Come school on Wednesday, Percy found himself focusing on Annabeth. Not really about their friends with benefits status, but just about her in general. To be honest, he'd been thinking about her Monday and Tuesday too.

She was just so great. Even if they were just...a fling. Not that he wanted to think about that, though.

The volleyball team had a game that day in a neighboring town that was less than an hour away, so himself, Jason, Leo, and Frank all planned on going to watch. What with Jason being Goode's resident lover boy and Frank and Hazel's new relationship just blossoming, they were both excited to go cheer their girls on. Leo was just tagging along because he said he liked looking at all the girls in spandex, which none of them doubted.

And honestly, Percy kind of had a girl to cheer on too. Was it weird that just thinking about that made him smile?

The game started at seven, so the group had plenty of time to finish up at football practice before they drove over there. So, when they finished their drills, they all changed into jeans and whatever Goode apparel they had on them and headed out in Jason's car.

It was a short drive, most of the ride spent discussing how their football game that Friday would go and how the other team's season was going. All of that stuff. When they got to the other team's school, they headed in and paid for tickets before finding a good spot in the bleachers where all the other Shark fans were seated.

Both teams were in the middle of warming up, Goode in their blue jerseys and the opposing team, the Clearwater Marlins, in their white ones. Percy could see Annabeth warming up hitting, and she looked like a million bucks, as always.

He was just in time to see her approach the net and slam a ball down that hit directly on the boundary line, resulting in cheers from her teammates. She got this amazing smile on her face as she received high-fives and pats on the back.

She glanced over towards the stands as if she was looking for someone. Her eyes flitted around until they came to rest on Percy. He saw something almost like disappointment flash across her face, but he blinked and suddenly it was gone. He must've imagined it.

She must just be in the zone. He gave her a warm smile and a little wave, and she returned it with a nod of her head before she continued through the hitting line. Soon enough, the buzzer went off to signify the end of the warmup time, and the game began.

It ended about how everyone thought it would - a three-set shutout with the Sharks destroying the Marlins. They retreated to the locker room after the finish of the game, the crowd cheering and clapping excitedly. After the players came out from the locker room, the their families and friends came down to greet them, talking and laughing as they discussed the game or took pictures.

When Annabeth came out, Percy walked over with a grin. "Hey," he said with a bright smile as he brought her into a tight hug. "You did so amazing." It was only a moment before she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and he heard her laugh softly. "Thanks, fish boy."

Before they separated, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek, smiling warmly. She had a smile on her face but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Something seemed wrong, but didn't want to press and ask for too much from her. She just seemed sad.

So, Percy just offered to take her bag for her, because it seemed like a gentlemanly thing to do. She hesitated before almost reluctantly handing it over to him. "You know you don't have to carry it for me," she said with a slight chuckle as he slung it over his shoulder.

He shrugged as they both went to walk out together, towards their friends, who were gathered by the door leading out of the gym. "I don't have to, but I want to. You played hard and you look exhausted," he said with a warm smile.

She chuckled and lightly shoved him in response. She seemed to be feeling a little bit better, which he was happy about. "Thanks, Percy. That makes me feel so great," she said jokingly.

The runningback felt her small hand touch his, and he smiled as he grabbed it and intertwined their fingers. "You still look great," he reassured her with a laugh. "Like at least a solid, disheveled six."

He was greeted by another laugh and this time a swat to his chest. They rejoined their friends and all of them headed outside together. It turned out Hazel's brother Nico had come to watch, so Hazel, Frank, and Leo all moved over to ride home with him. That left Percy, Jason, Piper, and Annabeth to ride home together in the quarterback's car.

Piper called shotgun right before they got there, to Percy's dismay, so when they did finally start driving, it was Goode's newest power couple up front and Percy and Annabeth in the backseat.

It had grown dark outside during the game since it was quite late, and everyone stayed pretty quiet for the most part. Jason played some music softly from the speakers as he held hands and spoke with Piper, both of their voices hushed and quiet.

The blonde team captain stayed quiet beside Percy, her hands in her lap and her eyes trained out the window, watching the bright lights of cars passing on the opposite side of the road when there were any and the forests and fields they drove past otherwise.

For someone who'd just won a big game, she seemed rather morose. Something was up with her, and Percy was worried. He didn't know if she wanted to talk about it or not, and he half wondered if it was because of him.

She had said she didn't want anything resembling a relationship, and here he was coming to her games and kissing her on the cheek and giving her hugs.

Was he moving too fast? Was he the problem? Or was it something with volleyball? He had no clue. He just wanted her to be happy.

He hesitated for a bit before he reached over and rested his hand on her arm. "Hey, are you okay?" His voice almost seemed too loud for the quiet mood that had settled in the car. She raised her head and even in the dim light, he could see the intensity of her grey eyes.

