This chapter is dedicated to everyone sitting alone on Valentine's Day, watching movies or reading fan fiction. Don't worry: Aphrodite's creating the perfect ship for you right now. ;)

(And if you're still worried, at least you're not me. I'm writing fanfiction on valentine's Day. You can't get more pathetic than that.) XD

Enjoy. :)

It was several blocks before the nickname debate ended (won by Annabeth, who pointed out that such names were belittling, as they compared a person to food only consumed for pleasure).

"Fine," Percy said, pressing the crosswalk button. "From now on, I'll refer to you as Whole Wheat Bread. Happy?"

"I'm gluten intolerant."

He narrowed his eyes. "That's a lie. I watched you scarf down a dozen cookies at that bakery this morning."

"It was not a dozen," she said indignantly. "It was three. And snickerdoodle cookies happen to be the best food on this planet, so—"

"Oh, so I can call you Snickerdoodle?" he said. The crosswalk sign lit up. He began listing off variations of the name as they walked. "Snickers, Doodle, Snickery, Snickerdoodle cookie—hey, that rhymes!"

"Percy, my food preferences are not a good reference for creating a nickname."

"It's official." Percy raised his arms and addressed the idling cars. "My girlfriend's nickname is Snickerdoodle!"

The drivers stared incredulously. One—a woman in her mid thirties, with three wailing kids in the backseat, rolled down the window. "Do you need help?" she called to Annabeth. "Is he harassing you?"

Percy turned to Annabeth. "Am I annoying you, Snickerdoodle?"

Annabeth waved the driver off. "I'm good," she said. Then to Percy: "Call me that again and I will remove the taste buds from your mouth."

The crosswalk sign began flashing a warning. A driver honked. "Oi, mate!" Percy said in his awful British accent. "Keep your pants on!"

Rolling her eyes, Annabeth grabbed his arm and pulled him to the sidewalk. "Do you really need to aggravate every driver you pass? For all we know, the police are still looking for us after last time.

Percy snorted. "For what, jaywalking? Snickerdoodle, there are worse crimes than walking across the street." He made a face. "I see what you mean. Snickerdoodle has too many syllables for a nickname."

"Thank God," she said. "That was the cringiest name you've ever come up with."

He grinned. "Come on; you know you love me. We're dating, after all."

"Fake dating," she corrected automatically.

Percy hesitated. "Right." There was something off about his voice. "Fake dating."

She gave him a quizzical look. "You okay?"

He blinked, shaking his head. "Yeah, fine." His cocky smile was back in an instant. "Don't go turning into a mother hen, Chase."

She rolled her eyes. "I've kept you alive for the past seven hours. That's enough for me."

Ten minutes later, the sidewalk branched into a small park, winding its way through a grassy area bordered with oak trees and dotted with red maples, picnic tables, and several families enjoying a winter picnic.

"Can I ask you a question?" Annabeth said abruptly. They were still on the sidewalk. Above the trees, she could see the buildings towering over the small sanctuary.

"Does it have anything to do with my fully clothed body?" Percy joked, repeating her response from half and hour ago.

"Yes," she deadpanned. " I mean, your body's practically a miracle. How can you live on a diet of chips, cookies, and pizza, and still look as fit as you do?"

"So you admit it," he said triumphantly. "I'm devilishly handsome and strong."

"I did not say that." She stretched, groaning. "My legs are killing me. How much longer?"

"Twenty minutes," Percy said. "And don't change the subject. You totally admitted I'm in shape." Percy slowed, stopping next to a tall maple dusted with snow. "Does your analytical mind need proof?"

Annabeth snorted. "What are you going to do, find a gym and lift weights?"

"Nah." He leaned his shoulder against the maple. "There's an easier way. How much do you weigh?"

She furrowed her brow. "I dunno...a hundred and thirty, maybe? Why?"

He spread his hands and grinned. "I'll match your weight. I bet you twenty bucks that I can find and lift a hundred and thirty pounds. And I'll do it in the next ten seconds."

