ALOHA! I think you're gonna like this chapter. As I was revising and editing, I was laughing so hard so I think you will too. I'm definitely venturing into some uncharted waters here but bear with me. ;)

Shuuwai: We'll see where things go with Reyna. I'm not totally sure where to go with her character yet but I'm sure it will come to me.

awesomesauce90: But this will be so much better! So much more to work with! And I totally get where you're coming from. I wanted so badly to make it right between them but I losing inspiration so I had to change up the storyline to keep myself and you all on your toes. :)

mariaclara1400: OH WOW! I didn't even realize that it's been ONE YEAR since I first published this story! That's crazy!

Jedi1: Well I just tossed Percy a shovel so he can start digging himself out of the hole. It would be too easy to give him a ladder. ;P

Luisa from Fiji (Guest): That was the point! LOL I wanted you guys to see both of their sides to subconsciously show you all how miscommunication works. Yeah?

Smiles Burn In The Styx: What did I say? We'll have to wait and see what Thalia says about all of this. ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson and the Olympians... Obviously since I am in no way, shape, or form Rick Riordan.

Annabeth believed with everything she had that she'd made the right decision with the whole reset-button-on-their-relationship thing. They'd never known each other in the real world. While on the island, there was never any need to really get to know each other aside from the surface things: their favorite foods, their jobs, where they went to school, etc. They never talked about the really deep things. They may have touched on them but they never really had the full conversations. To start over would allow them a chance to see if they were truly meant for one another. But that didn't stop her heart from clenching every time she thought about him. How she could be with him but not be with him. It hurt. It physically hurt. And that night, three weeks after she had told him that they were hitting the reset button, they were hanging out for the first time. They'd been texting every now and then and at first, it was incredibly awkward. It helped a little that he was the one to text her first, but not by much. On Wednesday, two nights ago, he suggested that she join him and some friends for some drinks at a local bar. So there she was, on Friday night, standing in front of her closet, wondering what to wear.

Half an hour later, the blonde architect had decided on black jeans, ankle boots, and a nice black and white blouse. She kept makeup minimal, only dusting her cheeks with blush and applying a very thin line of eyeliner. Appraising her outfit in the mirror, Annabeth grabbed her phone, keys, and wallet, and headed down to the garage. She wasn't planning on drinking much so she figured it'd be safe for her to drive. When she arrived at the bar that Percy had told her they'd be meeting at, she felt a twisting in her stomach. This would be the first time they'd seen each other face to face since their reset. And, Annabeth was nervous. She didn't know what to expect and she'd always hated not knowing things. Shaking the feeling off, she parked her car and walked in, scanning the room for a familiar face.

She saw him. He was sitting on the end of a large half circle booth, had a beer in his hand, and was laughing at something one of the other six people sitting at the table was saying. As she made her way over there, he caught sight of her and waved. She waved back and quickened her step just slightly. When she came up to them, he stood up and gave her a hug. "Guys," he said, beginning what was surely an introduction. "This is Annabeth." Annabeth looked around the table, giving a shy wave. "Annabeth, meet Frank, Hazel, Piper, Dakota, Grover, and Nico." He gestured to the larger Asian guy, a shorter African American girl, a second girl with dark skin and choppy hair, a taller guy with a number of beer bottles already in front of him, another guy with longer brown hair that was covered by a Rasta cap, and a guy with black hair and black eyes, contrast to his rather pale skin.

"Hi," she smiled, hoping that she didn't sound nervous. If she did, they didn't give any sign of acknowledgement.

"So, Annabeth," the man that looked like he had just a bit too much to drink, Dakota, said, his words slurry enough for her to determine that he was at least tipsy. "What's your poison?" Annabeth blinked.

"Umm… I'll just take a lime margarita," she said.

"Ooh! Classy!" Piper piped. "Actually, Percy, make that two."

"Or three," Hazel chimed in. "Three's good." Percy rolled his eyes before heading off to the bartender to order the drinks. Now Annabeth was thoroughly awkward. First, she was still standing rather than sitting, all of Percy's friends we're still sort of staring at her as though she weren't from earth, and Percy left her! Sure he'd gone to order her a drink but he still left her practically on display for his friends.

"So, Annabeth," Piper smiled at her. "Tell us about yourself." Annabeth blinked. Now she felt like she was giving a speech, standing in front of them. She eyed the spot where Percy was sitting before he left.

