Hey people! Thanks so much for all the reviews :D! Sorry I took a bit to update but I've been reading Eclipse and I'm finally going to see it tomorrow. Plus I've got sun burnt….so I couldn't think much with my back and arms burning :P!

Now…on to business. I've received some reviews asking me when Percy/Annabeth and Thalia/Nico are going to kiss and when are they going to tell each other that they're demigods.

About the demigods bit….it shouldn't be much longer. So please be patient. I mean….I've read stories where they just tell each other and that isn't very exciting. I'm just trying to spice it up :D I have a pretty good idea on how to make them find out….and it won't be pretty…for Percy and Nico anyways….but don't worry….nothing bad will happen….to Annabeth and Thalia anyways….XD!

As for the kiss…..it should be soon ;D!

Oh and small note. I imagine Percy's feelings are displayed excellently in Phil Collins' song Stranger's Like Me from Tarzan. Especially this part in the lyrics :::

Every gesture, every move that she makes
Makes me feel like never before
Why do I have
This growing need to be beside her

Enjoy :D!

Chapter 11 – Another Truth

I woke up and looked at my bedside clock.

5:30 AM

I sighed and got up. I never did this before but I'd do it for her. I quickly grabbed a pair of boxers and went to take a shower. I decided to take a cold one so that I'd wake up. And I sure did.

I put my school stuff in my school stuff. Then I grabbed a towel and a change of clothes and put them in a duffel bag. I put on my swimming shorts and a t-shirt and went out.

I put the bags by the door and went to the kitchen to have some breakfast. When I entered the kitchen, I found my mom preparing Paul's lunch and breakfast. When she saw me, her eyes widened and jaw dropped.

"Y-You actually w-woke up e-early?" she stammered.

"Of course," I said, grinning, as I ate some waffles she had prepared for Paul.

"Bye," I said when I finished. "Oh and if Nico comes, tell him I've already left."

She was still surprised but nodded. I grabbed the bags, went out, closed the door and headed for Annabeth.

About 2 minutes later, I arrived at Annabeth's. But when I was about to knock, I hesitated a bit. It was still early and I didn't want to wake up her parents.

Then I heard "Percy?"

I looked up and saw Mrs. Chase in a bathrobe looking out a window. It must have been their bedroom.

"Good morning," I said.

"Good morning. Wow you actually woke up this early. Impressive," she said, smiling.

I laughed nervously and scratched the back of my head "Yeah. I had a pretty good reason to wake up this early," I said.

She smiled at me. "Grab the key from under the flower pot and come in," she said and went inside.

I found the key, opened the door, went inside and put the key on one of the hooks on the door. I put my bags on the floor and waited for Annabeth.

After a few minutes Helen came down. "Can you help me wake her up please? I think after she slept on you last night, she doesn't want to wake up."

I blushed when I remembered that but I went upstairs with her. I got in and Helen stayed by the door. I knelt next to Annabeth.

"Wake up Annabeth," I said, gently shaking her.

"5 minutes mom. I want Percy," she mumbled.

I tried not to laugh but Helen laughed slowly.

I gently caressed her face, making her smile. Then I leaned in and whispered in her ear "I am Percy."

Her eyes shot open and looked at me, blushing. She got her hands from under the blanket and gave me a hug. "Morning Seaweed Brain."

"Good morning Wise Girl," I said, blushing and smiling.

We stayed like that until Helen cleared her throat and said "As much as you too look cute like that, Annabeth, you have to get ready." We broke apart, blushing.

"Ok, put on your swimsuit and hurry please. If we arrive at school in 20 minutes, we'll have exactly 2 hours of the pool to ourselves. And you'll probably learn by then," I said, giving her an encouraging smile.

She nodded and left to change.

I turned to Helen and she silently applauded me.

"Congratulations Percy," she said smiling.

Like a gentleman, I bowed slightly and said "Thank you." With that she left.

After a moment, Annabeth came back in, wearing a beautiful silver one-piece swim suit. I just stared at her. She noticed it and blushed.

"So? What do you think?" she said, looking down in embarrassment.

"I..ugh…you…ugh…" I stammered. She looked so beautiful I couldn't form words. Of course my tongue HAD to betray me now.

