Annabeth's social life is officially the busiest it's ever been. Not that she's complaining but she really needs a day to catch up on her work. She's not really running behind on assignments, but she likes to be ahead instead of on time.

She tells Thalia and Piper as much the next morning when they're handing out by her locker.

"What about Percy?" Piper asks.

"What about him?" Annabeth responds. "I just said I'm going to the library today, what does he have to do with that?" But even as she says the words, she knows that, lately, everything has to do with him.

Piper shoots her a look. "You guys are practically a couple."

"Practically being the key word here," Thalia cuts in. "Have you talked about this? What are you doing with him? Because I swear if he's stringing you along—"

"He's not," she says quickly in response to Thalia's anger. "At any rate, if he is I'm letting him, knowingly too, so it's not all on him."

"That doesn't make it better."

"You're right," she looks up at the worry on her friend's faces. "I know what you're thinking. This can very easily be toxic if he's leading me on, or not committing or whatever. But you have to believe that I'm okay. It's not bad. I think…"

She takes a breath, speaking the words she hasn't quite wrapped her own head around yet.

"I think we're both just trying to see what's happening right now."

There's an unsaid admission there and Piper picks up on it.

"You want there to be something don't you?"

She just nods, unable to form the words.

"But what if he doesn't?" Thalia pushes back.

"Then I leave." Annabeth looks at Thalia. "If it comes to that, I'll leave."

Thalia nods and Piper puts a hand on her arm. "For what it's worth Annabeth, I think he does too."

"He supposedly wants that with other girls but then he dumps them," Thalia mumbles.

"I agree, but…and maybe I'm wrong but…I think he really likes Annabeth," Piper says. "That's not to say he won't hurt you," she turns to Annabeth. "But he does like you."

The bell rings and they separate, going their different ways to class. But Piper's words continue to echo in her head.

She thinks Percy likes her too. But Piper is right, that doesn't mean he won't hurt her. In fact, she thinks, the only reason he can hurt her is because she likes him.

In a way her feelings towards him have given him power.

The thoughts continue the rest of the morning until she's sitting in math class, realizing that unconsciously she's watching the door, excited to see him. Quickly, she looks down.

Last time he had caught her he'd called her eyes pretty and smiled at her and—oh god, now that's all she's thinking about.

"What's wrong princess?"

She starts at the sound of his voice so close to her and looks up to see him leaning across to her desk. For a second, she gets caught in those sea-green eyes and finds herself wanting to lean towards him too, but manages to shake herself away.

"I'm fine."

He frowns, clearly not believing her, but thankfully his line of questioning is halted by the teacher calling for attention.

She feels his gaze on her but keeps her eyes on the board and her notes. It takes an embarrassing amount of effort to stop herself from looking at him.

But she can't, not right now. She has too many thoughts running through her head.

It accumulates to the point that by the time lunch comes around, she decides to skip it and go to the school library instead.

The quiet of the place calms her, and for the first time she has no conflicting emotions as she settles herself among the shelves in the back.

Why does it feel like it's been forever? The last time she remembers she was here was when—her thoughts cut short.

When she was trying to write the homecoming speech with Percy and he made her cry.

The memory brings shivers through her body. How could that be the same Pery she knows now? The one who mocked her and made her cry, the one she hated.

How could she forget how horrible he was to her? She closes her eyes, trying to imagine that Percy, the one with the cruel smirk. He flashes through her mind for a second before the one with the soft smile takes his place.

What happened?

Percy Jackson…

Her phone buzzes with a text from Piper asking her where she is. I'm busy, she types out, not wanting to give away her spot. Not while she's in the middle of questioning everything.

Especially since the Percy that had made her cry was the same one who'd kissed her like his life depended on it.

They're not the same person, she tells herself. They can't be. After all, people change, people grow. And though she doesn't know what caused Percy to change, she knows that he has.

Still working through the rest of her thoughts, she manages to sneakily eat some fruit snacks while pulling out her assigned reading for English.

She still needs to get her work done at any rate.

-.-

Percy appears by her locker at the end of the day, wearing a frown.

"Where were you during lunch?" he demands. His voice is harsh, but when she looks at his face there's concern lacing the harshness.

She shrugs. "Had to get some work done."

"Why didn't you tell me?" There's more of a whine behind this one.

"I wasn't aware I had to report my actions to you Jackson," she responds dryly.

Maybe it's too dry or maybe it sounds too much like something she would have said a month ago, but something about it makes him shrink back.

"Whatever, forget I even asked," he mumbles. The harshness is back, this time without the concern to soften it.

Oh hell no.

She closes her locker and turns towards him. "Are you seriously mad at me over doing literally nothing?"

"I'm not mad!" he replies, voice rising.

She raises an eyebrow at him.

"Right, and that's why you're yelling at me."

"I'm not," he starts before stopping to let out a huff of air. Then, in a lower voice, he continues, "I'm not mad, I was just worried!"

Well, she was right about the concern.

"Wow, didn't know you cared so much." She doesn't mean for it to come out any type of way, it's just the first thing that comes to mind.

He frowns again. "What's going on with you today? Of course I care, you know that!"

"Do I?" her own voice feels floaty, and the whole thing feels surreal all of a sudden.

"Annabeth, what the hell? Are you okay?"

"Are you?" she voices back. "A couple months ago you fought with me until I cried and now…" she doesn't finish the sentence, but her mind continues: now you kiss me, smile at me…worry about me…

Percy looks frozen in place.

