A/N: Hey guys! I am back this weekend! Sorry I didn't update this week. I was really busy with THREE projects due in ONE week. Yes, three. My teachers are crazy. We are also really busy with new schedules, classrooms, etc. because we are future eighth graders next year! Sorry for my rambling, but I'm just excited. The way the story is going to go on for now is that the next two chapters will be a month later and Percy and Annabeth will be remembering stuff from the past month. They will relive different memories too by the way because I think it's kind of boring when I do the same event over and again. After that, I'm going to skip to the ball and when he chooses the girl. Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter! On with the story!

Chapter 7: The Prince

One Month Later

This past month, I have only seen Annabeth once since that day in the library and I enjoyed every moment of it. I'm sitting on the beach enjoying the summer breeze when I remember that I am in the exact spot where we were that day.

(Annabeth, Percy)

Hey Percy

~A

Hey Annabeth. Thx for texting back so soon.

~P

No prob.

~A

So do u want 2 hang out sometime?

~P

Uh, idk. I'm going 2 be busy with my lessons.

~A

Well I can give u a break. Picnic on the beach on Saturday?

~P

Uh, sure. That sounds nice. What time?

~A

4:00 and I'll meet u at the library.

~P

Ok. See u then.

~A

K. See u.

~P

I walk in the door of the library and see Annabeth sitting in the same chair from when we talked for hours on her first day here. She is wearing denim shorts that aren't too short and a plain white tank top. She looks up from the book and smiles at me.

"Hey Percy," she says as I walk over to her.

"Hey Annabeth. Ready to go?" I ask her.

"Mhm," she says. We walk out the door and I lead her down the hallways until we reach the door that leads to the most private and nicest part of the beach. I open the door for her and her eyes widen in shock.

"Wow. It's beautiful," she says. I take in the crystal clear blue water, the palm trees that sway in the breeze, and the soft sand. The weather is balmy, perfect for swimming. I gesture for her to follow me and we walk over to a blanket with a picnic basket on it under the shade of a palm tree.

"Thanks for doing this. Those classes can get pretty exhausting," she says as she plops down on the blanket.

"No problem," I smile at her as I sit next to her. "So, how are you liking the palace?" I ask.

"It's just so-"

"-empty I know," I cut her off.

"I was going to say beautiful, but I guess empty works," she says with a chuckle. A small breeze lifts her golden curls from her shoulders and I think how beautiful she really is. Her stormy grey eyes are gleaming, but they still look intelligent. She has a natural slim frame and tan skin that doesn't look fake or orange like some girls have. Her pink lips look so soft that I could kiss her right then and there… What are you thinking Percy? This is the second time you've met her!

"Uh, Percy. Are you okay?" Annabeth asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Do you want to eat now?" I ask her in response.

"Sure. What did you bring?" she asks.

"Were just full of questions. I packed some turkey and cheese sandwiches with pink lemonade, some barbecue Lays, and blue cookies," I say.

"That sounds good. Wait, did you say blue cookies?" she asks, confused.

"Yeah. My mom and I have this thing with the color blue and ever since I was little, she was always making things and turning them blue," I reply.

"That sounds nice…" she says in a quiet voice and she looks down at her hands, her face losing its jovial expression.

"What's wrong?" I ask sincerely.

"Well, my mom died when I was born so I didn't really have a mom when I was younger," she says sadly.

"Annabeth I'm sorry," I say as I move closer to her and put an arm around her shoulder.

"It's okay. When I was six, my father remarried and she was the mom that I always dreamed of," she says with a small smile.

"That's good then," I say, returning the smile.

"Yeah it was. Except, for those six years, I didn't have a mother to brush my hair after I took a bath, read me stories at bedtime, and take me on special mother-daughter outings. My dad did all of those things for me, but it wasn't the same and I knew he was still devastated from her death," she says quietly again and she puts her head on my shoulder. I didn't know what to say so I stayed quiet. Annabeth stopped talking and we sat there for a few minutes, my arm around her shoulder and her head on mine. I look down at her and she looks up at me, as if we both thought to look at each other.

"I'm sorry to ruin the mood," she says.

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad that I'm getting to know you," I say, and I mean it. I notice that a piece of hair is in her eyes and I reach up and put it behind her ear, my hand brushing her cheek. A blush creeps up my cheeks and I notice that the same happens to Annabeth. We both slowly inch away from each other and I instantly miss the warmth under my arm.

"So, tell me more about yourself," Annabeth says.

"Other than I'm handsome, charming, and funny?" I say playfully. She punches me in the shoulder and says, "Sure. Come on, tell me something real."

"Okay, first, owwww, second, that is all real, and third, owwww," I say with a smile while she laughs.

"Whatever Percy. Man up!" she says.

"Alright fine. Well, I love anything to do with water, blue things, and sea animals," I reply.

"Interesting. I love Architecture, owls, and hamburgers," she says.

"Owls?" I ask at a loss.

"It was my mom's favorite animal," she answers.

"Makes sense," I say in return. The rest of the afternoon passed by with us getting to know each other better and I learned that she is even more amazing than I imagined her to be. We eventually went to wade in the water a little bit and she pushed me in. I got revenge by picking her up and throwing her in the water. It was an amazing day. I walked Annabeth back to the library and we parted ways from there. The guys and I were supposed to play video games, but I just couldn't stop thinking about Annabeth. I eventually just left the guys and went back to my room. I went to bed thinking about her just like the past few days.

That day was wonderful and I was glad to have gotten to know my dream girl better (literally). The thing that was always on my mind though was why I dreamt her in the first place even though I have never seen her before. I finally came to one answer: fate. Fate caused me to dream of her, meet her, and get to know her. I couldn't wait for what else fate had in store for me.

A/N: Sorry if this chapter is a little short. I personally think this isn't one of my best chapters, but tell me if you think otherwise. I will try to update soon! Only 2 more weeks of school and then I will be able to update as much as I want! Until next time my readers!

~Skywriter5