And so she would dance

by smeegal61

Annabeth's pretty sure the guy she's talking to online likes her. She might kind of like him too. But when she starts walking home with a guy from college once a week and he makes a move... well, what's a girl to do? A tale of love and growth in a time of Percabeth (AU).

7. Chapter 6

Umm... hello! Sorry it's been such a long time again but I had exams and then afterwards I had so many things happening at once that I was more stressed than when I had exams. Anyway, I finished my last essay yesterday so I decided to start writing this for you guys. Also, this would have been out a lot more quickly but my brain decided it didn't like concentrating and then this turned into a mammoth chapter. Hopefully I'll be updating more because it will be the holidays soon, but I am planning on being quite busy, so no promises.

Just want to say thank you to you guys out there who have favourited, followed and reviewed. You all make my day better. A big shout out to Betty-Foo who has helped me with a few ideas! Anyone else who wants to suggest anything, feel free, although I won't necessarily use it.

Disclaimer: Not mine. (I'm noticing how these are getting progressively shorter.) Everything else mentioned is also… not mine.

Read, enjoy, and review!

Of course it wasn't until the next Monday morning that she realised that all of this talk of "next week" was of course pointless because it was half term. She had gone through her normal morning routine (woken up by her alarm clock, alarm clock ignored, Caroline had woken her up and also been ignored; she had only arisen from the warm cocoon of sheets when the aroma of coffee alerted her that she was twenty minutes late in getting up) and had been eating breakfast when Caroline had looked at the calendar and noticed the little mark on the corner of that day indicating the first day of the half term holidays. Groaning, she had muttered something along the lines of "What is the point of life?" and staggered back to bed to doze for another few hours.

It was around 11 o'clock in the morning when Annabeth finally felt alert enough to interact with the rest of the world. She dashed off a text to OwenSawyer as she considered her plan for the upcoming week.

AnnabethChase: I woke up early this morning without reason and felt that I couldn't cope with it on my own. Instead, you have been selected as the lucky one who gets to be woken up early with me! Congratulations!

AnnabethChase:That was what I almost sent you this morning at 6.45. I was so close to doing that, that that text was copied from the draft that I wrote earlier. Feel glad I am in a nice mood this morning.

Navigating around the apps on her phone, she found her calendar and discovered that her week was completely free. She had obviously forgotten entirely about the week off she had and hadn't planned anything and, although she might be a slightly reclusive nerd, she didn't feel perfectly comfortable with the idea that she had no social life at all.

Quickly she dashed off a group message to the girls suggesting a girls' night, all of whom replied quickly in the affirmative. Just as they were hashing out the details, OwenSawyer's reply came through.

OwenSawyer: Feeling very grateful now thank you.

OwenSawyer:Although I'm not sure your mood would qualify as "nice". I've noticed that you are always more sarcastic in the mornings than you are the rest of the time.

AnnabethChase:Excuse me?

OwenSawyer:Don't "excuse me" me. Go back and read what you wrote. You can't deny the truth of the written word!

AnnabethChase: Dork. And I'll just give in to my natural snarkiness next time shall I and wake you up?

OwenSawyer:Umm... no? Please don't!

AnnabethChase: And why shouldn't I? All you seem to do is be derogatory to me.

OwenSawyer: Derogatory?

AnnabethChase:Be mean to me.

OwenSawyer: Ah. To be fair, you can't talk. You literally just called me a dork.

AnnabethChase:Not winning you any favours... *taps foot impatiently*

OwenSawyer:...although of course they are two very different situations and me disrespecting you is so much worse. (And yay for using internet style writing. I'm proud!)

AnnabethChase:I can see you're starting down the right path, but what are you going to do to make it up to me? (Hmph. That sounded condescending.)

OwenSawyer:Can I think about that? (You just can't take a compliment can you?)

AnnabethChase: Why?

In her mind she could imagine his weary sigh at the repetition of her favourite word and his brain whirring quickly to try and find a suitable reason.

OwenSawyer:Because. You deserve better than a quickly made up idea. You deserve something that means something, something that is as beautifully and wonderfully created as you are.

She closed her eyes and breathed for a moment, before opening her eyes to find the same message still there. Annabeth allowed a small smile to flit across her features.

AnnabethChase:Okay, I admit that was a better answer than I expected. You have four days. Do you accept your challenge?

OwenSawyer:Thank you! I do, sir yes sir!

AnnabethChase:Great, because I'm hungry so I'm going to go and get a mid-morning snack. Talk to you later?

OwenSawyer:Sure. Got to make sure you are well fed.

Just as she was about the leave, another message came through.

OwenSawyer:And don't think I didn't notice that you failed to accept any of the compliments I gave you. We will work on this because you need to believe it. They are all true.

Leaving it unanswered, she headed downstairs in search of a cereal bar.

...

That evening, Annabeth curled up on her sofa, wrapped in a chocolate brown fluffy blanket. The days might have been quite warm recently, but the nights were getting chilly, so she had a steaming cup of hot chocolate on the table next to her. With a book in her hands and a quiet house (the boys had gone to bed), she couldn't have been happier.

For a while in the comforting pale yellow glow of dim artificial lighting, she immersed herself in her book. She went slowly because of her dyslexia, but enjoyed it all the same. It was a chance to escape to exotic worlds, strange cultures or even another life in the same world that she lived in. Fiction or non-fiction, she devoured them, looking for knowledge that was both factual and experiential.

After a while her eyes grew heavy and sore, so she laid the book aside and shuffled down until her head lay on the arm rest. Reaching over, she snagged her earphones and switched on her iPod, quickly resuming an audio book that she had been listening to earlier. Just because she couldn't read anymore, didn't mean that she couldn't become absorbed in a story. Shutting her eyes, she let herself relax, letting the narrator's voice wash over her...

