Hello my wonderful readers! I'm back with another update that's longer than usual! A lot of stuff goes down in this chapter so be warned! A lot of you are probably not going to like me after you read this chapter but stay tuned for more! Ok so now I've got some important things to say before I respond to some of your amazing reviews.

IMPORTANT NOTE(S): Annabeth's outfit in this chapter is the same outfit Vee wore in the movie Nerve (the green dress with the Adidas). Also there's a small part of this update that was inspired by another Percabeth fanfic called High School Never Ends so don't call me out on copying or anything because I'm acknowledging that the story influenced a small part of this chapter.

Review Responses:

loudilylaugher11: I could never get tired of hearing your reaction to my writing! I'm so glad this is one of your favorite stories that means so much to me as a writer! Thanks! I still can't believe I've finished high school lol. Yeah I have more time to write now so the updates will be coming faster!

Azza8: I love new readers who have found my story recently! Welcome! Wow you read my story so fast you must really like it! Yeah I really try to make their relationship more on the realistic side. Enjoy!

putte5(Guest): Thanks! Well here's the next chapter and I really hope you don't hate me for what happens but happy reading!

Disclaimer: Don't own

The smell of liquor and sweat filled Annabeth's nose. There were half empty bottles of beer and red solo cups everywhere. Over in another room the shouts of her fellow classmates could be heard yelling "chug!" Girls could be seen grinding up against complete strangers on the dance floor as they held their hands up in the air freely. The lights were dimmed and music was blaring loudly from the speakers. Couples were making out quite aggressively in more secluded areas of the house. Some of them weren't even couples but Annabeth was sure they wouldn't remember making out the next morning. Now I know what you might be thinking.

How had Annabeth Chase found herself at yet another high school party?

That was a long story but to make things short, when the entire school had found out the Trident's hockey team was going to states everyone celebrated. Silena had opened up her house again for a victory party the Friday the teams had gotten back from Vermont. More than half the school was there. A few days before the party was announced Annabeth had seen Rachel talking to Silena about it. The redhead seemed to be more in charge of the whole affair than Silena was which was odd.

The only reason Annabeth had agreed to come with her friends was because she figured she should support the Trident's team on their grave accomplishment. Especially one player in particular.

She hadn't seen Percy yet but she knew he was in the huge house somewhere. She'd seen his parked car outside. He'd also texted her earlier explaining that Jason and Leo had practically dragged him to the party against his will and that if he didn't go there would be no one to make sure Leo didn't do something stupid.

She was dressed for the occasion. Piper had completely destroyed her closet in search for something good enough but ended up having Annabeth wear one of her dresses in the end. It was definitely not the blonde's type of style, but Piper was just as stubborn as her if not more, so it was best to not bother arguing. The dress was an emerald green colored tight dress. It was covered in sequins and had half sleeves. Piper had paired it with a pair of old Adidas sneakers, which Annabeth was thankful for. If she had to be wearing such a short, tight dress she was glad her friend had at least let her wear comfortable shoes instead of heels.

As soon as they got inside the now incredibly messy house they split up because they each wanted to do different things. Will and Nico had gone straight to the kitchen for some booze Annabeth was guessing. Piper and Calypso moved to the dance floor being the more social extroverted girls that they were. Jason and Leo were probably also somewhere near the dance floor as well so that made sense. Thalia and her stuck together.

"So, pick your poison Annie. Stupid games like seven minutes in heaven or the horror that is mingling with our fellow classmates." Her best friend said as they stood observing the scene before them.

Thalia wasn't really much for parties either. They shared that in common but Annabeth knew the blue-eyed girl also wanted to be there to support the Trident's team that included her brother and her cousin. She would never admit it to anyone but Thalia had a big soft spot for family.

"Neither" The blonde shuttered. Thalia sighed in agreement.

"Well if I'm gonna get through this party I'm going to need something strong. Come on." She grabbed Annabeth's hand and led her through the crowds of people that now occupied the house.

They made it to a drink table and Thalia happily poured herself some vodka in a red solo cup. She offered some to Annabeth but she declined. She searched the room curiously, her eyes going from face to face. Thalia noticed right away how distracted her friend was.

"Go"

"What?" Annabeth said confusedly, turning her attention back to Thalia. She laughed at her friend's expression.

"Go, I know you're trying to find Percy. He's probably looking for you too." The statement made Annabeth flush a light pink color.

"But what about you?" She didn't want to leave Thalia who not only hated parties as much as she did but also was not completely sober now that she was on her second cup of vodka.

"I'll be fine Annie. High tolerance, remember?" She gestured to the cup in her hands and nodded her head to reassure the girl it would be fine.

Annabeth smiled thankfully at her best friend and then turned around, a smile now unconsciously making its way onto her face. She fought through the line of people and slowly made her way towards the staircase. She didn't think he was on the first floor because she probably would've seen him unless he was on the dance floor. She doubted that though.