Oh screw it, she thought. She sat down and placed her phone on the table face down in front of her.

"I'm not sure what Percy has told you all about me but I'm an architect," she said.

"We know that much," Frank said. "He told us you helped designed the shark exhibit he's in charge of."

"I did."

"That's so cool!" Grover exclaimed.

"Grover, you think anything that has to do with animals or the wilderness is cool," Nico grumbled before taking a swig of his beer. At that point, Percy returned balancing three margaritas and passed them out to her, Piper and Hazel. He then sat down next to her, forcing everyone else to slide down a bit to make room.

"So, what were you guys talking about while I was gone?" Percy asked, a smile on his face.

"Annabeth was just telling us about the habitat you two designed," Hazel informed.

"Oh yeah! Hey, you should come down to the Aquarium some time. Beckendorf is putting the final touches and it looks great." Annabeth nodded before taking a sip of her margarita.

•-•

She should have taken a cab. By ten o'clock, she'd had five rounds of shots, a beer, something called 'jungle juice,' and the margarita she'd started out with. Annabeth wasn't a drinker. Not by a long shot. Before that night, the most she'd ever had in one sitting was two glasses of wine. That being said, she didn't have that great of a tolerance. So why did she drink all of that? Simple. The black-haired man pressed up against her entire right side, relaxed and laughing with his friends. She couldn't handle. It was either give in and kiss him square on the lips right then and there or drink until the feeling disappeared. So, drink away it was.

At least, that was what she remembered from the night before. Everything was fuzzy and she had a migraine. She looked up at her alarm clock and saw that it was only nine in the morning. Thankfully, beside her clock was a glass of water as well as two Advils. She sat up slowly to avoid intensifying the throbbing beneath her skull. She downed the painkillers and chugged the rest of the water from the glass and leaned back against her headboard in an attempt to relax as she waited for the pills to start taking an effect.

Unfortunately, that wasn't happening. She'd heard some sort of rustling outside her door so she stood up and tied her silk robe around her body, which, strangely, was stripped down to her underwear. Cautiously, she inched down the hallway toward the sound, which seemed to be coming from her kitchen.

What she saw made her panic. Percy was standing in front of her stove in nothing but his boxers cooking. He must have sensed her presence because he turned to look at her with a smile on his face. "Good morning!" he greeted a bit too cheerfully for her tastes. "You," he continued, "had quite a night last night." The panicked look on her face deepened. If what she was thinking happened actually happened, she'd be in even deeper shit than she thought. Percy had yet to pick up on her mood so she decided to speak up.

"Um… Percy…"

"Yeah?"

"Did we… um… did we do…" For some reason, she couldn't find the words. Thankfully, she didn't have to as Percy picked up on what she was trying to say.

He shook his head. "No," was all he said offering no explanation.

"Then, um, what are you doing here?" she asked, hoping that he wouldn't take offense.

"I'm here to be a good friend," he said as he slid the omelet he was making on to a plate before lining the pan with bacon strips. Annabeth blinked.

"Two more questions. One, why did I wake up in only my bra and underwear to you only in your boxers if we didn't do anything?"

"You were complaining about your clothes being uncomfortable and asked me to help you take them off. I usually sleep in my boxers and a T-shirt but it was really hot last night so I took off the shirt. I didn't think you'd be awake this early."

"Uh-huh. One more… Um… What happened last night?" He transferred the bacon to the two plates he had prepared, shut off the stove, and padded over to her. He placed his hands on her shoulders.

"How about this," he said. His voice was much softer as was his smile. "Let's get some food in that stomach of yours and then I'll explain everything. How's your head?" Annabeth shook said body part in confusion. His cheerful mood confused her.

"It's fine. Better."

"Good." A brighter, wider smile took over his features. "Now come on! Let's eat."

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Percy watched Annabeth eat, as creepy as it sounds. He'd never seen anyone let go as much as Annabeth had last night. Though, he figured that she really needed it. With all of the work that she did and even her driven personality from before working at her mother's company, Percy knew that she wasn't the kind to let go even if it were for one night. He'd learned more about her through their constant texting back and forth over the last three weeks than when they were a couple and they were slowly progressing in their friendship. Like he suspected, however, without her needing to come down to the Aquarium for a meeting with him, she'd been so busy that last night was the only time she was free to hang out. He was really starting to understand. If they were to restart a relationship, he'd have to be patient with her schedule. She'd explained to him in better detail – that and he actually listened to her full explanation – that once the transfer went through, her schedule would open up as she'd be taking on fewer projects and would have a more stable schedule. He was waiting so desperately for that day. At the age of twenty-two, she barely lived. Working hard for the company her whole life, she never really got to party like a college student should. At least, that's what she told him. See? Progress.

