Hey everyone! I told you I'd bring out Chapter 9 of 'More Than Just Friends' soon, didn't I?

I hope you enjoy this last chapter (not including the upcoming epilogue) and I'd like to thank you for your support on this fanfiction!

Thank you and enjoy :)

Annabeth's POV

"What do you mean 'what do we plan to do next'!?", I asked, not caring if I sounded nearly hysterical (as I'm pretty sure I was anyway).

"You mean...we can go home?", Percy asked as if the prospect of going home after all they had been through that day was as foreign as Percy completing all of his homework on time. I looked over at him and felt my heart break a little from the utterly exhausted expression he wore.

"If that is what you both desire, then you may leave", Chiron said, shrugging as if they weren't just discussing the fate of the rest of their teenage lives with him, "I will not force you to stay at Camp Half-Blood. While there are many dangers to going back to your homes unprotected and unprepared to defend yourselves from the likes of Kronos's Army, I will understand if it feels too overwhelming to live at Camp Half-Blood with strangers and fight for a cause that you've only just been informed about."

Percy looked at me, his eyes glittering with hope (and something else that I couldn't put my finger on) as he said in a low voice, "What do you think, Wise Girl?"

I could tell all he wanted to do was get out of there from the way he softly tapped his right foot (a result of both his nerves and his slight ADHD) and from the way he was looking at me as if my word was our final decision. I'll admit a part of me did want to say "See ya" to this place and to Chiron and to everything we had just been immersed in.

But another part of me thought of home - how my dad was always busy with work and how my stepmother seemed to hate me more and more by the hour - and I wanted to stay at Camp Half-Blood. Stay and learn about this new part of my heritage, my identity. Stay and learn about the history of this place and everything it stood for.

Stay and learn how to fight beside Percy... my best friend.

I didn't know how to explain all of this to him but, before I even got a chance to open my mouth, Percy looked at me with silent understanding and asked Chiron, "Could we maybe sleep on it? Like, we could just stay here for the night..."

Chiron smiled warmly and said, "Of course. I imagine you are both exhausted from everything you've gone through today. I'll send for some late-night escorts to your bedrooms", he said as he made a quick call with a small Comm-button on the side of his desk that I hadn't noticed until then.

"Piper McClean and Jason Grace, could you come to my office for a moment? I have two demigods here who need to be escorted to their bedrooms for the night."

Demigods? I thought, though before I could go far in my thinking, Percy tapped me on the shoulder, startling me out of my daze, and whispered, "Do you wanna call your dad before bed to, ya know, let him know you're still alive?", he asked seriously.

"Yeah", I said, catching myself digging in my bag for my phone only to remember that it had died back in Chiron's van, "We can ask Chiron if he has a phone we can both use", I told Percy, knowing that he'd want to call his mom to let her know what had happened and that he was safe and remembering the fact that Percy no longer had a phone.

"Okay", Percy said, somewhat distantly and I squeezed his hand reassuringly and whispered, "Hey, we're in this together, remember?"

He matched my soft smile with one of his own and my heart suddenly felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.

A couple knocks on the door behind us made me flinch and Percy and I stood up and stared at the two teenagers standing in the doorway of Chiron's office. To the left was a boy around Percy's age and height with blond hair, blue eyes and a serious case of bedhead. To the right was a lithe girl with olive skin, long, thin brown hair and a piercing gaze.

The two teens also happened to both be wearing pajamas - the girl, Piper, was wearing a long floral nightgown and the boy, Jason, wore a PJ set with the Superman insignia printed all over his trousers - reminding me once more of how late it must've been.

"I apologize for waking you two up at such a late hour", Chiron said, standing up as well, "Percy and Annabeth, this is Jason Grace and Piper McClean. They will be your roommates for the night."

"Hey, are you okay?", Piper asked me for about the hundredth time as we zigzagged through the dozens and dozens of endless narrow hallways to get to our bedroom (seriously how did anyone navigate this place without some sort of map on hand at all times?)

