Oh wow...you guys continue to amaze me. I almost have four hundred reviews. Let's see if we can get it! I won't be able to update until two weeks :( So, savor the chapter! :D This is the longest chapter, so I hope it'll hold you guys over.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!

The Jealousy Intensifies

During lunch hour, Annabeth decided to go see Percy. She went to the small bakery they went to after they first met and bought another chocolate cake. She just had a feeling she would need it. She also figured it would make Percy happy.

She walked into the building with the cake in hand, only to get ran into by some woman with frizzy red hair.

"Sorry," she mumbled before stalking off angrily. Annabeth huffed, but continued on her way. She got in the elevator and went to the tippy top floor. The doors opened and she walked out and into the office of a Mr. Percy Jackson.

She smiled upon seeing him. "Hi, Percy," she greeted.

Despite the headache, Percy grinned in return. "Hey. What're you doing here?"

"I thought I'd drop by and surprise you." She walked around his desk and bent down to give him a kiss.

"Hmm…" Percy hummed. "I needed that…"

Annabeth raised a brow, finally noticing the stress in his eyes and his tired expression. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Percy sighed. "Not really."

"What's wrong?"

"Headache."

Annabeth nodded once before slowly running her hands through his hair, massaging his scalp. He instantly relaxed and practically melted against her. His hands subconsciously wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Something else happened today, too," Percy mumbled.

"And what was that?"

He told her about Rachel and how she came to see him.

"Rachel and I dated back in college. We went through a bit of a messy break-up, and we did kind of become friends after that, but then when I moved here to Manhattan, we didn't talk and then she came back and…yeah…" Percy trailed off, feeling awkward.

Annabeth's hands had slowly become hurtful instead of soothing, and Percy, wincing a bit, glanced up at his fiancée to see her glaring at the space above his head.

Right now, Annabeth was feeling: angry, curious, and above all, jealous. It was more over because this Rachel girl had just come out of nowhere, expecting he would come back to her.

And besides, Percy was marrying her now. So maybe Annabeth was a little protective of Percy, but so what? They were engaged; she had a right to be overprotective.

"Uh, Annabeth?" Percy said, breaking her out of her reverie. He grabbed her wrists and brought them down in front of her away from his head (you know in case she, like, wanted to strangle him…). "Are you okay?"

"Fine," she answered curtly.

"But, um…there's something else…"

Annabeth's eyes narrowed.

"She wants to go to a movie tomorrow, and I said I would ask if you wanted to come. Maybe Thalia and Luke could come too…" Percy started rambling after seeing the pissed-off look she held. "I mean, the more the merrier!"

He chuckled nervously. She sighed. "Fine. I'll see if they want to come."

He bit back a smile at the look on her face and instead pulled her down for another kiss. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.

"So what's that?" Percy asked, nodding towards the package on his desk.

She grinned. "It's a chocolate cake."

"You're not going to smash it in my face again, are you?" he asked warily.

She laughed. "No. I brought it to share with you. I had a feeling you'd need it today, and I was right."

Percy smiled. Annabeth pulled out two plastic forks and handed one to Percy, and the two began to share the delicious chocolate cake.

But even though they were sharing the treat that made Annabeth melt inside, she couldn't shake off the jealous feeling.

Poseidon is usually a comical guy, whether it's cracking jokes or being over dramatic. However, you could really tell that Percy was his son because today Poseidon was laidback, calm, and collective, only cracking a joke here and there.

The reason for this? He was just really happy for his son, and when he was really happy, he liked to show it with a big smile on his face instead of screaming it from the rooftops (though it was tempting).

"Morning, Mr. Jackson," Percy's secretary, Julie, greeted.

"Morning," he grinned back.

"You're in a good mood today…" She raised a brow.

"Just happy for my son."

Julie bit her lip, her face suddenly becoming serious.

Poseidon blinked. "What's wrong?"

"Um…I think there's something you should know…" She told him about Rachel's arrival.

Poseidon's face became steel, emotionless. He remembered Rachel with her marker-stained jeans, oversized t-shirts, and red, frizzy hair. He could never forget that hair. It was so…frizzy.

"Thank you for telling me," he said gratefully. "Now, I need to go have a chat with my son."

When he opened the door to Percy's office, he saw Percy and Annabeth sharing a cake, and he couldn't help but smile.

Percy and Annabeth glared at him, and Poseidon felt a shiver run down his spine.

"Hi, Dad," Percy ground out. "What are you doing here?"

"Just thought I'd drop by to say hi…"

Percy narrowed his eyes. "Uh-huh. Sure."