He was so happy when she'd agreed to get drinks with him and his friends. And, he'd learned quite a bit about her while she was drunk. The first was that she went through stages as she became more and more intoxicated. When she was tipsy, she got slightly philosophical. Second, as she continued to drink, she was a giggler and big on physical contact. A sober Annabeth did not giggle or lean into him even when she didn't need to. And third, once she was as drunk as she was by the end of the night, she was philosophical, a giggler, and a whiner. She probably complained more last night than she ever had in her entire life.

"So are you gonna explain what happened last night?" Annabeth asked, breaking his train of thought. Snapping back to reality, he took in the situation and found that they had finished their breakfast and Annabeth was already standing to take the dishes. "Or are you going to just sit there ogling me." Percy smirked.

"I'd rather just sit here," he replied smugly. He stood up and followed her into the kitchen where she was already washing the dishes. Leaning against the doorframe, Percy laughed. "Only you would continue to do some sort of work while hung-over."

"Oh shut up," she grumbled. "You're giving me more of a headache than my hangover." Percy chuckled at that.

"Well when you're done with that, I'll be in the living room." By the time Annabeth came out, he was on the couch flipping through the channels. He looked up at her and shut the television off, adjusting his position so that he was facing her as she sat on the other end of the couch. "So, what do you want to know?" he asked.

"Everything," she answered.

"As always." Annabeth shot him an unamused look and he cleared his throat. "Ah… right. Where to begin…"

"What is this?" Annabeth asked as they placed a cup of what looked like fruit punch in front of her. She was already tipsy by that point.

"It's called 'jungle juice'," Percy explained.

"What's in it?"

"It's basically Vodka and fruit punch." Annabeth took a sip before downing a good fourth of it. "Woah! Slow down! That stuff's strong."

"I need a little strong in my life."

"Amen!" Dakota shouted before ordering a round of shots of Patron. They all downed it quickly, chasing it with salt and lime shortly after.

"That's good," Annabeth said. A frown then graced her features.

"What's wrong?" Percy asked, still pretty much sober. All he'd had were two beers and that shot.

"I need that, too," was her only reply.

"What?"

"Good," she answered. "It's like I'm a planet and a big asteroid came in and knocked me out of orbit and now I'm trying to get back to where I was but I'm lost. You know?"

"Not really."

"Of course you don't," she said, lifting her glass of jungle juice before taking a sip. "You've got so much seaweed in your brain." Percy was pretty sure she just called him stupid but knowing that she was at the line between tipsy and drunk and really didn't know what she was saying, he decided to let it go. She then gasped as though she'd had an epiphany. "We should have another round of shots!"

"No, we shouldn't," Percy tried to reason.

"Oh, don't be such a party pooper!" Annabeth raised her hand to signal the bartender. "I want something strong," she said as one of the waitresses made her way over to them. "Dakota, you seem to know a lot about alcohol. Is vodka strong?"

"Yes, my dear friend, it is."

The waitress came up and asked if they needed something to which Annabeth replied, "Give us a round of vodka shots. Except for him," she added, stabbing a finger into Percy's chest. "He's a party pooper that doesn't want one." The waitress leaned over to Percy.

"She's not driving is she?"

"Absolutely not."

"Okay, good. Just making sure." Percy gave her a kind smile before turning back to Annabeth who was sipping at her jungle juice.

"Hey! I said slow down!" he exclaimed taking the cup from her hand and placing it on the table.

"You slow down!" Annabeth frowned before breaking out into a fit of giggles. "It's funny because everything is slow. Like in a slow motion movie. You know, like the ones you take on your phone?"

"Wow," Percy breathed. Yup, she's drunk, he thought. "You've never gotten drunk before have you?" he asked.

