A/N: Please feel free to give me some constructive feedback, I really appreciated it!

Chapter 22

Percy

Present Day

I wish I could say that the sun woke me up or my alarm woke me. But it didn't. I woke up from my own volition today, sure I woke up in the middle of the night from a nightmare.

Usually my nightmares were so disturbing that it was impossible for me to fall asleep afterwards. But since Annabeth was spending the night at my place, she calmed me down pretty well and put me back to sleep.

I don't think I have had a good night's rest for quite some time now. That's when I looked down and realized what woke me up. It wasn't my choice after all.

Annabeth and I were spooning each other, rather she was spooning me. I was lying on my side of the bed while her hand was lying on my bare chest as she pressed her front against my back. Her legs were tucked behind my own legs as she rested her head against my neck. One of my arms was under my head while the other was on top of her own hand as our fingers were intertwined with each other as her palm rested on my abdomen.

Damn my subconscious and its decision to do this when we tried to be friends for a change.

We decided that rescuing Piper was our top priority or rather when I leaned in to feel her lips one more time against mine, she shot me down. I totally understood. Even I wouldn't be able to concentrate if I had her on my mind in the middle of everything that came with our operation. But honestly, she was always on my mind.

But I respect her decision and plan on honoring it, it's just my body that wishes otherwise.

It's like our bodies know each, for them, what happened five years meant nothing all it wanted to do right now was get as close to each other as possible.

If Annabeth woke up and saw us spooning, she'd freak. But also, at the same time I loved feeling her body against mine. It made my heart feel weird. And there it was again. The pain in my chest was back.

Usually my wound only hurt when I woke up from my nightmare but funnily enough it didn't last night. But now it did and it hurt like a bitch. I guess it's the irony of Tantalus's fruit. She was so close, yet far away from my reach.

I needed to get her hand off of me without her realizing.

So, I turned around to face her hoping that she'd turn around with me and retract her hand from my body, but I had to do it slowly or I'd end up waking her up.

I gently let go of her hand and rolled to my other side. Yes, she too turned around as her back was now facing me. But there was something weird about it.

Of course, everything about this situation was weird but it's her back.

I must have watched her sleep billions of times when we were together. There is something weird about the way her back is moving as she was breathing in her sleep.

Oh no!

"Annabeth, are you awake?" I asked.

"Yeah" she replied but she didn't turn around.

"Did I wake you?"

"Nope" she said but she didn't move.

"How long have you been awake for?"

"... Awhile"

There it was the awkwardness was back and denser. But I didn't know what to do to get things to be remotely normal between us. I guess I would have to wait till the end of the mission to see what happens.

I gently push the covers off my body and get up.

"I'll get the coffee started. You can shower in the meantime" I said as I walked out of the room.

Maybe physical distance would help. Maybe if I physically stayed away from her as much as possible, things will get better.

So, that is what I did. I went to the kitchen and busied myself with the coffee. Even when we were together it had always been one of my tasks to make sure the coffee was ready to go before Annabeth evolved into a zombie, which happened if she didn't get her coffee for about an hour since she was up. So, I put the coffee on and tried to focus on the work in front of me.

Annabeth had stuck post it notes everywhere on the documents in front of me. She had even color coded her notes and divided them into 'Facts' 'Important' and 'Irrelevant'. I tried concentrating on it last night but I was beat and I could barely read anything. So, today seemed like the perfect day.

I heard my bedroom door open so I reached for a coffee mug and poured the coffee in it before I added some milk and sugar into the cup. I turned around to face her.

My breath caught in my throat at what I saw.

She was wearing her combat outfit, the outfit she wore when she went for missions. She was wearing her black tank top with her camouflage pants which she paired with combat boots. The only difference now was that she had longer hair. She wore a towel around her shoulders which soaked her wet hair.

"I'm sorry I don't have a blow dryer" I said as I placed her coffee mug in front of her.

"Huh? Oh no, I didn't know the tap was set to shower and I kind of just got drenched" she said as she took a couple of papers in her hand.

"Yeah, I have been meaning to get that fixed" I said and returned my attention back to the papers in front of me.

God, it's been so long that I have done any Mafia work that I think I actually forgot how it's done. I mean I don't understand how any of this is actually supposed to help but if Annabeth says that it will, then I'm ready to believe her.

"Aha!" Annabeth said as she picked up two papers in her hand.

"What?"

