Hey! Chapter fourteen! Anyway, sorry that there wasn't really much in the last chapter…but it's better than something bad, isn't it? I suppose. Anyway, yays, fourteenth chapter, we're coming up on the end…maybe. We'll see. If I can squeeze it all into my original mark, that's what I'll do.

The7horcrux: And you changed your profile pic...okay. ...Voldemort was a horcrux? Okay. ;-;

SunBear: Lol. Lol x 2. Yep.
I just cracked all my knuckles...there's your randomness.
Yep, smug moments, thank yous, deprecation, oh nos. And we can't forget the dammit Mango moments. :)
Yup. Mango's one matchmaking cat. Good Mango indeed. Yeah...I'm not planning any muteness. If it occurs, we'll have to blame my beta reader. The Ezzie. I don't think they can have a relationship with no communication...but yep.
Thanks!

Poseidon1702: Well, I used Jason for...a purpose. Jason is going to be used for other purposes as well...other-wise, there would be no point of ze Jason. Mango does work. Thanks, you too!

Annabeth's POV:

Piper would not stop gushing about her boyfriend. Yes, her boyfriend. Otherwise known as Jason Grace. Annabeth credited herself with the two's budding relationship, Piper liked to say it was fate. But Annabeth had seen Jason Grace's eye- the little spark of pure obsidian Annabeth knew was a characteristic soulmark.

This did not seem to be Destiny calling. But she said nothing- maybe Piper's soulmate was Jason, why rain on her friend's parade?

So Annabeth didn't expect Piper to turn to her second favorite topic- Annabeth's love life. (Her first favorite topic being, you guessed it, her boyfriend- Jason Grace.)

"Anything new with you and the Jackson?" she'd ask, wiggling her eyebrows. Annabeth would roll her eyes, shake her head, and give her a firm answer- just as she did now.

"Piper, I think you realize that nothing is going to happen." Annabeth missed the gleam in her friend's eye. "He doesn't want it, I don't want it." She told her and herself. "So can you please just drop it?" Annabeth changed the subject. "So, how's Golden Boy?" she smiled slightly as Piper's eyes lit up.

"He's great. I still can't believe he lives here. It's just such good luck. It's only been a week since we made it official, but still. He's great."

"Bet you're glad I made you go on that blind date now, huh?" Piper rolled her eyes, smiling.

"I suppose." Piper said, before changing her tone to one more lofty. "Oh, is that the time? I have a date with my boyfriend…" she flounced into the bedroom and Annabeth could picture the grin on her face.

"Go flex somewhere else McLean!" Annabeth called after her. Piper laughed from inside the other room, a gentle sound. Annabeth picked Mango up from where the cat had been rubbing against her legs, staring into the cat's green eyes as the doorbell rang. "Who is it?" Annabeth called, hoisting Mango over her shoulder and moving toward the door as her cat began to scream bloody murder.

"Evening, Annabeth. I'm here for Piper…?" Annabeth nodded and opened the door to let him in, Mango jumping out of her arms and outside as she did so.

"So…" the silence fell thick and awkward as the two of them waited. Annabeth opened Microsoft Word on her laptop and winced at the list of documents cluttering up the screen. Jason's eyes flickered toward them, but he said nothing, not yet. "You write?" Annabeth shrugged.

"Some. I work at Pallas Olympiad, the local architecture firm." Jason just nodded, Annabeth unashamedly glad when Piper stepped out of the bedroom with a gentle smile.

"Have fun, you two." Annabeth told them graciously. Piper gave her a grin before she shut the door, Mango slipping inside as if to complain about the cold. Annabeth had to agree with her, as the cold was slipping into the November days. It was time to take the fuzzy socks out of the bottom of her closet and take the blanket out from under her bed. So she didn't expect the knock, but when she opened the door, she did not find Piper saying she had forgotten her purse, or her keys. "Piper, really-" the words died on her lips. "Oh."

