Um, hi, guys? Is anyone annoyed by my disappearing, or did no one notice, or, worse, are you guys used to it? Please don't say yes. As always, I have a good explanation, but it's a real one. I had exams this week. (Everyone: Ohhhhhhhhh…) Yeah, and, while I didn't study as thoroughly as I wanted to, I did not have a whole bunch of hours sitting around for me to write. And if you're wondering why I couldn't have used a few minutes each day or whatever, the answer is I have no self-control and I don't normally spend weeks writing. Sorry.
But, as I am mostly trying to, since I didn't post for a while this is going to be a rather long chapter. Maybe. I don't know, I think I've upped your standards with the past few 6k chapters. But you guys will definitely like it, I hope.
Enjoy!
Annabeth's eyes stretched wide. She tightened her grip on Luke's arm. "Um, you do understand that I am wearing a dress, right? With lomg hems and multiple skirts?"
Luke laughed easily. "Of course, Beth. Spending time with any lady would teach me so."
She stared mournfully at the narrow wooden boat in front of her. "I've heard Artemis' crew of ladies wear specially-tailored trousers."
"Well, Aunt Artemis is special. And they hunt every day. They cannot run in such a beautiful gown as yours."
"I have never considered this heavy, too-elaborate dress beautiful. And even less so when it is wet." She eyed the rushing gray waters of the Thames cautiously. Luke's compliment still, did not go unnoticed and she smiled a bit.
"Oh, Annabeth, I shall watch out for you and your attire. Now, would you like me to hold your purse?"
She bit her lip. She didn't want to carry it in case she dropped them into the river, but she also wanted Luke to think she could do things on her own. "No, I am fine, thank you." She waited for Luke to step into the small boat, which teetered dangerously, and for him to proffer a hand.
She took it, reassured by his firm grip, and stepped down into the boat. It swayed to the right, and the long lace hem of her gown slid over with it. Luke smoothly bended down and gathered the folds into his arms. "Alright, there we are." He gestured grandly for her to sit, and then followed suit by crossing his long legs in front of him.
"Are we really going to do this?" Annabeth asked pensively, mentally remarking on how close she was to the murky water.
Luke laughed. "Annabeth, do you really not want this ride? I can take us to do something else."
She bit her lip. When his sky-blue eyes smiled at her, she felt like she was wrapped in the arms of an old friend. "Fine, carry on, sir."
Grinning, he slid off his satin gloves, neatly tucking them into his front pocket, and picked up the two wooden oars. Soon, with his powerful strokes, they were gently propelled down the wide river.
"What would London think, to see an esteemed lady and lord paddling down the Thames by themselves, out of all things?" Annabeth said teasingly.
Luke pursed his lips, thinking. "True, this is not the most proper of outings. We only have my brother sitting over there, by the banks."
Annabeth hid a smile. Of course, Luke prepared a chaperone. He was not the one to forget rules and mannerisms. "That should be enough," she answered.
"Oh, no, are you expecting something dramatic to happen? I haven't planned any such thing."
"No, not at all. But can you improvise?"
He smiled warmly at her. "I suppose. But everything I can think of involves us getting wet."
"Oh, no!" She gasped theatrically. "Never mind, then."
She then realized that Luke would never even think of doing something improper. All the scenes about boating from romance novels that Piper breathlessly described petered out, and a faint wisp of disappointment hovered in her heart.
They continued to row down the Thames, chatting quietly to the rhythmic stroke of the paddles through water. Finally, with slightly flushed cheeks, Luke put up a hand. "Apologies, my lady, but I cannot continue right now. This is quite an exertion."
Annabeth had to smile. "Oh, no, it's fine." Other than strolls and horseback riding and the occasional races, gentlemen of the ton rarely had so much exercise. An image of broad shoulders and thick forearms under a dark blue waistcoat flashed into her mind, but she immediately shook it away.
Once his breaths steadied, Luke continued to paddle. "Honestly, I have quite a lot of luck to invite you out on this brilliant weather."
"You must," she agreed. The sky was a clear, pale blue, with dustings of clouds trailing along the sides. The air was cool, and while Annabeth had to wear thicker petticoats, the breezes dancing along her cheeks and neck were very relieving. "I'm glad I accepted, even if I had to chance a ride on this dangerous-looking boat."
"I'll have you know I bought if from a rather reputable vendor, even if it was mortal." Luke grinned at her, every part of his expression matching the joking tone of his voice.
