A/N: Before anything else, here's a few thing you should know: First, please don't give me those I-HATE-YOU-YOU'RE-NOT-WRITING-ABOUT-PERCABETH and STOP-BLOWING-HOLES-ON-MY-SHIP comments because honestly, I've had enough of them when i was writing Wise Girl's Seaweed Brain. And the truth is, it's kind of getting annoying. You get hate messages just because you're expanding your horizons as a writer and exploring the characters furthermore. Admittedly, it's kind of childish on the commentators' part. You must understand that WITHOUT A CONFLICT, THERE'S NEVER GOING TO BE ANY STORY. It can't always be Percabeth in paradise. There has to be some people who would make things difficult for them, plot twists that will challenge their love for each other, and to add to the drama. And I will tell you that in this chapter, Annabeth's boyfriend is introduced. He's an original character, so I guess it's not going to win me any points for those kinds of . I'm standing by my decision and proceeding with this story the way I planned to because I have couple of readers who actually understand my point and are willing to give this story a shot. For those who understand why I am writing it this way, thank you.

Second, you must be wondering why I used Reyna. Why didn't I use Calypso, or Rachel? I mentioned once that apart from Percabeth, I'm also curious about Percy and Reyna. To me, they would also be an interesting couple. Plus, in a story as heavy as this, a character like Reyna with a strong personality is needed. She'll be Percy's rock. And they will have a lot of moments in this story as their relationship grows, but at the same time, as Annabeth gradually makes her way back into Percy's and Noah's life, they will also grow apart.

Third, the cruel twist of fate mentioned in the plot won't happen immediately, probably in the middle of the story. I don't know how long this story is going to be, but I'm hoping you'll see this to the very end.

NotsoSugarQueen:Thank you for stopping by and giving my story a shot. I promise that it will come back to being Percabeth eventually.

:Well, here's another update. And thank you also. :D

alyaJackson:Suffer, huh? Oh, well. Just wait for the future chapters. :D

thggymnast998: Hey! Glad you're reading my new story. you're one of my loyal readers here and I want to thank you for that. Truth be told, I was a little nervous on how you're going to react with the plot. I'm just happy you like it. :D

CimFan:And here's one reader who has been with me from the very beginning. Thank you for reading this. You were right, i couldn't read it so thank you for the translation, and thank you for that. Anyway, I haven't read any stories where Percy's son is named Noah. Honestly (please don't think I'm weird) Aedan Noah is what I'm going to name my future son. (Here I am, 19 years old and thinking about having a son. That's creepy.)

DON'T JUST READ, LEAVE A REVIEW!

NEVER LET ME GO

Chapter 2: YOU'RE GONE TO ME

ANNABETH

I stepped nervously in the coffee shop Thalia and Luke asked me to meet them in.

This is it, I thought to myself. I was back in New York. I wasn't finished with college but had been offered a job by an architectural firm which was based here in New York City, which was the reason why I moved in. It wasn't exactly what I wanted, but the offer was too good to resist. I transferred to New York Institute of Technology, and would be a working student. For five years, I fought against the desire to come back here and look for them.

I had been living in San Francisco for the past five years, losing myself in school, trying to forget the life I had left behind. Not a single day passed without my remembering about Percy and Aedan Noah – did he use that name? Or was he so mad at me that he didn't? I punished myself by not having any kind of social life. I also avoided my father, angry at him for making me choose, but then again I thought it was me who made the decision, and I was merely projecting the anger I was feeling for myself to others. I drowned myself in my studies, not bothering to hear my Dad's advice to go out and have a life.

But I didn't. That was before I met Josiah.

He was twenty five and was working as a mechanical engineer in some company in San Francisco. I met him before I graduated from high school when some of the companies in the state went from school to school, looking for students interested in working. He was cute, with his dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and tall physique. We ended up exchanging numbers and we kept in contact. Until he asked me on a date. I wanted to decline at first, but Dad talked to me about it, saying that my punishing myself wasn't going to change anything. Plus, I had to distract myself from all the regret I was feeling.