A house as big as Silena's and she was looking for one person out of who knows how many. That was probably the equivalent to looking for a needle in a haystack but that didn't mean she wasn't going to try.

"Congrats man!"

"Yeah Perce!"

"Here we come States!"

Various people congratulated Percy as he walked down the long halls, patting him on the back and holding their cups and beer bottles up to him. He thanked them all but his focus was on finding one girl in particular that went by the name Annabeth Chase.

He'd gotten to the party with Leo and Jason about half an hour ago. He didn't really want to go but figured it wouldn't look right for the captain of the hockey team to not go to his own victory party when the rest of the team was there. Jason had practically shoved him to go look for Annabeth when he'd noticed Percy was in his own world. After making sure Jason was going to keep an eye on Leo and his partying ways, the green-eyed boy went off on his search for the blonde bookworm. He knew she was here because Jason had told him Piper texted him telling him so.

He couldn't take it any longer. Tonight would be the night he would tell her how he felt. He had been so close a few times but always ended up getting interrupted or chickening out. He wasn't used to being such a nervous wreck around girls. What was she doing to him?

After another few minutes he bumped into Ashley. His immediate thought was that it was super weird for her to be by herself and not with Rebecca and especially not with Rachel. She had on heels and a short skirt like she always wore. She smiled almost creepily when he'd crossed paths with her. It was almost like she had planned for him to bump into her. He knew he was just being paranoid though.

"Looking for someone?" Ashley said questioningly while twirling a piece of her hair in her fingertips.

Percy shook his head. It was better not to get that girl involved with anything considering she'd most likely report it back to Rachel and he really didn't feel like talking to the redhead right now.

"It's nothing." He brushed her off, continuing to walk further down the hall.

"I saw her you know." Ashley spoke up before he was out of hearing distance. He stopped in his tracks, turning back around to face the girl.

"What?"

"Annabeth, just a minute ago actually. She was headed to the bathroom at the end of the hall last I saw her." Ashley said clearly with no hesitation in her voice.

Percy made the awful mistake of believing her. He nodded his head slowly and then started walking to the bathroom at the end of the hall. When he made it there he saw that the door was cracked open a bit. The lights were off as well. It didn't look like anyone was in there but he figured it wouldn't hurt to go in.

His hand fumbled for the light switch but he couldn't, for the life of him find it anywhere. He sighed, taking another step forward into the pretty giant bathroom. If he had to guess he would say that the bathroom was probably as big as his bedroom. It was so dark that only the outlines of objects could be seen through all the black.

"Annabeth?" He called out. He probably looked stupid because it didn't look like anyone was in there.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand place itself on his shoulder lightly. He turned around but couldn't make out the facial features of the person standing in front of him. It was a girl that's all he could make out. He didn't register the door of the bathroom closing.

"Hey Hockey Boy" The girl whispered softly. Percy smiled and relaxed at her touch and at the nickname. He took a step closer towards her as she placed her hands around his neck.

Next thing he knew, she was kissing him like there was no tomorrow. He had definitely not been expecting that from her but he wasn't complaining. He placed his hands on her waist as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss in an eager response. He slowly walked her backwards until she hit the back of the countertop. She moaned and pulled him flush against her as her hands moved to tangle themselves in his hair. In one swift motion he hoisted her up onto the bathroom counter. She smiled into the kiss and wrapped her legs around his waist.

Annabeth sighed. There was no way she was going to find Percy in this huge mess of people. She thought about texting him but then realized Piper had taken all their phones earlier so that they could 'enjoy the experience' of being at a high school party.

She was now walking through the halls on the second floor of the house. There were not as many people on the second level as there was on the first but still a good amount. Most people just walked right by her. She wasn't exactly known as miss popularity at their school. That's why she was surprised when Rebecca had suddenly cut in front of her, stopping her from walking any further.

She was shocked by a number of things. One, the girl was smiling at her. Two, she wasn't hanging around some random guy. And three, she was alone. As in, Ashley and Rachel were nowhere to be seen.

"Hey Annabeth" She said like the two of them had been friends for years.

"Um…hi" Annabeth tried to get around her but Rebecca sure wasn't making it easy. She had this really unsettling smile on her face and it was seriously starting to creep Annabeth out.

"Where are you headed?" She asked curiously.

"Nowhere" Annabeth supplied broadly. That girl reported just about everything to Rachel and the last thing she wanted was more drama with that redhead.

"Oh come on A. I know you're looking for Percy. I know where he is and I'll even take you to him if you'll let me." Annabeth hesitated. She wondered if Rebecca was actually telling the truth or not.

"Why would you be doing something nice for me?" Annabeth crossed her arms on her chest as she stared at the girl.