"I don't believe it, I've heard the words 'reputable' and 'mortal' in the same sentence!" She said, raising her voice slightly. "Now I'm even more wary of this boat." She trailed her gloved fingers down the thick wooden sides of it.
"If you fall, I'll certainly catch you," he told her confidently. "But then your mother would absolutely abhor me."
"Nonsense, she likes you a lot." This spilled another blush onto her cheeks. She just revealed that her family most definitely wished her to get married to Luke.
If he noticed, he didn't say anything about it. "Really? I can't tell whenever I visit her."
"Well, that's my mother. Trust me, she is far more cordial with you than some others. In fact, I'm sure she'd love a visit from you." Hopefully that would please her, even if they had to skirt around the topic of marriage.
He laughed nervously. "Forgive me, Beth, but I have no idea how to act around her."
"Oh, just a very polite gentleman will do. You're a Hermes child, you know how to charm."
He rubbed a hand against his cheek. "I hope."
"Now, how did we even get to discussing my mother? Let's move on."
"Alright, would you like a turn at the oars?"
She searched his eyes for their usual teasing glint. "I guess." Surprised, he handed her one. Her fingers felt awkward around the thick wooden block. She pulled her arms back, and the oar sluggishly cut through the heavy water. The small wave she created gently rocked her side of the boat for a few sparse seconds.
"Not bad," he said with a smile. "Good job." He took the oar back from her, and she realized she wanted to try again, but they were already moving down the Thames.
They lapsed back into their normal routine, where Luke told her about the current world and she tried to absorb it all. It was a wonderful time, even if she got a little sore from perching quietly in the same spot for so long.
The long morning didn't seem to end. Eventually, Luke steered their boat towards the banks and smiled at her. "Well, are you really to leave?"
She grasped the narrow edge of the boat for a second. Through her glove she could feel that was smooth, but with small indentations in the wood. "Yes," she said. She watched him easily get out, took his head, and stepped back onto dry land. Her legs wobbled a bit from finally standing.
"I learned a lot," she said, pulling her hand from his. "Thank you for this morning."
"Oh, it wasn't anything," he answered easily. "I enjoyed it, too." As the hulking form of one of his younger brothers came closer, their carriage pulled up, ready to bring them home.
"How was it, miss?" Annica asked excitedly, clasping her small hands together.
Annabeth smiled at her distractedly, too busy searching her closet. "It was fine. Now, where did that fine-spun skirt go? Did you add my entire winter closet in here?"
"No, it's not cold enough for some of the heavy gowns you have," Annica answered. "Which fine-spun skirt?"
"The light gray one, with gold brocade," she said, racking her mind for more descriptions. At her word, another maid blazed out of the room, ready to find it.
"Brocade?" One of her closest maids, Julia, asked. "Miss, why are you picking that? I though you preferred lace."
She smiled wanly. In reality, she preferred to wear a plain linen shift without a corset, but she could only do that with a free night and a locked door. "Well, I'm visiting one of Athena's favorite siblings. I have to dress nicely to show my appreciation."
"Who is it?" Annica eagerly asked.
"Hephaestus," she answered. "Athena is a little hostile of him, but she still wanted me to show up in a grand gown."
"Rich families," Julia grumbled under her breath. Annabeth had to smile.
The other maid came back, carefully holding up a thick, flashy piece. "Is it this 'un?" She asked quietly.
"I think so. Annica, will I look alright in it?"
"You look beautiful in every dress," she said adoringly.
Annabeth barely agreed, but she smiled in thanks anyway. "Alright, set it down by my changing screen. Can someone run my bath while I get unchanged?"
Her maids rushed around in a flurry, a few heading to the bathing room next door while others crowded around Annabeth. She stood nimrod straight as they pulled off her elaborate gown and unlaced her corset. Her legs prickled from the autumn cold as her stockings were removed. Annica handed her a pair of sheep wool slippers and led her to the hearth as soon as the other maids took off her underclothes and gave her a new shift.
She didn't have to wait long for her bath to be done, since in this weather large stacks of firewood were kept by the pots of water ready to be boiled. She padded into the next room, where warm steam billowed into her face. She shed her loose shift into the hands of a younger maid and stepped into the hot bath. It was almost scalding, but she didn't mind the heat. She tipped her head back and let her scrunched-up curls fall into the water.