She lifted up one of the paper "These are all the hideouts that I'm aware of" she said before she lifted the other paper "and this is a list of hideouts your gang knows about" she said as she crossed the counter and stood beside me.

"Umm, former gang," I said.

"Yeah, former gang that's what I meant" she said as she grabbed a pen.

"All we have to do is see what places are common between these two lists"

"And that helps us how?" I asked, clearly missing the point.

"Well, if we cross out all the common places between the two-" she started.

"Then your list would have all the hideouts about your gang that the Jacksons have no idea about. Of course, they'd want to keep Piper in a location that only a few people are aware off" I finished for her.

"Former gang"

"Yeah, that's what I meant" I said as I playfully nudged her on her arm.

"See, Jacksonville holdings are a part of both the lists" she said as I watched her cross it out.

This went on for a while. Annabeth mentioned a name and I'd tell her if the place was listed or not.

"How many do we have?" I asked.

"Three"

"Three seems doable" I said and let go of the paper that I was holding before I stretched out in my seat.

In our whole planning phase I didn't realize that I had my arm around her. We were literally in each other's spaces but she didn't seem to mind. I don't think she even realized how close she was to me. It all felt familiar since we used to date. Maybe I'm not really sure what normal is after all. We seem to oscillate from awkward to less awkward.

I should probably remove my hand before it became awkward but I liked having her so close to me that I couldn't retract my hand, even if I tried.

Suddenly Annabeth turns around and looks down at me.

"Do you think Piper is at one of these locations?" she asked.

"She has to be"

Five years ago

I turned around in bed and found the side to be empty. All of sudden I felt cold as I felt the blanket shift away from me. So, I scooted towards the other side to grab her before she was off. I felt something warm and I held on it and pulled myself closer.

"Come on Percy, I'm getting late for my run" I heard her say but I strengthened my hold on her.

I cracked one of my eyes open to see her. By the looks of it, I had a firm grasp on her waist as she tried to loosen my grasp on her.

"Please?" she asked.

But I shook my head and leaned into her.

"How about now?" she asked as she leaned down and started pressing a couple of kisses on my forehead.

I shook my head once again, but I could feel my hold loosening. All I want to do now is bury my hands in her hair. That's when she took the opportunity and stood up as she freed her from my hold.

"Why do you have to go? You are in perfect shape you don't need to exercise" I said as I sat up in bed probably pouting.

"Because my cover is that I'm a chef, I'm around delicious food all the time and if I don't keep myself in check I'd start putting it on and you know, being in the Mafia and all I cannot have that" she said as she changed into her running shorts and put on a sports bra "Plus I like running, it clears my head"

I yawned before I stretched out in bed "Alright then, hurry back" I said before I laid down in bed and pulled the covers over my head.

"Percy, get the coffee started!" she yelled before she left for her run.

Present Day

"All right, why don't you go get showered while I whip up some eggs" she said as she moved away from me as I removed my hand from around her.

"Yeah, why don't you check your maps and see which route we should take" I said as I started walking towards my room.

"Hey Percy?" I heard her call out to me.

"Yeah?" I asked as I turned around in the door away from the kitchen door.

"Umm, never mind" she said as she turned away from me and started chewing on her finger.

She must be nervous. She always did that when she was either deep in thought or wasn't sure about how to say what she wanted to say.

"No tell me Annabeth, what is it?" I asked as I took a couple of steps closer to her.

"Umm, the bear?" she asked.

"What bear?" I asked as I leaned against the door and crossed my arms.

"You know the bear, the bear you gave me on our… You know! Are you really going to make me say it?" she said as she started getting riled up.

"Oh yeah that. After I got discharged from the hospital I kind of tossed my entire place before I moved out. I remembered the bear, so I went back to get it, but the owners had already cleared out the house so I went to the store and got him"

"That explains the shirt" she said but she refused to meet my eyes.

"You could keep it if you like it," I said as I shrugged.

"No, it's okay-" she said but I cut her off

"I insist" I said as I went to the hall and grabbed the bear before I went back to her and placed the bear in her hands "here"

"Percy, it's okay-"

"Keep it, please" I said as I touched her face and forced her to look at me "Besides he'd rather live with you, look he already seems so happy to be in your arms" I said before I turned and left for the bathroom.

I don't know if that was awkward but my heart did a couple of flips inside my chest.

I know I still love her. I just hope everything goes fine on our mission.

A/N: I guess I never really addressed the bear after I mentioned it a couple of chapters before. So, I added that here.