***This story is set in the fall between the end of Battle of the Labyrinth and before The Last Olympian.***

Percy felt jittery. He was trying to play a video game, but his eyes kept drifting to the phone. He'd been home from school for an hour, but it was still only two o'clock in California; it'd be at least another hour or two before he could call. The thought of the time difference reminded him of the distance and of just how ridiculous his request was going to sound. But still, he wanted to try. It felt important.

His mom had come home from work and Paul had come over for dinner by the time Percy judged that it was late enough. He tried to ignore the knowing looks they gave each other when he grabbed the phone and headed back to his room to make the call. He felt awkward enough without an audience. Which was stupid, he thought as he shut his bedroom door. This wasn't that big of a deal. It was just…but he stopped that thought cold. It didn't feel "just" anything. That was the scary part.

He didn't have to look up the number from her last e-mail; he'd memorized it. Taking a deep breath, he dialed Annabeth's new cell phone number.

Annabeth was not having a good day. She'd been chased halfway to school by a pair of dracaenae, though she'd managed to evade them without a fight, then struggled on a chemistry test (it was tough to balance equations when the letters and numbers shifted on you), and then, just to top off a crummy day, she'd stepped in a cow patty on her way home, courtesy of Hera, the incredibly obnoxious queen of Olympus.

Swearing under her breath in Ancient Greek, she slammed the front door when she arrived home. No one yelled, which was her first clue that her father was still at work, and her stepmother was still at the dentist with Bobby and Matthew. Annabeth dropped her shoes (still smelly even after she'd wiped them in the grass) in the foyer, then took some pleasure in stomping up the stairs. She slammed her bedroom door, too, just because it felt good to release some anger.

Tossing her backpack against her desk, Annabeth flung herself down on her bed, feeling the anger drain away, leaving exhaustion behind. It had been a long week. On top of dealing with multiple monster attacks, she'd also spotted the damn Princess Andromeda in the harbor across the bay again, which probably meant Luke—no, Kronos—was back on Mount Tam. She'd tried to scout over there, but hadn't gotten far; there were too many sentries. Even with her hat, it was too much of a risk; a cynocephalus had caught her scent and nearly sunk his teeth into her invisible arm. Luckily, she'd lost him in the thick eucalyptus groves.

So all in all, she was worn out. Her eyes felt heavy as she lay there, a light breeze blowing in from the bay and ruffling her curtains, bringing with it the fresh, salty scent of the sea.

She was very nearly asleep when her phone rang. The sound startled her so badly she jumped and shot straight up, already reaching for her dagger. Then she realized what it was and felt a bit ridiculous. She'd only had the phone a few weeks, and rarely got calls, so she wasn't used to the ringtone yet. But after being woken up and feeling irritated about being scared by her phone, she probably sounded a bit sharper than she meant to when she said, "Hello?"

"Uh, hey, Annabeth, it's me," a familiar voice said. "I mean, it's Percy. Jackson."

Irritation drained away as a smile tugged against the corner of her mouth. "Thanks for clarifying, Seaweed Brain. The list of Percys I know is pretty long."

"Ha, ha," he replied. "So, what's up?"

"You called me," Annabeth said as she sank back down onto the bed.

"I know that, I just mean like, you know, what's going on? Um, how are you?"

Was he nervous? Or was something wrong? Maybe, she thought with a rush of fear, he had bad news and he didn't want to tell her. "I'm fine. But are you okay? Has something happened?"

"What? No, nothing. I mean not nothing, but—"

"Is everything at camp okay? Chiron? And Grover? Or—"

"They're all fine. I mean, at least as far as I know. Gods, Annabeth." Percy now sounded somewhat exasperated. "Nothing's wrong. I just, you know, wanted to call and…and say hi."

"Oh." Annabeth felt sheepish. "Um, sorry."

"S'okay. Let's start over. Hey, Annabeth, it's Percy. How are you?"

She laughed weakly. "I'm good. I mean, today sucked, actually, but I'm fine. How are you?"

"Not too bad. Why did your day suck?"

She sighed and gave him an abbreviated version of her day, leaving out the bit about the cowpie. She debated briefly whether or not to mention the Princess Andromeda, then took the plunge and told him.

