Ta-da!

After the amazingly long wait, we finally have another chapter for you! We're going kind of slow in updating this since they take a while to write, so sorry about that.

We want to apologize in advance for the various POV switching. We know it can get confusing, but it wouldn't work for the story if we didn't switch from Annabeth, to Percy, and back to Annabeth. Bear with us here, please.

Lastly, we want to thank each and every one of you for all the reviews you've given us! They're all amazing and give us inspiration to keep us writing!

Anyway, without further ado, Part 1 of Mine!

Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh

You were in college, working part-time, waiting tables
Left a small town and never looked back

A few days after Percy and I got (back) together, he told me that he was still in college. He said he left for a few months because his Mom was in the hospital. When she got back on her feet, she still needed help to move around, so Percy stepped in. Six months later, he went back to Berkeley, but couldn't catch up with the rest of his classmates. So he was forced to take his senior year again. I was done with college, (already gaining a job in architecture), so I told him we would wait until he was almost done to get married.

One day, after a long day of hard work, I headed to a local coffee house in need for some quiet and a warm drink. When I got there, it was empty except for the old man cleaning up the counter. He raised a hand up to greet me. I sat down at a lonely table in the corner. A waitress came. Her name-tag read "Hi! I'm SHELLY" in big red letters. She took my order (a hot chocolate, of course!) and walked back to the kitchen. I opened my laptop and began designing a building for the new library. The old one was so run down and dilapidated that nobody even went there anymore. Sure, they had the latest books, but would you want to go to a place where a ceiling could fall on your head at any moment? I don't think so.

I was in the middle of deciding where the door should be when a male voice said, "One hot chocolate," and set a steaming mug down in front of me.

"Thanks," I said, not bothering to look up. I saw that out of the corner of my eye that the waiter hadn't left yet. I looked up to ask him what he wanted. That's when I saw his face.

"Hi," he said, a goofy grin on his lips. I knitted my eyebrows together.

"Percy?" I asked in disbelief, saving the program and closing my laptop. "What are you doing here?"

"I work here," he answered.

"You work here?" I repeated.

"Yeah. I needed a job so I can pay off tuition. So here I am," he said, sliding into the chair across from me. We started to talk about Percy's school, Berkeley College. I even offered to help him with homework later. When you think about it, it seems funny. A grown woman helping a grown man with his homework. Ha.

I was a flight risk, afraid of fallin'
Wondering why we bother with love, if it never lasts

I smiled but remembered to keep my guard up. I admit, I'm afraid of all of the mushiness. I've seen it firsthand. When everything is perfect, it starts to end. But I couldn't help myself.

"Hey, you want to go for sushi later?" Percy asked suddenly.

The question surprised me, but I answered, "Sure."

"Coolio," he replied, and I knew he instantly felt like a lame-o. Suddenly, my cell vibrated. It was a text from one of my friends, Yasmin.

YASMINATOR: hey Annabeth! i hope u didn't 4get that we're meeting later! im bringing Oreos!

"Oh, sorry but I have to get to a meeting I totally forgot about," I said, "My friend Yasmin and I are getting the design for the cake. "

"Can't you come after?" Percy whined.

"I'll ask her, "I obliged, texting Yasmin back. My username looked boring next to Yasmin's YASMINATOR, but I wasn't the very bold type.

ANNABETH: what time do u think we'll be done?

Yasmin instantly texted back. She was the type of girl who MUST check their text or e-mail the moment it arrives.

YASMINATOR: u don't wanna spend time with ur old buddy? :( maybe around seven?

ANNABETH: sounds good. see you.

"I'll be done around seven," I told Percy, dropping my phone in my purse and ignoring the bings and vibrations; probably texts from Yasmin.

"Perfect. I'll text you the directions later," Percy smiled.

"Percy! Get back to work!" a woman screeched. We turned to see Shelly leaning over the counter, waving a dishrag around as a threat.

"That's my cue," Percy sighed, standing up and scratching the floor with his chair. "Okay, um, well, see you later?" He phrased it like a question, even though he knew I was going to see him later. I nodded at him and pressed the now lukewarm hot chocolate to my lips.

Percy's POV

I had a surprise for Annabeth. We were still having sushi, but I planned to bring the food down to a lake not far from my house. I laughed a bit, remembering how when we were fourteen, Annabeth was having a lakeview picnic with some Adam dude. I remember being paranoid-jealous.