We went on a couple of dates, but kept it friendly. I didn't tell about my son, but I told him about Percy.

During those dates, I got to know Josiah. He was a very disciplined man, he liked to keep everything planned and had everything in his life mapped out. I genuinely liked Josiah. We have the same personality and we got along fine, but my heart had been snatched by someone a long time ago, and I didn't take it back from him.

Josiah and I took things slow. He didn't rush me, for which I was thankful for. After three years of friendly dates, I agreed to become his girlfriend – I thought I owed it to myself to at least try to have a new life – something he was totally ecstatic about. We were just a new couple when I was offered the job. I was reluctant at first, but eventually accepted it. Josiah was sad, at first, but he told me he was happy for me. I believed him. He told me he wouldn't be mad if I let him drive me to New York. I did.

My best friend, Thalia Grace, was living in New York City with her Mom, who was a Broadway actress. I texted her and she set up a meeting with me, saying that I should bring Josiah with me. She gave me the address of this coffee shop just around the corner of my apartment.

I felt Josiah take my hand as we walked in, looking for Thalia. He knew that New York was where I met Percy, and he knew how my relationship with him ended – except for the fact that I had a child with him – and he was giving me his support. I was thankful for that.

As I looked around, I felt nervous. What if I saw Percy here? What was I going to say? I shook the thought away, thinking that there was a good chance that he had moved and left this city, for it held so many sad memories. I knew that's what I would do.

A girl with spiky black hair, blue eyes and Goth clothes, waved at me from a table on the corner. "Annabeth! Here!"

I couldn't help but grin when I saw her. I had been a long time since the last time we got together. I ran up to her and she ran to meet me, giving me a hug. "Hello, Thalia. I missed you," I said, chuckling as she squeezed me.

"Ass," she said, shoving me a bit. We shared a laugh when we looked at each other. "You could've told me when you left."

I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry," I said. I turned to Josiah and took his hand. "Thalia, meet my boyfriend, Josiah Hudson. Josh, meet my best and true friend, Thalia Grace."

Josiah extended his hand and Thalia took it gingerly. "Grace, huh?" he asked. "You do look familiar."

Thalia raised her eyebrows. "I do?" she then sighed. "You might saw my Mom once. She's a Broadway actress. Mercedes Grace? Ever heard of her?"

Josiah nodded. "Yeah. Is aw her once in a production of West Side Story," he said, clearly wanting to impress Thalia.

"Well, that's unfortunate," she said. See, Thalia and her Mom didn't go along well. She sat down and I followed her, giving a smile to Josiah who was frowning. "So, how have you been all these years, Annie?"

I scoffed in annoyance with her nickname for me. "It's been good. I'd been fine. School is busy and then I got this amazing job offer that I couldn't refuse, sow which is why I moved back in." I smiled. "These years had their own ups and downs, but I guess that's the way things are." Josiah cleared his throat. "Then this guy beside me – I met him right before I graduated. We kept in touch and started dating."

Thalia was eyeing us weirdly. I sighed. I knew what that look meant. I knew she's ambush me the first time we got a lone time together. "So how long have you two been together?" she asked.

"Not for long," said Josiah. "Three months." He smiled warmly at me. Whenever he does that, I couldn't help but feel guilty, because I knew I would never look at him the way he looked at me.

At first, I thought that given time, I would learn to care for him the way he did for me – don't get me wrong, I do care for Josiah, but not in the way a girlfriend is supposed to feel about her boyfriend. I look at him more like a really close friend.

"So Thalia," I said, anxious to change the subject. "How have you been these days?"

She gave me a shrug. "I'd been good. I don't like school much, but at least I have something to occupy myself."

"What is it?" I asked, eager to her more about my friend's life.

Thalia shrugged again. "I couldn't resist this offer a nice lady gave me." I motioned for her to continue, glad that the subject had been diverted from me. "Well, I met this lady through Grover, who knew her through his boss named Pan – I know, weird name, right? – she goes by the name Artemis – y'know, Greek goddess of the Hunt and moon? – yeah, well, she goes around and saves the wilderness from pollutants and idiotic creatures who likes to destroy the nature, namely the humans. Anyway, Grover and I are part of this group and we participate actively and that's what's been occupying my time these days. And hey, have I told you? Grover ahs a girlfriend now, her name's Juniper Greene."