She looked up and giggled at me. " I'll take your beautiful words as a compliment."

I blinked fast and composed myself. That was EMBARRASSING.

She put on some clothes, readied her stuff for school and swimming and left. We went downstairs so that Annabeth could eat some breakfast. I took her bags and put them next to mine while she went to her kitchen. I joined her after. Helen offered me some waffles but I gently refused.

When Annabeth was done, we grabbed our bags and left for school.

We were nearly there when Annabeth decided to break the silence.

"So what did my mom want?" she asked.

I clenched my fists, remembering what Luke almost made her do. She saw his and her face turned to worry.

"Percy?" she said.

"Nothing," I stated.

She stopped me and said "Percy. What did she tell you?" in a demanding tone.

I looked at her and my eyes started stinging. What if Fredrick hadn't reached her in time? What if she did what she wanted to do? I felt a tear spill.

"Percy…what did she tell you?" she said almost shouting.

"I can't tell you," I said, voice cracking a bit. I looked at her and she had crossed her arms. "now. I'll tell you after school ok?"

"But-"she started but I cut her off.

"I'll tell you after school," I said in a demanding voice, clearly showing her that I will not take no for an answer. I didn't mean to do this, but I couldn't tell her now.

She saw the pained expression on my face and decided to let it go. But I had a feeling she'll get me to tell her after school.

We arrived at school about 3 minutes later. We quickly made our way to the pool and went inside. When I opened the pool doors, I took in a deep breath.

The pool was HUGE! I mean it was nearly as big as an Olympic pool.

I turned to Annabeth who was smiling at my surprised expression.

"Do you mind if I take a quick dip?" I asked hopefully. I gave her the puppy dog eyes for back-up.

She laughed at that. "You don't have to give me the puppy dog eyes. Go! Have fun!"

"Thanks," I said as I gave her a small hug.

I put my bags next to Annabeth's, took off my shirt and dove in.

The feeling of swimming was awesome. I haven't felt it in over 2 weeks. I did some laps, just to release some energy because I was pumped.

When I finally stopped, not because I was tired but because it was getting a bit boring, I looked at Annabeth and she was just looking at me, jaw dropped. She had removed her clothes and sat by the deep end, ankles in the water. I swam to her.

When I got to her, she was still staring at me.

"What?" I asked

"No wonder you love swimming this much. You're a natural-born swimmer," she said grinning.

"That's what they tell me," I said, grinning back. "I just feel better when I'm in the water. It relaxes me."

She nodded and smiled.

"So…ready to start?" I asked.

Her smile faltered but she nodded reluctantly.

"Good. Come to the shallow end." I said and started swimming there.

She stood up and walked to the other end.

When she got there, she went to get in by the ladder. She turned around and started entering the pool but before she did the first step, she said "No staring at my butt."

I blushed and looked away because….honestly…that's where I was looking. I mentally slapped myself for being that sick.

I swam silently to her. When she got in, she shivered a bit but didn't let go of the ladder.

I wrapped her arms around her waist and said softly in her ear "Don't be afraid."

She gasped and I could feel her heart beat faster. But at least she let go of the ladder and placed her hands on my arms.

"Calm down Annabeth," I quietly ordered. "Being frightened…or in your case excited…" she elbowed me. "is bad when trying to learn how to swim. Calm down." I whispered the last bit.

She shivered a bit, but calmed down.

I turned her around to face me. She placed a hand on my chest and looked in my eyes. With her other hand she brushed some hair out of my eyes which caused me to blush which caused her to blush. She shivered a bit, breaking eye contact.

"It's cold," she said.

I smiled. "Don't worry. You'll get used to it," I said, pulling her closer and hugging her. But when I tried to pull away, Annabeth's hands kept me there. I could see she was still cold and my body was warm….very warm. Then I decided to mess with her.

"Annabeth if you came here just to give me a hug, we could've done that without getting wet," I said grinning. But her answer surprised me.

"I wanted to know how it feels when I hug you in something you love," she said quietly.

I tightened the hug a bit "Thank you Annabeth. It feels like the best thing ever," I whispered.

We broke apart and blushed a bit.

"Let's get started then," I said, changing the subject.