I gave her another one of my (winning) fake smiles and said, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Obviously, I wasn't fine.

It wasn't enough that Percy and I had to witness a death and be taken to a strange warehouse in the middle of nowhere.

It wasn't enough that we had to be told that our lives were a lie concocted by our parents to protect us from the real world.

It wasn't enough that we also learned that we were destined to save said world after only knowing about it for less than an hour.

No, now we had to split up for the night and sleep in the same room as strangers, not being able to know what the other was doing or thinking or feeling.

When Chiron bid us goodnight, we were left alone in the dark, cramped hallway with two other teenagers we'd never seen before.

The boy, Jason, was the first to speak up, "Jason Grace", he said, holding out a hand. Percy shook it first, and I followed. Piper introduced herself as well before she said, "Okay, so Jason and I live on opposite Wings of the Camp. We both have spare beds so, Annabeth, you can come with me and, Percy, you can go with Jason." I couldn't help but notice how surprisingly melodious and soothing her voice was despite her obvious irritation at being woken up at such an ungodly hour.

"Wait...oh...so...yeah I guess we have to split up for the night", Percy said, the fact that we had to split up having also slipped my mind.

"Oh...right", I said awkwardly as Percy turned to face me. My eyes felt heavy as I looked into his equally-exhausted-looking sea-green eyes and it was at that moment that I realized we were still holding hands. I nervously laughed as he seemed to just take notice too and, before the awkwardness could reach peak-level in front of these two strangers, I hugged him as hard as I could, the feeling of his injured arms around my waist having not quite left me as Piper and I took yet another right turn and stopped at a door labeled "Wing A".

"'Wing A'"?" I said, feeling more than a bit baffled by the crazy corridors and the strange organization of the rooms, "Huh, I would've thought this place would organize people by their...heritage."

"Oh, that's actually what we're working on achieving," Piper said with a yawn as she took out a brass key from her bra, "The way the bedrooms have been organized has always been a bit strange sooo we're working on ordering everyone by their heritage to have it make a little more sense."

"Yeah", I said with a yawn, "because that makes so much more sense."

"Hey", she said, her voice softening, "I know how you feel. When I first came here...my life felt like it was being turned upside-down. I couldn't think straight for a while but...I promise it gets better", she said, and, somehow, the way her words seemed to flow through me like warm honey made me feel a bit better, if only for a second.

"Thanks", I said with a genuine smile, "You're a pretty good motivator."

She chuckled with a hint of something - nervousness? pride? - before turning to open the door.

But, the second before she turned the key she faced me again and said, "Oh and, just to warn you, it isn't just you and me in these rooms so...don't freak out."

"What do you mean 'don't freak out'?", I said with a chuckle, not fully realizing what she meant until she finally turned the key and, in the midst of bright florescent lights, there came a barrage of screams and squeals. I squinted my eyes and dozens of girls - their ages ranging from 10 to 17 - seemed to appear in front of me.

Their laughter and screaming died down to quiet murmurs and suspicious glares once they took notice of us in the doorway.

Piper grabbed me by the wrist and led me - with an air of protectiveness that sent a wave of irritation through me - to the back of the large room where there were a row of doors labeled from 1-10.

But, before we could reach our door - I assumed it was number 7 - a tall girl with sleek black hair wearing frilly, pink pajamas put her hand out to block us.

Piper stood in front of me - still acting like I couldn't stand up for myself - and said, "Drew, get out of the way."

"Hey, don't be so feisty, Pipes", she said with a devilish smile and a mischievous glint in her eyes, "I'll get out of your way...but first," she said emphasizing the word with a sudden shift of her piercing gaze in my direction, "I wanna know who the new girl is."

