A.N. AyeEnfield, another author (read his stuff) recommended this song as a chapter title. I tried to fit it in, but realized it didn't match with a chapter enough for me to change the title. That being said, it fits amazingly with the story so I still wanted to share it with all of you.

Wheat Kings by The tragically hip (R.i.p. Gord)

Also, sorry this took so long to get out. It was a slog for me mentally, but next chapter is when things get good.

Chapter 13: Come As You Are

It was late when Percy got home.

Really late.

Later than he'd have wanted and later than he should've been. Late enough that he felt his heart tighten a bit when he realized Annabeth was already home.

He pulled up to the den, thoroughly soaked through and through with rain as it poured down from the night sky. He considered leaving his bike out next to the rest of the caravan, but decided against it, choosing instead to set the thing up beside the house, protecting it from the rain.

The walk up to the porch felt like a goddamned last march to the electric chair.

He got to the door and seriously considered turning and bolting. Just running off into the desert and finding a nice sand dune to bury himself into. But he knew better. That would only make things worse.

He grabbed the door handle and swung open the door, fully expecting Zoe to be there in all her angry glory, but she wasn't. No one was there. Not a soul was present.

Unless she was next door...

He felt his heart clench as the thought crossed his mind. She wasn't dumb. She knew what doing that would do to their cover and what it would mean for the clan.

Percy sighed as another thought crossed his mind while he made the march up the stairs.

She was in his room, ready to go, and had been for hours.

He sighed as he approached his door, letting his hand settle on the door knob as he mentally prepared himself for what he knew was coming. He swung the door open and... no Zoe.

He frowned, letting his fear change to genuine thought now.

Where was she?

He left his room, and made his way over to hers, approaching the old oak door. He reached for the handle, gave it a turn, and tuuged it open.

And there she was, painting, facing towards him, brush in hand as her canvas sat facing toward her, out of his view.

She didn't look up when he entered, but he knew she saw him, catching her eyes flick up to his for a moment. Her pose stiffened when he opened the door, her back straightening and her nose lifting as she dragged the brush over the easel. He didn't speak right away, he simply took in the silence, trying to savor it before what came next.

"Hi." He said.

She didn't reply. She simply kept running her brush up and down the canvas, laying stroke after stroke on the painting as her eyes remained locked on the piece in front of her. Her upper lip twitched, a motion that was nearly unnoticeable, but Percy noticed. He noticed, and knew exactly what it meant.

She was pissed.

Her pose didn't waver. She simply kept dabbing her palette and adding extra strokes of paint to the canvas, her head cocking to the side as she examined the painting.

"You're late." She finally said, after the silence had worn out it's welcome.

He sighed, putting his hands on his hips as his head drooped.

"I know."

She let her grip on the palette tighten a but as she kept adding brush strokes to the painting.

"I saw Annabeth come home, Percy." She let her gaze flick up to his, locking on his eyes now as she bored into him with hers.

"She came home smiling." Her brush dragged a little more aggressively across the canvas, "Smiling like she'd been with you."

Percybopened his mouth to speak, before he saw her palette properly and his mouth snapped shut. It had red paint on it. Red and gold and beige and black and... well, mostly red. He sighed, stepping behind her so he could get a look at what she'd been painting.

He shouldn't have.

It was a visceral painting, dark and intense with stained colors and thick brush strokes. It depicted a slender dark figure, with a beautifully toned body. It had long, jagged talons and longer, thick black hair. It was a figure that didn't look human, nor looked not. The figure wasn't alone in the painting, there was a softer, lighter figure too. A gentle figure, with soft tanned skin and golden locks cascading over its shoulders.

The dark figure was tearing the blonde ones throat out, with enough red on the canvas to warrant how much there was on the palette.

Percy swallowed as he watched Zoe add some small details to the painting. A bit more shading on the dark figures body, a bit more blood on the ground surrounding the figures, and a detail that really sent a shiver up Percy's spine.

A pair of grey eyes on the blonde figures face.

Zoey put down her palette, leaning back in her stoll as she took in the painting.

"Do you like it?" She asked, in a voice that was trying really hard to stay calm.

He clenched and unclenched his fists.

"It's... intense." He replied.

She tilted the canvas, positioning it so it was facing her bed before she stood up and turned to him. She grabbed a fistful of his shirt and twisted him around before pushing him onto the bed. He wanted to sigh, or complain, but the painting convinced him otherwise.

It convinced him a little more when she sat on his lap and forced his gaze towards it.

"Look at it." She said, holding his jaw and pointing his face at the painting. He looked at it. He didn't want to, not even for a single second, but he did. He took in the detail, the intensity. He took in how the darker figure was drawn much bigger than the light one, cadtig a shadow over it as it slashed it open. He took in the visceral sight, and the intense violence, and let it sink in.

