Um…hi. So first off, happy new year! This is literally 100 years late but I finally managed to write chapter 39 for you amazing people. I had some of it written for the past like 5 months but I had the most annoying writer's block to the point where I was annoyed at myself because I just couldn't figure out what to do. I was also insanely busy cause when am I not? It's winter break and my first semester as a college sophomore was absolute hell (and I thought freshman year was hard). Thought I was going to fail 2 classes (but I passed!) and a whole bunch of other stuff I'll save you the trouble of hearing. I never forgot about this story though. You guys were so understanding and for that I love you all. I reread the whole story because I've been gone so long. This chapter is honestly not my best work in my opinion, but I have to get into the groove of being a writer again. It's also a filler chapter but I still hope you like it!

NOTE: contains more mature content than past chapters

Review Responses (wish I could respond to them all but trust me I read them!):

art (Guest): Omg I would loveeee for someone to draw a scene from my story I think I would cry. If you're interested PM me if you can because I can tell you where you could post it but no pressure. I'm happy enough that so many people enjoy my story.

abbyd316 (Guest): Yes, you were the 1000th review! I started crying (literally) when I saw that "1000" on one of my stories. It was literally a dream of mine to reach 1000 reviews, but I never thought it would happen much less be on my SECOND story! Thank you isn't enough to describe how grateful I am towards all you guys!

Lax (Guest): You read my story 4 times? That's crazy dude! Aww that's so nice. Let's hope I don't take 3 years to update though because that would be horrible. Happy reading!

Disclaimer: Don't own

The weeks following the final figure skating competition were pretty relaxed. For once the stress of awaiting a hockey game or a competition didn't exist for those on the Tridents team or those on the figure skating team. Practices were a lot more laid back. Christina and Coach Hedge still pushed their skaters when they could but overall everyone was more on the carefree side of things. However, there was one thing that was bothering a certain star hockey player and that was his girlfriend.

Annabeth hadn't been herself since the night of the competition. She would get these looks on her face as if she was lost in thought when the group was sitting together at lunch. He'd caught her several times snapping out of whatever trance she was in and trying to appear as if nothing was wrong. Percy knew better though. He wasn't falling for it.

They were currently eating lunch in the cafeteria. Since Annabeth and Percy had combined their friend groups the amount of space available at the table was very limited. There wasn't a single person who wasn't touching shoulders with the person on either side of them. None of them really seemed to care though.

"Ok I hear you but just listen. Right so, imagine it's the year 3080 and there's flying cars above you. How are they going to make traffic lights to prevent accidents in the sky? Are they just going to be floating in mid-air? I mean I'm just so confused!" Leo asked while staring pointedly towards Piper who was trying not to burst out laughing at how concerned the Latino boy appeared to be by the situation.

Annabeth felt the boy on her right shaking with hidden laughter. He ran a hand through his messy jet-black hair before Annabeth saw the smile on his face give out as he started laughing. The dimples on his face appeared stronger than ever as he shifted ever so slightly in his seat. His other arm which had been wrapped around her shoulders pulled her tighter against him unconsciously.

"Dude what the hell is this conversation?"

"I'm just saying! Someone needs to think about these things!" The Latino boy argued.

Percy shook his head back and forth in utter amazement at his friend.

"You're ridiculous Valdez" Jason added as everyone around the table laughed. Annabeth cracked a tiny smile at the comment and Calypso rolled her eyes at the boy.

She looked around the table they were all sitting at. Everyone appeared so carefree and happy. Thalia and Jason were busy talking about who knows what. Piper and Calypso appeared to be comparing skating tips. Will was whispering something to Nico who blushed in response so whatever the blonde male had said must not have been family friendly. Percy and Leo were trying to see how many food puns they could come up with before lunch ended. And Annabeth…well she was sitting silently at the table. Usually she'd be deep in conversation with someone at this point during lunch but lately she'd been reluctant to make much of an effort.

She wasn't an idiot; she knew something was wrong. The issue was that she couldn't pinpoint exactly why she was feeling the way she was. Ever since her final figure skating performance she'd been feeling…different. She tried her best to avoid the questions her friends asked her because she had no desire to say much at all to those around her. There were long periods of time where she would find herself lost in her thoughts.

She knew Percy was worried about her. The raven-haired hockey player would ask her multiple times a day if she was ok and she'd simply respond by giving him a fake smile and a kiss on the cheek. He didn't believe her, and she knew that, but she didn't feel like trying to explain what was going on with her when she didn't even fully know herself. It had to do with her father and that's all she'd figured out. She had come to a temporary solution. Until she figured out exactly why she was feeling the way that she was, she would keep to herself. She'd later realize that it was a terrible idea but that's what she was going with for the time being.

