Disclaimer: No one is as awesome as Uncle Rick. Especially me. Characters belong to him.

Warning: slight cursing

He stopped laughing, a guarded expression replacing the mirth on his face. Annabeth started tapping the table, regretting that she'd even ask that question. But if he can ask about Apollo, why can't she ask about Kelli?

When he spoke, the lightness of his tone was suddenly gone. Their conversation had taken a turn for the worst. Just being there, laughing and talking to Percy like nothing happened made Annabeth completely forget about her problems. And then suddenly she'd asked Percy about Kelli with no thought and now...their issues were taking a huge toll on the mood.

"Kelli is... she's not exactly my girlfriend." He answered carefully, looking around. Annabeth bit her lip. She almost yelled 'then why the hell did she threaten me like a jealous girlfriend' but she knew it would be a bad idea to. Percy as already on edge for some reason and saying something like that would definitely push him over the edge.

She cleared her throat. "Then, um...what exactly is she?"

He stared at her for a long moment, his dark eyes staring at her with such intensity she shuddered. He looked down. "A project." he said so quietly she thought she misheard him.

A flicker of hope surged through her. It soon turned into a forest fire, blazing inside of her. No. She couldn't allow herself to think like that. She quickly extinguished the flames before hope got too big, making her believe she actually might have a chance.

Percy was watching her carefully, his eyes catching every detail of her expression. "O-oh." Her voice was way too high for her liking. She cleared her throat again. "As in-"

"Yes," He interrupted. "She was just a friend, and then Tammi came around, telling Kelli about how you're...after me. And she told me she was going to help and be my girlfriend. The funny thing is, I remember saying that that was crazy and I should talk to you like a normal person, but somehow I ended up getting roped up into her plan. She...she's very convincing." He sighed, looking down. " And things got out of hand. I think...I think she likes me. And, as you know, she's not the right person to mess with."

"So a fake relationship turned into a real one." She summed up. "And you're not really sure how to put her down easy." He nodded. "She has a lot of power and she can destroy me if she wants to with just a flick of her hand. It also doesn't help that Tammi is her step-sister. Together, they can practically do anything." He ran his hands through his hair. "It's all a bunch of bullshit. Sometimes I wonder how life would have been if I didn't..." He looked up at her.

"Didn't what?" She asked uneasily. "...Didn't make the wrong decisions."

"Oh." She realized that she'd been tapping the whole time, a mantra of the same thing in Morse code. 'I love you...' After coming to this realization, she quickly stopped.

"Why did you look so stressed earlier this morning?" She asked, completely changing the subject. His eyes grew impossibly dark, darker than she's ever seen them before. He cleared his throat, taking a long drink from his cup of coffee.

"It was about Poseidon," he said after a long pause. She waited. He didn't elaborate. He checked his watch, and a smirk grew on his face. "Annabeth, I think you're late..."

"What?" Shit. It was 9:07. They were due at the studio at 7:45!

"What do you mean I'm late? You are too!" He shook his head. "No I'm not. I'm not supposed to be in until day three. But you...you're late." She leaned across the table and hit him. "Why didn't you tell me before I asked you to breakfast?"

He shrugged. "And what? Turn down a date with Annabeth Chase? Not an option," he smirked. Her face turned unbearably hot. It was ridiculous how he still had that effect on her. 'Stop it,' she thought. 'he's just kidding. You're only friends.'

"Right. So, because I'm late, you just volunteered yourself to drive me to the studio."

"I don't have a car here!" he protested. She put a hand on her hip, staring at him sternly. He sighed. "Fine, I do, but I can't drive you. I'm busy today."

"Doing what?" she asked. He shrugged, looking off, getting that look in his eyes again. "Okay, sorry I asked. But pleassee, Percy." He sighed, getting up. "Fine."

"Yay," she cheered victoriously, pecking him on the cheek and running out of the cafe.

Percy's POV

How could he be so stupid? Why would he tell her that? She knows way too much now. Shit. He hardly noticed his foot bouncing up and down uncontrollably as he bit his lip, drawing blood.

They'd made a deal. Seal his lips until the big interview and no one would get hurt. Especially Annabeth. But then, like the idiot he was, he decided to tell her, the number one person they were keeping a secret from! What the hell was wrong with him!