"Annabeth?" The word was softly spoken and accompanied by a small shake to her shoulder. "Annabeth, sweetheart, are you going to wake up?" This time the shake was more insistent. Wearily, she blinked in what seemed like blinding light as she attempted to push herself up onto one arm. "There we go."

The blob that had originally just looked like a block of darkness came into focus as her eyesight adjusted and she realised it was her father in his work suit leaning over her. "Dad?"

He smiled kindly. "That's me. What're you doing down here sweetheart? It's almost one in the morning." Annabeth made an incomprehensible noise of confusion. "I know, that's exactly how I felt when I came home to find you asleep on the sofa."

Clearing her throat, she replied, "I was waiting for you to come home. I plugged in my earphones and lay down. I must have fallen asleep..." She looked down and blinked, realising she was still wearing her headphones but there was no sound coming through. "Huh. The battery must have died." Looking back at Frederick, she shuffled up, allowing him space on the sofa to sit.

"So why were you waiting for me to come home?"

"I wanted to know when your day off is. I thought maybe we could do something together as a family as it is half term?" she finished tentatively. She didn't often suggest spending time together and was sure he would be happy, but didn't want to take up his one free day a week.

"That's a fantastic idea! We should enjoy the weather while we still have it - it will be freezing soon. Give me a moment to check." As he left the room to consult the calendar, she sat up properly and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She eyed her stone-cold hot chocolate with distaste, deciding to forgo it, and had just started to pick at her nails when he came back in. "Wednesday is my day off. What do you want to do?"

Annabeth thought for a moment. "Well, you said you wanted to enjoy the weather. How about we go to the zoo and take a picnic?"

"Okay... but what if it rains?"

"Then we go bowling instead." Frederick nodded for a moment, then hesitated.

"But if we tell the boys that they're going to the zoo then they'll be really disappointed with just going bowling."

Annabeth smiled. "We don't tell them until the day. That way they are calm all week and then we can decide on the day what we're doing and tell them then. If we pretend it was the plan all along, they'll be ecstatic with either of them."

"Cunning." He smiled appreciatively. "Got any other plans for this week?"

"Well, I'm planning to have a girls' night with... well, the girls, but I wanted to find out when you were free before we decided what day. I didn't want the two to overlap."

"Hence the staying up to talk to me, rather than waiting until you next saw me?" Annabeth mhmm-ed in agreement. "Alright then sweetheart, off you go to bed now. I'll let Caroline know about our little plan, but you need your sleep. I know you don't have school tomorrow but if you fall asleep here -which you are about to - then you'll have a crick in your neck by morning." He hugged her before giving her a gentle push on the shoulder.

Standing, she turned around and gently poked him in the nose - Annabeth was oddly affectionate when she was tired. With a shared smile, she turned and walked up the stairs dragging her feet behind her. As she brushed her teeth, she realised her father was right. She was too tired. Finding the repetitive brushing action too soporific, she shook her head and washed out her mouth. Annabeth stumbled back to her room and, with eyes half closed, she changed into her pyjamas.

The light turned off, she collapsed into bed. Her last thought was of the alarm clock next to her - I hope I haven't left it on...

...

Annabeth spent Tuesday studying, reading up on her courses for the year to come, so by the time Wednesday came around, not only was she ready to have a break, she felt she deserved one. As always after a long time at school, her body clock continued to wake her up unnecessarily early, so after a few minutes wallowing in the depths of her bed, she clambered out and wandered downstairs, wrapping her dressing gown around her.

Flicking aside the curtains briefly, she discovered honey coloured sun beams peeping over the roofs of the houses opposite and a sky carpeted with rich blue velvet, wisps of cloud peppering it. She opened a window and breathed deeply as fresh air wafted in, mixing with and renewing the stale, stuffy air indoors. It was perfect - a cool morning that would be soon warmed by the sun, refreshed constantly by a gentle breeze. There was no question that they were going to the zoo today.

With that in mind, she turned to the fridge and started to gather ingredients for a picnic. The house was still dark and quiet and she managed not to clink dishes as she extracted bread, ham, cheese, fruit and some salad. Plugging herself into her iPod, she jigged a little as she made a variety of sandwiches (although not while cutting the bread!) that would appeal to both Caroline's need for healthy living and the boys' need for tasty food. Immersed in her own little world, she jumped when something in the pocket of her dressing gown vibrated.

Silencing the little squeak she had emitted at the movement, she extracted her phone from her pocket that she had forgotten she had put there.

OwenSawyer: Morning beautiful.

AnnabethChase: Morning. But how do you know I'm beautiful? I could be hideous.

Putting her phone down, she wrapped the sandwiches she had made. Unfortunately, by the time he replied she already had salad dressing all over her hands. After cleaning it off, she returned to her conversation, leaning against the kitchen counter as she cradled the phone in her hands.

OwenSawyer: You sent me those pictures a few weeks back remember? The ones of you at prom last year with your friends.

AnnabethChase: Ah, I may have been pretty then, but that doesn't mean I am beautiful now, especially as I just got up.

OwenSawyer: I might have seen you with tons of make up on and your hair all done up and in a lovely dress and yeah you were beautiful, but the pictures of you just hanging out watching TV and stuff are just as gorgeous. You don't have to be all dressed up for me.

OwenSawyer: In fact, I quite like you dressed down ;)

AnnabethChase: Mm, see, I was going to say that was really sweet of you - and then you said that.

OwenSawyer: Uhm, I gotta go. I'm going to have a shower.

AnnabethChase: Yeah, you better run!

