A.N/ Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter as I promised. I hope you enjoy this one! The characters might be a bit OOC so bear instead of blame! And woah, you guys! I didn't expect 100 views at all! Thank You so much! So, if you like, please review too... I would love that and it would improve me as a writer! Thanks for listening to my babbling. You can read now, Happy Reading!
Also, again, I do not own PJO or HOO. They belong solely to Rick.

Chapter 2:

I still couldn't believe it that I'd met her. In person, not in my dreams. After 5 fucking years. I held her as close as I could, still feeling that she would vanish and I wouldn't be able to find my way back to her again.

I didn't know for how long we stayed like that but finally she pulled away and smiled at me, now a different smile. The one I was familiar with. If she would have given me this smile earlier, I would have had no doubts in knowing that she was the Wise Girl in my wallet.

"Percy…" She whispered. "Feels wrong while saying. Seaweed brain suits you better."

I laughed. "I think Annabeth suits you just right but I'll be happy to call you Wise Girl instead." She laughed with me as she moved a little away from me so she could see my face without having to look up to it.

"When did you grow so tall!" She complained.

"It has been 5 years, Wise Girl."

She sighed. "Yes, it has. I'm still not able to grasp that I've met you again. I never thought I would."

"Well, I'm not able to grasp that you remember me."

"Of course, I remember you. How could I not when you gave me the best 3-4 days of my life."

I smiled as I remembered the days. Me and Annabeth had met at a summer camp when we were 12. It was in Brooklyn and just merely 3-4 days long. It was the last day when we had actually met. Till then we were just 2 people watching each other from afar in a sea of 35-40 kids. As I now stared into the same pair of green eyes, I was transported back to the day I first met her.

"What are you doing? You're not supposed to do it like that!" A voice of a girl shouted behind me when I was plucking strawberries from the strawberry field. Every child was given a task and mine was this.

I turned into the direction of the voice. There stood a girl, the sun setting behind her making her blond wavy hair look gold and her gray eyes shine. Was she an angel here to help me out because I had no idea what I was doing? I shook my head. How can you be so dumb, Percy! She's just a girl in the camp too. I had seen her before.

I ignored her and went back to almost tearing the strawberries from their plant.

"Stop." She yelled and I did.

"What?" I said in an annoying tone. Let a boy work!

"Don't you know how to do that?"

I really didn't but I didn't want to tell her that. "I do."

"No, you don't."

"So, you're telling me something about me and fight that you're right?"

"Because I am right! I can see the way you're almost ripping the strawberries away and nearly killing the plant."

I stopped and sighed. There was no winning. I had heard her arguing with someone yesterday, she won obviously and she was right too.

I stepped aside and gestured her to take my place. She quickly did that and crouched into a sitting position as I did the same.

"Look, you have to grasp the stem between your forefinger and thumbnail, then lightly pull and twist at the same time. Let the berry roll into the palm of your hand so that you don't squish it. See?" She demonstrated while she spoke.

After she was done taking out all the berries from that plant, she put them in my basket and smiled at me. Wow. I smiled back at her.

"And that's how you do it."

"Thanks." I rubbed the back of my head with embarrassment. I could have already told her that I didn't know how to do it. She was intelligent.

"What was that?" She asked and smirked. And she was a little annoying to but in a good way.

"I said thanks, wise girl."

"You're welcome, Seaweed Brain." She smiled.

"Seaweed Brain? I give you a nice nickname and you!"

"It suits you."

"How?"

"Because your eyes are the color of the sea and your brain is equal to the one of a seaweed." She laughed.

"Now that's just offending." I mock glared at her and she laughed harder. I couldn't help but laugh along with her.

"Thinking of the same thing, aren't you?" Annabeth's voice broke me out of my flashback. I gave her a confused look. "Thinking about the time we met?"

I smiled, giving her my answer with it. "So now that you know I'm no kidnapper, do you want a cup of coffee?"

"Sure. We have lots of catching up to do."

"Yes." I got up and leaded her to the kitchen.

She sat on the kitchen counter and I prepared some coffee. "So," She said.

"So," I said in return and smirked.

"I don't know where to start."

"How about you tell me why you shifted down here?"

"I… I just had enough of… of my family." She said, stuttering.

"Hey, it's okay if you don't want to tell me. I know that we don't know each other well because we've changed massively."

"I know you just enough to trust you, Percy." My real name felt good on her lips. Don't think of her lips, Jackson! "And it's not like you don't know anything about that at all, if you remember."

"I do. You had problems with your dad and your stepmom." I said, pouring the coffee.