"I hate that ship," Percy said. He hesitated, then asked, "Have you seen—"

"—Kronos?" she finished for him. "No. I can't get anywhere near the palace." Not wanting to dwell on the subject, she changed it. "How's it been in New York?"

"Monster attacks have picked up. Something comes after me at least once a week, which is a little more frequent than usual, but otherwise, things are pretty much the same as always. Demigod-business-wise, anyway."

Is that even a word? Annabeth thought, but she kept it to herself. The nervous edge was in his voice again, so she asked, "Is something else, not war-related, going on?"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she felt a horrible, sick swooping sensation in her stomach. Percy and Rachel had started dating. Oh gods. That was totally what he was calling to tell her. But she stopped that train of thought before it went too far off the rails. No way would Percy call to tell her that. He'd send an e-mail, if that. Percy was a brave guy, except when it came to anything remotely romance related.

Percy was speaking again and Annabeth forced herself to tune back in. He was talking about his mom's boyfriend Paul, who, Annabeth knew, he liked. Apparently the guy's personality was as far from Smelly Gabe, Percy's ex-stepfather, as it was possible to be. "So anyway, he asked her to marry him last weekend."

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah. They're getting married. Next month."

"Oh my gods! That's great. Right?"

"Definitely." Percy paused, then said, "I honestly don't think I've ever seen my mom this happy."

"Aww. She deserves it." In fact, Annabeth couldn't think of anyone who deserved a happy ending more than Sally Jackson. "Are they having a wedding?"

"Just a small one. Some of their friends and Paul's family. Me."

"Obviously." Annabeth smiled. On the other end of the line, Percy chuckled.

"Obviously." He cleared his throat. "And, um, they told me I could invite someone. You know, so it's not just me and a bunch of old people."

"Oh." Suddenly, Annabeth's mouth was dry. "Anyone in particular?"

"I was kind of wondering if you'd like to go?"

A spark of warmth blazed to life in Annabeth's chest. But the recollection of a certain perky, artistic redhead almost smothered it. "There isn't anyone closer you'd like to ask? I mean, geographically," she added hastily, realizing how the words sounded as they left her mouth.

"Not really. You were my first choice." The spark grew, even as Percy added hurriedly, "I mean, I know it's a long flight and you might not be able to make it, but I thought I'd ask. But I mean, if you can't, or you don't want to, I'll figure something out—"

"Percy, stop. I'd love to go."

"You would?"

"Yeah, Seaweed Brain. I'll have to check with my dad, of course, but I think he'll be okay with it."

"Awesome." Just from the tone of his voice, she could picture his smile, three thousand miles away.

She got the date of the wedding from him, then they said their good-byes and hung up. As she set her phone down, Annabeth couldn't help the wide smile that spread across her face. This had been a pretty good day.

After talking to Sally, her dad agreed to let her go. Her stepmom helped her to pick out a dress (and the shopping trip together actually wasn't horrible), and a few weeks later, on a Thursday immediately after school, Annabeth boarded a flight for New York. She spent the four hour flight with butterflies bouncing around in her stomach, so that by the time she landed, at nearly eleven o'clock at night (thanks, time zones), she felt both keyed up and exhausted. She was almost giddily glad to spot Percy's messy dark hair in the flood of passengers pouring into the arrivals area.

He grinned when he saw her and gave a semi-self-conscious wave. "Hey."

"Hi." Ever since his phone call, she'd been looking forward to seeing him, but now that she was standing here, it felt a bit awkward. Somewhat lamely, she added, "I'm here."

"Yeah." Percy shoved his hands in his pockets. "Um, how was your flight?"

"Fine." She shrugged. "Just watched a couple movies."

"Cool."

After another brief pause, she asked, "Is your mom here?"

"Yeah, but she's in the car, waiting in the cell phone lot. I told her we'd call when you got here. You have your phone right?"

"Of course. My dad wanted me to call when I landed. What's your mom's number?" Percy rattled it off and Annabeth dialed. "Hi Sally, it's Annabeth. Yep, just landed. Yeah, I found Percy. Okay, great, we'll meet you out there." She put the phone back in her pocket. "She's on her way to pick us up."

"Cool," Percy said again. "Do you need to pick up anything at baggage claim?"

"Nope." Annabeth gestured to her backpack. "Everything's in here."

