Can't believe we're on chapter 9 already! :)

Well, guess who got to come over today? I was so excited to see her.

Yeah, I hope you note the sarcasm there.

Poseidon, Percy, and I were sitting at the counter eating lunch when we heard a car drive up.

Percy's dad glanced at the door questioningly. "Expecting anyone, Perce?"

The sea-green eyed boy shook his head, his mouth full. Then he swallowed the large bite. "Not that I know of. Jason has to work, and Leo was visiting his dad."

So we waited in anticipation with our hotdogs in hand. However, when we saw the car briefly through the windows by the door as it parked in front of the garage, Percy exclaimed, "Oh, that's Rachel."

My chewing paused, then I resumed again. Be nice to her. That's what I had to do. Be nice to her.

While Percy's eyes strayed to the door and waited, Poseidon found mine. There was a touch of sympathy in his gaze. For some reason, he seemed to understand why I disliked Rachel so much, which was weird, considering I didn't exactly know myself. But again, thinking of his sympathy and my talk with Sally after the storm, I wondered how they knew, and why they weren't telling me to back off. I mean, Percy had a girlfriend. They should be protecting their son's relationship.

So why did they seem to not really care?

My thoughts were interrupted as the front door opened, and a red-haired girl stepped in, shutting it behind her. Percy stood up, walking over to her.

"Hey," he said, giving her a hug. "I thought you were spending the day with your parents."

She shrugged. "I was going to, but then dad got called off on another business meeting and mom said she had to meet with some friends, so I decided to come spend the day with you instead." She gave him a bright smile, then nodded a greeting to Poseidon, who nodded politely back. As I expected, she ignored me. But this time Percy noticed that, and he frowned, raising an eyebrow in my direction. I waved him off, focusing on my barbecue chips.

"Well, what did you want to do?" Percy asked his girlfriend.

"I don't know. Go for a ride outside?"

He nodded. "Sure, we can go on a trail ride. Annabeth, you want to come?"

At this, Rachel finally looked at me. Her eyes narrowed, and in her irises shone with a warning.

Sighing, I shook my head. "No, I'm fine. You go along with Rachel, Percy."

Rachel had a glint of triumph in her eyes, but Percy continued. "No, you should come. You haven't gotten to go on many trail rides with more people than just you and I."

I raised an eyebrow. "We went yesterday."

"What? With who?" Rachel queried suddenly. "Where to?"

Percy turned to her sheepishly. "With Jason and Leo to the lake. We were going to call you, but I thought you had to work."

"I didn't work yesterday."

"Oh, really?" Percy asked innocently. Rachel's eyes became smaller as she looked at Percy, but he switched his view from her to me.

"You should come," he said. "Let's go."

"Percy—," I started once more. A trail ride with Rachel was likely to not end too well.

"No, you're coming," Percy said firmly. Rachel gave him a little glare, which he happened to not see. So she switched her gaze to me, and I lifted a shoulder, my expression saying to her, I tried. She huffed, crossing her arms.

Poseidon, who had been watching this all in silence, now spoke up. "Alright, then. Looks like you're all going."

Percy nodded, and I tightened my jaw. Desperate to get a relief from Rachel's death glare, I muttered, "I'm gonna go get some socks." Standing up, I practically jogged towards the stairs. As I stepped up, I heard Percy and Rachel head out. I felt bad for him, since he was probably going to get an earful from his girlfriend for inviting me.

My feet thumped slowly on the ground as I walked to my room, heading over to the drawers to pull out some striped socks, yanking them onto my feet. I was about to leave the room when I heard my iPhone ringing insistently from under the covers. Grabbing it, I checked the caller ID.

It was my mom.

I exhaled largely. I had meant to call her back last night, but Jason and Leo had stayed pretty late and I was tired from the day, so I fell asleep accidentally. Then my mom had called this morning during my lesson, and I still hadn't called her back. But now, I really didn't feel like talking to her.

Pursing my lips, I turned and left the room, knowing the consequences of ignoring so many of her calls would catch up to me but not really caring at the moment. Back downstairs, Poseidon was cleaning from lunch.

I paused on my way to the door, saying to him, "Do you need some help?"

He looked over his shoulder at me. "No, I'm fine, thank you. But I do hear your phone ringing, do you want to get that?"