With that, I began teaching her on how to keep balance, how to swim normally and I told her about the doggy paddle, just in case. There were some moments where things would just get awkward. There was one moment, it went something like this.

I was teaching her how to float without being afraid of sinking. Most people hesitate and that sinks them.

She was still hesitating, so I put a hand on her butt and pushed her up, just to show her.

Suddenly she blushed "Ehh..Percy?"

"Yeah?" I said, completely oblivious.

"Could you…uhmm….remove your…uhmm…hand…from my…uhmm…butt please?" she said, face tomato red.

My eyes widened and blushed deep red. I quickly removed my hand and said "Uhh..sorry."

"It's ok," she said, still blushing.

Awkward moment.

The she splashed my face just to end the awkward moment. And it worked because in seconds we had ourselves a splash war.

Anyways, after an hour and a half of teaching Annabeth, she got the hang of it. But she was very tired because she almost drowned once or twice when she went in the deep end and all the coughing made her tired. Plus we had ourselves a couple of splash wars, which added to her being tired. I wasn't even tired a bit because I spent 5 years swimming in Poseidon's Palace….so I think 5 years of kicking and paddling might help me in not getting tired.

When we finished, we dried off, went to change into our clothes and let our swimming suits dry on a wire. While we waited for them to dry off by the heater (yes there was a heater so the things would dry faster) we sat down on a bench to relax and talk.

After about 10 minutes, we checked our things and they where dry. We put them in our duffle bags and started to go outside. But before we left, I gather some courage, gulped and said "Annabeth?"

She turned to me, smiling. "Yeah?"

I blushed a bit. "Do you…ugh…want to…ugh..go to the…ugh…movies next Friday?"

Her smile disappeared. "Oh…."

"It's OK if you don't want to go," I said quickly, slightly hurt. "I shouldn't have asked you this early. I'm sorry." I looked down in disappointment.

Her eyes widened. "What? No. No that's not it! I was just a bit surprised that you actually asked me, that's all. Of course I'll go out with you." I looked up and her smile reappeared.

I smiled "Thanks."

She put her bag on the floor, put her hands around my neck and hugged me. "Thank you for this morning. Here's something in return," she whispered.

The she pulled away and kissed me.

SHE KISSED ME!

It wasn't just a normal peck on the cheek but a full on French kiss. When she pulled away, she was blushing. And I knew so was I.

"I should teach you how to swim more often," I said stupidly. It was something I blurted out, not giving it a thought. I slapped my head mentally.

She smiled at me, took my hand and pulled me outside. I was still in shock about what happened but luckily I had enough time to grab my duffle bag. Annabeth pulled me slowly to the bathroom.

"I'll be right back," she said quickly, not even looking at me, before darting in the bathroom.

I just stared at her, confused, and honestly, still surprised.

~Annabeth's POV~

I went into one of the bathrooms, opened the door, locked it quickly and sat on the toilet.

After a few deep breaths, I realized what I had just done. I traced my lips, remembering the kiss.

It was nothing I felt before, not even with Luke. Even though I loved him a lot, his kisses were always a bit cold and hard.

But Percy's was…different.

His lips felt so warm and soft. I smiled when I remembered that. He looked so confused and surprised when I kissed him. Again, he didn't take advantage of what I did. He just let me kiss him. He knew what I'm feeling so he let me do what I want.

Tears filled my eyes.

I didn't deserve him. He's a good guy. He worries about me very much, even though I barely know him. But I feel like I've known him all my life. That's why I could trust him so easily. Something about him told me that I could trust my life, soul and being in him.

And all I could do was worry him. What kind of person am I?

I was already crying when I heard "Annabeth?"

It was Thalia.

I quickly unlocked the door and ran into her arms, crying.

"Annabeth what happened? Percy's out there worrying like a crazy person," she said, also worried.

That only made me cry harder. She hugged me tightly.

For a few minutes all I could do was cry. Why was I hurting him this much? Why do I always hurt those that I love? That's right I said it.

I love Percy Jackson.

I loved him from the second we locked eyes in our 1st lesson together. I loved him more when he decided to skip his favorite thing to do, swimming, to come and listen to me and my problems. I loved him when he hugged me tightly as I was crying in his shirt, both times when we were at school and at the club.