Once again hiding her phone in her pocket, she turned to start digging through the draws for other snacks somewhat absent-mindedly. The two of them had started talking about three months ago, during her summer holidays, over Facebook. He had been the one to contact her of course, with some cheesy line about her profile picture being so intriguing (it had been a sunset viewed through a pane of ice; a picture she had taken last winter) that he just had had to talk to her and see whether she was just as intriguing herself. To this day, she wasn't quite sure how he had found her - probably through a friend or a friend, or something - but she didn't particularly care.

They had hit it off almost immediately, finding that he had a similar taste in music and art and, even if he liked things like football and beer, they linked at some sort of level that Annabeth had never found before. Even with Thalia, they weren't friends because they really suited and understood each other; instead they had become friends at the point when you could just say "you're my BFF" and it would be true, and they had grown so used to one another that they couldn't imagine not being friends. But Annabeth still didn't feel like they had some deep meaningful relationship. No, Owen was the first time she really experienced that.

After a few weeks of talking, the two had decided to exchange phone numbers just to make it easier to contact one another. They both had contracts with unlimited texts, so it was cheaper for them to text than it was for them to use up their mobile internet connecting to Facebook while they were out and about. Ever since, they had messaged one another every day, even if it was only a message in the morning to say good morning and another in the evening to say goodnight.

She was convinced, though, that their conversations had been growing more and more frequent and becoming more and more affectionate as time went on. Annabeth was fairly certain - although she didn't have any experience, so she wasn't sure - that he had been flirting with her occasionally and had even managed to slip in the occasional kiss at the end of a text. He had gone as far as to suggest calling one another and having a real conversation, but Annabeth had backed down from that. She hated the way that you could only hear someone's voice on the phone and not see their facial expressions. It made it harder for her to understand the tone of the conversation and sometimes made it more difficult to comprehend what was being said. Anyway, she liked the way she could take a moment to decide on her response when they were texting.

Her phone buzzed her back into reality as she realised that she had laid out a bottle of laundry detergent, a pair of scissors and two dog biscuits (they didn't even have a dog!) on the side, instead of chocolate, cereal bars and a bottle of juice. Shaking her head, she replaced the items and got out what she intended to in the first place, then rescued her phone again from the fluffy clutches of her dressing gown.

OwenSawyer: I'm baaack!

AnnabethChase: I can see that. And that must have been the shortest shower in the history of mankind.

OwenSawyer: Not really - I was in there for 20 minutes. Have you been daydreaming again?

AnnabethChase: Oh. Not really - just making a picnic while I wait for the rest of the family to rouse themselves.

OwenSawyer: Picnic?

AnnabethChase: Picnic.

OwenSawyer: That was supposed to be a hint to tell me why you're going on a picnic, with whom etc.

AnnabethChase: I'm going out for the day with my family to the zoo and we thought we would take a picnic. As for why - have you looked out the window? It's a beautiful day.

Annabeth took advantage of the short pause in their conversation by placing everything she had made into a cool bag. She heard a squeak from behind her and whirled to face it, finding Frederick standing there - his slippers had squeaked on the laminate flooring. He murmured a quiet, "Good morning. Nice day, is it?" as he gestured to the bag in her hand, to which she nodded. "Great. I'll get breakfast ready. Do you want porridge?" Again, she nodded her assent and he set to work.

OwenSawyer: I don't want to assume that the weather where I am is the same as yours. We are a couple of hundred miles away from one another.

AnnabethChase: Fair enough. So, now we've established what I'm doing, what are you doing at the moment? For that matter, what are you doing up so early?

OwenSawyer: It's not that early is it?

OwenSawyer: Whoa! Okay, I didn't know it was that early. My curtains mustn't have been closed properly and the sunrise woke me up or something. Damn. I lost several hours of sleep and for what? To talk to you?

AnnabethChase: Oi. Watch it cheeky.

OwenSawyer: Um, sorry? Ach, you know I love you really.

Annabeth barely blinked at that - she knew he was becoming more affectionate but she also knew that he didn't really mean it, it was just a throwaway comment.

AnnabethChase: Ach? Are we Scottish now?

OwenSawyer: Nah. Just trying something new.

AnnabethChase: Don't. Just be yourself. I like you best that way.

She smiled. He had been forward enough with very little encouragement from her. She wasn't exactly sure how she really felt about him, but she was pretty sure she wouldn't say no if he was a little more friendly and thought it was time that she gave him a little reassurance that it wasn't all one way.

"Hey, what's the smile for?" her dad suddenly interrupted her internal monologue.

"Nothing, just looking forward to a lovely day out with my family," she replied with a saccharine smile.

"Uh huh." Frederick didn't argue, but she could tell by the sparkle in his eyes as he smiled and nodded that he didn't believe it. Whatever. As least he didn't push it - it would have been really difficult to explain, especially as none of her family knew anything about Owen."Never mind. Breakfast is ready. Want to get everyone else up?" She didn't want to, but it wasn't really a request. She knocked politely on the master bedroom door, alerting Caroline to the day's arrival before opening the boys' door (they shared a room) and making as much noise as she could. When they didn't stir, she leant over each of her brothers and shook their shoulders violently until they sat up and physically pushed her away.

Finally, she was able to sit and have her breakfast. It was warming, which was really quite unnecessary in the weather they had, but sprinkled lightly with sugar as she had it, it was sweet and filling, perfect for an early start to an active day. Not only that, but it made it feel like more of a holiday - porridge took time to make, so most days she had cereal, making porridge (simple as it was) a treat.

By the time she and her father were finished, the rest of the family had just arrived at the kitchen table. Grinning at their sleepy expressions, she watched as the twins' turned ecstatic as they were told about the day's activities to come by Caroline. The only mar on the occasion was the fact that she said it had been her idea, not Annabeth's, but it was only small compared to the joy she got from seeing Matthew and Bobby's excitement. It wasn't worth an argument.