"Well," Annabeth spoke up. "I have to go back to work." She turned and gave Percy a kiss on the cheek, and Poseidon grinned to himself. Annabeth turned around and glared at Poseidon before stalking out the door.

Poseidon chuckled a bit, but then he turned to Percy with a somber expression.

"Son, is it true?" he asked.

"Is what true?" Percy replied.

"Is Rachel back?"

Percy sighed. "Yeah, she is."

"And does Annabeth know?"

"Of course. I just told her a few minutes ago."

"And she knows you guys dated, right?"

"Yes."

Poseidon sighed in relief, though there was still some worry on his mind. He didn't want a rift growing between Annabeth and Percy again now that they were finally getting along. He was worried Rachel had something up her sleeve. Poseidon figured his son wouldn't do anything to hurt Annabeth and vice versa, but from what Mike had told him, Annabeth could get very jealous, and that made him worry even more. If Annabeth started getting mad, Percy would get mad, and then they'd start fighting, and their plan would go to waste. Poseidon did not risk his well being multiple times just to have it all go down the drain.

"Look, Dad," Percy said, leaning back in his chair. "You don't have to worry. I'm not going to go back to Rachel. There was a reason I broke up with her. I'm not going to leave Annabeth like that."

Poseidon stared at his son. Yes, he looked tired, but there was also an air of happiness to him. There was an aurora of calm and peacefulness about him that had never been there before. He looked healthier, like all that stress in the last month had actually been beneficial to him.

Hmm… Poseidon thought.

"Percy?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you in love with Annabeth?"

Percy choked on his spit. Poseidon raised a brow as he watched Percy cough and wheeze.

"What?" Percy asked, breathless.

"Are you in love with Annabeth?" he asked again.

"No! I mean…I've only known her for a month. And besides I don't…I'm not…" Percy trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Alright, alright, calm down." Poseidon held his hands up in a 'slow down' motion. "I was just curious. Don't worry about it."

Percy let out a deep breath and scratched his neck, embarrassed.

"Well, I'm going back to my old office," Poseidon stated upon seeing Percy's flustered state.

Percy nodded, and Poseidon left. Percy groaned and rubbed his head.

Tomorrow is going to be interesting…

Annabeth had half an hour to get back to work, but she left Percy early because she didn't want to look fine and happy for thirty minutes.

Annabeth Chase was not 'fine and happy' right now. She was pissed off, and not because Percy had an ex-girlfriend (she would have been surprised if he didn't), but because his ex had come back for him, and then Percy just took it so calmly.

So yes, Annabeth was jealous. She believed she had a right to be. Percy was her fiancé.

But that's where she was doubting herself. Technically, Percy wasn't her fiancé. Technically, they had been forced into this, and even though they had been threatened with their jobs, they could walk out of it at any time.

Annabeth was jealous because she knew that if Percy so desired, he could walk away from all of this and live a life with Rachel. Plus, if Percy left, her dad's company wouldn't be saved, and she wouldn't be able to stand that.

There was, however, another reason why Annabeth thought she was jealous, but she didn't want to think about. She was afraid to.

Instead, she went to the coffee shop near her workplace and pulled out her cell-phone. She dialed Thalia's number.

"Helllllooooo?" Thalia answered.

"Hey," Annabeth replied.

"What's wrong?" Thalia asked, recognizing her tone of voice.

"I need to talk to you. Do you think you could meet me somewhere?"

"Of course."

"Thanks so much."

"No prob. See you."

"Bye."

Annabeth sighed and pocketed her phone. She got up from her spot in a coffee shop and ordered a coffee. Usually she'd get a muffin to go on the side, but her appetite was gone.

Thalia arrived five minutes later and sat down across from Annabeth in a booth in the far corner.

Thalia took in Annabeth's angry expression. "What happened?"

Right when Thalia spoke those words, everything poured out of Annabeth. She told Thalia about everything that had happened ever since the dinner party—from their fight at the party, to the island in Cancun, to now with the Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

Thalia remained silent for a while. She stared at the table, tracing the wooden patterns in the table. She was trying to find the words to say. Truthfully, she was speechless. This kind of stuff happened to people during their lifetime, not in less than a month.

Thalia took a deep breath and let it rush out. "Well," she started. "That's definitely…big."

"I just…I feel so stressed out, and with this Rachel girl back…" Annabeth shook her head.

"You're jealous," Thalia stated.

"Of course I am. If he walked out of our engagement for her, my dad would lose his company."

"That's true, but is that really the reason why you're jealous?" Thalia raised a brow.

Annabeth swallowed hard. "Yes," she squeaked out.

Thalia just gave her a look that said 'don't-give-me-that-shit.' "Annabeth, I've known you since middle school. Do you honestly think you can lie to me like that?"