"That's an understatement." She laughed mirthlessly. "I don't need you to think of me as the damsel in distress or—"

"Hey, I never would think that about you. I know you, like you said, just enough to say that you're tough and independent." I smiled and she smiled back.

"So, they didn't make it a secret that they didn't want me to be a part of their family. I knew just well that I was a burden. I thought it was best to leave NYC and come here so I still could be close to my stepbrothers if I wanted to meet them. They were nice, you see but their mom and the way my dad didn't care really took a toll on my mental health. I decided that I didn't want to be the burden of the family. I got a scholarship to Goode and came here. End of story." She declared.

I placed the cup in front of her and took a seat beside her. "I'm glad you came here."

"I am too. I never expected to meet you at Goode High! I knew you lived in Manhattan but no more than that."

"We were stupid, Wise Girl. We didn't even share names, we just shared stories about each other and where we lived. You don't know the times I wanted to track you down but I knew nothing about you more than the fact that you lived in NYC."

"Same for me. When things got hard… at home, I wished I could just witness you do something stupid and impulsive like the things you did at camp so I could really laugh for moments."

Gods, I wanted to hug her again but I held my hands. Now was not the time. I wanted to get to know her all over again.

"It's going to be really fun to get to know each other all over again." I said and she agreed.

"Besides, now that we're at the same school, we'll have a lot of time."

"I heard you befriended Thalia, Piper and Nico?"

"I did. They're really great. No mean things and all." She smiled. "Well there's a mean one too, some pink haired girl."

"Vanessa?" I asked, my jaw set in anger. What had she said to her?

"Yes, jeez, relax. What's the matter?"

"What did she say to you?"

"Hey relax, she's such a crybaby. When I sat beside your seat today in Math, she came up to me and told me to move and said that it was her seat. I obviously didn't believe her. I pegged her as the mean girl who thinks she's the best immediately." I smirked. "I said to her in reply that I could understand what she was saying because I didn't understand bullshit."

I laughed. "Gods, I wanted to see that!"

"She literally stomped her foot and walked away! But why is she so obsessed with you?"

That had the smile getting washed off my face, immediately. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing. Are you done with the coffee? So, I'll wash the cups." I didn't know why I was detaching. But I didn't want Annabeth to know that I had dated such a poor excuse of a human.

"Seaweed brain," She held my arm back from getting me up. "Why did you pull away; why did you change the subject?"

"I didn't."

"Don't lie. Tell me."

"Fine," I sat back down. "I dated her."

"Who?"

"Vanessa. I dated Vanessa."

"You dated that piece of shit?" She said and I winced.

"I did and I'm not proud of the fact. I did almost 5 months ago but I broke up with her just after a month. I don't know why did it take me even that long. She was bitchy and I was stupid. She just wanted to be with me for the status I have in school. Still wants to but I'm not that stupid now." I didn't look into her eyes, not wanting to see what was in them.

"Did you really like her?"

"I don't know. I think that the idea of someone liking me was appealing at the time rather than me actually liking that somebody. That doesn't make sense." I frowned.

"It actually does. When did it strike you that she was a bitch?"

"When I saw her being rude to Nico because he's gay. It's not my place to tell you, but I was the first one to know that Nico was gay and I've always had a soft corner for him. But that was the lowest Vanessa could go. Teasing someone about their sexuality and declaring them as not a part of the society is downright wrong and fucking despicable. That was the moment I strutted up to her and broke up. Gods, I wanted to fucking slap her but I didn't."

"Watch your mouth. Since when did you start cussing so much?" A voice came from behind me. I turned to see Mom and Paul.

Mom was smiling at Annabeth and Paul was smirking at me.

"Mom." I said.

"The one and only." She smiled, again at Annabeth. Annabeth gave her a nervous smile too. I wondered why she was nervous because she was never nervous.

"This is my mom and this is my stepdad Paul." I introduced them. "And this is Annabeth."

"Nice to meet you Sir and Ma'am. I've heard a lot about you Ma'am."

"Oh please, call us Sally and Paul." Mom waved her away. "And it isn't fair that you've heard a lot about me but I never even heard your name."

"That's because Percy also heard my name for the first time today." She smirked and I laughed. That was true. My mom was confused.

"It's a long story mom. Why don't you both freshen up first?"

They both nodded and went into their room. I lead Annabeth to the couch.

"So Wise Girl, did you want to say something before my mom interrupted?" I asked after we sat down besides each other.

"Yes, actually." She said and paused. "Breaking up was the best decision you took and please for the love of gods, stay away from that bitch, Seaweed brain. She'll ruin you."

"I will, don't worry. I'm not that stupid." I smiled and she smiled back. For some moments we just kept on smiling at each other and then we looked away.

