A/N: Hahaha. I knew it! You loved me for that last chapter. I totally felt it with your reviews. (I don't even know if this was laced with sarcasm.) Anyway, we're now moving closer to the edge. Yeah.

I don't know if this chapter should be reasonable but hey, this is an update. Though I'm quite sick of writing crying scenes. I should better stop the angst. What do you think?

And yes, Horse1lover3, I'm a girl.

Thanks guys for the reviews.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The rain poured slowly, the tiny drizzles of water staining the pavement. Everyone was hurrying around to have a shelter for themselves. The sky was dark and gloomy, and a big lump of grey nimbus clouds was slowly approaching, further increasing the intensity of the rain.

But Annabeth Chase was in no rush; it seemed as though she's quite taking her time walking back to her apartment, soaked under her coat.

Twenty-nine minutes and thirty seconds had already passed since she left him, and by every passing second she found herself regretting her decision and every single thing she'd said to him.

Twenty-nine minutes and forty seconds.

She took out her phone. She searched through her contacts until she stumbled on his name.

Twenty-nine minutes and forty five seconds.

Her hand hovered on that call button and her eyes stared at his picture; the one he actually took himself, where he was making a goofy face and crossed eyes. His sea green eyes were filled with mirth and humor, yet now she remembered how she put out the light in his eyes, the same one now haunting her with regret and sadness.

Twenty-nine minutes and fifty five seconds.

Press it. Press it. Press it.

Thirty minutes and one second.

She shut her phone off.

Annabeth fell onto her knees pulling and tearing at her hair furiously. She let out a heart-wrenching whimper, and she really didn't care if she looked ridiculously stupid in front of her door, crying her heart out.

Annabeth tightly clenched her fists, remembering how he held her close yet she drove him away. She remembered how he held her hand, how she touched his face and how they interlocked their fingers as they made a promise. And she chose to let go all of those. She chose to let him go.

She sobbed more as her chest constricted, narrowing until her heart grew small in it, feeling that perhaps, it wouldn't make a difference at all. Her heart was long gone; leaving a place of hollowness past her ribcage, that continued to remind her how big she's messed up.

Annabeth didn't really expect that the decision would affect her as much as she imagined. She thought that maybe she could get over with it, well maybe depressed for a few days, but then she'll be able to go back being perfect once again.

But things didn't turned out the way she had imagined.

The thing about Percy Jackson was, he's this person who grows on you spend more time with him. He starts on your skin, creeping and infiltrating until he mixes with your blood, until he flows all over your system and invades your mind until you couldn't think of anyone except for him. He has this strange ability of affecting you with his traits and quirks, one that Annabeth found quite amusing.

And sadly, Annabeth fell for all of those. Yes, she fell for him hard.

Now that she thought of it, she realized how stupid she was. That no matter how beautiful, how smart and how perfect she was, she couldn't be any wiser to any person in love. She had underestimated the whole theory of love, the emotion that defies all logic. She had been too absorbed in her perfection scheme that she apparently forgot the consequences that came with it.

Annabeth had just missed the chance of building the permanent home in her life.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

She wondered if the cold and rainy atmosphere had something to do with her emotions right now.

Annabeth had stood for too long outside the double doors of the training room.

She contemplated on going inside and risking the possibility of seeing Percy, or she'd rather miss the last practice and hope that she'll do fine tomorrow for the battle.

Her logical mind of course opted for the former; she had been wanting to win this game for too long and no heartbreak could ever stop her from doing so. But the emotional part, the one that constituted the majority of her reasoning right now, hoped for the latter; she's still too emotionally unstable to face Percy and she doubt nothing could ever go right if she went inside.

But before Annabeth could decide for herself, she saw Thalia approaching her. The punk had an indescribable expression on her face and her strides almost looked worried. She grabbed Annabeth by the wrist before barging inside, her steps long and fast. Annabeth briefly remembered the first time Thalia dragged her inside the training room; that didn't go well.

"Where have you been Annabeth?" Thalia asked her without looking over her shoulder.

Annabeth scrunched her eyebrows. "I- well, why?"

