Sorry I took so long: I wasn't sure if I liked how this chapter went, but I just totally came up with a slight twist in the plot I have in store for you, so it's all good. Lemme just say this: chapter 9 is gonna be INTENSE!

alexandriarulzforeva: Crap, sorry no, it isn't. I've already decided that they're gonna be demigods. :/ Thanx, I'm actually kind of in love with it too! XD

Riley Coyote: I dunno how you went from 'phone shopping' to 'sexting,' but wow, cyber crush? Weird...And yes! I'm quite the rambler myself, actually! *proud grin*

filmyfurry: Wow, I'm a total epic fail. *face palms* I don't even remember the characters names. And I know, right? They seem like they would totally do that to each other! XD lol

candy0304: Well jeez-a-la-weez! Ruin the whole plot, will ya! (haha, just kidd-but seriously.) And uh...no, I mean yes, but like, no. Not exactly. Argh! It's complicated...

Heartofthesea: Yep, yep, and uh...yep. **HINT HINT! -** I'm gonna mke up a prophecy for them, prob'ly have to do two stories so there doesn't end up to be like, a bijillion chapters. Because, trust me, what with where this story is going, this could take awhile..

C-Nuggets N.L: Argh! I can never get it right..Yup! Percabeth, percabeth, percabeth. Really random, but I just slapped my sister's hand against the wall by us, and she slapped my shoulder WAY harder! I didn't even slap her hard, she pushed her own hand! My shoulder burns...Don't worry, I'll hav more Percabeth comin' along. :)

Jjoksterinthehouse: Don't worry, I'd be impatient to. I haven't updated in FORVER! (so a certain person tells me. *cough cough BlueIceCreamWithCherriesOnTop, cough cough*)

Iceacream: Okay, okay, I'll try! ;D Haha, and no, you don't sound like a child. *rolls eyes* Yeah, as if. I'm a child even when I'm more mature than I've ever been.

Hannah Cha: Reviewers? Nah, not really..Well, maybe, but...And remind you of what you said? Well, if you REALLY want me to... *smirk*

Dark Phantom 96: Psh, of course! Can't leave out our beloved Silena (I spelled it right! :D) out, now can we?

clker: Well that's rather flattering! Sorry I've disappointed you so much. :(

Heartofthesea: Oh dear lord, DON'T do that! I LITERALLY screamed and almost fell off the chair when I saw that review!

Heartofthesea (again): Nah, it's not annoying, but that last review kinda freaked me out...updating? Well, uh, y'know... *embarassed smile*

Bobby Clair Pin: Sorry, sorry, sorry, I'm always getting names wrong.. '-_-

ytytyiit: Don't you just love how I reply to the shortest review ever? Thank you, I love my story too, even if PJO belongs to Rick Riodan (Darn!).

BlueIceCreamWithCherriesOnTop: Thanks! Oh, and no, not yet, not for awhile...Yes, actually, she is leading them here. **HINT HINT! -** Or at least, she's TRYING to, anyways...

Regina de Morte: Thank you! XD And sorry to everyone out there reading this, I just wasn't sure about this chap before, as I said at the top, but it's all good now. :)

BlueIceCreamWithCherriesOnTop (again): Yay! Good for me! XD (i don't think I've mentioned it before, but your pen name makes me hungry...*drool*)

max artemis potter: half bloods, but it's not like THEY know that yet... *evil smirk*

BlueIceCreamWithCherriesOnTop (and again): I'M SORRY! DX I'M TRYING! *sobs onto keyboard*

BlueIceCreamWithCherriesOnTop (and again): My gosh! Okay, okay! Jeez! I'm updating! My god! I got it, I'm getting off my lazy arse!

Well, thanks to my annoying reviews (cough cough, BlueIceCreamWithCherriesOnTop, cough cough) I'm updating!

Enjoy!

