Waking up has always been my problem. Since I alarmed the phone at 6 am sharp, I had to wake up at 6 am sharp. I groaned as I got up and scratched my neck, knowing that it was probably from the bugs that possibly entered our very peaceful yet extremely small form of shelter. Percy, on the other hand groaned beside me and turned around so his back was facing me, muttering my name in his sleep. I smiled and pecked him on the cheek before stretching up.

I checked outside and saw that it was still quiet. The sun hasn't even started rising yet so we all had about thirty minutes to do what we have to. I turned to Percy and shook him, rather violently at that.

"Come on, Seaweed Brain" I coaxed.

"What?" he answered, almost grumpily. "It's still so early"

That got a smile out of me. It sounded so hot once he said so because his voice was all husky and groggy from sleep. I zipped it back and padlocked it shut before moving on top of him, my chin placed lightly on his muscled chest.

"That's the point" I mused, kissing the spot on his jaw. "They're all still asleep"

The moment he processed the entire meaning of what I said, he pressed his lips to mine insistently, moving in a gentle staccato. He was smiling the entire time, knowing that this was probably the only time where we're free to do whatever we wanted and he wanted to make the best of it.

Our tongues were battling for dominance a moment after and he looked as if he was winning. I wasn't letting him though. My pride does not let me lose something this important. I love how everything was just working out between us.

"Why can't we tell them? I don't care what they think about this. I'm sick and tired of always hiding when I want to kiss you." I sighed and placed my head on the crook of his neck.

"I-I'm not ready for something like that. We don't know what they would do." I paused, "What Rachel would do"

He shook his head, cupping my jaw so he would look at me in the eye, green against gray. "I will never dump you to be with someone like her. I will never dump you at all because you're the only girl who made me feel this way, the only one" it was said as a whisper but I could sense the boldness and the strength of each word.

"Thank you" I muttered and kissed him, just one more time.

Well, maybe not.

His lips were moving with mine in perfect harmony, perfect melody, as if we're born to do this to each other. He flipped us so now he was on top and was pinning me beneath him, making me wonder if he has ever gone this far with a girl other than me. Percy's beautiful sea green eyes were closed but I could tell that they were filled with love. I've never been so glad to be his. "Promise me that whatever happens to this relationship, we would still go back to being best friends?"

"I promise" it was pushed past my lips, his breathing turning a little harder because of lack of air. It wasn't that he really minded but because there was nothing more to do than just listen to his once steady heartbeat grow faster and faster, I had no other choice but to pull away just for a while.

He smiled, his hands moving to my sides as he moved his mouth to my neck, almost licking it. If there are going to be bruises there once we finished, I really have to make a good excuse. Since his shirt was a little loose, he can easily push the sleeve down my shoulder and kiss the patch of skin that has been newly exposed to the morning air. I closed my eyes at the feeling, soft and gentle but passionate at the same time. It may have been a little too overwhelming when he moved his lips back to mine and kissed me again.

"You don't know how happy I am" I told him

"I know" he said simply

"Maybe we can tell them soon, when we're ready"

He nodded, "I know"

"I love you" I confessed. Percy smiled at this one, kissing me with all of his might.

"I know" I thought that was the only thing he was going to say so I dismissed the thought of his reply as something invalid. But he added, "I love you, too"

We had to pull away to get dressed and once he pulled his shirt above his head, I had to control myself not to pounce on him. His figure was perfect, just like the rest of him. Mainly because of his training and the many sports he's been playing ever since he was a kid. He's a swimmer and I could expect him to reach the middle of the Pacific Ocean if there weren't any dangers to it.

But, much to my annoyance, he noticed the look I was giving him. "You like what you see?" he teased, "Or is it not enough for you?" The last one was said with a raised eyebrow and my eyes involuntarily went down to that single part of him that I have touched just once. Though it went back up to his face as soon as it saw the soft fabric of his boxers.

"Shut up, Seaweed Brain" I muttered

I slipped out of his clothes and crawled to the other side of the tent, where all our bags were located. Huh, this tent was bigger than I thought. But I had to make sure that he had a good view of my… Let's just say that I don't mind letting him see me in this state. We've done it before so what's the harm of doing it again?

A laugh escaped my mouth without my permission once I sat back down. "You like what you see?" I echoed, "Or is it not enough for you?"

He bit his lip and tried so hard not to stare. It has always been his weakness, knowing that he can't help himself when times like this happen. He has seen me in my underwear before we even started dating but that was because I was trying out something for a really important party my family was attending and he was the only one available. I trusted him then, I trust him now.

