Holy cow! I just realized that I am getting married in 42 days. That is really not as much time as it seems and I still have quite a bit to do. I'm going to do my best not to let it interfere with my updating schedule but no promises.

This chapter is going to be a long one and by long, I mean the equivalent of two. Enjoy. :-)

Starts as Percabeth, will eventually be Percy x Apollo.

Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.

Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.

ΩΩΩ

December 18th

Percy POV

I woke up in a very good mood. As I got ready, I found that I couldn't stop smiling. I had been looking forward to this day all month.

Most people may have found it a silly tradition but every month on the 18th, Annabeth and I would spend the day together. It had started with our one month anniversary. We decided that even though we were both usually busy, we would make sure to spend a whole day together, just us, at least once a month. Since we had started dating on August 18th, we had decided to make the 18th our day.

With the exception of the time that Hera had kidnapped me and wiped my memories, we had never missed a month.

I found myself whistling as I bounced down the stairs. I may have been a terrible whistler but I found it to be the perfect way to express total cheer.

Jason looked up from his bowl of cereal when I entered. I flashed him a bright grin as I grabbed myself the last piece of Ambrosia from the container Artemis had given me. I had tried my best to make it last but even only eating a smallish piece every two or three days couldn't make it last forever. I would have to remember to ask Apollo tomorrow about getting more.

I took my seat across the table from the son of Zeus. The golden boy smiled at me. "Well someone's excited this morning."

"Of course I am."

He laughed, "So what are the two of you doing today?"

I shrugged, "I don't know yet. I decided on us having a picnic last month so it's Annabeth's turn to choose."

We lapsed into silence as we finished our breakfast. I was a little surprised that Annabeth hadn't come downstairs yet. She was usually up before either of us. I figured that she was taking advantage of her day off to sleep in a bit.

Jason was just putting his bowl in the sink when Annabeth came to the kitchen. I was surprised to see how tired she looked. Her hair was a little frizzy and she had dark bags under her eyes.

"Hey, are you okay? You look tired."

The daughter of Athena jumped a little at the sound of my voice. She looked at me in surprise.

"Percy, what are you doing up?"

I felt my confusion growing. "Umm... Having breakfast?"

"What are you talking about?" She looked at her watch and frowned, "It's only 3 am."

Jason and I shared a look, "Have you looked outside?"

My girlfriend gave me a confused look but she chose to go to the window and pull the curtain back. When the sunlight met her face her jaw dropped.

When she didn't do anything else I decided to ask, "Do you mean to tell me that you haven't slept yet?"

She shook her head and stepped away from the window with a frown. "No. I was working on the new designs for the fountain that Kymopoleia said she wants to have in her temple. The battery in my watch must have died. I didn't think it was so late, or early I guess."

"Oh," I frowned. I had been looking forward to spending the whole day with her but she needed sleep. I shook my head and forced a smile, "No worries wise-girl. Go upstairs to bed. We can head out later."

Annabeth's frown deepened. "What are you talking about? Where are we going?"

I felt my mouth open and close a few times in shock but nothing came out.

It had to be a misunderstanding. There was no way that Annabeth would have forgotten. This had been our tradition for over a year. She must be really tired...

Jason looked between the two of us. "Annabeth, do you know what day it is?"

She looked at us as though she was judging our sanity. "Umm... Friday?"

I shook my head in disbelief. I was glad Jason was there because I wasn't certain that I could think of anything to say.

"I meant do you know the date of the month? What's significant about today?"

She looked completely lost. "It's not Christmas. I know that."

I sighed and shook my head. I had to clear my throat before I could speak. "Your right, it's not Christmas. Christmas is exactly one week from today."

She tilted her head, once again confused. "Then what is it? I'm too tired for guessing games."

I felt a stab of pain in my heart. "It's December 18th."

"What's so special about Decemb...?" Her eyes widened in recognition, "Oh my gods! Percy, I'm so sorry. I completely forgot."

I gave her a sad smile and shook my head. "It's okay wise-girl. You have a lot on your mind. Just head to bed, I will still be here when you wake up."

She gave me a guilty look. "I... I can't today Percy."

I felt my face fall. "What do you mean you can't?"