She broke into a little smile and nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright," she said, her voice soft. He gave her a look, silently trying to tell her that he knew she wasn't okay. She gave him a sheepish smile and chuckled. "I am, Percy."

She hesitated a little bit before she unbuckled her seatbelt and slid over so she was beside him in the backseat. "I'm just a little bit tired." She rested her head against his shoulder, letting out a soft sigh of content as she cuddled against his side.

All he could do was smile as he shifted his arm so he could wrap it around her, pulling her a bit closer as she closed her eyes. "Go ahead and sleep. We still have a bit of a drive," he told her in a soft voice before he leaned down to press a kiss to her head.

As he was looking down at her, he could have sworn he had seen a smile playing on her lips. It was only a few moments later that she was asleep against his shoulder.

Annabeth woke up a half hour or so later to Percy gently shaking her shoulder, giving her a sheepish smile. "We're here," he said in a hushed voice.

She was still tucked up to his side with her cheek resting on his shoulder and his arm wrapped around her body. She was warm, comfortable, groggy, and she definitely didn't feel like moving.

"I'm tired," she mumbled in a soft voice as she buried her face into his shoulder, stifling a yawn. He laughed a little and brushed his fingers through her hair, nodding his head with a grin. "I know, but Jason and Piper are leaving soon. Get out and head over to my car. I'm giving you a ride home."

She eventually raised her head and pouted at him, though she nodded. He grinned at her in response and kissed her cheek. He removed his arm from around her with a smile before he unbuckled his seatbelt and clambered out of the car.

She immediately felt cold after the removal of his arm from around her and she also kind of out of it since she'd just woken up, so she just rubbed her eyes and pulled up the hood of her sweatshirt as she fumbled around and managed to get out, wrapping her arms around herself as Percy walked around to get her bag from the trunk of Jason's car.

The boys had all left from the high school together after practice, so that's where Jason dropped off everyone. And when Annabeth said everyone, she meant Percy and herself. Since Piper was still out cold in the front seat, he volunteered himself to take her home.

Percy was fumbling with the latch on the trunk as Jason got out of the car. The blonde quarterback leaned against the car beside Annabeth and chuckled as his friend finally managed to get the trunk open, and he gave them a big grin.

"I can now definitely say that you're smarter than the trunk of my car, Perce," Jason said with a smile as the runningback retrieved Annabeth's bag from the cluttered trunk. "Dammit Jason, you need to clean up your shit," he muttered in response as he held up an old football cleat and wrinkled his nose at the smell it gave off.

The quarterback just shrugged and laughed a little to himself, waving a hand in dismissal. "That's a job for another night," he grinned as Percy tossed the shoe back into the trunk and slammed it shut.

Jason's eyes shifted to Annabeth and he smiled, patting her back. "You did amazing tonight," he told her with a smile before he clapped Percy on the shoulder. "Alright, Pipes and I will see you two tomorrow at school," he said before he walked around to his door again and clambered onto the car.

Percy muttered something in response about how toxic his feet smelled as he smacked the back window the car. As Jason drove off and left the parking lot, Annabeth's gaze shifted to the dark-haired boy beside her.

All she had been able to think about at the game and in the car was how amazing he looked. He drove her crazy, with those gorgeous green eyes and how messy yet perfect-looking his hair was.

His gaze shifted down to her and he smiled, nodding in the direction of his car. "C'mon. I'll give you a ride home. It's late and you're tired." She simply nodded, too groggy to actually argue as she followed him.

He clicked a button to unlock the car, humming to himself as he tossed her bag into the backseat before climbing into the front and started it up. When Annabeth climbed into the passenger seat, she was greeted by quiet music coming from the speakers and an air freshener that smelled like laundry detergent.

He saw her sniffing and he grinned, slamming his door shut. "You like it? My mom got it for me. Said my car smelled like feet or something." He chuckled as he buckled himself in. "Aren't I a hypocrite?"

Annabeth found herself giggling at his stupid joke, and she was shocked. She never giggled at a guy's joke like one of those typical girls. Until now anyway.

She glanced over at him while he shuffled through his music tying to find a good song to play, smiling down at his phone, and she found herself staring.

In the dim light cast by the various lights on the dashboard, he looked amazing. His square jawline, the way his lips looked when they curved up into a smile, how long his eyelashes were, the veins in his hands standing out, the way his jacket hugged his biceps...

Her mouth felt a little dry as she looked him over, and when he glanced over at her and saw her staring, she just smiled sheepishly. He cocked his head to the side, a smile playing on his lips. "What are you looking at?" he asked as his eyes flicked across her face.

She could see how bright and green they are, even in the dim, low light of the car. She just shrugged, a bit flustered, as she looked into his eyes. It wasn't a moment later when she grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him close, pressing a deep kiss to his lips.

