Whew, finally! The second chapter! After debating with myself whether or not I should take your advice and do a multi-chapter story, I decided to swallow my indecision and follow what people told me to do. So, here it is. (I feel like what I've been doing is worse than every single thing before it, but anyway, it's already here. No going back.) Sorry for the super-late update, though. I'm a very lazy person who is admittedly terrible with deadlines.

Oh, and for those who have read my first chapter before the second week of May (I think that was when I edited it, but I'm not sure, if you've read the longer one—the one with more than a thousand words—then you've read the new version) you could check the revised version of it. It's longer and a little less OC, I think. Thanks!

Disclaimer: Is Rick Riordan a girl? No, I didn't think so.

I was running short on ideas on how to corner Percy in order to get him to talk to me. My idea of devising an Athena-worthy plan wasn't going on so well these past few days. Camp has been busy with preparations for the coming battle, and we were all occupied with our designated tasks. Being the head campers, Percy and I were given a million more tasks than our fellow campers. We had cabin inspection, reading the reports, border patrol and teaching loads. But where was the aforementioned hero of Olympus? You'd think he'd be training himself to avoid getting killed or getting himself informed of the dangers he'd be facing. But no. Sadly, a few weeks before his birthday and before war begins, the hero of the prophecy is running around with his friend planning a trip to the Caribbean while the rest of the campers here are trying to thwart the war boiling between two cabins, learning how to keep ourselves alive, teaching the younger ones, searching for more of them and creating battle strategies.

We used to share the burden of those tasks together, but after that fight in the arena, he chose to avoid me and do his job alone so he could finish earlier and escape the borders of the camp to run along to his girlfriend and hang out.

Girlfriend? I sighed.

That was one of things we used to do together. The times we could talk to each other and share our problems. Last summer, we spent every night on the beach. We'd slip outside our cabins and meet up at the shore, only to talk about anything on our minds, laugh about them and then escape the hungry harpies about to eat us for lingering outside after curfew hours. Sometimes, I'd even eat my meals at the Poseidon table, just so we could hang out and spend time together before getting ourselves killed in battle.

We were like the next Silena and Beckendorf. Everyone knew that we liked each other. Everyone thought we were meant to be. Everyone, except for us. Except for Percy. We didn't know it yet before. I was confused about my feelings for Luke and Percy. I thought Percy was going to hang on there, while I weigh my feelings for a while, but the mortal came. She came when I knew exactly how I felt. Though I couldn't say Percy felt much for her, it just felt different. Did he always have to drag her to everything that's too important to me? First, the movie night. I tried to understand, and I let it pass. But, the quest? My firstquest? If I didn't know that was a real solution, I could've strangled him.

Everything went south since the redheaded nightmare came. At first, it wasn't that bad. But it quickly came to worse since the fight at the arena.

I was short of breath when I reached the sword arena. Everyday, Percy and I had to instruct sword fighting classes in the morning to the other campers. Today, we had the Demeter and Apollo cabins. He'd usually take Apollo and I get Demeter after we demonstrate the move. Those guys were kinda hard to teach. The Apollo campers may be good archers, but they're not that great with swords. Same with the Demeter campers. They're not great at hand to hand combat, but they were good at… well, using plants.

Today, we were going to teach them one of the trickiest moves in swordfighting. The one Percy learned the first time he attended these classes with Luke.

Luke. I've always tried avoiding the subject when I'm with Percy. But it just keeps coming. And we never got anything straight with it.

Percy was already there when I got in. He was training with the dummies, slicing their heads off. He was wearing an orange camp shirt and jeans. His hair was slightly ruffled and his forehead was beaded with sweat. I've never paid much attention to it, but I noticed how lean Percy's muscles were. That surprised me a little, because when Percy first arrived at camp when he was 12, he was one of the most unathletic-looking persons in the world. He was wiry, slouching and a little shorter than me. Back then, I really didn't expect him to be the child of the prophecy. He just didn't seem the type. I honestly thought someone who would decide the fate of Olympus would be… Well, like Thalia. Someone who would be feared, emanating a powerful aura and someone with authority. He wasn't anything in that aspect like Thalia, but they had much in common. But now, one look at him, and you know he's a child of the Big Three. I guess that's what five summers at camp and a whole lot of monster fighting can do to you.

I didn't see him notice me staring at him, until he called out my name.

"Hey Wise Girl!" he called out. "Something wrong?"

My face felt hot. "Nothing," I grumbled and ran to the side of the arena where he was.

"Where's Mrs. O'Leary?" I asked, finally noticing that the friendly hellhound he inherited last summer from Daedalus was gone.

"Beckendorf went out with him to the forest," he replied. "Hey, uh, Annabeth. Can I tell you something?"

"Sure," I answered. "What is it?"

"Rachel, she, uh," he stuttered, suddenly taking an interest on his combat boots. "She asked me to join her family to their trip to the Caribbean," he said, looking up to meet my eyes. "Look, I know it's not a good idea—"

My eyes flared. "Not a good idea?" I cut him off. "We're going to die in two weeks, Olympus is going to get destroyed and you're thinking of going on a damn vacation with that screwed mortal's family?"

He winced, and if I didn't feel so mad at him, I could've sworn he was a little hurt. "At least I experienced something grand before I die," he mumbled under his breath.

"What? You're unbelievable, Percy," I spat. "You're going to leave us here, to die, while you run off to some island with your girlfriend?"

"No, Annabeth! Rachel's not my girlfriend," he said, blushing. "We're just hanging out."

"Oh, she's not your girlfriend. I'm sorry," I didn't mean for it to sound too sarcastic, but seeing the guilt on his face made it worth it. "Maybe it was a just weird coincidence that you were spending—I don't know—half of your time hanging out with her," I shot back, angrily.

"I'm sorry. I just need some time to breathe," he gulped and put his hands around my arms. "It helps me cope up with all the stress of being a demigod punching bag."

"Stress?" I hissed and pushed him away. "You're tired? How do you think I feel, Seaweed Brain? I've been fighting monsters since I was seven, and you tell me you're tired? We need you to win this battle, Percy. I thought you knew that. But where were you? Do you even know that the Ares and Apollo cabins are almost killing each other for that flying chariot? I wouldn't give a damn if you go on that vacation, just do it after the battle. Don't just take for granted how all those other demigods are willing to risk their lives for your precious Mt. Olympus, while you breathe."

I turned away from him and huffed, "You're the most self-centered, arrogant, coward I have ever met in my life," and ran to the exit of the arena, feeling hot tears flowing down my cheeks and leaving him with a bunch of campers and a guilt-stricken face.

I didn't go back to my cabin yet. I didn't want them to see that I've been crying, knowing they'd just interrogate me until they know who—or what—made me cry. Being my siblings, they know pretty damn well that I wouldn't cry for just the little things. And I don't want them to blame anyone for that matter, much less Percy.

Mad as I was with that guy, I knew, deep inside me, that I loved him. But right now, I didn't know what else to say. I didn't mean everything I said back there in the arena, but something made me feel that he got a little hurt with what I said.

I was sitting by the edge of the lake skipping a few rocks. I just sat there, thinking things through. I knew no one could see me at that spot, but half of me wanted Percy to come and talk to me, since he knew that place where I always went to think. Sometimes he would sit with me in silence, staring the deep waters. Now, I wanted him to be with me, in silence, because I don't know what to say to him. I have no idea how to tell him I'm sorry and how to make things right for both of us without hurting either of us in the process.

Comments, constructive criticism, any kind of reaction and ideas will be greatly appreciated. Thanks a ton!