A/N: Apologies if you find it a tad bit shorter than usual - I'm trying to get back to writing after a huge break.

"Do I really have to?"

"Honestly, you've got to start somewhere!" Silena said for the millionth time.

"Just a compliment?"

"Preferably something on her appearance."

"Isn't that a bit shallow?"

Grover groaned loudly. "Can you just listen to her, please?"

Percy sighed. "Okay, but if it doesn't work or if she thinks I'm weird or anything I'm out."

"You're such a drama queen."

Grover insisted on coming along to see how it went ("I'm the wing-goat!"). They went to the dining pavilion together, after which they'd meet up with Annabeth. Percy shot a tentative hi to Annabeth and she gave both of them a wave.

"I shouldn't have let you rope me into this." Percy said as they sat down at the Poseidon table. Grover sighed. He started counting to ten mentally.

Six..seven..eight...

"It's just a compliment. I can do this. It's just Annabeth, right?" Percy was talking to Grover, though he seemed like he was trying to convince himself.

After the natural awkwardness of not speaking to your best friend for almost a year ("Hey, I didn't blow up the school this time!"), Percy almost forgot what Silena had told him to do. It just felt like old times again, him, Grover and Annabeth just lounging by Thalia's Pine, and he didn't want anything to ruin it or it'd go back to more weeks of skirting around each other.

"I swear, Drew wanted to kill Connor. Or was it Travis? I'm not sure. Anyway, she looked really pissed. I don't think they don't know what they've got themselves into."

"You'd think they'd learn not to mess with the Aphrodite Cabin. Again." Grover chuckled.

"In their defence, it was almost as good as the Golden Mango." Annabeth said.

"To the most beautiful member in the Aphrodite Cabin."

Percy snorted, and the three of them devolved into hysterical laughter. They'd stop laughing for a second and then look at each other and promptly burst into snickers again.

"You know," Grover began, and Percy could see the gears turning in the satyr's head. Grover shot him a sideways glance before continuing, "Annabeth has had her fair share of messing with the Aphrodite Cabin. Last week, I-"

"Shut up, Grover."

"What was it, Annabeth?" Grover wiggled his eyebrows. "Can you make my hair curlier?"

Annabeth went a little pink. "You weren't supposed to hear that! And so what?" She challenged.

Percy stared at her incredulously. The one thing that really stood out apart from Annabeth's gray eyes were her princess curls, which Percy thought weren't half bad. "Er, you know-"

"Jealous of my curly hair?" Grover cut in. Percy shot him a look, and Grover bit his lip. He shot him an apologetic look.

"You wish, Goat boy. Anyway, I didn't go through with it, did I?"

"Good." Percy said before he could stop himself.

"Huh?" Annabeth was looking at him weirdly, but she didn't look angry or disgusted. She looked... curious.

"Well, you know," Percy began before he looked at Grover who gave him an encouraging smile. "Your hair is pretty curly already. I mean, it's pretty, and it's curly. Uh, I mean it looks good." Percy could feel his face burning. This was the closest he'd ever gotten to telling Annabeth that he thought she was pretty, and it was hard enough without having her intelligent gray eyes boring into him.

"Oh, um, yeah. Thanks." Annabeth visibly blushed, and Percy thought she looked even prettier when she blushed. Whoa, I caused that, he thought fleetingly before Grover gave him a nudge in the stomach, and Percy realised he was staring.

"Heh. Maybe next time I'll ask Silena if she can tame my hair." Percy joked nervously and ran a hand haphazardly through his already messy hair.

"I doubt even Aphrodite can manage that, Seaweed Brain."

"Hey!" Percy complained.

"That went rather well, don't you think?" Percy said, as he and Grover settled on his bed. What he really meant was "She blushed because of me!" but he cleverly kept that thought to himself.

"See! I told you! Who's the best wing goat ever?"

"Alright! But honestly man, Silena really does know this stuff well."

"It's her area of expertise, after all."

"You're welcome, Percy. I believe you were successful?" Silena was standing by the door of his cabin. Again.

"How do you keep doing that?!"