"I guess after a couple of quests you learn to pack light," Percy said.

"Pretty much." As they walked outside the terminal to wait by the curb for Sally to pick them up, Annabeth glanced at Percy. "So, what was your plan if I didn't have my phone with me?"

He grinned sheepishly. Annabeth rolled her eyes and muttered, "Seaweed Brain."

Outside, a crisp breeze swept through the arrivals area. Annabeth was glad she'd worn a jacket. There was an underlying bite to the New York air that she hadn't felt in San Francisco. On the ride into Manhattan, Sally filled her in on the weekend's plans. They were heading back to the Jacksons' apartment tonight, then tomorrow evening, after Paul was off work and Percy came home from school (Sally had taken off work to finish up wedding plans), they would drive up to where the wedding was being held, about two hours north of the city, closer to Paul's family, for the rehearsal dinner. Then, Saturday afternoon and evening would be the wedding and reception. Sunday, Percy and Annabeth would be heading to camp because Annabeth's flight wasn't until early Monday morning, and Percy would be staying at camp for a couple of days while Sally and Paul had a brief honeymoon at a bed and breakfast in upstate New York.

"So it's going to be a very busy weekend," Sally finished, sounding slightly frazzled. But she still gave Annabeth a warm smile. "I'm so glad you were able to make it, though, dear. And I know Percy's happy you're here."

"Mom," Percy groaned.

"Oh, you're not happy she's here?" Sally asked innocently.

Annabeth, in the front passenger seat, shot a slightly evil grin at a bright red Percy in the backseat. He mumbled something that could have either been "I'm happy you're here" or "I'm a sloppy hare" then cleared his throat and asked, "If there's so much to do, why do I have to go to school tomorrow?"

"Because you won't be there Monday and Tuesday, which I already feel plenty guilty about, so you're going tomorrow. Paul's working, so you'll be there too." When Percy opened his mouth to protest, Sally added firmly, "End of story."

Percy heaved a sigh. "Fine."

"If it makes you feel better," Annabeth said, "I have homework I have to do since I am missing school tomorrow."

"That would have made me feel better except for the last part." He made a face at her.

It was nearly midnight by the time they got to the Upper East Side. Percy was yawning in the backseat and Annabeth was fighting not to nod off against the window when Sally pulled into a parking spot. In the Jackson's fifth floor apartment, the couch was made up for a bed. Annabeth started to set her backpack down by the couch, but Sally stopped her.

"Honey, I thought Percy could sleep on the couch and you can stay in his room. I put fresh sheets on the bed. There's more privacy and you can sleep in a little later, since I'm sure you're exhausted."

"Thanks, Sally," Annabeth said, "but I don't want to kick Percy out of his room."

"It's fine," Percy chimed in. "I sleep on the couch like once a week anyway. You know, fall asleep watching TV Friday nights. I don't mind."

"Are you sure?" Annabeth asked.

"Totally." He smiled and she returned it.

However, once she was alone in his room, it felt a little strange. The room was so clearly Percy (although probably cleaner and more straightened up than it normally was). There was a bronze spear and a sparring sword leaning against the wall near the closet. The closet door was covered in pictures—she smiled when she saw Grover, Tyson, herself, and other friends from camp. There were also pictures of some kids she didn't know. Since Rachel Elizabeth Dare featured prominently in several of these pictures, Annabeth figured they must have been Percy's friends from Goode High School. Her stomach twisted just as Percy walked into the room.

"Hey, my mom wanted me to ask if you needed a drink or anything…" His voice trailed off as he saw what she was looking at.

Annabeth knew she was tired and so the annoyance she felt rearing up was not necessarily reasonable. She fought to keep her voice steady as she asked, "So you've been hanging out with Rachel quite a bit?"

"Um, sometimes. I guess." Percy fidgeted with the hem of his t-shirt, not meeting her eyes. "You know, we're friends."

"Yeah." Annabeth should have stopped the next words coming out of her mouth, but she didn't. "So why didn't you just ask her to go to the wedding?"

Percy's head shot up. His expression was hard to read. At first, she thought he might not answer at all, but then he said, "Because I wanted you here."

Annabeth's heart leapt and suddenly she didn't mind the pictures nearly as much. "Oh. Okay."

