Chapter 5

Annabeth's POV:

I yawned as I woke up in my bed, the sunlight flickering through my curtains, blinding me. I turned away from the sunlight and closed me eyes for a second to gather my thoughts. 'What should I do today? Maybe me and Thalia could do something with Percy, since Thal's hasn't gotten to know him very much' I thought as I walked downstairs to get some breakfast. It's Sunday so my dad was making some pancakes like he does every Sunday.

"Yum!" I said with an excited smile on my face. Dad laughed and continued to flip the gooey mix, while I walked into the living room to watch TV only to find that Thalia had already beaten me to it.

"What's on?" I asked plopping next to her. She flipped off the TV and turned to me with a serious and sad look on her face.

"Where have you been all week" she snapped.

"At Percy's and why are you being so mean about it?" I answered, taken aback by her anger.

"Because you've left me here all by myself, when I wantedto talk to you about something." She said tears swimming in her eyes.

"Oh Thal's, I'm so sorry" I said pulling her into a hug "what's wrong?"

"I remember something," she said letting the tears out, "I-I remember playing i-in a yard, with a boy with black hair, and he w-was my cousin" she said through her sobs and cries.

"oh my god!" I screeched "Percy's your long lost cousin! Well you're HIS long lost cousin, considering the fact that YOU were that one that was lost" I blubbered and then I thought came to mind.

"We need to tell Percy."

"NO! I mean what if I find out something that I didn't want to know, like my family left me on the side of that road, or that they died!" Thalia replied.

"No, he has a right to know!" I said.

"I know, I know," she said "but what if they take me away from here?" she said and burst into tears.

"PANCAKES!" my dad called from the kitchen. Wiping the tears from her face, I said

"We'll talk about this later, but we ARE telling Percy." I said in a mix of a sypithetic ((sorry awful spelling)) and stern voice. She nodded and walked to the bathroom to wash her face. I walked into the kitchen slightly dazed as my brain was still processing the slightly shocking information, but as soon as the scent of pancakes hit my nose, all of the troubling thoughts were left behind and happy chemicals flew through my brain. I rushed towards the table and started to wolf down the fluffy disc of deliciousness in front of me. Thalia walked into the kitchen and started to eat just as eagerly as me. Then the doorbell rang startling the wits out of me, but I got up and answered it to find a Percy there standing with a smirk. I relized that I was still in my pajamas of a grey tank top and short fluffy purple shorts. I blushed and said

"Hey, er what are you doing here?

"To come and get you for some skateboarding" he replied with that same smirk playing across his face.

"Come on in," I said stepping aside, 'THALIA!" I shouted for the raven haired snark master and pulled Percy by the wrist.

" Whats… oh. I see." Thalia said walking into the hallway.

"er. I'm kind of scared of 'I see' part" Percy said. I rolled my eyes and said " You'll find out in a moment, go to the living room"

"No. You've seen my room, therefore I get to see yours" he said in teasing tone. I sighed and nodded pulling him upsrairs, suddenly aware that I was now holding his hand. I blushed and led him to my room. Apparently he was aware of the hand holding, because he was blushing as well as he scanned my room.

"ok, you've seen it. Now go along, I'm getting dressed." I said. He smiled and let go of my hand and walked downstairs to go to the living room.

Percy's POV:

Annabeth came downstairs with Thailia, both of the were whisper arguing with one another. I smiled as they walked in and plopped on the couch.

"Percy. How much do you know about your family?" Annie asked looking deadly serious.

"Uhhh well, I have a mom and dad, and aunts and uncles and cousins, but I've never met my uncles, aunts, or cousins, except for one family of them, the Grace family." All the sudden Thailia got a weird look on her face.

"What else do you know about the Grace family?" she asked.

"Well Uncle Zues is an ass hole, that's something I DO know." I replied thinking about the times when he would yell at his kids for no reason." I said, now I am confused, why do they need to know about my family?

"Why do you need to know?" I asked. Annabeth and Thailia looked at eachother, Thailia nodded.

"Percy… Thailia is your cousin." Annabeth said.

"What? No no, I barely know my cousins how would she know that I am?" I asked bewildered.

"I have a memory, of you and me as kids playing in the front yard of my old house." Thailia said looking deadly serious.

"Hold on. Let me call Uncle Zeus"

"NO! " shouted Thailia and Annabeth in harmony.

"Uh why?" I asked

"Because I don't want him to take me back if my memory is correct." Thailia said panicked.

"Ok ok, but at least can I ask my mom? Plus, why wouldn't you want him to take you back?"

"Because there was a reason I was left in the cold." She said bitterly "either I ran away or left me."

"How about you tell me how you got to be with this family" I said.

"Well, one day I woke up on the side of a highway, shivering, not remembering where I came from, or anything, just my name." tears started to form in her eyes, and Annabeth hugged her as she continued with her sad story "I was walking along the highway, lost, hungry, and cold when I heard a car horn and Mr. Chase's car pulled along side me." Then her tears just came out and she was crying so hard that I felt some tears form in my eyes too. I wiped them away and let her continue " he asked me questions, that I couldn't answer. So he told me to get in the car, that he was going to take me home for some hot chocolate and blankets. That he was going to help me find my family. He took me to his house, I met Annie here, and they tried to find my family. They hadn't been looking for me.

"I cried when they couldn't find them. They adopted me and things got better. Then as soon as I saw you and heard your name, a memory came back." She finshed. I felt the tears build up and I let one MANLY tear out. Okay! I wiped the MANLY tear away and decided to take her seriously. I do remember having a cousin with black hair like hers. I only saw her once and on that day we had fun, although I never caught her name, but I told her mine. She was the most confusing person I had ever met. But Thailia doesn't have that girls personality. I guess that happens when your left on the side of the road with no memory. I decided to leave and get some information on this, without having to mention Thailia. So after hugging Annie and Thailia, I got home and got onto my moms computer and looked through anything that would help me with this.

