Hey guys! How is everyone? I'm back with the second chapter of my newest story and I really hope you guys like it! Thanks for all the favorites, follows, and reviews on the first chapter. I especially enjoy reading your opinions in the reviews because they inspire me to keep writing and brainstorm new ideas. I really want this story to be successful because it is by far the most challenging plot I've written/come up with. Ok I'll let you get to reading!

Disclaimer: Don't own

August 8th, 2020

"Shut up Thals" Annabeth muttered under her breath, shoving the girl in the black t-shirt lightly. The blonde's cheeks dusted pink against her will.

"Hey all I'm saying is you can be super oblivious sometimes Annie. I'm no Aphrodite but I can tell when a guy's flirting and that dude was most definitely shooting his shot." Thalia stated, holding her arms up in surrender.

"He was just being nice." Annabeth defended as the two of them continued walking along the pier.

It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon and instead of laying around on the couch all day watching Netflix like Thalia would have liked, Annabeth practically dragged her best friend with her to the pier. As they walked on the wooden planks suspended by poles above the water, to the left of them stood several boats of all sizes returning from fishing trips no doubt. To their right were the various seafood shops, ice cream parlors, and a handful of beach clothing stores. Down at the far end of the boardwalk and currently out of sight was all the amusement rides and arcades.

It was hard to see from where they stood but if one were to look further down along the side with the boats, they would be able to see a crowded beach full of tourists who had come to California for the summer on vacation. Annabeth felt very fortunate to live in an area only fifteen minutes away from the closest beach. It made summers quite eventful. That is, when she could get her best friend out of the house to tag along with her.

"Oh, ok sure." Thalia said sarcastically.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. There may or may not have been an incident a few minutes ago involving the blonde tripping over air and completely face planting onto the pavement. While her best friend just stood there crying from laughter a guy about their age had offered her a hand and helped her up. He wasn't exactly bad looking with dark facial features and a bright smile. He had been with a group of friends walking along the pier and stopped to help her which was sweet. He asked her if she was ok and with a simple 'see you around blondie' and a wink he left. Thalia had seen the whole thing and had not stopped teasing her about it. Her best friend was constantly telling her how oblivious she was and how she caught the attention of guys almost every time they were together, but Annabeth just didn't see it.

She had only ever had short flings in the past and one boyfriend. It wasn't that she didn't want a relationship because she did, it was just the fact that every guy she'd dated she lost interest in after the first couple dates. That sounded horrible to say but it was true. The guy was always either way too cocky, only talked about himself, or as shallow as it sounded, had what Annabeth considered to be horrible taste in music. It was silly but one of the main things she looked for in a guy was music taste. It played such a big part in her life that she didn't want to be with anyone that didn't appreciate music as much as her. The one boyfriend she had was in the first part of senior year. He was a musician and they met at a party. Only a few weeks into the relationship Annabeth found out he was cheating on her and dumped him. She remembered being an emotional angry wreck in the days following. Since then her love life had been pretty boring.

Thalia on the other hand had only been with one person. Her name was Alex and she'd been a senior when they were juniors. The only way Annabeth could think to describe her was your typical biker girl type which was why her best friend liked her so much. Thalia never talked about her much anymore since their relationship ended on messy terms and she left for college about a year ago.

The warm August wind blew across their faces as they walked side by side down the pier. Annabeth's gold ringlets flew behind her as she adjusted her half up half down hairstyle with a white scrunchie. She'd chosen to wear a light wash pair of mom shorts, a black belt, and a grey Bananarama t-shirt with the sleeves cuffed. Her feet were clad in her trusted white high-top converse. Thalia wore a pair of black shorts and a black Aerosmith t-shirt along with a pair of black converses.

They walked for a few more minutes before stopping to eat in one of their favorite restaurants along the pier. It was a small waterside café called Luna's and the two of them had been eating there forever. Annabeth had no idea when the place first opened but it had to be older than her considering there were pictures all over the walls and some of them had groups of people dressed in outdated clothing. The first owner whose name was Luna had died a long time ago, but the place still kept the name.

Annabeth and Thalia found a small two-person table next to a window and sat down. Their waiter took their order which consisted of a large fries and two mango smoothies before they started talking about their plans for the rest of the day.

"Can't we just call it a day and watch a movie?" Thalia asked restlessly.

Annabeth gave her a look. "Thals this is our last summer before college starts. Where's my super impulsive best friend who would constantly get in trouble in high school huh?"

