A/N-Hey guys! To the guest that asked, I try to update twice a week, usually on Tuesdays and Saturday. Lately, I've only been updating once a week but I'm trying to get back on track. Thank you for your question and to everyone else, continue reading!

The next day, I got a new nickname. I became the 'Girl who dumped their her food on them.' I expected backlash in every class, especially when I spotted a still steaming Zoë sulking by the armory. It never came.

Bianca apologized profusely before archery class started, and then hugged me. She tried to talk to me while we were notching our arrows, but I was...numb. I was done being pushover Thalia.

After my morning classes and lunch, I retired to my cabin, working on homework. After a while, there was a knock on the door. It was Bianca.

"Hey," she said, "can we talk?"

"Sure..." I shut the door behind me and walked outside.

"Thalia, I am so, so sorry about yesterday. What Zoë did wasn't cool."

"It's not your fault she acted like that," I said, meaning it. "But what I don't get is why she and Percy acted like that." I stopped, feeling that stupid burn in my throat. "I shouldn't have dumped my food on them, but I've never been more embarrassed in my life."

Bianca leaned against the door, crossing her ankles. "I think it was actually kind of funny-what you did. If I'd known they were going to be so terrible about everything I would've made sure they didn't."

Water under the bridge, I guessed.

She sucked in a sharp breath. "Well, that's all I had to say. I'm really sorry about everything, Thalia."

"Don't worry about it." I grabbed my Ancient Greek textbook and dropped Bianca off at Cabin Eight before heading to class. I was dreading class. There was no doubt in my mind that Percy believed revenge was a dish best served in my face. As soon as Silena Beauregard arrived at class, she demanded to know what possessed me to dump my plate of spaghetti on Percy's and Zoë's heads.

I shrugged. "Zoë was being a bitch." I'm sure I seemed a lot more confident than I felt. I actually wanted to take the whole thing back. Sure, Zoë was being rude and embarrassed me, but hadn't I done the same thing to her? If I was the girl who dumped spaghetti on them, then she was the dumpee and that's got to be more embarrassing. I was ashamed. It was as though Percy's obnoxious personality was rubbing off of me, and I didn't like it. Eyes wide, Silena leaned across the aisle. "And what about Percy?"

"He's always an ass." I replied.

The girl giggled. "I honestly wished I'd known you were going to do that. I would've filmed it."

Thinking about that being up on YouTube, I cringed as I watched the door.

"Well, everyone thinks you're really cool," Silena continued. "You were like a food ninja."

I started to laugh.

And then my neck became warm. A few seconds later, Percy walked into class. I sunk in my seat, biting my lip. "Oh gods."

Wisely, the daughter of Aphrodite stopped talking. I picked up my pen, pretending to be engrossed in the notes I'd taken yesterday. Turned out, I hadn't taken many notes, so I wrote the date on my notebook very slowly.

Percy took the seat behind me, and my stomach jumped clear into my throat. I was going to vomit. Right here, in class, in front-

He poked me in the back with his pen.

I froze. Him and that goddamn pen. The poke came again, this time with a little more force behind it. I swung around, eyes narrowed. "What?"

Everyone around us was staring. It was like a repeat of lunch. I bet they were wondering if I was going to drop my textbook on his head. Depending on what he said, there was good chance it could happen. I doubted I'd get away with it this time, though. Tipping his chin down, he stared at me through those wickedly long lashes. "You owe me a new shirt."

My jaw hit the back of my chair.

"Come to find out," he continued softly, "spaghetti sauce doesn't always come out of clothes."

Somehow I found my ability to speak. "I'm sure you have enough shirts."

"I do, but that was my favorite."

"You have a favorite shirt?" I arched a brow-the guy didn't even wear a shirt half the time.

"And I also think you ruined Zoë's favorite shirt, too." He started to grin again, flashing a deep dimple in one cheek.

"Well, I'm sure you were there to comfort her during such a traumatic situation."

"I'm not sure she'll recover." he replied.

I rolled my eyes, knowing I should apologize for what I'd done, but I couldn't find it in me. Yeah, I was becoming a terrible person. I started to turn around.

"You owe me. Again."

I started at him for a long moment. My chest lurched. "I don't owe you anything." I said, low enough for only us to hear.

"I have to disagree." Leaning closer, he tipped the edge of his desk down. There were only a few inches between out mouths. Totally inappropriate amount of space, really since we were in class. "You and I have to talk."

"We have nothing to talk about."

His gaze dropped, and the air suddenly felt steamy. Unbearable.

"Yes," he said, voice low, "we do. Tonight."