Percy held onto my upper arm firmly as we stood in line at the little café. I wish he wouldn't do that—I liked it way better when he was holding my hand and tracing soothing circles onto the back of my hand. Rachel—Percy made me promise I'd be polite to her, even in my thoughts—was buying us some sort of smoothie and pastries.

She turned to ask what we wanted, and Percy answered without even asking me, "Two strawberry banana smoothies, 16 oz., a blueberry muffin, and a cinnamon coffee cake."

I blushed: he knew I loved blueberry muffins. It sounds weird, considering how long we've known each other (hacking cough cough, nine and a half years, hacking cough cough), but I seriously didn't expect him to know the little things about me.

Percy caught the look on my face and smirked ever so slightly, still looking grim about accepting help from a total stranger, aka Rachel, "What, after you repeatedly tell me how much you loved blueberry muffins and strawberry banana smoothies, you thought that wouldn't get imprinted into my brain?"

I just rolled my eyes at him and looked away, him still gripping my arm as though I were a child who was bound to run off and he was the parent, responsible for my every action.

He always did act very protective of me, which I personally thought was sweet of him. At Target, some worker—a worker—had asked me if I was finding things okay and Percy put his arm protectively around my shoulders and snapped, "Yeah, real peachy, bud. Go bother someone else," then steered me out of the clothing department.

Of course, I don't mind a bit, I just snicker at Percy and ask him if that guy was planning to steal from me. "Well…you never know…he could have wanted to!" He'd answered, looking defiant.

He's so cute…

We sat down in an isolated corner, Rachel across from us, and Percy cleared his throat politely, "So. Where do you want us to go?"

She sipped at her own smoothie and replied in a steady voice, ignoring me glowering at her, which, might I add, took a whole lot of endurance, "New York."

"Where exactly?"

"Manhattan, NY, New York."

Percy set his jaw, "Why? It's, like, who knows how far away from here. I mean, we're in Washington right now."

She coughed, "Whoa, that's cold." But I had a feeling it had nothing to do with the smoothie. I looked at Percy, but he just looked confused. Ugh, boys. They're so clueless sometimes.

Rachel, rubbed her neck, looking anxiously towards the entrance doors of the café, "Um…it's a long story, but…basically to sum it up, you'll uh…you'll be a lot happier, not to mention safer, there. I…see, in New York, there are more people who are what you are."

"Orphans and abused?" Percy and I blurted at the same time, most likely giving her the same bemused, doubtful looks.

She bit her lip, watching us sympathetically. Yeah right…she has no idea what we've gone through. "Well…no…but wait," she said quickly when we shook our heads and looked away in disbelief, exasperated, "there probably are, but it's not something I'm going to ask anyone about. I mean, would you want to be asked that?"

I rolled my eyes, "Oh yeah, recalling all the times I've been beaten sounds just swell." Percy elbowed me in the ribs hard, making me wince.

"What do you mean 'like us,' Rachel?" Gosh, Percy always was the polite one (except to Gabe and his freak shows).

She twirled her wavy red hair around her finger nervously, biting her lip, "Well, for now, all I'm saying is that Percy, your father isn't dead, and same goes to you about your mom, Annabeth."

"Gotta go," I blurted, getting up from the table abruptly and making a beeline for the bathroom.

I bit my lip, glancing at Rachel. She raised an eyebrow at me, gesturing to Annabeth, and I sighed, "We both don't…" I tried to think of an innocent word, "…like… to talk about our…parents. Annabeth though…well, you saw her: very touchy, and she hates to talk about her parents, whether it's her father, mother, or step-mother, she refuses to."

"Of course…you can speak about it with her?" Rachel questioned.

I nodded, "Of course. We can tell each other anything. We're basically each others family, since we're orphans."

"You two aren't orphans, like I said before."

"Yes," I retorted, gritting my teeth and staring warningly at her. "We are. The only family we actually knew and loved was my mother and her father and step-mother. The definition of family is not of blood, but who you love and who loves you back. And we've both had our families torn from each other."

Rachel sipped her smoothie, frowning slightly, and swallowed, "Your father does love you, Percy."