Thalia suddenly halted and she grabbed her bestfriend's shoulders to stop them from bumping against each other. Her electric blue eyes looked pretty serious now, which made Annabeth froze. "What happened between you and Percy?"

Her brain stopped; she still wasn't ready to hear his name outside her thoughts. And she's still not ready either to speak of what happened between them. It seemed too personal and too fresh, that any word from him could send her emotions to flames. Annabeth opened her mouth, but nothing came up.

Thalia thankfully understood this and pressed no more about the matter. "I understand if you still couldn't tell me about it. But you need to see this."

They stood in front of a large whiteboard. The name of each remaining competitors were written neatly on the board, and there were lines connecting the names to their opponents. Annabeth expected her name to be beside him, but his name was nowhere to be found. Instead, another name was written beside hers; one that she actually didn't recognize.

"There must be something wrong here," Annabeth muttered nervously. Her heart was thumping loudly in her chest and there's a violent ringing in her ears that won't stop. "There must be."

Thalia didn't look at her but she placed her hand on her bestfriend's shoulder. "I thought so. But when I asked Chiron about it, he said there's nothing wrong."

"Impossible. No, he won't-"

"Percy quitted, Annabeth. He quitted."

She stared at the board in horror. Her thumb hovered above the space where his name should be, where Percy Jackson's name should be. But there's someone who took his space, someone entirely different from him. Thoughts raced back and forth her head, so fast that it made her dizzy.

Annabeth shook her head violently. He couldn't do this. He couldn't. "No, no, no- Percy wouldn't, no- he wouldn't. . ."

Thalia held Annabeth's hands tightly. The blonde didn't realize she was shaking until her bestfriend calmed her down. "He did, Annabeth."

She kept shaking her head, refusing to accept those words. Percy didn't quit. No, no, no! It didn't seem right. They were Best Duo Buddies, right? He couldn't have forgotten about that promise. Percy wouldn't. "No, no, no. Thalia, I. . .I-I need to talk to Chiron. There must be some misunderstanding here."

Annabeth's pacing the floor now, convincing herself that he couldn't do that. She felt hollow, broken and useless without Percy there, and she didn't think she could bear the thought that he left her.

"Annabeth, calm down. Get your nerves together!" Thalia commanded and she instantly stopped pacing. "Alright. We'll talk to Chiron. He wants to see you anyway."

They ran towards his office, which was pretty fast but Annabeth was eager to see him. Thalia knocked before letting themselves in.

"Chiron, sensei," they greeted before bowing down in front of the old man.

He gestured for them to take a seat then he turned to Annabeth. "Miss Chase, you probably knew by now what had happened."

"No, I don't think he would do that."

Chiron shook his head at her. "I'm sorry Miss Chase but Mr. Jackson had already made his choice. He didn't disclose much information but he did say that some misunderstanding happened between you two. I'm afraid you'd have to adjust with your new partner today or you could back out of the competition. Make your choice."

His words rang through her head repeatedly, but she didn't let the meaning of those to sink into her consciousness.

"I'm sorry Miss Chase but Mr. Jackson had already made his choice."

His choice. His choice. His choice.

She didn't feel more empty than ever. It was though she's melting into nothingness; her mere existence just a vapor in the wind. Annabeth didn't really knew the whole intensity of Percy's effect on her, but now she could hear it, see it, feel it.

He was technically the one holding her together, the one keeping her pieces from crumbling apart. She knew he had already grown on her, far too attached that it's already becoming unhealthy. But since when did loving someone can be called healthy?

"Annabeth," Thalia called. The girl didn't seem to hear her. "Annabeth!"

The girl's gaze snapped up, but it wasn't focused. Annabeth looked lost in her thoughts, or probably drowning in them.

"Hm?"

Chiron cleared his throat. He handed Annabeth a blue envelope. "He left that. And asked me to give it to you."

She held onto it, tight but not clutching. Somehow, a relief settled over her, even though it was a small one, it was enough to ground her. At least, he did left an explanation.

An explanation.

