A/N: Hi friends! I'm back again. Just thought you should know…in case you wanted to read more…well too bad because this chapter is actually…right below!

Disclaimer: I don't own 'Percy Jackson.' Or 'and the Olympians.'

Roommates — 11

It was December in New York. The streets were colder than before, the winds more persistent. People still milled around, some with purpose, some aimlessly, but all with jackets. Truth be told, New York hardly changed no matter how much the weather did. New York would always be loud and exciting, whether it was sweltering hot or freezing cold. Any native would agree that the only lullaby that could be heard at night was the sound of traffic and occasional blaring music. There was no night and day, there was simply the present. That was probably why it was so enticing to people, because it gave the promise of excitement, no matter the time.

There was a light covering of snow outside, like a fresh blanket—well, where it hadn't been run over by cars and taxis. That part was sludgy and black. But that didn't seem to dim the mood of the children that had dedicated themselves to building snowmen and making snow angels. A hint of hot chocolate wafted through the air, and the bakeries seemed to glow more, enchanting customers in. More people treated themselves to fresh pastries before they headed off to work. There was a calming sense of warmth and peace that seemed to envelope New York, something that had sneaked in with the snow.

All the stores had strewn themselves in decorative white lights, their shop windows displaying fuzzy hats and fuzzy scarves. Pines and Douglass Firs were at every corner, adorned with ornaments of every size, shape, and color. Bells tinkled as doors were opened and closed, and the sound of laughter and merriment amplified as the days progressed. Christmas was in the air.

Percy and Annabeth were in their dorm, relaxing. Their winter break was up and coming and all the students at NU reflected excitement. Students all over the campus chattered about their plans of going home for the holidays and spending it with their families. The smell of apple cider, pumpkin-spice lattes, and hot chocolate was everywhere, especially since the nearby Starbucks was giving a special student discount for the whole month of December.

"You know what's funny?" Percy asked out of the blue.

"I know what's not funny. You," Annabeth replied nonchalantly. She was immersed in another one of her architecture books she'd managed to pick up from the library. It had detailed illustrations of Greek architecture almost every other page and Annabeth couldn't help but mentally build each building in her mind. She admired the phenomenal handiwork of the Greeks in constructing temples that had lasted thousands of years.

"Hardy har har. Now are you going to listen to my hilarious discovery or what?"

"Do I have a choice?"

Percy paused for dramatic effect.

"Taco cat spelled backwards is taco cat."

Percy laughed proudly and looked to Annabeth for her response. She hadn't even lifted her eyes up from the book.

Twenty silent seconds passed by.

"What even is a 'taco cat?' That makes no sense whatsoever," Annabeth finally replied, undoubtedly unimpressed.

Percy, ignoring her sarcasm, answered her. "I'm pretty sure it's a cat wearing a taco costume. Or maybe it's like a hot dog. But it's a taco. Cat."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. Percy rolled his eyes back at her as a form of mockery. "You're just jealous because you're not even close to half as funny as me. Although, who can blame you? You can't help it if you're a total nerd."

Annabeth shut her book and looked at Percy amusedly. "Being a nerd does not affect my sense of humor in the slightest. I am perfectly adequate at cracking jokes and laughing at them. But not even a five year old would laugh at your jokes." She snorted. "And by the way, there are so many actual words that are the same spelled frontwards and backwards, the correct term for them being 'palindromes.' There's aibohphobia, racecar, tenet, murdrum…"

Percy reached out and put his hand over her mouth to silence her. "Nerd. The only word from that list that I've even heard of is racecar." He raised an eyebrow. "What's a murdrum? A type of drum that makes the sound 'mur' every time you whack it?"

Annabeth shoved his hand off of her mouth. "Murdrum. Noun." She bore her eyes into his as a corner of her mouth lilted upwards. "It means murder. Or more specifically killing someone in secret."

Percy tried to hide his gulp. "Interesting."

Annabeth smiled wider, mirth in her grey eyes. "Yeah. It's a nice word."

Percy nodded his head quickly in agreement. Under his breath he muttered, "Because words about murder are considered to be 'nice.' Right."

Annabeth leaned over and flicked Percy in the ear. "I heard that."

To this, Percy shrugged. "Just stating the obvious."

The cord phone on the wall started to ring, interrupting their directionless conversation.

Annabeth, being the responsible one, got up and answered it. "Hello?"

She was met with the cordial voice of Sally Jackson. "Oh, hello Annabeth. How are you?"

Annabeth couldn't help the smile. Sally just had that effect on people. "I'm great Sally. Thanks. And how are things over there?"

