There was a pause and Percy could feel his heartbeat in his throat and his mind racing a million miles per hour.

Had he heard her correctly? He couldn't have. She was simply looking at him, no trace of any discernible emotion showing on her face, but he could tell she was getting impatient by the soft, yet persistent tapping of her foot against the wall. He couldn't focus, so instead, he just kept his eyes fixed on her, trying to gather his composure enough to form a semi-coherent sentence. He was panicking.

"Huh?" He mustered, but it sounded more like the sound of a drowning fish, if fish, indeed could drown. She placed the red, plastic cup on the oak desk beside the door, then placed her hands on her hips.

"I said, I think we should have sex." She said, more confidently this time.

So, he had heard her right, and he was the only other person in the room at the moment, so there was no mistaking the question was directed at him. She wasn't drunk, Percy didn't think. He had seen Annabeth drink before and she could handle her liquor, besides she was much too composed to be wasted. So, she must have been sober. A completely sober Annabeth thought they should fuck. A small oh escaped his lips and he was pretty sure his mouth was left hanging open. He needed to concentrate. He sat on the edge of the bed, facing her. She was twirling her hair, clearly waiting for him to say something, anything, but that was the problem with ADHD, the more he focused on the act of focusing the less he actually focused.

"Right now? yeah, I mean, no, well, not no, exactly, maybe? I just meant no to the right now question." He babbled and he felt the blush on his cheeks extend all the way up to his ears.

Annabeth arched her eyebrow at him as he slumped himself on the bed. He was confused, which wasn't new for him, but this was confusing on a whole new level. This was Annabeth, this was the girl who had met him before his growth spurt or before he knew there was soap specifically designed for your face. This was the girl who had always been by his side, through the ups and downs and sometimes, sideways turns of his life. This was the girl who knew him better than he knew himself most of the time and the girl who had kicked his ass than one time he'd put a fake tarantula in her gym bag (he'd learned his lesson never to scare Annabeth again). She-

His train of thought was cut off as he looked at her, really looked at her. Her long legs slightly crossed, the slit of her dress giving him a glimpse of her bronzed thigh. He had imagined those legs hooked around his waist plenty of times, and he'd imagined himself trailing up their curvatures with his lips and hands a hundred more. Of course, a part of him wanted to slap himself for being so slow, he had fantasized about this, way more than he cared to ever admit. It was a recurring fantasy of his that she would show up at his doorstep with this very proposition, that in the heat of the moment they would stumble onto his bed, ripping each other's clothes off and she would bang the daylights out of him. But that was only his imagination, he knew there was no way that would ever happen in real life, which is why there had been no harm in letting his mind wander.

"This is insane. We can't have sex, we- we're best friends, we know each other too well! I've drooled on you, and farted in front of you, why would you find any of that sexually attractive! And I JUST told you I was bad at sex, why would want to sign up for that? Besides, I- I thought you were into blondes!" Percy said in a single breath, throwing his hands around. She simply rolled her eyes at him.

"Just because I dated a blond guy once, doesn't mean they are my type. And it's precisely because you're my best friend that I'm asking you. We know each other, I trust you, and it's not like I'm in love with you Seaweed Brain, I just think we could both use… the practice and have fun at the same time." She replied, and if she were a stranger, Percy never would have noticed the nervous hitch in her breath or the way she seemed to be searching the floor for words. His mind drew blanks, he was still partially convinced this was all some sort of elaborate prank.

"Fun that involves being naked!" He replied and she sighed.

He wondered if maybe she had been expecting him to go along with the plan without question. Her eyes darted across the room, and he could see the faintest trail of pink on her cheeks.

"Look, if you're so repulsed by the idea, we don't have to do this, I just thought that it'd be easier to hook up with you, than some asshole who'd make me feel like shit afterward because I didn't know what I was doing." She said exasperated, avoiding his gaze

Percy wondered for a second what she meant, but his eyes widened in realization as she paced around the room. She felt insecure in bed, just like him, but that was crazy, Annabeth wasn't bad at anything, yet her expression suggested she wasn't so sure.

"I'm not repulsed by the idea! I just-" He paused, trying to meet her gaze, and focusing on the blush that he was positive was spreading through his whole body.

"I think, it could ruin things, it could ruin our friendship." He finished, running his fingers through his messy hair.

She nodded as if thinking about what he'd just said, her fingers still playing with the loose strand of golden curls that framed her face. He sat on his hands to keep them from fidgeting, and he could feel his sweaty fingers twitch underneath his weight. He had either just saved their friendship or fucked it up completely.