Instead, she smiled gently before ducking out of the familial scene before her, unnoticed. Annabeth knew she was well loved, but they were a family together and she didn't always feel as though she fitted into that dynamic. She quickly showered and washed and was soon ready to go, dressed in a jeans and t-shirt, converses on her feet and her hair in a ponytail. Nothing fancy for a relaxed family day out. She curled up in a corner of the sofa with her phone and let the chaos rage around her as the others tried to get ready.

OwenSawyer: Wow. Thanks. I like you best that way too xx

OwenSawyer: Annabeth?

OwenSawyer: Sweetheart?

OwenSawyer: Annabeth! Talk to meeeeeeeee!

AnnabethChase: Whoa! Talk about needy. I was just having breakfast and getting ready.

OwenSawyer: Hey! I was just being the nice concerned guy. Leave me alone!

AnnabethChase: And I appreciate it. Now, what was it you actually wanted to say?

OwenSawyer: Um... nothing? You just didn't carry on the conversation.

AnnabethChase: Oh. So...

OwenSawyer: So... Do you know what your name means?

AnnabethChase: Really? We're this desperate?

OwenSawyer: Apparently so.

AnnabethChase: Fine. Umm - just let me google it a second...

AnnabethChase: Something like the grace of the house of God.

OwenSawyer: And what does that mean?

AnnabethChase: I... just told you.

OwenSawyer: No. You're the grace of the house of God, so...

AnnabethChase: So...

OwenSawyer: So it means you're from the house of God

OwenSawyer: Which is heaven

OwenSawyer: So... did it hurt when you fell from heaven?

AnnabethChase: Oh. Wow. Ick. That was... painful.

AnnabethChase: Swiftly moving on. What does your name mean?

OwenSawyer: Light. What do you think that says about me?

AnnabethChase: To follow in your footsteps - you're the light of my life.

OwenSawyer: Ew. You're right. Too cheesy. Let's not try that again.

Annabeth looked up to find her family stationed around the living room, the boys getting their shoes on, Caroline getting things last minute, like the picnic blanket and the map, and her dad leaning against the wall.

AnnabethChase: I'm glad you finally saw the light. I have to go anyway.

OwenSawyer: What?

AnnabethChase: I have to go. I'm going to the zoo, remember?

OwenSawyer: But... you're leaving me at home.

AnnabethChase: No. I'm leaving my phone at home, it just so happens that it is the only way I can contact you.

OwenSawyer: NO! AnnabethChase do NOT leave me!

OwenSawyer: Annabeth?

OwenSawyer: Fine then. But I'll miss you. Have a nice day sweetheart.

Just as Annabeth locked her phone screen and placed it to one side on a coffee table, her father said, "Annabeth, we're ready to go if you are."

Shaking her head and focusing on her family and the day she was going to spend with them, she smiled up at him and clambered to her feet, slipping into her shoes. "Been ready for hours. You're the slow coach," she joked, then ran out the door before he could catch her. Her seat was in the middle, creating a barrier between the boys (their tactic in managing them was divide and conquer) and as she sat down Bobby bounced excitedly in his seat. She watched Matthew get in next to her and regarded him suspiciously before leaning over him and extracting the bag of sweets he had hidden in the alcove in the door. He protested loudly. "Uh uh. You remember what happened last time. You don't want to throw up and not be able to see the lions do you?" He reluctantly shook his head, a scowl on his face. "Then I'll be holding onto this. You can ask me if you want one and if - IF - I think it's okay, then I will give one to you. Alright?" He nodded, then glared out of the window.

"Hey, what's got you pouting Matthew?" Frederick said as he climbed into the driver's seat.

"Annabeth took my sweeties away!"

Her dad smiled gently at her. "I'm sure she did it for a good reason. You're not allowed to be grumpy - we're going to the zoo and they don't let grumpy people in. Look, Bobby doesn't have any sweets and he's happy." He immediately perked up, but Annabeth thought it was more out of fear that he wouldn't be able to get into the zoo rather than any eagerness encouraged by the rest of his father's words. This theory was confirmed moments later when Frederick's back was turned and Matthew briefly turned to glower at Annabeth.

Leaning over, she whispered in his ear, "I saw that look. You need to be happy. Do you want a sweetie now to get started?" His face morphed and suddenly she found herself looking into an eager smile. She fished out a sherbet lemon and placed in his palm but didn't remove her own hand yet. "Now, what do you say?"

"Thank you," he mumbled.

She removed her hand and he quickly tore off the cellophane and stuffed it into his mouth. "That's the last one for half an hour." Turning to the front, she found Bobby's huge eyes pleading from her other side. "Do you want one too Bobby?" she sighed.

"Yes please." She found a starburst this time - he didn't like sherbet - and gave it to him. "Same rules apply. No more for half an hour, okay?"

"Yes. 'Fank oo," he replied around a mouthful of a chewy sweet.

It kept them quiet for the first few minutes of the journey, which allowed Caroline enough peace to navigate them to the correct motorway to get to the zoo that was half an hour away. After that the boys were noisy, as normal, but they had the radio on, so she just got them to sing and dance along to the music with her, keeping them occupied.

By the time they reached the zoo, she was boiling, the windows of the car trapping the heat and her dancing along with the twins causing the temperature to rise on an already hot day. She gasped as she followed Bobby out his side of the car, gulping in large breaths of cool air and revelling in the gentle play of the breeze across her skin. "Bobby!" she cried, hauling him back to her. Their parents had gone to figure out the parking payment system and Bobby, ever the dreamer, had wandered into the lane between the parking spaces just as a car was backing out of the space opposite. "Okay boys, just stay near me." She wracked her brains to come up with something to occupy them. "Have you both put on sun cream?" They shook their heads. "Well then, I think we just found out what we're going to do."