Percy's POV

"Perseus Jackson, where are you!?", my mom screamed into the phone, her shrill voice causing the ringing in my ears to come back,"You don't know how worried I've been! I got a call in the middle of my shift about some incident at the hospital and the nurses were saying that my son had disappeared and then there was that awful news about the boy you go to school with and so I ran home and must've called you seven times before I realized that you don't even have a cell phone anymore and I-"

"Mom! Mom!", I said, loud enough to get her to stop screaming but not loud enough so that Jason could overhear the entire conversation from the modest bathroom across the large bedroom, "Please, I know you're upset, but please calm down!"

She took a few deep breaths before calmly asking, "Where are you?"

I swallowed nervously. This was part of the reason why I was hesitant to call my mom in the first place. While I knew I must've been worrying her sick what with my disappearance and Luke's death, I was dreading the inevitable point in the conversation in which she would ask me what had happened and where I was and I'd have to tell her everything. Everything about Camp-Half-Blood. About learning who my dad really was - is? - and about my apparent superpowers.

I'd have to tell her everything and hope she believed me when I wasn't even sure I believed it myself.

"Uh...", I stammered, not knowing how I could explain everything in under ten minutes, since that was the allotted time I had been given on this weird "Iris Payphone" that was in every bedroom, "So, uh, apparentlymyhighschoolprincipalisactuallytheconseleurtothissupersecretplacecalledCampHalf-BloodwheretheytrainkidsandteenswhoaredescendedfromtheOlympianstofightinawaragainstthisreallybadguywhowantstotakeovertheworldandLukewasworkingforKronosandhewastheonewhowastryingtokillmebutnowhe'sdeadandAnnabethandI-" I said in lightning-fast whispers, my words jumbling over each other until my tongue started to feel numb.

"Wait, slow down! Percy!", my mom screamed into the phone again, my panicked tone of voice rubbing off on her, "Calm down and start from the beginning. Did you say Camp Half-Blood?", she asked, and I couldn't tell whether or not she was asking me because she recognized the name or because it sounded like some gang for vampires.

I nodded (like she could see me) as I said, "Yeah. That's where I am. Camp Half-Blood."

There was a long pause and I could literally hear the leather armchair in our apartment's living room that she was most likely sitting in sag beneath her as she sat back in it.

Finally, she said in a sudden calm, low voice, "So I'm assuming Chiron explained everything to you?"

I would've screamed "AH-HA!" into the phone if it wasn't for the fact that I was so dang exhausted and the fact that Jason was in the other room, probably overhearing the entire conversation.

So, instead, I sarcastically said, "Yeah he did. Thanks for keeping me in the know all these years, by the way. Ten out of ten parenting."

"Percy, I-", my mom did sound guilty. I could tell that she was about to explain why she kept all of this from me and, while all I wanted to know was why the secrets - the lies - the truth was, I already knew.

From the moment Chiron mentioned the possibility of our parents want to protect us being a reason for them not to explain anything to us, I could instantly see my mom feeling the need to protect me, her only son, from this dangerous part of my life that I never got to know. I could picture her rationalizing every secret, every lie, with the vision of me sword-fighting and killing people and getting injured and maybe even getting killed.

Even as I interrupted her, I did understand why she did it and I was grateful for it.

But, in that moment, all I wanted was peace and quiet and I was tired of all of the questions, the explanations and the secrets.

I was tired of being in the dark.

Before I could change my mind, I slammed the receiver on the hook in frustration and fell onto the bed that Jason had lent me, getting anything but peace and quiet as my jumbled thoughts tried in vain to sort through the mess that I was in.

"Sooo, how did the talk with your mom go?", Jason asked casually, though, from the way he said it, I knew he had heard most of it - if not all of it - from the bathroom.

"Horrible", I said, face-down into a pillow, seeing no need to sugarcoat it, "But thanks for asking."

"No problem", Jason said as I heard the creak of the bed on the other side of the room, "I can't say I understand what you're going through, since I didn't really have any family to worry about me when I came here."

Now that got my attention. I sat up and asked, "Wait, no family?", finding the prospect of being orphaned and alone pretty daunting.