Part of me wanted to tell him to forget the whole talking thing, but I gritted my teeth and nodded. We did need to talk if at least for me to apologize. I wanted to find the nice Thalia he'd gagged and put in a corner. Chiron cleared his throat. Blinking, I saw that we had the entire class transfixed. Flushing to the roots of my hair, I turned around and gripped the edges of my desk.

Class began, but the heat in the air was still there, coating my skin in anticipation. I could feel Percy behind me, his eyes on me. I didn't dare move. Not until Silena stretched beside me and dropped a folded note on my desk. I opened the note and slid it under my book. When Chiron's back was turned, I lifted the edge of my textbook.

Holy Hawt Chemistry, Batman!

I looked over at her, shaking my head. But there was a fluttering deep in my chest, a breathlessness that shouldn't be there. I didn't like him. He was a jerk. Moody. But there had been brief moments that I'd spent with him-like a nanosecond-when I thought I might have seen the real Percy. At least a better Percy. And that part made me curious. And the other side, the jerky one, yeah that part didn't make me curious. It sort of excited me.

It was after eight when Percy showed up at my door. He was leaning against the door frame, staring up at the sky like usual. With the moonlight slicing over half his face and the rest cast creep in the shadows, he didn't seem real. Then Percy zeroed in on me, his gaze sliding over me then back up. He looked as if he were about to speak but thought twice.

Gathering up my courage, I walked over and stopped beside him.

"Bianca was looking for you earlier." Percy stated.

"I know, she found me and we talked after lunch."

"Oh. I told her I was going to hang out with you tonight. I think she'll swing by my cabin to make sure we haven't killed each other."

Looking away, I hid my grin. "Well, if you don't kill me, I'm sure Zoë will be more than glad to do so."

"Because of the spaghetti-gate or something else?" he asked.

I shot him a sidelong look. "You guys were sitting extremely close to each other."

"Ah, I see." He pushed off the railing, coming to stand beside me. "It makes sense now."

"It does?" I held my ground.

His eyes gleamed in the dark. "You're jealous."

"Whatever." I forced a laugh. "Why would I be jealous?"

Percy followed me as I stepped away from my cabin. "Because we spent time together."

"Spending time together isn't a reason to be jealous. especially when you were forced to spend time with me." I realized how lame it was I was sort of jealous. Ugh. "Is this what we need to talk about?"

He shrugged. "Come on. Let's take a walk."

Watching him, I smoothed my hands over my jeans. "It's kind of late, don't you think?"

"I think and talk better when I walk." He held a hand out to me. "If not, I turn into the dickhead Percy you're not too fond of."

I stared at his hand. There was something fluttering in my stomach. "Yeah, I'm not holding your hand."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't like you."

"Ouch." Percy placed his hand over his chest, wincing. "That was harsh."

Yeah, he needed some acting classes. "You're not going to take me out in the woods and leave me there, are you?"

"Sounds like a fitting case of revenge, but I wouldn't do that. I doubt you'd last very long without someone to rescue you."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

He tossed me a brief grin, and we walked in silence for a few minutes. The night air was chilly and I knew it'd be a cold winter. Soon we had moved deep into the woods, where the moonlight struggled to make it through the thick trees. Percy reached in his back pocket and pulled out a thin flashlight that gave off a surprisingly large amount of light. Every cell in my body seemed to be aware of how close he was while we walked in a cocoon of darkness, the light bouncing in front of us with each step. And I hated each of my traitorous cells with a vengeance.

"Zoë and I aren't together...obviously." he said finally. "She's just a really good friend. And before you ask, I don't know why she was practically leaning on top of me."

"Why did you let you her?" I asked, wanting to smack myself afterward. It wasn't my business and I didn't care.

"I don't know, honestly. Is being a guy a good-enough reason?"

"Not really," I said, staring at the ground. I could barely see my feet.

"Didn't think so," he replied. I couldn't see his expression and I needed to, because I could never tell what he was thinking and sometimes, well, his eyes were at war with his words. "Anyway, that's what I wanted to talk about. I'm...I am sorry about the dinner thing."

Surprised he apologized, I stumbled over a rock. He caught me easily, his breath warm on my cheek before he backed off. My skin tingled and I pulled back. Percy apologizing for the dinner debacle was like being doused with cold water. I wasn't sure what was worse: him not knowing he'd been a jerk or fully aware of what he'd been doing to me.

"Thalia?" he said softly.

I glanced at him. "You embarrassed me."

"I know-"

"No, I don't think you do know." I started walking, hugging my elbows. "And you pissed me off. I can't figure you out. One minute you aren't bad and then you are the biggest ass on the planet."