I vaguely noticed Jason sneaking out of the room to give us a bit of privacy.

Her guilty look grew. "I promised Kymopoleia that I would have the fountain plans done by tomorrow and I'm nowhere near finished."

I knew it wasn't completely fair but I couldn't help getting upset. "This is our tradition wise-girl. We've done it every month since we got together."

She frowned. "I already said I'm sorry Percy. I forgot. Plus we have missed a few months before. Can we just skip it this month? I am already planning to take Christmas and New Years Eve off. Why don't we..."

I stepped away from her with a frown. "The only time we have ever missed it was when Hera wiped my memories. If I had any choice in the matter, I would have been with you. I know I will see you at Christmas, but that's different. This is our day Annabeth. It's supposed to be just the two of us."

"I know that, but I forgot. There's nothing I can do. I already gave her my word."

I sighed and let my shoulders drop. I felt like someone had just kicked me in the gut. I couldn't think of anything to say to her. I just shook my head and walked out of the house.

ΩΩΩ

I was hoping that she would call me back, but she didn't.

I didn't even know where I was going.

I was doing my best not to think about my fight with Annabeth. I felt bad for walking out but at the same time, if I had stayed, I would have said something I regretted. I couldn't decide if I had made the right decision or not. I didn't want to say something that I couldn't take back, but I didn't like walking out either. It felt like I was running away. That was something that I was highly unaccustomed to doing.

True she had been the one to forget but at the same time, she also seemed to regret it. When I had forgotten our one month anniversary though, I managed to make a deal with Hermes to send us to Paris. I didn't need any big event like that was, but I did want to spend the day, or even part of it, with my girlfriend. I just didn't understand why that was so hard.

I rubbed the back of my neck. I had no idea what to do; I needed to talk to someone who did.

After an hour or so, my feet lead me to Apollo's door. I sighed sadly before knocking. I only had to wait a few moments before the door was answered.

The sun god's surprised expression quickly turned to one of confusion, "Hey Percy. What are you doing here? Don't you have a date?"

I winced. I was trying very hard not to think about the fact that my friends remembered our date while my girlfriend did not. "I'd rather not talk about it. Are you busy?"

He shrugged, "Not really. I was just about to head to the archery range."

I nodded. "Mind if I tag along?"

His confusion was beginning to look more like worry, but he nodded his agreement regardless.

ΩΩΩ

Apollo POV

Considering that Percy couldn't hit the broad side of a barn door on a good day, he decided to sit off to the side and watch me shoot rather than train. As I took my stance, I allowed my brain to wander.

To say that I was worried about the son of Poseidon would be an understatement. Just looking at Percy made my heart hurt. His huge eyes betrayed just how lost and disappointed he was feeling. It was the baby seal face 2.0...

Honestly, it wasn't to terribly difficult to figure out what had happened. Percy had already told me last month that the 18th of every month was a day just for him and Annabeth to spend together. The fact that he was sitting off to the side watching me shoot rather than hanging out with her said that either she had forgotten or that she had decided work was more important.

Knowing the little bit I did about the daughter of wisdom; I decided the former was more likely. I couldn't see her purposely hurting Percy by deciding that spending time with him wasn't important.

Even though I had forgotten more anniversaries and birthdays then I really cared to admit, I couldn't help but feel a little angry at Annabeth on Percy's behalf. I had no doubt that even if she had forgotten he would have reminded her what the date was. What I couldn't understand though, was what could possibly be important enough to her that she wouldn't change her schedule so that she could spend time with the attractive son of Poseidon?

I found myself drawing my arrows back with a little more force and speed then completely necessary...

ΩΩΩ

I wanted to give him time to think things through but the longer I gave him, the worse he seemed to be getting. Eventually I sighed and put away my bow. Thinking obviously wasn't helping him at all. It was time to try something else.

I walked over to where he was sitting and dropped to the grass beside him. It was a testament to the level of his distraction that he didn't even notice I was there until I thumped him on the shoulder. He shook his head and focused his eyes on me.

"You're already done training? That was fast."

I raised one eyebrow, "We've been here for over an hour."

