"Hi," I say awkwardly. Though it's clear that Percy and Piper are just friends, I can't help but be uncomfortable with their friendship. I feel like a third wheel. I feel... Jealous? No, that's not it...

Piper surprises me by pulling me into a hug. I raise my eyebrows at Percy, who just shrugs and mouths 'Just go with it.' I'd like to see him 'just go with it'. "Jase said you were getting married, and you finally brought her to meet us! Hazel and Rey will be so excited..." She chatters on about something unimportant and then stops abruptly. "Oh my goodness I'm sorry! You two need to plan your honeymoon! Come on, this way." She grabs my wrist and pulls me along, talking the entire time. "So, do you have any idea of where you'd like to go? Fiji's nice in September. Ooh! Or Italy! A cruise? Or maybe..."

"Piper, I don't think..." Percy starts to say, but she just keeps talking. We've reached a cubicle and she sits behind a desk. Percy and I sit in the comfy chairs on the other side.
"Backpacking tour of Europe? Skiing in Aspen? Jason and I went to Paris once, it was fantastic. Especially the hotel room..." Too much info. I shift uncomfortably in my seat; I don't need to hear anyone's sex life., especially someone I just met five minutes ago.

"That's enough, Piper, thank you for that information."
"I'm rambling, aren't I? Here, look through this." She drops a huge pink binder on the desk; it's several inches thick and full of vacation homes and tours. "Okay, so what did you have in mind?" Her kaleidoscopic eyes stare into my gray ones, but I remain silent.

I'm not going to answer. I refuse to answer. She will not make me.
"Somewhere with great architecture," Percy says, causing Piper's stare to transfer to him.

"And water."

Piper flips through her binder. "Hmm... Ocean? Lake? River?"

"Ocean." Percy says matter-of-factly.

Piper turns some more pages. "How about... Greece?" She slides the binder across the desk and points. "The ocean I could understand, but who goes on a honeymoon to look at architecture? I mean goddamn, what are you two planning to do, christen every monument there-"

My face has got be a tomato. Can the ground please just open up and take me to Tartarus? That'd be to better than sitting here with Piper's incessant questions and assumptions.

Oh, yeah. Tartarus sounds pretty good right about now.

Percy

Oh dear baby Jesus, just let me collapse over dead. The second Annabeth mentioned Aphrodite Industries, I had wanted to die of embarrassment that I knew would come. While its be fun to travel, I wasn't looking forward to the... other aspects of a honeymoon. Don't get me wrong, Annabeth's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen and I'm bit an idiot, but we were just getting on the right track of friendship. That didn't need screwed up with the uncomfortable conversation about the honeymoon.

Just my luck, Piper's working today. She's Jason's girlfriend, nice enough, but very... Talkative. Which isn't a bad thing, but if I had to hear one more word about who was cuter I was going to vomit.

I might've been able to deal with planning a vacation (maybe we could get separate beds?) but up then Pipes had to mention christening monuments. Mental facepalm.

Annabeth looks absolutely mortified and a bit queasy. Is she going to pass out? I shoot Piper a look. A death glare that was perfected by Nico and Thalia.
"Thank you Piper, I think that's enough." I'm trying to be diplomatic, but I can't seem to keep a bite out of my voice.

She silences, and returns to her business-like persona. "Right. Sorry. So, Greece? Here's a few brochures on houses and stuff..." She thumbs though a file in the desk drawer and pulls it a few papers. "Here you go. Call if any of it interests you, 'kay?"

I nod, and Annabeth grabs the papers and slides them into her oversized purse. We say goodbye and had back to the car in silence. A thought comes to me as we walk- did Piper's mention of the honeymoon completely destroy any progress we had made? Like, as soon as I got a few steps forward, twenty minutes made me take 500 steps backward?

Beckendorf senses the tension and opens the door silently. Annabeth quietly thanks him and slides into the bak seat. Beck starts driving, and we sit quietly for fifteen minutes, looking at anything but each other. It's like the incident with the concrete when we first met, except this time the tables are turned and it's a piece of fuzz on the seat.

Annabeth breaks the silence. "I'm supposed to look at dresses next. I think the rules state that you aren't supposed to come."

"And I was looking forward to trying on dresses. Don't you think I'd look fabulous?" I tease, striking a dramatic pose. It may make me feel stupid (I'm acting like Leo. Is this how he feels all the time?) but Annabeth's smile makes it worth it.