I hurriedly shook my head. "It's okay. It's just my mom.

He frowned, his green eyes swirling with curiosity. "Percy and Rachel can wait for you two to talk."

Biting my lip, I said once more, "No, it's good. I'll call her later."

Poseidon watched me carefully, then he turned back to the sink and the dishes, telling me resignedly, "Okay. Better go saddle Porkpie."

I nodded, said goodbye, then slipped my feet into my boots before heading out. It was still unbelievably hot, and I pulled my hair back into a ponytail, allowing the air to flow sluggishly onto my neck.

When I stepped into the stable, I couldn't see anybody. Frowning, I went farther in. Blackjack, Porkpie, and Guido were all tied up on the railing right outside the door. Percy had been going to work with Blackjack this afternoon, so the ebony horse was already saddled, but the other two weren't. I patted all three horses, then decided to go get my saddle. Horses nickered greetings as I passed their stalls, and I smiled back to them, stopping to rub a few foreheads. I loved all these horses.

When I reached the tack room, the door was ajar slightly. Walking slowly, I peeked in. Percy and Rachel were standing there, whispering to each other in hushed but harsh tones. They didn't look too happy, and as I watched, Percy rolled his eyes and lifted a hand incredulously like Rachel had just accused him of something that would totally not happen. She poked his chest, but not playfully—her actions were angry.

"It's a perfectly reasonable thought, Percy," she hissed. "And you know it."

He looked at her, struggling to form words. "What is wrong with you? You can't give me an inch of trust, and it should be the other way."

"What's wrong with me?" she asked incredulously. "Our relationship is struggling, Percy, and if you keep—"

"Yeah, well, who's fault is that to begin with, Rachel?" He practically spat her name. For a moment Rachel seemed speechless and a hint of guilt flew through her stance as she took a step back.

What did that mean?

I reluctantly forced myself to walk away, hoping to leave before they noticed me, even though I really wanted to hear what was happening. But I knew it was wrong to stay longer.

However, as I moved, Percy's eyes flitted above Rachel's head and met mine. He didn't look mad that I was right there, listening to them, but instead relieved, like he was sick of arguing and was glad for the distraction.

"Annabeth." His voice lilted on the first "a". Rachel pivoted on her cowboy boot-covered heel, facing me.

For a second I saw a sadness in her eyes, but it was soon gone, replaced with the hatred she always put on display for me. Wasn't I special.

"Uh, hey," I started awkwardly. "I was just coming to get my saddle."

Percy nodded, and I walked in cautiously. With one last look at Rachel, Percy grabbed Guido's saddle, then exited the tack room. Rachel watched him go, chewing on her lip. I found Porkpie's saddle and was about to follow him, but a hand gripped my arm before I could leave, making me stop.

I shifted to look at Rachel, an eyebrow raised.

Her gaze was devoid of emotion. "What are you doing?"

I stared at her. "Getting my saddle."

She rolled her green eyes. "No. What are you doing with my boyfriend?"

If my hands weren't holding my saddle, I would put them up defensively. "Nothing. I swear Rachel, there's nothing going on. Gods, what do you have against me anyways? What have I done to you?" Briefly, my previous thoughts of being nicer to her crossed my brain, but I pushed them away impatiently.

"Really, Annabeth?" she asked me viciously, anger now painting her cheeks a shade of red. "Are you really that dumb? Gods, and I thought you had some brains. At least, I would hope so, since my boyfriend gave you the adorable pet name Wise Girl." She didn't sound too happy at that.

"It's a nickname, not a pet name. Friends give that to each other." I put extra stress on the word "friends."

"Friends? Is that what you are? Honestly?"

"Oh, my gods," I said exasperatedly. "Really? How many times do I have to go over this: Percy and I are just friends."

Rachel raised an elegant brow. "Well, you can convince me of that once you start acting like friends."

Jason's words repeated in my ears, and now Rachel was just enforcing that thought. But Percy and I were just friends. We didn't act any other way. Right?

"I'm not going to have this conversation right now, Rachel, not until you believe me." With that I turned obstinately, my feet stomping as I trudged furiously out of the room.

But as I was walking out, Rachel stopped me yet again. This time, her voice was different. Instead of anger, it was just broken, her letters laced with sadness. She sounded like she had lost something that had been precious to her, and she didn't know if she'd get it back.

