I HAS AN EXCUSE!

Life is my answer.

Leo: But you don't have one, so how could one get in the way?

Shut up Leo! I'm really sorry guys. Summer is coming soon, though!

Except I'll be gone to India for a month…

But still!

I'm really trying.

On with the chapter!

I turned to Annabeth. "…wut?"

Annabeth looked lost in thought (surprise surprise) and kept murmuring to herself. "Earth…the Earth will rise…Earth, Percy, Earth, Demigods, Earth, Gods, Earth, Titans, Earth, Earth, Earth-Gaea!" Annabeth yelled. "But what would the Earth want with us…she hates the Gods, true, but why mess with us and why now? There's got to be some logic to this…maybe, I dunno, ugh! Think, think, think!" She looked back up at the words that were swooped on the ground in dust and leaves. "The Earth rises! Of course, Gaea is rising!"

I stared at her. The way she spoke reminded me of some show I watched about a fake doctor and a blue box. I fell asleep halfway through it, but I remember bits and pieces and that doctor guy was freaking out, much in the same way she was now.

"Oh, never mind that right now," Annabeth grabbed my hand and dragged me inside. "We need to talk." She opened the door and ran inside, barely stopping to take her shoes off.

"Annabeth?" a lady with reddish hair popped out from a room to the right of the garage/mudroom. "Sweetie, I'm glad you brought Percy! Nice to meet you! Would you like a snack? I was actually baking biscuits for dinner, they'll be done in fifteen minutes. Do you want one?" Annabeth's Aunt Jessica, I presume, said.

I was just about to answer that yes, I very much would like a biscuit but Annabeth yanked me up the stairs. "Thanks, Jessica, but no, we're kind of in a hurry!"

Annabeth pulled me down a cream colored hallway to a door at the end, which I would assume would lead to her bedroom.

She opened it and pulled me in. I didn't get a chance to look around properly before I was shoved into a small, dark closet. "Oh, Chase I didn't know you rolled that way, but if this is what you want…"

Annabeth groaned. "Percy! For Zeus' sake, cut the sexual innuendoes!" she sighed and reached up, pulling a chain. The closet was flooded with soft gold light from the single flickering light bulb. "Percy, there's a guy."

I moaned. "This is breakup sex, isn't it?" the look on her face was priceless.

"What? No! Of course not! I'm not breaking up with you and if you talk about sex one more time, then, Gods help me, I will castrate you right here right now-"

"Just can't wait to get your hands on me, can you?" I whispered in her ear.

Annabeth looked me in the eye. If she was a rageface right now, she would be "Challenge Accepted" rageface.

"Sorry, Percy," She said softly, a signal that I should be very afraid. "My hands would cover the entire thing; you're just too small."

She grinned up at me, a look that said I win.

I understood why people were jealous of her.

"Okay, back to business!"

"Why are we in a closet?" I interrupted. I probably shouldn't have but it didn't seem like a closet was the best place to discuss.

"Gaea is smart. If she could send somebody up to my place and have them break into the garage…there might be cameras, recorders, all kinds of stuff in my room." Annabeth looked around. "Right, so about this guy-" she clamped a hand over my mouth. "not a word, Jackson. This guy- I don't know his name- is a demigod. I think. I saw-"

"What does he look like?" I interrupted her. Maybe I might know him. Suddenly, I remembered everything I was supposed to tell Annabeth; the freshman I needed to tell Annabeth about.

"Er…dark brown hair, short but pretty good-looking," I rolled my eyes at that. "and he was trying out for the basketball team because he was wearing the uniform. In the pictures he has blue eyes, but I don't know if that's the color they really are"

"David! Crap! Zeus, I forgot! Chiron told me about him!" I remembered him; he was a really good player, actually." I remembered him and his buddies, Aden, Brian and Jake. They were pretty good.

"Chiron said something to you and you didn't tell me?!" She shrieked.

Mark that on my list of scary things to avoid: angry girlfriends.

"I-I forgot…" I said meekly.

"Percy! You are a freaking idiot." She had a look on her face that said 'you better start talking'.

I explained everything that Chiron said when he IMed me. She remained stoic throughout the entire story. When I finished, she looked down and thought for a bit. "We need to find David. Where do you think he'd be?"

I sighed. "Anna, it's been a long day. Leave him alone. We'll talk to him tomorrow. Just…relax."

Annabeth sighed. "You're right-savor that, I won't be saying it soon. Let's just hang out, or something."

I grinned evilly. "Or something." I lifted her up and kissed her right on the mouth, whilst freeing ourselves from the closet.

Don't ask me where the newfound confidence was from; I have no idea. Just an adrenaline rush, I guess.

But adrenaline was nothing compared to the feeling I was getting right now. My heart pounded, by stomach fluttered, and my brain felt like it was melting through my body.

Every. Single. Freaking. Time. That brain melts every single time.

"Perce-" Her words came out in a breathy moan, as if it wasn't hard enough to control myself. "Percy, this is not what I meant." She pulled off.

"Annie!" I was whining like a little kid, but who cared?

"Percy!" She stared me down but sighed. "Okay, but put me down Seaweed Brain. And no hickeys! God, if I have to wear a turtleneck to dinner I'll never hear the end of it."

Ew. I honestly dislike this ending.

Funny Story: when Cookie Queen was going over it, she said she really liked the ending.

Whoops.

But put it this way- to make up for the month long break, I put some Percabeth at the end!

Guys, I'm five chapters till 100! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!

Thanks! R&R!