I'm back! SO sorry for the delay on updates, but here you go! :)

"Annabeth, can you bring me the stakes inside the stables? I just can't get this tent to stay put."

I looked up at Poseidon. Sure enough, he was holding a part of the tent up with his hands, making sure it didn't fall on the ground. Nodding, I got up from my spot in the garden, leaving the weeding to Sally as I ran to do as Poseidon asked.

This was going to be a huge party. There were three tents just for food, one of them having two grills to be used. Tables were being set up by Paul across the lawn with striped and starred flags that were strewn about the area like spreading dandelions, Mrs. O'Leary pouncing on them much to Sally's horror. Strings of festive colors ran from the house to the tents. There was a big open space in the yard for games like three-legged races, wheelbarrow races, tag, amoeba, fox and squirrel, water fights—they had it all. Prizes were in another tent for the winners. At night, mountains of s'mores ingredients were waiting to be roasted over a gigantic bonfire. A few people that were coming were bringing instruments, and campfire and patriotic songs would be sung before the fireworks show.

It was all set up to be the best, most fun, perfect night.

And I was going to miss it. I'll be in my room, making no noise and pretending that I don't exist.

At least I didn't live under the stairs in a cupboard like Harry. Still, I couldn't help it as a sharp stab of disappointment shot through me. I wasn't going to complain, though. It wasn't anybody's fault. But I still wished I could go.

I wanted Piper now more than ever. She'd be able to help me.

Sighing, I braced myself for a horrible night—a night of being bored out of my mind and just listening to the excessive amounts of fun people would be having right outside the house.

Clenching my fist once, I stepped into the barn. I welcomed the shade as I traveled over to the small storage room in the corner. The door was open, and I saw someone in there.

Percy was rummaging through the shelves and looking behind things. When I stepped in, he turned quickly, then smiled lopsidedly.

"What're you looking for?" I asked him, stepping farther in.

"Some more chairs. We're a bit short."

"I'm here for tent stakes, but I'll look for the chairs also," I told him. "Do you know where any of these things might be?"

He shook his head, so I just joined him in searching. It was a full room, so finding a few small tent stakes felt like looking for a needle in a haystack. I started in the opposite corner of Percy, placing my feet in empty places and testing my flexibility as I leaned and stretched to see farther.

"I still wish you could go," Percy said all of a sudden. "Are you sure you can't do anything? Or can I do anything? Nothing will make you able to come?"

"No, not that I know of. But thanks," I said, keeping my voice even. My eyes didn't find his.

Percy didn't say anything for a little while, the only sound being boxes and junk moving as we kept looking.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

I rolled my eyes. "I don't know why not. Last time I checked, sitting inside didn't kill anybody."

"I know, but," he continued, "you'll be bored. I mean, this is a big party. I wish you could come down to it."

I finally faced him, saying firmly, "So you said. I'll be fine."

He looked doubtful, biting his lip. "I don't know. I still don't like it."

I exhaled. "Well, sorry, but that's not going to change anything. I'm not good enough at disguises. I can't have anybody recognize me."

Percy sighed, pursing his lips, and I said to him, "Percy, just stop and enjoy your party. I know how much you look forward to this."

It was true-Percy loved this annual party. He had been gabbing about it all morning and yesterday. Sally just shook her head and told me he was like this every year. He had so much fun, and he loved hosting the party. It was definitely his kind of thing—games, plenty of food, laugher, fun, water, and no rules.

Well, there was one rule. Poseidon didn't want his house trashed, so he made everybody stay outside. Nobody could go in the house. Percy had told me it didn't matter—there was so much to do outside that nobody wanted to go inside anyways. Therefore I wouldn't have to worry about anyone coming inside while I was in there.

"I should've known," Percy said, seeming as if he were talking more to himself. "I could've reminded you so you could somehow go."

Constantly I had been cursing myself. I should've seen when the party would've been sooner, then maybe Piper could've made it down to help me. I really wanted to go to this party.

But no. The only thing I could do was help set it up.

"Percy." My voice was determined. Just because I couldn't go didn't mean Percy shouldn't have fun. "Just stop. It's fine."

He took another deep breath. "Okay, okay."