Zoe lightly traced a finger over his cheek before pressing against it, making him face her.

"Where were you today, Percy?"

He didn't answer, letting his eyes linger on her face as he held his jaw firm. She left her hand on his face as she brought the other one up and held both his cheeks tight.

"We're you with her?"

He didn't know what to say. Fuck it, who was he kidding? He didn't know what to do, either.

His mind was racing with thoughts, thoughts that he couldn't focus for even a single second to throw together a lie.

He knew that, and he knew she probably knew too. He'd already shot himself in the foot, more or less, by not thinking of something to say before he'd walked in. He was stupid for that, and even more stupid for going looking for her when he'd shown up.

Percy a few weeks ago wouldnt have even bothered looking the gift horse in the mouth. He would've taken the chance to avoid the confrontation and happily went into his room, locking the door behind him.

But this wasn't that Percy, was it?

He didn't know why he'd looked for her, but two ideas swirled in his head. The first was to make sure she hadn't gone next door and made that painting a reality, the second was... to make sure she was alright. He didn't really want to admit it, but... yeah.

That was it, wasn't it?

He took another look at the painting, at the images she'd pulled from her mind and out to canvas, before he looked back at her, and the emotion that had pulled over her face.

Hurt, and a lot of it.

"Percy..." She said, her voice a whisper now, "...Were you with her."

He blinked, realizing he wasn't going to come up with something. Realizing that he was stuck here, with her on his lap. Realizing that for all the thinking he did, he was never the best at talking, not with her at least.

He blinked again, watching as her eyes started to well up with tears. He didn't want that. He might have a few weeks ago, but... he didn't want that.

He couldn't say anything. He couldn't think of anything. He couldn't do anything.

So he kissed her.

He didn't know what to feel anymore. Disgust? Sure. Regret? Tons of it. Guilt? Of course, the blonde girl next door assured him of that.

But there were other emotions now. Emotions he didn't know how to process now that he felt them with Zoe.

There was a warmth in his chest as his hands slid up her sides, a feeling that really just burned in that cold, dead heart of his as her hands tore at his shirt, pulling it up over his head.

"Percy..." She whispered to him, sliding her hands up to his cheeks as she deepened the kiss. He felt his hands move, whether they were on their own he didn't know anymore.

They slid down, reaching the hem of her shirt and pulling upwards, slipping the top off of her as she tilted her head, tossing her arms over his shoulders.

He felt his hands slide up her back, his frigid fingers sliding up her form as she shivered at the touch. He knew it wasn't because he was cold. They were both cold.

He got the feeling it was for a different reason.

She slid her hands to the back of his head, pressing his face against her neck. He planted kisses along it, all while her fingernails buried deep into his scalp.

"Tell me you love me, Percy." She whispered to him. He froze, his face pressed against her chest. He listened for a heartbeat, one he knew wasn't there but if it were, he'd imagine would be hammering into his ears.

"I love you." He didn't know if that was true. He didn't know if it was false either. He didn't know anything anymore.

"Tell me you want to be with me, Percy." Her voice spoke, trembling as his hands slowly unclasped her bra and tossed it to the side.

"I want to be with you, Zoe." He let his doubts slip a bit farther away as his kisses trained a bit lower.

Her hands suddenly gripped his cheeks tight, pulling his face up to look at her. She had a wild look in her eyes, her retinas glowing slightly in the darkness, as she breathed heavily, a smile pulling at her cheeks.

"Tell me you'll stay with me forever, Percy."

Forever.

He let that word sit in his mind, a little more than it should have and with a little more consideration than the old him would've let it. Forever. That's what she wanted, wasn't it? She wanted a forever, with him. An eternity, spent in each other's arms as they danced, and kissed, and pressed their bodies together every night. Forever with him.

Did he want that?

What did he want? What did he have besides what he had with her? What would he have if he didn't have her? An empty, lonely life. One that would go on and on until some vampire hunter took him out or he did it himself. He had nothing, nothing but her.

Maybe she was slipping some of her magic intot he words she spoke and it was having an effect on his mind, but it didn't really matter. He could think clearly enough that he knew they were his thoughts. He didn't know if rhay scared him or not, and right now he didn't care.

He picked her up, flipping her over so she was laying on the bed. His eyes locked with hers as words pulled themselves out of him. Whether they came from his mind or came from his heart, he didn't know, and didn't care either.

"I'll stay with you. Forever, Zoe."

She let out a shaky breath as her eyes closed and her hands trembled, laying softly against his cheeks.

"Until the end of time?"

The end of time.

What did he want?

Did he want this?

Did he want her?