"But I have brownie points," He caught up with me, always shining the light far enough ahead of me so I could easily make out exposed roots and rocks. "I do, right? Brownie points from the lake and our hike?"

"You got a lot of brownie points for Annabeth." I shook my head. "Not for me. And if they were my brownie points. you've lost most of them by now."

He was quiet for a few moments. "That blows. It really does."

I stopped. "Sucks to suck."

"Look, I am sorry about dinner. I am." He let out a long breath. "You didn't deserve the way we acted."

I didn't know what to say to that. He sounded genuine and almost sad, but it wasn't as if he didn't have a choice in how he acted. "What you did really sucked, Percy. I mean, I expected it from Zoë but I thought you were better than that."

"I needed you to go, Thalia. Zoë is usually level headed but with Artemis captured and everything, she was on the edge. If I didn't get you to leave, she could've hurt you." He glanced. "And I don't think I could live with that."

I sucked a sharp breath, slightly softening at his last sentence. "I can protect myself, thank you very much."

"With spaghetti, sure."

I pushed his shoulder playfully and he laughed. Eventually, I joined in.

After a moment, his laughter faded. "Are we cool?"

I chuckled. "I guess but don't try that again, Seaweed Brain."

"I wouldn't dare." He pointed the flashlight back in the direction of the cabins. "Let's head back. I have a surprise for you."

I raised a brow but followed him back to the cabins. We walked in silence and once we got there, he sped off towards his cabin. I shrugged and went inside mine. Percy came back with a large box that jingled. Sitting on the edge of my bunk, I folded my hands and waited, having no clue what he was up to.

Percy opened the box, reached inside, and pulled out a green needled branch and poked me with it. "I thought we should put a Christmas Tree up."

I laughed. "Alright, let's do this."

Trimming a Christmas tree was a new experience for me. I summoned the winds to move furniture around. I'd throw bulbs in the air with the flick of a wrist and Percy would freeze them then I moved them to their exact location.

We laughed. A lot. Every so often I'd choked up when I thought of Annabeth. She would've enjoyed this.

Percy dropped silvery tinsel on my head while I plucked a bulb out of the air. "Thanks," I said.

"It kind of fits you."

The scent of artificial pine filled the living room. The holiday spirit woke inside me like a slumbering giant. I grinned at Percy and held up a bulb that was so gold it almost matched his eyes. I decided it was going to be his bulb.

I placed it right under the twinkling star.

It was almost midnight by the time we finished. Sitting on my bed, thigh against thigh; we stared at our masterpiece. The tree was a little tinsel-heavy on one side, but it was perfect. A rainbow of colored lights shimmered. Glass bulbs glimmered.

"I love it." I breathed.

"Yeah, it's pretty good." He leaned in to me, yawning. "I like our tree-it looks like a disco ball."

Our tree. I smiled, liking the sound of that.

He bumped me with his shoulder. "You know, I had fun doing this."

"I did, too."

Percy's lashes lowered. Man, I'd kill for a set of those babies. "It's late."

"I know." I hesitated. "You want to stay?"

A single brow arched.

That hadn't come out right. "I don't mean that."

"Not that I'd complain if you did." His gaze dropped. "Not at all."

I rolled my eyes, but my tummy was coiling tight. Why had I offered for him to stay? His assumption wasn't too far off. Percy didn't strike me as the type to dig PG-13 slumber parties. I didn't want him to leave, but I didn't...I didn't know what I wanted.

"I'm going to get changed," I said.

"Need help?"

"Wow. You're so chivalrous, Percy."

His smile widened, flashing deep dimples. "Well, the experience would be mutually beneficial. I promise."

No doubt it would be.

"Stay," I ordered, then hurried to the bathroom.

I quickly changed into a pair of sleep shorts and a pink thermal. Yeah, I own pink clothing. Not the sexiest sleepwear, but as I washed my face and brushed my teeth, I decided it was the best choice. Anything else would give Percy ideas. Hell, a paper sack would encourage him.

I left my bathroom and stopped. Percy had not stayed. My smile slipped from my face. He was standing right in front me, back turned. "I got bored."

"I wasn't even gone five minutes."

"I have a short attention span. Blame the ADHD." He glanced back at me, eyes glittering. "Nice shorts."

I grinned. There were stars on my shorts. "What are you doing down here-you can have top bunk."

"You said I could stay." He turned around to face me, his gaze drifting to the bed. The room suddenly seemed too small, the bed even small. "I didn't think you meant the top bunk-there are no sheets or blankets on it."

Now I wasn't even sure what I'd meant. I sighed. What was I doing?