"Evening, Miss Chase. Stunning as usual." He said with a smirk. Annabeth was dimly aware that she was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt two sizes too big. She flushed, which only seemed to make Percy more pleased with himself. Percy, in comparison, was wearing jeans and a shirt with a red stain on it- still more dressed up than Annabeth was.

Annabeth looked at him. "What are you doing here?" she asked in a voice that hopefully conveyed strength and bewilderment.

"Well," Percy said, "I come bearing pizza-" he pulled out the box- "a movie-" which was dangerously close to sliding off the box- "and my dashing good looks." He wiggled his eyebrows at her. Annabeth was tempted to laugh.

"Alright, but why are you barging into my home at six p.m. with pizza, a movie, and mediocre looks?" she smirked at the man's betrayed expression.

"Mediocre looks? I'll have you know-" Annabeth could no longer help herself and laughed at his indignation, whether it was real or not she did not know. Percy waited patiently for her to calm down, almost smiling.

"Well, I was hoping," he sniffed, "for another chance at that date. "But," he sulked, "I see that my presence is no longer needed."

"No, it's fine," Annabeth said hurriedly. "I suppose…you can stay." She said sighing theatrically. "Well, come in." Percy gave her a slight nod, his sea green eyes almost mischievous.

"You have a nice place," he complimented her, looking around before tentatively taking a seat on the couch.

"Thank you," Annabeth said. Mango, sitting on Annabeth's laptop (searching Annabeth's Microsoft Word for "aaaaaaalksawe9pojefdfjjdkhfjhafiihfwhfweuihfuhquf"), raised her head to watch Percy with wide eyes, before sitting up, stretching luxuriously and strutting over to Percy with a questioning look. "Mrrow?" Mango mewed. Percy stretched out a hand, and the tuxedo turned tail and skidded on the floor in her haste to get away from him. Annabeth chuckled.

"Well, that's a change from that other week." He commented.

"She's a cat, cats are flaky." Annabeth told him. "That or she doesn't like you…" she joined him on the couch, sitting at the opposite end and squinting at the movie he'd brought. "…Home Alone?"

Percy shrugged. "It's a nice movie," he defended. "A little kid beating up a bunch of thieves, what's not to like?" Annabeth smiled at him.

"If you say so." Percy looked at her childishly.

"You're laughing at me," he whined. Annabeth thought for a moment that they were acting like a couple- and if not that, good friends, but she didn't do anything, not yet.

"No I'm not! I'm just commenting on your choice of a movie being something as, well…Home Alone. That's a Christmas movie." Percy feigned offense- or at least, Annabeth thought he was feigning. After all, he had brought a Christmas movie to what she was pretty sure was supposed to be a date… "Well, are we going to watch it?" his face lit up like a kid's on Christmas and Annabeth smirked at it even though he didn't see.

Everyone had left when the call came. Annabeth sat up just before Percy reached over Annabeth and answered the phone. "Annabeth's, Percy speaking," Annabeth glared at him. Give me the phone! she mouthed, but Percy gave her a lopsided grin and put his feet on Annabeth's lap. Annabeth didn't like how couple-y they were acting, but couldn't do anything about it right now. "And who is this for? Annabeth? Splendid," he turned to Annabeth. "It's for you." Annabeth stared at him, torn between anger and confusion.

"Hello? Oh…hi Piper." She was never going to hear the end of this, she lamented in her head. Percy answering the phone? Her roommate would never let Annabeth live it down.

"Beth, what's Percy Jackson doing answering our phone?" Piper asked shrewdly.

"…no reason?"

"…if you say so," Piper singsonged. "Percy and Annabeth, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G-"

"Piper, I swear I'll hang up on you right now-"

"Wait no-" Piper started to say, but Annabeth had already hung up on the call. Percy was watching her, his feet still in her lap. Annabeth pushed them off, frowning confusedly at the television screen before looking back at her 'date'.

"So, someone's been playing with the boundaries of social conduct." She said slowly, unsure still if she was mad or not.

"Isn't that what Ross said?" Annabeth raised her eyebrows.