If he did, did he want it to the end of time?

He pressed his hand to her mouth, drawing a look from her as he stared into her eyes from his position on top.

"I want this..." He replied, closing his eyes as he let his head droop, "... until my time ends."

He opened his eyes and met her gaze, removing his hand as he did. She opened her mouth to speak, but he pressed a finger to her lips as his free hand worked at her pants, unclasping the button and unzipping the zipper before he slid them free.

"No more questions, Zoe." He let his hand slide back up to her cheek, "I don't want to think about this, alright? I don't want to think. I don't want to talk. I just..."

He closed his eyes as his brow furrowed. They opened, and just like hers were, they were glowing.

"I just want you."

She was quiet for a moment, before a soft hand slid up his face and a smile pulled at her lips.

"Then take me, Percy."

So he did. He did, and he didn't know what to feel anymore. All he could do was look at her, stare into her eyes and watch as they rolled up into her head and her teeth bit down on her lip.

He watched her face, watched as it twisted, and contorted, her body trembling as they moved as one.

He listened to her, hearing her soft moans as his name slipped from her lips between gasping breaths.

He tried to keep his focus on her. That was what she wanted, what she deserved, but he couldn't.

Every time her eyes closed, his eyes slipped back over to the painting. Even when he knew his focus should be on her.

It hurt more and more every time he looked at it.

She let him leave when he was done. She didn't complain, or ask for him to stay. Either she was satisfied or she needed to think as much as he did.

He made his way to his room, softly shutting the door behind him as he pulled off his shirt and tossed it on his bed. He took to his ensuite, flicking on the light and running the sink, dipping his hand under the water and splashing it over his face.

He didn't have marks this time. She hadn't left any. For the first time in fifty years, she hadn't left a single mark on him, yet maybe just by instinct alone, he still washed himself clean.

Clean. He wasn't clean though, was he?

He turned off the sink and put either hand on the counter, staring at the water as it poured down the drain. He held up his hands in front of him, staring at his palms before he clenched and unclenched his fists.

He wasn't clean. Not at all.

"You make me sick."

Percy sighed, letting his hands fall to his sides as he looked back up into the mirror, his voice set in a dull tone.

"Great. You again."

There he was again The reflection, the past reflection, the one he'd seen a week or so ago. The one who stood there in his double denim and short hair and thick glasses. The one who was now wearing his cross around his neck, despite the real one still being in the pocket of his flannel shirt. The one who'd tried to help him.

The one who's advice he hadn't been following.

"Yeah, you're goddamned right you haven't." The reflection sneered as it replied to his internal thoughts, watching as Percy put his hands on the counter and leaned into it again.

"Yeah, I'm not." Percy replied, lifting his gaze to glare at the reflection, "What does it matter to you, anyways? It's not like you're real."

The reflection shook his head, "Don't try to dismiss me, Percy. We both know it doesn't matter if I'm real or not."

"Oh so now you admit it?" Percy asked, leaning his head back as he closed his eyes, "You're not real. Just a figment of my imagination." He let out a heavy breath and added in a hushed tone, "One that isn't limited to bouts of blood poisoning, evidently."

"A figment of your imagination? How about a reflection of your state of mind." The reflection offered back, taking off its glasses and breathing on the lenses, giving them a wipe before it placed them back on it's face, "Than again, it doesn't seem like you care about your mind anymore, now does it?"

Percy turned away from the mirror.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"There's nothing to do but talk about it, Percy." The reflection shot back, "Talk about it until the end of time."

Percy snapped his gaze forward with a glare, "Don't say that."

The reflection glared right back, "Oh? Like how you said it to her? Like how you finally let her pull those words from you at long last?"

Percy felt his gaze go back and forth over the counter as he tried to focus himself, "I was just... trying to ease tension. Thats all."

The reflection shook its head, leaning into the counter.

"You're breaking, Percy. You're breaking and we both know it. You didn't even need to sleep with her tonight, yet you did."

Percy didn't answer, he just let his grip tighten on the sink as his teeth grit in his jaw.

"You felt your eyes glow too, didn't you?" The reflection added, in a tone that seemed defeated more than anything.

Percy felt his jaw grit and let himself glare into the mirror, "So what if I did?"

It was the reflection's turn to grit its teeth, leaning into the sink.

"I don't want this, Percy. I don't want to be this, and I know you don't want to either, no matter how hard you try to convince yourself otherwise."

Percy was silent, letting his head dip as his entire body seemed to deflate.

"There's nothing but this." He said, his voice a low whisper, "There's no way out."

The reflection leaned into the sink, "Do you know that?"

Percy's gaze lifted, "What?"