I smiled. Grover was one of our friends back in high school. He was quite shy back then, always the aloof one and didn't try to talk to girls, so it's quite a surprise to hear he's dating somebody now. He was also one of Percy's best friends, along with his cousin, Nico di Angelo.

"What about your Mom? How has she been?" I asked. Thalia knew that I didn't ask the question to pry and that I was actually concern on how her Mom had been.

Thalia was about to tell us about her Mom's latest escapades when Josiah's phone rang. He frowned as he took it out of his pocket. He gave a sigh after checking the caller ID. He looked at me. "I need to take this," he said. "Excuse me," he said to Thalia.

As soon as Josiah was out of hearing distance, Thalia looked at me like she was expecting an explanation. "What?" I inquired.

"What are you doing dating him, Annabeth?" she demanded.

I could feel myself frowning. "What do you mean? Josiah's great; he's smart, kind, passionate and we share the same interest and – "

"Do you love him?" she asked, cutting me off.

I opened my mouth to answer but found that I had none to give her. Was I in love with Josiah? We had been through things together. He was the one who made me smile when I was battling the guilt of leaving my son and Percy. He was the one who stood by me when I was having trouble with my family. Josiah was the one who gave me courage to pursue my dreams when the self-loathing nearly consumed me.

But was I in love with him?

There were times that he'd ask me that question, but I always managed to avoid it by diverting his attention. Deep down inside, I knew what my real answer was, only I was too scared to actually voice it out because I knew it would make me look like a very selfish person. And that answer was a resounding no.

It was impossible for me to fall in love with someone else when my heart had been claimed by another person permanently – and that person was my son's father.

"You see what I mean," said Thalia, seeing my reaction. "Look, Annabeth, you know I love you like a sister, and I want you to be happy, but lying to yourself this way isn't going to change anything. It's not going to help anyone – you're just hurting Josiah and yourself, and from what you told me, he's nice, and I doubt you'd want to do that to him."

I was about to reply when Josiah came back. He was looking a bit down and I wondered what happened and what the phone call was about. He slipped back into his seat beside me. "Who was that?" I asked him.

He gave me a sad look. "My boss," he answered simply. "He wants me back in the office now."

Oh. Josiah and I made plans while he was here with me. I was supposed to give him a tour of New York. Supposedly, he was to stay with me in my new apartment for three days and head back to San Francisco during the weekend.

I took his hand. "It's okay," I said. "I understand."

"Are you sure?"

"A hundred and ten percent," I told him. He gave me a smile. "Go. I need to catch up with my friends here, anyway. And I promise to see you the first chance I get, okay?" He nodded and stood up, giving me a long kiss. I tried desperately to feel something from that, to feel the fire – more like an inferno – I always felt when I kissed Percy, but there was nothing but emptiness.

"I'll miss you," he said.

"Same here."

He looked at Thalia. "Nice meeting you, Thalia," he said, extending his hand.

Thalia gave him a polite smile, accepting his hand. "The pleasure is mine, mister." I rolled my eyes inwardly.

"Want me to walk you to your car?" I offered.

"Nah, I'm good," he said. "Just take care of yourself, okay?"

"Sure thing."

He looked at me one more time before leaving. I followed him with my gaze. When I saw his get into his car, I looked reluctantly back at Thalia, knowing what was coming next. She was eyeing me like she was trying to see right through me, and knowing her, she was seeing right through me.

"How can you be with Josiah when you're clearly in love with Percy?" she asked, going straight to the heart of the issue.

"That's exactly the reason why I'm with him," I said, looking down. "I want to give myself a chance at a new life."

"You're being unfair and you know it."