He blushed and looked away with an awkward cough. "Oh..." He glanced around, obviously looking for a topic that would allow him to put off talking about whatever had happened between him and his girlfriend. "I have to admit, you're really good with a bow. Well, I suppose that should be kinda obvious considering you're the god of archery. The only people that I've ever seen who are as good as you are your sister and her huntresses."

I heard the thunder in the distance but I didn't really care if Artemis was mad that Percy had compared our skill. I felt my stomach do a strange twist. I rather enjoyed hearing him complement me. Even more so than hearing others do the same. Besides, I was fine with admitting that she had great aim... mine was just better.

I shook off the odd surge of happiness Percy words had given me and I focus back on the green-eye boy beside me. I may have not been the most emotionally perceptive god, but even I could tell that he needed to talk with someone.

"You know Percy; considering we are just sitting here you might as well tell me what happened."

He winced and frowned. "And if I don't want to?"

I shrugged, "Then that's your choice. However even I know bottling up your emotions isn't a good idea, especially considering that you're a god now. Eventually you're going to explode and with your powers, there is a real danger to whoever you are around when it happens. The choice is yours though. I'm not going to force you."

He bit his lip for a moment before he sighed. "Annabeth forgot."

So I was right... I nodded and motioned for him to continue.

He rubbed the back of his neck and turned to face me head on. "I just... do you know how much the two of us have been through together? Ever since the quest for the lightning bolt, we've been a team. I've always been there for her and she's always had my back. Hell, we went through Tartarus together. Now however we can't even find one day a month to spend together? How is it possible that so much has changed in such a short period of time?"

I raised one eyebrow but held my tongue. The way that his voice kept rising in pitch said that he was a lot closer to that snap then I had realized. It made me wonder just how much he kept to himself.

"I've tried to be the most supportive boyfriend that I can possibly be. I know that she needs me. She is achieving her lifelong dream. She wants the temples she is designing to last a thousand years. At the same time though, I need her too. I have to decide if I want to become a god! Annabeth's opinion means more to me then almost anyone's. Yet she doesn't even seem to realize that. This will be the biggest decision I ever make and no matter what, I will probably always ask myself 'what if'. I just... I feel like the two of us are drifting apart and I have no idea what to do about it."

After he had finished saying what he clearly needed to, I let out a low whistle. He gave me a guilty smile and I ran a hand through my hair.

"Honestly Percy, I have little to no useful relationship advice to give you. I'm not married; I've never even been in a long lasting relationship. All I can suggest is that you talk to her."

The son of Poseidon dropped his head into his hands. "I know I need to, but how can I when I can't even find the words? I tried to talk to her this morning but I ended up just walking out."

"That's just because you were mad." He raised a questioning eyebrow and I winked. "Hey, I may not have any relationship advice for you but I do have advice about fighting. I fight with my family all the time. Without fail, you can never find the words you want to say when you're angry. Give yourself time to calm down. You can always talk to her tomorrow. It's much easier to do or say something stupid when you're not in control of your anger. Just look at Ares, he does stupid crap all the time."

The son of Poseidon laughed.

I could tell that he was absorbing my words so I sat in silence until he nodded. When he did I smirked and jumped to my feet. I reached down to offer a hand to the green eyed boy.

"Come on Percy. Let's go work off all your anger the healthy way, by beating things with swords."

ΩΩΩ

Percy POV

By ten at night, I was exhausted. I may have had a lot more stamina then I used to, but even I eventually ran out of steam. Considering I had not even really begun to master my new godly gifts, even Apollo had to admit that he was impressed by how much energy I had. Though, that might have had something to do with the fact that he was drenched in sweat after the second hour.

Seriously, I couldn't believe that I had ever been that tired after such a short time.

Either way, I was immensely grateful to the god of the sun for helping me. He had become the person that I could always rely on. I tried not to think of the fact that the one I used to rely on was Annabeth. It just reminded me of how far we had already drifted.

I hadn't forgiven her per say, but at least after spending the day with the god of music I was no longer so confused. I had a plan.

I was going to take Apollo's advice and sleep on it before confronting her about the widening gap between us. It wasn't a conversation I was looking forward to but at least it would get everything out in the open. I hoped that once me and Annabeth discussed things rationally, it would get better. At the very least I had to agree with Apollo that it was a better plan than the one I had been using, which was ignoring it and hoping it went away.