"Ten seconds?" Annabeth laughed. "I'll take that bet. What are you going to match my weight with, a hundred squirrels and b—HEY!" she cried as Percy swept her off her feet, lifted her up, and slung her over his shoulders fireman style. "THAT'S CHEATING!" she roared.

Percy grinned. "I never said I'd find something else to lift," he said. "I win."

"That's not...that doesn't...you son of a...oh, just put me down!"

"Do you have twenty bucks?"

"No," she said, raising her head from its upside-down position to glare at him. "I have three, as you well know."

He shook his head sadly. "Too bad. I guess I'll have to keep you hostage until you pay me." He shifted her weight, making sure she was secure, and then set off down the sidewalk.

"That makes no sense," Annabeth said. "How am I supposed to get money when I'm a hostage?"

"Hey, you're the one who fell for it. Don't blame me."

"You're a jerkface," she grumbled.

"I've been told that by many people," Percy said, "but I've never believed them. If I'm a jerkface, then why do I have a pretty blond hanging on both arms?"

"First," Annabeth said, "maybe it was because you kidnapped her. And second—I'll admit, that comment was pretty clever.

They passed the tree line and were once again surrounded by buildings. Pedestrians began staring at them. Percy waved cheerfully. "Don't mind us!" he said. "My girlfriend doesn't want to get her shoes dirty. "Don't worry, honey!" he added loudly. "I'll save your poor shoes!"

"What a nice young man," an elderly woman said to her two companions, who were knitting a pair of socks on a bench. "Such chivalry."

Annabeth scowled. "He's not chivalrous, he's annoying!"

The elderly woman merely smiled. "Hold on to that one, dearie," she said, pointing a long finger at her. "He is significant."

"Hear that, Annabeth?" Percy said after they passed the bench. "I'm significant."

"A significant annoyance," she huffed. Her neck hurt from keeping her head up, so she let it fall down. "Asshole," she muttered. She didn't mention that she was the tiniest bit grateful for the break from walking (which he probably knew). There was no need to inflate his ego even more.

Across the street, something caught her eye. A sparky shoe.

Her head shot up so fast, she cracked every joint in her neck. She just caught sight of a red ponytail before it whipped around the corner.

Percy paused. "You okay?"

"There was a—I thought I saw—" She shook her head. What had she seen? A sparkly shoe and a redhead? There were plenty of sparkly shoes in New York City. Plenty of redheads. It didn't mean anything.

It didn't mean they were being followed by the Maenads.

"Nothing," she said. "It was nothing."

"You sure?" he checked.

She was just being paranoid. There was no need to ruin a perfectly good afternoon. "Yeah," she said. Then, to appear more confident, "Now giddy-up! We don't have all day."

"Sheesh," he said, grunting as he shifted her weight again. "Maybe I should nickname you 'Privileged Princess."

"Oh please," she said. "I'm not a princess: I'm a queen."

Percy laughed. "All right, m'Lady. Let's—" he paused.

"What?"

"Uh…"

Annabeth looked up. To the side. To the other side. Nothing.

Then she looked down.

A little girl stood in front of them. She was about four, with big brown eyes, curly dark hair, and a piece of paper clutched to her chest. "Are you Percy Jackson?" she asked. Her voice quivered slightly.

"Uh...yeah." Percy said slowly.

The girl looked up at him. "You're taller in real life. Is that why you're carrying her? Because your legs are longer?"

Percy hid a smile. "Sure," he said. "Hey, can you tell me where your parents are?"

The girl plopped, resting her chin in her hands. "I dunno. I haven't seen them in a while."

Annabeth and Percy exchanged a nervous look. A four year old wandering around New York City was never a good thing.

"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," the girl said. "But I've watched your videos, so you're not technically a stranger." She looked up, and Annabeth saw tears filling her brown eyes. "I don't know where I am."

Percy crouched down; Annabeth slid off his back, kneeling next to the girl. "Can you tell me your name?" she asked.

"Georgina," the girl said, sniffling. "It's like the state, but with an I-N-A at the end." She said it slowly, like she had practiced a long time to get it right.

"That's a cool name," Percy said. "You know who we are, right?"