The reflection shook its head, "Have you ever even tried to find a way out? A way to escape this? Maybe there's a cure, or someway to reverse this, maybe..." The reflection's eyes met Percy's, who's look had gone back to being defeated.

"I am not living the rest of my life holding on to false hope." Percy replied, walking out of the bathroom. He grabbed a bedsheet and returned to the bathroom, "The sooner I give her what she wants, the better."

The reflection was silent for a moment, staring at the floor as Percy spread out the sheet.

"You call it your life. It isn't though, is it?"

Percy met the reflection's eyes as it stared at him. The reflection didn't stop.

"It's not your life anymore, Percy. It's hers, and you're giving it to her on a silver platter."

Percy was quiet, holding the sheet in his hands, before he shook his head with a frown.

"Vampires can't touch silver."

He left the reflection with those words as he threw the bedsheet over the mirror and went to bed.

The next day was a work day.

God, was it ever.

Percy spent what felt like hours hammering nail after nail after nail into plank after plank after plank over just about every single window surrounding the den.

The work was long, repetitive, tedious, and boring, so it only made sense to bring a friend along to help.

Friend. Right. As if Percy would be caught dead calling Luke a friend, and frankly, the feeling was mutual considering the events of the last few weeks.

The two of them worked nonetheless, laying nail after nail into plank after plank over and over and over again. Percy had a tool belt, Luke didn't, so every time Luke needed new nails he'd come grab them out of Percy's belt, just about as aggressively as he could.

Percy didn't like it, and Luke could tell.

"Oh don't you fucking start" Luke said in a dry tone, "I don't wanna hear a bloody word outta you, Jackson."

Percy didn't reply. He just drove another few nails into the planks, eyes drooping as he focused on the window. Luke scoffed, letting his own eyes focus on his own window.

"Can't believe the shit you pulled with Ethan." He added, driving his own nail into the wall, "Kid didn't deserve that shit. All he did was turn a couple girls, so what?"

Luke dropped his hammer and took a step towards Percy.

"We don't all got what you and Zoe got, y'know? Some of us might like a little someone to occupy our time with, and besides-"

"How many swings do you think it'll take to shut you up Luke?"

The Louisiana native stepped back.

"The fuck did you just say?"

Percy didn't turn, or look at Luke, or do so much as continue hammering nails into the window as he continued to speak, a vacant look on his face.

"How many do you think. Maybe four?" He put four more nails into a plank, as if to exercise his point.

"Maybe three will do." Another three nails.

"Maybe two?" Another two nails.

"No, you know what I think?" He turned to Luke, letting his green gaze bore into Luke's eyes, "I think it'll take one. One good swing to the head and you spend the rest of this eternal life a vegetable."

He let the words hang in the air before he hammered a couple more nails into another plank. He grabbed another piece of wood, a thin piece this time, holding it in his hand and examining it.

"You know what else I think?" Percy said, shifting the long stake in his hand, "I think, if I did give a good swing to your dome, I'd be doing the world a real favor."

He clenched the stake of wood tight, making it creak in his grip, "Now if I just killed you instead?" He looked at Luke, stake still tight in his grip, "That'd be doing the world a service."

He let the words hang in the air, laying out the words that they both knew were already there, but had just been unspoken up until now. Luke was quiet, just as Percy was, before a small smile spread over his lips.

"You're starting to think like me, aren'tcha Jackson?"

Percy scowled as he turned back to the window.

"Don't ever compare yourself to me."

Luke shook his head as his smile remained, "You sound just like me. The anger, the frustration... just like me. You've even got the wit, too."

Percy turned to Luke, letting his scowl grow.

"What the hell would you know about frustration you goddamn sociopath?"

Luke didn't answer. He didn't say anything. He simply turned back to the house and started hammering more nails into it. There were thoughts there, hidden behind his eyes. They were thoughts he evidently couldn't keep to himself.

"I had a wife and kid before all this." He said, drawing an immediate look from Percy.

Percy opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't before Luke spoke again.

"Back in Louisiana, years ago..." He held his hammer in his hand, letting the limb hang at his side, "I... I don't even remember their names. I don't know if that's because of how long it's been or if that's just my mind forcing itself to forget, to keep itself sane, but... I did."

He hammered a few more nails into the den, his eyes glaring slightly.

"I remember things about them sometimes. The way my wife would kiss my cheek, the way my son would hold my hand as we walked along the promenade, the way we'd have steak for dinner every Saturday."

He let a smile spread over his face as the look in his eyes softened.

"I remember one year, it was Mardi Gras. We'd all gone down to New Orleans for the parade. When he saw those floats, my boy just..." Luke closed his eyes, "His smile was like nothing I'd ever seen before..."

His eyes opened and his smile faded ad he gripped the hammer tight.