The air shifted from friendly to awkward really quickly. I was glad that mom came back quickly and Paul followed behind her. They both sat across from us and I felt as if we were sitting for an inquisition.

"On with the long story?" My mom asked eagerly.

"Fine, fine. You have actually heard of Annabeth, but not quite." Mom gave me a confused look. "Me and her met at the camp in Brooklyn where you had sent me for 3-4 days in summer 5 years back, when I was 12." I said. This info was enough for her to make out who Annabeth was because mom knew everything.

She sat there for a moment, contemplating what I said but then realization dawned on her face soon enough. "Oh my God, she's your wise girl, isn't she?" Mom exclaimed and sprung up from her seat to Annabeth and pulled her up into a hug. "I'm so glad I finally met you! I've heard so much about you too." She pulled away. "And such a lovely name, Annabeth." Wise Girl smiled at my mom like she was her own. I liked that idea much more than I should.

"I'm really happy to meet you too." She said and glanced at me.

"How did you guys meet today?" Mom asked and I laughed.

"It's a really dramatic story which I'll tell you guys later but we met on the street and I brought her home to talk. Then I figured out who she was and we've been talking and talking till you guys came. She studies at Goode High too! She just relocated here from NYC."

"That's great, darling. Where do you live?"

"I live at the dorms. I'm on a full scholarship, so."

"Oh, you can come here anytime for dinner or lunch or whatever. I'm sure me as well as Percy would love that." She threw me a look; I knew what that look meant but she wouldn't breach that subject now.

"Sure thing. You know, when me and Seaweed brain met, we met at the last day of camp. So, we didn't get to talk a lot but just enough." Annabeth said.

"I know." Mom interrupted and threw me another look.

"So, all he did was talk about you." Annabeth had a grateful gleam in her eyes. Like she was grateful that someone could be such an amazing mother to someone. A mother she never had. "And oh, of course, blue cakes and cookies." She laughed and I found myself almost drowning in that noise. "But mostly about you and the little trips you took him to and trips to the beach where he could swim and surf." Mom threw me another look, but this time it was of amazement.

She was amazed how much Wise Girl knew about me and she still remembered. That thing made my heart soar higher. Since it was our last day, all we did was spend time with each other because we really liked the other's company. We had broken curfew and talked all night too. I was glad that Chiron—our camp director hadn't caught us because it was the best nights I had ever lived. Me and Wise Girl, on the sand in front of the beach, on a starry night and all the stars getting reflected in the blues and greens of the ocean. The day was still as clear in my mind as when I was actually experiencing it.

"That's great, Annabeth. I'm glad you two met again." She smiled her motherly smile. "And don't hesitate to tell me if you need anything, dear. I'll always have it for you. Even if they're some warm hugs on a rainy day."

Tears glistened in Annabeth's eyes but she blinked them away, the strong wise girl. I knew what they were for. She was wishing her mother or even her step-mother to have the fraction of the caring and giving nature that my mom had. I put my hand reassuringly o her knee, showing her that suppressing her emotions didn't hide them from me.

Suddenly, she checked her watch. "Shoot, I have to go. I have to get inquire about a job at the local library before it closes." She got up.

"Well Annabeth it was a pleasure meeting you after school hours." Paul said.

"Same here, Mr. Blofis."

"Come again and don't be a stranger." Mom said.

"I won't." She said.

"I'll walk you." I said to her and leaded her towards the door.

Once we were outside, I found myself wishing she won't go, that she would stay. But I had no excuses. I was going to meet her again tomorrow but that seemed too far away. You've waited 5 fucking years, Percy. It's just a couple hours now. How bad it can be? A voice in my head spoke. It was right.

"So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"You will."

"Bye then, good night!" She said and turned to leave.

I couldn't resist so I pulled her arm back and folded my arms around her, engulfing her in them. Her hands went to over my shoulders immediately. I didn't want to let her go. Not again. Some part of me was still afraid that she would go away like she did on the last day of camp. I didn't know if I could survive the ordeal of her leaving again.

I breathed in her scent and memorized her like this, in my arms. Her entire body seemed to be molded into mine. She was considerably shorter than me and the crown of her head was buried in my neck. When we were younger, the first time we had hugged before we departed, we were both the same height. Now we had changed but the feeling of the hug never did. At that moment o was convinced that that was out last hug. The first time in my life, I was thankful that I was wrong, so fucking wonderfully wrong. "I'm grateful that we met again, Wise Girl." So, so grateful than the word could ever cover.

Her hold over me tightened like she was afraid I would disappear too. I basked in that idea as she whispered. "I am too."