interesting... can't wait till you post!

yay! first to reply!!!

Chapter 1

"Per-cy! Per-cy! Per-cy!" They chanted as I reached the other side of the track. I turn to them, doing the backstroke, and nod my head at them smiling. Through my goggles I could see a massive group of girls eagerly waving and smiling back. When I reach the end of the track, they mob me.

"Percy! This is your eighth competition in a row! How do you feel?" I forgot her name—she writes the school paper. I take off my goggles and wink at her.

"With you by my side, I just feel like I could do anything." I laugh at her expression and I trudge through the crowd. I distantly hear the coach calling for everyone to break it up and get back to the dorm rooms.

I sigh. It's just another day. As I get my towel, I overhear a couple of students.

"He's only a freshman yet he's the most wanted guy on campus! Percy Jackson…Man, what I'd give to spend the night with him…"

Urgh. I have to get away from here. I hurriedly get my stuff and jog towards the locker room. Of course, I forget the most basic rule that I've ever learnt when it comes to swimming; don't run by the side of the pool.

My bare feet are slick against the watered floor and suddenly the air whooshes past me. I black out.

"Hello? Can you hear me?"

The smell of chlorine fills my nose and I blink trying to figure out where Im at. A girl –a freshman, from the looks of it- crouches above me. Her hair glows due to the fluorescent lights above, giving it a platinum blonde color. The contrast between her tanned skin and light hair was fascinating, but not as much as her eyes.

It was her eyes that held me—grey, like storm clouds just before it rains. I blink again and I realize who I am and where I am.

"I can hear you loud and clear, darling. Say, would you be a good girl and help me up?"I smile.

She narrows her eyes at me and stands up, now towering over me.I rub my hand on the back of head feeling a bump.Ugh.

"He's ok." She calls out to the approaching life guard and then bends to get her bag. My eyes follow her every movement, wondering who she is.

"So, what are you? A Virgo?"

Her eyes widen and then narrow in disbelief. "Excuse Me?"

I sit up and shrug with a smile. "Just asking you what your horoscope is."

She laughs a hard, bitter laugh. "Whatever. I think you hit your head a little too hard."

"Wait! Can I get a name?" I try again, ever so persistent.

"Umm…how about no? I've heard about you, Percy Jackson." She says knowingly, swinging her bag over her shoulder, on the verge of walking away.

"Oh…so that's her tactic." I mutter to myself.

"My tactic?" She repeats slowly, her face blank.

"Yup. I have a theory. All girls have some sort of strategy when it comes to approaching me. They can either be just friendly, or flirty, or competitive, or taunting, or just smothering."

She crosses her arms and gives me a stony look. "So hypothetically speaking…What's my tactic?"

I smirk at her. "Hypothetically speaking." I say in a snooty voice. I haul myself up, and now I'm the one to tower slightly over her. "You're tactic would be to play hard to get."

She gives me a mocking slow-clap, shaking her head.

"I can't believe you figured it all out!" She says, feigning an awed voice. "My oh my…you really are the one for me!" She bats her eyelashes then laughs, for real this time.

"I like you." I say bluntly, after laughing along with her.

"As a friend?" she clarifies.

"As a friend." I confirm.

"Promise?"

"I promise. What? You think I'd lie?" I pretend to look offended.

She gives me a half smile and begins to walk away.

I watch her walk away. I realize something, just before she turns the corner.

"Hey, playing-hard-to-get girl!" I call out.

She stops and turns to me, an exasperated look on her face.

"I didn't get your name! Or your number!" I say slyly.

She rolls her eyes. "The name's Annabeth Chase. And I'm not giving you my number…friend."

With that she winks then turns around and walks off.

As the years passed, we graduated and she became closer to me than anyone else ever had. Of course, we didn't dare break the promise. As boyfriends and girlfriends came and went, Annabeth was always there for me as I was for her.

For a long time, I thought that's how life would be. Me and her against the world.

But that's where I made a mistake. I let myself think that life wasn't hard at all—that Annabeth wasn't too complicated.

That's when I found out she was getting engaged. And that I could have stopped it.

And so, this is the story of a love triangle. My love triangle.