Her favorite bathing maid, Hesper, lathered her hands with soap and then buried her fingers into Annabeth's thick hair. She continuously soaped the locks and then dunked them into the water until they were free of grime. Then she grabbed a softer, lemon-scented soap from the shelf of bathing supplies and scrubbed it all across her head. Finally, she found a pot of rosewood and frankincense oil and pulled a long curl out from the water, rubbing her oil-dipped fingers along it.
While they waited for the slow process of oiling each curl to make them shiny, Annica got her usual lavender soap and smoothed it across her skin. Such a long, complicated bath was a rare luxury, and while Annabeth privately wished that she could just be done with a single soap, she couldn't help enjoy this. She was probably one of the few people outside the Aphrodite house who got such a thorough attending to her hair, but her blond locks were completely in vogue in London and one of her "few good assets," according to Madame Lark.
Finally, when Hesper withdrew her fingers, she was helped out of the bath and a towel was immediately draped across her shoulders. She stepped back into her slippers and over to a small fire cracking in the corner. A stool was pulled up, and once she sat someone guided her hair over her head so it could dry. Through the damp strands she saw Annica picking up a comb and another maid running her fingers over the many jars of lotions. As the heat pushed through the thick wall of darkened blond locks, Annica dragged the tortoiseshell comb through the tangles and she was quickly toweled down. Then steady fingers rubbed herb lotion into her skin to keep it from drying in the cold air.
Annica finally spoke again as she yanked the teeth of the comb through a particularly large knot. "Well, miss, I realized you never really answered my question. How did it go with Luke in the morning?"
"I will never stop getting questioned by you, will I?" She groaned. She could almost see Annica grinning. "No, miss!" she chirped back.
"Like I said, it was fine," she repeated, drawing her shoulders forward so the heat of the fire could touch them too.
"Be more specific, miss," Annica pleaded.
She could feel the ends of her hair drying and curling. The hair on top was much heavier, and shone faintly as they absorbed the oil. "Well, Luke took me on a boat ride on the Thames."
The maids collectively "oohed."
"What happened on the boat?"
"Nothing, really. We just talked." She sensed Annica's arms slackening slightly in disappointment.
"Talked about what?" Julia asked.
She winced as Annica yanked through a large tangle. "Nothing you all would like to hear about."
She heard some more sad sighs.
"That's it?" Annica sputtered. The gentle fingers curled around her ankle, smoothing lotion on top, and then disappeared.
"Sorry to disappoint. Well, I did row once." A lot of eyebrows probably raised at this. "Whats that suppose' to mean?" someone murmured.
"It didn't really mean anything," she answered, shrugging. "It's just what we normally do. Talk."
"Come on, miss! You better not be holding out on us!"
"Again, sorry, but nothing happened. You need to find a new mistress for good gossip."
"Like Lady Piper," Julia grumped. "She always has plenty of things to say."
"Alright, I'm done," Annica called, putting the comb back onto the shelf. Her hair dried quickly afterwards. And then she got dressed, herded into a carriage, and deposited at the Hephaestus mansion. It was the usual routine.
At the door, a young, chubby-cheeked boy smiled up at her. "Who are you?" he asked in an adorable voice.
"Lady Annabeth," she said, curtsying teasingly. "And you?"
"Harley!" He proclaimed proudly.
"Ah. Nice to meet you, Harley. Where are your older siblings?"
He flashed her an annoyed look, like You moved on from me quickly. "They're in the biggest hall. Do you need me to take you?"
"No um—actually, sure." She wasn't confident in navigating the ever-growing Hephaestus mansion. Harley led her down the front hall, which was lined with complicated armor and weapons, the smooth wooden floor resounding under her slippers. From what she could she, when the modern glass clock ticked to 6 PM, the candles in their brass holds and the chandelier brightened. That wasn't just it. When she arrived at the foot of the spiral mahogany staircase, the steps soundlessly starting moving upwards. Harley barged on without pause, the movement of the staircase propelling him up faster. Annabeth tentatively stepped up after him, a hand remaining on the smooth lacquered rail.
Harley led her down many more halls, all displaying fantastical inventions and containing rooms filled with tools. He finally rounded a curve, and a bronze plate in front of them flipped around to reveal words etched into it: "The Great Hall."
"Thanks, Harley," she told him, patting his curls and stepping up to the large wooden doors, which swung open at her presence. Inside, under the flickering lights of the huge ornate chandelier, a large group of familiar faces milled by the long table, set in the center. When Annabeth walked across the warm (warm?) marble floors, people began to notice her and started waving.