"I…" he starts, "I never meant to make you cry."

He says it so simply that she has no choice but to believe the honesty behind the words. A memory of his face looking pained as he saw her tears flashes in her mind for a second.

She wonders if this is some sort of apology, a part of her wants to push it further but Percy seems lost in thought.

Turning back to her locker, she shuts is, the noise evidently startling Percy out of his reverie.

"Come on," he says, grabbing her hand. "Let's go."

She stops herself from being pulled along. "Where?"

Percy turns back to her, the frown back on his face. "Out, duh."

"I need to go to the library," she says, standing her ground.

"But that's boring!" he refutes.

"Then you don't need to come," she says simply. Then turning around, she starts to walk in the direction of the library.

It's a simple thing yet her heart is beating quickly. She's never…denied Percy like that. And a part of her thinks she's going to lose him for it.

He's not worth it if he can't handle a denial, her brain tells her. And yet it takes all her effort not to turn around and look. Her heart is unnecessarily racing now.

She's already walked all this way, it's clear that he's not coming. Did they…break up before they even properly get together? Or maybe she's reading way too much into this.

Trying not to get too worked up, she aims for an even breath and reaches for the door handle to the library, only to find another hand opening it up for her.

Turning to her right, she's met with none other than Percy Jackson.

He actually came. He followed her.

Before she can even begin to think about what that means he gestures at the door.

"I thought you were going in to the library."

And there's the snarkiness to ruin the image. Sighing, she walks through the door, beelining for a table closer to the back.

Thankfully it's not too busy, which means she gets the table she wants, the one slightly out of sight of the rest of the place.

Percy sits beside her, looking around as she pulls out her homework.

"Oh come on! You're doing homework?" Percy whines, finally returning his gaze to her.

She raises an eyebrow. "What did you think I was going to do?"

He smiles, leaning forward. "Make out with me? You've chosen a good spot for it." He vaguely gestures around to the shelves partially blocking them from sight.

She's like to say the thought doesn't affect her, but in reality, she has to fight down a blush. To cover it up, she rolls her eyes and turns back to her homework.

Percy leans back in the chair. "You know I'm right," he says causally enough, but in a low voice he continues. "You know you'd much rather be here making out with me…some convenient shelves here too and I'm sure I could push yo—"

"Don't you have homework to be doing?" she interrupts, her cheeks warm and the tug of need pulling inside her that she's desperately trying to avoid.

Percy grins. "Sure," he replies. And then he's leaning closer again. "Or…I could sit here and finish that sentence and watch you squirm."

"I'm not squirming," she retorts, trying actively not to squirm.

Percy smirks. "Right…" his hand reaches down under the desk to rest on her knee. "Sure you're not."

And she wants so badly to give in, to just pull him closer and kiss him. Instead, she brushes away his hand. "Percy, I need to focus."

"So you admit, I'm distracting?"

"I'll admit everything if you just let me work!"

Percy sighs. "I'll hold you to that princess."

And with that she's finally left alone to work on her homework. But just seeing Percy in her peripheral is distracting.

After a few minutes, she gives up and looks at him. "Can you do homework too or something?"

He raises an eyebrow. "Oh so now you're putting me to work?"

"Just do something other than sit there and look at me."

"I'm on my phone."

"Still."

He just looks at her for a second before sighing again. "You're horrible princess." And with that he pulls out his homework.

"For making you do homework?"

"For not kissing me."

She looks up and catches his grin right before he schools it into something akin to puppy dog eyes.

She wants to kiss him.

She smacks him lightly instead.

It's a little bit easier after Percy starts to do his homework too. She manages to complete an assignment. Finally taking a small break she looks over to where Percy is doing the assigned reading.

He looks completely different like this.

There's a small smile on his face as his eyes scan the words, he looks at ease, lost in his own world. It's actually…beautiful. Not something she would have ever used to describe Percy Jackson of all people, but—

"Can't get enough of me princess?" he asks, breaking the spell. She quickly looks away.

"Are you almost done?" she asks instead.

"A few more pages," he responds, and she can hear the smile in his voice.

She makes sure to focus on organizing her papers the last five minutes it takes for Percy to finish.

"Alright, I'm done."

Finally, she looks back up at him. "Cool. Come on." She starts packing up her stuff, having completed most of her work.

But Percy doesn't budge.

"And what about my reward?" He asks, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Reward for what?"

"Doing my homework."

"You're eighteen, you don't need a reward."

She stands up and Percy follows her lead. "Then I need an eighteen plus kind of reward," he says, crowding closer to her.

"You've got the wrong girl then," she retorts, trying to move past him.

His hand catches hers and she lets him pulls her back.

"Oh I've got the right girl alright," he says, bending down. And then slowly, giving her time to pulls away, though she doesn't, he catches her lips in a slow, lingering kiss.

Maybe it's something about kissing Percy Jackson, or maybe it's just the way this feels, not rushed, but slow and languid, that leaves her near panting by the time he pulls away.

"What, um…" she doesn't know how to ask what exactly that was without coming across the wrong way.

"An apology," he whispers. "I'm sorry."

And then his lips are back on hers and her entire world is spinning.

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for being a day late with this update but I did get it out! I hope you guys liked it, I felt like I should address how far the two have come and how different Percy feels to Annabeth now than before so this chapter was focused on that and is a bit more serious than the fluffy ones of late.

But I hope you guys liked it! Please Comment! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

See you Dec. 6!