"I don't blame you for liking him," she said softly. I paused, not even bothering to protest to that as she continued. "I mean, Percy is perfect. He's cute, adorable, goofy, kind, amazing . . . but he's mine."

Her tone made me turn around. She sounded like she was struggling to convince herself, not me.

Rachel looked past me distantly, wistfully. "But . . . I messed that up. Oh, gods, I messed it up bad. I don't know if . . ."

She trailed off, and a visible vulnerability entered her eyes. Guilt, sorrow, self-hatred—it was all there.

Then a second later, it turned back into a hard wall, cutting off every expression except the usual anger. She glared at me.

"Don't take him from me," she said, her voice venomous.

I just watched her, my mouth slightly open. I had just seen her go from furious to miserable and guilty to angry again. What had she been talking about?

"Don't you dare," she repeated, her voice cracking. "Just because you're some big movie star who always gets her way doesn't mean you can have Percy." I was shocked to see her green eyes shining, and a drop of water slid down her freckled cheek.

Well, there was a whole lot more to Rachel, and her relationship with Percy, then I originally thought.

"Rachel—," I began, not exactly knowing what I was going to say.

"Just go," she told me, wiping roughly at her eyes.

I swallowed, then decided to do as she said. Turning, I stumbled back into the stable, everything I had just heard making my thoughts go ballistic.

As I approached the horses, Percy appeared in my vision. I glanced over his shoulder to see Guido all ready to go.

"Hey, what took you so long? Where's Rachel?" He reached out to grab my arm.

Jason's conversation, Rachel's close confession of something, her warnings, her sudden change in behavior—it all rushed up to me and my brain, making me jerk away from Percy's touch, the metal hooks on the saddle tinkling like bells as I did.

The two oceans of Percy's eyes swirled with confusion, and he said in a timid and baffled voice, "Annabeth? What's wrong?"

"No—nothing," I stammered. Then, cursing myself, I tried to sound normal. "Um, Rachel was helping me with my tack. She's coming soon."

Percy looked at me dubiously, his broad shoulders shifting. My teeth gnawed on the inside of my cheek as I turned away, walking briskly to Porkpie, slinging the saddle onto the golden horse. I felt Percy's eyes boring into my back, but I didn't look at him. Bending down, I searched for the dangling cinch, pulling it taut under Porkpie's belly. I didn't look back until I heard Rachel approaching.

It was as if nothing had happened—she still ignored me or gave me a glare, and she smiled at Percy, though it was tighter than normal. He looked at her skeptically, then back at me. Neither of us met his gaze.

As we were getting ready to mount, I said to Percy, "Do I have to wear a helmet?" For the first few weeks Te answer would've been a definite yes. But as I got more comfortable on a horse, Percy had been lenient with the helmet. I mean, in the movie I probably wasn't going to wear a helmet, so I had better get used to it.

Percy spared me a glance. "I guess not. Just be careful."

Rachel scoffed from stop Guido. "You never say that to me." I didn't know if she wanted us to hear that or not, but we did.

Percy sighed, facing his girlfriend. "Yes, I have. And I know you've been around horses a lot longer than Annabeth, okay?"

She took a deep breath, staring ahead. Percy clenched his jaw, then gestured for me to get on. I turned to Porkpie, clutching the saddle horn and swinging myself onto the horse. Rachel was in the lead, and Percy took the rear. We started for the woods, the only sound being the clip-clops of the hooves on the dry, hard-packed dirt floor. The air was tense, anybody could've sensed that.

It stayed that way for the next half hour, all of us just riding and not speaking much.

I was thankful for the trees overhead providing some respite from the hot sun, but soon we broke through the trees, and a large meadow stood before us. It was a huge oval, surrounded on all sides by more forest. A meandering path made its way to the other side of the meadow, tall grass on each side of the trail. As Guido stepped onto the trail, Rachel started talking.

"So, Annabeth!" she said, her voice sickly enthusiastic. "How have the lessons been? Learning anything?"

I frowned at her back. Where was this leading to? I replied carefully. "Fine. I think I'll be good enough for the part."

She glanced back at me, an eyebrow raised. "Do you now? Can you canter or gallop?"

I swallowed. "Yes, somewhat," I lied. I felt Percy's questioning gaze, but I focused on Rachel.