"We could have rules. To make sure we don't step on any boundaries, that way we keep being friends, only with certain perks. You're not looking for a girlfriend, and I'm not looking for a boyfriend, so no dates, or PDA, or any of that. We would just be friends who hang and occasionally fuck." She said with a shrug, an unreadable expression on her face.

He bit into his lower lip, his fidgeting fingers tapping against his thigh as he took one last gulp from his drink, trying to find the right words to say… what exactly? The way she explained it made it all sound so logical and given the fact that the only real opposition he had to the idea was that it might ruin their friendship, something she didn't seem at all worried about, maybe they could make it work.

"We haven't even kissed, and that peck two years ago at the end-of-camp fireworks doesn't count!" He said, rolling his eyes. There was a pause as she stepped away from the wall and moved towards him.

"Well, that can be arranged…" She said in a low voice, almost like a whisper.

Before Percy could say a word, Annabeth had slid onto the bed next to him and was pressing her lips on his. He could feel her soft, warm mouth move against his, but it was almost as if his brain was paralyzed, as if he wanted his body to move, but the message wasn't getting through. Instead, he watched as his best friend slowly moved back, a troubled expression on her face.

"Uh-" She began.

"Wait, that wasn't- I wasn't-"

Percy was interrupted by the sound of Annabeth's ringtone, as her phone buzzed from the desk a couple of feet away. They both stared at the desk before Annabeth spoke again, her breathing quick.

"Sorry, I should-"

"Yeah, don't worry." He replied before she could finish her sentence, his voice trailing off.

As she got up from the bed and walked towards the desk, he mumbled a quiet curse and slightly hit his forehead with his palm, a crimson blush spreading through his face. What WAS that, he thought, cursing at himself for being so inept. Annabeth turned her back onto him awkwardly as she spoke quietly into the phone. He couldn't overhear her conversation, and instead focused his eyes on his sneakers and tried his best to push the thoughts of his inadequacy out of his mind. He had definitely fucked it up now, there would be no way in hell Annabeth would ever speak to him again, much less sleep with him. Percy thought about blaming it on the alcohol, but they both knew he wasn't drunk, not enough to pretend he couldn't remember what had just happened, anyway. No, that was a stupid idea, besides, he thought, did he really want to pretend like the last couple of minutes hadn't happened. He knew from her expression she thought the kiss had been bad, or at least, mediocre, and he couldn't have that. He knew for a fact that he wasn't a bad kisser, if anything, that was the only good skill he had going for him in this entire game. No, he decided, the night wasn't ending without him kissing Annabeth again, properly, this time.

"Shit."

His thoughts were interrupted by Annabeth's soft cursing under her breath as she slammed her phone on the desk and threw her head back against the wall, looking annoyed.

"Everything okay?" Percy asked, giving her a curious look, something was definitely not alright.

"Yeah, everything is fine, well, not really-" She sighed, before continuing. "Piper ditched me and she wasn't just my ride home, I was supposed to stay over at her place, but now, I can't and I can't go back to my house, because if my dad finds out I went to a party on a Monday, he'll kill me." She finished with a frustrated sigh, running her hands through her tangled curls.

"I'm gonna kill her when I see her in school tomorrow." Annabeth mumbled, pacing back and forth across the room.

"You could stay over at my place," Percy spoke, looking at her, unsure of what her reaction would be. Annabeth looked at him with curious eyes, as if mauling the idea over in her head.

"I mean, I can text my mom that'll be back a bit later tonight, so she'll go to bed and we can sneak in, and let her know I'm gonna sleep and catch the train to school tomorrow, my mom always leaves for work super early, but that way Paul won't wait up for me in the morning and you can sneak out. It's tricky but doable." He spoke, and she bit her lips.

"Are you sure?" She said, but her tone seemed to be saying are you sure you want to sleep in the same bed as me even after that disaster of a kiss. Pushing the thought away, he nodded, standing up from the bed.

"Yeah, it's not a problem, I'll just text my mom now." He said as he reached for his phone and gave her a genuine smile. She returned it with a silent thank you, looking more at ease than she had five minutes ago. Maybe all hope is not lost, he thought.

Sneaking out of Thalia's room, they left Jason's apartment as quietly as they could shortly after the whole ordeal. In part, Percy knew neither Annabeth nor him wanted to deal with the silly rumors that would be flying around the school for the remainder of the week if they were caught leaving together. Another part was that even if they had wanted to say goodbye to Jason, he was still nowhere to be seen. As the pair got into the elevator and made their way out of the glamorous apartment building and into the city's busy streets, Percy noticed the time on his cellphone, it was well after midnight. Annabeth walked quietly beside him, turning unto a less crowded corner, as he stretched out his hand on the edge of the sidewalk, signaling for one of the empty yellow cabs to stop before them. Normally, had he been alone, he would have just taken the subway back, but he figured the blonde girl beside him was probably tired and would appreciate getting to his house in 30 minutes, instead of the hour it normally took him. After a few minutes, he was finally successful in getting one of the cab driver's attention, and as Percy opened the door and told the address to the middle-aged man behind the wheel, he let Annabeth crawl into the car first, before settling himself on the edge of the seat.