Between my best friend, her fiancée and I.

love it post soon

Im going to post a few stories of there college life and then get back to the present in a later chapter.
And also, my version is going to be very prep so don't ask questions about why they are dressed so nice.

Chapter 2


"Beep Beep Beep" my alarm clock went off. "Ughh". I turned over and hit my hand on the top of it to make it stop going off. I hit it a little too hard and it falls off my night stand. I slowly get up and look at the mirror. I promised my friend Nico I would meet him at the country club.

After showering I dress nicely in Turk Red pants and a blue and white striped button down with a yellow bow tie with blue stripes. I then slide on a brown hounds tooth blazer. I smile in the mirror at my outfit. Im known as "Best Dressed" on the campus. I always hold on to that title.

As I walk into the country club everyone says hi and waves. I return the favor with a wink or a nod of my head. I see Nico surrounded by other guys. Every one says Hey when I walk up.

"What up Perce" Nico says patting my back.
"Not much, what about yourself?" I ask.
"Ah nothing really just having a few drinks then were going to go to the driving range(golf)" he says back.

That was the best thing about our country club. Everyone knew everyone and the bartenders let us drink whenever we pleased. Everyone was care free.

I look over at the bar and a group of girls catches my eye. They see me and all yell my name.
"Perrrrcyyy" they yell and then motion there hands for me to come over.
I look over at the guys "Ill meet back up with you at the driving range!" I then walk over to the group.

"Hey girls!" I smile.
Heyyy PErce" they say but then someone catches my eye and I start laughing. Its Annabeth narrowing her eyes at me and perking her lips. All the girls look at me wondering which one of them Im laughing and smiling at. There heads go from me to Annabeth and back. I walk over to Annabeth and put my hand over her shoulder and rub my hand on top of her hair making it tease up.

"Hows my awesome friend doing?" I say loudly. She crosses her arms and the girls watch intensely.
"Bestest at that" she says with no emotion.
"Cmon I'll buy you a drink"I start walking towards the bar but she gets out of my grip.
"I dont think so Percy go away"
"That is not the way you treat your best friend!" I smile and link my arm in hers.

"Go Annabeth" most the girls whisper. I laugh "Yeah Annabeth go!"
I walk back over to the bar and we both sit down. We start up a conversation and I find out she comes up to the club to play tennis. We dont realize how long we have been talking until we look at the dark sky through the tall windows across from the bar.
"Wow, time flys" I say.
"Oh"She looks at her Michael Kors watch."I promised my dad I would let him pick me up.
She smiled and got out her Iphone.
"Cmon I walk you outside" I say and we get up and walk to the parking lot.Her smile fades. "He wont pick up his phone.
"Ill...I can bring you home, its no big deal" I tell her.
"No, Im just going to wait here, you can go on"
"Im not leaving you here by yourself this late" I throw my hands in the air" You might as well just let me take you home because Im leaving you here."
She smirks. "Fine, Fine take me home."
My car is a Chevy Silverado with really big tires on it. All the guys are jealous of it.
Sha laughs" Boys and there trucks...I dont get it"
We both laugh and eventually we get to her house which is right next to the golf course.
We sit there for a minute and then she opens her door.
"Thanks for the ride Percy, Ill see you later"

As shes walking away I roll down my window and shout "We'll do this again some day"
She smirks" You wish"
"No, YOU wish" I laugh and pull out the driveway and head back home thinking about how great of a time I just had.

I love it!!! That is a really good start. Please post soon

I will go to present time in about two more chapters

Chapter 3

Today my friend Nico that lives on the river are having a huge swimming party, everyone is going to be there.Lucky me, I have a river house a few blocks down from his house. I get up early because Im going to take the boat to his house. I shower and put on a white polo shirt with sear sucker swimming bottoms and penny loafers. I top it off with a visor that has a blue marlin on the front, and aviators.

I start the boat and drive it to his house. Theres already a lot of people here. I pull the boat the the dock and tie it up.Everyone sees me and start up a conversation with a few people and then find Nico.
"HEy Perce" he says high fiveing me.
"What up" I say returning the high five.
We talk and set up beer pong tables, drinks, food, all kinds of party stuff. A bunch of the girls walk in. Annabeth is one of them. She sees me and I wave at her but she returns it by laughing and shaking her head. I laugh.