"Plus, you know, my mom really likes you. I thought she'd be glad you were here, too," Percy added quickly, looking a little red.

"Okay," Annabeth said again, wishing she could think of something better to say, but her brain felt fried from the nearly five-hour flight.

Percy glanced at the pictures again, then sighed. "Annabeth…look, I'm glad you're here, really, but it's hard to feel stuck in the middle with all this." He gestured vaguely at the pictures. "Can we just…I don't know, have a truce, just for the weekend?"

"A truce?"

"Yeah. I mean," Percy ran his fingers through his hair, "I know there's been a lot going on since last summer and all, but I really want this weekend to be nice for my mom. She deserves it."

Annabeth wanted to say that if he didn't want things to be complicated, maybe he shouldn't have invited her to come. But she also kind of understood what he was saying. And she absolutely agreed that Sally deserved the perfect weekend. "Okay. A truce. What exactly does that mean?"

"Just, I don't know, nothing complicated," Percy said. When Annabeth raised her eyebrows he quickly added, "How about no Titan War talk? Just regular stuff about school and whatever. Deal?" He stuck out his hand a little awkwardly.

Annabeth almost smiled. "Actually, no war talk sounds like a good break." She shook his hand, trying to ignore the spark that traveled up her arm when their fingers touched. "Deal, Seaweed Brain."

"Cool." Percy looked visibly relieved. "So, back to the original question. Do you want a glass of water or anything?"

"Sure." Annabeth actually did smile as she followed him out the door and back down the hall to the kitchen, feeling strangely lighter than she had just a few minutes before.

The next day, Annabeth spent a couple hours in the morning doing her homework, then she ended up going out with Sally, who was doing last-minute wedding shopping. Annabeth was a little nervous that it might be awkward, since she'd only been around Percy's mom a few times, and Percy had always been there before. But hanging out with Sally ended up being a lot of fun. She asked for Annabeth's opinion on things and seemed to genuinely appreciate her input. They had a really nice afternoon, including going out to lunch at a cute little bistro-type restaurant. It was the most relaxing day Annabeth had had in a long time.

The evening was more hectic because after Paul and Percy came home from school, they loaded up the car and drove to the small town where the wedding was going to be held, a couple hours north of Manhattan. Annabeth had to admit, the inn where all the guests were staying, which was situated on a lake, was very quaint and pretty. Plus, she had her own hotel room, which was fun (her dad had paid for it).

Percy had his own room, too. He came bouncing across the hall to her door about ten minutes after they'd checked in. "I have my own hotel room! How cool is this?"

"Pretty cool," Annabeth agreed. "So what's happening now?"

Percy shrugged. "Nothing else this evening. I think some of Paul's family and my mom's friends are hanging out in the hotel bar, but pretty sure we're not allowed in there."

"Oh, so this is why your mom let me come along, to keep you occupied while the grown-ups hang out?" Annabeth said, teasingly. Then she realized how what she'd just said could be interpreted and she ducked her head, feeling her ears heat up.

But Percy didn't seem to notice. "Exactly. So, want to come over to my room and play video games? My mom even said we could order snacks from room service."

"Sounds great—wait, you brought your video game console? Like, the entire thing?"

"Well, yeah," Percy said, looking like that should have been obvious.

"Seaweed Brain," Annabeth muttered, but she followed him across the hall, where he had already hooked up his console.

They spent the rest of the evening playing games, eating snacks, and just hanging out for the first time in a very long time. Annabeth had to admit there might be something to this "no Titan War talk" truce business. It felt like the pressure was temporarily off. She hadn't even realized how much she'd been under until it was lifted. It was nice to feel like a normal fifteen-year-old for a change.

Sally came up to check on them a few times. Then, a little before eleven she said, "Alright, kids, fifteen minutes, then I'm imposing a curfew. Busy day tomorrow."

Percy started to protest, but Annabeth kicked his shin and said, "Okay, Sally, no problem."

Percy made a face when his mom left. "Eleven o'clock on a Friday? That's so early."

"Especially since, for me, it only feels like eight. She's right, though," Annabeth said, starting to straighten things up. "Tomorrow's going to be hectic."

"Yeah, guess so." Percy gloomily started putting his controllers and things away.