When their parents returned, all three of them were protected, ready for a day in the sunshine. Placing the ticket in the windscreen, Frederick said, "Are we ready? Ready, set, go!" and the boys went racing off towards the entrance. He slung an arm around his wife and daughter. "Let's go shall we?" They followed the brothers at a more leisurely pace, although Caroline detached herself from the line when Frederick and Annabeth started swinging their legs in semi-circles at the same time while they walked. Chuckling at them, she headed towards the ticket office and paid for their entry.

"Right then, where to first?" she asked, looking down at her sons.

They looked around simultaneously, before yelling, "Hippos!" and running off.

Caroline was about to follow when Annabeth tore after them, yelling, "I've got them! See you there!" Frederick rested a hand on her waist as they watched the children disappear in amongst the crowds.

"If I won't let her look after them when they're on their own at home, I really don't know why I'm letting her look after them in such a busy place where it would be so much easier to lose them," Caroline pondered.

Frederick squeezed her hip gently. "Just let them be. They'll be fine, you know they will. Annabeth is perfectly capable of looking after them."

"I know, she's responsible. One of the best things about her is that she's reliable."

"She is that, although I wouldn't say it's one of the best things about her. I think it makes her older than she should be sometimes. She's beautiful, clever, wise, kind..."

"Yes, yes, I know you love your daughter," Caroline teased.

He looked at her, frowning slightly. "Our daughter."

She smiled and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Our daughter. Now, let's go and find them." Releasing her waist and taking her hand instead, Frederick led her in the direction of the hippos.

...

"Annabeth! Annabeth! Annabeth! Can we please go and see the penguins?" Matthew was begging her while Bobby tugged on her shirt to add his desperation to Matthew's pleas.

"Bobby! Stop pulling, you'll stretch it! And yes, but stay next to me, don't run off this time." Bobby desisted and they did walk at her side but did so while muttering under their breath about how they were 11 and that they could look after themselves. "I can hear you, you know. And I agree but Caroline will have a heart attack if I leave you alone and then she'll probably take it out on me and we don't want that do we?" There was an astounding lack of response. "Do we? Seeing as I have the sweeties and all." They were both suddenly clamouring to agree.

They found themselves at the penguin enclosure and she watched as the boys shoved their way through the throng of supervising adults until they reached the Plexiglas surround, which they promptly pushed their faces against. She smiled. Their parents had allowed them relative freedom that day, putting Annabeth in charge of her brothers and telling her that they would meet for lunch at 12.30. Occasionally Frederick and Caroline found them just to check how they were doing, but she thought it was a nice chance to spend some time just the two of them too. Lunch had been relaxed, listening to Matthew ramble on about this animal and that that he had seen, from time to time asking Bobby what he thought before their parents told them what they had done. All thoughts of school, college and work had been left behind, giving them a well-earned day away from it all.

Checking her watch, Annabeth saw it was 4.45. Sighing, she sidled and excuse-me'd her way to the front of the crowd where she found Matthew laughing at Bobby's penguin impression. She stood there, simply watching their moment of sibling harmony, when a harassed gentleman tapped her on the shoulder. "'Scuse me, but can you move, there are some kids here who would actually like to see the animals."

She glared slightly at his passive-aggression but a shout of "Hey, be nice to the lady," from further back in the crowd placated her slightly. She moved to tap the twins on their shoulders.

"Come on, time to go. We need to meet Caroline and Dad at the car in ten minutes, and that's probably how long it will take to get there." They pulled away from her, obviously reluctant to leave, but she glanced over at the father who was growing increasingly irate and grabbed their wrists, towing them with her. "I know you don't want to, but tough. You've had a good day here; let's not spoil it by arguing now." Begrudgingly, they followed her without having to be forcibly dragged. Struck by a memory, she giggled.

"Quack, quack." She wiggled her arms as she pretended to be a duck. Her brothers regarded her as if she had gone insane. "What? Don't you remember?" She wiggled her bum as if she was pretending to have a tail and their disgust became tinged with confusion. "It worked so well when you were kids to get you to behave. I'd be the mummy duck, you were the ducklings. You'd all fall in line behind me and copy what I did. It was great! No?" They shook their heads at her and she dropped her head in mock sadness. "You're all big and grown up. It's so sad!" She wiped away non-existent tears with great enthusiasm. "Today you don't remember the ducks, tomorrow you won't remember me!"

"We'll always remember you Annabeth! We love you, don't we Matthew?" Bobby exclaimed, his arms around her waist.

"Of course. But do I have to hug you?"

She chuckled. "No. Actually Bobby, that was a lovely hug, but can you let go now because Caroline and Dad are waiting over there for us and they're looking a little impatient." He complied and the threesome moved to greet their parents. As they climbed in, Caroline asked, "So did everyone have a good day?"

A chorus of yesses came from the back seat. Annabeth called, "And did you have a good day Caroline?"

She exchanged a gentle, secretive smile with her husband and, once he had managed to manoeuvre the car out of the car park, he linked their hands across the central console. "Yes, I'd say so," she responded softly. Smiling wider, she claimed cheerfully, "Now, back to the comforts of our own home!"

The twins began by playing an exuberant game of car cricket but soon became subdued. She stroked their fair heads as one, then the other, fell asleep with their heads on her shoulders. They had obviously worn themselves out by tearing from one enclosure to another at breakneck speed. Now their breathing was regular, the postures relaxed with mouths hanging open and calm finally reigning in the back seat. She raised her eyebrows at their parents in the front seat. "Tired little monkeys," she whispered. "Worn me out too. I'll probably have a nap later." They smiled back at her, before returning to their quiet murmurings between themselves. Annabeth just enjoyed the quiet and watched the world rush past at 60 mph.

She shook them both awake when they pull into their house's drive. Watching them blinking blearily with matching red marks on their cheeks where their faces had been smushed against her, she was struck by how similar they looked. As they had grown up, the twins had grown to look more different to the point where others could now tell the difference and Annabeth could only see their differences, so seeing them look like a mirror image of the other was a reminder of both their close bond (something she was part of, but not at the same time) and their youth.