Thalia's eyes met hers and a small smirk placed itself on her lips. "Are you giving me permission to be impulsive Annie? That's a first."

Annabeth's face paled and she instantly regretted bringing up that side of Thalia. The side that didn't care about the consequences of her actions and acted without thinking. The amount of times Annabeth had to convince her not to do something in high school was ridiculous, yet she still had her fair share of detentions.

"No, I meant like we could go hiking or spend a couple hours at the beach. Whatever you're thinking it's a definite no from me." The blonde stated quickly once their food was brought out and they had started eating.

Thalia didn't say anything and sipped her smoothie mindlessly. Annabeth could tell the choppy haired girl was already planning something in her head and she was going to try and drag her along. The paranoia stayed with her until they finished eating and paid the bill.

Once they stepped out of Luna's café Annabeth noticed Thalia looking at the side of the pier where the boats were coming in. They walked a little further up the pier until Thalia stopped in her tracks and Annabeth looked in the direction she was staring. A man was tying his black and white deck boat up to the side of the pier using a rope. He didn't notice them staring and walked away in the opposite direction they were standing. Annabeth noticed her best friend casually leaning to the side and pretending to do something on her cellphone, but the blonde knew that was just so no one around them would be suspicious of whatever she was about to do. When the man was out of their line of sight Thalia took action.

After looking around them carefully to make sure no one was paying them any attention, Thalia snatched Annabeth's hand up and ran towards the newly docked boat. Annabeth's eyes widened and her heart rate picked up when she finally managed to connect the dots.

"Thalia no way!" She whisper yelled, casting panicked looks in every direction as Thalia started to undo the knot tied around the silver post called a mooring cleat.

The blue-eyed girl swiftly jumped onto the deck boat and Annabeth stood frozen on the edge of the pier. She shook her head violently.

"Are you insane?! We can't just steal a boat! Besides, how were you planning on driving it you don't have the-"

She was cut off when Thalia took a small object out of one of the consoles and held them up for her to see. In her hand she held an ignition key for the boat. Annabeth cast her a questioning look.

"My uncle told me a lot of boaters keep a spare key somewhere on board and in case you've forgotten I have my boating license and so do you from that online course you made us take."

"I thought it would be a good thing to have!"

"Well it'll come in handy now. Come on Annie have a little fun! That's what you wanted right? Last summer before college and all. And we're not stealing the boat, just…borrowing it for a couple hours."

Annabeth stood speechless in front of her best friend. "Thalia we can't-"

"Better make a decision soon Chase I'm sure as hell not getting off and the boat is drifting further and further away from the pier." She said mischievously. Annabeth looked down and noticed there was a small line of water between the pier and the boat that was steadily getting wider.

"You're out of your mind if you think that I'm going to-"

"Hey! What do you think you're doing with my boat!" A voice came from somewhere behind them. Annabeth turned around and saw the same man that had docked the boat with an angry expression on his face steadily making his way over to them.

"I'd say you have about ten seconds to make a decision before he gets over here. You look just as guilty as me even if you're not on the boat." Thalia said, meeting Annabeth's eyes challengingly and beginning to start up the boat.

Annabeth glanced back and forth between Thalia and the man. Everyone around them could probably hear her heart beating. The space between her and the boat was just wide enough for her to jump but another minute and it would be too late. The owner of the boat had almost reached them, his eyes full of anger and rage.

[Song Tribute- Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper]

Her body reacted before her mind and the next thing she knew she landed on the aft deck of the boat. Thalia maneuvered the boat the rest of the way off the pier area before increasing the speed. Annabeth looked behind them as the distance increased between them and the boat owner now yelling what was sure to be insults at them. The motor was loud and drowned it all out but the expression on his face said it all. Annabeth steadied herself against the boat.

The world flew by them as Thalia increased the speed. Their hair blew in every direction against the wind. Shades of blue filled their vision as they got further and further out to sea. The reflection of the sun made the water sparkle so much it was almost blinding.

Annabeth stared out at the blue abyss. The smell of sea salt and mist filled her nostrils. The sun kissed her skin. It hadn't been too hot or too cold that day. As they got farther out to sea Annabeth felt the tension in her shoulders relax. It was merely impossible to be stressed when you were on a boat in the beautiful waters of California on a nearly perfect summer day. She grabbed ahold of the railing on the boat and watched the waves the motor from the boat made as they cruised along the coast.

