We were woken abruptly the next morning by a man I didn't recognize. "Sir. Sir!" he spoke, addressing Percy, "your plane departs in just over an hour you must get up."

"Oh shit," Percy muttered as he hopped off the couch quickly, urging me to do the same. "Is it safe for you to go home right now?" Percy asked me.

"It should be. I barricaded my door last night and left through the fire escape. My room should be in the clear."

"Thank gods, run and pack quickly. We need to get going asap. I'll be outside in 15."

I nodded and headed straight for the door. My room looked exactly as I'd left it, which was to say, a disaster. Helen was fast asleep on my bed. I don't blame her, I wouldn't have left my room either. I tiptoed around gathering my belongings. I pulled a suitcase out of my closet and began stuffing clothes into it. I didn't really have time to think about what I was packing; I saw clothes, and in they went. I was packed and outside well before Percy emerged from his apartment.

Finally, the matte black convertible pulled out of the garage across the street and pulled up to where I was waiting. "I wasn't expecting you to be out so quickly," Percy commented with a smile.

"I wasn't expecting you to take so long," I replied jokingly. We both laughed. That seemed a common theme between us, laughter. And I was more than ok with that, I needed more laughter in my life. It's funny how much a laugh and a smile can influence someone. Percy seemed to be full of laughter and always had a smile on his face. It was comforting. It makes you feel wanted. Appreciated. Something I haven't felt in a long time.

We sped down 3rd avenue towards Rachel's. Ryan would be waiting there too. I shot her a text to let her know we were on our way and she replied angrily questioning what on earth took us so long. Finally, we reached her apartment.

"About time you two! You guys are over an hour late!" Rachel screamed as she and Ryan frantically stuffed their bags in the trunk and hopped into the back seat through the open top. "What the hell took you so long?"

Percy and I shared a glance and started laughing. There was no way I was about to tell her that I slept at Percy's last night. I told Percy not to mention it on the ride over and thankfully, he didn't.

"Apparently, Percy's morning routine takes forever," I replied, conjuring up a lie. "Mr. Hollywood's gotta look the part, can't be seen looking anything but his best." Percy blushed at this.

Percy took off once again, making his way for JFK international airport. We sped through New York City, well, sped by NYC standards, which is a constant 15mph. Anything more is nothing short of a miracle. We quickly parked and ran into the terminal. Thank gods it was a Tuesday, any other day of the week, and security would've been hell. We made it through and to the gates with about 2 minutes to spare.

Percy's mom had bought the four of us first-class tickets. Rachel and Ryan were a couple of rows behind Percy and me.

"So, LA huh?" I asked.

"It was supposed to be a surprise, how'd you find out?"

"It was on the boarding pass, dummy," I replied. "I've never been in first class before."

Percy smiled. "Well, there's a first time for everything. Apparently, it's way better once you're 21. At least according to my mom."

I can't really imagine a better experience. I could've spent days on that plane. We got a full breakfast delivered relatively early in the flight and our attendant was wonderful. The seats were comfy and we even got a complimentary blanket and pillow. The flight went by so quickly that I was genuinely surprised when we got there. We hurried through LAX and out the front doors. It was beautiful outside - 73 degrees and sunny. I could get used to this.

The four of us climbed into a limo waiting outside and we took off through the streets of LA. Before long we were in front of a mansion in Beverly Hills. Naturally, it had a large gate in front, which the driver passed through with relative ease. He must've been regularly employed. Gods I wish I had this type of money. We clambered out of the limo and up to the front door.

"Are you that excited to be home?" I asked Percy, who was practically jumping where he stood. He had this goofy grin on his face, similar to the one kids wear on Christmas morning.

"I've never been away from my mom this long," he explained. His face reddened from embarrassment, but I thought it was cute. Obviously, he and his mom were close. What I would do for that type of relationship with my dad.

A middle-aged woman answered the door. "My my how much you've grown." She joked giving Percy a hug.

Percy eagerly hugged her back. "I've only been gone for a week Linda." he moaned. "Guys, this is Linda, Linda, this is Rachel, Ryan, and Annabeth."

"Oh, it's great to have you guys!" Linda responded. "I've heard so much about you."

"You have?" Ryan asked.

"Mostly Annabeth. Percy won't shut up about her on the phone." We both turned beat red. Ryan and Rachel both laughed. "Your mother is at the store right now, I'll let her know you're here."

"Thank's Linda. C'mon, guys let me show you around."