"Annabeth!" Piper shrieked happily, bounding over. She wrapped her up in a hug with her wide, heavy sleeves. "How are you?"
"Oh, great," she said, smiling back. Piper hooked her arm in hers and chatted excitedly all the way to the table. She found an empty seat between Piper and Miranda, who smiled at her in her usual regal way. The chair slid back for her, the cushion on the seat puffing up before her eyes. When she sat down, a paper place card popped up from the table, and tiny mechanisms folded it so it stood upright. Neat, cursive print read, "Annabeth Chase, Athena."
Thalia, of course, was right over, laying an arm over her shoulders. "How are you, Bethie?"
"Good. How are you?"
"I'm doing fine, except this morning someone visited," she jabbed a long finger at Piper, "and she started making a whole lot of kissy noises with Jason. It totally ruined my mood."
Piper blushed as red as her lipstick. "I wasn't doing anything with him!"
"Sure." Thalia crossed her arms. "Anyway, it's great to see you."
"Yeah. I'm so sorry to hear that Piper had to ruin your day, though."
"Hey!" Her friend yelled.
"You know," Thalia continued on like Piper wasn't there, "I heard from Luke recently. How was your expedition with him this morning?"
Silena leaned across the table, her eyes gleaming. "I just heard a hint of some very good gossip."
"How do you catch every single piece of gossip?" Piper asked incredulously.
Annabeth held up her hands. "Nothing happened. For the SECOND time!"
"Oh, did your awesome maid Julia ask? You're so lucky to have her," Piper said.
"Did nothing really happen?" Silena asked, a furrow appearing between her dark brows. "I thought you two liked each other a lot."
"Well, none of us are really doing anything romantic, if that's what you're asking," Annabeth answered, fiddling with her fingers.
"Okay, well, that's strange. Aren't you two basically engaged?"
"No, we're not even close to that!"
"I've seen you guys together. You are pretty close to it," Piper interrupted.
"Yeah, but not if 'nothing happens! You might as well just be friends at this point.'" Silena fumed.
Thalia leaned in. "That's true. I thought you two were supposed to get married for love. Is something else going on?"
She massaged her temples, barely able to keep track of what was going on. "I think, I mean, I don't know, I like him. But I'm not sure. And I definitely don't know how he feels. But we're probably not just friends. We've spent a lot of time together so far."
Piper grabbed her wrist. "That might not mean anything, dearest."
Thalia folded her arms on the top of Annabeth's chair. "Emotions are just too complicated," she muttered. "Why don't you ask him?"
"No!" Piper and Silena yelled.
"Why not?"
"Guys don't just talk about their feelings. They show it through whatever different ways," Silena said knowledgably.
"Well, I don't recognize any of them," Annabeth sighed.
Miranda peeked over. "Honestly, I think you and Luke are close enough. Just ask in a subtle way. But you need to figure out your own feelings first."
"I have no idea! Sorry, but love expert magic doesn't work on something as unclear as this." She covered her face with her hands.
Piper placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry for throwing all this at you. Love is difficult. But you might just achieve it."
"I think I can make this simple for you," Thalia told her. "Does he make you happy?"
"Yeah. I think so."
"Do you like spending time with him?"
"Most of the time." But when she thought about listening to him talk, something knotted at the base of her throat.
"Well, do you want to spend the rest of your life with him?"
She tried to imagine it. Living with him in their own large manor, raising blond-haired kids with bright eyes, a large diamond glinting on her hand. The pictures held security and warmth and reassurance, but she couldn't identify whether or not she wanted it. "I don't know."
Silena sighed. "I think you should wait it out. Spend more time with him. I mean, you'll either end up with a friend or a someone you love. Not bad choices."
"Yeah, even getting married to a friend is fine," Miranda said softly.
But the emotions in her heart curled like a fist. She wanted something more than that. Something that her mother disapproved of, something that was infamously hard to get. She wanted to wake up in her own house with someone smiling down at her, with love.
She lifted off the metal top, lit the candle inside, and then set the lantern on the table beside the other two glowing ones.
Before her, the servant boy finished stoking the hearth, bowed to her, and disappeared.
"Do you really want to be sewing at night by yourself?" Her butler had asked when she requested him to prepare the sitting room for a few hours. A part of her, now, regretted asking him, since it was dark and quiet in here, despite all her efforts to brighten it here. But it would make a good place to think.