"I just feel like we've been enemies for so long. It's getting too cliché if you ask me. I think we should start over you know?" Rebecca said, staring at her nails before looking back up at her.

Annabeth knew she shouldn't trust her. It wasn't normal for the girl to even be speaking to her without Rachel and Ashley. That's why she had no idea why on earth she'd nodded her head and allowed Rebecca to lead her further down the crowded hallway. Maybe she felt like it was worth a try after looking for Percy for so long.

The two girls made it to a door at the end of the hall. Rebecca stopped short, which almost made Annabeth fall at the sudden motion.

"They're right in here." Rebecca said creepily.

They? Annabeth thought to herself confusedly.

Before she had time to think about it any longer, Rebecca twisted open the unlocked door and flipped the light switch on that was placed outside of the room. What Annabeth saw made her catch her breath and stay frozen in her tracks.

Inside the bathroom was Percy kissing another girl. It wasn't just any old girl though. It was Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She couldn't mistake that hair for anyone else. She was kissing him and he was responding hungrily right back. Her legs were locked around his torso as he held her atop of the counter. There wasn't an inch of space in between them and they were both so engrossed in each other that they hadn't even noticed the lights turning on or the door opening.

Annabeth's eyes watered. She could physically feel her heart aching as she watched the two of them. She felt like she couldn't speak, like she couldn't move. She was numb everywhere. It felt like she had been standing there watching them for hours when in reality it had only been about five seconds.

"P-Percy?" Her voice cracked when she spoke. Anyone near her could practically see and hear her heartbreak.

The male instantly pulled away from the redhead. He turned his head and his eyes widened to the size of saucers. He looked like he'd just seen a ghost. His mouth widened in horror as a tear slid down Annabeth's cheek. His eyes locked onto hers. They were filled with panic and guilt.

"Annabeth" He said desperately once he'd regained his speech.

He took a step towards her and she flinched. She finally felt her body regain movement as another tear fell down her face. She shook her head. She couldn't be there anymore. She needed to get out of there. For that reason she ran.

"Annabeth, wait!" She heard him call. She didn't stop.

She ran as fast as she could, pushing and shoving people as she went. She completely missed the smiles of triumph on Ashley, Rebecca and Rachel's faces. She thought he had changed. She thought he wasn't the egotistical playboy who made out with every girl he met. She was even more stupid for believing that he possibly might return her feelings.

She should've stayed away from him. They never should have become friends in the first place. She was hurt, more hurt than she could've ever imagined. How could he do that to her? She was wrong about everything. Silent sobs racked her body as she made it down the stairs. She needed some air. The events that had just taken place mixed with the huge number of people in the house made her feel like she couldn't get air into her lungs.

She eventually found the front door and ran out to the side because more people were still entering the house. She gasped for air and didn't see the person in front of her until she crashed into something hard.

She lost her balance but as quick as lightning, two arms reached out to keep her upright. She was breathing heavily in uneven patterns. Her eyes were probably starting to get red and puffy. She looked like a mess but looked up to apologize to who ever she'd crashed into.

She was met with the familiar face of Luke Castellan. He stared at her concerned as he held her firmly. His eyes were worried as he searched her face.

"Annabeth, hey are you ok?" He asked concernedly. He looked her up and down to make sure she wasn't injured or anything before looking up to meet her eyes that were filled with pain and suffering.

The blonde female shook her head violently, replaying the events that had taken place only a few moments ago. She was shaking as tears continued to pool up in her grey eyes.

Luke pulled her into a hug and she cried loudly into his chest. She wrapped her arms around him as he held her tightly to him. There were only a few people around them seeing as how the outside was the least crowded with people. She had no idea how long they stood there. She was crying into his shirt while he shushed her and whispered soothing words into her ear. She told him what happened through her crying and he rubbed her back comfortingly in response. She was beyond grateful for him in that moment.

"Annabeth!" Her body tensed when she heard his voice. She broke away from Luke's embrace to face the direction of the voice.

Percy approached them slowly, his eyes only on hers. Luke took a step closer to her with an angry expression on his face as he looked at the hockey player. Percy didn't bother to look at him, still keeping all his focus on her.

"Annabeth, please. Let me explain." He was out of breath as he pleaded for her to let him speak and not run off again.

"I think you've done enough Jackson. She doesn't want to talk to you so why don't you just leave." Luke spoke for her. His words came out sternly.

Percy finally broke his gaze from her to look up at the blonde boy. His eyes flashed with something vicious as he glared at him. Annabeth didn't fail to notice that the people around them were starting to notice the tension filled atmosphere.

"She can speak for herself Castellan. What the hell does it matter to you anyway? This doesn't concern you." Percy retorted coldly.

"Well seeing as to how I was the one just comforting her because of the mess you made I'm pretty sure it does concern me." Luke took another step forward, putting himself closer to Percy.