Annabeth sighed. "No, but I was hoping I could."

"So what's the real reason that you're jealous?"

Annabeth remained silent. She took a sip of her coffee.

"Come on, Annabeth. The sooner you say it, the easier it'll be."

Annabeth took a deep breath and let it out. Staring at the table, her throat dry, she opened her mouth to speak. "I…"

"Yes?"

"I think I'm…"

"Uh-huh?"

"I think I'm falling in love with Percy."

At around five 'o' clock when work was ending, Mike heard a knock on his door and he looked to see Poseidon step in.

"Mike," Poseidon nodded.

"Poseidon," Mike replied slowly. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to tell you about something…or rather, someone."

"Um, okay."

He told Mike about Rachel and her overly frizzy hair.

"Okay, and why are you telling me this?"

"Because she's back for Percy, and I'm afraid it'll mess with his and Annabeth's relationship."

"Do they even have a relationship?"

"Well…no…but they will soon as long as Rachel doesn't interfere."

"So then we make sure she stays away."

"But see here's the thing: him, Rachel, and Annabeth are going to a movie together. Now if that doesn't spell disaster, I don't know what does."

"You're right. I think we should follow them and go under cover!"

"Exactly what I was thinking." Poseidon smirked.

The next day, at six 'o' clock in the evening, Rachel stood in front of the movie theater, waiting for Percy and Annabeth. She was curious as to what Annabeth was like, despite being distasteful of her.

After a few minutes, the two showed up, only there was someone else with them. It was another girl, and she had dark hair and freckles on her face.

Annabeth's hands clenched at the sight of Rachel, and Thalia gripped Annabeth's arm to keep her from lashing out. Percy had his arm wrapped around Annabeth's shoulders, but he could tell she was tense.

"Hi, Rachel," Percy greeted.

"Hey," she replied nonchalantly, glancing at Annabeth and Thalia curiously.

"This is my fiancée Annabeth, and this is Thalia Grace, her friend."

Thalia gave a small smile, and Annabeth forced a strained smile.

"Hi," Annabeth ground out, crossing her arms.

"Hey," Rachel replied. An awkward and tense silence fell over them.

"Er, let's go watch the movie…" Thalia muttered.

"Oh, Percy!" Rachel suddenly exclaimed, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the door. "I wanted to ask you something…"

Percy glanced back at Annabeth as Rachel pulled him inside. He asked her with his eyes to help, but she just glared fiercely at him. Thalia glared at him too and hooked her arm through Annabeth's and the two followed them inside the theater.

"What movie should we go to?" Rachel asked Percy.

"What do you want to see, Annabeth?" Percy asked Annabeth, grabbing her hand. Rachel glared slightly at Annabeth.

Annabeth gripped Percy's hand tightly. He winced, and he realized she was way beyond pissed; she was furious.

And they had only been here for five minutes.

"Let's just see a comedy. I need to laugh," she said bitterly.

Percy sighed softly and pulled her closer to his side. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet and bought the tickets.

"Thanks for buying my ticket, Percy," Rachel said flirtatiously.

"No problem," Percy smiled slightly.

Annabeth huffed and tried to pull her hand free, but Percy's grip tightened, refusing to let her go.

"Why don't you guys go get seats and Annabeth and I will get some snacks," Percy suggested. Thalia wrinkled her nose in disgust and Rachel pursed her lips, but they mumbled their consent and disappeared into the theater.

Once they were in, Percy pulled Annabeth to an empty hallway.

"What are you doing?" Annabeth asked harshly, but Percy didn't answer. Instead, he leaned down and gave her a big kiss, grabbing her head in his hands. Annabeth relaxed instantly and latched onto his shirt. After a while, he pulled back and rested his head on her forehead.

"What was that for?" Annabeth asked.

"You need to relax," Percy said. Annabeth tried to pull away, but he grabbed onto her waist and held her close. "I'm not leaving you, so just calm down."

Annabeth felt herself flush. Was her anger and jealously that noticeable?

Annabeth sighed. "It's not that easy, Percy."

"Why not?" he asked softly.

Annabeth bit her tongue. She had to be careful. She couldn't tell him that she was falling in love with him.

"Look, it's nothing. Let's just get through this movie and go home."

Percy stared at her for a second, trying to figure out what she was hiding.

Are you in love with Annabeth?

His dad's question popped up in his head suddenly. He froze.

"Percy?" Annabeth asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

He blinked out of his reverie. "Yup, yup. I'm fine," he mumbled. He pulled her in and gave her a hug. When they pulled apart, he gave her a smile. "Let's get this over with."

The two went to get some popcorn, pop, and candy, and then they went in the theater to locate Thalia and Rachel.