Annabeth studied him for a moment, then glanced at the door, making sure his mom wasn't coming in, before asking, "Are you doing okay?"

"With what?" Percy's brow furrowed.

"I mean, with the wedding and all. You like Paul, right? And you're okay with your mom getting married?"

"Oh yeah," Percy said, his expression lightening. "Totally. Paul's a great guy. And after everything she had to deal with from Smelly Gabe, my mom absolutely deserves a nice guy."

"Definitely," Annabeth agreed. "Well, good, I'm glad you're okay with everything."

"Yeah, I am." Percy tilted his head slightly. "What made you ask that?"

Annabeth shrugged. "I know it can be a big change. And you're my friend, Seaweed Brain. It's my job to make sure you're alright."

"Huh." Percy smiled slowly. "Well, thanks."

"You're welcome."

They were standing close together and Annabeth was suddenly aware of just how close that was. She met Percy's eyes and suddenly flashed back to Mt. St. Helens. Neither of them moved away. Annabeth's heart started to beat faster. But then Sally knocked on the door again and Annabeth quickly took a step back as she walked in.

"Okay, kids, time for bed."

"Sure, Sally. See you in the morning, Percy." Annabeth hurried out of the room almost before she could hear them tell her good night, too.

Sally was right, the next day was hectic. Everyone getting ready in the morning was a whirl of activity. But the actual ceremony was beautiful. It was outside, in a garden near the lake. A local pastor stood under a trellis covered in flowers, beside a clearly nervous but happy Paul, who was looking out over the rows of chairs, waiting for Sally to appear. Annabeth sat a few rows back, wearing a dark blue dress her stepmom had helped her to pick out. Percy's eyes had widened when he saw her in his mom's room earlier that morning, which had been kind of gratifying. And she had to admit that Percy looked very nice (okay, maybe even handsome) in his pale blue shirt, dark gray pants, and a sea-green tie that exactly matched his eyes as he walked his mom up the aisle. Sally, of course, looked stunning in a cream-colored dress with pretty lace details. Simple, but elegant.

When they reached the trellis where the pastor and Paul were waiting, Percy kissed his mom's cheek, then stepped to the side. Annabeth caught his eye and smiled, and he returned it.

He'd initially come into his mom's room earlier looking incredibly frustrated, with the ends of his tie dangling loose around his neck. But after watching the rush around Sally as her friends tried to help her with her hair and make-up, he'd started to uneasily back away to the door. Which was when Annabeth had stepped forward.

"Need something, Seaweed Brain?"

Percy's eyes had widened, but then he cleared his throat, ducked his head, and said, "Actually, yeah. I was going to see if my mom could help me with this stupid tie. Which I'm only wearing because she asked me to." He glanced over at the group around Sally. "But looks like she's busy."

Butterflies rose up in Annabeth's stomach. "I can help you."

Percy's eyebrows drew together. "You can?"

"Yeah, I've helped my dad before. Come here." Annabeth grasped the ends of his tie and moved closer so she could fix it. She fought to keep her focus on what she was doing because if she didn't, her eyes might drift up to his lips and his eyes and then there was a chance she'd do something stupid. To distract herself while she worked, she asked, "How can you do all those knots on a boat, but you can't tie a tie?"

"Poseidon is the god of the sea, not stupid fancy clothes."

"Good point." Annabeth tightened the knot, then stepped back. "There."

Percy glanced down at the tie, then looked up with a smile. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Before they could say anything else, one of Sally's friends spotted Percy, squealed about how cute he looked, then dragged him over to see his mom. Annabeth had stifled a laugh at the terrified look on Percy's face as they all made a fuss over him. His expression melted into relief, though, when his mom hugged him. After that, someone else walked in and announced the ceremony would be starting soon, and Annabeth let herself be ushered out to the garden.

Now, she watched as the pastor went through the vows, and Sally and Paul took turns repeating them. Sally's smile was beautiful. When Paul choked up a little during his vows, Annabeth had to blink back tears. She glanced at Percy occasionally during the ceremony, and every time, he just looked really, really happy.