Annabeth walked through the trees like they did in movies. Her blond curls were loose, which I didn't see too often. When Annabeth was studying and stuff, she usually had it in some kind of updo. Her loose gray dress matched her eyes, but I noticed she was shivering.

"Do you need a jacket?" I asked, offering her mine in attempt to look charming.

"Sure," Annabeth said, nodding. She put on my brown leather jacket, and I laughed. It was almost swallowing her up. Then I realized that now I was cold. Oh well. You can't ever win, can you?

After eating slightly-too-fishy sushi, Annabeth and I sat by the water. We dug our bare feet into the golden sand while the cool water crept up and hit our toes. I looked up. It was a pretty view, since it was exactly seven-oh-eleven and nearly sunset. The light reflected on the water, creating a warm glow on our faces. The clouds turned pink, orange and yellow and contrasted with the beautiful bright blue of the sky. In a few minutes, it would be over, and then you'd have to wait until tomorrow to get a glimpse of it again.

"Thanks for bringing me here. It was sweet of you," she said. "I mean, this is so great. I've been studying buildings nonstop for the last two weeks. It's crazy!"

"Same here. I've been studying some turtles. I love watching them grow and hatch. It's actually cool. You should come visit sometime," I tell her. I'm actually studying to be a marine biologist.

"I'd love to." Annabeth smiles. We look out at the water again. "Hey, this view reminds me of camp. It's been so long since we last visited Chiron," Annabeth said suddenly, sadness in her voice.

I nodded. For a while, we both sat in silence, remembering every last memory. I remembered how Beckendorf and I dressed up as girls (long story), dramatic fights with Annabeth, Calypso, and Rachel, who is Annabeth's best friend now.

I looked at Annabeth and her eyes were closed. I knew she was thinking hard. For a split second, something came over me. I felt like I was hit by a grenade. Cause what you don't understand is: I'd catch a grenade for ya! I sang in my head, ruining one of the rare "Percy thinks!" moment. Anyway, I decided to be bold, and for once, I didn't worry about how cheesy I was.

I put an arm around Annabeth, and her eyes fluttered open. A smile spread across her face, as she leaned her head on my shoulder. It was a perfect moment...until some jerk ruined it.

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON MY PROPERTY?" A muscled Ares look-alike marched over.

"Sir, this isn't your property," I replied, pointing to the sign that read, TRESPASSING PERMITTED.

The guy looked angry for a second, and then he bust out laughing with kiddish giggles. He seriously sounded like an Aphrodite girl.

"I'm sorry. I'm so dumb sometimes," he said, "My bad." He walked away, shaking his head as if he couldn't believe he had done that.

"Wo-o-o-w," Annabeth whispered, laughing.

"Hey," I said, thinking of something. "Wanna go swimming?"

Annabeth POV

"What? Percy, are you serious? It's freezing!" I said, shivering for effect.

"Come on, It'll be fun," he pleaded. I shook my head. He frowned, but then he got an idea. "I guess I'm gonna have to drag you!" I bet my eyes looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets.

"No! Percy..." I said in a warning tone, but he had already grabbed my waist and was currently pulling me towards the lake. "Percy. Percy Jackson, you are not going to throw me into that water!" I protested angrily, but he ignored me.

I slapped his arms and tried to break free, but what good would that do against his...muscles. Grr, I hate to admit it, but he has them. What happened to that awkward, lanky 12 year old boy that was once my best friend?

We had now reached the water's edge and Percy said,"I'm giving you one last chance. You can enter the water calmly, or I can toss you in there."

"Let. Me. Go!" I shouted, contemplating on whether to bite his arm or not. Percy merely shrugged.

"You give me no choice." And true to his word, Percy flung me into the freezing cold lake, dress and all. When I broke water, Percy was laughing his head off and I was shivering. I scowled at him right before he jumped in after me. He chased me around the lake, and we splashed and played like little kids. I honestly wouldn't know what to say if I saw two twenty year old adults flicking water at each other. I would probably laugh. So that's what I did. I laughed and laughed until my stomach hurt and I felt light and airy. I laughed until Percy yanked me to the bottom of the lake and well, it was the second best underwater kiss ever.

Yeah yeah, a little cheesy, we know. But everyone needs some cheese in their life, don't you think?

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