Georgina nodded. "I already said your name, remember?" She pointed at Annabeth. "And you're his girlfriend. Anna."

"Close enough," Annabeth said.

"You were really mean in Target, but then you got nicer." She looked down at her piece of paper. "I made this at the library with my mommies. You can have it."

"The library?" Percy asked. "Is that where you were?"

"Yup." Georgina pressed the folded paper into Annabeth's hands. "It's for you."

"I can't," Annabeth said. "That's not—"

Georgina's eyes were filling with tears again. "I mean, thank you," Annabeth said quickly, and accepted the paper. "I love it."

"I drew it myself," Georgina said. She fiddled with her jacket zipper. "It's really cold."

Percy was scrolling through his phone. "The Hermes Library is the closest I can find. That might be what she's talking about."

"I'm hungry," Georgina said. "Do you have any food?"

"Do you like churros?" Percy asked, pointing to a food cart across the street.

Her eyes lit up. "Yeah!"

Percy chuckled. "All right, kiddo. I'll be right back." Leaning down, he whispered in Annabeth's ear, "Keep her entertained for a couple minutes. I'll call the library and see if they've reported a missing child." Then, phone and wallet in hand, he jogged toward the cart.

"No jaywalking!" Annabeth shouted after him.

He raised a hand and veered toward the crosswalk. Annabeth rolled her eyes and turned back to Georgina. "Sorry about that," she said. "He can be a bit clueless sometimes."

"Is he really your boyfriend?" Georgina asked, wiping her nose. "Do you love him?"

"That's what we said in the videos, isn't it?" she said evasively.

"That's not an answer," Georgina said reproachfully. "Do you love him or not?"

"I—" The words caught in her throat.

Why couldn't she say them? Earlier, she had no problem lying for the camera. No problem with throwing the phrase around like it was nothing. Because it was nothing. But now…

"Are you choking?" Georgina asked. "Your face is getting all weird."

"I'm fine," she managed to say. "I'm not—"

Georgina sniffled, then began to cry. "I want my mommies!"

"Shh, hey, it's okay," Annabeth said quickly. "Don't cry, please don't—oh god, I don't know what I'm doing."

Georgina only cried harder.

Yeah. She was great at entertaining kids. She'd been with one for thirty seconds, and the kid was already crying.

"I have an idea," Annabeth said wildly. "Do you like secrets? Can you keep a secret?"

Georgina wiped her sleeve across her face. "Y—yeah. One time at preschool, I kept a secret for a whole day."

Well, Annabeth thought, that would be more than enough. "What if I told you," she said carefully (anything to stop the crying), "that Percy and I were just pretending to be in love?"

Her wording was hypothetical, so she wasn't technically breaking the contract. At least, that's what she told herself. Slipping Georgina's paper into her back pocket, next to the valentine with their signatures, she sat down cross legged in front of the girl.

Georgina frowned. "Is that why you can't say you love him? Because you don't?

"What do you think?" Annabeth said. She glanced at the food cart, where Percy was in line, holding the phone to his ear. Just a few more minutes.

Georgina furrowed her brow. She picked at the blue strap of her shoe, which was already frayed and peeling. "Maybe you just don't know yet," she said thoughtfully. "Maybe you don't know if you love him, and that's why you can't say it." She looked up at Annabeth. "Maybe when you say it, you want it to be real.

Annabeth gaped at the girl.

Georgina smiled smugly, her tears forgotten. "I'm right, aren't I?"

No. She wasn't right. It was impossible—unimaginable—that she could be right. Annabeth had just met Percy! She was barely even friends with him, and this girl had the audacity to assume she was falling in love? It was ludicrous, crazy, ridiculous, completely out of the—

"Your face is getting weird again," Georgina said.

"Is it?" Annabeth muttered. "That's great."

"My birthday's tomorrow," Georgina said. "I'm almost five. Mom and Mama said I'm the smartest almost-five-year-old on the planet."

"That's...that's great," Annabeth managed to say, her head still spinning.

"Can you buy me a present?" she asked. "I like engineering books."

"I—"

"Good news!" Percy said. He jogged toward them, the churro in his hand steaming the air. "I called the library and—shit, what's wrong? You have that look on your face."