A sudden, cold feeling washed over her. She felt so so bad for doing all of those, for denying the truth from him. When she rejected him that day (which something that she'd forever regret), Annabeth didn't even bother to give him an explanation or reason. She just walked away, as if she didn't care enough for his feelings. And it was wrong, probably the most idiotic decision she'd ever did. But then she couldn't answer him without even bringing Jason up. It was a lose-lose situation, and perhaps, she just lost that one person who mattered the most.

"I don't know what happened, but Annabeth, I hope you could fix whatever is that misunderstanding as soon as possible," Chiron said after awhile. He looked younger when he actually smiled, perhaps he could be a father figure to all of them. He patted Annabeth's head comfortingly, before speaking again. "It was a let down that I wouldn't be able to see how you two team up."

"Thanks, Chiron," Annabeth muttered. She didn't even try to smile at him, but she felt a little better though.

"Anything, child," he replied then dismissed them.

When Annabeth and Thalia were now standing in the hallway, Thalia turned to her bestfriend with a comforting gaze.

"Are you okay, Annabeth?"

"I won't even try to lie that I'm fine," she mumbled dejectedly.

"Do you still want to go to practice?"

"I don't think so. Would you mind giving this lonely girl company?"

"I don't think you need to ask me that. I'm coming even if you'want it or not."

When they reached her apartment, they went towards Annabeth's room where she could feel more of herself and be secluded in her own world. Annabeth pleaded to Thalia for some space so she could sort out her thoughts and read Percy's letter quietly. The punk easily obliged, choosing to sit outside the door.

Annabeth sat in a corner where she was crammed between the wall and her dresser. It was an uncomfortable position to be in, but she'd been there far too many times that it eventually became her sanctuary. She hugged her knees to her chest as she stared at the blue envelope in her hands. She traced the sloppy handwriting of her name at the back, as though every letter connected his feelings to her.

Annabeth opened the flap carefully and she did out the paper folded in thirds. 'He wrote it in blue ink,' she noted, as she fixed her eyes on the words, staring at them long enough to burn in her memory.

Annabeth,

Hey. I'm sorry for not having the balls to say this personally but, I'm just really scared that you're afraid to be near me again. I couldn't risk to feel that you're avoiding me, that you're too disgusted to glance my way again. I know the past days had been awkward, but I made it worse when I confessed to you about what I feel. It's true though. I love you, Annabeth. I really do.

But I guess I don't blame you for not feeling the same. I'm just stupid to think that perhaps there's a possibility that you'll respond those words back. You didn't even gave me a reason.

Maybe you're scared of me right now, so I just thought I'll back out to give you space. You've been wanting to win this battle, right? And I would really feel bad that if we lose, it's all my fault.

Do your best, Annabeth. I hope you'll win that battle. And I'm sorry again if I'd somehow upset you with my confession. I'm really sorry. So, I guess the Best Duo Ever ends here. . . Thank you for tolerating me and for all the good you've done to me.

Percy

Annabeth hadn't even realized she'd started crying until she saw that wet mark on his name. She made no effort to wipe the tears away but she did kept the letter in a reasonable distance. Her eyes felt swollen and her head hurt, the throbbing sensation dulling all the thoughts in her brain.

Annabeth hated herself for being like this, for not being able to compose herself properly and becoming a crying mess. She felt pathetic and completely helpless now that she faced the entire consequences of her decisions. As it turned out, she couldn't handle the thought of losing him, much more the reality that had now presented itself in the form of this letter.

Annabeth wrapped her arms around her torso, a futile effort to keep herself together. She knew as much that it wasn't working, merely because he's been always the one who was successful enough for this job. Her breaths became ragged and fast, the words burning and clawing at her throat, at her chest, at her every being. With every intake of oxygen, she knew she's close to combustion, but far from the rush of flaming passion she felt when she kissed him. It was more of the burning that kills her inside to out, leaving her with charred and burnt flesh.

In an instinct, her finger unconsciously touched her lips, somehow reminiscing the bliss of his lips against hers. Annabeth hadn't had the time to think of it much, but now she could see how entirely different Percy was.

She was still locked in Percy's world when a frenzied knock resounded on her door. Thalia's face peeked out but her face looked ashen.

"Annabeth. Jason's now back."

This wasn't the best but. . .hope you don't hate me for it.