"So whats going on between you two?" says Nico.
"What do you mean, were just friends I could never like Annabeth, are you kidding?" I raise an eyebrow.
He throws his hands up" Just...thought I would ask"
Just as we both looked over at Annabeth she took off her cover up revealing her swim suit.
We both started with our mouths open for a few minutes then I realized what I was doing. I elbowed Nico. "Seriously Nico?!"
"Shes so ho-"
I shot him a look and changed his wording
"Good looking, I was gonna say good looking!"
I shook my head at him.

I sat with a bunch of guys laughing and talking about different girls. I looked over at Annabeth she was still talking to Brody and some other guy on the dock. Its not like I cared its just, she hadn't said a word to me the entire party. I couldn't stop myself I jogged over to her taking off my shirt. She didn't realize what I was about to do until the last second. I tackled her into the water making a huge wave of water hit Brody drenching him in water. Everyone at the party turned and laughed.

PERCY JACKSON!" Annabeth yelled. Uh-oh I thought in my head. She tried to hit me but I ducked under water. "Seriously, cmon I was just joking around I said backing up" I said but she just looked at me. She was about to throw another hit but then everyone at the party started jumping in the water splashing us multiple times.

WE started laughing and I knew I was forgiven. "I hate you, dont think your forgiven that easy" She said.
I just laughed and smiled. She then got out of the water and looked down out me. "Im going to tell you Brody that your sorry!"
"What?!" but after I said that she was already at the bar sitting beside him.

I will post part 2 in a few minutes so this chapter wont be so long!

Chapter 2 Part 2
(Annabeth)
I walked over to the bar where Brody was. I felt so bad about what Percy did.
"Brody, Im sorry about what he did can we finish our conversation?" I smiled at him.
Brody laughed"Annabeth, have you ever had a shot, because I've never pegged you as someone to drink."
"Sure I have but I dont need alcohol to have a good time." I smirked at him. I started to walk away from him.
"I dont think you have, I think your....afraid" he taunted.
"Im not afraid!" I walked back over to him, no one calls me afraid and gets away with it.
"Hey bartender, vodka straight up" I smiled and so did Brody.
I took a couple more shots.
"Ok so I was wrong" he said trying to kiss me.
"No, Brody I dont like you like that"
Cmon Annabeth" its just a kiss.
"No Brody" I tried to walk away and then Percy jumped in front of me.
"Get away Brody your drunk" He said pushing him away from me.
After that it was a blur but 'i knew Percy and Brody were fighting.
I walked away I almost fell but I continued walking back over to the dock.
I went over to the side of the dock and someone ran past me making me hit my head on the wood column next to me. Next thing I know I hear a splash and black out.

(Percy)
I got pulled away from Brody by some guys and decided it was time to find Annabeth. I looked at the bar but she wasnt there. I walked back over to the dock. Nico's dog Skip was barking at the water. I ran over to him and tried to calm him down.
"Cmon Skip, stop, STOP!'' I looked in the water and saw blonde hair.
I jumped in the water and dove to the bottom. I was right, it was Annabeth unconscious.I grabbed her and brought her up to the surface.

"HELP, Nico help me!" Soon more people realized what was going on after I set Annabeth down in the grass. I tapped her cheeks"Cmon Annabeth" Now she was surronded by a lot of different people.
We were trying to figure out if anyone knew CPR, no one did but then Annabeth coughed and sat up.
"Percy what did you do?" she asked drunkenly. Everyone clapped and was glad she was ok.

I decided I was going to take Annabeth home and borrowed Nico's car. She was talking about all kinds of different things. I hate the drunk Annabeth. I helped Annabeth walk out the car so she wouldn't stumble. Luckily her parents weren't home. I walked her upstairs to her room and set her in her bed. I began to walk out of her room but then she grabbed my arm and pulled me back into her room kissing me.

Annabeth was kissing me! What was going on, I dont know but next thing I know we were on her bed and she was pulling up my shirt. I change my mind, I REALLY like the drunk Annabeth. And then that thought stopped me. I got off her and stood up pulling my shirt down.

"Annabeth....you..your drunk you don't really feel this. You wont remember anything in the morning.So grabbed my wrist" Percyyyy stayy" she pleaded drunkenly.
"no Im not going to stay, good night Annabeth" I walked out to the car buttoning my shirt and ran into some of the girls.