"What, I'm just supposed to punish myself for an eternity because of the mistake I made five years ago?" I asked her, growing upset. I met her, hoping to have a good time with my friend, not expecting to be scolded for moving on. "Look, Thalia, yes, I'm still in love with Percy, but what am I supposed to do – just jail myself inside the past and let my life go by me?"

"And how exactly do you plan on moving on with your new life if you haven't let go of your old one?" she challenged. "Tell me, Annabeth Chase, can you really proceed and live again when you were the one who jailed yourself inside your past?"

I wanted to answer, but I couldn't, knowing that she had a point. Even though I claimed to let myself move on and forget, I knew that I hadn't even taken a step towards this new stage of my life I said I was building for myself. The box of gifts in my apartment was a proof of that.

Every year, when the 31st of January comes, I always buy gifts for my son. He was born on that day and I saw to it that I would always have a present ready for him, waiting for that day when I would be given the chance to give it to him. Every time that date comes, I would always spend time in the mall, looking for things I thought he would like. I had a stack of children's books in a box, thinking that if he was like me, then he would be nuts about books. In another box were toys, figuring that if he inherited his Dad's traits, then he'd likely be the adventurous one.

"Oh, sweet lord of the sky," Thalia suddenly said. I looked up and saw her looking behind me with a panicked look. I turned my head and checked where she was staring and nearly curled into a ball under the table.

Walking in the coffee shop was Percy, looking as good as ever. He was taller now, which was expected, I guess; his hair was longer but as messier as usual; he was carrying himself with more confidence now than when we were back together; his eyes – oh, his eyes – they were as gorgeous as I could remember, still holding that amused spark that seemed to always light his face up.

Then my eyes travelled down to the little boy clinging to Percy's hand and was skipping merrily alongside him. He had an unruly mop of curly blonde hair, just like mine; he had Percy's lips and had my nose; his eyes were exact replicas of his father. He looked like an angel who came down to bring happiness to everyone who came within his range. His smile was contagious. I could see people smiling when he passed them, with him giving them a cheery wave.

My blood seemed to be frozen and boil at the same time. I could feel warmth at the back of my eyelids. I blinked the tears back, not wanting to cry in public. It felt like I had been punched in the chest when I saw them, thinking that if I didn't chicken out five years ago, I would have been that woman holding Percy's hand, whom he met at a table at the corner, who gave him a kiss. I would've been the one who gave my son his smoothie and received that big kiss he gave her.

The woman who was sitting close to Percy – who was clearly his girlfriend – and was smiling warmly at my son was a very beautiful one whom I assumed was about the same age as us. She had glossy dark hair which was like a dark curtain on her shoulder; her skin was caramel-colored and looked soft; her eyes were one of her most startling features – they were black and piercing, like she could see right through everything. She was the kind of girl who would make any man nervous just being in the same room as her.

Before I knew it, I was walking to where they were. "Annabeth!" Thalia hissed behind me. "Where do you think you're going?!"

I didn't pay her any attention as my feet carried me to their table. Percy was telling the woman something and my son looked panicked as he ran to his father and covered his mouth with his hand. The pair of them started laughing. Percy then started tickling the boy and he burst out giggling, squirming, telling his father to stop.

The woman beside Percy looked up when I was close enough to their table. Her eyes showed recognition, and I vaguely wondered why Percy would tell her about me. She was looking at me in shock, like she couldn't believe that I was here. She grabbed Percy's arm, making him look at her. He then looked behind him to see where she was looking. His eeys widened and he looked like he was having trouble breathing.

"Hi, Percy," I said timidly.

"Annabeth," he said in a quiet voice.

The boy looked back from his father, to me, and the the woman. He then jumped off from his father's lap and bounded to where I was standing. "Hi," he said in a high voice. "My name is Aedan Noah, but everyone calls me Noah. What's your name?" he asked, extending his hand to me.

Aedan Noah? So Percy went with the name we agreed on. I could feel tears running down my cheeks as I sat down so I would be the same height as him. "Hello, Noah," I whispered, my voice hoarse and my throat tight. I reached out to take his hand but he was snatched away.

