of his cock.
Percy tilted his head back, gasping for air. His face glistened with Annabeth's juices as she suckled on his tip, coaxing the last of his semen out. "Holy shit," he exclaimed breathlessly.
Annabeth crawled off of him and knelt at Percy side, "That was kinda hot," she grinned, wiping a dollop of cum out of her eye socket.
"Damn," Percy stared. "I got it all over your face."
"I know," Annabeth giggled. "You made a big mess, as usual. It's okay; I love it when you shoot your stuff all over me."
"I love make-up sex," Percy grinned.
"I can't believe you kissed him."
"I know," Piper groaned, talking to Jason on her cell phone.. He had called her later that day, after arriving home from breakfast with Percy. "It was so stupid, I don't know what I was thinking."
"Are you into him?" Jason asked.
"No, of course not," Piper assured him. "I mean, I love Percy. But not like that."
"Then why did you kiss him?" Jason wanted to know.
"I told you," Piper sounded annoyed. "I don't know. God, I can't believe he even told you."
"I think it just slipped out of him. I doubt he would have told me if he had been thinking straight. He'd had a late night and was tired."
"Do you think he'll tell Annabeth?" Piper worried.
"He already did," Jason replied. "I guess they had a big fight over it; thus the late night."
"Great," Piper lamented dryly. "She and I were just starting to get along again."
"I'm sure it will be fine," Jason tried to assure her. "You know how Annabeth is; she blows her stack at first, she and Percy have a bunch of drama, and then a day later everything's cool and they're back to normal."
"Yeah," Piper let out a reluctant laugh. "Yeah, you're right."
"Listen," Jason started tentatively. "I'm worried about you. Is everything okay? Percy said you've been kinda depressed lately."
"I'm fine," Piper promised. She did her best to make it sound true. "It's just... I can't stop thinking about the baby, you know? I think I made a big mistake."
"I... I don't know what to say. Do you want me to come over?"
"No, it's fine. There's nothing you can say, Jason. It wasn't your choice. It was mine."
"I know, but if you need someone to talk to...?"
Piper got up from her living room couch when she heard a car door and pushed aside the shade to look out into the driveway, "Maybe later, okay? Looks like I already have someone to talk to."
"Huh?" Jason sounded confused.
"Annabeth's here," Piper said. "I'll call you later, okay?"
"Uh oh," Jason replied. "Okay. Call me later."
Piper hung up her phone and moved to the door. She stepped out as Annabeth approached and met her on the front steps. If there was going to be a blowout Piper wanted to shield her parents, who were inside the house.
"Hey," Annabeth greeted, wearing her favorite cut-off shorts and one of Percy's tee shirts; she had it tucked in and billowed out, oversized for her small frame.
"Hey," Piper greeted back, wondering when the yelling would start.
"Percy said you were over last night," Annabeth said calmly, sitting down on the concrete steps.
"I heard he told you about the kiss," Piper joined her, sitting beside Annabeth and brushing her blonde hair back.
"He didn't tell me," Annabeth grinned.
Piper looked confused, "But Jason said-"
"He wasn't going to tell me," Annabeth corrected herself. "He only admitted it when I saw lipstick on his lip."
"Annabeth, I'm sorry. It didn't mean anything." Piper exhaled tiredly, still thinking there was going to be a fight, "And Percy pushed me away..."
"Why did you kiss him?" Annabeth wondered.
Piper glanced at Annabeth, scared that she was being so calm.
"I'm not mad. I mean, I was, but I overreacted."
"Jason said you and Percy had a fight?"
Annabeth nodded, "Sort of. But it's okay. We made up. I just came from his house, as a matter of fact."
"I don't know why I kissed him," Piper lowered her forehead to a palm. "I guess it was because I'm tired of feeling so awful all the time, and I wanted to feel something good. Something nice. I see how happy Percy makes you, the way he treats you, I guess some part of me wanted to know what that felt like."
Annabeth put her arm around Piper's shoulders, "So if it would have been me at home you wouldn't have kissed me?"
Piper laughed at that. It felt nice to laugh, "Maybe."
"It would have been my second kiss from a girl last night," Annabeth grinned.
"What?" Piper lifted her head and looked at Annabeth.
"Yeah, you know that Lacy girl who found Percy after he got mugged?"
"No way!" Piper exclaimed, "Percy said you guys were out shopping last night?"
"Yeah," Annabeth confirmed. "And she kissed me. We were in a dressing room together trying on lingerie."
"Oh my god," Piper laughed. "And she kissed you? Did you kiss her back?"
"A little," Annabeth admitted with a bite of her lip.
"Oh my god!" Piper repeated. "Does Percy know?"
"Yeah," Annabeth nodded. "I told him."
"What did he say?"
Annabeth lifted a shoulder, "He was pretty cool with it."
Piper grinned and rolled her eyes, "Boys."
"I know, right?" Annabeth giggled. "It's like two girls kissing is some magical aphrodisiac for all guys."
"So this Lacy girl is into you?" Piper asked.
"I don't know," Annabeth answered. "It just kind of happened, and then we acted like it didn't for the rest of the night."
"Well, are you into her?"
Annabeth gasped out a quick laugh, "Of course not! I'm engaged, Pipes. I'm not suddenly going to leave the man I love and go all lesbian on you."
Piper chuckled, "I didn't mean it like that. So Lacy is gay?"
"No," Annabeth shook her head. "I'm pretty sure she's into guys too."
"So what are you going to do?" Piper wondered.
"Nothing," Annabeth replied simply.
"Aren't you two going to hang out again?"