"Nope", he said nonchalantly as if he was merely mentioning that the cafeteria was out of pizza rolls, "Not until I got here, at least. Now, everyone at Camp Half-Blood feels like family", he said with a sheepish grin.

I thought about that for a moment. What if I didn't have family or friends to worry about me? Would I stay at Camp Half-Blood, safely tucked away where spies and enemies from Kronos's Army couldn't find and kill me?

Or would I try to go back to the way things were, when I didn't know about magic and spies and war?

"So, was it hard to get used to it? I mean, being here at Camp Half-Blood", I asked curiously.

Jason pondered that for a moment, his arms casually crossed behind his head (seriously, this guy radiated nonchalance), before saying, "It was a bit hard at first. Learning about the Olympians and getting into the routine of this place but...I don't regret coming here, if that's what you're really wondering", he said, turning his head to me and, when I didn't deny it, he continued, "I actually had a bit of experience with fighting and using my powers from another Camp on the other side of the country: Camp Jupiter", I made an exasperated sound and Jason immediately held up his hands as he added, "I know it's all really confusing but don't worry about it right now. The best thing you can do is take everything slow and deal with learning about things as they happen."

I nodded and asked, "What led you here? Didn't you have friends at Camp Jupiter who would miss you?"

For the first time since meeting him, Jason looked a bit lost and - confused? - before he responded, "It's a long story. The gist is...I lost my memory in some sort of accident six months ago and...I don't really remember Camp Jupiter or the friends that I had made there", he said with a shrug, though his nonchalance looked forced this time.

"Oh, wow. That must suck", I said lamely, feeling bad for prying.

"Yeah, it does. It's like there's a black void where my memories of that place should be. I felt a bit lost when I came here, and everything seemed wrong somehow, like my memories of Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood were colliding. But, hey man, you don't need to worry about all that", he added quickly, noticing my grim expression, "I'm ultimately glad I found Camp Half-Blood. I made some great friends, like Piper and my best friend Leo Valdez, so it turned out okay", he concluded, though he didn't sound so sure of himself, "Anyway, enough about me. What's your story? I mean, I know you and Annabeth have been through a lot lately judging from Chiron's speech at dinner."

I had forgotten all about Chiron putting us on the spotlight back at the Dining Hall earlier, so his question caught me a bit off guard as I laid back down, my hands behind my head, and said with a nervous chuckle, "That's a long story too. In the span of two weeks I've almost been killed three times and my whole world feels likes it's turning upside-down."

"I know it sucks at first, dude", Jason said sympathetically, "but, I think, if you give Camp Half-Blood a chance, you might be pleasantly surprised."

I smiled tiredly at him, "Thanks, man."

"Anytime, Percy. I'll let you get some rest", he said, getting up to turn off the lights, "Just, do me a favor?"

"Yeah?"

"Call your mom back tomorrow."

I smiled as the room was plunged in darkness.

Annabeth's POV

I sighed heavily before jumping into bed, the warmth of the PJs Piper had lent me for the night engulfing me.

"Sorry about earlier with Drew", I heard Piper say quietly from beneath the covers of her bed from across the room, "She's a brat but you shouldn't pay her much attention. Especially since you won't be staying in this Wing for long after the renovations. That is," she added quickly, "If you decide to stay at Camp."

I sighed again from frustration, though it had nothing to do with Drew's interrogation earlier - how her eyes seemed to bore into me or how her words seemed to hit me life a knife to the gut. It didn't even have much to do with my latest phone call with my dad, in which he had yelled at me over the phone for leaving him in the dark for almost seventeens hours but, in the end, had all but begged me not to stay at Camp Half-Blood. Before, I could argue with him - saying how he had kept me in the dark for seventeen years and that I was old enough to make my own decisions - my time on the "Iris Payphone" had run out and the call had been disconnected, making me feel as lost as ever.

"I honestly don't know what I'm going to do, Piper", I finally said, "I don't think I've ever felt so...lost before."

"I get what you mean", she said with a sigh, "When I first came here I was so confused. I didn't understand anything, I thought I was going crazy, and it was only until after I learned about my powers and my...heritage...that things started to make a bit more sense."