"I'm not going to bite." He added.

"That's good."

"Unless you want me to." he added with a devilish grin.

"Nice," I muttered, side-stepping him. Space was definitely needed. Not that it did much good. Heart pounding, I watched him kick off his shoes then whip off his shirt. He moved to the button on his jeans. My eyes widened. "What-what are you doing?"

"Getting ready for bed."

"But you're getting naked!"

He arched a brow. "I have boxers on. What? Did you expect me to sleep in jeans?"

"You did last time." I looked for something to fan myself with.

Percy laughed. "That's true."

I could've told him to leave, but I turned away, pretending to be engrossed with a book on my desk. Chills shot straight to my core when I heard the bed groan under his weight. Taking a shallow breath, I turned around. He was in bed, arms folded behind his head, an innocent look on his face. "This was a bad idea," I whispered.

"It was probably the smartest idea you've ever had."

I rubbed my palms on my hips. "It's going to take a lot more than a Christmas tree to get laid."

"Damn. There goes my whole plan."

Flustered, infuriated, and thrilled; I stared at him. So many emotions couldn't be possible. My head was spinning as I stalked over to my side of the bed-oh my gods, when had we developed sides?-and quickly slid under the covers. I did not want to know if he'd left the jeans on or not.

"Can you turn the lights off?" He asked.

I waved my hand and a small breeze traveled to the light switch. With a moderate amount of force, darkness descended.

Several moments passed. "That's a handy ability."

"It is." I agreed.

"Maybe one day I can be just as lazy as you and turn off lights without moving."

"Wow, how modest." I relaxed a fraction of an inch and smiled.

"Modesty is for saints and losers. I'm neither."

He rolled onto his side, his breath stirring the hair along my neck. My heart leaped into my throat. "I can't believe you haven't kicked me out yet."

"Same here." I murmured.

Percy weaseled his way closer, oh yeah, he'd gotten rid of his jeans. His bare legs brushed mine, and my heart rate spiked.

"You're not going to go all half-titan on me are you?" I asked, trying ignore the close contact.

He chuckled. "No, I think I've got enough of the potion for about two more months. Chiron's working on a more permanent solution."

"Good." Slow and steady breaths raised my chest. Like when he'd kissed me in the library, I wanted to stop thinking. Impossible when his eyes held the intensity of a thousand suns.

Percy reached out, brushing a strand of hair off my cheek with the tips of his fingers. Electricity shimmered through me. There was no denying the attraction-the pull that didn't want to let either of us go. My gaze was fixed on his lips like an addict. Memories of the way they'd felt seared me. All of this was crazy. Inviting him to stay, getting in bed with him, and thinking what I was about him. Crazy. Exciting.

I swallowed. "We should go to sleep."

His hand palmed my cheek and I wanted to touch him. I wanted to be closer.

"We should." He agreed.

Lifting my hand, I brushed my fingers over his lips. They were pillow soft yet firm. Intoxicating.

Percy's eyes flared, and my stomach hollowed. He shifted his head closer and his lips brushed the corner of mine. His hands slid from my face and down my neck, and when he dipped his head again, his lips brushed over the tip of my nose. And then he kissed me. A slow-burning, toe-curling kiss that left me aching for so, so much more. I felt like I was spinning into the kiss, falling into him.

He pulled back with a groan and settled beside me. "Good night, Sweetheart."

Heart pounding, I let out a long sigh. "That's all?"

Percy laughed. "That's all...for now."

Biting my lip, I turned around, wondering what he meant by 'for now.'

After a long period of silence passed and my eyes began to close.

"Thalia?" Percy asked quietly.

"Yes?"

"Can I...?" There was a pause and my heart stuttered. "Can I just hold you? That's all...that's all I want."

A knot formed in my throat and my chest tightened, cutting off my voice. I turned around, nodding.

Relief flickered across his stoic face, softening the hard lines. He extended an arm and I went, curling against his body, my head nestled in the space between his shoulder and chest.

He wrapped an arm around my waist and our breaths mingled as we lay there, staring at each other silently until his eyes began to flutter.

"You drool." I stated.

He opened one eye. "I do not."

"Whatever." I smiled, placing my hand over his heart.

He tilted his head to the side, his lips moving against my hair as he spoke. "Get some rest, Sweetheart. I'll be gone before morning."

Under my hand, the steady beat of his heart matched my own, slightly accelerated. Was it the closeness? I didn't know. But before I knew it, I'd drifted into the deepest, calmest sleep I'd had in weeks.