She was once again brought out of her thoughts when she felt Percy's arm around her shoulders shift again. The world around her came back into focus. Her boyfriend gave her a reassuring squeeze and she looked up, her eyes meeting his sea green ones.

"Hey, you alright?" He whispered lowly after looking around the table to make sure no one was paying attention to them.

There was a familiar spark of worry in his eyes. She was the reason that spark was there and she hated herself for it. Even though she wasn't telling him anything she still managed to somehow bring him into it.

A ghost of a smile crossed her face and she lent up to kiss his cheek subtlety. His expression didn't change majorly but she noticed that his lips twitched into a grin for a split second before his features returned to their previous expression.

"Yeah fine. Just wondering what I got on the biology quiz I took this morning." She explained quickly. Percy didn't look convinced in the slightest but he dropped it.

"I'm sure you crushed it princess." He replied, using the nickname he'd been calling her forever and giving her a reassuring smile.

In that moment, there was only one thought overcoming her entire being, suffocating her to no end and making her feel a million different emotions at once. He was looking at her like she was his whole world, his sea green eyes staring deeply into her grey irises. They'd gotten to know each other so well over the past few months. Whenever something was wrong they could always tell. They were honest with each other and now she was keeping something from him. She refrained from saying anything else and a feeling of immense guilt washed over her as the end of lunch bell sounded and all the students started to get up.

"Ok so basically the assignment is to pick an ancient Greek myth and write about the importance of it. I'm doing the story of Athena and Poseidon and how they competed for the control of Athens. There was a competition. Poseidon gave the people a salt spring and Athena gave them an olive tree. Athena ended up winning. I'm just going to expand on that story in my essay, but there's tons of stories you can do and- Percy are you even listening to me?" Annabeth interrupted her explanation of their history assignment when she saw her boyfriend looking at her as if not a single word was registering in his head.

The sea-green eyed boy laughed, and Annabeth knew the answer to her question without him having to answer.

"You're cute when you ramble" He said, making Annabeth blush a light pink. She hoped he hadn't noticed. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

"The assignment is due in 2 days and you haven't written anything yet! I already have half of mine done but you need to at least pick a myth to write about today!" She yelled both worried for him and annoyed that he hadn't written a single word of the thousand-word essay.

Percy shrugged and appeared to be completely calm over the whole situation. "No need to worry Princess. I've been writing essays and book reports the night before for as long as I can remember. Procrastination is a skill I have perfected."

Annabeth rolled her eyes and chucked a pillow at him that was supporting her back as she leaned against the headboard of her bed. It hit him square in the face. He took the pillow away and she saw he was still smiling that annoying smirk of his. The nerve.

She had been doing homework in her room that evening after practice when Percy showed up outside her window (Athena wasn't home so he could have just come to the front door, but she didn't tell him that) claiming he needed help with their history assignment. She agreed to help him not knowing that he hadn't even started it which led them to where they were now. Annabeth leaning against the head of her bed and Percy splayed across the bottom of the mattress.

"You're also sexy as hell when you're angry." The hockey player added to his previous statement, causing Annabeth to turn a bright red. He knew that would get her. He loved it when she blushed.

"Shut up" She replied, looking back down at her laptop and continuing to type which was proving to be very hard because she felt his stare on her red face.

She tried her best to ignore him. It was only when he pushed the screen of her laptop down slightly so she couldn't see it that she looked up at the boy who was now only a few feet from her. She sighed in exasperation.

"I need to do my work Jackson." She said, reopening her laptop and resuming her typing. She needed to try and finish as much as she could because she had a lot of other work for her classes. Besides, doing her homework meant her focus wasn't on the suffocating amount of emotions she was feeling towards her father.

"Annabeth" He said a moment later, this time in a more serious tone. She looked back up at him to see a worried look on his face. She'd seen that expression a lot recently.

"What's wrong?" He asked concerned, staring directly into her eyes and refusing to look anywhere else. She tried to think of a quick response.

"Nothing, I'm just stressed about my schoolwork and-"

"Annabeth" Percy interrupted while giving her a look that told her he didn't believe her. He was insistent on figuring out what was bothering her because he knew this wasn't her.

The blonde sighed deeply, closing her laptop completely and tossing it aside so she could give him her full attention. He stared at her worriedly. Gods why did he have to be so incredibly good to her. She felt guilty as she looked at him.

