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

Warning: slight cursing

"What?" Annabeth asked, her eyes widening. "Here? Now?"

Silena rolled her eyes, shoving the small dress and heels towards Annabeth. "Where else, Genius? We're about to arrive. Put it on now." she ordered, leaving no room for argument. Annabeth looked around the crowded limo of nine people (the Stolls counted as one ), but none of them were paying any attention to her or Silena.

None of them were paying attention, but she still didn't feel comfortable around mostly strangers, most of which were guys.

She stood up, hitting her head on the roof, and slipped off her shirt, watching everyone else. Silena rolled her eyes when Annabeth glared at her with a look that clearly said 'turn around now'. But she did anyway, gaining a new found interest in the Chicago streets.

She heard a wolf whistle behind her. "Take it off, Annie!" Travis whooped. Annabeth glared at him. "Who knew the nerd had a body?" Connor commented. Travis grinning, reaching around her to high five his brother.

She turned around so quickly she toppled over, falling into Connor's lap. He winked suggestively and her face felt like it was being roasted. Her head was partially in Percy's lap, who was sitting next to Connor. He looked down at her, a smile on his face. "Already making offers, Chase?" He asked, and at that point she wasn't even capable of speaking. Her face was on fire.

Annabeth quickly got off of him and pulled on the borrowed dress. If it were midday, she'd probably look like a tramp, but since it was night and they were going to a club, she guessed it was acceptable.

It was a skin-tight black dress that hugged her waist and showed almost everything, much to her embarrassment. There were cut-out mesh panels running along the sides, revealing way more than she'd like and the whole back was almost cut out. It was a good thing she decided to let her hair down. Oh, and one more thing: she was freezing. In the thin material dress, she might as well have been naked. Soon accompanying the dress came black pumps and cold jewelry.

Silena scowled at Annabeth. "Stop pulling the dress down! You're going to show too much at the top." Travis and Connor laughed and made more vulgar comments that made Annabeth blush.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a heavy weight on her shoulders. Startled, she looked over at Percy, who had placed his jacket on her. Silena started fussing about how the old denim jacket would ruin the whole outfit. "Silena, she's going to freeze to death." Percy said, putting an arm around Annabeth's shoulder.

Annabeth looked down at his hand, and then questioningly at Percy. He shrugged. "You still look like you're freezing."

She wouldn't let herself believe that he had other reason's for touching her. But the way he held her- there was something intimate hidden there, something neither of them cared to identify.

Why did Percy have this affect on her? She wanted to punch and kiss him at the same time. Annabeth pretended not to notice Percy's hand on her leg. It wasn't too threatening, closer to her knee, obviously a warming gesture, but she couldn't help but feel the frogs hop along in her stomach.

Unintentionally, she leaned in closer to Percy's warmth. Her nose was invaded with the odd smell of chlorine and the sea- Percy. She hadn't realized how much she missed that smell. She missed every insignificant detail about Percy. She had forgotten, but now that she was suddenly thinking about all the little things, when she saw him again after years, one of the first thing she noticed was his hair was normal. It was a good thing, but the grey streak was the only thing connecting her to Percy for all those years apart. An ache in her heart forbade her from getting past that thought.

Percy was looking at her strangely. When he saw her look up at him, his eyes quickly switched over to Leo and Connor, who were talking about a recent prank on Travis. Meanwhile, Silena was cooing, saying that they were so cute, Hazel and Nico were having a quiet conversation, Apollo was looking at Annabeth with a knowing smile, Travis was pouting, and Beckendorf was protectively shielding Silena from the boy's roaming eyes every once and a while.

It was kind odd how well the crew got together. Some of them had just met and immediately felt comfortable, while others had already known each other. Everyone just acted like they were...family; it made Annabeth feel like she was wanted. Like she was home.

Not a feeling she had felt a lot.

****FLASHBACK****

"How could you do that? You know how much Stanford means to me!" Annabeth yelled, her eyes tearing up. She had come home for the holidays after first semester ended a few days ago and nothing was happy about her days there.

