Hey guys. I recently sustained a hand injury, so it might be awhile until you see me again. Thankfully I had this stocked up and ready to post! Typing one handedly is hard.

Enjoy!

Chapter 8

Annabeth's favorite area of her new apartment was the kitchen. Not because she was a good cook, gosh she sucked in the cooking department, but because it had the largest window.

In the mornings sunshine would stream in through the glass and make the room glow with gold.

At night, more specifically on a night like that night, the pale silvery light of the moon would wash over the countertops, giving a dash of mystic to her cupboards. Annabeth liked to sit in her kitchen just to admire the moonlight, admire its cold magical presence.

However, that night she sat under its slanted beauty sitting backwards on one of her kitchen chairs, staring at a flower. A blue rose perched in a glass of shimmering water.

'Always' .

Annabeth shivered with warmth.

She had things to do, emails to send, boxes to unpack. Every time she left the flowers side she'd always wander back to it. Absentmindedly touching its soft edges, staring at its shadow from the moon, thinking about it over and over again.

Percy kissing her cheek, Percy's eyes full of ardent attention, Percy holding it out to her with the expression of adoration. Her burning heart, her sudden breathlessness, her hollow flush.

Annabeth blushed and buried her face in her hands.

"No," she muttered to herself. "Don't go back down that alley Chase. It's a dead end."

Determined, she stood up from the chair. Things needed to be done. This place did not feel like home yet.

She got six steps away before she spotted Percy's jacket on her couch.

'It looks better on you.' he had said.

Her fingers brushed the fabric before she could even think twice. Then it was in her hands, close to her face.

Pine, it smelled of pine and powdered sugar. Like he had been icing cupcakes in the woods the day he put it on.

A snake of energy teased her heart sending spikes of heat reeling down her limbs. With a jolt, Annabeth dropped the jacket on the floor.
"No." She told herself again stermly. Rubbing circles into her temples. "C'mon Annabeth, this isn't middle school. Get rid of these thoughts."

She headed to the bathroom and splashed some water on her face. Staring herself down in the mirror with her game expression on. "We need to get things done."

And then she gave up and went to bed.

.:oOo:.

Reee reee reee reee.

Percy didn't know why he became a baker. Five a.m. mornings killed him. Especially after a long restless night of screaming into his pillow and smacking his own face at his own stupidity. Sloppily he whacked at the alarm clock shrieking at him like the world's most annoying baby bird and slumped back into his quilts.

'It looks better on you.'

With a loud groan, Percy flipped the pillow onto his face as if it would drown out his raging blush.

What was I thinking?! If that's how I flirt then dang, no wonder Annabeth's never even looked at me.

At first he had been so proud of himself. He had finally made a move. He had done something about his feelings for once in his life. It wasn't until he was driving Thalia home and she patted his shoulder with pity.

'I forgot you had the romantic abilities of a sloth.' she had said. 'We'll work on that.'

Percy grumbled a few mild curses into his pillow before sitting up. It was stupid, it was all stupid. Suave, and smooth just didn't seem to be in his vocabulary. It was more like unoriginal and bland. For a moment he truly thought that maybe he had been doing something right. She took his hand, she said she liked being alone with him instead.

But if that were the case, she would've never abandoned him on that ferris wheel with Will the creep. Thank heavens those children rescued him from a very awkward ride.

But then again children are bold, and don't know what awkward is yet….

See the moment when Percy pointed out Annabeth, and the little girl immediately deduced that Percy had a crush on the 'beautiful blondie'. When he denied it, albeit a little shakily with a rose colour on his cheeks, she giggled at him and started teasing him worse than Alison could ever manage.

Will didn't say a thing, just stared at him with the most sympathetic expression and eyes that just seemed to say: Dude. Ouch.

He must've been burned by the awkwardness that enclosed Percy, because he took off the moment the ride stopped.

"And I'll never go on a ferris wheel again." Percy said to himself as he tromped down the stairs and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Flicking on lights as he went and stretching out his aching joints. "Ferris wheels are dumb anyways."