It took her a moment to realize Thalia had been playing a song from the radio. Not just any song either, it was one of Cyndi Lauper's most popular songs from the 80's and the irony of it made her smile. It wasn't really Thalia's style of music, but she knew Annabeth liked it. Leave it to her best friend to do anything in her power to get her to agree that stealing a boat was for the best including kissing up to her.

Thalia turned towards Annabeth who was now standing beside her looking out at sea. The blonde shook her head disappointedly towards the girl, but the smile stayed on her face as the song continued to play in the background.

"You're crazy you know that?" Annabeth shouted slightly above normal volume because of the motor and the music.

"Sorry Annie can't hear you!" The rebellious girl replied, turning up the volume of the song as she swiftly turned the boat to the left and made more waves in the ocean.

Against her will Annabeth started mouthing the words to the song as she looked at the ocean. She took in the whole view. There was no land in sight just endless miles of water. The sky held a small number of clouds and occasionally she would spot a seagull flying above them. She held her hair back from her face with her hand as the warm wind hit her. She was enjoying it so much she almost forgot that they didn't own the boat they were on.

After what felt like forever Thalia turned off the motor and let the boat float above the water. They rocked back and forth with the waves and Thalia walked towards her with her arms in the air.

"Tell me that was not the most awesome thing you've done! I mean did you see the look on that guys face? Totally worth it to spend a day out at sea." She stated excitedly.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "We shouldn't be out here."

"Oh please. Like you weren't enjoying yourself on the way out here. Don't think I didn't notice your expression change not to mention you started mouthing the lyrics to the song. You can lecture me all you want Chase, but I think we both know this was one of my best ideas yet."

There was a moment of silence where Thalia simply looked at her friend expectedly before Annabeth sighed. "Alright so I don't exactly hate this." The blonde smiled unconsciously.

Before she knew it, she was laughing. "I'll admit the look on the guys face was pretty good."

Thalia laughed along with her. "He looked like we were taking away his child or something!"

The comment made Annabeth laugh harder. "A-and the way he was r-running" She stumbled out.

The two girls laughed for a good five minutes about the whole situation. By the end of it they had tears in their eyes. Once they had calmed down Annabeth walked over to where Thalia had been playing music. She fiddled with the radio stations since the one they had been on was on commercial. The static cleared up on a particular channel and Annabeth stopped turning the dial, smiling at the song and looking towards Thalia who nodded her head in approval.

[Song Tribute- Summer of '69 by Bryan Adams]

( Italics: Annabeth Bold: Thalia Bold & Italics: Both )

I got my first real six-string
Bought it at the five-and-dime

Annabeth sang the first two lines of the song before Thalia finished the verse.

Played it 'til my fingers bled
Was the summer of '69

Thalia banged her head to the beat as the song picked up. Annabeth laughed whilst dancing her way over to her. She had a look of pure enjoyment on her face as she left the railing and started head banging in the middle of the deck.

Me and some guys from school
Had a band and we tried real hard
Jimmy quit, Jody got married
I should've known we'd never get far

Annabeth shuffled her feet back and forth across the deck, jumping over to her best friend who was now belting out the lyrics quite loudly. The boat rocked steadily from side to side slowly. It probably wasn't the safest to be jumping up and down dancing on a boat in the middle of the ocean, but they didn't care.

Oh, when I look back now
That summer seemed to last forever
And if I had the choice
Yeah, I'd always wanna be there

Those were the best days of my life

They screamed the last line of the verse together. Right at that moment she spotted another boat about to pass them. It was a family of four. A husband and a wife along with their two twin daughters. She felt their eyes on them before she even looked up. Annabeth waved and they waved back happily. The two girls giggled when they looked over at Thalia still banging along to the song. The husband and wife smiled almost as if in approval when they heard the song blasting from their stolen boat. Annabeth smiled back politely.

Ain't no use in complainin'
When you've got a job to do
Spent my evenings down at the drive-in
And that's when I met you, yeah

Once the boat was out of their line of vision Annabeth resumed her dancing with Thalia as the main chorus to the song came on. She grabbed ahold of one of Thalia's hands and the two girls spun each other around.

Standin' on your mama's porch
You told me that you'd wait forever
Oh, and when you held my hand
I knew that it was now or never
Those were the best days of my life

Thalia placed her arms out as if she were playing an invisible electric guitar and started strumming it. Annabeth laughed hysterically at the action before copying the move.

Oh, yeah
Back in the summer of '69, oh

Man we were killin' time
We were young and restless
We needed to unwind
I guess nothin' can last forever, forever, no!
Yeah!

