So here is the next chapter. I don't happen to like this chapter much but umm our Annabeth being Annabeth won't give in this easily, now would she?

And we take a dip again Because for Us to rise higher We need to go deeper than before.

I dreamt that I was looking inside someone's mouth. Correction, it was something. I pulled back to see it was that stupid giraffe again. Why? Oh God, why?

'His name is Jared,' said a voice behind me. Oh sure, why not? I turned to the sound of that voice and was faced with a six foot two, black haired, sea-green eyed guy in a tuxedo.

'Go away,' I said. 'Both of you.'

'Ah! But Annabeth, I can't do that,' Percy said. 'You liked the kiss so much that you pulled me out of my sleep and into your dreams. So love, I have nothing better to do.'

Huh. It looked so much like him and it sounded so much like him, it was hard to believe I was dreaming. But Jared the giraffe here reminded me that I was in the kingdom of my dreams and sadly, I didn't have anything better to do either.

He turned to me and was pulling me into his arms when thankfully I interceded.

'Go away,' I said repeating my words. 'Otherwise I would.'

'I would like to see you try, honey,' said Percy in a bored voice. 'Unfortunately for you, fortunately for me, you can't.'

'Why do you want to marry me? What am I to you anyway?' I asked. I was still in his arms. I tried not to get distracted by the skin which showed at his throat. Tanned and taut. Sigh.

'You are to me, my property. A mere showpiece,' Percy said without flinching, looking at me straight in the eye. 'I keep you around just for your physical presence and honey, I can't wait for our time together as one.'

Subtle much? I thought.

'That is never gonna happen.'

'Oh yes it will,' Percy said with so much surety and leaned in, just as his lips touched mine, my alarm blared. Six in the morning, time to get up and get going.

I needed to run and I needed to think. Luckily for me, both of them went together. I went into that fourth room which he had turned into a gym, thankful he had done so and made my way straight to the treadmill weaving through the different contraptions.

So yeah, I admit the kiss had felt amazing. And I had never been kissed like that before. I mean, it said so much even though most of it had just been in my head. A mere figment of my imagination.

My love life has been just reduced to a gay guy and a creep. The first time I got a kiss, I had been fourteen and it was by this guy in my biology class with whom I had gone to the school dance. Next day he had shown up and told me he was gay.

The other was during my sophomore year. Let's just say it didn't last more than five days.

So yeah I have never been in a serious relationship, never been kissed properly and I was turning twenty one in two months and was still a virgin in every respect, you could say.

Only the kiss-fast had been broken yesterday. I didn't want to count those previous two guys in, of course.

And I didn't even want to think about my future sex-life with Percy, anyway. Sure it won't be revolting or it's not that he would rape me or anything, but still, that was exactly what I wasn't worried about. I was worried that I would like it too much. Confuse lust with love. Get such an oxytocin rush that I would fall in love with him or something.

Ten minutes later, I had hit my one mile mark. I intended to do about three but I was on incline and Percy had just strolled in, so I contended myself with a two.

'Morning Annabeth,' he said smiling at me. I didn't reply.

'Still angry with me?' He asked me. I didn't reply.

'Childish much?' He asked me. I didn't reply.

After that he ignored me as well and went on to work on something else. Don't ask me. I don't know what it is called anyway.

I got off the treadmill and stretched a bit. My throat was parched so after an appropriate amount of time, went into the kitchen and drank a glass of water and noticed the food on the counter top.

Bacon and eggs.

I felt terrible for not replying. And don't get me wrong. I didn't reply cause I couldn't reply cause I was running.

I went into the gym again.

'Good morning, Percy. Yes, I am still angry with you. No I was not being childish. I really couldn't talk while running.'

'Oh-kay good,' he said.

'So do you have dreams at night?' I had to ask.

'Yeah. I do.'

'Did a giraffe ever appear in your dreams?'

He looked at me as if I was completely nuts. You can't blame me for thinking that way! But he just shrugged and said, 'no.'

'So… What did you dream last night?'

'Surfing.' Yeah that was something he loved. The sea, you could say, was his one and only love. And he loved everything about it. Its saltiness, its treacherous moody nature and its eeky-weeky animals. All slimy and colourful and ugly.

'Why are you asking?' He asked, suspiciously.

'GK,' I replied, feeling stupid.

We didn't see each other much for the day. I went to college and came back late. As I entered the apartment, the first thing I noticed was the voices coming from the office-room.

I peeked inside just to see him on his phone. Ha! He was on a call on his phone. Perfect.

For about two minutes I thought about what I was gonna do next and came out with a plan.

To look completely fool-proof and innocent, I took the laundry basket in my room and hitched it against the side of my waist and casually started walking in the corridor, outside the room he was in and started shouting-

'Percy! Honey! Do you have any undergarments you gotta get laundered? I am doing it today,' I said. Then I opened the room noisily and said, 'hope you haven't been piling them up in your sock drawer like last time!'

The entire time, I tried not to look into his eyes. But it was hard not to, so I sneaked a peek and saw the murderous look on his face which I am sure made the rest of the people around him tremble. Glittering sea green eyes, the contorted expression, made my day.

But, but I just smirked at him and exited the room, slamming the door behind me. So okay I had been a little naughty! But I defended myself by thinking that he deserved it and then immediately felt bad that I thought that thought.

Who was I to judge who deserved what and who did not? If things worked that way in the universe, my mother would still be alive and Percy dead. But they do not. Not that I wanted Percy dead, anyway. Away from me? Far far away? Yes.

Ten minutes later, I was standing in front of the TV, shifting through channels, when he walked in.

My back was turned to him, so I kinda expected him to start talking by now. But instead, a hand came to land on my arm and I was jerked roughly around to face an extremely angry Percy.

'Explain,' he said. A single word.

'I don't think I need to,' I said and tried to face back to the TV set, but he had a firm grip that didn't let me.

'I am warning you, Annabeth,' he said in a low, dangerous voice. 'I'll do something that would make you regret this day for the rest of your life.'

I wasn't backing down.

'Oh yeah? What would you do?' I challenged him.

But he wasn't listening; he had already turned and walked away. I was a shaken up by the entire episode. Two sentences. Two sentences, that's all it took him to get me scared and defensive.

But this wasn't the end. This thing won't get me all curled into a ball at a corner in my room. Had he just have been a little mad, I would've apologised. He shouldn't have taken it this far, not another threat. One threat had made me commit myself to someone for the rest of my life. Another? I won't stand it. I was gonna lash out worse than this.

We didn't talk to each other that day after that. We ate in silence. I didn't even look at him, the entire time.

So that night, we slept without 'sorting out the arguments of the day'. And boy! Had he been right! It did make things worse. Much worse.

Okay, people. So, I was wondering… How old do you guys think I am, anyway?