Something caught my eye. "Here's some chairs." I triumphantly pulled the chairs away from the wall where they were sort of camouflaged, lugging them up to balance them on my hip. I blew some hair out of my face, turning to look at Percy. He held up the tent stakes then made his way to me.

"Let me take those, they're too heavy," he said, holding out his hand for the chairs. I sent my eyes to the ceiling, but humored him and let him take the chairs, wrapping my palm around the rusty metal stakes. Ever since I'd hit my head and gotten the concussion, Percy's been this way. I wasn't supposed to work too hard, but I think carrying a couple chairs would be okay to do. However, Percy refused to let me overwork myself. But if I didn't touch the back of my head or anything too severe, I couldn't even feel the cut. There were only a few occasional headaches that were left.

Most of the horses were in the stables, but the older, calmer ones were saddled, ready to give rides to the kids that were coming. They neighed greetings to me and Percy, and I patted their heads as we walked by.

Upon stepping outside, the sun gave us a lazy embrace, high in the sky. It was already three in the afternoon, and people would start coming in an hour. We made our way to Poseidon, and Percy stayed to help his dad after he gave the chairs to Paul while I went back to Sally.

"It's unfortunate you can't make it, dear," Sally said to me once I had knelt beside her in the garden.

I shrugged, hoping to make it dismissive and not caring.

"Are you sure there's anything we can't do?" she pressed on.

"Percy's been saying that all morning," I informed her. "I'll be fine. You should just enjoy this night, and I know Percy loves this party. Just ignore me. I'll get a good night sleep." I offered her a smile, which she returned, but I could still see she was unconvinced.

For the next half hour, we did a few last minute things: touching up the decorations, making sure we had all the fireworks, getting enough wood for the bonfire, and started cooking the food we had.

Poseidon checked his phone while he stood at the grill with Paul, smoke rising from the cooking machine and dancing in the air with a delicious smell.

"Oh," Poseidon said. His tone made me look up from where I was straightening the table covers. He sent me a frown. "The Stolls are coming early, and I tried to dissuade them, but they want to help me with the cooking. You'll have to go inside pretty soon, Annabeth."

I nodded, staying enthusiastic. "Alright, sure."

Within the next five minutes, we heard a car rumbling up. Mrs. O'Leary picked her head up off of her paws, yapping in warning as the car came into sight.

I quickly waved to them all, Percy giving me a half-hearted crooked smile, then jogged lightly over to the house. I let myself in, sighed, then headed for my room. The bedroom windows were on the side of the house, so if I leaned my head out really far, I could sort of see the beginning of the decorations. The bonfire would be the closest to my window, but otherwise, the party wasn't within my view.

Leaning back into my room, I trudged over to get a book.

Despite the impending rain in the next week, the sky was clear of clouds. Sunlight streamed in through my open window, the warmth making me shed my jeans for a pair of black mesh gym shorts and a neon yellow t-shirt. My hair stayed in my messy bun, loose strands framing my face that I had to constantly push back to read.

But it was hard to concentrate. I kept hearing more cars drive up, and the laughter and noise of chatting people drifted faintly to me. They were greeting each other, cooing over the new puppy, and thanking Poseidon for the amazing party. I considered closing the window, but I wanted to listen. I wanted to at least hear what was going on, even if I couldn't be a part of it.

When the smells of the food came to me, my stomach grumbled. But I shoved that away, not really wanting to go downstairs. I wished they could bring me a plate of the amazing food they were cooking, but that would look weird—bringing a plate of food into the house and returning without it. As far as everyone knows, Percy's cousin had gone back to wherever she lived. Probably Iowa. Whenever somebody had a fake "cousin" or relative, they always seemed to make them from Iowa. Most likely because nobody really knew anything about that small state. Of course, I knew things about it, like how much corn it produces, and the capital was Des Moines, and it had more hogs than people supposedly—

My mind was rambling. I really had nothing to do.

After what seemed like half a day, I realized it had only been two hours. A sigh was torn from me and I bit my lip, my knee bouncing with irritation. The party was going long into the night. I still had at least five or so more hours. This sucked a lot more than I anticipated. I knew I would be bored, but I didn't expect this mind-numbing sense of absolutely nothing to do. I couldn't even fall asleep early, I was so worked up.