"Don't swear in front of kids," Annabeth said quickly. She turned away from him and busied herself with zipping up Georgina's coat.

"Oops," he said. He knelt down and handed the churro over. Georgina grabbed it and began eating with gusto.

"I called the library," Percy told Annabeth. "They said her parents reported her missing after Story Time, about three hours ago."

""I got bored," Georgina said. "I was trying to go home, but I got lost." She sniffled again.

Percy put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll get you back," he said. "Don't worry." He turned to Annabeth. "I told them we're heading to the library. The librarians are trying to contact her parents, so hopefully they'll meet us there."

Annabeth nodded. She pushed Georgina's words away, filing them in the back of her mind. There would be time to ponder them later. "You ready, Georgina?"

The girl nodded. Annabeth offered her a hand; beside her, Percy did the said. Georgina thought fast. She crammed the churro into her mouth and latched onto both of their hands, letting them pull her up. "We're going to my mommies?" she asked, spewing crumbs.

"That's right," Percy said.

Her face lit up. Tear tracks still glistened on her cheeks, but her eyes were now happy. "Which way?"

"Straight ahead," Percy said.

Georgina tugged on their hands, pulling them forward. "Come on!" she said. "Hurry up!"

Smiling, Annabeth allowed the girl to drag her forward.

They walked several blocks that way, with Georgina between them, pulling them forward whenever they went to slow. Eventually she began to get tired. "Make me fly!" she said, tugging on their hands.

"Make you what?" Annabeth asked.

Percy glanced at her. "Have you never played with kids or something?"

Annabeth stuck out her tongue. "I'm hanging out with you, aren't I?"

"Come on," Georgina whined. "Make me fly!"

"All right," Percy said. "Annabeth, lift up on three. One, two, three!"

Annabeth followed his example, pulling Georgina up so her feet hovered six inches off the ground. Georgina laughed. "Swing me!" she said. "Swing me!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Percy said. He winked at Annabeth. "See how responsible I am?"

"That's the most conceited—shit!" Her foot skidded on a patch of ice. She teetered, one arm pinwheeling, and just managed to keep herself upright.

"Annabeth!" Percy said in mock outrage. "No swearing in front of the children!"

"Yeah, Annabeth," Georgina said, grinning up at her. "Now you have to put a dollar in my swear jar."

"I don't have any money!" Annabeth said. "Stop putting me in debt."

Georgina's eyes lit up. "There it is!" She pointed at the library, a tall stone building flanked with lion statues. She released their hands and ran to the steps. "Come on!" she said. "Hurry up, slowpokes!"

"Yeah, Annabeth," Percy said. "You're such a slowpoke."

"She's your child. You saw her first, you can raise her."

"She likes me best," he said. She opened her mouth to argue, but he ran after Georgina before she could. "First parenting rule: keep your child in sight!"

"I am not raising a random child with a celebrity I just met!"

"You can be the grumpy parent!" he called over his shoulder. "I'll be the fun one!"

"In love with you," Annabeth grumbled. "Ha!" Still muttering under her breath, she followed them inside.

After checking in with the librarian, they wandered over to a reading corner, complete with bean chairs, shelves of books, and a stack of blankets.

"This is more like it," Percy said. He grabbed several blankets, tossed one to her, and collapsed on a beanbag, the blanket over his head. "Wake me when they get here."

"Georgina?" a frantic voice called out. "Georgina, is that you?"

Georgina's face lit up. "Mama!"

Percy removed the blanket from his head. "That sounds promising."

And older woman rushed toward them. Her long brown hair was tangled and covered in snow; her jeans were splattered with mud. "Georgina!" she cried. She skidded into the corner, threw her arms around Georgina, and clung to her. "Jo, she's over here! Over here!"

Another woman—Jo—appeared. Her face filled with relief. "Oh, thank God." She strode forward and wrapped her arms around her daughter and wife.

Percy and Annabeth stood awkwardly to one side, watching the family reunion.