Since they had gotten rid of practically everything in her room and turn it into a study, she had to sleep in the attic. And she was pretty certain there were spider clans preparing to attack like when she was little. They'd relentlessly bite her until she was practically screaming out for her Dad, leaving red marks in their wake. Susan's heels coming up the stairs would scare them away and she'd strictly chide Annabeth and force her to go to sleep.

She'd always hate Susan a little more the next day. And then Annabeth had come up with the brilliant idea of leaving her lamp on.

Her family had been extra nice, setting off her internal red alert flags. And then they dropped the bomb; she wasn't returning to college. So here she was, in hysterics, yelling at her so-called father.

"Do you know how hard I worked to get into Stanford? I didn't give a shit whether I failed or not in fifth grade, and then you sat me down and had a talk with me. Remember that? The one you told me when Athena went to Yale? That 'only the best' could get in?! Oh gods, what am I going to do? How am I going to live up to her legacy?"

"No one told you that you had to live up to Athena's legacy, Annabeth." Dad- she can't even call him that right now- Fredrick said calmly, sitting behind his desk in her former room that is now his office. She was sure Matthew and Bobby were listening through the door, and that her stepmother was lurking around, supposedly looking over the boys but not-so- inconspicuously listening to their conversation.

"Liar!" She yelled. "You tell me it doesn't matter, but it does. How else am I supposed to attract your stupid attention? I'm ignored on a daily basis, so how else am I supposed to somehow be as great as Athena? I want to become an architect. I need to. You're just being heartless and taking away the one thing I love? Why? Why can't I be like me mother?" She was practically pleading now for answers, close to pulling out her hair.

"Because she's gone," Fredrick growled, suddenly looking angry, sad, and pained all the same. "Your trying to fill damaged shoes won't do you any good. It won't change anything."

"Maybe change is good. Maybe it'll change the fact that I'm not going to turn out like you like you hope. Like it or not I am like Athena, and finishing my years at Yale will only seal the deal."

"It's pointless," He said, his tone softer. She felt like screaming. "Well call me Hercules then, because I will be finishing my stay at Yale, like it or not."

He sighed. "I'm not paying for you to go back to college." when did it become all about the money? What happened to 'having your daughter's best interest at heart', like what he said when he was sending her away?

"Don't worry, you don't have to. I'll find my own way of making money." She whipped the door open and Matthew and Bobby came tumbling in, complaining about it not being dramatic enough. She stepped over them and down the hall, harshly bumping into a startled Susan, and practically ran up the stairs by three to the attic.

Annabeth felt like crying. She felt like ripping up her Stanford University sweatshirt and lying down on the bed, hugging Athena's picture close and sobbing. But she didn't. Instead, she let her rage and determination control her, and next thing she knew she was holding a full suitcase, glaring at the staircase leading downstairs.

She didn't want to see his face again. But forcing back her anger, she calmly made her way down the stairs and to Fredrick's office. He looked up from his newspaper. "Annabeth."

She held out her hand. "I need a couple of bucks."

"Where are you going?" He asked, eyeing her suitcase. She shrugged, still holding out her hand. " I just need enough money to catch a bus. And maybe enough for fastfood."

"No. You're not going anywhere, Annabeth. We need to talk about this."

"What do you want from me? I can't stay here and I can't go back to school. There's nothing here for me, if that's the case. And there's nothing to talk about; no school, no family."

He didn't even bother to hide his hurt expression. "Annabeth-"

"Can I get money or not?" It was clear. He didn't care about her education, or if she rotted in this house. All he cared about was the money.

"No. Don't make any rash decisi-"

She narrowed her eyes. "Fine." Annabeth started to leave, but he called her back.

"Where will you go? How will you take care of yourself?"

She shrugged. "I'll take the next bus going anywhere and apply for a job somewhere or something. I just need money."

"No, Annabeth. This is foolish!"

"My life story," She said sardonically, once again making her way out of the room. " Screw you, Dad. I don't need your help. I'll find a way to go back to college. And you can continue thinking I'm a blonde-headed idiot." she smiled. "Kay?" Without waiting for response, she slammed the door.