Percy's eyes widened slightly when he heard his mother's name. He walked over to Annabeth and pointed at the phone, eager to talk to his mother. Annabeth held up her hand as she listened to Sally's response. Sally told Annabeth about how Paul and she had gotten to the halfway mark of her new book, how they had already bought a Christmas tree, and how she'd gone out and purchased more blue food dye for when Percy would come home for the holidays. All the while, Annabeth listened with a happy smile, nodding along even though Sally couldn't see her.

"How's Percy?" she asked warmly.

Percy nudged Annabeth and tugged at the phone, a small pout on his face. Annabeth held her ground, keeping the phone pressed against her ear as she replied, "He's right next to me, begging on his knees to talk to you. I'll give it to him." She passed Percy the phone finally, not before catching Sally's laugh from the other line.

"Hey mom." Percy visibly brightened as he talked to his mom.

Annabeth moved herself back onto the couch and picked up her book. She didn't want to invade on their privacy, no matter how cute Percy looked when he talked to his mom. As hard as she tried, she couldn't help but find it sweet when his eyes got all childlike with enthusiasm.

She knew her dad loved her, but there was some part of her that yearned for more whenever she saw Percy laugh with his mom on the phone. Percy was best friends with Sally. Annabeth envied that. She wished her parents were as loving as Sally, she wished her parents were her best friends; people she could share anything freely with. Looking at Percy, she found herself wishing for impossible sentiments like that. She wanted to love someone so much that the sound of their name brought a smile upon her face. She wanted someone to love her so much that the sound of her name brought a smile upon their face.

Annabeth had never been one to crave attention, unless it was coming from her mother. Otherwise, she could care less about who noticed her. It was a strange feeling on her to suddenly want to be loved so unconditionally, kind of like an itchy sweater. Being trapped in a room with Percy was doing weird things to her. It was like Percy was a new, possibly unapproved medicine with the side effects of wanting unachievable things and maybe a little brain cell loss.

She snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of Percy's unexpectedly flustered voice. Percy glanced at her nervously before listening again to his mother's voice on the phone, occasionally throwing in his own frazzled responses.

"She probably already has plans, mom. No mom, I'm being serious. Look, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't want to come anyways. Mom! No, of course I'm okay with it, but she-she might not-what? What do you mean I'm lying?! I'm not lying! I'm just saying that-okay fine, I'll ask her."

Annabeth found herself eavesdropping now. She couldn't help it. She was trying to figure out what, or more specifically, who was getting Percy so stressed out. Suddenly she thought of red-haired Rachel, who'd dropped by a few more times in the last week. She had a hard time getting along with the girl, even though she seemed cool. She still couldn't piece together why she felt a tad angry whenever she tousled Percy's hair or laughed at his dorkiness, but it was almost like she couldn't control it.

Percy continued nervously. "She'll probably say no anyway. That's all I'm saying. Okay, okay, I will. Yeah, yeah. I know. And no, I will not chicken out. Stop pressuring me. Okay. Fine. I'll ask her right now. Just wait a minute." He placed the phone down at the counter and observed Annabeth.

Annabeth gave him a curious look, feeling her nose scrunch up at his bewildered expression.

"My mom was wondering if you'd like to come over for dinner sometime during the holidays," he eventually uttered after a period of anxious silence. He shrugged his shoulders as if to say 'mothers, what can you do?' "I get it if you can't, I mean, it is the holidays, it's not like you don't have plans-" he started to ramble anxiously.

Annabeth interrupted him. "Actually, I don't have any plans. My dad and stepmother are taking my twin-brothers on some Disney cruise to Alaska." At Percy's astonished expression, she explained. "They offered for me to tag along, but I declined. I would just feel like a third wheel, anyways. It is a Disney cruise after all."

Percy just nodded before blurting "I can't believe you skipped out on a Disney cruise. I've wanted to go on one since, like, forever! I would've gone in a heartbeat."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Not everyone is such a child like you, Percy."

Percy puts the phone back up to his ear and before he can even tell her about Annabeth's acceptance of Sally's offer, Percy thrusts the phone towards Annabeth. "She wants to talk to you for some reason."

Annabeth got up and took the phone from him. "Yes?" she asked.

"Oh, Annabeth, I just couldn't help but listen to your conversation with Percy." Annabeth sucked in a breath. Maybe Sally now thought she was really rude and would tell her to get off her high horse and behave or something. She felt herself start to panic before Sally spoke again. "You really shouldn't be all alone for Christmas. There's no fun in that." Annabeth's eyebrows rose, unsure of where the conversation was going. "Why don't you come and stay with us for break? I would hate for you to be lonely during Christmas."

This surely took an unexpected turn. "Uhm…well, I would hate to intrude, and I don't know if my parents would let me. Plus, I don't want to bother all of you."