They all eventually rolled out of the car, the lights flashing behind them as they walked to their front door, indicating that it was locked. Bobby, who obviously needed the loo, hopped from one foot to the other while their brother just stood by uncharacteristically calmly. Finally, Caroline unlocked the house, Bobby rushing in, the others following more sedately. As Annabeth removed her shoes, Caroline called, "Dinner in an hour, so don't get too caught up in anything!"

Nodding, she acknowledged her step-mother before grabbing her phone from where she left it on the coffee table and heading upstairs. Happily, she curled up in the corner of her room, perched on her bed with her phone.

AnnabethChase: I'm back!

His reply was almost instantaneous, messages flying in one after another in quick succession.

OwenSawyer: Annabeth!

OwenSawyer: I told you

OwenSawyer: I told you I'd miss you

OwenSawyer: Why'd you leave me

OwenSawyer: Leave me all heartbroken and bleeding over my bedroom floor

OwenSawyer: It's going to take ages to get out, even with stain remover

AnnabethChase: Alright, drama queen. It was only 7 hours. We've gone longer.

OwenSawyer: Don't trivialise my pain. Look, I was so distraught that I even forgot my full stops. And that may be, but I didn't care about you so much back then.

She really didn't know how to respond to that one. Instead, she stared at the screen, blinking rapidly, the rest of her body frozen. After two minutes silence, he sent another message, appearing a little anxious that his message hadn't been well received.

OwenSawyer: Uh

OwenSawyer: I mean-

OwenSawyer: Back then I-

Annabeth laughed. He stuttered even when he was typing. That was so cute! And it showed he was being honest because he was typing what he thought, as he thought it. Which meant he really did care about her. She decided to put him out of his misery.

AnnabethChase: It's okay.

OwenSawyer: But I-

AnnabethChase: Owen. I understand.

OwenSawyer: Oh.

After a moment she decided to put herself out on the line too.

AnnabethChase: Me too.

And after that they didn't talk about it again, changing topic to their days and what he had done to enjoy the sunshine (which was nothing). Slowly, her eyes grew heavier and heavier until they dropped closed and her hands grew slack, letting her phone fall onto the sheets below.

She slept until Caroline came to fetch her for dinner a little later, at which point her inbox was filled with concerned messages that grew decidedly grumpy the further she scrolled down, ending with a simple humph.

...

"Annabeth!" Thalia cried, as she opened the door to Rachel's house. "Welcome to the mad house!" She looked at the other two girls sprawled on the floor of her friend's living room who waved lazily at her.

"It doesn't look so mad to me," she remarked dryly. Thalia rolled her eyes, but said nothing. After Annabeth had set down her bag, Katie sat up to greet her.

"Hey Annabeth. How has your week been?" she inquired in her gently lilting voice. Katie was quiet and good natured (unless you got on the wrong side of her) and Annabeth always found herself smiling after they had had a conversation.

"It's been good, thanks. Mostly relaxing, doing a little bit of studying. My family and I went out two days ago to the zoo to enjoy the sunshine. You?"

"Basically the same, but we had a big family barbeque on Wednesday rather than visiting the zoo."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, it was back at the farm, my aunt and uncle were hosting. It was nice to see everyone again, you know? Actually, we also found out Miranda, my cousin, is expecting!"

"Aww. Lucky her!"

"Yeah well," Katie sighed, "That will be the fifth Gardener child in as many years. We've expanded pretty quickly and it's starting to feel a bit like a nursery every time we do actually manage to meet up for once."

"Yeah but-"

Thalia interrupted. "Okay, this is starting to feel a bit like a mother's meeting rather than the girls' night it should be so I'm stopping you here."

"But-" Annabeth was about to protest but before she could, Silena arrived, saving Thalia from a tirade. The whirlwind that was their last remaining girl for the evening deposited a great pile of bags on the sofa before joining them all on the floor. The others just gaped. "Silena, you do realise that you're only here for one night, right?" Their friend nodded happily. "Then why have you brought a Mt. Everest of luggage?"

"Well, I need one set of warm weather clothes, one set of medium clothes and one sort of cold weather clothes, complete with coat and scarf, as well as shoes and accessories to go with each outfit." She counted each item off on her fingers. "Then there's pyjamas, overnight stuff, make-up, a clock, my phone, tablet and laptop in case they're necessary, as well as the corresponding chargers. Oh, and the camera. Add a few snacks and notebooks and voila!" She gestured to the pile, then looked at their still stunned faces. She giggled, "Okay, so maybe all of that wasn't necessary, but I wanted to see how much dad would allow me to take without questioning it." Sighing over-dramatically as if she were put upon, she continued, "I still haven't found the limit. Mum won't say anything - she's just as bad as me. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to keep trying." She sounded far more cheery as she shrugged at this last sentence.

"Silena, you said you brought some snacks. What did you bring?" Rachel inquired.

"Oh, just a few packs of Haribo and some Pringles."

"Odd combination."

"It's what I had in my cupboard." The girls ahhed and nodded.

"Okay, well we have pizza in the fridge, along with some J2O's. How about we grab some and get a film started?"

"Yes!" Thalia whooped as she jumped to her feet, running as if she were running a race rather than competing to get to the pizza before four other indifferent teenage girls did. She returned with a plate of food before the others had even reached the kitchen, so she occupied by making herself a cushion cocoon to sit on on the floor.

Rachel and Katie returned with similar size portions, but Silena's and Annabeth's were much smaller. Once they were situated, they got to arguing over the film they were going to watch through mouthfuls of junk food.

"Saw!" Thalia suggested.