It was several minutes before the trio broke apart, their faces streaked with tears and lipstick. "Mama, Mom," Georgina said, "this is Annabeth and Percy. They're from the YouTube videos."

"Hi," Annabeth said. "We—"

Jo pulled her and Percy into a tight hug, cutting off her words. "Thank you," Jo whispered fiercely. "Thank you so much."

Annabeth blinked rapidly. She couldn't remember the last time someone had hugged her like this—like a mother would. "It was nothing," she choked.

Jo released them. The other woman stepped forward, tears of gratitude sparkling in her eyes. "Here," she said, and held out a crumpled twenty dollar bill.

Annabeth shook her head. "We can't take that," she said. "Really, it was noth—"

The woman pressed the bill into her hand. "Take it," she said. "It's the least we can do."

Georgina grinned up at them. "It's a Valentine's Day present!"

Percy laughed. "Thanks, kiddo." He ruffled her hair, and she giggled. "See you around."

"Bye!" She waved happily as her parents led her away. "I'm gonna be so popular!" she told her parents as they opened the door. "The kids are gonna be so jealous that I met Percy and Annabeth!"

The door closed, and then Georgina was gone.

Percy fell back on a bean chair. "Well, that was an adventure."

"You don't say." She stared at the twenty dollar bill, then at the boy across from her.

It had been so long since she felt included. Thalia and Luke tried their best, but things had never been the same since they got together. She had been left behind—literally, as they were warm and cozy in her apartment and she was on the streets.

But today, she was with a boy who—for reasons she couldn't explain—was making her smile and laugh and feel that sense of belonging, that rightness, that hadn't existed years.

(Which was ridiculous, she realized, because they were fake dating. That should have been the exact opposite of belonging.)

"You okay?"

"Yeah," she said quickly. "Just...we should start another video. You know, to keep up appearances. Fake dating and all."

He looked slightly disappointed. "Oh. Right." He stood up and gave her a slight smile. "At least you can pay me back now, right?"

"Oh no," Annabeth said. She slipped the bill into her back pocket. "If being in debt means you carry me around New York City, then this money stays with me."

"That's cheating!" Percy exclaimed.

Annabeth smiled sweetly at him. "Come on," she said. "I wouldn't want to get my boots dirty."

"Asshole," he said, then groaned. "Fine. Hop on."

She placed her hands on his shoulders and jumped up, piggy-back style.

Before today, she would have scoffed at a piggy back ride, called it childish and immature. And now she was volunteering.

Georgina's words rose unsummoned.

Maybe when you say it, you want it to be real.

"That's ridiculous," she said aloud.

Percy gave her a quizzical look.

"Nothing," she said quickly. She pointed at the door. "Now, forward!"

"You're a jerkface," Percy joked, slipping his arms under her knees to support her.

"I've been told that by many people," Annabeth said, "but I've never believed them. If I'm a jerkface, then why do I have a brunette between my legs?"

"We really need to stop plagiarising each other's jokes," Percy said defeatedly.

Literally any professional editor: Don't make your novel too cheesy.

Me (pouring fondue over my keyboard): Just you effing try and stop me.

DaughterOfIris23: Oh my gods thank you. I literally squealed when you said I was a good writer. And don't worry; I've read some of your stories—girl, you've got talent as a writer! You should give yourself more credit. :)

Voldinette: I'm glad it's the good kind of cheese lol, because this last chapter was a mixture of words stirred into fondue. XD (And thank you for the compliment! It really means a lot.)

Rexsnippercabeth: What have I done to deserve such a nice reader/reviewer? Thank you so much; I'm so glad you think it's awesome. :)

Abby: Aw, thanks! I hope you liked the chapter—in all its flawed cheesiness lol.

Understanding.s.s: Thank you! :) Lol, it was only supposed to be ten thousand words at most, and now….well, I have ten thousand words down and even more coming. Oops….

Darkside princes: Yay! I'm so happy you like it! Thank you for leaving a nice review—I love reading them. :)

Guardian'sDragonOfDeath: Thank yooooooou! (sorry, couldn't resist after reading the 'soooooo in your review. Gods, do I need a better sense of humor….) XD