She was silent for the majority of the ride, and he didn't dare break the silence as she looked out the window, at the blurry landscape of skyscrapers that passed them by. Percy's mind was still racing. He still, very much, wanted to kiss her again. In fact, it surprised him how strong the urge to kiss her again was, and while he suspected that his ego was the one to blame, he also half suspected it had something to do with the fact that her lips were warm and had tasted like ripe cherries to him, and he would be an idiot if he let the moment pass him by again. The lights bounced off her curls, and he caught himself staring when she suddenly turned to face him. He held her stare for a moment, before shifting his stare onto the road ahead, and he could see the familiar rust-colored bricks that belonged to the buildings in his neighborhood. Percy sensed Annabeth had wanted to say something but had held back as the driver made a small turn off the main road.

"Almost there." He whispered to her, as the cab driver pulled up in front of a wide building with a dark green door.

After paying the taxi with some cash Paul had given him at the beginning of the week, Percy got out of the old, yellow car and opened the door on Annabeth's side, helping her get out.

"Thanks, but you are aware I know how to open doors." She said with a smirk, raising a brow at him, as he rolled his eyes.

"Last time I do something nice for you." He replied in a sarcastic tone.

Annabeth began walking towards the front door of his building, but before she could get too close, Percy grabbed her hand and pulled her towards a narrow alley that led to the building's south-facing fire escape.

"We can't go through the front, Mr. O'Riley is in today and he is a gossip." He said in a hushed tone, and Annabeth gave him a quick nod.

In a swift motion, Percy pulled down the metal stairs and gestured for Annabeth to go first.

"After you, that way I can make sure you don't fall to your death." He said, a small smile playing on his lips.

"You sure it's not so you can get a better look at my ass." She replied, narrowing her grey eyes at him.

"You're impossible, fine, I'll go first, but if you slip and die, don't say I didn't warn you." Percy replied as he grabbed onto the metal railing. He could see Annabeth giggling below him, and he wondered if maybe it had been her who wanted to stare at his ass.

Annabeth followed him as he climbed up the stairs, keeping as quiet as possible as to not wake up any of his building's noisy neighbors. It was a short trek until they reached his windowsill on the third floor. With a quick hand movement, Percy opened the window and slid into the dark room with ease, before shooting his hand out to help Annabeth, who simply copied his movements. Shutting the window behind them, Percy quickly reached the nearest lamp to light up the room. He realized now just how messy the place was, with worn shoes and clothes piling up in different corners. His swimming bag was slumped against the half-opened closet, and as he approached it he ran his hand through his hair.

"Sorry for the mess." He said quietly, and Annabeth simply shrugged.

"It's okay, it's not like you were expecting company… I would hope." She said with a small smile, and he gave her a playful glare.

As he reached into his closet to pull out an old t-shirt and pair of boxers Annabeth could use to sleep in, he noticed she was slowly pacing around the room, looking at some old photographs he had taped to his wall, including one of the two of them with Grover by the strawberry fields in Long Island.

"I've always liked this picture." She said as he turned around, walking over to where she was. She turned to face him as he stood over her, an old grey t-shirt and blue, plaid boxers in hand.

"Hey, Annabeth," he began, looking at his hands.

"Hmm?"

"About earlier," He began but she shrugged him off.

"No, Percy, you were right, I don't know what I was thinking, or why I would even suggest we should, you know. It was a bad idea and-" She began to say, but he cut her off, shaking his head.

"No, you're Annabeth Chase, you don't have bad ideas." Percy said, and without giving it a second thought, before she could utter a word, he dropped the clothes, cupped her face with his hands, and met her lips with his.

This time, he kissed her for real, and he could feel her surprised breath on his lips as he moved them softly against hers. He was thankful that Annabeth's reaction time was better than his because in a split second she was kissing him back, moving her lips against his in the dim glow of the night. He moved his hand softly, down her cheek and towards the back of her neck, entangling his fingers with her hair as he pressed his lips against hers, slipping his tongue into her mouth. He could feel her hands run up his chest, clinging onto the hem of his shirt as he moved with her, pushing her softly against the wall. His heart was beating hard against his chest, his breathing becoming jagged as her tongue pushed against his. Her hands had now moved to the back of his neck, holding on to his back as he trailed the sides of her dress until he reached her warm, exposed thigh. He pushed closer against her, moving against her as she deepened the kiss, running her fingers along his jawline, moving up to push his hair behind his ear. He could feel himself growing hard as she moved her hips slightly against him, the heat between the two of them becoming almost palpable. He broke away, as she threw her head back against the wall, her eyes still closed.