"Percy?" Annabeth put hand on his shoulder, staring at him with concern clear in her eyes. "Huh?"

"I'm ready," She said awkwardly, looking like she wanted to say something. But instead, she slung her bag across her shoulder and walked out of their hotel room door. Percy reluctantly followed, grabbing his keys on the way out.

It was still weird sharing a hotel room. He'd gone to see Chiron about it last night but obviously Annabeth beat him to the chase (A/N: Get it...Annabeth..to the Chase. Pun not intended. Ignore me). Even if he didn't initially get what he wanted on that short trip to Chiron's, he did overhear something interesting.

It was weird. It seemed like, in only a month since seeing Annabeth for the first time in four years, all his forgotten problems suddenly found an interest in him once again and decided to pile up on him once again. He was suffocating, and yet, he still stayed. He didn't exactly know why, when he could just run away and hide like he always did. But now he knew it was time to stop running, to untangle himself from this mess. He was determined to fix things.

Especially with Annabeth.

Apparently he was doing a horrible job. In telling the truth, he'd only managed pushing her away more. Maybe that was why he stopped telling her the truth a long time ago.

"Wow," Annabeth's voice broke the silence and cut through his thoughts. He glanced over at her. "What?" he asked. She was looking through the window, her hands tapping softly on her lap.

"I can almost feel you putting up your walls and shutting me out. There's obviously more you have to tell me but don't know how." Her stormy eyes turned to him. "Am I right?" The question remained unanswered.

Of course she was right. They both knew it. Annabeth was way too smart for her own good. She still looked at him expectantly. He sighed. "You don't really want an answer."

"Yes I do," She said softly. "Whatever you're hiding is already eating you up. What's the harm in telling me? I mean, honesty is the least you could do for me." Annabeth winced as soon as the words left her mouth. He glanced at her sharply.

"No. Don't do that, Annabeth. You already know I feel bad but I'm not the only reason our relationship failed. So don't give me the 'honesty' bullshit." He said, trying to maintain his anger.

"You are the reason it ended, though," She said softly, looking at her hands in her lap. "Don't you think I fucking know that?" he snapped. "First Poseidon left , and then I had to deal with-"

"Wait, what?" Annabeth asked, looking at him. Shit. Why can't he just learn to keep his mouth shut? He remained silent, setting his jaw. "Percy, look at me." she demanded. He glanced at her a couple of times, trying to focus on his driving.

"Y-you said something about Poseidon leaving."

He shrugged. "There's nothing to say. Poseidon left a few days before our, um, date." He could almost see the gears turning in her head. He was surprised smoke wasn't coming from her ears.

"But why di-"

"End of discussion," He snapped. He didn't want to talk about Poseidon now, nor did he want to ever. Annabeth nodded but he could see it in her eyes. They both knew the conversation wasn't over. She would definitely bring it up again.

"So, uh, what rumor do you need to break?" He asked, trying to break the tension. Annabeth's baffled expression quickly turned into realization as her face paled. "What?" She asked tightly.

"You need Apollo to help you break a rumor. I would have been happy to help." He said, carefully watching her expression. But her face remained apathetic. "I don't know what you'r-"

"Annabeth, don't be a hypocrite. Weren't you just lecturing me about honesty?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. She remained silent, looking away. Her finger was now tapping at an almost inhuman speed.

"You know, I hate when you're right. Then you get a big head." He patiently waited for his answer. "Fine. I needed Apollo to, um, fake date me because...I hate the whole 'Percabteth' thing."

"What?"

"I need Apollo to help knock it out of everyone's mind. I need to sink that ship. I'm helping the both of us. And maybe Kelli...right?" He nodded numbly. So Annabeth was only doing this because she didn't want people thinking they were a couple. That kind of stung.

"Oh."

"Kind of like you and Kelli, in a sense, except I wasn't trying to get rid of my- err, someone's unwanted attention that you didn't have," she said pointedly. "I was only trying to ward off the fangirls."

"You know what I find kind of funny?" He said to no one in particular. "We ended things- shut up, we both contributed in our break up," he said before she could say anything, "- we completely stopped talking to each other. I started sleeping around and you-what is it that you did?" He asked.