But now I've hurt him by making him worry about my stupid, insecure feelings. How I could be insecure if I trust him this much is a mystery, even to me.

"What happened?" Thalia asked finally, softly.

"I k-k-kissed him," I said, sniffling.

She looked at me and her eyes widened "You what?" I nodded in response.

"And he didn't take advantage of me, like he didn't take advantage of me last night when I was half asleep and I asked him to change me," I said, blushing slightly because that was a bit embarrassing.

Thalia's eyes widened even more.

"Y-You g-gave him t-that t-t-test?" she stammered. And she had every right to. I rarely give anyone that test. It was something Aphrodite had told me to do the 1st time I was with Luke. She said it was a test of love. Luke had accepted and I knew he didn't love me. But I gave him another change after he seemed really sorry.

I nodded in response, again.

"And he refused?" she said, still surprised.

I nodded….AGAIN.

She released me quickly and went outside.

I was very confused about what just happened, so I followed slowly.

What I saw amused me a bit.

~Percy's POV~

I was pacing in front of the door. What was taking her so long? It's been 10 minutes already. Was she ok? Maybe something happened to her. Plus I think I heard a sniffle.

"Hey Percy," someone said which startled me.

I turned around to see Thalia.

When she saw my face, she said "What happened? And where's Annabeth?"

"In the bathroom. She's been in there for over 10 minutes and I swear I heard a sniffle. Maybe she's crying. Could you check on her please?" I asked worried.

She smiled a bit "Of course," she said and went in.

After what seemed like an eternity, Thalia burst out of the door. When she looked at me, she came over and gave me a bear hug.

"Percy, thank you. I wish all guys were like you," she said.

"Uhh..Thalia? Are you ok?" I asked, confused.

She pulled away and nodded.

But as she was going to say something, I saw someone from the corner of my eye.

When I looked I saw that it was Nico. And he looked hurt. Thalia saw that I wasn't looking at her and followed my gaze. When she saw Nico, she blushed.

Nico turned around and ran outside.

Thalia turned to me "What was that about?"

I looked at her eyebrow raised "Are you that oblivious?"

She looked confused "What?"

I sighed "Thalia…he LIKES you. He told me yesterday that he was jealous that you hugged me. How would you feel if you saw someone you have very strong feelings about hug someone who you consider family?"

She looked surprised "Very strong feelings?" she asked in disbelief.

I nodded. "He's a good kid with a big heart. He may be creepy or emo sometimes but he's still a good kid. He cares about you a lot because he told me so. By the way…how do you feel about him?"

Her face turned red. I grinned.

"I knew it. Now go get him," I said, pushing her a bit.

She broke into a run and went outside. I smiled at that.

But then I remembered about Annabeth and my smile disappeared. I turned my face towards the bathroom and I saw her.

She was smiling at where Thalia went but her eyes were red and puffy.

I knew it. She was crying.

And I had to make it better, whatever the cost.

"Annabeth?" I asked, throat dry.

She looked at me and her eyes teared up. She tried to go back to the bathroom but I went to her quickly and pulled her into a hug.

"Annabeth. Please. Tell me what's wrong. You're killing me here." I whispered.

Big mistake. BIG MISTAKE!

When I said that, she burst out crying hard. Crying as if someone killed someone she loved. And it literally shattered my heart into a million pieces because I was causing her this pain.

I quickly looked at my watch, out of habit.

7:50

The school would start filling up with students soon. I quickly let go of Annabeth, who was still crying, but slower, grabbed her bags, grabbed her hand and led her outside.

I took her to a spot where very few people know about. The spot where Nico shadow travelled us to school yesterday morning. I put down our stuff and turned to Annabeth.

"Talk," I ordered.

She had, thankfully, already calmed down, so now she could speak. She looked down.

"Percy, I'm a horrible person. Since I met you yesterday, I've made you worry about my personal problems. I should have never told you the story about Luke because if I hadn't, right now we wouldn't be here. We would be with the others, having fun. I don't think it's fair on you. Please forgive me." She started crying when she asked me to forgive her.

I was just shocked. How could she think that? I pulled her into a hug.