"I hope so," Annabeth said. "You should hang with us, we could go shopping. She's really fun."
"Yeah right," Piper huffed. "Maybe we could all make out in the lingerie dressing room together."
Annabeth giggled, "We could make a fortune selling the photos online."
Piper laughed, swatting Annabeth's leg, "You're so bad!"
Both girls laughed and giggled together for a while. Piper was happy there hadn't been a fight, and was thankful that Annabeth had come over. It had been a long time since Piper laughed like that, and it felt good.
"So," Piper started after their giggling subsided. "Are we cool?"
"Of course we're cool," Annabeth hugged her best friend. "Just don't kiss my boyfriend anymore, okay? I mean, unless I'm there to approve."
"Whatever," Piper hugged back. "Oh, by the way. Guess who called me and asked me out."
"Who?" Annabeth asked, eager for more gossip.
"That friend of Percy's, Chip?"
"Oh my god," Annabeth beamed. "I totally forgot that Percy mentioned you were into him."
"I'm not into him!" Piper denied. "I said he was cute."
"He is cute," Annabeth agreed. "So he asked you out?"
"Yeah, but I turned him down."
"What?!"
"I felt so bad," Piper said. "He seems like a really nice kid, but..."
"But what?" Annabeth prodded, "You should go out with him."
"He's only seventeen," Piper reminded. "I'm twenty-two. He's still in high school, for crying out loud."
"So?" Annabeth wondered. "Who cares. You're barely two years older than him. That's nothing. My mom is like five years older than my dad."
"And look how that worked out for them," Piper noted. "They're divorced."
"Okay, bad example," Annabeth admitted. "But my point is that lots of couples are a lot farther apart than two years."
"It's different when one of them is in high school and the other one is in college."
"Oh my god!" Annabeth cried, "You're such a hypocrite."
"I am not," Piper defended herself.
"You are too," Annabeth countered. "When we were seniors like Chip, you only dated college guys."
Piper blinked, stuck by Annabeth's point, "That's true..."
"You should go out with him," Annabeth encouraged.
"You think so?" Piper considered.
"Yeah," Annabeth nodded. "He's a really sweet guy. Whenever I stop by the comic book store he's so nice to me. He really needs a girlfriend."
Piper rolled her eyes, "So I'm reduced to dating desperate guys now?"
"I didn't mean it like that," Annabeth replied. "I meant, he needs a girlfriend because he's going to make some girl really lucky. The first girl that gives him a shot is going to realize how sweet he is, and get treated like a princess."
Piper glanced at Annabeth, thinking that sounded nice.
"The same way I get treated by Percy," Annabeth added.
Lacy sighed, resting her chin in a palm as she leaned over the counter at the jewelry store. She hated working weekends, but her boss had called that morning stating her co-worker was sick and offered time-and-a-half. It had been slow all afternoon with nothing but a couple of browsers that didn't need any assistance. Lacy thought she was going to go out of her mind with boredom until she saw Percy walk by in the mall.
"Uh-oh," she muttered as Percy saw her and stopped. She wondered if he knew about the kiss.
"What are you doing here on a Sunday?" Percy asked, entering the store.
"Someone called in sick," Lacy replied. "What about you?"
"I needed some comic bags," Percy lifted his purchase.
Lacy smirked, "You are such a nerd."
Percy grinned and didn't take offense at the good-natured teasing.
"It couldn't wait until tomorrow?" Lacy asked. "When you work?"
Percy shrugged, "I was bored. Annabeth ditched me to go hang with her best friend."
"I know how you feel, it's been slow here all day."
"No girls around to kiss?" Percy said with a smile.
Lacy winced, "She told you?"
Percy set his bag from the comic book store on the counter, standing across from Lacy. "Of course she told me. What's with kissing my fiancé?"
"Sorry?" Lacy offered. She was relieved that Percy didn't seem too upset. "Annabeth's really attractive, and I... it just kind of happened, you know?"
"Actually, I do," Percy replied.
"You do?"
"Yeah," Percy sighed. "Long story. Look, I've never had to be a jealous boyfriend before; Annabeth's pretty good at chasing off the guys that hit on her. But could you not try making out with her in the future?"
Lacy grinned, "I thought all guys liked it when girls kissed."
"Yeah, well, I didn't even get to see."
Lacy chuckled, "Would it make you feel better if you got to kiss me too?"
Percy lifted a finger, "You're trouble, you know that? I thought you were a nice girl, but you're trouble."
Lacy laughed at Percy's teasing, "Sorry, I'm a shameless flirt."
"Don't worry about it," Percy replied.
"So we're cool?" Lacy asked, "You don't hate my guts for kissing Annabeth?"
"We're cool," Percy assured her. He was about to say something more when he felt his cell phone buzzing. He lifted a pausing finger to Lacy and dug in his pocket.
"Hello?" Percy answered.
A deep male voice was on the other end of the phone, "I'm looking for a Mr. Percy Jackson?"
"This is Percy."
"Hello Mr. Jackson, my name is Detective West; I'm with the Tallahassee police department."
"Yes?" Percy said, wondering what the call could be about.
"Do you know anyone by the name of Luke Castellan?"
Percy blinked in recognition. He remembered the name clearly, though he hadn't thought of the bully from his high school in a long time. "Yeah," Percy replied. "I mean, sort of. We went to high school together."
"He was arrested earlier today on a traffic violation," the detective said. "After a search of his vehicle, we found your wallet."
Percy blinked, wondering how Luke would have his wallet. Unless...
The detective continued, "We believe he may have been involved in the mugging and assault you suffered two weeks ago."