He could have had any girl he wanted but he chose to be with her, something she was still baffled by. He was constantly checking up on her and she was just pushing him away. He texted her first thing in the morning and right before he went to bed. He tried to make her laugh whenever she was having a bad day. He supported and believed in her more than anyone else did. She felt horrible. She stared into his caring green irises. She couldn't take it anymore. He was just so infuriatingly good. She didn't think she would ever deserve him.

With that thought in mind she grabbed a fistful of his t-shirt, bringing him towards her and smashing her lips against his.

To say he was surprised would be an understatement. Percy nearly lost his balance from being pulled towards his blonde girlfriend. He kissed her back before realizing the conversation they had been in the middle of. He reluctantly pulled away from her but she surprised him once again by following his lips with hers.

"Annabeth" Percy tried between her kisses to get back to the topic at hand. He pulled away completely after a few more seconds.

"I'm worried about you Princess. You're not acting like yourself." He finally said, taking her hand in his carefully and running his thumb across her skin.

She took a deep breath and found it super hard to look him in the eyes. She didn't want to burden him with her pile of issues that had resurfaced. He didn't need that.

"I-I know." She stuttered after a long pause.

"Was it something I did? Something I said?" He asked lowly.

"No! Gods no Percy." She quickly responded. How could he even think that he'd done something wrong? This was all on her and she hated herself for making him feel like he was the problem. He was the complete opposite of the problem.

Annabeth saw him visibly relax before staring at her encouragingly to continue. She sighed, closing her eyes before talking.

"I just-I don't want to talk about it. I hope you can understand. I just want to be here with you. No drama, no figure skating or hockey. Just us. Can we do that?" She whispered, leaning in closer towards him.

Percy sighed, staring deeply into her eyes. He knew something was wrong, but he didn't want to push her. He knew that forcing someone to tell you something could cause you to lose their trust. He wanted Annabeth to trust him fully. He hoped that when she was ready, she would tell him. With that in mind he nodded, leaning towards her and closing the gap between them.

Her response was almost immediate. She pulled him closer, moving her lips feverishly against his own. His hands wrapped around her waist as her hands tangled into his messy hair. Feeling bold, she casually grazed his lip with her tongue. He was shocked but didn't pull away. Within the next ten seconds their tongues were competing for dominance. Percy won but Annabeth wasn't complaining.

A flashback replayed in her mind about the time Percy had come to her house to work on their history project about Hestia. They had a competition for who could tie a knot out of a cherry stem the fastest otherwise known as the test to see if someone was a good kisser. Annabeth was now experiencing proof that the test did not lie. She hadn't kissed that many people to begin with but that didn't mean she couldn't tell Percy was a good kisser. His lips moved in perfect sync with hers, kissing her slowly yet roughly.

Annabeth leaned back against the bed whilst dragging Percy on top of her. Her head was cushioned by the soft pillows. He placed his arms on either side of her so that he wasn't putting his weight on her. Her fingers stayed in his hair, twisting his raven colored locks. He pressed his lips harder against hers. She let out a small sigh at the action and she felt Percy grin against her mouth. Her lungs were burning from the lack of oxygen she was getting but she didn't care in the slightest.

Annabeth was disappointed when a few minutes later Percy pulled away. Her disappointment was short-lived when she felt his lips move towards her collarbone, steadily inching up her neck. The feeling of his lips on her skin made her shiver and she decided right then and there that she never wanted him to stop. She stiffened when he reached a spot between the base of her neck and her shoulder. Percy must have felt the reaction because his lips didn't waver from the particular spot. Against her will a small moan escaped her lips when he bit the patch of skin. Percy definitely knew what he was doing. She tried not to dwell on the fact that he was probably so good because he had a lot of experience.

Having caught her breath, Annabeth brought Percy's lips back to hers. He complied happily. Her hands untangled themselves from his hair and moved to the hemline of his shirt. Her fingertips lightly grazed the skin directly underneath his cotton shirt, slowly inching up until she felt the smooth outline of his ab muscles. She felt her boyfriend tense. This time she was the one who smiled, pleased that she could in fact get a reaction out of the school's ex playboy.

She pressed down harder on the skin under his shirt, tracing patterns along his torso as he kissed her.

Percy pulled away after a moment, breathing heavily while opening his eyes to look down at her. Annabeth looked back up at him, breathing just as heavily if not more.