Matthew and Bobby sat on the floor across the hall, staring at the door looking like they lost their puppy. They both stood up when they noticed her. Mathew hugged her and presented a mini piggy bank, almost completely filled. "They're all quarters. I was going to buy new sneakers...but you need them more." He hugged her.

Bobby pushed his brother out of the way. He held out a couple of twenty dollar bills. Where did they get this money from? "If you ever become famous or rich, don't forget about us."

"Promise," She smiled and leaned down and kissed him. When she stood back up, she saw Susan standing in her parent's bedroom door. She nodded at Annabeth, probably the only affection she'd ever get. Annabeth offered a small smile. "Bye Susan."

And she turned to the office door. "Goodbye, Asshole!" Overkill, really. She wasn't even as mad as she expected to be. But he didn't know that. She wanted to leave with a bang.

As she walked down the stairs, she heard Bobby and Matthew arguing. "Why do you get a kiss and I get a hug?"

She'd miss them.

First, her boyfriend, then her school and friends, and now her family? The universe hated her, didn't it?

She stared at her house for the last time. She might come back, as long as she could go back to school. But until then she was free spirit.

She turned to start walking. Annabeth was so screwed.

Somehow she found herself at an old cafe. At first she didn't know why she'd go there, and then she started to remember. She used to come here after school when she was younger, with Percy. They had run away to the cafe more than once, and then the chef, Pan, had hidden them in the back.

They'd stopped going there when the cafe got a new manager, Em, a total snake who would chase them out of the cafe if they didn't buy anything.

She entered. It was around midnight and there was a handful of people there. Em, who obviously didn't recognize her, glared. "Are you going to buy something or continue gawking at my restaurant like you have never seen food before?"

She reached into her pocket to get the money, but her hand went through a hole. Shit. Em raised an eyebrow, her hair curling around her face looking like snakes. "I take it you're not-"

"Wait!" She was practically close to tears now, willing to do anything. "Please. Just give me food. I'll work for it-"

"No." Em said. It amazed her how cold-hearted she could still be after all these years. Em checked her watch. "You have until closing. Then you get out." She walked away. Annabeth was still felt indebted to her. This might have been the only sympathy she would receive from Em.

She didn't know when, but after a while she had drifted to the baby grand they had in one of the corners. A few other customers had given her money, to which she gratefully bought a burger with.

And then, the air changed. Everyone fell silent, and the only noise in the room was the sound of her mindlessly playing the piano and humming along. And then, she followed everyone's gaze to the door and gaped.

****END OF FLASHBACK****

Annabeth was brought back to the present when they hit a speed bump and nearly went flying across the limo. But Percy's hand caught her waist and brought her down, holding her in place. She gratefully smiled at him.

"What're you thinking about?" He asked in her ear. She decided not to get too distracted at the proximity of his lips near her neck. She opened her mouth to tell him some lame excuse, but the truth tumbled out of her lips before she could stop them. "I was thinking about college."

"My biggest 'what if'," he murmured. Annabeth glanced at him. He calmly stared back at her, curiosity in his eyes. But she didn't say anything. She didn't want to.

He pulled her to him a little closer and kissed her cheek. "I'll be here when you're ready."

A/N:

3 reasons why I didn't update sooner ( and I'm so sorry):

1- Spirit week at school the week before the last. I was busy with all that school stuff.

2- I had the flu ( or something much like it) this week

3- when I went to go update this weekend, fanfiction wouldn't let me in because of the server or something.

Although these are excuses, they're not good enough. I'm also sorry this chapter sucked. This chapter was way too short. I intended to make this chapter about their night out, but somehow I got distracted and this flashback came out of nowhere. But I guess its good. I wanted to start giving you answers as I'm starting to tie loose ends and close this story up. :(

Is there any other questions that you would like me to answer in the next two chapters that I haven't answered yet?

Warning: after the next ( maybe two) chapters, there will be another time warp, skipping to the next year. And I can (roughly) estimate that there will be three or four more chapters left in the story. Five if we're lucky :(

But on the bright side, there will be MAJOR PERCABETH FLUFF! I think. Can't really make promises.

Rate and review!

Btw, the flashback isn't finished.

~greekfreak302