"Look, let's just not make it hard for each other so please stop teasing" it was said in one breath and I know how hard it must be for him to hide what can't really be hidden, especially if that single part of him was dying to stand out since the moment we were making-out.

I shrugged before slipping on a pair of leggings and a white sleeveless dress mid-thigh. It wasn't the best thing to wear in a camping trip but I doubt we would be doing much but talk. They were just comfortable at the moment and having to wear what my boyfriend wore every single day, I know what comfortable means.

All that time I've allotted to thinking has given him enough time to change to jeans and a black v-neck shirt. It was nice, to just really look at him without feeling embarrassed about how I truly felt. I know he feels the same way so why would I be humiliated by the truth?

Out of nowhere, I reached up to mess up his hair even more and the moment I sat back on my heels, his lips were already on mine, kissing me intently as if it was the last time it was going to happen in a really long time. "I love you" he whispered "Don't you ever forget that"

I nodded and gave him another little kiss. "I love you, too" I replied

And with that, we wiped our lips, feeling rather sad that we can't go outside without feeling scared. I was selfish, knowing that I was the only one who deserves to touch Percy like that, to feel the smooth planes of his back, to breathe in the sea scent that was only him, to just be with him like this. No one can ever take him away from me and I am never let him go, no matter what the circumstances.

Thankfully, no one was out yet but we can't risk getting discovered so we didn't do any PDA's. We just talked, like before, but censored the names and changed it to who they think we're with.

One by one, they started going out. It was Piper and Jason first, already fully dressed and ready for anything, then Silena and Beckendorf, followed by Juniper and Grover, then it was Clarisse and Chris, then Connor and Leo. Surprisingly, only Thalia and Nico and Katie and Travis were the only people we have to wait for but no one of us dared go in their tents because we were unprepared for what we might see.

"So, Annabeth, how was your sleep?" Piper asked, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. I thought she was going to forget it ever happened?

But I faked a smile and tried to hide the confusion, fear, and embarrassment that I was somehow feeling right now. "Fine" I replied nonchalantly, "Why do you ask?"

She shook her head and gave me her signature grin before turning all her attention to Jason. Soon, though, Thalia and Nico went out because the sun has fully encased their tent with its rays. Followed by Travis and Katie. "Wow, Stolls, not a single prank!" Percy exclaimed in almost amusement.

You see, every time we invite them to hang out with us, they always seem to pull something big, maybe the smallest might have been pick pocketing or maybe a little teasing. But when they were in the mood, they would pull something huge. Like make-Clarisse-La-Rue-scream-in-surprise-and-shout-out-their-names-in-absolute-anger kind of huge. If ever you want to make her mad, you should probably make sure if you live near a hospital or a cemetery. Or else, you're going to be dead on arrival.

"When are we leaving?"

"I promised dad that we'd be home by noon." Jason said, "So till then, what do you want to do?"

"I know!" Silena squealed, "We can play truth or dare"

Many nodded in agreement, not including Percy and me. This was probably the worst thing that we can probably do right now. "I-I- c-ca- can't." I stuttered. Wow, real smooth Annabeth. "I mean, I can't. I remember our last game and I don't want that to happen every again"

"Come on, Annie!" Thalia interjected, "It's going to be fun. Plus it's not like you're hiding something, right?"

I looked at Percy miserably but he nodded, mouthing "Discreet". I agreed with them after that, knowing there wasn't much to do since all my friends are very persuasive. I swear Piper can make me do something I'm not supposed to by just talking to me. "Rules" Chris stated "You have to answer the question or do the dare or else you have to remove an article of clothing."

Good enough, I thought to myself. I was wearing at least five pieces of clothes and if you count the jewelry, it would be seven. That was enough for me to get started. "I'll go first" Thalia said, turning to me. I closed my eyes, wishing that they won't notice that I was shaking with fear and anticipation. "Annabeth, truth or dare"

She always did like going straight to the point. But I had to think. If I choose truth, she would ask about SB and if I choose dare, she would dare me to tell the truth about SB or even force me to kiss Percy. Not like I don't want the last one to happen, I'm just afraid that maybe we would get too carried away and end up revealing what can't be revealed.

Either way, I'm screwed.

"Dare…?" I just sorta said it and once I did, I bit my lip, knowing what she would force me to do before she even said it.

