A/N: No, I did not make a mistake editing this document, it was meant to be in italics and that will clear up in the end. I know, you're welcome, in advance.

Also, reviews guys! I haven't gotten one since a couple of chapters! It helps me make my chapters better.

Chapter 23:

Annabeth

Present Day

"Percy what are you doing?" I asked Percy as I felt him crawling on top of me.

His hands were holding my arms up, above my head as he pinned me down on his bed. He was looking at me with so much intensity that I had to look away. I was cradling him between my legs. By the looks of it, we were still fully clothed but I still felt pretty turned on.

"It's been so long," he said before he leaned down and started kissing me on my neck. But his hands still kept me pinned down. I wanted to touch him but he wouldn't let me.

I tried to get out of his grip but his hold on me tightened.

"Stay still Annabeth" he whispered against my ears before he kissed me passionately on my lips.

It's been so long before we kissed, sure we kissed yesterday but it wasn't nearly as passionate as this. I felt my back arching towards him as my chest touched his. I have never felt this alive for quite some time.

I could feel my lungs giving away but I refused to pull away. Suddenly I felt Percy grab both of my hands using just one of his hands as he leaned away from me.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked but Percy just smiled at me as he opened one of the bedside drawers and started rummaging through it.

We weren't even undressed yet so I know he didn't need a condom, so what could he be finding in his drawer?

Just then Percy pulled out the object.

He was holding his tie. The tie I got him. The tie he thought Piper had gotten for him for her engagement party. But what was he planning on doing with it?

He gently got off of the bed and sat beside me. I too sat up with him and watched him unrolling his tie.

"We can stop, if you want," he said.

I shook my head and offered him my wrists. He took my wrist in his hands, he lifted them up to his lips and kissed them before he brought them back down and tied them to each other before he lifted my arms and tied them to his bedpost as I laid back down on the bed.

"So beautiful" he said as I felt him run a finger from my forehead to my lips.

I gently pecked his finger before I took it in my mouth and started sucking on it. I saw him gently close his eyes as I felt his thumb stroking the side of my face.

He quickly pulled off his shirt and threw it over his head. I was surprised that he was still very muscular and he had kept up with his physique even after all these years. He then lowered himself on me as my legs cradled his legs wanting to keep him as close to me as possible.

"It's not too tight, is it?" he asked.

"Huh?" I asked breathlessly as I looked up at him.

"The tie"

"No"

"Good" he said before he attacked my lips once again as his arm started touching me all over.

I suddenly felt one of his hands roughly entering my shorts before I felt a finger across my sensitive flesh.

"Ah!" I squirmed, I wanted to touch him, touch him anywhere but I felt my hands being pulled back. Oh right! My hands were tied.

I looked at Percy and saw him staring down at me before he descended down my body and discarded my shorts and panties after which, I saw him pulling his own pants and boxers down his legs and kicking them off.

I watched him crawl up my body as he suddenly entered me without any warning.

I smiled as I pressed closer to the source of heat pressed against my front. I had not slept so peacefully for a long time now. But why was that?

Suddenly my eyes shot open. What was I doing?

My head was nuzzled against him as my hand was draped over his chest. Oh god! Why was I pressed against him? Why was I spooning? I gently lifted my head and saw that he had his hand over my hand and so I couldn't retract it. Damn it. Our fingers were intertwined.

Oh no!

I cannot have this between us, not right now. I need to do something.

That's when Percy decided to roll over, so I rolled over with him and faced away from him. Okay, this is good.

But wait! Why was I having a dirty dream about him? Why is it that every time I sleep in his bed, I have a dirty dream about him?

Well at least this time the situation was under control, Percy will never know that I was spooning him and I'm ready to carry this secret to my grave.

"Annabeth, are you awake?" he asked.

I could feel his eyes on me as he looked at the back of my head. How did he know that I was awake? I was sure I made it look like I had rolled over in sleep, then how did he know?

"Yeah" I replied.

"Did I wake you?" he asked.

Oh god no! I was just having a dirty dream about you and that's what woke me up, no big deal right? It's just I can't really let that to him.

"Nope" I said.

"How long have you been awake for?" he asked.

Now that's a question that can only worsen the situation.

"A while," I replied.

I hated the situation we were in. Things between us were always natural. Even when I was trying to get information from him all those years ago, I didn't remember it being so hard. But why was there so much awkwardness now? Can Percy and I not be friends?

I felt the covers being pulled back so I turned around to look at him.

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

I nodded and watched him leave. But there was still something that was bothering me deeply.

So, I opened his bedside drawer and checked. Thank god! There were no ties let alone the tie had gotten him. That was a relief. I quickly got out of bed, grabbed my towel and a change of clothes before I headed for a shower.

Five Years Ago

I put my hand on my hips as I stared down at him. Here he was lying, happily drooling on his couch when I told him to go make himself useful and get a haircut. But, did he listen to me? Nope!

Ugh! Boys!

I have been nagging him for quite some time now, but I don't know why he just refuses to listen. It's like he's doing this deliberately to piss me off. Well guess what? It's working.

I have decided that I have had enough, my boyfriend cannot have longer hair than me, I will not allow it.

Percy's hair wasn't long as in dreadlocks or mullet long, but since I wore my hair in a short pixie, I refused to let his hair be longer than mine.

Enough was enough.

I stormed off to the kitchen and picked up the scissors from one of the drawers before I came back to him.

"Percy?" I said as I shook him.

He dreamily opened his eyes before he focused on the pair of scissors in my hand.

"Ah!" he screamed as he jolted in an upright position.

"Bathroom now!" I demanded and stormed off.

He had to know that this was coming. Trust me, I'm not the kind of person who gets mad easily… Okay there are a few things that drive me nuts but this was for his own good. Even though I was doing this for selfish reasons of my own, I wouldn't risk his hair sweeping low and covering his eyes before he makes one of his famous getaways.

