Disclaimer: I don't own PJatO.

Author's Note: Life got a little crazy (plus I had major writers block). Sorry for not updating for so long. Here is the final installment of Three Thousand Miles. I felt this was the right time to end this mini story. Thanks for reading. ----Poseidon's Sapphire

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Tension and Some Other Emotion

Three hot chocolates, fifteen marshmallows, and one pillow fight later, Annabeth and Percy were sitting in front of the televison with steaming mugs of liquid and a bowl of popcorn between the two. The opening credits were playing on the National Treasure: Book of Secrets.

"Ann, Percy, I'm going to be in my room if you need anything." Sally Jackson said, shutting off the lights, before walking down the short hallway of the apartment and into her bedroom. The two demigods sat on the couch as the lights went off. Annabeth and Percy were now only illuminated by the flickering tv. Just as the tv was, emotions flickered in the air between the two people. Awkwardness, awareness, nervousness, and a sense of growing anticipation. Who would be the one to break the silence? Or, would they just sit in complete silence the entire movie?

Annabeth sighed. Why, why, WHY, did teenagers have to posses hormones? As far as she was concerned, they were nothing but a nuisance, a hinderment in her life. After all, how the Hades was she supposed to help defend Mt. Olympus against the Titans, all the while wondering if Percy would die? She grumbled to herself in her mind, her eyebrows lacing together visibly. Absentmindedly she reached for a handful of popcorn and attempted to focus on the movie, failing horribly.

A hand bumped into Annabeth's as she reached for the popcorn. She yanked her hand away from Percy's, mumbling a 'sorry' before returning to her stormy thoughts. Yes . . . he was a problem. Annabeth bit her lip, an annoying habit she had picked up when she was stressed. Yes, this was Percy, Poseidon's son, her mother's enemy. Yes, she also knew that it is a major conflict that she was even friends with him. Hence the reason she had to hold in her emotions all the time. Yeah, you guessed it. Annabeth, daughter of Athena, had fallen for none other than a son of Poseidon. Can't tell you how pleased the 'rents were of that. She inwardly rolled her eyes. Being a teenager with an all-powerful parent was sometimes . . . annoying, for lack of a better word. Suddenly, she was jarred out of her thoughts by Percy. He had moved over so he was sitting right next to her, his hand gently tapping on her shoulder. Annabeth quickly recovered, her senses overwhelming her at first. The tv, which at the moment was stopped, Percy looking at her concerned, and the warm mug that her fingers were gripping.

"Annabeth? Are you ok?" Percy's voice cleared all confusion away, as her brain focused on the situation at hand.

"Yeah . . . I'm fine."

Percy looked skeptical. "Then why didn't you answer me the first five times I called your name?"

Damn, Annabeth thought, was I really that unaware?

"...I was just . . . thinking." Very intellectual Annabeth, her thoughts scolded, as her expression went from one of surprise to a deep scowl. "See? Fine." Why had she even come here? This wasn't helping her attitude . . . or her focus apparently.

"Oh . . . no need to get hostile." Percy's expression matched hers. He looked away and started the movie again. His eyes were staring at the screen but any fool would have been able to see that he was elsewhere in his mind. "Annabeth?"

That was a surprise. His voice had a certain . . . desperation to it. Annabeth certainly hadn't planned on that. "Yeah, Percy?" Percy looked up toward Annabeth. It was painfully obvious that he wanted to share something with her. "What is it?"

"If you only had one chance to tell a person, you love them, before your ultimate demise, would you?"

It was an insightful question. Not one that Percy would have normally thought of. Truly, Annabeth had no idea what she would do. Sighing, the demigod turned toward the window, overlooking the city. The clear night had quickly turned stormy, threatening the partygoers with rain. A streak of lighting shown through the window, followed by a roll of thunder. Zeus must have been having a bad day. Then again, the days have been mostly overcast and dreary since the threat of the Titans' emerged. She turned back to Percy, who was waiting patiently, watching her. It was obvious to Annabeth whom he was talking about. Rachel. He had been spending time with her, and Ann was sure of that. She smiled sadly. What she wouldn't give to be in Rachel's place.

"Percy, you should tell them. 'Better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.'" It was a quote Annabeth felt fit the situation. Quoted from Alfred Tennyson's poem, In Memorian A.H.H. It was poetry, and Annabeth did have a certain wariness of the subject, more inclined toward an informational book on architecture. Her old English teacher had quoted him one day and told the class it was a great poem. That was that. Annabeth had gone down to the local library and checked out a book of his poetry. It had interested her and she had devoured the book. A shift in the couch made her look up from her hot - now cold, - chocolate, to greet a pair of sea green eyes right in front of her.

"P-percy?" Annabeth stammered out, cursing herself for stuttering.

Percy, on the other hand, merely gazed back into her confused gray eyes. It was now or never. It had taken all night to build up the courage. He wasn't going to let another time to show his feelings slip by. He leaned in and pressed his lips against Annabeth's.

Annabeth was in a state of confusion and panic. What was happening? She should stop this. It was wrong. What would their parents do to them? What about Rach-. It finally clicked in her mind. Percy was never talking about Rachel. He was talking about her. This was a new but, instead of analyzing the situation, she threw caution to the wind and shyly kissed Percy.

It wasn't the most romantic of scenes. Sitting on a ragged, old couch with a nearby window that overlooked a stormy mass of rain and black clouds. Percy and Annabeth didn't even notice the storm. For them it was now or never. One, or both of them could die in the upcoming battle. They deserved this chance. A chance at happiness, pure bliss. And to imagine that this all started because of a wish made three thousand miles apart.

End