When he flicked on the final light, he was met with the gloom and fear of a dark figure sitting at the table in the center of the kitchen. Screaming, Percy fell back on his haunches. Liquid fire raking through his body. Hair standing on end. For a moment he felt as if his heart was trying to escape through his mouth.

"Good morning sweetheart," Nico said with a pleased smile. "Sleep well?"

"Nico!" Percy wheezed, holding his chest as his wildly thrashing heart started to calm the freak down. "You- you almost killed me!"

"Almost." Nico pointed out.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

"What, a cousin can't say hi for no reason?"

"It's five a.m., and you've clearly broken in." Percy gestured to the patio door and the splinters littering the tiled floor of his small kitchen. Darkness was still pressed against the windows, but the powerful light hanging from the middle of the room spilled out onto the porch and displayed the mess of random tools forgotten there. "If I didn't know any better I'd say-"

His eyes caught on something speckling the grey floor just as he was getting to his feet. Something that wasn't busted pieces of his doorframe. Something dark and wet. Something that splattered when it dripped.

Nico saw where his eyes had trailed and his expression weathered with stress.

"Yeah." He confirmed Percy's suspicions. "Yeah. They found me."

"Are you hurt?" Percy scanned his lean little body but he was so well covered. Baggy black hoodies were perfect for hiding things.

"It's an old wound." Nico waved off. "I just tore it open while breaking down your door."

Percy held himself back from ripping the hoodie off and finding exactly what Nico meant by 'old wound'. Exactly how many 'old wounds' did he have?

"Do you want me to take you to a hospital?" Percy offered with a knot in his chest.

Please say yes, I suck at first aid.

Nico's expression fell darker. "Illegal immigrant, remember? No healthcare for me. Not unless I want my ass shipped back to Italy."

Percy took the seat across from Nico. "That isn't fair. You were smuggled in by your dad, you didn't ask to be illegal."

"Since when has this government ever cared for fair?" Nico deadpanned.

"Touche."

"Besides, I was lucky. No substantial blood loss, no deep cuts. I just need to lay low for awhile and… I was wondering if maybe I could crash here?" Nico looked up at Percy hopefully. His black eyes held a hidden desperation Percy felt a familiar tug with. "If I try and leave now they'll catch me, so I have to wait until they're guard is down and-"

"Yes." Percy answered without a waver of indecision. "Absolutely. For as long as you need."

Nico paused for two seconds before his eyes fell into suspicious slits. A slight joke tugging at the edges of his lips. "You aren't doing this for me because I gave you a million dollars… right?"

"Say that again and I'll drop kick you out the front door." Percy challenged with a dash of mirth.

"Sure." Nico rose slowly to his feet with a cringe. "I'll keep that in mind. Now you don't happen to have a first aid kit lying around?"

Percy felt his esophagus jump into all sorts of tangles. "Yes…" he answered. "In the bathroom. Do you… do you need help?"

"Naw."

Percy sighed internally and happily let Nico stagger by.

"Here," Nico placed several slips of paper over Percy's shoulder and onto the table between his hands. "I thought this… might be good for you. And to pay you for letting me stay here."

They were tickets. Percy didn't know what for, and frankly Percy wasn't interested.

"Oh no," he scooped them up and turned to jab them back at Nico. "No paying."

Nico shrugged and continued his decrepit way down the hall. "Doesn't matter to me if you use them or not. They're nonrefundable and are a full package. Although-" he turned back to Percy with a glint in his eyes. "- if you don't use them it'll just be a waste, and I'm sure you have a lady friend who'd love to go."

Percy glanced back at the tickets with a probing curiosity. Ladyfriend? Go? Go where?

Tiredness seemed to still be clinging to his eyes so he had to rub the blur from them before he read the little black box words lining the stiff paper.

Greece, was the first word Percy recognized. There was a pamphlet with a picture of a first class suite overlooking the ocean and a little information blurb detailing how he could set up for his 'gift trip' online. Alongside it was a thank you card from Olympus Airways for purchase of two first class tickets set to land in Athens.

A burst of emotions flooded Percy. Terror at the forefront with the thought of even stepping on a plane but Athens.