She could practically imagine Sally waving her off, and she had no clue what Sally even looked like. "Oh, no, it's completely fine. I'm sure Percy will be okay with it, and Paul and I would love the company. The more the merrier! As for your parents, I'll see what I can do. I think I have your house phone number, from that roommate emergency info sheet. You just pack up your things and come over, okay? It'll be fun, I promise."

Annabeth snuck a short glance at Percy, who was currently unaware of this alteration to his previously planned winter break. "Are you sure Percy won't mind?" she asked, Sally, still feeling a bit unsure herself. Did she really want to spend three more weeks, on her break, with Percy?

Sally laughed lightly. "Oh, don't you worry, Percy won't mind in the slightest. Now, I've gotta go, but you tell Percy that I love him and I'll see you both in a few days, okay? Bye!" the phone clicked off.

Annabeth put the phone down, her mind still swirling. What had just happened in the last few minutes? Had she really just agreed to spend the holidays with Percy, in Percy's house? What was going on?

Percy eyed her suspiciously. "What'd she say?" He paused, and fear seeped into his eyes. "Did she tell you about Ariel?! Because if she did, it's not true!"

Annabeth still couldn't come to terms with the fact that she had just agreed to spend even more time with Percy. "She sends her love and says she'll see us both in a few days." Then she processed what Percy had said. "Wait, what about Ariel?"

Percy breathed a sigh of relief before getting on his defensive. "Oh, nothing. So when are you planning to come over for dinner?" he asked, effectively changing the subject.

Annabeth took a sharp intake of breath as the weight of what she'd done finally occurred to her. "Actually, you see, the plan changed. I'm staying with you for the holidays." For some reason, she felt her cheeks dust pink and she couldn't meet his eyes.

Percy took a moment before he seemed to understand. "Oh."

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah." For some unexplainable reason, she felt embarrassed. She didn't want Percy to feel like his break was ruined because of her, which is what she was inferring now. He wasn't exactly jumping for joy or anything. It made her uneasy. "Sorry, I probably messed up all your holiday plans."

Percy gave her a reassuring smile. "Are you kidding? It'll be fun! I'll show you how to have a proper Christmas! And you can suffer with me through Sally and Paul's goo-goo eyes. It's so weird. Ew."

Annabeth laughed, at ease. "It can't be that bad."

"Oh, no, it's disgusting," Percy deadpanned.

Annabeth pushed him playfully. "Rude."

Percy held up his hands. "I call it as I see it."

Line Break

Annabeth wanted to make a good first impression on Sally Jackson. She knew that Sally was probably the most motherly, kind, and loving person that could ever exist on the planet, but she still wanted to safely confirm that she would like her. She needed a safety net. Sally wasn't just some other lady. Her kindness, however small, had been monumental during these first few months of college. The way she exuded an aura of motherliness to anyone and everyone still managed to amaze Annabeth. Sally Jackson was a human being from a completely different universe, one who sought the best from anyone and denied them nothing they deserved.

Which was why she'd attempted to bake, when it all came down to it.

It made enough sense at the time, anyway. She could bring cookies as a thank you gift for taking her in for the holidays. Surely Sally would appreciate that; it would be a perfect first impression. Annabeth always found a strange warmth and comfort from sugar cookies. Actually, it wasn't super strange, because when Annabeth was really little and Athena hadn't been so uptight, Athena would make her sugar cookies. Annabeth would sit across from her on the kitchen counter and sneak licks off the spoon.

Washing her hands, she felt wistful thinking about how things used to be.

The ingredients were all set neatly out on the kitchen island, and she'd put on her apron. But she couldn't find it in herself to move. It took a moment for her to discover why, but then she'd remembered the last time she'd tried to bake.

It was just a few weeks before Athena had left them. Christmas eve was approaching, and Frederick and Athena did nothing but argue. She'd been overcome by this stupid idea to bake cookies to assuage their tempers. She'd never baked before, but she was desperate. Annabeth wanted to do something that would make them all be a happy family together.

Looking back, how naïve had she been to think cookies would solve everything?

Of course, her plan had gone astray from what she was aiming for. She'd been so stressed from the tense atmosphere between her parents; her dyslexia started acting up more than usual. She'd messed up the amounts on the ingredients, and then burned the cookies. They'd ended up as black, smoking mounds of dough, plastered onto the cookie sheets. Athena had yelled at her for being foolish and Frederick scolded her for using the oven without asking for assistance. The two of them went to their separate rooms angrily, leaving Annabeth to scrape off her burnt cookies into the trash by herself. It wasn't exactly a memory she wanted to relive.

She'd never baked again.