She smiled evilly, almost formulating a plan. "I dare you to kiss the guy on your left for ten seconds total" I gulped and looked to my right, seeing Jason. Meaning, the guy on my left just had to be Percy.

"Let's just get this done and over with, Wise Girl" he muttered, looking pretty embarrassed himself.

I nodded and pressed my lips gently to his, feeling what I felt just minutes ago inside my tent. But this time, I counted. I had to make sure that it does not go beyond ten seconds.

Three…

Four…

Five… Percy's lips were moving now, insisting that we just have to tell them because he couldn't do this anymore.

Six…

Seven…

Eight… I responded with my tongue searching for his, hoping they wouldn't notice.

Nine…

Ten… I pulled away, as much as I hated it.

I can't take this anymore. I never thought that kissing him would feel so dangerous yet so thrilling. Sometimes, I doubt if I ever do what is right and what I think is right. I know that keeping our relationship a secret is what I think is right and maybe the right thing to do as of now is to just tell them straightforwardly.

But I can't find myself doing that.

We turned away from each other, blushing. They were probably thinking that we could have done it so naturally with the people we were with that we forget that the other wasn't them. If they haven't figured it out yet, I think it was best for them to just find out themselves. It was better, maybe a little trickier, but better.

"You actually did it?" Thalia said in amusement.

That got a smile out of me, "I never back out from a dare" I told her, "I think you should know that by now"

My best friend laughed, unable to keep it anymore. Maybe keeping this from her would ruin what we've been trying to grow ever since we were kids. Maybe it was best for her not to suspect something happening between me and Percy. But there was this nagging fact that maybe we would grow even closer than we already are, that we can spend even more time together just to bond. "So, Annabeth, where did you get the outfit last night? You mentioned it belonging to your boyfriend. How did you get it?"

I blushed even more, the pink extremely obvious even through my almost sunburned skin. Why is my skin sunburned? There isn't even any sun yet! Anyways, I decided to keep everything to myself and to Percy because they had no right to go snooping in my love life. "What's wrong, Wise Girl?" Percy teased, "Been doing things you're not supposed to now?"

Okay, how does he do that? He acts like he isn't part of this whatsoever and I don't know how he could act like that. Maybe it was a talent all the guys have or maybe he was born under a family of really good liars. "Well…" I left the thought hanging, fingering with the bracelet on my wrist that my boyfriend gave me for my sixteenth birthday.

"Oh my god, Annabeth!" Silena exclaimed loudly, making many birds fly away in surprise. "You did what?!"

"God, chill Silena" I mumbled, rolling my eyes. "It's not like it's such a big deal"

She looked at me in a way I never thought was possible. It was as if every single thing she thought of me when we first met was now gone and replaced with something else. "Percy, you're not upset about this at all?" Nico asked incredulously. That was his mistake. He should have sounded a little more… jealous? I don't know. How will you react if your best friend that you secretly have feelings for would find out that you did something that you're not supposed to?

But he didn't seem to see the mistake. "It's her life to live, not mine."

"I never thought I would ever hear you say that"

And for this, I was actually proud of him. He seemed to know what to answer to every single question thrown at him, sometimes thrown at me. Huh, I never thought that he has this chance to be an actor someday. "It's not really my fault that I'm right. I mean, I don't care to whom she loses her virginity to…" but he choked, as if he finally considered it and turned to me, a sense of absolute confusion on his face, reminding me of a lost little boy.

"Don't worry, we didn't…" he sighed in relief, almost convincing me that this SB guy wasn't the same person as he was.

So time passed by, with Percy acting like he's totally jealous of himself and me acting like I'm jealous of myself. If I was another person, then I know I'm going to be but there was this one thing that all of them still have to ask. "Who's SB? Come on, Annabeth. Tell us"

"I can't. I'm sorry" I shook my head

"But why can't you?"

This was a hard question to answer. Not because I don't know what to reply but because I don't know how to say it. If there was one misplaced word, the whole meaning would be different. "He's not yet ready for me to reveal who he really is" I said slowly and carefully. "He's a little… scared of how people would treat him."

"So is this guy popular or something?"

Percy let out a small smile. "Yeah, very" he boasted and I rolled my eyes at how Percy he really is.

I can't really look at how they were watching Percy and me intently, Clarisse looking a little more suspicious than the others. "You know who SB is?"

"Actually, all of you know him"

This went way farther than it's supposed to. He's hinting too much, enough for them to know everything if given one more very relevant piece of information. But they didn't seem bothered. Instead, they seemed a little more curious than before but not enough for them to start stalking me.

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