I was both physically and emotionally drained by the time I made it back to the house. I walked up the pathway and opened the front door. All in all, I was quite ready for some rest.

What I wasn't expecting however, was to see the daughter of Athena waiting for me on the stairs.

She looked up from the notebook she was sketching in and I sighed. I was not ready for that confrontation. I politely nodded to her and tried to walk by her to get upstairs.

She stood up and blocked my path. "Percy..."

I cut her off, "I'm exhausted, can we do this in the morning?"

She frowned, "Where were you. I've been waiting for you for hours. Were you out with Fred again?"

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Please Annabeth, not now. I'm too tired to do this at the moment."

She crossed her arms. "We need to talk about what happened."

"I know, I'm not saying that we don't. I am just asking that we do it tomorrow."

"Why don't we just do it now? We are both here. There is no point in waiting. I've already wasted most of the night waiting for you to come back."

I felt a bolt of annoyance and aggravation, go through me. "I literally just said why. And it's hardly my fault that you decided to waste the day. If you remember correctly, I wanted to spend it with you. You made it very clear to me that you had more important things to do."

Her eyes widened and she immediately took a more defensive stance.

I inwardly winced. That was exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to avoid saying to her. Being overtired has never helped to calm anyone's temper...

"I told you why I couldn't take today off. I have responsibilities Percy. I can't always be wasting time."

Any guilt I felt over my words was wholly eclipsed by anger. "Are you kidding me? Always? Tell me this, how many days have we spent together since we came to New Rome? We were supposed to be coming here next year to go to school. We wanted to get a place together. Remember? Well, here we are. We live in the same house and I am lucky if I see you for ten minutes a day!"

"It's called a job Percy! Meaning that what I want doesn't always matter."

By this point, both of us were yelling in each other's face. "Is spending time with me even what you want?"

Her eyes flashed, "What is that supposed to mean?"

I felt a throbbing tug start in my gut but I was too focused on our argument to care. "I mean that I'm beginning to question if you even want to be with me. All you ever seem to do is work and if you're not working, you're talking about work."

"That's what being responsible means. It means that I have to put my job first. Just because you've never had one..."

It was about that moment that everything went to hell.

The tug in my gut reached a painful point and the pluming exploded. The water from the laundry room and downstairs bathroom burst out of the taps. The water seemed to have a mind of its own as it rushed to wrap around my body in a swirling vortex.

I automatically took a few steps back, the minor hurricane moving away with me. Even if I was mad, I would never hurt my friends.

My body felt like it was vibrating, I had never felt so much raw power coursing through me.

Through a break in the waves, I noticed that Annabeth had shielded her face to keep any water from getting into her eyes. I felt a stab of painfully strong guilt as I realized that I had allowed myself to lose control, even after Apollo had warned me that my powers were more erratic because of my godhood.

I had raised my hand to dissipate the water when I realized just how close I had truly come to hurting her.

My skin was glowing. Not in the radiating happiness kind of way but truly glowing. I was a human shaped glow stick! The only difference is instead of being a normal pink or blue or yellow, I was a tan colour.

I didn't even need Apollo to tell me what had happened. It was clear. I had somehow managed to switch into my godly form. The worst part was I didn't know how to turn it off.

I felt my panic raising as I fell back towards the door. I needed to get out of the house before I really hurt someone. I allowed the water that was shielding me to fall away as I ripped the door open and ran.

ΩΩΩ

Apollo POV

I had just gotten out of the shower when I heard a relentless pounding on my door. Judging by the time of night, I had a fairly good guess as to who it would be. The only thing I wasn't certain of was why the son of Poseidon was here.

I quickly tossed on a pair of pajama bottoms and went to open the door. I ran a towel through my hair as I unlocked it.

The instant I saw him, all of my questions were answered.

"Hey Apollo, can I stay here tonight?"

I blinked twice in surprise before stepping aside, allowing the unglamoured god into my apartment.

"Of course, come on in Percy. We don't want a mortal seeing you like that."

He took a deep breath and headed into the living room while I closed the door behind him.

I glanced at him once more and shook my head in mild amusement.

Guess Athena was right. I wasn't incinerated...