I chuckled tiredly as I finally sat up in bed and Piper matched my movements as I said, "I've actually been wondering, what are your powers?", I asked, though as soon as I saw her expression, I immediately added, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, it's okay", she said with a nervous smile, "It's just...well, my power is Charmspeak", she said, and when she saw my confused expression, she explained, "It's like this hypnotic ability to use magic in your tone of voice to persuade people to do whatever you tell them to."

"Wow, that's...impressive", I said, not knowing what else to say about that. When she explained, I couldn't help but think back to our talk in the hallway, when she was reassuring me about being at Camp Half-Blood: how her words seemed so soothing and how her expression got weird when I told her she was a good motivator.

"I can't control it all that well, actually. Like, sometimes when I talk to people, I don't mean to use it. Sometimes it just happens and I end up persuading people to do something or think something or feel something without meaning to", she eyed me as she said all of this and I could tell she was also thinking back to our conversation in the hall.

"It's not a big deal", I said with a shrug, "This whole day has been so crazy, nothing really seems surprising anymore."

She chuckled darkly, "Trust me, I know plenty about surprises. But...despite all of the confusion and frustration of coming to Camp Half-Blood, I've come to like it here. I met people like Jason, whom you met, and this other kid, Leo Valdez," she said with a wild grin, "Even though I also happen to live in the same Wing as people like Drew, I've learned to deal with it. It really is nice here, and, if you give it a chance, I think you'll come to agree with me."

"Are you using your Charmspeak now?" I asked jokingly.

She seemed to take the question seriously, however, as her eyebrows furrowed, "I don't think so. You never know with this thing, though. I would never intentionally use Charmspeak on my friends without their permission, just so you know. That is," she said with a sheepish grin in my direction, "If you wanna be friends?"

I matched her smile. The idea of making a new friend from this whole mess-of-a-day seemed comforting.

It was comforting to know that I'd have a friend, no matter what decision I would have to make in the morning.

"I'd like that", I said and, after she yawned and we bid each other goodnight, I felt something that I hadn't in in a long time as the light of the lamp in between our two beds dimmed.

I felt hopeful.

Percy's POV

"See ya later, Percy", Jason said as he grabbed his bag and headed out the door with a wink, as if he were in on some sort of secret.

And, in a way, he was, though that wouldn't last for long, I thought as I waved goodbye to him from the bathroom, spitting out the toothpaste in my mouth before going to sit down on my bed so I could tie my shoes.

After getting ready, I took a good look around the empty bedroom, feeling lighter than I had in days as I went to meet Annabeth for breakfast.

I had done Jason that "favor" he mentioned the night before and called my mom to apologize for how I had acted on the phone hours before. As soon as I got up, I raced to the Iris Payphone, still feeling groggy, and anxiously tapped my foot as I waited for her to pick up. The guilt of acting so rashly the night before stuck with me throughout the night and I ached to do the right thing and make up with my mom before I told her my decision.

I was so relieved when she said, "You had every right to be angry with me, Percy. I kept such a big secret from you and I'm sorry for that."

"It's okay, Mom. I understand why you did it and, in a way, I'm kinda glad you did", I said with a smile that she couldn't see, "But, can you promise me something?"

"Anything, sweetheart", she said, heat rising to my cheeks from the name.

"No more secrets."

She promised and, before the allotted time for the phone call could run out, we hurriedly discussed the decision I had made that morning.

The decision that I was about to discuss with Annabeth.

I walked through the crowds of people making their way towards the Dining Hall. The narrow hallways were cramped and I felt a bit claustrophobic as I was sandwiched between two, similar-looking tall guys wearing mischievous grins (who I assumed were twins) and a tall, muscular girl with a scowl etched into her face.