Letting myself fall, I laid on my back, staring at the ceiling. I wondered what Percy was doing. Probably hanging out with Rachel. The thought made me bitter, but I shouldn't be thinking that way. Percy loved this party, and he had every right to be there. I wouldn't make him miss it. He looked forward to this day every year.

The laughter got louder, the smells got stronger, and I grew even more bored.

Just when I thought I was going to explode from all of the nothingness, I heard the front door open. It was a faint sound because I was upstairs, but I could heard it nonetheless. My hand paused in the midst of mindlessly tossing my phone up into the air. I waited.

Who was that? I thought Poseidon said no one could be in the house. I cautiously sat up, frowning at my door. As long as they didn't come in my room I was okay.

I listened as the person closed the door, then started walking. In the silence of the house, with just the faraway noises outside, I could hear the thumps as they ascended the steps. My breath was held, and I tensed up.

However, before I could run to the bathroom or closet to hide, the door swung open.

A boy with a head of dark hair and twinkling green eyes appeared, carrying a big basket.

"Percy!" I breathed out. "You scared me!"

He shrugged. "Sorry, I didn't put my makeup on today. My face might be a bit horrifying."

I gave him a look, the adrenaline fading. "What if I was changing and you just barged in. I could've had no clothes on. You have to knock."

"Well, you saw me a day ago, it's only fair that it's returned. The sight you had should be paid for, Wise Girl."

I rolled my eyes, chucking a pillow at him. He dodged it easily, chuckling. His hair was messy, the normal way, and he ran a hand through it, making it more unruly.

"Hey, that's not how you treat someone who's bringing you dinner."

My ears perked up. "Dinner?"

He grinned lopsidedly. "Yep. Some hotdogs, fruit, chip and dip, dessert, potato casserole-I got it all."

My stomach groaned again, and I held a hand against it, smiling embarrassedly.

His grin grew. "Looks like you're hungry, too."

"How did you get in without people noticing?"

"I just told them I didn't feel good."

"So . . . your stomach is going to be magically healed when you go back out?"

He shook his head, walking over to me. "I'm not going back out."

Percy said it so casually that I didn't really get the meaning at first. But when I did, my eyebrows rose. He sat next to me, and I felt the bed dip a little. "You what?"

"I'm not going back out," he repeated firmly.

"Why not?"

"I'm gonna stay here with you. You shouldn't spend the Fourth of July by yourself—especially when there's a party right outside your window. That's not fair."

"No, Percy, you're going back out."

"No, I'm not."

I glared at him. "Don't stay inside just for me. You are going to go back out there and enjoy your party. You love this party."

"Yes, I do love it. But I'd rather spend the day with you. That's what friends do, Annabeth. I don't want you to be bored."

I was at a loss for words. He was going to skip one of his favorite times of the year just so I wouldn't be bored?

"Percy, don't—I'm fine. Go back out."

He ignored me, proceeding to open the basket. It emitted a warm smell of food that threatened to make me pounce on it right away, but I still held back.

"I even grabbed enough for me, 'cause I'm hungry," he said.

"Percy." I put my hand on his arm, and he looked back at me, his sea-green eyes boring straight into mine. They acted like lasers, melting my body. That included my tongue, so I couldn't speak. Instead, I just tried to convey what I was feeling into my gaze.

He shook his head obstinately. "No. I'm staying, whether you like it or not. But you better like it, because I am giving up the party for your company, Miss Chase. Don't make me regret it."

I just exhaled, leaning back and accepting the fact that he was staying. Inside, I felt a deep sense of satisfaction and happiness that he was doing this for me, instead of hanging with Rachel or his friends. But I instantly felt bad about that, and tried to get rid of it,

"Come on, we'll eat out here." He closed the top to the basket of food, then got up and walked to my window. I followed him curiously, watching as he stopped at the half-open window. He pushed it up farther, permitting entrance to the roof outside. Grinning over his shoulder at me, he slipped out onto the roof. It was a little drop, and I heard the thud as he landed.

"Hand me the basket," he called. I put my hand around the wooden basket, then lugged it out the window, bending low over the sill to drop it into his waiting hands.