"And then, one day, I'm coming home from whatever my job was back then, not that I can remember. I get to the end of my street, and I see something from the end of the road..." He drove a nail into the home.

"Fire. Fire, coming up from my house... Burning it to the ground."

He drove another three nails in, all with precise strikes.

"My wife and kid... they didn't have a chance. There wasn't even anything to bury."

Percy watched Luke's face as he spoke. He couldn't help but take in every word he said. He couldn't help but picture Luke's family as he described them. He couldn't help but feel an emotion creep its way into his heart, one that he never thought he'd feel for Luke.

Sympathy.

Luke shook his head, turning back to Percy as he very clearly forced a weak smile on his face.

"So there I am. Nothing left. No home, no family, no nothing. I've got not a damn thing left on this planet, all that's left?" He pointed his finger upwards, "...is hoping I'll see them up there."

He drove another nail into the home, "So I go out and I get a gun and I buy a box of bullets, but I only keep one, and I'm sitting on the promenade, watching rhe waves splash on the dock..." His eyes glazed over for a moment as a memory flashed behind them, his voice almost drawing itself from past where he could control, "...just like me and Johnny used to do..."

He shook his head and scowled at the window, "Then I feel a hand on my shoulder, a soft gentle hand, and who is it who's looking at me on that dock with a gun in my hand?"

He points his finger up again, this time aiming it at the den. Percy didn't need to guess who it was.

"So she asks me if I'm planning on ending it and I tell her I ain't got nothing left, nothing but whatever on the other side. She tells me, with time, I'll find whatever will fix me. Now I'm in no mind to argue and I'm boutta paint the dock whatever colour my brain is, so what do I care what she's gonna do?"

He drove another nail into the house, harder than before.

"I woke up the next day immortal. No more heaven, no more family, no more anything. I had nothing. Nothing but all the time on this earth anyone could ever want. Time I didn't want, or ask for, or get a choice in being forced to have."

He drove in another nail, this time cracking the plank as his teeth grit and his scowl deepened and Percy swore he saw a tear in that pale blue eye of his.

"I woke up trapped in the pain. The pain that all I wanted was to escape from, and I just..." Luke shook his head, "... I just let go, even though I know I shouldn't have."

He put hisnhand innthe house as he stared at it, "I know what you think, Jackson. You think I enjoy this, that I want this."

His next words came out as barely a hushed whisper, like Luke was talking to himself more than anyone.

"All I've ever wanted was to see them again."

Percy didn't speak. He didn't say any words, or think any thoughts. He couldn't force himself to come to a conclusion because he was still trying to process what he'd heard.

Luke smiled, once again forcing the look as he wiped at his eye.

"You think you're so high and mighty. You think that you're special, too." He turned to look at Percy, his pale eyes tinged with contempt, "I hear what you say about me, that you're worried you're gonna become me. That you're worried you're just gonna snap like you think I did."

He jammed a finger at Percy, "You're already me, Percy. You started as me. The second this happened, the second I watched Zoe drag your ass into the motel, I knew..."

He leaned toward the man, "You don't become me, Percy. You either are me, or you aren't. The sooner you accept that..."

He drove another nail into the den, "...the easier it gets."

He didn't continue, talking or hammering. He just tossed the hammer on the promenade and strolled back into the house, leaving Percy with his thoughts. Thoughts he once again didn't want to have.

Percy let out a heavy breath through his nose, drawing his hand across his face, hoping that something would come along to distract him from himself before his mind got to thinking about what Luke had said.

Because he got a feeling what the man had said was gonna make a lot of sense, and he didn't want that.

He needed someone, so someone showed up.

"Howdy Percy."

He whirled around just about the second she spoke and felt a smile pull at his lips. One that didn't beam quite as brightly after what Luke had said, but still shone regardless as he spoke.

"Well howdy yourself, Annabeth."

The girl smiled at his greeting as she stood out in the rain, covered by a green raincoat. Percy stepped out to meet her, grabbing his denim coat and cowboy hat (both of which he'd reclaimed from Zoe) and walking out from under the porch.

The rain fell down on them both, dripping off the brim of his hat as he tilted his head upwards. She watched as he tilted a bit farther and let the rain hit his face, dripping down his features as he took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Lots on your mind?" She asked, drawing a small smile from his lips.

"That obvious?" He asked, meeting her eyes again, she shrugged.

"You're doing the rain thing."

He raised an eyebrow, "The rain thing?"

She nodded with a small smile, "The rain thing, where you let it fall on your face."

He sighed and crossed his arms, smiling as he did so.

"Well, are there any other Percy-isms I should know about?"

She shrugged, "There's a couple. The way you always say H'wat, that's a good one."

He smirked, "I don't know H'wat you're talking about."

