Annabeth

With a million things running through my mind, I forced a smile, acting as if nothing seemed out of place. Percy was smiling, but his face was an embarrassing shade of pink and he was looking down, wringing his hands to calm his nerves. Thalia wore a mischievous grin, an eyebrow raised as if she were challenging me.

"So," I said, breaking the silence.

"Let's eat!"

Much to my disappointment, Rachel returned with our food. With no surprise, the meals were cold and once she left, we had to switch our plates. We ate in silence, with Percy occasionally cracking a joke. I could feel the tension between the three of us, but I couldn't tell what it meant. I bounced my knee to suppress the anxiety building up inside me.

"So," Thalia said, pushing her empty plate away from her. "I'm full." She slid out of the booth and brushed herself off. I noticed how both Percy and I had food on our plates, and how Thalia had finished her's in quite a hurry. There was nothing she had to get back to. At least I didn't think so.

"I should get going then," She attempted to walk away, nervously looking around.

"Wait!" I called. "What's the rush? It's not like you have anything to do." A startled glance in Percy's direction told me something was up. And my thoughts were clarified when Percy softly touched my arm.

"Let her go, Annabeth," he said. "We can walk home together when we're finished."

Thalia nodded in agreement. "You two enjoy yourselves!" She turned and walked out before I could say anything to stop her.

"So…" Percy said, breaking the silence. "You like architecture?"

Laughing, I carried out the conversation. Not before asking, "Are you sure you'd like to know?"

We talked for what seemed like hours, becoming closer and closer, learning things about each other that we never thought we would know. As much as I hate to admit it, my heart skipped a beat every time he laughed, or smiled his irresistible lopsided grin or…

Gasping aloud, I suddenly realized something; I was falling in love with Percy Jackson.

"Are you alright?" Percy asked, his kind eyes full of concern.

"Oh!" I snapped back to reality, hating myself for making it so obvious. "I'm fine! I just remembered some school work I had to do. You know, with the holidays coming up, I like to have all my work done."

Percy nodded, unfazed by the lie I had used to cover up my stupid mistake. Of course, I already had my work done, but how was he supposed to know that? A moment of awkwardness passed between us, both looking anywhere but each other.

"Should we head out?" Glancing at the table, I noticed our plates were cleared.

"Yeah," Percy stood up and offered me his hand. "Ready for our walk?"

I couldn't get rid of the blush insisting its way to my cheeks. I was getting used to that feeling. "Of course."

We walked out, his arm draped over my shoulder, into the crisp, winter air. Following Percy's steps, I let my mind wander. Suddenly, Percy turned down the wrong street.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" He looked around in a panic, clearly unaware that he turned the wrong way.

"The street to the apartment," I grabbed his arm to stop him from freaking out. "It's back there, don't worry."

"Oh!" He smiled, but there was still a hint of nervousness in his sea green eyes. "I was going somewhere else...unless you don't want to."

The sweetness of the guy in front of me was unbearable. I couldn't understand how anyone could be so irresistibly kind. No one had ever made me feel this way before, certainly not in a matter of minutes. How could I possibly hold back the goofy grin that stretched across my face?

I barely managed to make out a small "let's go", for I was at a loss for words. I could see the childlike excitement build up inside Percy as I agreed to his plan.

"Come on!" He grabbed my hand and together, we ran through the the city.

We had been running for only a few minutes, laughing and enjoying each other's company, but all time stopped when I looked into his eyes. I was beginning to wonder, "is this what love feels like?" when beside me, Percy stopped. I noticed too late, tripped while attempting not to run into him, and went tumbling forward. My face was inches from the ground when something caught me. Percy pulled me up to him, pushing back the rebellious curl that had fallen into my face.

We stared into each other's eyes, the curiosity only building up inside me. Why did he, of all people, have to make me feel this way? This boy, one who ran me over with his skateboard, once reckless and young, had become a kindhearted man. A man I didn't think I could live without.

I desperately tried to push away these thoughts, but they became tattoos in my mind. I couldn't get rid of them. Some part of me didn't want to get rid of them. It was a love-hate relationship, these thoughts and myself. The only way for them to go away was…

I felt my eyes closing as Percy's lips brushed against mine. My heart was pounding, a million beats per second. My chest filling with warmth.

We broke away, breathless, as something soft fell on the tip of my nose. I looked up.

"It's snowing," I breathed, laughing nervously.

"Yeah," Percy smiled back at me. "It is."