"Come on, I'll catch you. Watch your head, we don't need another concussion." His words drifted up to me as he set the basket down by his feet, and I put my legs out first, the dying sun lighting them up.

I slid down, falling briefly. Percy stayed true to his word. I went right into his arms, and they curled protectively around my waist. I braced my hands on his chest, our bodies pressed together. He let go, and the warmth left.

"Follow me, Wise Girl." He turned, grabbing the basket and walking cautiously to the other side of the roof. This was a small ledge we had to step up on, and a few more after that before we reached our destination. The roof was slanted only slightly here, so it was easy to sit. It was a small part, but it had an open view of the forest and paddock. The party was beneath us but they couldn't see us.

It was beautiful. The sun was low over the still trees, making a golden haze drop over the earth. The laughing and talking from below us floated up and flew around in small voices, as if we were listening in a dream. Percy flipped through the basket, then pulled out a picnic blanket and threw it open, letting it float like a heavy piece of paper down to the tiles of the roof.

"Well, you got everything," I commented as I took a seat on the checkered blanket.

He grinned goofily, sitting beside me. "I got the food, which is all that matters."

I rolled my eyes, helping him unpack the meal. As he said, there were heaps of delicious and steaming food, and I felt my mouth get considerably wetter as I looked at it all.

"How did you get all of this?"

"My dad helped me. He and Mom knew I wanted to come up here, so they backed up my story and let me come up."

I pursed my lips. "Thank you, Percy."

"Anything for you, Wise Girl." He added a cheeky grin to complete the charming tone.

Gods, he needed to stop being so adorable.

"Now, let's eat. I'm hungry."

I laughed at Percy, then we dug in, filling our mouths with the food. It was amazing. It beat my planned cereal dinner by miles.

We spent the next half hour or so eating. I was just scooping up the last bits of my cheesy potato casserole when I felt something hit my head.

I looked down to see a grape rolling around by my criss-crossed legs. Glaring at Percy, who wouldn't meet my eyes in a way too innocent look, I snatched up the grape and threw it back. He managed to duck, then grabbed another grape and chucked it at me, hitting my cheek.

Then we were a pair of giggling fools, catapulting fruit at each other and shoving at one another. It was stupid, but it made us laugh. It was funny how little it could take to make two friends laugh together.

However, when an unaimed grape flew off the side and disappeared from our view, we paused, breath held.

"Who threw the grape?" a voice demanded loudly. Percy and I glanced at each other, then burst into muffle laughter, falling onto our backs and heaving for air.

"That was close," I said, wiping my eyes.

Percy was still laughing. "That was Octavian. I hate that dude."

"Octavian?" I asked. "That's a weird name."

Percy nodded, then flipped his body around and gestured for me to do the same. We sidled up to the edge of the roof, peering down. It was dizzying for a moment, but I couldn't miss the scores of people. They were all milling about—eating, play games, or just chatting.

"There. That's him," Percy said, his hand coming off the roof to point.

"Won't they see us?"

"Nah, nobody looks up."

So I followed his hand and a few more directions, finally seeing Octavian. He was a scrawny kid, with pale yellow hair. He looked like he wanted to argue with someone, or disagree, his nose pointed up in an "I'm right, you aren't," way.

My own nose wrinkled. "Oh, he looks pretty mean and boring."

Percy chuckled. "He is. Can you find Paul and my mom and dad?"

I was silent, my eyes flitting over the people.

"There, talking with those two people by the drink stand," I said successfully.

"Yeah, and there's Jason and Leo," he told me.

He would point out people, and slowly I started to learn the town and the people within. There was Frank and Hazel, who I haven't met yet. They just started dating, and I watched as they tentatively held hands, their relationship a fragile flower just blooming. Travis and Connor Stoll, the mischievous brothers, were sneaking around and placing ice down surprised people's shirts. I watched as Travis repeatedly did it to a specific girl, and I found her name was Katie Gardner.

"He must like her," I told Percy.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well," I said, explaining the confusing way of boys. "It's the same as when you're a kid, and you like a girl. Usually you tease her and are pretty mean to her, and that is your weird way of showing you like her."

Percy smirked. "So if I pushed you off this roof, that would mean I like you?"

