A Bit of Recapping (since its been a while since the last update)


I grabbed the phone and scrolled through my texts.

The last one, time stamped 7:49am, made me grin.

L: i know this makes things awkward between us but i think im in love with your manager, Silena.


Chapter Fifteen

A Bit of Accusing

Annabeth POV

I couldn't stop smiling as I made my way through the crowded tables and the scents of frying bacon, orange juice and freshly made pancakes. Silena deserved a guy like Luke in her life.

I spotted Luke at a corner table tucked in beside a partly open window, and the cool breeze ruffled the cotton tablecloth. "Hey, Annabeth," he said.

"So, you and Silena, huh?" I teased, reaching for the pitcher of water between us and pouring a glass.

"Yeah, I—" he looked away, suddenly becoming very interested in the design of the tablecloth. "I spent most of yesterday night with her, and…she's really cool. Funny, but sweet." His cheeks pinked, startling against his tan skin, and I grinned. It was pretty obvious he was head over heels in love with her.

"Well, she's single, I'm pretty sure," I said.

"What do you mean, pretty sure?"

"A girl like Silena gets a lot of offers." Seeing his jaw tense, I added, "She hasn't dated that many guys, though. She isn't really one to throw away her heart easily, or date lots of guys just for the heck of it. For her, it needs to be something real."

Luke opened his mouth to say something, but the waiter came over with a notepad and asked us for our breakfast choices. I ordered a Belgian waffle and Luke asked for coconut pancakes.

"You were saying?" I prompted.

"I kind of got that yesterday," Luke admitted, pushing a lock of sandy hair out of his eyes. "She isn't like the other girls."

"In a good way or a bad way?"

"In the best way. But, um, that's not all I wanted to talk to you about." he looked away, not meeting my eyes.

"What is it?" I asked slowly.

"I—did I kiss you last night?" he searched my face. I didn't answer, which confirmed his question.

"Oh, God. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen—I know you don't like me that way, and it was an accident. I was drunk, so I—"

"It's okay, Luke."

"—because here I am talking to you how amazing Silena is and just last night I ki—wait what?"

"It's not all your fault," I told him. "I wasn't drunk, and I kissed you back."

"I really don't want things to be awkward between us, Annabeth," Luke said earnestly. "You're a really good friend. I'm not me when I'm drunk. And thanks again for bringing me back to my cabin."

"What are best friends for except to drag your sorry butt home after you're hammered?" I punched him lightly in the shoulder and we both cracked up.


Percy POV

I didn't know if I made the conscious decision to follow her, or if I simply felt drawn to eat breakfast right then. But anyway, I found myself heading toward the breakfast restaurant in the center of the resort called The Sunset.

What was wrong with me? Why did I care so effing much? Was I seriously stalking my archnemesis?

I couldn't risk passing through the front door or she'd see me, so I slipped around to the waiter's exit where they went out to dump the garbage. But really, I should've expected the massive scream that rose up when I went inside.

"MOM! MOM! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT IT'S—"

I clapped a hand over the girl's mouth. Her green eyes were wide behind her glasses. She couldn't have been more than twelve. With my free hand I grabbed a pen and signed her napkin.

"Here," I whispered, handing it to her. My hand was still over her mouth. "Promise not to scream anymore though, okay?"

She nodded, awestruck. I took my hand away and flashed a smile, then continued further into the restaurant.

"—funny, but sweet." Luke blushed and looked away from Annabeth, who smiled. My blood felt like it was trying to boil out of my body.

The room suddenly felt too stifling. I stumbled away and nearly slammed into a waiter holding a tray of plates. He gave me a dirty look, which I ignored.

Outside the ocean breeze helped a little. I stalked down the path, pushing through people. Rude, but at least none of them stopped to talk to me. I really wasn't in the mood to stop and chat right now.

Until one did. A hand threw itself across my chest, fisted the sleeve of my shirt, and dragged me to face him. I threw the olive-pale arm off and faced its owner irritably. "What do you want?"