She smiled, "There's also the spurs. Can't say they themselves are Percy-isms, but the clinks?"

He smiled a bit harder and knocked his heels together, making them rattle on his heels.

"I'll give you that one."

She met his eyes and her smile wavered a bit.

You also rub your tattoo a lot."

He sighed, moving his hand to mirror her words with his actions, "Yeah, I guess I do."

They were quiet for a moment, no sound but the rain bouncing off their clothes accompanying them. Annabeth didn't seem too keen on the silence.

"You wanna come over?"

Percy let his gaze snap to hers, as his eyes drew back into a squint.

"Alright, now I know this is you asking me on a date..."

She sighed, walking up to him and buttoning up his coat before she straightened it on his shoulders.

"This is an activity. We've already clarified that's what we call them, remember cowboy?"

He pursed his lips and scratched his chin, "Well, I might have some recollection..."

She laughed at his little performance and turned away, motioning for him to follow. He took a glance over his shoulder at the upper floors of the den, just checking if anyone was watching.

Who was he kidding? She was absolutely watching.

He sighed, deciding that he'd already worn his hands raw putting planks up over the windows for the storm, and he could afford a little enjoyment as he followed her into her home.

The Chases had evidently prepared just as much as Percy had, nailing boards to windows, stacking furniture against them, taking pictures off the walls. Doing all the sorts of things that people should do when what was practically a hurricane was on the way.

Annabeth led him to the couch, hopping on and patting the seat next to her, inviting him to join. He did, easing into the seat with a groan.

She smiled, "Long day?"

He leaned his head back, closing his eyes as he eased into the couch, "You've got no idea."

She breathed out a laugh, "Well, I've got some actually. You're not the only one boarding up windows."

He nodded with a softly mumbled Mhm as he crossed his arms over his chest. His eyes were closed, so really, there wasn't a reason for her not to stare, so she did.

It was hard to take her eyes off him, but it was also only a matter of time before his eyes opened and he caught her, so she cleared her throat.

"Did you finish the book yet?"

He smiled, eyes still closed, "I did, as a matter of fact."

She nodded, something he couldn't see anyways, "Did you... like it?" He let his eyes open and gazed at the ceiling.

"Yeah, I loved it actually. It was just about everything I wanted it to be." He let his eyes drift over to hers, "It... scratched an itch, let's say."

She let a smile out, "Scratched an itch?"

He shrugged, "One that I didn't even know was there."

Her brow furrowed a bit at his words, "What do you mean?"

He steeled his gaze, uncrossing his arms as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"I don't really know how to explain it. It just... felt like it was exactly what I wanted to read." He shrugged, "It felt like it was exactly what I needed." He let a smile spread over his face as he turned to her, "Only makes sense that you'd be the one to give me that."

She blushed, pretty hard too at his words. She felt her hands clasp each other, probably trying to satisfy that subconscious urge to hold his.

"Percy?" She asked. He let his smile fall a bit.

"Yeah?" He replied.

She was tense for a moment, as she figured out how to put her question into words.

"Zoe doesn't like me, does she?"

Percy was still, unmoving and unreactive as he thought about what to say.

"Why... why do you ask?"

Annabeth shrugged, "Guess I've just got a hunch."

Percy had to suppress a scoff as the image of Zoe's painting nestled its way back into his mind.

"She... isn't your biggest fan." He admitted, letting his hand run over his neck.

She watched as it moved, taking note of how it rested on the scar a little bit as he mentioned Zoe.

Annabeth let her shoulders drop, "Any clue why she doesn't like me?"

Percy took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled through his nose, "She's just... really possessive is all. Possessive of me..." He let his eyes flick back over to hers, "She doesn't like when I make new friends."

Annabeth nodded, "Right. Friends."

They were quiet for a moment, before Percy let out a breath and stood up.

"Sppeaking of the book..." He reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled it out, "...I've been meaning to get it back to you."

She took it from his hands with a smile, "You keep it on you?"

He shrugged, "Nah. I just had some notion you'd be talking to me today."

She sighed as she places the book on the coffee table, "Am I really so predictable?"

He cocked his head side to side, "Maybe. But to be fair I think I would've made my way over here anyways." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and let his gaze drop a bit, "I can always go for some more Annabeth time in my life."

Whether he meant to or not, he'd made his way over to her, and whether consciously or not, his hands had found her grasp, holding them tight.

His freezing cold, steel grip hands.

She opened her mouth, as if to say something. Whether it was give him an answer or ask him a question, a Thalia fueled question, she didn't know, but she didn't say anything. She just swallowed her words and nodded.

He smiled, before he noticed his hands, and how they were firmly holding hers.

