Chapter 7

Dinner with the Jacksons was a blast.

At my house, my step mom spent most of the time quizzing me about something, anything I could've done wrong during the day while my twin step brothers threw food at each other across the table. My one ally, my father, spent dinner in his study, grading a paper or working on his thesis.

Needless to say, I usually took dinner up to my room and ate alone.

Percy's family was a completely different story.

Mrs. Jackson – er, Sally – spent the entire time drilling me, but it was a curious kind of questioning, not the interrogation I was usually subjected to at home. Tyson and Percy spent time goofing off, but they weren't preoccupied enough that I didn't catch Percy shooting smiles at me whenever I answered one of Sally's questions in a particularly witty way.

After dinner, before I could make a move to help her, Sally shooed me upstairs. "I can handle this," she said with a smile. "Besides, Paul will be home soon to help me, and I'm sure your parents are probably expecting you home sometime soon."

I couldn't help but smile back at her, even though the thought of going back home (and going back to being a bit lonely) made my heart constrict. There was something about Sally that was maternal, in a lovely sort of way, which made you feel warm on the inside. "Thanks Sally," I said, as Percy came thudding back to where we were standing (he had quickly dashed off to his room to "clean things up a bit").

"Ready?" he asked, and I could hear a note of anxiety in his voice. I gave him a reassuring smile. I knew what it was like to be under intense scrutiny because of dyslexia. When I was younger, teachers used to think that I cheated on spelling tests because they knew I had dyslexia and they couldn't fathom how "someone like me" could do so well on something I was supposed to be bad at. They would have me take the spelling test after school, away from the other kids, and they stared at me until I was finished. This continued on until my father called the school and told them about my tutoring. Needless to say, I transferred schools after that.

"I'm ready whenever you are," I said, trying to reassure him a bit. It seemed to work, because the smile that spread across his handsome face was more relaxed, and his posture seemed to release some of the tension it had been holding.

"Okay, then let's go!" he said, taking my hand and pulling me down the hallway. My fingers tingled in his grip as warmth crept up my arm and found its way to my heart.

Two hours later, I sat with Percy in his room, which looked like he felt: blue.

"You can do this," I told him, leaning back in his desk chair. Percy sat on the bed, his head in his hands and his English book spread out in front of him.

"This sucks", he groaned, looking up at me. He normally bright green eyes were dark with frustration. "We've been at this for two hours and my concentration is gone." He sighed, running his hands through his hair. "I can't do it."

I got up then, making my way across his room and sitting next to him on the bed. "Percy… of course you can do it. Where there's a will, there's a way."

Percy looked up at me and smirked. "Are you motivational-quoting me right now?" He asked, a bit of sparkle coming back into his eyes.

I shrugged, a smile finding its way onto my face. "Maybe a little," I admitted sheepishly, and he laughed. "Well geez, if you can't even find something original to say…" he teased, and I shoved him lightly. "Motivational quotes are called motivational for a reason, Seaweed Brain," I retorted, and then it was his turn to shove me. Suddenly, before either of us had any time to register what had happened, I had fallen off the bed and onto the carpet, and he was lying on top of me, our legs somewhat entangled by the fall.

"You should be more careful, Wise Girl." Percy's light tone suddenly faded as he pushed himself up on his arms, his body still pressed against mine, and we both became aware of how close we were to each other. I could smell him – the intoxicating mix of a hint of chlorine and something else entirely Percy. His eyes locked onto mine, and his face was so close to mine that I could see my own startled expression reflected in his stare. The sea green of his eyes had darkened again – but it was because of something other than frustration.

The hardest thing to realize was that it would only take a second for me to bring my arms up around his neck and pull him to me and kiss him senseless. I could feel the electricity between us, explosive, intense, and very, very real.

Percy didn't move. His gaze flickered down to my lips and I knew he was thinking along the same lines I was. All he had to do was lean down and kiss me – something I had been dreaming about for the better part of two years.

But I couldn't – we couldn't – do this.

Percy belonged to someone else – someone infinitely more pretty, funny, and popular than I was. She and Percy were the better fit. They were both outgoing and kind and considerate of others. I was nothing compared to Calypso – crippled by my own pride and yet full of insecurity.

I broke the moment, clearing my throat and looking away. "I should probably go," I murmured, my heart breaking a little inside. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Percy blink, once twice, before he slowly rose to his feet. "Um, right," he muttered, confusion written across his face. I got up too, keeping my eyes on my feet.

"Are my, um, clothes done?" I couldn't seem to raise my voice above a whisper. "Uh, yeah, I think so – I'll go check." Percy's face was guarded as he walked by me, moving down the hall to the laundry room. All the tension in my body suddenly left my muscles as I sagged against the nearby wall, almost in tears. This was a complete disaster – if we had almost kissed today, what about the rest of the summer? What would happen then? As much as I liked Percy, I wasn't going to be the one to come in between him and Calypso. I couldn't do that to him – I wouldn't do that to him.

A clearing of the throat interrupted my thoughts and I stood straight quickly, wiping the lone tear that had escaped from my eye and was trailing down my cheek. Percy was there, an uncomfortable expression on his gorgeous face. As he saw the tear, however, his face became concerned. "Annabeth, are you okay?" He held my now dry t-shirt and jeans in his hand.

I nodded, avoiding eye contact and I took them from him. "Yeah, yeah," I muttered, scooting past him towards the bathroom. Once inside, I quickly changed out of the clothes he had lent me and into my normal ones. I folded his clothes and stepped back outside and handed them to him. "Thank you," I said, meeting his concerned gaze for about a nanosecond before grabbing my bag and high-tailing it down the hallway.

I could hear Percy calling after me, but I just kept walking, eyes on the floor, until I bumped into Sally. "Oh, Annabeth! Leaving?" she asked kindly. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

Percy came up behind me. "I'll drive you home," he said, his hand already reaching into his pocket for his keys.

"No, no it's fine – my house isn't very far from here, I'll just walk." My voice sounded strained, even to my own ears.

Percy opened his mouth as if to say something, but I cut him off. "Thank you so much for having me over, Sally," I said, mustering a smile for her. Sally nodded uncertainly, glancing between Percy and me. "It was lovely to meet you, dear", she said. "Will you back next week for more?"

I almost choked on my own saliva. Percy looked visibly shaken by the unintentional implication, but nodded. "She'll be back," Percy said, tentatively meeting my gaze. "Won't you?"

I managed a weak smile. "Yeah," I choked out. "Of course."

With that final goodbye, I practically raced out the door, my heart pounding and tears pricking my eyes. This afternoon had only reminded me of one simple fact: Percy wasn't mine, and he never would be.

Not my best work, but I hope you enjoyed this long overdue update! Review/follow/favorite!