She shrugged. "Oh! Right! You stopped studying and actually experienced life. Was that why you got kicked out of college?"

"I didn't-"

"Hey, shut up," he said jokingly. "My turn to speak." She crossed her arms but allowed him to speak nonetheless. "And through my good looks and your letting go of your inhibitions, we both ended up here, in the Hollywood life. Although a completely different world, a completely different time, hell, a completely different me, you still haunt me. Sometimes I feel like it'd be better if I'd stayed rather than leave. If I'm completely honest-you know, like the honesty you wanted-, I just have that day implanted in my skull- you know, the day I...was a total douchebag, and I feel like shit all over again. And I have to live with that, Annabeth. I guess now I know how Poseidon feels. You're my biggest what if."

Annabeth hugged herself. "Is that your version of an apology?" He shrugged. "...Yes. I don't want you hating me Annabeth. While we obviously have some type of silent truce, I can see it in your eyes that you still have a grudge against me."

"Well, you did ruin the greatest day of my life and you kind of ruined my life, haunting my every move for years. I don't think you understand that I love, um, have loved you for years. How do you think I felt after you decided that you wanted nothing to do with me on a whim? It took me seven months to get over you," she seemed like she was about to say more but she suddenly stopped, biting her lip.

Percy didn't know that he had that much of an affect on Annabeth. "Well, because of our mistakes, both of our lives are hell. What are we supposed to do?"

"I...I don't really know." Annabeth said. It was a rarity that Annabeth didn't know, and when that blue moon occurred, it meant you were screwed. "We sure as hell can't forget it, I know that for sure. Look at how good it did us." He nodded.

"Why...why are we stopping?" She asked, looking around. She seemed to actually forgotten where they were going. "Because we're here," He said. "I think you might want to run if you don't want to be two hours late."

"Mr Jackson, I would like to speak with you about-"

Percy put a hand up, silencing the guy. By the official tone of this man, the briefcase, and the crisp suit, Percy assumed that he was not a fan, and, in fact,a lawyer. "The discussion of Poseidon can wait. I'm here for my, er...friend." He wasn't sure he'd call Annabeth his friend (she was so much more to him than that) but the man didn't know anything other than the matters he was sent to Percy to.

"But we need to-"

"It can wait," he snapped. He pinched the bridge of his nose. " How'd you even get in?" He was assured that they had tight security, no one but the actors and whoever wad on the list allowed to enter. It was efficient in keeping fans and paparazzi out- especially lawyers. He had to admit that he was camping out here to hide from everyone ( despite the fact that everyone seemed to be here) and think. Something he hadn't gotten a chance to do lately.

"That isn't important. What we need to talk about is your inheritance from-"

"Shut up!" He hissed looking around. People were bustling around, hardly casting him a glance. No one seemed to notice- or care- about what they were talking about, but there could still be some wandering ears around.

"Look, we can talk about this later, or never for all I care. Just go away." He said. "Mr Jackson, I do not think I am stressing the importance of the situation enough. There may not be a later. Mr. Poseidon requests that I-"

"You know what? Fuck this. Fuck him. You can tell him I said that. I don't care about his crap. He's just trying to make it up for the years he lost. You can tell him that too." With that, Percy stood up and stormed off, unsure of where he was going but certain he would go far enough away from that lawyer.

Before he could even make it 20 yards, he was grabbed by the arm and yanked into an empty dressing room. "What was that about?"

He squinted, adjusting to the sudden lack of light. He heard a scoff and the lights turned on, revealing Annabeth wearing a boring grey dress and her hair wrapped into a tight bun that made her look like a librarian.

"Are you going to answer the question or not?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"Were you snooping?" He asked, paling. She shrugged. "I didn't really hear anything, only something about Poseidon. It was obvious that was his lawyer though. What's going on?" He was debating about telling her. She'd probably scold him for turning his back on his father during his 'great time of need' if he told her. And if he didn't tell her, then she'd definitely find out on her own and it'd be worse for everyone.

"Um...-"

"Fine, since most of your current problems have to deal with Poseidon, explain. Why did he leave you?"

"If I knew, wouldn'-" he was ready to start yelling, but Annabeth seemed to have noticed her mistake. "Okay, I'm sorry, that was insensitive. You told me earlier that Poseidon left you on that day before our date."