After the ceremony, the reception was in one of the event rooms at the inn. It had been decorated with simple but elegant blue and white decorations, with hints of gold here and there. Annabeth had expected Percy to sit at the head table with Sally during dinner, so she was pleasantly surprised when he came to sit by her instead. Especially since it had been more than a little awkward standing around by herself with a bunch of strange adults during the cocktail hour while Sally, Paul, Percy, and some of Paul's family were still outside taking pictures. People kept coming up to her and saying, "Oh, and you must be here with Percy," and she answered quickly, before they could assume anything else, "Yeah, I'm his friend, Annabeth."

During dinner, while Percy was complaining that his cheeks hurt from having to smile for so many pictures and Annabeth was teasing him about it, an older man came up, introduced himself as Paul's uncle, and shook Percy's hand. Then he held out his hand to Annabeth. "And you must be his date."

"Oh…um…" Annabeth glanced quickly at Percy while she shook the man's hand, unsure of how to respond because, yes, it probably looked that way, but she was pretty sure she was just here because they were friends. "I'm—"

But to her complete surprise, Percy cut her off by saying, "Yeah. This is Annabeth."

"Nice to meet you, too," the uncle said, then wandered off to greet some other relatives, leaving an awkward silence behind. Luckily, music was playing and the other guests at their table were involved in an apparently hilarious conversation, so no one else noticed. But Annabeth's mind was racing. Percy had never said anything about her being here as his date. Was that true?

Finally, after a couple of uncomfortable minutes, Percy blurted out, "Sorry about that. I mean, I didn't want to assume…but this doesn't have to be…but it can if you want…but it doesn't have to…um—"

"Percy, it's fine," Annabeth said. "I don't mind being here as—as your date. If you want," she added hastily. "It's totally okay if it's not, too." Which was partially true.

Percy took a deep breath. She'd seen him look less nervous before battling a monster. "No, it's cool. I mean, if you're cool with it, you can—you can be my date. I mean, do you want to be my date to my mom's wedding?" he said very fast, not quite meeting her eyes.

Annabeth thanked all the gods, even stupid Hera, that the music and laughter were covering up this conversation. But she couldn't help smiling as she said, "Yes, I'll be your date."

Relief washed over Percy's face. "Cool. Great."

They both went back to their food, but the silence didn't feel as awkward anymore. However, after a minute, Annabeth said, carefully keeping her eyes on her plate, "Shouldn't you have asked me that way before we were actually at the wedding reception?"

"Um, probably."

Their eyes met and they both started laughing.

The rest of the reception was fun. After the cake was cut, the dancing started. Percy dancing with his mom was surprisingly cute. And a little bit later, once other people started dancing, Percy escaped from one of Paul's aunts and, a little nervously, asked Annabeth to dance. She was surprised to discover that he was actually almost taller than her now.

"Your mom looks really happy," Annabeth said as they gently swayed on the spot. Across the dance floor, Sally and Paul were dancing. As she watched, Sally laughed at something Paul said, then kissed him on the cheek.

Percy also glanced over, then smiled. "Yeah. She really is. Which is great. She deserves it."

"For sure. So now Paul is going to be your stepdad and your English teacher?"

Percy grinned. "I might actually pass the class now."

Annabeth returned the smile. "Hopefully."

Percy's eyes stayed on hers a few extra moments, and Annabeth felt her heart beat a little faster again. Finally, as if realizing what he was doing, he blinked and looked down. He cleared his throat, then said, "You, um, look really pretty, by the way."

"Thanks," Annabeth said, taken aback, in a good way. Trying to ignore the heat rising to her cheeks, she said, "You look really nice, too."

Percy actually did meet her eyes then, with another small grin. "Thanks, but I can't take any credit for that. My mom took me shopping because she said under no circumstances could I just wear jeans and a t-shirt to a wedding."

Annabeth laughed. And if she also used the opportunity to step just a little closer to him, Percy didn't seem to mind.

As the music changed to a fast song, the adults started to get rowdier and more embarrassing. Annabeth and Percy exchanged looks, then Percy asked, "Want to go take a walk?"

"Yes, please," Annabeth said as several of Paul's elderly relatives started spelling letters with their arms while loudly singing along with the song.

They walked down to the lake. The trees were brilliant with fall colors. Fallen leaves crunched under their feet. The sun had nearly set, staining the horizon orange and pink, until it faded to a dark blue up above. The air was still warm from the day, but there was an underlying crispness, suggesting it might be a chilly night.