Annabeth ran to the front of the boat, gripping the railing and staring out at sea. She swayed back and forth with the boat as her and Thalia exchanged turns belting out the words of the song.

And now the times are changin'
Look at everything that's come and gone
Sometimes when I play that old six-string
I think about you, wonder what went wrong

Standin' on your mama's porch
You told me that it'd last forever
Oh, and when you held my hand
I knew that it was now or never
Those were the best days of my life

Thalia was sure they looked like complete idiots jumping around on a boat like maniacs to a song from the 80's no one their age listened to anymore, but the moment could not have been more perfect. It described their relationship to a tee. She watched as Annabeth ran a hand through her hair whilst shaking her head rapidly.

Oh, yeah
Back in the summer of '69, oh
It was the summer of '69, oh, yeah
Me and my baby in '69, oh
It was the summer
The summer, the summer of '69, yeah

They sang the last line of the song together. Once the last few notes sounded from the radio the two of them were breathing heavily and laughing happily. It was such a great song. Written in the 80's but about a summer back in the 60's. Annabeth could listen to it on repeat all day.

Thalia walked back over to where the radio was and turned on a different channel playing what sounded like a song by the band Fall Out Boy. She smiled, drumming her fingers against the side of the boat. Annabeth smiled; she knew Thalia loved just about any rock band out there. Annabeth loved it too the only difference was that the blonde preferred rock like Bon Jovi or Van Halen over the current stuff. Thalia was a mix of both.

Once she had caught her breath Annabeth lied down on the brown planks of the aft deck. Thalia soon joined her, placing her hands behind her head and staring up at the clear blue sky. The wind was calmer now, just barely blowing their hair. The boat was steady against the small waves of the sea.

"Great way to spend a summer day." Thalia muttered cockily.

Annabeth sighed, crossing her ankles and mimicking Thalia's posture with her arms crossed behind her head as the radio played in the background and seagulls flew above them.

"It is but-"

"Ah ah-No buts. This is awesome and you know it." The blue-eyed girl stated, cutting her blonde friend off and turning her face to the side so she could look at her.

Annabeth laughed and closed her eyes in the sun. It was unbelievably peaceful. They spent the next few minutes in silence. Enjoying each other's company and the tranquil atmosphere.

"You know something Thals?" Annabeth asked a few minutes later, interrupting the silence.

"What?"

"Let's make a vow"

"What kind of vow?" She asked confusedly.

"Let's vow to always be best friends." Annabeth said lowly, slowly getting lost in her thoughts.

"Well of course Annie that's a given."

Annabeth sat up, turning towards her with a serious expression on her face. "No, I mean even if we have the biggest fight or we're a million miles apart. We stick together. Talk it out. Whatever the hell we need to do ok?"

Thalia sat up too, casting her a worried look. "Yeah…we'll always be friends, I know it. What's this all about?"

Annabeth smiled sadly and wrapped her arms around her legs as she stared out at the view. She could feel Thalia's stare on her.

"We're going off to college soon. You on one side of the country and me on the other. Most people drift apart after high school. Find new friends and meet new people." She said honestly.

"Well we're not most people Chase." Thalia said reassuringly, bumping her shoulder with her own.

"I mean come on you don't seriously think some stupid fight, or a few thousand miles is going to break us apart do you?" She said confidently.

Annabeth smiled, placing her chin on her knees. "You're right, it's stupid."

"Damn right it's stupid. We've still got a month of summer left anyway. So, let's make another vow while we're at it. To make this the best summer we've ever had. However annoyingly cheesy that sounds." Thalia finished.

Annabeth laughed breathily before sticking out her pinky in a mocking fashion. "It's a deal. Best friends till the end and the summer of our lives."

Thalia rolled her eyes comically and wrapped her pinky around Annabeth's.

And just like that their pact was sealed.

End of chapter 2! What did you guys think? I love writing Thalia and Annabeth's friendship. This story will be Percabeth focused in the future but it's also going to have a lot of Annabeth and Thalia scenes especially in the beginning. I also love writing cliché/cheesy scenes so be prepared for a lot of those. But what did you guys think of the songs? Or the chapter in general? It kind of gave me Outer Banks vibes now that I've read it again after editing which is weird cause I wrote this before watching the show (which by the way is amazing, highly recommend it). JJ is my husband that's all I'm saying lol. Anyways please hit that review button and let me know your thoughts! Love you all!

REVIEW, REVIEW AND REVIEW!

-M