"Yeah," he stated simply. She groaned in frustration. "Fine. Poseidon made his decision. It was too much for him to be a father so he just left, like a coward. Maybe I inherit my fear of commitment from him. I hold nothing against him for his decisions." Annabeth gave him a look, clearly stating she didnt believe him.

"Um, isn't your break over? He asked?" He could hear a few voices calling for Annabeth Chase. Annabeth cursed, biting her lip. "This conversation is not over." She quickly left.

"Consider me warned, Chase," he murmured.

Annabeth's POV

She ignored him, burrowing her face deeper into the soft plush of the couch. Percy had come in the hotel room, calling her name, trying to get her to go somewhere with him and some of the others.

"What?" She finally asked, pulling the blanket off of herself. "The group and I are going to get a few drinks. Coming?"

She rolled her eyes. "No thank you, Percy. I'd rather read." He plucked the book from her hands, trying to read it. She forced herself not to laugh at the fact he was reading it upside down. Maybe his dyslexia was acting out.

"Seriously? You'd rather read than explore Chicago?" He asked. She rolled her eyes, grabbing the book back. "I believe that is what I said. You should try reading sometimes." He made a face.

"C'mon, Annabeth."

"No, Percy. " Huffing, she pulled the blanket back over her head and turned on the flashlight. "Go away. I had a long day and all I want to do is relax." Percy muttered something along the lines of 'you call reading relaxing?' and pulled the blanket away once again.

"We're just getting celebratory drinks. We'll be back before you know it."

"Yeah, unless we all get completely hammered. And what are you celebrating for? I was the one who was called in today." Only her, a few other actors and a ton of extras were called in.

"Do you always have to be such a wet blanket?" He asked.

"My answer is no, Percy." She turned so her back was to him. "If you don't get up right now I'll kiss you." He threatened.

"Hmm, tempting, but I'd rather be in the company of my book." She said. He sighed. "You leave me no choice." He grabbed her by the waist and dragged her off the couch. Before he threw her over his shoulder, he pecked her on the lips, making her a little dizzy.

She didn't even bother struggling. "Put me down, Percy." She huffed. Was it too much to ask to be left in peace for once? "Sorry Wise Girl. They're waiting in the car." He started walking to the door with her thrown over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes.

"I can't go out in this!" she said. She was clad in baggy sweatpants that barely hung on her hips and a loose v-neck t-shirt that kept sliding up her torso. He sighed, grabbing a blanket and throwing it over her. "Silena has an outfit for you in the car. Somehow she knew you'd decline our peaceful offer." She huffed, but kept quiet anyways.

"...Percy?" She asked quietly. "Hmm?" He asked.

"Can we...can we forget about...everything? At least just for tonight?" She could almost feel the smile in his tone.

"Only for my Wise Girl." She couldn't help the smile growing on her face.

A/N:

I am aware this chapter sucked BIG TIME, and I really am sorry about that. I had this chapter finished by Tuesday, but right before I went to save it, something happened and everything disappeared and I'm super bummed about that. This happened twice.

So because of that, I kind of lost my motivation to finish this chapter, but I read your reviews and it really made my day, so I thought the least I could do was update.

Thank you to all of you who keep saying I'm a good writer ( even thought I really don't feel like it) and my story is awesome ( it really isn't compared to some of the other fanfictions here) because you're my motivation.

amalik1701: Happy belated birthday! I hope you're okay... I want to update faster as a present to you and everyone else who keeps lifting my spirits.

Okay, so a lot of you are saying you're confused and I'm really sorry about that. I guess I'm not that great at explanations. Percy was never really ashamed of Annabeth, but it was more of him trying to protect her from his 'friends' and she kind of takes it the wrong way. He's always been kind of messed up with all of the issues in his life, especially with Gabe and Poseidon.

In the flashback last chapter, Prom was coming up and Annabeth felt even more separated from him, she noticed that they were more secretive, so she figured she'd get back at him with a Prom date. Percy was planning on asking her, and then Calypso asked him and things got messy. Does that at least explain it a little?

Random question: what's your favorite fanfiction ( in this fandom)?

Keep reading and review!

PS: Over 21,000 veiws?! *Squeals*

~greekfreak302