Nico di Angelo crossed his arms. "What the hell is up with you today?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Now would you get out of my way?"

"Come on." Nico grabbed my arm and pulled me toward his cabin. "We need to talk."

"Let go of me. I can walk on my own," I snapped. Nico released me and ushered me inside his and Grover's cabin. It wasn't much different from the Honeymoon Suite, except there were two queen beds and a smaller bathroom.

"Sit." Nico pointed. I dropped onto his bed with a huff.

"You've been so moody lately," Nico pointed out. "Something is definitely up. So you can tell me, or—"

"I already have Grover on my back about this, I don't need you too."

"It's about her, isn't it?" I didn't answer. "Well, you can either tell me, or I can go and ask Annabeth what your deal is—"

"I saw Annabeth kissing Luke," I said, with the feeling like I was shoving something crushing and heavy off my chest. "Last night."

"Who's Luke?" Nico tilted his head.

"Never mind." I stood.

"Percy. It could be a misunderstanding. Why don't you just ask her?"

"I saw it with my own eyes," I snapped.

Nico crossed my arms. "Why can you not just talk to her?"

"She hates me."

Nico crinkled his eyebrows. "You always say that. What happened between you guys?"

I sighed. "We met in summer camp when we were twelve. Believe it or not, we were actually pretty close friends at first. But then there was this guy Annabeth liked—I don't even remember his name—but my other friend's sister had a huge crush on him as well. It wasn't my choice to make but I did the only thing I could. I told him how Annabeth felt about him, right in public one day, and he said out loud that he could never like her, never in a million years. She ran out in tears." I stared down at my hands, remembering. "Next day we had this massive fight in the woods. She called me a lot of names, and I insulted her right back. She said I had no right to do what I did. I told her I agreed with the guy, that nobody could ever like her. Then…we just hated each other after that. We did all these horrible things to each other. Then one summer she stopped coming to camp. That was around the time she released her first movie. She still hated me. I told myself I hated her, but when I see her now I…"

"You…?"

"I don't hate her. I think its more regret than anything. We used to be really close. I remember when she couldn't sleep at night she used to sneak into my cabin even if it was forbidden and we would just—sleep together. No, not like that, you dirty minded child." I threw a pillow at Nico's grinning face. "We were twelve, for god's sake. I don't know how I feel about her—but I don't hate her. I never did." I finished my little speech and felt the familiar pressure of tears behind my eyes. Percy Jackson doesn't cry. No. I blinked rapidly and glanced at Nico.

"Why don't you just tell her how you feel? I mean, I'm not her but I think I would forgive you." Nico took a seat beside me.

"Don't you get it? She hates me. I might not hate her but she despises me. You should've seen her face when I saw her again, after all those years, at the cast party. That's when I knew nothing had changed. Besides, she's probably too busy making out with her new boyfriend Luke to listen to anything I have to say." I grabbed the pillow I'd tossed at Nico and flung it savagely back onto his bed.

"Dude, I think you like her. You're jealous," Nico said, smirking.

"I do not." No. Of course not. I do not like Annabeth. I don't hate her, but neither do I…

"Maybe I do." I stared down at my hands.

Nico squealed like a little girl. "Eeeee!"

"If I didn't know better, I would think you were some teenage fangirl."

Nico stopped bouncing. "Well, you should go and kiss her. Right now." Nico was so regrettably forward sometimes. Not that I wasn't…

"What? I can't even get her to forgive me."

"That's because you haven't even tried." Nico crossed his arms over his black t-shirt.

"I have!"

"You haven't even said anything to her. Just to me and Grover, who aren't Annabeth. You have to show her that you're sorry."


Annabeth POV

I climbed up the steps of the Royal Palm, still feeling great from breakfast. Luke and Silena were meant to be! And the restaurant's Belgian waffles were divine.

The door was unlocked when I mounted the cabin steps, like someone had just walked in. I pushed it open and saw Percy fiddling with his fingers, pacing up and down and murmuring something underneath his breath. I recognized the pose. I did that when I was practicing something. Maybe he was running lines for the movie?