She smoothed out a small linen cloth on the table and picked up a needle. Once she got a pale blue thread through the hole, she poked the sharp end through the edge of the cloth and pulled the thin, delicate thread through.
Once she started a basic border, she set aside the cloth for a second to lift her purse from the seat beside her. She gingerly plucked out the folded piece of paper between the satin lining and pulled it open with the tips of her fingers. She was getting ready to go to bed early, though sleep would probably not find her for a while, when a wary-looking boy approached her in the hallway. He told her that this letter took many extents to send, and it was private. She had a couple of theories about who it was from, but they weren't pleasant.
A crisply monogrammed page with lines upon lines of scraggly, unreadable handwriting greeted her. She set it closer to the light, picked up her embroidery again, and began her attempt at reading it.
"Hello, Annabeth," was scrawled at the top. All her suspicions about the mysterious letter settled into dreadful certainty. She recognized that handwriting. An image of the words "Lord Perseus Jackson, Poseidon" scribbled onto her fresh dance card was well-preserved her in memory. With a scowl, she continued squinting at the difficult script.
"I have taken great lengths to send this. Every past letter I've sent did not receive any reply, and I believe that such a mannered lady such as yourself would answer to any suitor. Additionally, all my messengers have came back shame-faced with an enraged message that could certainly not come from someone as demure as you. So I realized someone was interfering with our correspondence. This is why I am writing this letter and sending it from Jason's house. He sends his greetings and apologizes…" There was a blank, and then some crossed out words. If Annabeth had to guess, Jason wanted to apologize for helping a dimwit (or something like that) and Percy was insulted. "Never mind him. He isn't important." Then there was an ink smear, like someone knocked over the ink pot while shoving someone else. "Anyways, it was a terribly long time since I've seen you last. I cannot bear waiting for another chance to meet you. I must hear from you. How are you? Doing well? I hope the stress of having too many propriety lessons is not plaguing you presently." Annabeth's needle slowed in shock. How did he know? Did Piper tell him? "It is a terrible aliment, and I very much wish to fly in through the window, sweep you up in my arms, and whisk you to a grassy meadow where we can finally be alone." Her traitorous brain began conjuring up images of lying in long grass, tightly wrapped in his strong arms, staring into his eyes… She lightly prickled herself with a needle to bring herself back to reality. "However, I fear that your reputation would be truly ruined, and I sincerely don't want that. And I know that you can handle it, Lady Athena." This was a strange string of compliments. She shook her head in annoyance. "But I do really want to see you again. Is it possible that you could arrange anything at all? I want to hold you tight, touch your porcelain skin, see your hair turn into spun gold in the sun. I want to see your wondrous eyes again. They are the sky before it rains, the thunderclouds that race through the sky, a newly paved road. They are beauty, just as you." Tingles spread throughout her body, and her cheeks heated. Her last row of stitches was so sloppy she had to cut them and do it again. "Your voice haunts my dreams, Annabeth. Everything you say is repeated in my mind. I will never stop saying your name, because it is the best song in the world. I will never stop painting your face, because it is so elegant. I will never stop grasping at you, until you give me your heart." Her heart was presently doing flips in her rib cage, and she'd given up on her sewing entirely. "So just give up, Annabeth. I'm giving you an enviable offer. You can't escape me, and I'm not going to stop this. So, accept. I know you're strongly attracted to me. It's not surprising. And this might be the only time someone you're so obsessed with opens up, so take me, Annie. Or else you'll regret it for the rest of your life if I marry someone else." She snarled in indignation, tossing aside the paper. Did his ego ever stop growing? He just had to hand her all those poetic compliments, playing with her feelings, and then march in his smugness once again. She fumed for a bit, then decided to finish the letter. "Please? We'd be beautiful together. I'd buy us a huge house, with brilliant architecture, and I'll even add a library for you. And think of the children we'd have. They'd have your beautiful eyes, or my sculptured features. They'd be born from some of the most powerful families in London. Look at all this opportunity. I really do like you, Annabeth Chase. What do you say? Reply with a place we can meet up at? Until then, farewell. Percy." Then there was the lightning bolt, Zeus' symbol.