Now I glared at her, "Whoever my father is, maybe, but I don't recall me saying that I ever loved him."

She glanced at the ceiling nervously for a second (weird), but I just continued, "And Annabeth would say the same about her mother." I slapped the table with my palm, "Bam, just like that, plain and simple, end of discussion."

Annabeth came out of the bathroom, biting her lip, and I muttered to Rachel, "Speaking of which…"

She sat next to me again and looked me right in the eye. I knew that look; it was the look that said she was about to break down and she needed comforting and she needed it now. I put my arm around her shoulders and mumbled into her ear so that only she could hear me, "It's okay, Annie."

She didn't reply, just leaned into me with her head on my shoulder as she looked down at her smoothie, stirring it with the straw, trying to hide what she was feeling beneath the defiance she showed in her expression.

But she couldn't fool me. She knew it just as well as I did.

"So…what now?" I asked Rachel, my eyes still on Annabeth, studying the golden light in each strand of her hair that the sun was reflecting off of.

Rachel seemed to think about it for a moment before asking hesitantly and apologetically, "Um…mind if I take you to my place?"

I raised an eyebrow, now looking up at her.

"The phones?" She explained. I nodded, aware of Annabeth stiffening under my arm.

"Of course, let's go."

We went out and Rachel pulled out her phone, speed dialed someone, but she didn't even speak to the person, just held it for a few seconds, then shut the phone. I had a feeling she called the person so many times that that's all she had to do for...well, whatever she was doing. She smiled at us and said, "George, my limo driver, is picking us up."

"A chauffeur?" Annabeth asked.

Rachel tilted her head, "Is that what they're called? Jeez, you'd expect me to know, but I can't tell black from white."

Annabeth smiled and Rachel faced me, "Didn't you just leave your drink?"

"What?" I said. I spun around, "Aw man, I really liked that smoothie!" I ran inside, trying to remember where we sat. Please still be there, please still be there, please still be there...

I watched Percy go, then awkwardly shifted my weight to my other foot, smiling halfheartedly at Rachel.

She smiled back and said, "You and Percy I pretty close, huh?"

I blushed, "Um…well, yeah, I mean…he helped me through everything…and I literally mean everything. We kind of depend on each other to be there when we need one another."

She tilted her head curiously, "So…you're like family?"

"Yeah," I lied smoothly, rubbing my arm.

Well, I thought it was smooth.

She grinned, "Friends isn't enough for you?"

You're the worst liar in the world, Wise Girl. Only in the worst possible scenarios could I remember what Percy tells me...

I blushed harder, trying to look innocent, "Wh-what?"

"Don't try and hide it: you're in love with him, aren't you?"

I glanced back at the café, then at her, smiling sheepishly, "Can't really help it with a hottie like him." Operation: 'Get Rachel To Believe I'm NOT In Love With Percy' was a no-go.

She laughed, "Since when?"

I glanced back nervously, "Um…I'm not really sure, but once I was just thinking about him when I said 'I love him' in my head, and I tried to come up with reasons to why I would love him, and, well, I came up with like, a billion reasons why."

She dodged a passerby's flying hand as he talked on his Blackberry, obviously stressed out and agitated with the person he was talking to, then told me, "You have no idea how much of a couple you guys look. Like, when he holds your hand or puts his arm around you, and sometimes, I swear you guys are flirting with each other."

I widened my eyes, once again making a feeble attempt to look surprised, "I-uh, when? How?"

Rachel laughed again, "When we walked over here. You guys kept chasing each other and—"

"We were bored!"

"—how he picked you up and—don't try hiding it—you leaned into him—"

"I felt like I was going to fall, not my fault!"

"When did you feel like you were going to fall?" My head whipped around to Percy, who watched me with an amused expression as he handed me back my smoothie.

Rachel stifled a giggle behind me and said, "George is coming."

We entered the limo (people were staring, too) and I gave Percy a look that said, "If anything bad happens, it's all your fault."

He put up his hands in surrender.