Annabeth was fascinated by ancient architecture and structures and ruins. She was enraptured by history and its political workings and he didn't know how many times she'd muttered absentmindedly that Athens would be the first place she went had she enough money. Plus, it was four months from now, right after Annabeth got her divorce finalized.

Could you take a day off and just go on a road trip with me? I'll seriously need my best friend on that day. Her voice came up in his head.

This was perfect for her. She could get away, and have a break from thinking all things Daniel.

And if he went too…

An image of Thalia giving him a thumbs up surfaced in his mind and Percy stared down at the tickets.

It'd be a perfect time to tell her…

Bubbles skittered around his stomach. Nervous excitement. Or maybe excited nervousness? He didn't know. But what he did know was that he now had a plan.

Okay sure…

.:oOo:.

You're fired are always jarring words to hear, but are especially hard words to swallow when the year has already shat on you multiple times.

Annabeth sat on the steps of her now former workplace with her head spinning in so many directions, she didn't know which way to lean.

Fired.

That morning had been the first morning she'd been late ever. Oversleeping was not one of her skills, but when half the night is spent tossing and turning because of a pair of green eyes, then yeah, she's going to oversleep her alarms.

Her boss had always been the prickly sort but Annabeth thought they were on good terms. She even bought her boss a succulent for christmas. But no, apparently Annabeth had been too absent minded over the last month and a half. Her emotions were getting in the way of her professional life and that's not what this company expected from its employees.

Annabeth had gotten a little too defensive.

'Of course I'm a touch distracted. I'm currently going through a divorce.'

'That is no reason to butcher your professionalism.'

'Well clearly you don't understand the emotional impact of a divorce because no human being has crawled close enough for you to trap them in matrimony.'

Ten minutes later she was on the front step with a box of her office supplies sitting next to her. She got four digits in to calling Daniel when she remembered that he was currently occupied with stupid primpy Jenna Fairhoild. She missed the days when her person cared about her problems. Then again, he obviously wasn't her person anymore.

All of her other friends were just finishing the mornings of their workdays and it seemed highly unfair to bother them with her lack of job while they still had things to do, so she just sat there. Unsure whether or not she should crawl back inside and beg forgiveness, or stick her nose in the air and march right home to freshen up her resume.

Home. She realized with a deep sinking feeling. Rent.

All of her savings had gone into lawyers for the divorce. All of her incoming money had gone into building herself a new life in a tiny apartment that she had only just managed to maintain. If her math was correct (and it always was) she would be out of a home if she didn't have a job within the next month.

Perfect. She yanked the little box into her lap and jumped to her feet. Just dandy.

When she got in her car the shock started to subside and the real feelings began to dig their claws into her core. Twisted suppression like someone was crushing her spirit with a stack of heavy textbooks paired with an achy defenselessness to the elements of life.

For a few minutes Annabeth sat in her car staring at the dark faux leather of her steering wheel. A new teetering sense that if one more thing happened to her, she would collapse to the ground like an ill planned skyscraper.

And she hated it.

She hated this dark seeping fragile nature that had suddenly consumed her. All she wanted was stability. Dammit it's why she became a fudgin architect.

Now she didn't even have a job, and all her hard work over the last six years was for nothing. She'd have to start over at a new firm, in a new position and work her way up again. She'd be running coffee's and making photocopies, and being the underdog at twenty seven. There would be no benefits until she had worked there for a certain time, and if she got sick…

Annabeth gripped the steering wheel. Tingles in her eyes, and a swell in the back of her throat. Without thinking, she pulled out of the parking lot for the last time and started driving.

She didn't even have to focus on the road, the route to Percy's Bakery was carved into her mind like a groove on a record.

Just pulling into his tiny parking lot gave her mind an ounce of peace.

The familiar ding of the bell greeted her as she pushed open the glass door, followed by the overwhelming warmth of home baked goods filling her lungs.

Timid footed, her heels clicked against the tiled floor when she went up to the order station. Keeping her head down so the handful of customers sitting at the irons tables and chairs wouldn't notice her troubled eyes.

"Hello dear."

Percy wasn't in sight.