Annabeth's POV:

I sighed and walked upstairs to my room to think about all of the crazy things this morning has brung. "Percy held my hand" I thought and blushed. To tell the truth I've liked him since I heard his name. But I can't let anyone know. I don't like boys all that often, and Thailia might tease me. Sigh. Why do I have to be a teenager? I don't like felling a little giddy when he calls. Its weird. Pushing those thoughts aside, I decided to draw. Yes draw, that always clears my head. I got out my favorite sketch pad and a pencil and started to think…. "What should I draw? I could draw me? No, I don't like self portraits. I could draw my room? No. I could draw my friends? Perfect." So I started to draw the self portraits of Percy and Thailia. I blushed as I worked on Percy's hair and gorgeous face. "No, no, no! This is making you blush! Yor not supposed to blush! Your not supposed to-" my thoughts were cut off by the vibration of my cell phone. I picked it up, it was Percy.

"Hey! Can you come over? I'm doing some research on the family stuff, and I think that you might be able to help" Percy said through the phone.

"Uhhhhh sure. I'll be right over!" I replied shoving on my boots.

"'Kay see you then" he said sounding happy. I smiled and grabbed my skateboard and helmet and hung up running downstairs, only to run into an angry Thailia.

"Where do you think your going?" she said.

"Uhhh Percy's" I said in a duh tone.

"To?"

"None of your business" I said, knowing she doesn't want us to do research.

"Well, then can I come, and make it my business" she said, oviously annoyed.

"No, and I'll tell you why later, its for your own good!" I said frantically.

"I'll just follow you." She said.

"You don't know where he lives" I said happily. "Trust me I can go fast, and you don't have anything to compare its speed."

"Fine you win Annie, but I WILL find out why you go over so often, and I think I have a pretty good idea." She said with a tease in her voice.

I blushed, and turned away, walking out the door to go to my best friends house.

Percy's POV:

I smiled, and hung up the phone. YAWN all of that research was making me hungry, so I got up to make some soba! I love soba. "Hey! Why not instead of making soba, why don't you go off base to a soba place with Annie!" I thought making my way to the kitchen. Smiling at the thought of the nice delious noodle I walked into my room to change my shirt, and the doorbell rang through the apartment.

"Hey, we are getting soba off base, so put your skateboard inside, 'kay."

"I didn't know we were getting soba" she said smiling "good thing I brought my coat" I smiled and grabbed my own coat and wallet.

"Its on me" I said.

"Well aren't you the gentleman tonight" she said oviously teasing me. I rolled my eyes and shoved my hands into my pockets.

"Come on, we need to go so we'll have time to do the research" I said remembering the reason I called her over here. As soon as I walked outside I shivered. I hate winter. My apartment building is a short distance from the gate to get off base so we didn't have to walk very far before we got off base. I loved being off base! I didn't like the stuffy base at all, with its white buildings and cranky workers. Off base, its just so much more… colorful and happy. Everyone is so nice and happy… I sighed and took Annabeth's hand while we walked. She stared at me shocked for a second but after a second she looked away and gripped my hand as well. Finally we stepped into the warm soba shop, and sat down.

Annabeth's POV:

I blinked. Percy held my hand…again. Willingly. I was probably as red as a fire engine right then. But I was quickly snapped out of it as soon as the soba, that we ordered was placed in front of me.

"Arigoto" I said, to the woman serving our food. (("Arigoto means thank you in Japanese))

She nodded and turned away to serve the other people in the shop. As I was eating, I noticed Percy was looking angry.

"Hey, whats wrong?" I asked consered.

"A guy from school, that I hate in particular is staring at you" he grumbled. I turned to scan the shop and saw a familiar blonde American staring at me. He winked at me, and I returned is wink with a scowl and the finger. He laughed and walked over.

"So.. Percy. I take it your girlfriend here doesn't like me very much." He said with an amused smirk.

"First of all, she not my girlfriend, and second, why wouldn't she hate you? You are an asshole" he said, to him like he was explaining something to a 2 year old.

"Watch your mouth Jackson, one day I might beat you for talking to me that way." He said looking angry now.

"Annie, lets go." He said taking my hand and putting Yen on the table.

"See! She is your girlfriend!" the blonde boy said smiling. I swirled around and said

"We are just friends you idiot! Now leave us alone."

"Whatever you say Annabeth." He said with a smirk. I llike she wanted to cry, but all I did was drag Percy out of the shop and ran.

"Annie!" he shouted but I just kept running rembering all the awful things he did to me. I finially fond a bench and sat down. Then all the sudden I cried, and I cried and I cried. When Percy found me I was in a terrible state. I was sobbing and shaking. He held me close and soothed me… Finially after a few minitues I pulled myself together and I took a deep breath, Percy wiped away a stray tear.

"Hey, whats wrong.. I knew Luke could be upsetting but I didn't know he could upset you just by his looking at you," he said whispered holding me to his chest.

"I knew him… from New York… he-he he was my boyfriend in the 8th grade and then he ended up beating me… and cheating" I whispered into his chest. I guess I ended up in his lap with my face in his shirt and sobbing for a few minitues.

"Hey, it's getting late and we have school tomarrow.. Looks like we can't do the reasearch." he said. I nodded and got up.

"Thanks." I said on the way back to his house.

"Hey, no problem, you're my friend and I am always here for my friends" I smiled and continued walking back to his house and I got my skateboard and went home. That night I knew that Percy was my best friend, and that I liked him even if he didn't like me back. I smiled that night when I was in my bed thinking of how blessed I was to have a friend as good as he.