A/N: hello! I missed you all! Sorry for the last chapter's formatting/typos, I wanted to get it up quickly. Not 100% sure I like what I wrote... Oh well. Too late now. I wanted to clarify some questions and points of the story, because I've realized that you can't see what goes one in my head.
1. In is story, Jason and Thalia are half-siblings. It works for the plot line, and I'm not comp,every sure where I want that aspect to go.
2. Yes, I will go back and fix the previous format. Once the story is completed.
3. RomanticMessDemigod21, the 'kicked puppy' is a chichè, I think. It came out of my head from somewhere, unless I was recalling a book that I do not remember reading. Either way, my aunt volunteers at animal shelters and fosters dogs that have been abused. They look pitiful, the poor things, and so that's how I pictured Percy at that moment in the story.
4. THANK YOU ALL for that marvelous outcry of reviews! Seriously, as I type this the story's at 99, and I want to THANK YOU SO MUCH I CAN'T EVEN. When I posted the first chapter a month ago, I NEVER imagined this sort of response. Like, I thought the Internet word tell me it sucked. I can never tell you how much the reviews, favorites, and follows mean. Thank you so so much, you awesome people. I owe you everything.
5. ARainbowPegasus, I know! I've been wanting to post that kiss from the beginning. (I think it was the third scene I wrote...?) There will be more kisses. Lots more kisses. A few this chapter, come to think about it. I hope I got kissing right, considering all of my experience comes from books. (That underwater kiss? Adorable!)
I didn't forget about Thalia, so here she be:
Thalia
I didn't know how to react. I have a brother? He's friends with Pansycake Percy? I don't know what to think. My mind is swirling, a mass of confusion and madness attached to my body. How is a person supposed to react to their long-lost father and the discovery of a half-brother? The normally accepted Thalia response would be to take it in stride, but I can't. So many questions spin throughout my mind. Does my dad know about me? Does Jason? What do I tell Annabeth? DO I tell Annabeth?
That's the easiest to answer, and the answer is no. Not yet, anyway. Let her figure out her shit with Pansy Percy first. The past few weeks her eyes have taken on a new light, and I think she loves him. Whether or not Annabeth is aware of this has yet to be answered, but it's something that needs to be addressed. As much as I want her to be happy, she had a plan, and she'll stick to it. She'll sacrifice her own chance at a happy life to support me and Luke, because she's that kind of person. We've decided to keep planning escape in case we need to be ready.
Luke's had to go back to serving tables, and Frank's persnickety Grandmother is having a fit over her sweet tea. Something about it not being tea, but dirt. Whatevs, Granny. Luke catches my eyes and, when Granny Zhang isn't looking, slides his finger across his throat.
I roll my eyes. He can deal with it, he's a big boy.
It's dark, and the fireworks have started. I start making my way back to my bedroom, never one for explosions. Besides, tomorrow's Saturday. Annabeth is going to get an early morning wake-up call.
Annabeth
It's late, nearly midnight, when all the party guests leave. Percy and I were sitting in the couch in the rec room, the tips of our toes touching. Jason and Nico had just left, Thalia was nowhere to be seen, and Poseidon had retired to his room.
The air is quiet; it's a nice change after the past hours' noise. "So." I say softly. "Where are we?"
Percy looks bewildered. "In the rec room. My house. New York State." Do I detect sarcasm? I do. I send him a glare.
"You know what I meant. Where do those kisses-" my face begins to grow pink at the mention of them- "leave us?"
Percy shrugs. "I don't know. I didn't know that kisses led to anything different than what we already were." Is this his way of saying they were nothing? "Don't they usually equal 'I lo- really like you'? Because I thought we already had that covered."
He almost said 'love'. He almost said 'love'. My mind can focus on nothing else, and I must look vacant-faced for a moment before answering. "I don't know. I hadn't ever..." I avert my eyes, instead gazing at the texture on my dress.
"I hadn't, either. And to answer your question, Wise Girl, we are whenever you want to be. I think I'd prefer something a step forward rather than six steps backwards, but you decide."
I ponder my options for a minute, but who am I kidding? There's only ever one choice. "I think... I'll have to answer you in the morning." I say with a smile.
I go to be that night with the memory of another kiss.
"Good morning, Annabethie! It's Saturday!" Thalia shouts. I groan. I don't care what day of the week it is. It's before seven a.m., and therefore it is too early to be awake.
"Go away!"I groan from under my pillow.
Thalia grabs the corners if the pillow and pulls. "Anna-" yank, "-beth-" another yank. "It's Saturday!" Thalia keeps pulling on the pillow, but I refuse to lose my beloved comfort. She stops pulling, and I loosen my death grip on the pillow. As soon as I think she's given up, Thal steals the magical rectangle of comfort with one swift motion.