"What?"

"Ross Geller. In Friends. In that one episode- where some dude answers the phone?" Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Are you seriously comparing me to a TV show? You sure know how to make a girl feel special." Percy chuckled.

"That I do, Miss Chase." He replied, his voice low and mocking. Mango hopped up onto the coffee table, sniffing the pepperoni on the pizza. Annabeth knew what was about to happen, but was too slow to stop it- the pink tongue darting out, licking the salty red slice of meat on the piece of pizza on Percy's paper plate.

"Hey!" he protested. "That's my pizza!" Annabeth, laughing, gathered the cat in her arms, Mango protesting.

"Pizza's too salty for you, baby girl." She told the cat, sitting Mango on her lap like one would a baby. "Especially pepperoni. Plus, it's from Domino's. Everyone knows it's better at Little Caesar's." Mango stared at her with her mango-green eyes, her expression as indignant as a cat's could get. Are you seriously denying me pizza? she seemed to be saying. Annabeth stared back.

"Hey!" Percy said, his words now directed at Annabeth. "Domino's is good!"

"But Little Caesar's is better," Annabeth reasoned. "Whatever the case, any pepperoni and any pizza is too salty for little Mango." The cat in question squirmed out of Annabeth's arms, opting to sit on the arm of the couch and listen to the pizza themed banter between Percy and Annabeth.

"Well, have a wonderful evening, Miss Chase." Percy gave her a slight bow, before closing the door behind him. Annabeth gave him a small smile, which vanished as he left. He was perfectly nice. There was nothing wrong with Percy Jackson. And yet something at her screamed for her to distance herself. As if he was breaking one of her most sacred rules.

"Hi, Beth," Piper breezed him, back to her roommate. "How was the date with little ol' Percy?" she busied herself…messing with the couch cushions?

"It was okay…how was your boyfriend?" Piper looked oddly distracted, not making eye contact, still fussing over a patchy cushion…Annabeth didn't own a patchy cushion. Mango jumped onto it and hissed, baring her teeth with her tail on end.

"Piper, what's going on?" Piper bit her lip and turned to Annabeth, hands still on the cushion.

"Well, you know how I called you because I needed to talk with you about something? And then you hung up before we had the chance to talk about what I needed to talk about?" Annabeth nodded, still confused. "Well, Jason and I were walking, and we found her, and I wanted to ask you first but then you hung up and I had no choice, so…" Piper held out the cushion. "This is Pandora." Annabeth looked slowly from Mango's wide, dilated eyes to the tortoiseshell cat Piper held in her arms. "Can we please keep her?" Piper gave her the puppy dog eyes.

"…where did you find her?" Annabeth asked finally, unsure of what to think.

It wasn't every day your roommate brought home a stray and pleaded with you to keep her, after all. Annabeth watched Mango take a cautious step toward the homeless cat- Pandora, Piper had called her- and give her a sniff. The other cat wriggled out of Piper's arms, ran under the couch, and stayed there, where Mango investigated the foreign feline.

"Over by your bookstore- the Booky-regal Bookstall?"

"Bücherregal Bookstall," Annabeth corrected. "Not Booky-regal. It's German."

"Still," Piper pressed, giving Annabeth a pleading look. "Look how much Mango likes her!" Mango's tail had puffed up again and her fur stood on end. Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "Okay, maybe she doesn't like her now, but it will come with time. She won't be as lonely."

"She's not lonely. She has me." Annabeth said.

"Well, it's not like she has any cat friends. This place, for a place called the Catnip Cottages, is shockingly devoid of feline friends. But still…look at them." A pair of glowing eyes peeked out from under Annabeth's couch. "I won't talk about Percy for a month." Annabeth caved.

"I suppose she can stay. But she has to go to the vet. She could give Mango a disease." Piper grinned widely.

"Deal."

Hmm...song of the chapter? If you insist ;) Lost and Found by the Moody Blues slash Justin Hayward. Yep. All the songs are going to be Moody Blues. :) Thanks for reading!