Percy led us through the house to where we'd be sleeping. We each had our own guest suite. The bedroom I was staying in was roughly the size of my apartment back home. Rachel and Ryan decided to unpack, but I wandered the 2nd floor until I found Percy's room. He was laying on his bed looking up at the ceiling.

It was every somewhat nerdy guy's dream room. I mean this place was insane. The ceiling was a painted map of the entire star wars universe. I was never much into star wars, but I remember him telling me about it at Coney Island. History was his other love, and the walls illustrated that beautifully. The north wall was a painted mural of the Battle of Thermopylae. I loved history too and was instantly jealous when I saw it, though it was a little too realistic for my liking. There were dismembered figures across the whole thing. Dead bodies sprawled across the lower portion of the painting. It was gory. The east wall was a recreation of Starry Night, the Van Gogh painting. Whoever recreated it had such a fine touch. It looked almost identical to the original, a copy of which hung on my wall back home.

The south wall was littered with old WWII weapons and vehicles. There were a couple of tanks and planes on the wall accompanying a wide variety of guns. They all looked so weird compared to a modern-day gun. Not that I knew much about them, but I've seen enough of them in movies and TV shows to somewhat know what they look like. Lastly, on the west wall, a giant map of Ancient Greece. It was labeled with a plethora of locations, many of which I've never even heard of.

I hopped up onto the bed next to Percy and laid down, resting my head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close. "I'm glad you came," he whispered to me.

"Spending time with you? I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Besides, I'm probably overdue for a nice game of hooky."

"Who are and what have you done with Annabeth?" Rachel commented as she appeared in the doorway, Ryan hot on her heels. "Percy, you're a terrible influence on her."

"She already told me that," Percy replied with a grin. "Are you guys hungry? We can grab food and then head to the beach if you're cool with that."

We all agreed. Ryan and Rachel turned to go back to their rooms to get ready. I got up to do the same, but Percy grabbed my hand and pulled me back down. I landed on top of him, our faces inches apart. I could feel his breath on my skin. He grabbed me by the waist, holding me in place, but I had no intentions of going anywhere.

"What'd you think?" Percy asked me.

"Of?"

"My home, my room, it's pretty much everything you need to know about me."

"It feels like home," I replied. Percy pulled me in for a kiss and I obliged. It wasn't as sudden as the first one, but it meant just as much. Honestly, maybe more. Even though I wouldn't trade that moment for the world, last time felt rushed. Now, it felt like we had forever. I ran my fingers through his hair as he traced his up and down my back. Slowly, I pulled away, smiling.

"What, that's all I get?" Percy asked jokingly.

"Later," I replied, pecking his lips one last time for good measure. I got lost in his eyes. They weren't just green. They were electric and bright. They were mesmerizing, the color of those circles on a peacock feather. I didn't know how long we lay there, but we were eventually interrupted by a voice from the doorway.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." a woman's voice called out. I rolled off as quickly as possible, turning to face the woman in the doorway. I recognized her instantly - Sally Jackson.

"Mom!" Percy yelled, jumping up to give her a hug. "I missed you," he whispered into her shoulder. Most boys don't like to act all cuddly with their moms, especially at this age, but to me it was endearing.

"Well." his mother commented, breaking the silence, "I believe there's an introduction in place."

Percy smiled as he walked over to me, grabbing me by the hand. He walked me across the room and back towards his mother. "Mom, this is Annabeth. Annabeth, this is my mom."

She looked at me as if she'd seen me before, though I don't know why. Her eyes flashed through a series of emotions. First hurt, second sympathy, the final back to a nice happy aura as if the past 3 seconds had never happened. That was weird. "It's so nice to finally meet you." his mom said. "Percy won't shut up about you."

"Linda said the same thing," I replied. "He doesn't shut up about you either. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Jackson." I extended my hand out for a handshake.

Sally smiled at this. "It's good to know he hasn't forgotten about his mother already. And please, call me Sally. Oh, and I don't do handshakes." I thought this was a bit rude at first before she pulled me into a hug. I can't remember the last time I'd been hugged by a parent, mine or anyone else's, and it felt great. I hoped to all the gods this wouldn't be the last time. "Dinner's at 7 tonight, you two better not go running off by yourselves."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Percy replied. "Well, maybe dream of it, but I would never actually." For what seems like the hundredth time today, I blushed. Sally only smiled before leaving.

"I got Ryan and Rachel a reservation at a nice place tonight. Mom wants you all to herself." Percy explained.

"You're too nice. I'm gonna go get ready for the beach, I'll see you in a few."