"We should stop" He whispered under his breath just loud enough for her to hear. His eyes were a shade she'd never seen before, a darker green.

Percy wanted more than anything to keep going. Hell, the old him definitely wouldn't have stopped. But he knew better. There was something bothering Annabeth and until she felt comfortable enough to tell him, they shouldn't take it any further.

Annabeth sighed. She didn't want to stop. For the past however long, she'd finally managed to get her mind off of everything. Now it was all coming back to her. She wanted to forget again. She wanted him.

Still, a tiny voice in her mind was telling her Percy was right. She couldn't pretend that she was fine and try to block out all her problems.

She nodded her head ever so slightly. "Yeah" she agreed.

It took all his willpower but after one last kiss Percy managed to get off her and laid next to her in the bed. Annabeth unconsciously laid her head on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her.

They stayed that way for a while, not saying a single word. Just enjoying the silence.

Annabeth attempted to process what happened that afternoon. She'd never kissed anyone like that before. She knew it was embarrassing but it was the truth. It made her think about what might happen in the future concerning her relationship with Percy. Nerves erupted in her stomach. She liked him. She really liked him. It scared her.

"Percy?" She asked, breaking the quiet atmosphere.

"Yeah?"

"I-I just…um" She stumbled.

Percy shifted, turning to face her better whilst still keeping an arm around her. He eyed her questioningly and she blushed.

"What is it?"

"Well…you should know that- you know if t-things go f-further with the two of us and uh you know kissing and…stuff…"

"Mmmhmm" Percy said, listening to the adorable girl under his arm try to speak without turning redder than she already was. He tried desperately not to laugh at the way she was struggling to get out her thoughts.

"Stop laughing!" She scolded, slapping his chest.

"I'm not I swear!" He argued, failing to hide his smile.

Annabeth huffed. "Well it's just that you know…you're pretty e-experienced with everything and I-"

"Annabeth listen to me." She met his eyes before he continued.

"I don't care that you haven't been with many guys. I never understood why people had such an issue with it. I mean if you really like someone it shouldn't be such a big thing I-"

"Even if that person's a virgin?" She blurted out before he could finish.

Percy stopped talking, looking down at her with an expression she couldn't read. He scooted down closer to her, bringing a hand up to brush a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Annabeth kept her eyes on his the whole time.

"Even if that person is a virgin" He confirmed, keeping his hand on her cheek. Annabeth breathed a sigh of relief, leaning into his touch.

"Why were you so scared to tell me Princess?" He whispered in their close proximity.

She shrugged, choosing to focus on the material of his shirt. "I don't know. I guess I just thought…well I thought you would want someone who you know…knew what they were doing.

Percy almost didn't hear her but when he did, he tilted her chin up to look at him once more.

"When are you going to realize that I don't want anyone else but you Princess."

It was more of a statement than a question. His tone was so sincere that Annabeth had no choice but to believe him. A small smile made its way onto her face and she felt her insides basically turn to mush.

"I don't either" She replied before breaking eye contact and snuggling into his chest further.

The last thing she remembered was Percy pressing a light kiss to her hair before she drifted off to sleep. She knew when she woke up everything bothering her the past few days would come spiraling back and she would have no choice but to face it head on.

That's a wrap on chapter 39! Again, terribly sorry for making you guys wait such a long time and sorry if it's not good I tried my best but I still don't know how I feel about it. I just wanted you guys to get an insight into what Annabeth is thinking and how she's having a hard time figuring stuff out. Let me know your thoughts! I know it was a filler but I made sure to include lots of Percabeth cause you guys have been deprived for so long haha. Also let me know your thoughts on the storyboard on Pinterest I told you guys about! Love you guys!

Link to the storyboard for The Rink (no spaces) is:

www. pinterest the_writing_maniac / the - rink- storyboard /

(Don't forget the "dot com" after "pinterest")

The name of the board is just "the rink {storyboard}". If this link doesn't bring you to the page you can find it on the_writing_maniac Pinterest account

My Pinterest Account: fiction4life101

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ: I hope this isn't too sudden, but I've come to the decision that after this chapter this story only has 1-2 chapters left. It just feels like things are wrapping up with only a few loose ends I'll be tying soon. A lot of you have asked if I'm writing an epilogue and the answer to that is YES. It won't be that long though, but I thought it would be cute to have one.

PS: I recently finished reading Tyrant's Tomb (book 4 of Trials of Apollo series) and omg I loved it so much and can't wait for the next one! PM me if you wanna talk about it!

REVIEW, REVIEW AND REVIEW!

-M