I stood up and saw Percy holding Noah around the waist. "Don't you dare say another word to my son." He looked up at him in confusion. "Daddy, what's going on?"

He set him back down and turned to woman. "Reyna, please drive Noah to his school." He took a bunch of keys from his belt and tossed it to her. "Take my car." He looked down to his – no, our son. "Noah, I need you to go now. I'll pick you up, okay?"

"But Daddy – "Noah started to protest.

"No," he said firmly. I could tell from the look of shock on Noah's face that Percy had never used that tone on him. "Just go, Noah. Reyna will drive you to your school. Just go."

"Daddy, I haven't finished my smoothie yet!" Percy took the cup and tossed it to the nearby trash can. "Daddy!"

"Aedan Noah, go," he said.

He sighed in resignation. "Fine," he pouted. Reyna stood up and took his hand. I stepped forward, wanting to be the one who'd drive my son top his school, to be the one holding his hand but Percy stepped in my way. Reyna squeezed Percy's arm but he didn't turn to her. "Come on, RR," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the exit. "You owe me a tub of ice cream for this, Daddy!" he yelled over his shoulder.

"Percy, please," I pleaded, my voice shaking. "Please, let me . . ."

"No," he said, his voice dripping with venom. "You have no right to go anywhere near him."

Tears were running down my cheeks now. "I-I know I abandoned you and that was the biggest mistake I made, but please, juts let me hold him once. Just one time, Percy, please."

"No," he said again, his face red from anger. "You managed to stay away from him for five years, so please, do him a favor and don't come back." He turned to leave but I grabbed his hand while Thalia pulled me back. I shook her hand away. "What, Annabeth? What exactly do you want now, huh? You got your wish; you don't have to face any responsibilities here. You can just enjoy your life being single."

"Percy, please," I pleaded yet again. "I-I'm not asking for you to forgive me and – "

"No," he said, stepping towards me, pointing a finger accusingly at me. I cringed at his stare. "You don't have to ask for my forgiveness, but for Noah's. He was the one you left. He was the one you've neglected all these years."

"I know, but please give me a chance to make things right – "

"And what makes you think you still have the right to do that, huh, Annabeth?" he nearly yelled. "What makes you think that after disappearing from his life five years ago, you still have some claim over him? You lost every single right you have on him that night you left him!"

I wanted to get away, away from this Percy who was so different from that boy I'd loved. I wanted to ran away and hide, knowing that he had a point. I wanted to hide from all the accusing and hateful looks he was throwing my way. But I couldn't. I knew that I deserved everything that was coming my way.

"You have no idea how hard Noah's life had been," he said in a quiet voice. "You have no idea how hard I had to work to fill in the hole you left in his life and – "

"I know that it had been very difficult for you to raise him on your own," I said, trying to steady my voice but failing miserably. "I know that you had to do everything by yourself, and I know I hurt you when I lfet – "

"Don't you dare make this about us, Chase. This isn't about us. We're done. Long ago, we had been finished. My life is all about Noah now. I worked so hard to give him the life he deserves, the kind of life he would be happy living and I'm finally making something for him, and now that you're back here and asking to be let back in, do you honestly think that it's going to be possible? You're just going to destroy that – you're just going to destroy him!"

"Percy, he's her son," Thalia interjected.

"Yeah?" he asked, mocking her. "Tell me, Thalia, what kind of mother would abandon her son, huh? Did – did she even try to be a mother to my son? No. She bailed even before she gave it a try."

"She was seventeen, Percy!"

"So was I!" he yelled. At this point, pretty much every one inside the coffee shop were watching us. "I was seventeen, too, but did I ran away? Did I shun my son because of some stupidly selfish and juvenile reason of running away from her responsibilities? I didn't. I stopped living for myself and start taking the role that had to be taken. I gave up that part of my life for my son while you were, what, doing what you want? Great. That was really cool, for you!"

"Percy . . ."

He held up a hand. "I don't want to hear it, Chase. Just do me a favor and stay away from my son." He gave me a disgusted look and walked away.

[Next - Chapter 3: BREAKEVEN]