Annabeth looked at the ingredients laid out before her. She was just going to have to do it. Just because she'd failed once, she wasn't going to not try again. She could master baking, just like she could master math and quantum physics. Cooking was like chemistry after all, right? She'd nailed chemistry. At least, she'd aced the tests. She'd done mediocre on the labs. But now was no time to dwell on that.

She focused on each task, mixing the ingredients, careful to check the precise amounts of each one before she added it. She'd just finished making the dough when the door creaked open and Percy stepped in.

His eyes widened at the sight before him. "Are you…baking?" He shrugged off his jacket, and walked over to look into her bowl. "Is that…cookie dough?"

Annabeth didn't even look up as she started to knead the dough in her hands. "Yes, and?"

Percy realized that baking was normal. But he'd never ever even thought to consider Annabeth baking normal. She hated cooking, he knew for a fact. She read books and studied all the time. Baking just didn't seem very Annabeth-y. He didn't voice this though, to avoid any of her snarky comments about his ignorance and neurological dysfunction. Instead, he voiced a different concern. "It's not blue."

Her hands stopped kneading for a second. "What?"

"It's not blue."

"So?" She went back to shaping the dough.

"Cookies should always be blue. It's law."

"In your world. Not mine."

"Anything's possible."

"Things are possible. But they don't always have to be necessary."

Percy huffed. "Blue cookies are necessary. A world without blue cookies is not humane." He started digging through the kitchen drawers to find his stash of blue food dye.

"I swear, Percy Jackson, if you make my cookies blue, I will personally-"

"Thank me and praise me for being the best human being ever. Yeah, I know." He grasped a bottle of the dye and flipped the cap open, raising it over the bowl of cookie dough.

Annabeth moved him away with her shoulders. She thought she'd won their miniature battle when Percy came from behind, wrapping one arm around her waist, and placing his head dangerously close to her neck. She felt herself suck in a breath at his nearness. Her hands stopped moving, the dough sticky on her hands. If she turned her head, they'd be nose to nose, they were so close. If she turned her head, their lips would be mere inches within each other. For some reason, that was the only thing going through her mind.

Percy was having trouble breathing normally. He wasn't expecting to be so affected by the proximity. All he'd been going for was holding Annabeth back as he tipped in a few drops of blue food dye. But then, he'd caught that lemon scent from her hair. As he tipped the bottle of dye, he lost himself in that refreshing Annabeth scent, wanting to move even closer. His arm against Annabeth's waist seemed to burn now, like it was on fire, but weirdly, it was on fire in the best way.

Annabeth broke from the trance first. "Percy! You dumped the whole bottle of dye! That's way too much!" She thought of pushing him away from her, but her arms wouldn't move.

Percy immediately released his arm from her waist and stepped away. He tried to keep the flush crawling up his neck from going any further. Trying to appear nonchalant, he shrugged. "The bluer, the better."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, but mixed the blue into the dough anyway. Percy reached in and started to help her, their fingers brushing occasionally. Both tried to ignore the electric sparks that shocked their skin every time it came into contact. Annabeth blamed it on static electricity (which she knew in her mind made no sense at all whatsoever). Percy tried to ignore it failingly, his cheeks darkening each passing minute (thankfully Annabeth was too focused on squishing the dough that she didn't notice the state of his face).

As they scooped the dough onto the baking sheets, they began to return to a safe state of normalcy. Percy started licking cookie dough off his fingers and Annabeth chided him and called him barbaric and other words of that variety. Their easy banter, like an old friend, came back.

After Annabeth had put the tray in the oven and set the timer to twenty minutes, Percy had turned on the television to (an extremely early) Mickey Mouse Christmas Special. Annabeth seated herself next to him, establishing only a few inches of space between them.

Five minutes in, Annabeth fell asleep, exhausted from her busy and stressful day. Her head somehow found its way onto Percy's shoulder and she unconsciously moved closer to him. If it were Thalia or Nico or Grover, Percy would have shoved them off. But Annabeth looked to be so at peace, so calm for once. Percy didn't want to ruin that. Plus, her hair smelled really good, and her head fit so well into the crook of his neck and his shoulder. He couldn't find it in his heart to move her.

Fifteen minutes later, the timer for the cookies beeped. Percy slowly lifted Annabeth up and carefully carried her into the bedroom, putting her down on her bed and tucking her in. He didn't know what came over him in that moment, but he pushed a stray curl back from her face, before leaving to take the cookies out of the oven.

Line Break

When Annabeth woke up, she found that her cookies weren't burnt this time.

They weren't burnt, but they were blue.

And maybe that made it even better.

A/N: I have no words. Also I am sleep-deprived, but I got that burst of inspiration. So hope you enjoyed! Love is being sent your way!