The cold didn't bother Annabeth, though, as she and Percy strolled along the edge of the lake. They talked about their schools, their friends (although Percy very carefully avoided mentioning Rachel Dare), and what they'd been doing outside of school. Nothing about the war or Kronos or Luke or anything remotely related to Olympus. They did talk about camp a bit, but just the good stuff…mostly. There was a bit of a disagreement about whether or not Connor Stoll filling Percy's pillow with shaving cream as a prank last summer counted as a good thing or not.

Eventually, they found themselves sitting on a bench near the lake. When Annabeth started to shiver, Percy offered her his suit jacket, and she shyly accepted. It felt nice around her shoulders.

The conversation turned to talking about their first couple of quests. They'd agreed that these fell under the terms of the truce because it had been long enough since those quests that nothing about them really stung anymore. Reminiscing about their first quest and their time in the Sea of Monsters led to quite a few laughs and their conversation becoming increasingly easy.

So much so that, after they reflected on Thalia's return and the seismic change it had caused at camp, before she'd decided to join the Hunters, Annabeth got up the courage to say, "Actually, that reminds me, I have a question for you."

"Oh yeah?" There was still a smile on Percy's face, but she thought she caught a flicker of nervousness around his eyes, though it was getting harder to tell as night fell.

"Something Thalia said. About when the group set off to save Artemis. Were you—were you not on the quest?"

She suddenly realized how close they were sitting because she felt his knee jiggle against hers, but she didn't move away.

"Oh, um, I mean, technically no. Zoe didn't want me to go at first," Percy admitted. "But, you know, I couldn't just stay at camp."

"Why not?" Annabeth's mouth felt dry and she thought, embarrassingly, that she asked it a little breathlessly, but she kept her eyes on his face. He was looking at her shoulder, not meeting her eyes.

"Because, you know, um," he stuttered, rubbing his hand behind his neck, "it was an important quest and…" his voice trailed off, then he sighed. He lifted his gaze to meet hers and said, bluntly, "I had to find you."

Annabeth's breath caught. She was painfully aware of just how close they were sitting, how warm his leg felt pressed against hers. Her mind, for once, was blank. So, when she spoke, it was the bare truth that came out. "I knew you would."

"You did?"

Annabeth nodded.

Percy looked down again, fingers fiddling with the crease in his pants. "How did you know?"

Because you're my person. The answer sprang unbidden to Annabeth's mind. Immediately, she knew it was true. She also knew there was no way that was coming out of her mouth. So instead, she told him the answer she'd given him before, in a zoo truck on their very first quest, and last night, in his hotel room. "Because you're my friend, Seaweed Brain."

The corner of Percy's mouth turned up, the familiar smirk that had slowly grown on her. He scooted closer to her. His shoulders shifted as he took a deep breath. Then, he raised his head and asked, "Was I your friend in Mt. St. Helens?"

Annabeth froze. She locked eyes with him as she swallowed, then said, "That was for luck."

Percy nodded slowly, keeping his eyes on hers. "Must have worked. I survived."

"Guess so." Annabeth could just make out the green in his eyes as the last light faded.

"I know we're not talking about it, but there's still a war going on." Percy tapped his fingers on his knee, but his eyes never left hers. "Maybe we could use some luck?"

"Probably." Annabeth moistened her lips.

Percy leaned closer, then stopped, giving her an opportunity to back away. But she didn't want to back away. If this weekend was a truce, then it would be like it didn't even happen, right? No way to make their already complicated situation even messier. Besides, at the moment, she didn't really care.

So she closed the distance between them.

Annabeth had only kissed one other boy. He was in her chemistry class and he'd invited her to the fall homecoming dance at school. And it had been a perfectly nice kiss. But it hadn't sent warmth shooting up and down her arms. It hadn't left her giddy and elated, like kissing Percy. She suspected she knew why, but admitting that was complicated and tonight they were keeping it simple. So she simply let herself stay in the moment, his pulse jumping against her fingers on his neck. His hand rested lightly at the small of her back. She was surprised by how comfortable his embrace felt. And how his lips tasted faintly of salt, like the sea.

After what felt like both an eternity and no time at all, they broke apart.

"Annabeth…" Percy started to say, but she shook her head.