"Let me talk to her." Percy's words came out like venom as he stared at Luke.

"No. You don't deserve to even be around her."

"Oh and you do? Last time I checked you weren't the most innocent guy out there either." Percy fired back.

"Watch it Jackson." Luke's eyes flared with fierce anger as his hands formed fists at his side. Percy looked just as mad if not more. By this point the two boys had gathered an audience that was slowly getting bigger.

"Or what?" There was a very limited amount of space between the two boys. Each one of them looked like they wanted to kill the other.

Annabeth didn't know who threw the first punch. It all happened so fast and the next thing she knew both boys were on the ground in the middle of a fistfight on Silena's lawn. The crowd of people around them was a lot bigger now. People were cheering on both Percy and Luke.

It was captain of the wrestling team vs captain of the hockey team. Both males knew how to fight and pretty violently. There were moments where Luke had tried to pin Percy down but the hockey player was too fast for him. Each one of them was successful in getting punches in though. For the first few seconds Annabeth just stood there with her eyes wide wondering how in the world one party had turned into such a mess.

"Stop!" She cried out after a minute, coming out of her shock. They didn't listen. They probably couldn't even hear her over the loud crowd chanting.

"Stop it please!" Annabeth yelled. She saw Percy take a hard hit to the jaw from Luke as she desperately shouted for them to stop.

Suddenly she spotted Jason and Leo making their way to the front of the crowd. When they reached the fight they split up. Jason pulled Percy away from Luke while Leo grabbed Luke to hold him back. The two males tried to lunge at each other again but Jason and Leo managed to contain them.

"What has gotten into you two?!" Annabeth yelled, anger replacing everything else she was feeling.

They stared at her shamefully, no longer being restrained by Leo or Jason. Luke had a puffy red eye that was sure to turn into a black eye along with a bloody nose. Percy was sporting a giant bruise on his jaw and his lip was split. It was silent for a few seconds before Percy admitted something that no one was expecting.

"Annabeth, listen I…I really like you. This isn't exactly how I wanted to tell you but it's the truth. I can't get you out of my head. Your laugh, your smile, your passion for skating, all of it. I'm sorry its taken me so long to realize it but I needed you to know. As for what happened with Rachel, it was not what it looked like I swear. I just want you to be happy Princess." Percy told her truthfully. He could've said so much more but practically everyone was staring at them. Luke spoke up next.

"You know how I feel about you Blondie. You're the only girl I've ever felt completely myself around. I would never hurt you because I care too much about you. I know you feel some kind of connection between us like I do." Luke admitted honestly.

Annabeth stood frozen in shock. She still had no idea how she got into the whole situation in the first place. She was just Annabeth Chase, possibly the biggest nerd in their school who figure skated. Now she had two of the hottest guys at her school fighting over her. Normally any girl would die to be in the situation she was in but to Annabeth the whole thing made her as confused as ever.

"Come on Annabeth. Don't let this playboy get to you like he has for every other girl. I mean he's already broken your trust. We should be together." Luke insisted, taking a step closer to her.

"Playboy huh? Says the guy who kept a book of the girls he slept with." Percy argued.

"I told you. That was the past. I'm not proud of it." Luke growled, turning back around to face Percy angrily.

"Yeah well at least I've owned up to my mistakes Castellan."

"And who says I haven't? Why can't you understand that Annabeth would never want to be with some dumb hockey player?"

"Why can't you understand that she would never want to be with some poser and liar?" By now the two were shouting at each other once again, only a few feet apart.

Annabeth had now had it with the two of them. She stood in between them and pushed them further apart before they started fighting again.

"Enough! You're acting like little kids!"

The two males looked at her again. She looked exhausted. The whole night had taken a toll on her both physically and emotionally and she was done. The both of them were acting immature and weren't even letting her speak. They stared at her apologetically but she was having none of it.

"I don't want to be with either of you right now!"

"Anna-"

"I-"

"Just leave me alone, both of you!" Annabeth shouted. She knew everyone was still watching but it didn't matter.

She gave them both one last look before shoving past them and into the crowd that was now dispersing. Thalia found her as soon as she was away from everyone. Annabeth knew she'd seen the whole thing. Pretty much everyone at the party had seen it.

Thalia didn't say anything but instead wrapped a comforting arm around her best friend as they walked away from the party. Annabeth didn't look back but if she had she would've seen a pair of sea green eyes staring longingly at her retreating figure.

And that's it for chapter 26! What an eventful chapter huh? It was a lot longer than my recent chapters because of everything that happened. I know you all probably hate me for the Percy kissing Rachel thing and the tension now between Percabeth but it'll all be better soon I promise! Tell me what you thought of this update! I want to know all your reactions! Love you all!

REVIEW, REVIEW AND REVIEW!

-M