Well, here we are again. Last week, I asked what the best present you had ever received was… for me, I'd have to say it was tickets to my first-ever pro hockey game. Even though they lost (a favourite past-time of my team apparently), eight-year-old me still had a bunch of fun.

Jsmine Lucas: I appreciate the offer, but must decline. I kinda feel I have the perfect cover image already. But thank you also for your kind words... I hope you'll continue to read this story.

danibearfu: Here ya go :P

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Me: If you would but lend me the rights to PJO…

Uncle Rick & Disney: No.

Chapter 7

Time for a Game of Match-Making

Grover's POV

"Enough is enough, Thalia!"

Our entire group was all there at Thalia's place with the exception of Percy and Annabeth. It wouldn't do to have those two here when talking about them.

"You lost the bet and it's over now. Just suck it up and move on."

"I don't care about the dam bet. Well, okay, it bugs me. But that will be nothing compared to how much those two will annoy me if they don't stop dancing around one another and just become a couple," I replied angrily.

We all sat there quietly until we heard a voice that I recognized from the other room.

"Why don't you just give them a push?"

Three kids walked into the room and Thalia's face grew red with anger.

"Jason, I thought I told you to never interact with my friends," Thalia practically shouted at her tall, blond-haired brother.

"And I thought I told you that I didn't care what you said," he replied smoothly.

"Besides, how could you expect us to stay away when there are so many pretty women to hang out with in here?" said one of Jason's friends with an eye wiggle in Thalia's direction. He was a scrawny Hispanic kid with curly black hair and a wild smirk to match the manic look in his eyes.

The look that Thalia shot in this kid's direction would have been enough to skewer the Erymanthian Boar. It did nothing to his smirk, but his eyes betrayed a bit of discomfort before the girl with them spoke up.

"Sorry to interrupt, Thalia. Jason, Leo, we're leaving now," the young woman said with a tone that made them know she expected to be obeyed.

Both Jason and Leo muttered apologies sheepishly and, as they walked out, apologized to the girl they called Piper. Man, she was so convincing that I had half a mind to use her to convince Percy to embracing a life of veganism and dating Annabeth.

"Anyways," Thalia growled, "how would you even make them become a couple, assuming that is actually what is best for them?"

I smirked.

"Well, Thalia, I am so glad you asked…"

Percy's POV

I arrived at Times Square on New Year's Eve just before the festivities started and five minutes after the rendez-vous point our group had set, expecting to be the last one to arrive. As it turned out, Annabeth was the only one there at that point. She looked beyond annoyed to be the only one to have arrived on time, a theory she confirmed when she saw me and shouted, "I HAVE BEEN STANDING HERE FOR THIRTY MINUTES!"

I wanted to point out that we set the meetup time to be five minutes ago, but the look she sent my way convinced me this would be a terrible idea unless I wanted to ring in the New Year hanging by my boxer shorts on a flagpole. As someone who has done that before (don't ask), I was not keen on pursuing that path.

Instead, I chose deflect. "Yeah, where is everyone?"

"I know, right. They set a time and place and now they don't show? Some friends they are."

Excellent. Deflect was super effective. But now to the problem at hand.

"Have you texted them yet? Maybe they got held up in all this traffic."

"Of course I tried that. They haven't responded to anything and they only have a couple minutes to arrive before they close the doors to the event," Annabeth said, fiddling with her hair the way she does whenever she gets nervous or frustrated.

"Hey, maybe they already arrived and are waiting for us at a different spot. I say we go inside and just see whether we can spot them."

"Yeah, I guess. It's just really annoying. This whole idea of spending New Year's at Times Square was their idea in the first place, and now they bail on us with nary a text message? That's just plain garbage."

I didn't disagree, but instead offered her my hand. "Shall we go, My Lady?"

At this, she smiled for the first time tonight. "Wow, what a gentleman," she said, sounding just a tad sarcastic as she took my hand.

With that, we walked through the gates to the party together.

Grover's POV

"This isn't going to work, moron."

I lowered my binoculars and stared at Thalia.

"Alright, firstly, that was hurtful. Second, why don't you explain why the two walked in hand-in-hand?"

"My response to both is the exact same: bite me."

I rolled my eyes before raising my binoculars and continued watching the two friends I hoped would be a couple by night's end.

Annabeth's POV

We never ended up finding our friends when we entered. When I next saw our supposed friends, they were going to have some explaining to do. Though, if I did have to pick one person in the world to be alone with in Times Square on New Year's, it would absolutely be Percy. I just wish the circumstances were slightly different.

As we swayed back and forth to the music, I found myself caring less that our friends weren't here and more that Percy was. We laughed and smiled and joked with one another until a couple minutes before midnight.

As the music played, our bodies began to dance closer and closer. That was when the music slowed down and people began to pair up.

"So… it's a slow dance, Seaweed Brain."

"Did you maybe want to stop?" He really was a Seaweed Brain sometimes.

"Not a chance. Get over here, Kelp Head."

"Y'know, we really ought to talk about the nickna-" he started to say, before I yanked him into a close embrace and we rocked slowly back and forth to the music.

"Is that what you want to do? Or would you rather focus on dancing with the stunning lady in front of you?"

"Point taken. I'll be quiet now"

Our noses were practically touching by the time the song ended and it was time for the countdown to the New Year. This was it. I wasn't going to back down this time. The stars are in position for this moment.

"THIRTY!"

"You know, I've been thinking a lot about us," I began.

"TWENTY-THREE!"

"And about what our futures might hold."

"EIGHTEEN!"

"Not only that, but there's a tradition that you ring in the New Year with a kiss." Percy got real red at that.

"THIRTEEN!"

I grabbed him by the shoulders. "So tell me, Seaweed Brain. Shall we embrace tradition together?"

"SIX!"

"Of course, if you don't want to-" I started, but I was pulled in close by Percy. All I could see in front of me were his beautiful, striking sea-green eyes.

"FIVE!"

My heart.

"FOUR!"

I'm going to explode.

"THREE!"

I'm about to kiss Percy Jackson at New Year's.

"TWO!"

Here. We. Go.

"ONE!"

"I have to go." Percy pulled away from me and ran off.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

As the balloons fell, so did my spirits.

ΑΟΣ

A hundred yards away, a pair of binoculars lay smashed on the ground.

Not yet, readers. But we are entering the endgame for Part 1 of this story. And also, the three chapters left are my favourite of the story, so hopefully you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.

For this week's question to the readers, do you have any New Year's traditions?

Anyways, please review with your thoughts and I'll see you next week.

Oh, and Happy New Year! :P