"Every time, huh?" He asked with a smile, "Every time we somehow end up like this, don't we?"

She smiled through her blush and shrugged, "Almost like it's meant to be, wouldn't you say?"

He didn't say. He just let the smile waver a bit before he forced it back onto his face.

"Maybe it is."

She held his gaze for a moment, taking note of the fact that despite him staring right at her, despite how unbreakable that look of his seemed as he looked her right in the eyes, his mind was clearly a million miles away.

She cleared her throat, snapping him back onto focus as her grip tightened a bit on his hands.

"Think you could give me a hand with something?"

He blinked, regaining his focus before he cleared his own throat and slipped his hands from hers, straightening out his coat.

"Sure, anything. You name it."

She smiled, "Well, the tractor has been giving me the business lately, and dad's out with Helen again, any chance you're a mechanic amongst your other talents?"

He cocked an eyebrow, "My other talents?"

"Yeah, your other talents." She smiled and crossed her arms, "Cowboy, gunslinger, motorcyclist..." She let her eyes meet his, "...charmer."

He narrowed his own eyes before he cracked his knuckles and stretched his neck, "I might have some grease monkey in me."

"Well if that's the case..." She grabbed her raincoat and slung it back over herself, "Shall we?"

He lifted his hat, tucked his hair back, and settled it back on his head, "We shall."

She smiled and led him out of the house, out to the Chase Family tractor. They talked as they walked, keeping up the conversation they'd had in the house. They talked about the farm, about Nico, and a little bit about Thalia, despite how visibly spooked Percy got when they spoke about her.

It was just like every time they talked, a perfect stream of uninterrupted conversation. No worries, no thoughts, no nerves. Just the two of them, having a heart to heart. Dead heart to live heart, but still. It was nice.

Nice enough for Percy to miss how Zoe spent their entire conversation watching them from her window.

It was late when Percy got home. Late enough that those natural human instincts he still had compounded with the busy day he'd gone through and told him two words:

Bed. Now.

He made the march up the stairs, feeling his feet unintentionally stomp on each step as he made his way up. He should've known better, known that letting his presence be known after spending the day with Annabeth right in front of the den would've only screwed him over, but he was too tired to care.

Too tired? No. Too happy. Too happy, too satisfied, and too distracted by the girl next door. Too pulled from reality by the illusion he'd made for himself. He didn't bother trying to hide it, or trying to shy away from it. He knew what was going on.

There was something there, something he'd been trying to distract himself from with Zoe to realize had been building up inside him for some time now.

He didn't know what it was, and it really wasn't a good idea to let it start, but it was there. It was there and it made him happy, so why bother trying to stop it.

He opened the door to his room and was reminded why he should try to stop it.

Zoe. She was there, sitting on his bed, unmoving as she watched the rain poor down on the window. Her body was tense, with her arms pulled tight across her chest as she stared out the window. He'd seen her falter a little bit when he'd walked in the room, but that had dissipated pretty damn quick.

He sighed, dropping his coat and hat on his dresser as he crossed the room and say on the bed next to her.

He was quiet for a moment, his hands on either side if him, gripping the mattress, before he finally cleared his throat and spoke up.

"I got all the windows boarded up."

She didn't answer. She just kept her gaze locked firmly on the window. He knew she wasn't going to respond, so he continued.

"Luke gave me a hand. We had a talk, me and him." Still no response, so he continued, "It was a little... well, eye opening, honestly. I'm not sure if it makes him any better in my eyes, but it's a start."

Still no answer. She just kept her gaze locked on the window as rain poured down.

Percy let out a gentle sigh and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Zoe... please talk to me."

She didn't, she just kept her eyes on the window, he let his grip loosen and slid his hand over her shoulder so it rested on her neck.

"Look, whatever's wrong, let's just talk about it. Maybe we can-"

"I told you not to talk to her again."

Her words came out bitter. Bitter and sudden, like she had barely been holding them back as he spoke. He pulled his hand off of her shoulder in an instant, setting it down next to him.

He sighed, letting his head droop, "I just helped her with her tractor, is all."

Zoe scoffed, "I saw you, Percy. I saw you go into the house with her. Do you really think I wasn't watching you?"

He let a scowl pull at his lips as he faced forward, "Didn't realize I need your permission to talk to people, now."

She turned to him, her gaze snapping in his direction, "I already told you not to talk to her."

It was his turn to look at her, his scowl still the same, "I don't need your permission to talk to someone, Zoe."

She let her face turn into a sneer, "I asked you one thing, Percy. One little thing-"

"Yeah? Well that's fucking bullshit, Zoe." He stood up now, leaving her alone on the bed, "What is your problem with her anyway? She's not doing anything wrong."

Zoe stood up right after him, getting up in his face as she jammed a finger in his chest.