Annabeth placed the letter down and sat back, her fingers tracing the delicate thread on the cloth. This was a very complicated letter. She could see-or at least hope for-sparse moments of sincerity. And when he started praising her attributes, he stopped being a too-arrogant nemesis. He seemed like an enamored suitor, and her emotions were flying as she read those beautiful words over and over. She was probably just clinging onto false hope, but his irony and sarcasm seemed to dissipate at the very core of those words. But when his ego inflated to the size of a blue whale? There was no uncertainty there. He was unarguably a jerk and a buffoon. Still, her heart whispered, someone who can write something so incredible cannot be all bad. Take him, Annabeth. She shook off the lingering hints of longing and pushed the letter even further from her.
Rationality overtook again. She would refuse, ask him to earn some manners. And she would post the letter a week later, to make him wait or hopefully, worry. He deserved it. She sat upright, spine stiff, and glared into the flickering flames of the hearth. Men were the most bothersome of this world. She picked up her cloth again and continued sewing, this time with short, impeccable stitches. Thoughts raced around her mind, and she made no effort to sort them out, only listened to them.
She'd been sitting there for quite a while when the first lantern, to the left, burned out. Frowning, she reached over, her large sleeve crashing into her purse. When she picked it up to set it further away, her fingers felt something soft inside. She reached in and pulled out three pressed lily petals. They were a warm, orangey-yellow in the firelight, and they still had a faint, pleasant scent. Annabeth held them up to her nose, and the velvety petals grazed her skin like a breeze. She set them down, studying them curiously. How did they get into her purse? An improbable idea struck her. What if they were tucked into the folds of the letter? The boy who handed it to her did tell her to handle it carefully.
She searched the pale paper for any note about it, or any sign of the petal getting pressed inside it. None. She flipped the paper over, and there, at the bottom, said, "You rather like flowers, don't you? Well, I rather like giving you them. Enjoy this gift from me, Annabeth. You smelled just like it the time we danced."
Her heart thumped loudly, and the paper dampened slightly in her sweaty hands. If Perseus remembered something like that, and could perform such a sweet gesture, he was way too complicated for her to simply dismiss. As she continued stitching, she knew that she was definitely going to have to prepare a special letter back.
Okay, well, that's it. Was it too weird or random? Yeah, I didn't really plan this part that thoroughly, but I realized I have to give Percy some more development before I keep working on their relationship. This is going to be the story where they actually get a whole bunch of character development and figure out stuff about themselves and actually solve problems they have. In my past stories I always just introduced a whole bunch of issues to make them more realistic, and then threw them down a tornado of Percabeth. Which is awesome and all, but not exactly high-quality writing.
But thanks for ready my exams-are-over-relapse chapter. It's not too long or impressive, but the quality turned out okay. And I did work hard on this (unlike when I'm studying *cough*). Seriously, I got all sorts of problems from writing this. You see, I decided to balance my laptop on my lap, and then I couldn't feel my feet, so I put it down but I can't get to the right eye level with it, even though I'm lying down on the floor. Yeah, okay, no one needed to hear that. Hopefully it provided some amusement for the people who are going to read this on Monday.
Also, one last note. I'm having break now, so I'm going to post pretty frequently. Get ready for that. And when this is out of the way, I'm staring a new story. (I always have a new story up my sleeves, guys. Always.) I might post a teaser summary soon.
Review replies:
Abidoodle.e: Yeah, well, I suck at formal talk anyway, so I'm glad you liked the casual conversation. It's way more fun to write. Thank you for complimenting my description, since I probably spend way too much time on that. You totally should search up those flowers, they're really pretty and make great wallpapers. Sorry for making you wait more than usual…
Ashspren: Wow, that is so sweet. I adored your review. I literally read it, like, six times. Thank you for the compliments. Breathtaking is one of the best ways someone's ever described my writing. I can't believe that you like every part, but thanks. I will keep writing, definitely.
JC RH: Hey, long time no see! Your reviews are actually really nice. I totally need to use some constructive criticism. Well, the first part wasn't really supposed to be related, but I get it. I'll probably keep chapters consecutive from now on. I'm glad you liked my very ambiguous and weird ending, I kind of did it in a rush. Thanks a lot, though.
Demigods-Rule: Prepare for a short lecture, sorry. Annabeth, living in the Athena house, doesn't know a lot about men. She doesn't have a chance for a lot of experiences either, so she definitely can't tell. Most of the men she does encounter are really polite and well-mannered, but Percy is just, well, Percy. Also, their emotions aren't too real for each other at this point, since they don't know one another that well yet. Don't worry, they will very soon. But, yeah, thanks for pointing that out. It was helpful. Thanks for your whole review, and I will hopefully not stop updating.
Au revior,
Pride-and-loyalty