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Chapter eighteen

Saturday mornings were the best time for me. Weather dad liked it or not, I was spending more and more time with Percy at his place, mostly because Sally and Phill were rarely home. Also because I loved the Saturday morning pancake breakfasts. Stacks upon stacks of pancakes piled up on plates that tasted like heaven dipped in chocolate and blueberries.

The best thing, waking up to my boyfriend had become one of the best ways to start the weekend. We had been dating for about three months now and during that time Piper and Jason had gone through a rough patch, my dad had been out numbered in the argument about weather I should be spending so much time at Percy's – when mum and I team up together we are a force to be reckoned with – Hazel and Frank had gotten together – mum told me everything – and Thalia had been dating Nico for about a week.

I know. Nico. And she had changed. For the better I might add, but there was still something different about her. She hadn't see or spoken to Luke since they had broken up and she was finally ready to date again.

And life is crazy. Thankfully were getting a break from school since Christmas is almost here. Plus side, a week away from Drew. Down side, I have to find Percy a Christmas present.

And since Thalia was out with Nico and Piper was at a day spa with her mum, Jason and I were planning to go shopping.

"Morning Wise girl" My boyfriend – I still wasn't used to calling him that – moved under me, pulling me closer to him as he buried his head in his pillow to block out any light filtering in form the windows. I rolled him so he was on his back as I straddled him, feeling his body under me. Even though we had been dating for quite a while, we still hadn't done that yet. But I would feel things, and instead of feeling embarrassed or getting nervous, I felt kind of confident and maybe even sexy.

"Good morning sleepy head" I smiled, running my hands over his chest "Hey Annabeth" he said, his voice coming out nervous which was weird. I had never seen him get like this. Not even before a meet. Maybe before a maths test. "Yeah?"

"I have to tell you something"

"Everything all right?" I asked a little concerned. This wasn't Percy, well It was, but this wasn't a side I had seen of him before "Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" he asked, a little of himself coming back "Because you have to tell me something, and if it was good you would have told me by now, and if it's not good then you're stalling for time and-" I was cut off with a kiss, something I both hated and loved.

"you were babbling" he smiled, breaking the kiss, brushing a strand of hair away from my face "Well you're worrying me now so please just-"

"I love you" he said, with all the confidence in the world. And all I could do was gape at him with my mouth open like a fish "You love me?"

"Yeah I do. Have for a while now actually" I was speechless, my mind blank. Do I love him? Because I hadn't really thought about this and I don't want to say it without meaning it. But thinking about these past three months, the dates, the kissing, the two years of feelings adding to it all. Here were the three words I had always wanted to here from him and all I could do was stare at him like a fish. "you could say something" he said, a bit dejected by my silence. That kicked my brain into gear.

"You have no idea how many times I have wanted to tell you that" I said. It was true, it had been painfully extracted from me during another trip to the mall with Piper and Thalia. And I don't know which I hated more, the questions or being treated like a barbie doll. "I love you, Seaweed Brain"

And just like that, I found another reason to love Saturday mornings.

"He loves you" Jason said, placing a CD back in it's original spot. I loved shopping with Jason, we usually spent time wither at the music store checking out the latest CD's, at the jewellery store when he was buying a "Please forgive me" present for Piper – they didn't really fight a lot, but when they did it kind of got explosive – or at the sports store where they had hoops to try out.

"Yeah he does" I answered back, picking up the latest Avril Lavigne "and you love him?"

"Yeah, I do"

"So what's the problem?"

"What's the best gift to get the guy you love on your first Christmas together?" I asked, placing the CD back in it's rightful place. "Well Beth, think about it. He's 17, he's a guy. What do most guys want"

"I'm not doing that" I wasn't ready. I knew that maybe he was, his hands had started to wonder and it made me nervous, this little knot in my stomach forming whenever things got too far. It wasn't like I didn't trust him, I just wasn't ready to go all the way yet. We hadn't even talked about it.

"Why not?" Jason sort of demanded "Do you really want to get into this?" I asked because I cringe hearing about his sex life. Even thought it was oddly fascinating.

"You trust him don't you?"

"Of course I do" I said defensively, walking over to another rack of CD's, wishing I never asked him. "I love him"

"Who do you see yourself with in ten years" now that was something I was not prepared for. My mind crammed with school and studying for the up coming SATs and everything who had time to think of the future past collage. Oh god collage. What if we were split up? Could I stand going to collage half way across the country away from Percy. I sure as hell wasn't going to break up with him, I wasn't capable of that, so what would we do?

"Annabeth. Look at me" Jason said, breaking through the panicked hazed and placing his hands on my shoulders "You too are going to be fine. Just talk to him about it okay? He will understand, and if he doesn't then I will talk to him"

"Jason-"

"I've already had to bet up one dickhead who hurt my sister" Thalia didn't know that Jason had actually gone to punch Luke in the face once he had heard what happened. The only reason I knew was because h asked me to go with him to stop him from killing the guy, though it was hard "and while Percy is nothing like Luke, if he hurts you he will be in a world of pain. But it's Percy, the guy you love and have loved for the past what? 2 years and 3 months"

"something like that" I sighed, letting his words sink in "Then what is there to worry about. You're going to do it sometime. You just need to talk about it okay"

"Okay. Thanks Jason" I hugged him

"What do you think about getting Piper a puppy for Christmas?"

"I think it's a terrible idea" I laughed, letting go of him. "But puppy" he pouted "no puppy Jase"

"Can we at least have a look?" he even tried to pull the eyes on me, but they were no where near as effective as Percy's were. "Fine" I laughed as we left the Music store and headed over to the pound on the other side of the road.