I rolled my eyes. "That's a bit too drastic, Seaweed Brain. Not all the time it's like that, but when it is, you can sort of tell. Like with Travis and Katie. But if you did something to me, it would be normal, because you're like a brother and brothers do that."

Well, that was a big lie. The day I think of Percy like a brother is the day my mom says she wants to become a truck driver. Not happening.

I watched Percy, and I wanted to say his eyebrows deepened quickly into a frown at those words, but I didn't know if it was my imagination.

"Where's Percy?"

That voice was louder than the others, and we looked down to see a man asking Poseidon that.

Poseidon gestured to the house. "He wasn't feeling good, so he stayed inside."

The man frowned. "That's not like him. He loves this party."

Poseidon shrugged as the man continued. "Should someone go check on him?"

Sally, who was beside Poseidon, shook her head, smiling. "No, I think he's fine. Just a stomachache. He's a big boy."

Poseidon raised an eyebrow. "Since when? That kid ain't no big boy!"

I could hear the joking tone in Poseidon's voice, but Percy still stuck his tongue out at his dad. When he realized Poseidon couldn't see that, he grabbed a grape from what seemed our endless supply and chucked it at his dad. I watched open-mouthed as the purple fruit sailed through the air, his aim true. It hit Poseidon's head and bounced off. He made an indignant yelp. Unlike everybody else, he and Sally knew where we were, and he cast a glower up at us while Sally tried to stifle her laughter. Percy and I quick ducked down, giggling.

The sun was almost gone, only half a sphere of blinding light over the canopy of trees. Percy and I lay on our stomachs, hands under our chins and elbows touching. He pointed out a few others, like Nico and Reyna, and Clarisse, the bully of the town. At the mention of her name, Percy started laughing uncontrollably and all I could get out of him was something about toilet water. Whatever.

It was growing darker now, and I watched as the group of people headed over to a big grassy area, almost ready to start the fireworks.

"This is awesome, you'll love it," Percy informed me.

And I did. The fireworks were breathtaking. There were so many—of all colors and explosions. My favorite was probably the firework that took the shape of an owl. It was so cool, with the big sparkling eyes peering down at the ground. The crowd below us oohed and ahed at each cackling that lit up the night sky.

It seemed endless. I found myself pointing and grinning, and Percy would watch me with a small smile on his face, nodding along to whatever I said absentmindedly. His face was lit up with a glow from the fireworks, his green eyes reflecting them. The end was the best, though. Poseidon had really outdone it for the grand finale. Halos of purple sparks, cones of blue and gold, one that burst out then drifted down like a weeping willow—it was all there. There was a row of people setting them off down on the ground, and we laughed as Leo failed to prop his firework up correctly, sending it flying off towards the driveway.

It was over too soon. The people were cheering and clapping, and I wanted to do the same, but I couldn't risk people seeing us.

"Bonfire next?" I asked.

"Bonfire next."

The bonfire was the closest thing to us, therefore we could hear almost everything. In the beginning, it was mostly just chatting and the occasional yelp as a marshmallow caught the flame, charring the fluffy sweet. Percy hadn't been able to get us s'mores, but he swiped a few chocolate bars, so we rolled onto our backs, staring at the stars as we shared the tasty chocolate. The glow of the fire lit up our peripheral vision, but it left the twinkling diamonds in the sky visible.

I loved the night sky. The stars were gone in big cities, and I missed that sometimes. Most of the time, however, I was too caught up in my big city life, my TV star times. But when I had the chance to see the stars, it never ceased to take my breath away.

It was like a dark blanket had been thrown over the earth, and its own lights were shining down on us. The sky seemed endless, and the unlimited amount of stars adorned it. Whenever I saw it, I felt an overwhelming sense of awe. It was hard to describe. I just imagined I could do anything, looking at the impossibly vast sky full of billions of stars.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Percy asked from beside me. We were close, our shoulders touching as we tried to fit both of us on the blanket.

I swallowed the sugary chocolate melting in my mouth, replying with, "Yeah. It makes me love this place even more."

"You didn't at first?"

"No, I did."

"Well, obviously," Percy said in a duh voice. "I'm here. The place is instantly appealing."