She felt him hesitate for only a moment before he kissed her back, his hands shifting up to cradle her cheeks in his hands. He was so gentle with her, his touch soft and warm. It felt so natural, being with him like this.

They kissed for a moment before he slowly pulled away, smiling happily to himself. "Dang," he said with a soft grin, laughing as he gently traced his fingers along her cheeks. "What was that for?" he asked with a smile, his eyes happy and bright.

She simply shrugged, giving him a warm smile. Just that simple kiss made her feel so much better. He made her feel better. "I just wanted to kiss you," she said with a soft laugh before she reluctantly pulled back, leaning back in her seat and smiling.

Percy was also grinning like an idiot, and he just chuckled to himself as he finally started driving to Annabeth's place. They stayed in a comfortable silence throughout the short drive, just sitting and listening to whatever music played on the radio.

When he finally did pull into her driveway, she kind of felt sad. She had enjoyed spending time with Percy, and she really didn't want him to go. He helped distract her from all the shitty things that had been happening lately, like school and everything with Luke and her family. Plus he was just fun to be around.

He parked his car and smiled down at her. "Well, here we are," he said with a grin as he turned his car off and stuck the keys into his pocket. He got out and went to grab her bag from the backseat, humming to himself once again.

Annabeth smiled softly and nodded in agreement as she climbed out herself, closing the door lightly behind her as he came around to walk up with her to the front door. As they stepped up onto the porch and she unlocked the door, she turned to him. "Uh, do you want to come in?" she asked tentatively, her fingers resting on the cool metal of the doorknob.

It was dark except for the porch lights she'd left on before she left for school that day, and it cast a weird shadow across Percy's face. It wasn't even a moment later that he nodded and gave her a smile. "Of course," he said with a grin. "I'd love to."

She felt relief flood through her as she finally opened the door and stepped inside.

He didn't know why he accepted her offer to come inside. Maybe it was because he was lonely, or he was worried about her because she'd seemed off that night, or maybe just because he didn't want to go home.

But no matter why he agreed, he was content with his decision. He loved spending time with her. So, he followed her inside and looked around. He'd been there numerous times before, and he had always loved her house.

It was nice and homey, the kind of place that felt warm and inviting the second he walked into it. He smiled and closed the door behind him before he slipped his shoes off and went to set her volleyball bag down near the stairs.

When he turned back to face Annabeth, she had slipped off her hoodie, and was left in just her sweatpants and a t-shirt. No matter what she was wearing, she still looked beautiful.

She cast him a playful smile as she flopped down onto the couch, grabbing the remote from the coffee table. He slipped off his jacket and set it aside before he walked over to the couch.

He smiled at her warmly, sitting down beside her. "So," he said slowly with a grin as she turned on the TV. A little bit of a smirk flickered across her face as she put on a random show and turned to look at him. "So," she said in the same tone as they both smiled.

She scooted a bit closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder again, smiling to herself. He grinned as well and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. "Thanks for staying," she said to him with a soft sigh, her hands resting on his chest. "My parents are out of town for a business trip and they left my brothers with their grandma."

She rolled her eyes a bit but had a small smile on her face. "At least I have the house to myself," she said with a soft laugh. He nodded in agreement and smiled, brushing some of her hair behind her ear. "It means I can hang out with you more without your stepmom giving me that nasty look," he teased with a small laugh.

Truthfully, her stepmother was one of the sweetest ladies Percy had ever met. Not that he'd tell Annabeth that.

The blonde girl in question was looking up at him with a warm smile, an emotion in her eyes that he couldn't place. "Very true," she agreed as she leaned up to press her lips to his jaw. It felt like a jolt against his skin, and he smiled a bit to himself.

He became a little more flustered when her hand shifted down to rest on his upper thigh. He felt his cheeks burn a bit red as she kissed along his jawline, before she tilted his face towards her and kissed him.

He always thought the concept of "fireworks" when kissing someone was overused, but it really rang true whenever he kissed Annabeth.

He let his fingers fall down to her hips as he pulled her closer to himself, and her hands wandered up to the hem of his shirt. They separated for a moment and Annabeth took the opportunity to slip his shirt off, kissing quickly down his neck as he leaned back.

"A-Annabeth," he mumbled with a soft sigh. "Are you sure? It's late, and you're tired, and we're literally in your living room, and-"

Before he could say anything else, he was cut off by Annabeth kissing him roughly, which effectively took his breath away. "Just shut up, Percy," she said exasperatedly as she pulled back and removed her t-shirt, tossing it aside.

If he hadn't previously been ready to stop talking, he sure as hell was now.

He simply nodded in response, too flustered and too sheepish to formulate an actual legitimate thought, before she kissed him deeply once more.