"That was," she said, small pants escaping her lips as her chest rose rapidly against his.

"Still think this is a bad idea?" He whispered the thought out loud, as he let his head drop against hers.

"No, do you?" She replied, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"What do you think?" He said with a smirk, watching as her eyes trailed up and down his body, before meeting his lips again.

This time, the kiss was hungrier, as she broke slightly away, only to bite his lower lip slightly. As he felt his cock strain against his jeans, at that moment, Percy thought Annabeth had to be insane if she even for a second thought she was bad in this department. His hands gripped her thighs firmly as she pulled off his shirt, before turning her around to face the wall. He wasn't entirely sure about what he was doing, but as he moved his hands upward, holding on to her waist, he felt her throw her head back, leaving the tan skin on her neck unexposed. He began to kiss her there, softly sucking on the warm skin, as he heard her let out soft, quiet moans. The sound only made him want her more, as he pushed against her, his hands slowly undoing the zipper of her dress, and pulling it down in one swift movement. She kicked off her shoes and the dress, and he followed before she turned around to face him. He knew he shouldn't, but Percy took a step back to admire her, however, he had imagined her to look beneath the layers of clothes, it definitely didn't do the real thing justice. She was wearing a black lace bralette and thong, and he bit his lip at how impossibly hot she looked, with her flushed cheeks, pink lips, and messed up blonde hair. She moved forward, forcing him to take a step back, and then another until he could feel the edge of the bed behind him.

"Annabeth" He whispered, but she silenced him by placing her finger on her lips, before pushing him on the bed.

She climbed on top of him and began kissing him again, moving from his lips to his neck, to his chest, slowly, leaving behind, warm, wet marks through his body. Percy decided that this had to be a dream, as she undid his jeans, kicking them off before she rose up again to meet his lips. As she straddled his hips, he threw his head against the pillow, closing his eyes, letting the pleasure course through his body. He knew, if she continued this for much longer, he wouldn't be able to help himself. His breath quickening, he reached into the drawer of his bedside table and pulled out a shiny, purple, and silver packet. Helping himself up with one hand, he met Annabeth's lips once more, as he undid the clasp of her bra with the other, getting the garment off her body to expose her rounded breasts in a matter of second. He kissed her neck again, as her hands reached the hem of his boxers and she pulled them off to reveal his hard cock poking out. She glanced down at it before meeting his eyes again.

"It's just sex." She whispered, her breathing quickening as she bit her lip, and ran her hand through his messy hair.

"Just sex." He agreed and with that, she rolled off him, and pulled off her underwear as he ripped open the package and slipped on the condom.

He moved on top of her, positioning himself over her entrance, and pushed himself in, in a quick movement. He heard her gasp as he nestled inside of her, feeling her tighten around him. She felt warm and wet and he could feel the waves of pleasure roll through him as he moved his hips against hers. He could feel her nails dig into his back as he moved faster, falling into her rhythm as he buried his face in the nook of her neck. He wanted to hold out, he wanted to make her cum, no, he had to make her cum, but he could feel the familiar tightness in his lower abdomen, he was close. He could hear her soft moans as she bucked her hips against his, making him settle deeper into her with each movement. He grunted, biting his lip, God, she felt good. They continued this way for a few more minutes, or hours, Percy wouldn't have been able to tell the difference, until he could no longer hold himself back. With a grunt, he moaned her name as he felt himself become undone inside her, dropping to his elbows on top of her as his chest rose rapidly, his breathing hard against her ear. She ran her hand through his back, softly, and he stayed like that for a few minutes, trying to regain his composure. He could've stayed like that forever, he thought.

Finally, he slid off her, and stood up, grabbing some tissues from his desk before walking over to the trashcan. He didn't want to risk waking his parents up by turning on the bathroom light, so with his back turned to her, he quickly slid off the used condom and wiped himself clean, before reaching for his boxers, and tossing the t-shirt to the girl, still naked on his bed. Annabeth pulled the long shirt over her head quickly, and slid into his bed, dropping her head onto the pillow, as he turned off the light. He was unsure of what to do now, he had never slept with a girl, much less after having sex with her. However, despite wanting to talk about what had just happened with her, he could feel his eyes getting heavy the moment he slid onto the covers next to her. He could feel her steady breathing, as he made himself comfortable, turning away from her as to establish some distance between them.

"Goodnight Wise Girl." He whispered in the darkness.

"Goodnight, Seaweed Brain." A soft voice replied before he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.