"Truce, right?" She tried for a smile. "Tomorrow we'll go back to complicated reality."

Percy gave a small nod, but even in the dim light, she could make out the tiny furrow between his brows that meant he was worried. His voice was low when he said, "I don't want to hurt you."

"I know, Percy. Gods, I know." Annabeth closed her eyes. Instinctively, she reached for his hand. His fingers were warm as they closed around hers. "It's just—everything's such a mess."

"Yeah, it is." He squeezed her hand. "That's why we could use some luck."

Annabeth gave a small laugh as she opened her eyes and met his. "Exactly, Seaweed Brain." She returned the pressure on his hand, then stood up, tugging him with her. "Come on. We still have a truce for a few more hours. You should probably ask me to dance again."

Percy's familiar smirk returned as he rose to his feet. "You're always the one with the plan, Wise Girl."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help the small smile that stayed on her face as they walked back to the reception hand in hand.

Later, alone in her hotel room after the reception was over, and the butterflies had finally stopped ricocheting around her stomach, Annabeth could acknowledge that maybe what they'd done tonight wasn't exactly wise. But it did give her hope. Maybe, she thought, as she rolled over and drifted to sleep, maybe…once the war is over…

Maybe…

The ride to camp the next day was quiet. They were both tired from the late night. The reception hadn't ended until well after midnight, but it had been a lot of fun. After eating breakfast at the hotel this morning with Sally and Paul, Argus had come to pick Annabeth and Percy up, after making a couple of strawberry deliveries. Argus never spoke, and Percy and Annabeth didn't talk much, either. Mostly, they were both leaning against opposite windows in the back seat, not doing a good job of keeping their eyes open. But occasionally, they would glance at each other with a small smile. Annabeth was fine with the quiet. It felt like neither of them wanted to break the happy bubble of their temporary truce. She was more than willing to let it continue as long as possible.

When they reached camp, Argus stopped the van beside the big house. They climbed out in the shadow of the porch. Camp looked like it usually did in the off-season—a handful of campers doing the usual activities, Peleus the dragon yawning and stretching beside Thalia's tree, Long Island Sound glittering in the distance.

Annabeth and Percy stood there for a few moments beside the van after Argus walked away. She suspected that they both knew once they walked out into camp, they'd be thrown back into the chaos. It was nice to savor a few more moments of peace.

Beside her, Percy exhaled. Annabeth's shoulders tensed, but he simply turned to her with a smile and said, "Thanks for coming to the wedding with me."

Annabeth's shoulders relaxed and she returned his smile. "Of course, Seaweed Brain." She hesitated, then took the plunge and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for inviting me."

"Of course." Percy gave her an awkward, but probably well-meaning, one-armed hug. "You're my friend, Wise Girl."

She made a face at him as he echoed her own words back to her, and he grinned. She realized suddenly how close they were—as close as they'd been beside the lake last night. Percy seemed to realize it at the same moment. He met her eyes and she saw the question there. Before she could decide how she wanted to respond, a voice called out, "There you guys are!"

Clarisse was striding up to them. She wasn't in full armor, but she did have a breastplate on and her spear in her hand. Her hair was back in a bandana and her face was sweaty, like she'd just come from sparring in the arena.

As she approached, Annabeth reluctantly stepped away from Percy. His arm dropped to his side.

"Chiron said you were going to be here." Clarisse swiped her arm across her sweaty forehead. "We need to talk. Some new information came in this weekend about monster movements. I've been talking to Beckendorf and, now that you two are here, we might be able to run a small assault, wipe a few of them out."

As Clarisse led the way into camp, toward the forge where Beckendorf was working, Annabeth internally sighed. Her eye caught Percy's and he gave her a small, slightly sad smile, which she returned.

It had been nice to have a few moments of peace, but now it was back to reality. The truce was over. Back to the war. But at least, maybe, they might have some luck. Right now, that was the best she could hope for.

So Annabeth squared her shoulders and followed her friends into camp.

***I know I'm playing a little fast and loose with canon here, but in TLO when Percy says, "Don't I get a kiss for luck? It's a tradition, right?" that could imply that it happened more than once. And I think they're both messy and impulsive enough between BotL and TLO for something like this to happen. Thanks as always for reading! Hope you enjoyed the story!***