"Give it back!" I whine. "You're such an ass, Thalia!" She dangles the pillow just out of my reach.
"Never. It's Saturday, Annabeth. Now get up, we're going to the kitchens."
I sigh. I don't want to get up; I was out late with Percy and didn't get to bed before one a.m. "What's on the menu today, o great chef Thalia?"
"Blueberry muffins. Come on, loser." She throws the pillow onto my bed, and drags me through the halls.
Early as it is, I can't help but grin. It's nice to know that amongst all the chaos, Saturdays remain the same. Another six hours of sleep would've been nice, though.
An hour later, I stand in the Jackson's kitchen with Thalia, covered in flour. She's scooping muffin batter into the pans, purple stains on her fingers and teeth from eating the berries. After filling the last muffin cup with batter, she slides the pan into the oven and sets the kitchen timer. "Okay," she says, wiping her hands on the totally cliché 'Kiss-the-Cook' apron we found. "I need... I need... Coffee!" I stand up straighter. "Annabeth, kitchen servant! Fetch me the bitter yet oh-so-addicting drink of the heavens!"
I give her a comical salute and a 'yes ma'am!' before pouring her a mug of liquid gross. I'm not sure how she can stand to drink the stuff, and when I asked her she mentioned something about all the creatives drink it. Whatever the hell that meant.
While Thals sips her liquid dirt, I sit on the countertop and think about last night. Percy and I kissed... "Shit!" I jump off the counter. Thalia looks up from her coffee, shocked.
"What?" Her eyes are wide. "Did you cut yourself?" I can see her reason for panic; when we first started Saturday morning breakfasts, I once cut myself with a knife while slicing apples to put on top of some sort of cinnamon bread that was in the oven. The cut needed two stitches, and Thals' bread burned to a brick when my dad took me to the ER.
"No," I assure her. "I'm fine. We didn't have any knives out." Thalia's shoulders relax, and she eats another handful of blueberries.
"Then what is it?"
"Last night..." She raises an eyebrow. I hastily clarify. "He didn't hurt me, Thals. We just kissed." Only it wasn't a 'just' kiss. Those kisses were something I didn't have words to describe, and could never hope to.
Thalia throws her arms in the air. "Bethie had her first kiss! Granted, it could have been with someone better than Pansy, but..." She pauses. "You okay?" I nod; I'm completely fine. One hundred percent.
"Just confused, is all. Where does this leave us?" Hades, 2 months ago we could barely manage a conversation, but now... Thalia leans against the countertop, about to offer advice.
"Who kissed who?' She asks, sipping her drink. The scent of blueberry muffins is beginning to fill the kitchen with its sweetness.
"He kissed me first, but then I kissed him." And after that, I lost track.
Thalia makes some sound of approval, and pretends to scribble in a notebook. "Okay, you want to know what I think?" I nod. She takes a breath. "Okay. He likes you, you like him back, though I can't see why, so you're going to get married next month and live happily ever after." The timer beeps, signaling Thal that the muffins are done. She grabs a potholder and slides the pan out of the oven.
"But I'm not-" I start to reply, but then the kitchen door bursts open to a wide-eyed, bed-headed Percy in Finding Nemo pjs. His black hair sticks up in dozens of directions. "Hey."
"Hey," he yawns. "A few questions: one, why are you guys up? And two, what is that heaven I smell?" He walks over to inspect the muffins, giving me a hug and a kiss on the cheek along the way. When he catches sight of the muffins, his eyes nearly jump out of his skull. "Blue muffins!"
"Back off, Pansy, don't drool all over the things." Thalia snaps. She picks up a muffin, peels off the paper lining, and takes a bite.
Percy grabs my wrist, picks up a muffin in the other hand, and pulls me into the dining room. "Morning."
"Morning." I know why he's pulled me in here, and I know what my answer is.
He opens his mouth to speak. I interrupt. "Seaweed Brain. I think where we were last night was comfortable. Whatever stage that was, I think we were both okay with it." Percy nods and takes a bite of muffin. "So, you're okay with it?"
He nods and swallows. "Completely. These are good, by the way."
A voice pipes up. "Why Pansy! Is that a complement?" Thalia steps into the room, arms crossed and one hand clutching her coffee.
Before Percy and Thalia get into an argument, I step in. "That's enough Thals. Not another word."
"But-" Thalia protests. Percy sticks his tongue out and makes a 'na-na-na-na-boo-boo' motion. I silence him with a glare.
"You two are acting like three year olds. Be civil or I disown you both." A hard stare accompanies this statement to let them know I'm serious. My scare tactic works; Thals and Percy share a glance, nod, and don't say another word to each other for the rest of the morning.