"Oh, yeah, definitely. Though blue may be more your color."
The wall of ice has been thawed, but we need to be completely away from it or it'll keep rebuilding itself.

Annabeth
"I think we need to talk."

I look up from the window. Can't I just keep looking out the window? Thalia would say I'm just avoiding my problems, but whatever. Maybe I am, but isn't everyone entitled to an Avoidance once in a while? This isn't something that can be put off, though. It's a necessary conversation that I'm not looking forward to.
"Mhmm." There's a thread sticki out of the knee of my jeans; I pick at it, pulling 'til it comes loose. Maybe if I avoid speaking, he won't begin the conversation.
"It's too late to change anything," That's what you think. "And we need to face the facts. We're getting married-" No we're not. "-and whatever happens from the arrangement should be discussed before..."

So many things I want to say. So many protests on the tip of my tongue. I can't say them; if I did, the entire plan could be jeopardized and we can't afford that. It's not just me, now. Thalia and Luke are counting on me, and I won't make it ten miles without their help.

"Okay." The only word I can force past my lips. Percy looks like he was expecting more of a response, but he's not going to get one.

"I think we should start with what we want out of the arrangement."
"Fine, what do you want?" The only thing I really want is for things to stay normal. For Percy to stay my friend. I've only ever had one, Thalia, and making them is hard. Silenna could count, but it's not the same.

"For us to stay friends. For nothing to change, just because we have a piece of metal on our fingers." This sounds reasonable, and is very similar to what I want.
"Deal." The car parks in front of a boutique.

"Okay. So, dress shopping?" I nod, and we slide out if the car and enter the building.

"Try this one!" Percy hands another dress over the top of the changing stall. Gods damn, this is the tenth one! It's different than the others- less beading and pouf, more elegance.

I slip off the one I had on- some mermaid number with a too many ruffles- and try on this one. It's nice, but the sleeves are a bit much.

"Nope!" I say, tossing it over the side of the door.

I can hear Percy and the sales lady- a nice woman named Ellen- picking up dresses and rummaging through racks to find more. I text Thalia about progress. Or, rather, lack of it.

Hey. For the record, dress shopping sucks.

It doesn't take long for her to respond, just as Ellen throws another dress over the door.

Be there in 5.

I try on the dress- too tight in the hips, too loose up top- and toss it aside. I'm never going to find anything that'll work. White just isn't my color. Gray is, blue is, heck I could pull off brown, but white? Not a chance.

"Annabeth! Found you a dress!" Thalia's voice chimes. "Take it!"

Over the door tumbles a massive princess-pink ball gown thing. I'm not even going to try it on. "Nope!" I shout, tossing it back over. Another dress comes flying, this time a black slip of a thing. "Uh, Thals? This isn't a dress. It's a shirt!"
"Whoops, that's mine. Give it back!"

I do, and she throws across another dress. This one's a deep blue, like midnight, with seed pearls around the neckline. It has sheer long sleeves, a full skirt, but no train. I like it. But it's not a wedding dress.

"Need another?" Thalia asks. She directs Percy to take the discarded dresses back tot he racks, and I hear him grumble.

"Yeah!"

Another dress, and I think it's the one. The bottom is a dark gray, fading into an off-white color. It has a full skirt, no sleeves, and seed pearls around the torso. I try it on and take a glance at myself in the mirror. It looks good, makes you look away from my tired eyes and frizzy hair. The feel of the satin against my skin is like heaven.

"No more! I found it!"

A/N: Hello! Sorry for lack of updates, this chapter was really hard to write. I'm going out of town next week and might not be able to post from Thursday-Monday. I'm going to Tennessee for a book signing. I'm going to meet Veronica Rossi and Tahereh Mafi! Thanks for reviews, seriously. Every time I get an email, my mood automatically brightens, so good job.

I'm seriously trying to get to the point in mid-July, but it isn't working as fast as I thought. Originally, this story was supposed to be 20 chapters, but now I'm not sure how long it'll be. Also, the Annabeth falling out of a tree wasn't supposed to happen, or the date to the Empire State building, or *clue for a chapter somewhere in the next 10* Percy's childhood accident.

Thanks again!

-Winter'sFangirl