I laughed, turning my head to look at him. My smile froze as I saw he had done the same, bringing our heads inches apart. His green eyes sparkled even brighter than the stars, and were way more intriguing in my opinion, despite my recent ramble about the awesomeness of stars.

My heart shot up into my throat, blocking my air flow. Percy didn't do anything, he just looked at me. My brain zeroed in on unimportant details, like how I could feel the puff of his breath on my nose, or the slow and sweet campfire music drifting up to us, or the fact that even though it had grown a bit chilly outside, I could feel the heat radiating off of Percy, his body so close to mine.

The corner of his mouth lifted up slightly. "I like your laugh," he said randomly. Then his cheeks grew a light shade of pink, but my smile just grew.

"Thanks, Seaweed Brain," I whispered. I wanted to tell him I liked his too, but I knew I shouldn't.

To be honest, I liked a lot more than his laugh. I liked his green eyes that sparkled when he got excited, and his lopsided grin. I liked his fierceness that also changed to gentleness when he comforted me or dealt with his friends. I liked the way he could make me laugh so easily. I liked the way that he could brighten my day so quickly. I liked this boy. All this time I'd been skirting around that fact, trying to prove it wrong or ignore it.

But it was hard to ignore something that was staring you right in the face.

Quite literally.

"We should probably head inside," Percy said, his eyes flitting around my face. As he spoke, I heard a lot of farewells being said down on the ground and cars pulling out of the driveway.

I attempted to say, "Okay." However, my voice didn't seem to work. Instead I just nodded, reluctantly dragging myself up. The blanket we had been on had felt warm, and now the air was cold on my exposed back. Percy followed, standing up beside me. He saw me shiver slightly, and he reached down to grab the blanket. I felt his arms around me briefly before they drew back to his body, pulling the blanket around my shoulders.

"Thanks, Percy," I told him.

He grinned in response, picking up the basket. We made our way across the roof, careful to not make too much noise. There was a little ledge that we could climb up on, helping us get over the high windowsill. I fell into my room in a tumbled heap, having pulled myself over the sill.

A second later, Percy appeared, but he cut off my vision as he fell on top of me like a bag of bricks.

"Oomph!" I let out. Percy snickered down at me.

"Sorry, Wise Girl," he said sarcastically. "I didn't mean to hit you."

I got a good grip on his shoulders, shoving him off. He chuckled as I sat up, huffing in annoyance.

"When did you get so fat?" I asked.

He grinned, gesturing to his body. "It's all muscle, Annabeth. Just call me Superman."

I rolled my eyes, a smile slipping through onto my lips. "Stupid Seaweed Brain," I muttered. He just waggled his eyebrows in confirmation, but that was interrupted by a large yawn.

"Man, I'm tired," he said, dragging himself upright and trudging to the door. "Good night, Annabeth."

"Wait, Percy!" I called. He paused, looking over his shoulder at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Thank you. For making my Fourth of July a lot better than what I thought it would be," I said, shuffling my feet.

He smiled. The smile that made my stomach flip-flop. The smile on the face of the boy I liked, no matter how many times I tried to deny it.

"You're welcome. But just so you know, I had fun. Spending time with you is never a waste, Wise Girl."

I'm surprised I managed a smile in return to his, seeing as the butterflies were raging about everywhere, their wings sending little flutters and tingles throughout my body.

His eyes glanced quickly around my room before he left. They rested for a second on my bed. "Well, good night. And you've got a text."

"Okay, Mr. Nosy."

"Hey, I was just saying," he said. Then he added with a smirk, "If it's from Lukey Poo, tell him I say 'Good night, sweet cheeks.'"

I rolled my eyes, shooing his snickering figure away. "Gods, you're irritating. Go to bed."

He shot me one last grin before disappearing. I heard his door open and then close as I collapsed onto my bed with a sigh and a smile.

My hand found my phone, and I pulled it up to squint at the text. My heart froze at the words that were sent from my mother.

"My plane lands in Colorado tomorrow. I need to speak with you."

I promise I'll answer questions on the next chapter, but I only had time to get on and post this (I had written it out beforehand). So the next update will be soon, I promise. Please review, and I love you all!

P.S. Sorry for the cliffhanger. Muahahaha.