"No! Cinderella!" Silena countered.

"Ugh! At least go for something funny, like Paul," Rachel suggested. Katie just shrugged; she didn't really care.

"Well, I don't like any of the above, and I don't think any of you like each other's suggestions, so that's a no to all of them. How about Tangled - it's Disney, funny and had mild violence associated with frying pans," Annabeth wisely suggested, although she made a face at her last point due to its very tenuous link to horror movies. Everyone except from Thalia seemed happy with the suggestion, so Rachel put the DVD in the player. "Sorry Thalia, you seem to have been voted out."

In response she pouted. However, her moping was soon driven away by a certain colour changing reptile and the girls were laughing together in no time.

...

"All I'm saying is that if Dad actually allowed me to have pets, a chameleon would definitely be the way to go." Thalia had decided that Pascale was real and that she needed one.

Rachel decided to bring her back to earth. "Yes, if Pascale actually existed, then he would be awesome - no poop, great at communicating and emotionally intuitive. However, as he doesn't, then my vote is for a cat. Affectionate, but you don't have to do anything for them."

"Definitely dwarf hamsters. Have you seen them when they all curl up on top of each other in a big heap to go to sleep? It's so adorable!" Silena added. No-one could argue. "Ha! I win."

"Yada yada yada. Enough about pets, I get enough about animals when I'm at home. What else can we talk about?"

Silena's cry of "Boys!" was timed to perfection with Thalia yelling "Not boys!"

With an apologetic glance towards Thalia, Katie asked, "So, anything interesting in your life Silena?"

Annabeth heard her best friend mutter, "I already lost a vote once tonight; they should've given it to me this time." And, when Silena had replied, "Lots," to Katie's question, Thalia continued, "Not for much longer, it won't be." Chuckling, Annabeth leant over and patted her friend's knee sympathetically but wisely kept her mouth shut, not giving her any more ammunition. Instead, she turned back to the main conversation.

"Okay, so that makes it sound like I've been hit on by loads of guys and I'm dating them all or something. I'm not, I promise, I'm a one guy kind of girl."

"We know," Annabeth assured Silena. "So what has been happening?"

"Well," she looked down, a hint of red colouring her cheekbones. How does she blush so attractively? Annabeth wondered. I suppose it helps that she looks like a supermodel normally anyway. She looked away from her friends, feeling inadequate. "You know Charlie from college?" When they all looked blank, she clarified. "Beckendorf." Understanding dawned on the girls' faces as they recalled the buff rugby player who was always dressed in a hoodie.

"Well, he's been... flirting with me the last few weeks, I think." The others oohed and Thalia wolf whistled, all leaning in. "He's been really sweet, holding open doors and defending me if anyone said anything."

Rachel wiggled her eyebrows. "So how'd you start talking? Because, no offence, he's not your usual type."

"None taken. We were waiting at the same bus stop when it started raining the other day. I had my umbrella up and he was just standing there, that hoodie of his plastered to his skin, looking utterly miserable. I couldn't just leave him there, so I invited him under my umbrella. He didn't want to at first, because what was the point? He was already soaked, but I persuaded him it was worth it. We stood there for a moment and then he made this little wisecrack about how stupid he must look, a rugby player holding a pink umbrella - because of course he was holding it, he's like a foot taller than me. He's actually kind of funny, in a quiet kind of way. I like him," she finished, slightly defensive.

Thalia raised her hands, while Rachel said, "We don't blame you. If he's like you say he is, then he'll be perfect for you."

Katie frowned for a moment. "Wait a second. He hasn't worn his hoodie as much recently. Is that because of you?"

Silena beamed. "I think so. I think he thinks that I want someone who is always dressed right, so he's going for more fashionable, tighter fitting t-shirts and things. Which I appreciate, but he should realise that I don't need all of that, I just want him, but I think that he'll take a while to ask me out." She shrugged. "I don't mind waiting until he really realises that his feelings are reciprocated. Anyway, he always has a jacket or hoodie with him, even if it's in his bag." She blushed prettily again. "He said it was because if a particular girl ever got cold or wet, he wanted to repay the favour that she had once done him in protecting him from the weather."

"So you want him to go out with you?"

"Yeah. I mean, with all the chivalrous stuff he's doing, he's starting to act like a boyfriend anyway."

"You should bring in him over sometime, get him to mix with us and then you would truly be dating in everything but name."

"Yup, but I want to be dating in name - boyfriend and girlfriend, I mean. That way I have him pinned down and won't lose him to any other passing girl."

"He could cheat you know," Rachel suggested.

Silena denied, "He just couldn't do it. Charlie isn't that kind of guy. He doesn't see the point in cheating. If you don't care enough about a girl to stay faithful, then you leave her. It hurts less all round, that's what he said."

"That's what he said!" the other girls echoed.

She chuckled and waved her hand at them to quieten them down. "So, if we don't have any more questions..." she paused, but none seemed forthcoming, "... then does anyone else have any news?" The others shook their heads slowly. Silena sighed exasperatedly. "Okay, all of you might not have anything, but Annabeth must have something. Anything?"

Annabeth flushed (not as attractively as Silena had earlier) as all eyes turned on her, brows raised. "Not really. I don't know what you want me to say!" she exclaimed as they all looked doubtful.

"Well, what were you saying about Percy last week when we got distracted last week?" Rachel proposed.

"Oh that. It really wasn't as big a deal as Thalia made it out to be. We had just walked home once together because we walk the same way when I go to my Gran's. He was just being his usual self," she muttered with a side glance to Thalia. Technically it was true; at the time they had only walked home together once and he could sometimes be flirty with girls (he had to get the reputation from somewhere). Just because since then they'd walked home together again and he was normally sullen and played it cool in society didn't mean it was necessary to tell everyone, right? Especially when she had told Thalia it would only be the once.