The irate sound of "THALIA GRACE AND PERSEUS JACKSON!" being yelled, followed by a collective round of gasps and laughs woke me up. My eyes fluttered open, and I tried to pinpoint the voice.

Dad? I wondered. But why would my dad be here? Once I focused my vision, I saw a long, white tail shaking back and forth. I frowned-my dad didn't have a tail. Then I groaned-but Chiron did.

My mentor stood in the doorway, his mouth hanging open. Zoë stood behind him, a brow raised. Bianca and Grover had bags thrown over their shoulders and they stared at me. Nico was cowering behind his sister.

"What?" I mumbled. My hard pillow moved. Glancing down, I felt my cheeks burn hot. Percy was still in my bed. And I was half lying on him. One of his hands was wrapped mine, pinning it against his chest. Oh my gods no...

Mortified on an epic level, I pulled my hand free. "This isn't what it looks like."

"Oh really?" Chiron folded his arms.

"At least they're fully clothed." Grover tried.

"Not helping." Zoë shot back.

I started to sit up, but Percy's arm tightened around my waist as he rolled into me, nuzzling my neck. Wanting to die a thousand deaths, I pushed him. He didn't budge.

His eyes opened into thin slits. "Mmmm, what's your problem?" I stared meaningfully at the doorway. Frowning, he turned his head and froze. "Oh, wow, awkward."

He cleared his throat as he removed his arm from my waist. "Good morning."

Chiron smiled tightly. "Good morning, Percy. I think it's time you head to your cabin."

"Right." Percy quickly got up, picking up his clothes as he started for the door. Grover and Bianca grimaced, feeling bad for me. Zoë's eyes met Percy's and she looked annoyed. He threw her a lazy grin and she pivoted, turning away.

As she left, she murmured. "You know what, I do not care. I do not."

Bianca followed her out and consequently, so did Nico. Grover followed Percy out, leaving Chiron and me alone.

"Chiron, it's not what you think. I promise."

The centaur stomped his hoof. "He was in your bed. What am I supposed to think?"

I couldn't respond so I switched the subject. "Why aren't you getting onto to Percy-it wasn't just me."

"You are a camper. You are my responsibility. Percy is an ally-I claim no responsibility for his actions." Chiron looked at me for a long moment. "Don't let it happen again, Thalia."

"Yes, sir."

Chiron sighed and shook his head. "Crazy kids. Anyway, I hope you are prepared. You are to depart on your quest in ten minutes. Good luck, Thalia."

I grinned and nodded, getting out of the bed.

After the centaur left, I got ready, grabbed my packed duffle bag, and headed down half-blood hill toward the van. By the time I got there, Bianca and Grover were in the van and Zoë was in the driving seat. Percy was loading his stuff in the trunk and he bent down to pick my bag.

"Sleep well?" He asked as I handed him the bag.

I winked. "I've had better nights."

"Ouch." He commented, shutting the trunk. He walked to the door and opened it, holding out a hand.

"Thanks." I took it and hopped into the back seat next to Grover and Bianca.

"No problem." The son of Kronos and Poseidon closed the door then climbed into the passenger seat.

Zoë rolled her eyes at him but started the engine.

"Hold up, did I give you permission to start this van?" Percy grinned at the lieutenant.

"Go to hell, Percy Jackson." A small smile appeared on her face.

"Been there, done that."

"Yeah," Grover added. "Never again."

"Never say never, Grover." Percy said jokingly then looked out the widow, darkness shadowing his features.

The satyr's smile faded and he looked down as if he'd said something wrong. I frowned, trying to piece together what was going on.

Zoë hesitated before laying a light hand on his knee. She held his gaze for a long time and I looked away, throat burning.

"Hey," She began softly. "Permission to drive, my Lord?"

A moment before Percy's trademark lazy grin reappeared. "Permission granted, Zoë."

A/N-I actually shortened this chapter, it was going to continue on to the part where they get to the Smithsonian but I just wanted this chapter to be basically Perlia so the Smithsonian will happen next chapter. I have an outline for the entire fic so I have every chapter planned out but not written so everytime I shorten a chapter, I have tweak the outline a bit without adding some scenes from the next chapter. I don't think that made sense. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that because the next chapter is the Smithsonian, it'll be short. I've been asked to write some scenes in Percy's Pov and I've been a little hesitant on that because I don't want to switch the narration. And if I do Percy that will be a drastic narration because he knows a lot more than Thalia at this point. So I'm going to write the Smithsonian scene and I'll include Percy's Pov of the dance from Westover Hall. That way I'm not changing the narration but everyone wins. Got it? Get it? Good. Thanks for reading and I'll see you guys on Tuesday for the next update!