"Percy?" I dropped my bag onto the small woven ottoman and blinked.

He jumped, his eyes widening adorably and his mouth falling open a little. "Annabeth! Um—"

"Are you okay?"

"I—yeah, I just needed to, um," he cut himself off. "So where were you?"

"Out with a friend," I said, tugging my hair into a ponytail. The sun was really beating down out there.

Instantly, Percy's face seemed to freeze and harden instantly, like a time-lapse clip of ice spreading over a pond. "I can tell when you're lying to me, Wise Girl."

I turned to stare at him, stunned by his icy tone and even more by the fact that he'd insulted me with Wise Girl. He hadn't said that to me for a while, not since we'd become…sort of friends? Our current relationship was so complicated it was like trying to untangle video game wires. "I'm not lying. I was out to breakfast with a friend." I stared hard at Percy's face, his set mouth and flashing sea green eyes, and tried to read his expression. "I don't know why it's such a big deal to you anyways."

He ignored my last comment. "Is that what you'd call him? Just a friend?"

"Him?" How would he know I'd been out with Luke? "Why would you think he'd be a…"

My words dissolved in my mouth when Percy flushed. I remembered him standing beside the jeans where I'd found my phone earlier that morning. And I distinctly recalled putting my phone in my back pocket, like I always did, but I'd found it in the front pocket.

"Unless you read my texts," I answered my own question, feeling my mouth drop open in disbelief. His avoiding eyes proved me right. "Percy, I can't believe you'd read my texts! You have no right to go into my phone and just—"

"It's just a fucking text. I'm not the one going out with Luke!" Percy snapped. "I saw him kiss you, and I bet you had a right old time making out in the breakfast bar—"

"Luke and I are just friends!" I nearly yelled back at Percy. Anger was unfolding inside me like a poisonous flower. "He was drunk last night and didn't know what he was doing! He called me today to ask advice about Silena, who, in fact, he does want to make out with. And I don't see what business it is of yours who I kiss anyway."

I stalked past Percy, turning away and slamming myself into the bathroom, locking the door and flinging a towel at it for good measure. I didn't need to shower yet, but there wasn't anywhere else Percy couldn't follow me.

I sat down on a laundry trunk. What had gotten into Percy, anyways? Why did he go into my phone and yell at me? It was like we were back at camp, snapping at each other. And I'd thought we were on our way to repairing whatever it was we had. Why did he care, anyway? Could he possibly be—

"Annabeth." Banging on the door. "Annabeth, open the door."

"When you stop being an insensitive snoop."

A pause. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry, Annabeth."

I couldn't help it. A small gasp escaped my mouth. Was he actually apologizing?

"Annabeth, I'm not leaving here till you let me in." More pounding.

"Did you actually apologize?" I tried to sound stern (which was hard) and disbelieving (which wasn't).

"I did, and I would do it again." Percy said through the door. "I am very sorry for reading your texts and jumping—no, leaping to conclusions. Now please open the door."

I almost did, but held myself back. "No."

"Well, then I guess you'll have to endure my singing until you do." Without warning Percy burst into a horribly off-key "Best Song Ever".

And we danced all night

to the best song ever!

We knew every line

now I can't remember

I covered my ears and tried to keep the laughs from spilling out of my mouth. By the time he got to "won't forget her" the corners of my mouth were quirking up.

Cause we danced all night to the best song ever

"Stop!" I banged on the door, only half-serious now. Percy responded by singing louder.

I think it went oh oh oh

I think it went yeah yeah y—

I opened the door. Percy stood there, and he looked down at me, mid-song, eyes twinkling.

"Now, I like that song, but when you sing it I—"

"I'm a horrible singer, I know." Percy raked a hand through his hair and faced me, all playfulness gone. "I am sorry for going through your phone and immediately thinking you were with Luke. I just—was a bit jealous, that's all."

My eyes widened. So he was jealous. And even though I knew I wasn't supposed to care, a part of me was dancing happily inside.


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