"Of course not silly!" Annabeth giggled again. It was starting to freak him out because a sober Annabeth would be caught dead giggling at nothing. He'd only ever heard her giggle four times in all the time he'd known her. "Like I told you, I never had time. It was always work, work, work. I'm always so busy that I can never have time to just relax. And sometimes I just want that, you know?" She hiccupped. Then proceeded to dissolve into another fit of giggles. The waitress then returned with a tray full of the crystal clear liquid as well as a fresh bowl of sliced limes for chasers. Everyone, except Percy, grabbed the tiny glass and held it up. "To having fun!" Annabeth yelled before everyone 'whooped' and downed their second round and following it up.

A third round later, Annabeth was leaning up against Percy's shoulder making his senses go haywire. She was practically wrapped around his arms while her chin rested on his shoulder. He could smell the potency of the alcohol on her breath and it made him want to vomit but the warmth of it tickling the area behind his ear and down his jawline was causing goosebumps to rise on his free arm.

The rest of the night went on like that. A round of shots were ordered, Annabeth got a little more drunk than she already was, and conversation continued on. The only ones who were still relatively sober were himself, Grover, and Frank. Dakota and Nico were as gone as Annabeth but Hazel and Piper were not quite there yet.

By the time the fifth round rolled around and was downed, Percy decided it was time for them to head home; Grover and Frank agreed vehemently. Grover was the designated driver for Nico and Dakota while Frank was DD for Hazel and Piper. The six of them piled into their respective cars and drove off in their separate directions. Luckily, Percy had hitched a ride with Grover on the way to the bar so he could drive Annabeth back to her apartment.

She complied with his instructions, though not with a number of complaints.

"Why do we have to go home? I'm having fun!"

"Percy, you're such a butt head."

"I told you I don't want to get my keys out."

"Stop digging in my pockets!"

"I don't need you to drive me home! I'm an independent black woman that don't need no man!"

"Hehe. I'm not really black. I just heard it somewhere and thought: Preach!"

Percy rolled his eyes at that last one before pulling into Annabeth's designated parking spot and carrying her sleeping form up to her unit and into her bedroom. He laid her down gently on her bed and removed her boots and socks. As he was wondering what do about her makeup, Annabeth stirred. "It's hot!"

"Where's your thermostat?"

"Don't touch it! I don't like it when people touch my thermostat."

"Well, what do you want me to do?" he asked.

"Just help me get me get my pants off," she mumbled. Percy felt his cheeks grow warm as he reached for the buttons and zipper. Once he slid them off, Annabeth raised her hands in a gesture that told him to remove her shirt as well. Positive that he was as red as Santa Claus, Percy complied, leaving her in only her bra and panties. Luckily, Annabeth had fallen back asleep. Pulling the blanket up over her body, Percy searched for her silk robe and placed it in a convenient location for her to grab when she woke up.

And, figuring that since she'd never partied or drank that much before, she'd need some assistance in the morning. So, Percy headed down to the living room and stripped down so that he was only clad in his boxers and a shirt. He laid across the couch in an attempt to fall asleep but found himself a bit too hot for comfort so he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed them in the general area he kept his folded pants and felt instantly better, the cool of the night directly on his skin.

"I woke up the next morning before you did and placed the aspirin and water on your bedside before making breakfast," Percy finished. "I'm actually surprised that you're taking this hangover thing pretty well. I didn't want to leave my room for the whole day when I got my first one.

"I have a fast metabolism," Annabeth explained. She then shook her head before promptly burying her face in her hands. "I can't believe I did that. I'm so embarrassed."

"Hey," Percy placated. "Don't be. I took no offense to the things you said last night and it was actually nice to see you let loose for once."

"I still should have had more control over myself."

"You had four years of college parties to make up. I think we can let you off the hook this one time," Percy reasoned. "I'm just happy that you were able to hold all that alcohol down as well as you did. Most people would be puking their guts out after the first round and the jungle juice."

Annabeth groaned, dropping her head onto the couch cushion, and Percy had to stifle a laugh. "Never invite me for drinks again," she grumbled, her voice muffled.

"Duly noted and probably going to be ignored. Drunk Annabeth is fun."

"Oh, shut up," she whined. Though the smile on her lips ruined the effect. Percy smiled back and wondered if this was the start of a beautiful friendship.

And there you go! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Also to my Australian readers, or anyone who happens to know the answer, there's a poll on my profile. It's for the other story I'm writing: Chuck Versus Hollywood and if you guys would be so gracious as to answer it, that'd be awesome!

Like I said: I want my stories to be as accurate as possible so please let me know things!

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