"Annabeth, did you ever think that I asked you about your personal life because I wanted to get to know you better? You're not a horrible person because you needed someone to trust when you're hurt. And if you hadn't told me, I'm 100% positive that we wouldn't have done half the things we've done so far. Remember that I'm always here. You can tell me anything you want. I'm not going to tell anyone unless you tell me too, not even my parents. You know that."

"I know Percy. But when I kissed you I didn't know what to do. I thought I hurt you because I thought that you thought that I used you because I needed someone to kiss. And I'm sorry." She buried herself deeper into my shirt.

I blushed a bit when I remembered the kiss.

"Annabeth, I didn't feel hurt. I know that you need someone to comfort you right now. And to tell you the truth…" I gulped. "If you decide to find comfort in me…I would be more than happy to give it to you."

She looked up at me, blushing a bit "Really?"

I nodded and smiled "Really."

I leaned in, slowly, trying to hint what I want.

She seemed to have caught the hind because she said "Percy?"

I pulled away and said "Sorry…I don't know-" but she cut me off by putting a finger on my lips, instantly shutting me up.

"I want to kiss you Percy," she said, looking straight in my eyes. "But I have to know something. And I beg you…tell me."

I nodded.

"What did my mom tell you yesterday?" she asked

I held my breath. Her eyes told me that she wanted to know. And I knew that if I didn't tell her, she would still worry and she would spend the day worrying.

I sighed and said, a tear slipping "She told me…about your suicide attempt." When I said that, she gasped, eyes filling with tears. I pulled her into a hug, showing her that I'm not letting go. She started crying again.

"Annabeth…I never want you to ever think about that again. Please. I can't lose you. What you tried to do wasn't a solution. It was another problem." I said, slightly crying into her hair.

"Percy…I was so hurt back then. I didn't know what to do. How to live. He hurt me so much, I didn't see any reason to live anymore. I'm sorry you had to find out about that," she said crying.

I pulled her away and held her shoulders. I looked into her crying eyes and said "Promise me you'll never think about that again! I'm here now. I'll protect you. Please."

Her eyes spilled fresh tears. She smiled, nodded, locked her hands around my neck and kissed me. I placed my arms around her waist and returned the kiss. This was something I really wanted to do.

We kept this for a good minute before we broke apart for air, both blushing.

She gave me a hug and I gently stoked her hair. I heard her sigh in relief.

"Percy…thank you. If you hadn't come into my life…I don't know where I would be," she said then pulled away and looked at me "And I want you to stay in my life. If you want to of course."

I smiled at her "Of course Annabeth. I would love that." Then I leaned to whisper "Just as much as I love you." I heard her gasp and she hugged me.

"I love you too Percy," she said into my shirt. We stayed like that when I looked at my watch.

7:58

My eyes widened.

"Ehh…Annabeth?" I said.

"Yeah?" she replied in my shirt.

"Would you prefer to stay like this or get detention and your dad killing me?" I asked.

She pulled away, grabbed my watch and gasped.

"Let's go Seaweed Brain," she said picking up her stuff.

I got my stuff and we ran to class. But before we left, Annabeth turned to me and gave me a quick kiss.

Wow. 2 kisses in 20 minutes. Awesome!

We found our class easily and went in. When we sat down, the bell rang. Phew!

Bianca was already there, grinning at us for showing up together. She let me sit next to Annabeth. The reason? She was sitting next to some guy which I guess was the guy she likes.

After a few minutes the teacher showed up and we started the lesson. Once in a while, Annabeth would hold my hand and we would smile at each other.

You know…on 2nd thought, leaving Poseidon's Palace might have been the best thing I ever did.

~Nico's POV ~ (7:50 am)

I can't believe it. Another hug. Thalia gave him ANOTHER hug. I can't believe it. Am I invisible? I think it was a mistake leaving Hades and the Underworld.

Why does he have all the luck with the girls!

Annabeth already acts like his girlfriend after the whole hug and the Luke thing yesterday. That bastard. I'll have to make sure to make King Minos judge him harshly. Being the Son of Hades has its perks on the afterlife.

Back to my problem.

Percy has Annabeth. Bianca is trying to get that guy she likes a lot. And me? No one. I have no one.