The one good thing about the crowds though, was that I wouldn't have to waste time trying to find my way through the twists and turns of the hallways.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, I finally saw a large area of light at the end of one of the hallways and got spewed out of the crowd into the huge room that was the Dining Hall. I turned my head from left to right, feeling a bit overwhelmed at the prospect of trying to find Annabeth in this huge room, my gaze shifting to every blonde girl that passed by.

But, before I could fall to my knees from the dizzying amount of voices and laughter that echoed off of the walls, I remembered what Annabeth had said the night before at dinner:

We'll get through this together...right?

Right.

Her reassuring voice filtered through my jumbled thoughts and I instantly knew where to look for her.

I pushed past people who were lined up at some sort of buffet table - that I hadn't noticed was there last night - and caught sight of her at the very table where we dazedly ate our meal(s) hours before.

I abruptly slowed down at the sight of her: her freshly-washed blonde hair was pulled up into a ponytail and she wore an orange shirt that I had noticed a lot of people around here wearing (maybe it was some sort of uniform?) as well as skinny jeans and the owl earrings she had been wearing the day before.

She smiled when she caught sight of me and I smiled and waved back, forcing myself to move forward as I wondered what I had just happened to make me stop in the middle of the crowded room after catching a glimpse of her.

After all, it was just Annabeth.

Annabeth.

I shook my head and jogged over to our table as I greeted her, "Morning, Wise Girl."

"Morning, Seaweed Brain," she said with a playful grin, "Sleep well?"

I wasn't sure if that was a rhetorical question or not. I didn't feel all that rested - having apparently only slept five hours before getting up to call my mom and shower - and I didn't think I looked all that rested, as I had looked at myself in the mirror after getting dressed: my eyes were red and had dark circles underneath them and the injuries on my arms ached from everything that had happened the day before.

I replied truthfully with a grin, "Not really. Did you?"

"Nope", she said, although she sounded pretty chipper for only getting about five hours of sleep, "Wanna grab some food from the, um, buffet table and then we'll talk?", she asked pointing to the hoards of kids and teens lined up for breakfast.

"Sure", I said and we made our way to the lines of people, grabbing plates and utensils along the way.

After about half an hour of waiting, we finally got to our tables (unscathed) with a decent-sized breakfast. I shoved down my three hard-boiled eggs and pancakes before Annabeth looked up from her breakfast and asked, "So, did you make your decision?"

I swallowed my glass of orange juice and looked up at her. Her storm-grey eyes that never failed to captivate me looked determined and...something else. She looked expectant and, maybe, a little afraid. As if she was afraid that we'd made different decisions.

Or maybe that was just my own fear.

"Yeah, I did", and, after sensing her hesitation, I took her hand in mine and squeezed it reassuringly, "Together, remember?" I said with a small grin.

She nodded her head and smiled, "Together."

I could feel the gazes of other teens seated at the tables around us, and I could tell that we were probably breaking a few rules by sitting at the same table.

I didn't care, though. Somehow, Annabeth's hand in mine, her eyes looking into mine, felt right.

Right in a way that I wouldn't end up understanding until later.

A few moments passed before the shadow of a man loomed above us and a wave of deja-vu went through me as Chiron said, "Good morning, Mr. Jackson and Miss Chase. Could we talk in my office for a moment?"

We nodded and got up from our table, the gazes of the kids around us following the three of us as we left the room and went through a familiar set of hallways (though they all looked pretty much the same to me) before stepping into Chiron's cozy office once again.

"I hope you two had a good night's rest. Did you both get a chance to call your parents?", he asked as he sat down in his chair.

I nodded along with Annabeth as we both took our seats.

"Did you talk to them about your decision?"

I nodded and noticed that Annabeth hesitated before nodding too.

Finally, he asked the question we'd all been holding our breaths for, "So, what will it be, children?"

I looked over at Annabeth and realized, with a bit of a jolt, that we were still holding hands. I smiled at her and she smiled too and, it was in that moment, that I knew we'd both made the same decision.

Hopefully, it was the right decision.

I took a deep breath before answering, in unison with Annabeth:

"We're staying."