I turned around and saw Percy peeking into the bathroom. He looked scared. Oh! My angry face wasn't that scary was it?

"Annabeth…"

"Nope, I have been telling you to get a haircut for weeks now and you refused to listen to me. So now, you get to deal with the consequences. Come on in and remove your shirt" I said as I tried to get my volume under control.

I wasn't surprised when he did as I told him. My voice must have told him that I'm not in the mood to play around.

"Have you done this before, cut someone's hair?" he asked as he got inside of the tub and sat down.

"Nope, but I watched a bunch of videos online so I know what I'm doing"

"Annabeth, people train for years before they even touch a stranger's hair"

"Well, then you are in luck, because I'm no stranger, am I now?"

"Annabeth-"

"What!"

"Just… just don't cut it too short" he said before his shoulders slumped.

This guy!

Of course, I wouldn't cut it too short, I know how he likes to wear his hair. I could have easily gone to the store and picked up a trimmer but that would have just freaked him out, he would have started screaming before the trimmer even made contact with this hair, so I picked out a pair of scissors instead.

So, I used the scissors.

I know why he doesn't like getting a haircut, he thinks that it's an unnecessary, time consuming chore and he often gets too tensed up in the chair and to top it off, he hates it when they cut his hair too short for his liking and try to style it and pass it of as 'this is how the kids are wearing it these days!'

I truly understand him, I do, but I will not have a boyfriend pick up a hair tie and bunch his hair up in a ponytail, or worse, I didn't want to see him wearing one of my headbands around the house.

I leaned forward and gently kissed his back before I wrapped my arms around him. He was still tense, so I placed a few more kisses as I pressed my face on to his back.

"I promise you, I won't cut it too short, so just relax okay?" I said as I let my hands linger around his bare chest.

He nodded against my head before I felt him settle down a bit.

"I'll try" he said and let out a sigh.

I retracted my hands from around him and grabbed the pair of scissors along with the spray bottle.

I sprayed the back of his head before roaming my hand through his hair, twisting and turning it a bunch of times like I saw them doing in the video. I carefully took a few strands of hair between my fingers, measured roughly an inch and snipped it.

The sound of the scissors was too loud in this echoey bathroom.

I took another section of his hair and did the same. I kept on measuring an inch before I cut it. Honestly, I would have loved to take off more than an inch, but I know if I did that Percy would not be happy, he liked to keep his hair long and honestly, he pulled it off.

I was almost done with the backside so I used my comb and brushed his hair a couple of times. Wow, it looked way better than I expected.

The last step before I moved to the top part of his hair was to line the back and his ears.

Percy still felt a little tense, but I could see that he was really fighting to keep himself calm and I really appreciated him for trusting me so much.

"Okay, so the back is done, why don't you turn around?" I asked in a much calmer voice.

Percy did as I asked as he slowly got up and sat back down but this time, he was facing me. I was about to spray the top of his hair when suddenly his hand reached behind him and swiped his back.

"Stupid hair" he cussed before he settled his hand on my lap. I could see it in his eyes, he still looked doubtful. But honestly, I can't do much about it until I show him his final look in the mirror. He still managed to crack a smile at me.

I smiled back as I grabbed the spray bottle and soaked his hair thoroughly, I put my hand on his forehead to avoid any of the droplets from reaching his eyes.

I took my comb and brushed out his hair. Wow, the front was really long, I brushed his hair in the front and his hair fell somewhere beyond his nose. I see, I have my work cut out for me. Pun not intended.

I used the same technique as before. I pulled the hair straight against my fingers before I cut it. I could see that Percy was starting to get really freaked out by the amount of hair that was falling, but honestly it had to go. It was just too long to be practical. But I still made sure that his hair was long enough for his liking before he shut his eyes and refused to open them.

I was done in about thirty minutes when I brushed out his hair and wrapped a towel around his head to dry it. I would have loved to blow dry it but my blow dryer wasn't here and I don't think Percy would have had the patience for it.

I removed the towel and examined his hair one last time to make sure both the sides were even.

I took a few strands in my hand before I twisted it to my liking and styled his hair. I would have loved to put some product in it, but he didn't have any at hand.

"You can open your eyes now, I'm done" I said as I stood up and brushed off all the hair that had gotten onto my clothes.

"Do I have anything left on the top of my head?" he asked.

But I just narrowed my eyes at him and waited for him to exit the tub and check out how much hair was actually on the top of his head.

I watched him as he timidly approached the mirror before his eyes went wild.

"Annabeth, oh my god!" he exclaimed as he ran his hand through his hair a bunch of times "this looks really good" he said as he continued playing with his hair.

I walked out of the tub and hugged him from behind before I affectionately ran a hand through his hair.

"Next time I need a haircut I'm coming straight to you"

Present Day

I looked down at the bear he had placed in my hands. I cannot believe he still had it. Of course, it wasn't the same one but the sentiment counted for something right?

I hugged the bear tightly and imagined that it was Percy who I was hugging. It was Percy who was hugging all of my doubts and troubles away.

But what I had was just a bear. I waited till I heard the shower going off and snuck back into his room. I went to the drawer where I had put my engagement ring in and placed the bear along with it.

I just couldn't take the bear, no matter how much he insisted on it. It hurt that he could trust someone who shot him.

If only we would have gotten our timing right then all of this wouldn't have happened.

Why did I have to open my big fat mouth?

A/N: I know I could have written more but this seemed like a good place to stop. Also, I was so confused about what moment to use for a flashback in this chapter, but since I could think of any, I just went ahead and wrote this.

Also, the flashback, since a lot of people are doing that during the quarantine, I figured it would be a little more relatable.