I only love but no one loves me. Which is how it's supposed to be I suppose. I mean I am the son of the Lord of the Dead. Who loves to die?

I walked out to school parking lot, fuming and sat on a bench, grumbling silently.

Then….

"Nico?"

My heart skipped a beat when I heard that voice. I turned around to see Thalia walking slowly to me and sitting next to me.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hey," I said, but it came out a bit harsh.

"You ok?" she asked

"Couldn't be better," I said, my voice oozing with sarcasm.

"Look Nico, this is stupid," she said. "I'm going to ask you something and I want you to tell me the truth."

"Ok," I said.

"Promise?" she asked quickly.

"Yeah yeah I promise," I said now being a bit annoyed.

"Do you like me?" she asked blushing. Her question caught me by surprise. What should I tell her? Could I tell her the truth? I looked in her eyes and I knew she wouldn't be fooled.

So I sighed and nodded, blushing a bit. This will either help me or kill me.

"Do you LIKE, like me?" she asked, blushing harder. What the? Does she read minds? How does she know? But since she asked me…it's better to tell her the truth. But I was nervous because when I nodded, she crept a bit closer.

I nodded again and started to blush harder. Why? She was slowly approaching my face.

Our eyes locked. Brown on Blue. I was hypnotized by her electric blue eyes. They were so beautiful.

"How much?" she whispered. At this point, our noses were touching and I could feel her warm breath on my lips.

I placed my arm around her neck and pulled her in, closing the gap between our lips.

After what seemed like an eternity kissing those apple-flavored lips, we broke apart.

"That much," I whispered back.

She blushed and gave me another kiss, shorter this time. "Me too," she whispered.

I put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to me. She put her head on my chest and placed her arm around her waist.

FINALLY! A hug. I actually got a hug after a kiss. But I'm not complaining.

After a few minutes of this perfect lock, she stood up and pulled me up too. She pointed towards her watch and I nodded. We had to go to class. Yay…not. Well at least Thalia's with me thankfully.

"So?" she said, breaking the silence.

"So…what does this make us?" I asked pointing to our hands.

She smiled.

"So this…" she pointed toward out hands "…and this…" she gave me a quick kiss on the lips "…makes you my boyfriend."

I blushed "Uhh…can we keep it 'secret boyfriend' for now? The others would bombard me with questions."

"Well I would worry about Bianca only. Percy knows and he shouldn't talk much because Annabeth's already acting like his wife or something and he's acting very protective of her," she said grinning.

"Yeah I know. And how does Percy know?" I asked curious.

She blushed "Well..uhhh…he was sort of the one who told me that you like me a lot after you saw me hug him." She looked down.

"Oh," I said silently.

She noticed this and stopped me. "Nico…I hugged him because of Annabeth not because I like him. You know how much he helped Annabeth with her problem. I mean…he helped her more in 1 day than I did in the 4 years after Luke. I was saying thanks because yesterday I was seeing the Annabeth I haven't seen since before Luke. But know this…" she came closer to me "…you're the one I fell in love with yesterday. No one else." And she gave me a kiss.

I instantly replied, getting my 3rd kiss of the day. This was awesome!

When we broke apart, I looked in her eyes and rested my forehead on hers.

"I love you too Thalia," I whispered.

Scratch that. It was NOT a mistake leaving Hades and the Underworld.

Finally…chapter 11 is finished. I think I have lack of writer's restraint because I wrote..yet again…another mega chapter! 4881 WORDS! I think I'll be writing chapters more than 3000 words for sure from now on. But it's not a promise on the River Styx XD!

PLEASE LEAVE YOUR INTERSTING OR CREATIVE RESPONSES IN THE COMMENT SECTION…BELOW!

Thanks for reading. Now….is everyone happy that I gave Percy and Nico their 1st kiss? I hope you are :D!

Now…about the demigod bit…..pls be patient. It shouldn't take long. I promise I'll make them tell in the next 5 chapters for sure. I'll try to update at least 5 or 6 chapters in about the next 9 days because then I'll be taking a 1 week cruise…so I won't be updating. What I'll be doing is write something before I sleep or something so that when I get back, I'll update! :D!

Cya!

Peace out!