Instead, Alison was looking up at her with her kind brown eyes, and perpetually prodding at her netted hair. Her homely flowered apron read 'the last man who hit on me is still missing'.

"Can I get you anything? The usual perhaps?"

Annabeth shook her head somberly. Her voice cracked when she tried speaking the first time, so she cleared her throat and smiled apologetically.

"Is Percy around?"

"Oh no dear. You missed him by a minute. He went home."

"Home?" Annabeth glanced in the direction of Percy's little house next door. "Why? What's wrong? Is he sick?"

"Oh no dear, nothing like that. He went to go check on his friend. Bring him a cup of coffee and a few sweets. You know Percy. Always so accommodating."

"His friend?" Annabeth squinted at the counter. Who could possibly be at Percy's?

"Y'know, that Mick Jones boy." Alison swatted the air as she spoke.

Annabeth's heart twisted. She swallowed again. "Micheal Jones?" she asked.

"So you know him!" Alison beamed. "I'm sure Percy and Micheal wouldn't mind you popping over, being such old friends as you are. But I must warn you, Percy looked awful tired when I saw him this morning. I think Micheal isn't a very quiet sleeper."

Percy and Micheal. Annabeth bit back the quiver in her lips and tightened her hold on her purse. Information swimming in her brain.

Of course.

She felt so foolish.

She felt like she'd been wandering around in the dumb mist for too long and woke up to a crowd laughing at her. Of course Percy had his own life. He had his own business, he had his own friends, he had his own special person. How could she forget the fact that Percy lived a life separate from hers? She had instantly gone to Percy for comfort because she just assumed he'd be there with nothing better to do. Every one of their other friends had lives separate from her so she didn't think of even calling them, but Percy was no different.

How selfish of me to even think…

It was like a papercut. Small, and near invisible but with more sting than any wasp bite.

Annabeth held a hand to her mouth to stop her grimace of pain from showing. She sucked in a calming breath before smoothing down her hair and looking Alison straight on.

"No, no, it's fine. I'll see him later." she mumbled.

"Would you like anything while you're here?" Alison gestured to the entire bakery as if she were offering heaven itself. "Maybe your usual medium coffee one cream?"

Annabeth was still busily composing herself. She brushed down her work blazer just to keep her hands busy.

"A double espresso this time Alison. No cream," she said while her eyes wandered past each of the delicate treats behind the curved glass. "And three… maybe five... y'know what? all of Sally's Recipe cupcakes. The chocolate kind."

Alison got to work boxing them in a robin eggs blue cardboard box as the coffee filled.

"Bringing some treats to work?" she continued in her genuine friendly way.

"No," Annabeth said flatly.

"Oh…"

If only Sally were here. The woman who showed Annabeth what a real mother was supposed to be like. The forever comforter.

She'd know what to do.

"Here's your order." Alison passed over the goods. "I'll let Percy know you dropped by."

"Okay," Annabeth said. "Thank you Alison."

.:oOo:.

When Annabeth finally opened the sticky lock to her apartment, she was met with the spotless and quietness of her kitchen. It was eerie seeing it with midday at work outside. She was usually away from home at this hour.

Placing her box of half eaten cupcakes on the counter, she sniffled one more time and wiped her puffy red eyes. More mascara coming away on her hand. She already knew she had raccoon eyes based on what her mirror showed her in the car.

I am not sobbing again. She resoluted. Car crying is disgraceful.

Heavily she threw off her shoes, dropped her purse and was moments away from devouring another one of those delectable comfort cupcakes when she noticed the rose on the counter in it's simple glass of water.

It was bent over, and wilting. Its sad blue petals slightly shriveled against the edge of the glass.

I could hang it up and dry it, she thought. Keep it forever in a little vase on her dresser as a memento of that warm spring night on the fairgrounds.

She thought again and sighed with a weighted tone. Slowly she lifted the rose from its perch in the water and sniffed it one last time. Then, without letting her hands stop her, she popped open her compost bin and tossed the sad little rose in.

"And now for a cheer up." Annabeth mumbled to herself as she brought out a shimmering bottle of whisky, the amber liquid sloshing around delightedly inside.

"I'm so glad I saved you for an occasion."

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