Thanks to everyone who reviewed. It means a lot. Sorry for the delayed update. Please keep reviewing! Thanks for the support! ~22

"Thalia!?" I helped her carry her bags into my apartment, but not before crushing her in another hug. "What are you doing here? How did you get here?"

"I came to see you," She said, pushing an electric blue strand of hair behind her ear. "As for how I got here," She said, a mischievous glint in her eye. "I have my ways."

From somewhere behind me, Percy coughed and I was suddenly reminded of his presence. Thalia hadn't noticed him either and the look on her face showed it.

"Oh, sorry," I straightened out my shirt, which had been wrinkled from my forceful hugs with Thalia. "Thalia, this is-"

"Percy," she finished. I opened my mouth to say something but stopped as I saw Thalia run to Percy. She crushed him in a hug, ruffling his hair. He blushed, but hugged her back, obviously embarrassed by the affection.

"Its been so long long!" Thalia blurted out. "I've missed you, Fish Face." She hugged him again, causing a look of confusion to cross my face. Nicknames? Hugs?

Percy saw my baffled expression and failed to hold back a laugh. Thalia looked back and chortled along with him. I crossed my arms, my glare asking for an explanation.

"Oh," Thalia snorted, trying to control her laughter. "I've known Percy since the day he was born." She nodded as if her answer was satisfying, but my scowl said otherwise. I looked to Percy, raising an eyebrow.

"We're cousins," He said, his smiled fading from my death stare. "Our dads' are brothers. We don't get to see each other much." He scratched the back of his neck,

waiting for me to answer.

"Oh," I breathed a sigh of relief, although I wasn't sure why. "This is going to be fun."

Percy looked at me skeptically, but when I smiled, he shot me a lopsided grin. "Well, I should get going," He picked up his bag, walking towards the door. "I still have all my homework to do."

I rolled my eyes. "We should all get together for dinner tomorrow night," I said. "At the restaurant a few blocks down. We can meet here at 5?" I could feel my heart beating rapidly, butterflies in my stomach, hoping Percy would say yes. I didn't have any idea why, but I couldn't suppress my feelings.

"That sounds awesome," Percy said. "I'll see you tomorrow, Wise Girl!" He waved and shut the door. From inside my room, I could hear him humming to himself as he walked down the hallway.

"So," Thalia said. "Before we talk about this Percy thing, we should find me a place to sleep." I grabbed her bags and brought them into my room. When I came back into the living room, Thalia was walking around the couch, inspecting every bit of it. "It's got to pull out into a trundle."

"It does." I knelt down and threw the pillows off the couch. Finding the groove along the back, I pulled hard, unfolding a makeshift bed."I'll go get some blankets." A few seconds later, I came back and handed Thalia the sheets I had found, who instantly began making the bed. Once she was finished, I made her a mug of coffee and myself a hot chocolate, not nearly as good as Percy's though.

"Now," Thalia sipped her drink and leaned forward. "Let's talk about my cousin."

"There's nothing to talk about," I said matter-of-factly, stirring my cocoa.

"Oh, yeah?" Thalia said, staring me down. "You called me six hours ago, disturbing my slumber, to talk about this kid you met yesterday. Not to mention that he was in your apartment when I got here, calling you cute nicknames. So you better start talking."

I sighed, knowing there was no way I was going to win, and began to explain. "He came by to show me a movie," I said, not making eye contact with her. "He's alright… Okay, maybe more than alright. But I don't know. I don't want to rush… I mean it's not like I like him, because I don't, right?"

Thalia looked at me for a second, then grinned. Soon, her grin broke into laugh. "I think you need to calm down," She took a deep breath, trying to control her outbreak. "And now that you invited him on a date-" My eyes widened at her choice of words. "-you should really figure it out. Plus, I'll be there to push things along."

I reached over and shoved her shoulder. "What about you?" I asked, thinking about her own classes and her father. "What about all the college classes you'll be missing?"

"I said I was taking a trip to visit family," When she saw my shocked expression, she added, "Which isn't technically wrong. I mean, Percy's here."

I shook my head. "What am I going to do with you, Thalia Grace."

Taking the opportunity, she said, "You're going to make me popcorn and show me how to work the television," I shoved her again, but got up. "Seeing as it's six in the morning for me, I'm going to need something to do to help me get used to the time difference." She got up, and taking her coffee with her, settled into the couch-bed.

I left her to choose a movie and eat her popcorn while I got ready for bed. I called out a "goodnight" before shutting my bedroom door. I expected to fall asleep quickly, but my mind was racing, full of confusing thoughts. What was this thing that I had with Percy? What was the meaning of that moment we had shared earlier? I tried to get the thoughts out of my head, but it seemed impossible. After an hour of tossing and turning, of trying to forget, my eyelids began to fall and sleep consumed me, Percy's green eyes being the last thing I remembered.