"Why?" I asked suspiciously.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing, really. I was just going to see if you wanted to race across the meadow. We always do it. But if, you know, you're not good enough, we can just walk for you."

Oh, bad choice of words, honey. "What do you mean? I'm perfectly capable."

"Annabeth, I don't think—," Percy began warningly, but his girlfriend cut him off.

"Are you? Do you want to race? Though if you don't do as well as you hoped, don't beat yourself up. I mean, you are just a beginner."

The challenge was clear in her voice. She probably wanted to prove to me that she was better, and I wasn't going to let that happen. Ignoring Percy's words of argument, I accepted.

"Fine. Ready when you are." My heart was beating fast. What was I doing? I just learned how to trot well, I couldn't canter or gallop!

I saw Rachel's cheeks move as she smirked. "I'll give you a little head start."

All sense of doubt and safety was thrown out the window as my pride took over. "You're going to regret that."

"Annabeth, stop!" Percy called urgently, and I heard Blackjack start to speed up as if Percy was going to stop me.

But I dug my heels into Porkpie's sides, and I felt the familiar hop before Porkpie started straight into a canter. I maneuvered him around Guido, Rachel watching me with slitted eyes, then kicked him again.

I was in a full gallop now, and I was totally regretting my decision. It was all I could do to hold on, the wind screeching past me and pulling at my blonde curly hair. I heard someone shout behind me, but I didn't try to answer. If I opened my mouth, I wouldn't be able to stop the screams. I would not scream—not in front of Rachel.

It was bumpy and dislodging, this gait. My muscles had frozen up, I couldn't move. I couldn't grab the reins, which were flying all over the place by Porkpie's neck, and pull back, making him stop. The only thing I could really do was hold onto the horn and pray for it to end.

Well, it did end. Rather abruptly, too. I finally got regained an ounce of control over my muscles and snatched the reins, yanking back hard. Being a quarter horse, Porkpie was used to this. In rodeos, horses like him were trained to skid to a stop in a tiny distance. Porkpie did just that, and I almost toppled over the front of him. I thought I was fine until he reared, whinnying loudly.

I wasn't ready for this. The sudden stop had put me off balance, and then when the horse went on his back two feet, I was done for. Reaching out, I made a desperate reach for the saddle horn, my fingers grazing the rough, cracked leather, but I couldn't get it.

I remember falling, my body unlatching from the saddle, the impossibly blue sky crowding my vision. I slid off the back of the horse, heading straight for the ground. Time seemed to have slowed. Somewhere behind me, Percy shouted my name, more agony and worry in his voice than I had ever heard in my entire life. But I couldn't look at him. I just fell, gravity pulling me down onto the earth like a hand physically pushing me.

I was now able to open my mouth to scream, but I wasn't quick enough.

My head connected with the hard earth—earth that hadn't seen rain in a month—and a blinding pain shot through me. It felt as hard as diamond.

Then the world suddenly flew away from me, and I fell into unconsciousness' dark embrace.

I know, rant and rave about the cliffhanger. I'm sorry. Hehe. No, I'm not. MWAHAHAHA.

QUESTION: So some of my readers are asking for smaller chapters, and I don't know if I should do it. The chapters, as of now, are averaging around 4,500-5,000 words. So you'd have smaller chapters, but a lot more. The updating times probably wouldn't change, to tell you the truth. Is it too much to have these long chapters, or do you like the long chapters?

Thanks to CandyLover4180, phoenixfeather20111, PavLuvsPercyJackson, MeganAnnabethJackson, AutumnLeaves03, PJOisbae134, Jedi1, darkmagician751, rocketgod123, Stella928, INeedAUsername8, awesooooooome, wouldtheywriteasongforyou, bmftas101, Ships, Percabeth12-7, Athna1.4, kuroanimatetaku18, Demigod12, and the guests for reviewing!

Jedi1: Yeah, I thought over that, seeing as Percy does start a lot of the flirtatious actions. But don't worry, I'll add some of Annabeth doing that in the next chapter... so spoiler alert... PERCABETH.

rocketgod123: Don't worry, she'll get to meet Hazel and Frank. And I've got 4th of July planned out. :)

guest: DON'T DIE. There will be Percabeth! Even if the story didn't have Percabeth, I'd still probably randomly put them in. I mean, who can't? :)

Thanks for the reviews! Love you all! :)