"She's doing everything wrong. She's..." Her teeth grit and he could practically hear them groan in her jaw, "She's taking you away from me." Her voice faltered at the words as her hand tried to flatten itself against his chest, but he took a step back out of her grasp.

"Oh that is such bullshit. We're gonna be here, what? A year? Maybe two? What's that couple trips around the sun really gonna matter for when you and I will live forever, Zoe?"

She took another step towards him, her breathing heavy as she did, "I know what you want with her, Percy. I'm not stupid. I see how you look at her..." Her voice faltered as her arms crossed over her chest, "... do you have any idea what I'd give to have you look at me like that?"

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he tried to work through the emotion she'd laid on him. He took a step forward, reaching for her hands.

"Zoe. She's just a friend." He gripped her palms, making her look up at him, "She's a friend, alright? Nothing more."

It was a lie. He knew it, and for a second he thought she didn't. But nothing ever got past her, did it?

She pulled her hands away from his, taking a step away from him.

"If you want her so bad, then turn her." Zoe spat, her face pulled into a scowl as she stepped away, "Turn her, then you can keep her forever. See how she likes you fifty years from now. See if she still cares about you as much as I do."

He let a look of fury cross over his face, "I will never do this to someone, you hear me? I'm not you. I don't force people to stay with me."

Her face kept its steely expression for a moment, before it softened and she took a step forward.

"You said you loved me, Percy."

She crossed the room, getting right up to him, right in front of his face.

"Why are you doing this to me? Why? All that I want is you. All I've ever wanted since we met is you. Why can't you just feel the same?"

His expression didn't falter. All that happened was something clicked in his brain. Something that needed this, needed her to start asking these questions right after he'd been with Annabeth. Something clicked in his brain, and he was just...

He was done.

He was done pretending. Done trying to fool himself. More than that, he was done lying. Lying to himself, lying to that person in the mirror, and most importantly, he was done lying to her.

"Because I didn't get to choose with you, Zoe."

Her face didn't change, but her eyes did. He didn't wait for her to answer.

"I didn't get to choose anything. I didn't get to choose to leave Rachel, or choose to leave my life, or choose to be with you." He reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose as his face scrunched up.

"I didn't want to leave her. I didn't want to lose what I had with her. Why do you think I asked to come back?"

His eyes worked back up to Zoe's, and there was nothing but hurt in either pair.

He let his gaze falter as it slipped down to the floorboards, "I wish this worked, Zoe. But it doesn't. It doesn't work. No matter how hard I try, how much I want try to force it, it doesn't work."

She didn't say anything. She just kept her gaze firm and let her eyes bore into his. All while the storm continued to rage outside.

"You told me you loved me." The words barely existed, floating out of her like a ghost of a whisper. He let his head drop a bit farther.

"I said what you wanted to hear." The words mumbled out of his mouth like they hurt to say.

She scowled at him, her eyes clearly barely holding back tears. She didn't have any arguments left.

"Tell me if you love me, Percy. Tell me the truth. Don't make up any excuses, or say what I want to hear. Just... just tell me the truth."

He didn't want to. He didn't want to hurt her, despite everything she'd done to him. He just wanted to keep it going, the little lie they were living. Whether it was for her sake, or his, he didn't know anymore. But... he just couldn't.

He was tired of this. Tired of all that this was, and all that she wanted it to be.

He met her eyes, and let her hear the truth.

"I don't."

He watched her face, watched as it warped and twisted, from one that barely held back the hurt, to one that tried to cover it up, to one that let it flow freely.

She pressed her hands to her eyes, and the sound that came out of her was one that really jammed a knife in his heart, gave it a twist, and let it sit there while it asked him how it felt.

She sobbed right into her hands, and he knew there was nothing he could do to stop it.

It felt like shit. Like a miserable load of shit that just took it's sweet time breaking him down.

It was too much.

"I can't stay here."

He didn't know where the words came from, or what they really meant, but he knew it was the truth. She snapped her eyes up, red with tears and filled with confusion.

"What?"

"I can't stay here." He repeated, "The only reason I wanted to come to this town was to see Rachel. I knew how that would end and I knew what it would do to me, and I did it anyways. That's why I asked to come here."

He grabbed his coat and hat off the dresser and made his way to the door. The second his eyes were off her, the second she was out of his line of sight, and that hurt was gone from his vision, he felt the anger come back.

"I don't know if I'll come back, but I can't be here right now."

He left her with those words as he walked out if his room, down the stairs, and out of the house.

He walked through the rain, marching through the storm, just like he had when he was young, all those years ago.

If he closed his eyes, he could almost pretend that things were alright, but he didn't close his eyes.

He was done pretending.