Hello, readers and reviewers! I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but now that GothNoWriMo and NaNoWriMo are over, I should have a bit more time to do so. I just want to thank you all for your lovely reviews-they make me smile and laugh and feel like a terrible person when I can't update for a long while, haha. Mr. Fishmunk, TwIx27, brooke13243546, Terri M, AnnabethChase12, StarlitReader, and Eleos, I greatly appreciate everything you have to say to me and I can't even tell you how motivational your comments are when I have writers block or have that feeling all writers experience, the "gods above, why is all my writing terrible?" feeling. They're humbling and just quite wonderful.

So thank you all so very much, and enjoy the chapter.

-Ivy

11. Triangle

"G-Man? Why are you laughing? What's a love triangle and what do Annabeth, Rachel, and I have anything to do with one?"

12. Satin

She and Rachel are arguing across the picnic table and he notices in a detached sort of way that Annabeth's hand is creeping toward her knife. He looks around frantically, aware that the rising argument has caught the attention of nearly all of the parents in the park. A number of them have already left, towing their resistant children.

"Guys," he says hesitantly, clearing his throat a little when this does not manage to catch their attention completely. Finally, they both whip around to face him, Rachel's face nearly as red as her hair, and he's pretty sure Annabeth has never looked more like her fierce mother than now. Percy finds himself wishing he had never spoken. "Um… nothing personal, Rach," he says, "But I just think that because it's Annabeth's wedding, she should get to choose the dress."

Now Percy is regretting his words. Her worst weapon may be her purple hairbrush, but he had never liked crossing Rachel Elizabeth Dare, though it did win a smile out of his fiancée.

"I'm sorry, Percy Jackson," says Rachel, her voice deathly calm, making it perfectly clear she isn't apologizing. "But do you know the first thing about fashion design?"

What?"Uh, no, but-"

"And do you know anything about which fabrics can be combined without disastrous consequences?"

"Well, no, but define 'disastrous-'"

"And who was it that asked me to design Annabeth's dress?"

"Okay, us, but-"

"And since neither you nor Annabeth know anything about clothing, you said you would trust me to design it with your best interests in mind! Therefore, when I say the dress will have a satin bodice, you should just agree with me!"

Annabeth is quick on the uptake, though Percy is still floored with Rachel's rant. Off the top of his head, he's pretty sure he can name only cotton as another type of fabric. What's wrong with satin?

"Percy doesn't like satin," Annabeth insists, her jaw set stubbornly. Percy glances at her, not wanting to get dragged even deeper into this. Annabeth could wear rags on their wedding day and he could care less, though he doubted she felt the same way. She shakes her head fractionally, a don't-you-dare-disagree-with-me-Seaweed-Brain look if he ever saw one, so he nods. Rachel rolls her eyes, knowing perfectly well he has no idea what he is talking about. She gives the pair of them one more steely-eyed look, then sweeps her designs off the table.

"Fine," she announces, shoving them carelessly into her shoulder bag. "Fine. Back to the drawing board. I just hope to someday know the reason why satin is so heinous that you can't bear to wear it, Annabeth."

And practically breathing fire, she spins around and stalks off. They watch her go until she reaches the gate and merges into the endless passerby of New York City, and then Percy glances to Annabeth.

She's still looking frazzled, but triumphant all the same, as if she has just destroyed a monster after a long and difficult battle. Her curls have come undone from her Goldilocks braids.

"Honestly, Wise Girl," he says, tucking a flyaway curl behind her ear. "I don't really care either way about the, ah, satin."

"I know," she tells him, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "It wasn't the fabric, really, just her ridiculous design. She mentioned that it really only worked with satin and wouldn't hear a word about discarding the idea. Ergo, no satin."

He nods, half of this flying through one ear and out the other as he realizes something of slightly more importance than dress designs. "So," he says, leaning a little closer to her sun-warmed face. Percy fights a smile. "I guess we don't have a dress fitting to attend, hmm?"

Annabeth grins. "Guess not," she whispers, tugging on the chunk of his hair he knows matches her silver-grey streak as she leans closer, a devilish smile on her lips.

13. Keep

He's not sure how she got it, but she has his heart now, and he has no desire to take it back.

14. Swim

"Mrs. Jackson? This is the Upper East YMCA. No, you're son is fine. Actually… Percy is doing great. I thought you said he had never taken swimming lessons before?"

15. Lure

"Percy! Give me back those architecture sketches immediately, you idiotic fish brain!"

He raises them higher above his head, laughing as she takes another swipe, and then scooping her into his arms as she takes just one step close enough.

"Gotcha," he whispers into her neck, and the plans are forgotten for quite some time.