"Oh. What about OwenSawyer then?" Katie enquired.

"He's just getting a little more affectionate. He's so sweet sometimes - did you know that the other day he actually stuttered because he said something about caring about me?"

"Umm... sorry to ask if it's obvious, but why's that cute?" Rachel asked.

"It just shows he isn't really overconfident and cocky like some of the 'lads'" - she did little air quotes around this - "can be. He's real and isn't perfectly smooth all the time. Also, it shows he's typing as he thinks because the whole point of texting is that you can think about what you're going to say before you say it so it comes out perfectly. Because it didn't, that shows that he isn't thinking about what he's writing, it's his natural reaction so it's obviously the truth. I like that; it means that he is open enough with me to always tell me the truth."

Rachel sputtered a moment. "Two things: one, you over think things far too much, and two, are you sure he's exactly who he says he is?" Annabeth's smile dropped. She looked round at the other girls in the circle who were nodding sadly, including Thalia.

"Hey, I'm sorry, we don't mean to speak out of turn or anything, but we've been thinking it for a while. It's just, if you're getting closer to him, now's the time to speak for us. Anyone can be anyone on the internet - are you sure that he's who he says he is?"

"I mean, his name might not be Owen, I get that, but he's such a real person, I just know he's who he says he is. You'll have to trust me - you don't know him like I do." The others still looked doubtful. "Look, would you like to see some pictures? Would that help you to believe in him?"

The others clamoured to see the photos and crowded around her as she pulled them up on her phone. "He sent me these last week - we exchanged." She passed round her phone, the image of a young guy with longish brown hair, dark eyes and a hat taken on a webcam showing. She flicked through a few others, all of the same guy, some showing his friends.

Silena nodded in approval. "Hot."

The others nodded, but Katie made a face. "So have you Google image searched these Annabeth?" She turned to her with a puzzled expression so Katie elaborated. "He could have found all of these pictures on the internet, off someone else's profile. If you image searched these, you could see if he took them off another site, or whether these are his own originals, in which case he's more likely to be legit."

Annabeth felt slightly offended. "No, I haven't and I won't be in the future either. I trust him and if I did that I'd feel as though I was betraying him. Not going to happen. You still don't believe me, do you? He did suggest a phone conversation the other day - he wouldn't do that if he wanted to hide his identity would he?"

The others shook their heads slowly. "So what did he sound like?"

"Oh, I don't know. You know how I feel about talking over the phone. I turned down the idea."

Thalia suggested, "Why don't you try Skype? Then you can see him so it proves he exists and you don't have to worry about the whole 'can't read body language' thing you hate about talking on the phone."

She considered it. "Maybe. I'll think about it, and I might suggest it to him. But that's enough harassing me about my man for tonight."

The others backed off, sensing Annabeth was reaching the end of her tether. Their only comment was, "Just be careful Annabeth," reminding her that all they really wanted was her happiness and safety, not necessarily in that order. That reminder helped restore her to her former good mood.

Soon after, they all decided to watch another movie (some comedy she didn't know the name of) and part way through, Annabeth thought over everything they'd said. She didn't see any harm in Thalia's suggestion, as long as she didn't use Thalia's reasoning when suggesting it to Owen. It might even bring them closer together. If he did refuse though, it didn't matter to her. She didn't have to tell anyone that he had rejected the offer and she was convinced that he was telling the truth no matter what.

Making a decision, she leant over (she was now positioned on one of Rachel's plush sofas) and dug around in her bag for her phone. Leaning back once it was retrieved, she unlocked and opened the message thread she had going with Owen.

AnnabethChase: Hey, my friends are bugging me.

She checked the time on the clock then gasped, her hand cupped over her mouth. It was one in the morning!

AnnabethChase: Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry! I didn't realise it was so late. I hope I didn't wake you up.

The reply came through pretty quickly.

OwenSawyer: Zzzzzzz- sngh!

OwenSawyer: Just kidding! I was still awake. How are they annoying you?

AnnabethChase: They are begging me to get Skype to talk to you.

OwenSawyer: Really? Why?

AnnabethChase: Because they are so desperate to see your gorgeous face in person of course! Why else?

OwenSawyer: Well, I can't argue that that is a very good reason.

AnnabethChase: Yeah?

OwenSawyer: I am very handsome. I would have to get Skype too if we wanted to do that.

AnnabethChase: What do you think?

She had to wait for a moment for the response.

OwenSawyer: Can you give me a while to think about it? I'm not quite sure what it entails. Let me have a look sometime when it isn't one in the morning :)

AnnabethChase: Fair enough. Alright, I'll let you get your beauty sleep. You need it to maintain that handsomeness for if I ever see it on video.

OwenSawyer: True, true. But what about yours? It's late and I want you to stay gorgeous.

AnnabethChase: That's why we girls do facial packs the morning after a girls' night. But shhh... you can't tell that to anyone. Girl secret!

OwenSawyer: Oooh. Your secret is safe with me. Have a nice night, sweetheart.

AnnabethChase: I will. Sleep well. We'll talk soon (although not too soon because I'd like a lie in please).

She could imagine his deep chuckle at that - or at least, she thought it'd be deep. Who knows - maybe she'd actually know what his voice sounded like soon. Instead of taking that thought too far, she turned back to the television where the film was still playing, missing the calculating glance that Thalia threw her from across the room.

Well... that was a lot longer than I expected. It was supposed to be kind of a filler, but it so isn't any more. Anyway, in case you couldn't guess, this chapter was Owen-centric. Also, so many hints! You won't even realise that most of them are there but I feel so clever slipping them all in! I hope you enjoyed it and that the length of it made up somewhat for the wait. Hopefully the next one won't be such a long wait, but I am busy and I am going away soon for a short while.

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a nice (insert time of day here)! xx