Meanwhile, two men entered the same theater a couple minutes after Percy.

Mike and Poseidon spotted Percy, Thalia, Rachel, and Annabeth sitting in the second row right in the middle of the theater. The two sat down two rows behind them, making sure to keep a good eye on Rachel.

Of course, the two had on disguises so they wouldn't get caught. Mike was wearing thick glasses with a low hat and raggedy clothes. Poseidon decided to go more "mission impossible" by wearing a false mustache and a pair of dark sunglasses. It didn't fit in with the setting (sunglasses in a movie theater? I think not…) but it made Poseidon feel like a badass on a mission, so Mike didn't object.

And so, with their disguises on and their popcorn in hand to throw at Rachel, they sat back and observed the group.

The seating situation for the four was very interesting. See, when Annabeth and Percy had met up with them, Thalia and Rachel were sitting with two seats between them. Percy didn't want to sit by Rachel, but he didn't want Annabeth sitting by her either, so he sacrificed himself and sat beside Rachel.

Annabeth scowled and plopped down beside Percy and Thalia. Percy immediately grabbed her hand, but she shook him off and crossed her arms defiantly.

Rachel then practically stole the popcorn and leaned over Percy's arm chair and started talking to Percy. Though Percy didn't want to talk to her, he wanted to be polite and responded to her.

This just made Annabeth angry, though, and his little "pep talk" earlier seemed like crap now. So, she did the only thing that seemed right: she ignored him.

And with that, the movie continued, and Annabeth had the worst night of her life. Thalia smiled reassuringly at her, but Annabeth just glared at the screen, completely missing what the whole movie was about.

One time during the movie, Rachel leaned over too far and her hand touched Percy's thigh. Annabeth tensed, but then someone threw popcorn at Rachel and she blinked and leaned back completely in her seat.

Annabeth sighed in relief and Percy thanked God that someone had done that. Curious, he turned around to see who could have possibly done it. He saw two guys two rows behind them that looked suspicious, but they were laughing and staring at the screen, so it couldn't have been them.

Meh, Percy thought with a shrug. At least it got her off my back.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the movie finally ended. The four stood up and stretched their arms.

"So do you guys want to go eat?" Rachel asked.

"No," Annabeth cut in. "It's getting late. We're going home."

"Why don't you let them speak for themselves." Rachel glared. Annabeth glared back.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Percy said nervously, cutting in between them so they couldn't attack each other. "Look, Rachel, it is getting late. I want to go home and get some rest."

"Besides," Thalia cut in. "I have my own fiancé to go home to."

"You're engaged?" Rachel asked incredulously.

Thalia glared harshly. "Yeah, I am. Got a problem with that?"

"Nope, nope."

"Good. See you guys later. Bye Annabeth," she said, patting Annabeth on the shoulder.

Annabeth nodded in thanks and then turned back to the problem.

"Fine then," Rachel said. "I'll just see you guys later." And then she walked off down the street and disappeared around the corner.

"That was weird," Percy mumbled. He glanced down at Annabeth to find her still glaring at the sidewalk. "You see, that wasn't that bad," Percy said pathetically.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Let's just go home," she replied.

Percy nodded and grabbed her hand and she didn't try to pull away. The two got a cab and went home. When they got home and were getting ready for bed, Annabeth stood in front of Percy, who was standing in front of the couch.

She was staring down at her hands in front of her as she asked, "Um…Percy?"

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Um, this will sound kind of weird, but…will you sleep with me tonight…in my room?"

She glanced up to see his shocked expression. Percy never thought he'd be sleeping in the same bed as her even when they were married.

How could he refuse?

"Uh, sure," he muttered. She smiled a bit and led the way to her room.

When they entered her room, she climbed onto the bed and snuggled under the covers. Percy hesitated, and Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Seaweed Brain," she mumbled. "I'm not going to bite."

Percy glared slightly before climbing in under the covers.

The two lay there, side by side, staring at the ceiling. An awkward silence fell on them as they listened to each other's breathing. Finally, Annabeth sighed and turned onto her side so she was facing Percy.

"We're not going to be seeing Rachel anytime soon, right?"

Percy chuckled and out of habit pulled her closer. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"I don't think so," he replied.

She yawned and snuggled closer. "Good."

Percy sighed happily, and after a few moments, he fell into a blissful sleep.

:D

Percabeth fluff. I love it.

So, good news: there will be a sequel! I'm sure it won't be posted for a while (maybe a couple months), but that's because I want to get a headstart on it because my idea for the sequel isn't very rock solid so I want to make sure it works out alright.

Thanks for reading and review please! Let's get that four hundred mark!

-Akatsuki Child