"Oh um hey, heyy what are you girls doing here?" I said nervously.
"We're here to see Annabeth...what are you do-"
I ran off before she could finish. What the hell just happened back in there? I defiantly had no feelings for her and she had none for me. Im just going to blame it on the alcohol and forget about it I thought to myself while driving away.

Love the chappies!!!!!

Chapter 4
Annabeth

I woke up feeling an awful throbbing in my head. I couldnt remember anything from last night. What exactly happened last night anyways? I showered and then but on some clothes and grabbed my keys.I drove the car to the coffee shop by the campus. Everyone hung out there in the mornings.
As soon as I walked in everyone was surrounding me.

I heard questions like "What happened", "Did you get any action last night" "I knew they had a thing!"
I was so confused. I pushed through all the people and sat next to Thalia and Rachel.
"Looks like someone just bumped up to the new it girl spot" smirked Rachel.
"What is going on, someone please explain to me what happened last night!" I shrieked.

They told me the story about Brody and Percy, and then about how I hit my head, and then to the part about Percy bolting out of my house buttoning his shirt.
I spit my coffee out "WHAT?!"
People were staring" Hot coffee..." I said loudly.
Yeah according to the girls who came to see if you were ok tried to find out what he was doing there but he just ran to his car." Thalia went on.
"Nothing happened between us last night!" I said boldly.
"Really because last time I checked you were the one who couldn't remember anything about last night....just saying" said Thalia.
"Nothing happened..and Ill prove it" I said getting up. I had to find Percy and settle this whole thing out.
I searched for him inside but I didnt see him, I walked outside and saw him pull up his truck to the parking lot. He didnt realize I was walking toward him and I caught him off guard.
"Ohh..Annabeth good morning.."he started to say.
"GEt back in the car Jackson" I yelled not looking at him but getting into the passenger side.
It was silent for a few minutes.
He was wearing a white button down with light blue dress pants and loafers.Why did he always have to look so good?

"What the hell happened last night?"I said quietly looking at the ground and then at him.
"Well" he started to say, you fell into the waterrr..and then III-"
"Stop, back up, what happened with you and Brody? I asked.
"I knocked him out" he said looking through the window and not at me.
"And WHY was that?"I asked.
He turned to me, "Because he forced himself on you, thats why, because he was drunk and being a jerk. After that I couldn't find you and then I saw you under water." He stopped to think
"You must have got hit in the head somehow, but anyways I got you out of the water and you woke up kind of surprising everyone"
"Ok, now lets jump to the part where you were in my HOUSE!" I said stressing the word house.
"I just dropped you off, you couldn't walk without stumbling so I helped you to your room. That was it I left after that"
"Then explain to me why exactly you were BUTTONING your shirt back up!" I said.
"Well, I just threw my shirt on when we left I didnt button it or anything because I was still wet from the water, nothing happened between us, I swear Annabeth"
I thought for a second."Look at me in the eyes and tell me nothing happened between us last night. If something happened between us...I would want to know about it."
He turned to face me and looked me in the eyes" Nothing Annabeth, nothing, happened between us last night, I swear it."
''Thats...all I needed to know" I said getting out of his car.

I realized everyone was staring at me getting out of the car. "Great...."I thought to myself. When I got to the door I turned to look at Percy expecting him to be behind me but instead he kept his eyes focused through his car window. Then he looked down and started his car. He was...leaving?

Fine, why do I care anyways. I walked inside, everyone still staring and sat back down. "TOld you, nothing happened"
They both just raised their eyebrows and we sat in silence for the next few minutes.

Love it!!!!

Chapter 5
I stare at my reflection in the mirror. The messy jet black hair. The slightly tanned skin. That brooding expression that never seems to go away. And then the deep sea green eyes.

If I look hard enough, I could see my dad in those eyes. I involuntarily shiver. My old man, at his age, is still just as immature as ever. I've got his eyes. Those creepy, knowing eyes.My dad was in charge of all sea transportation and trading which means he works with a lot of important people and which also means, he brings in a lot of money. And me? After my senior year in college I was selected to be in the Olympics and swim for the US team. I won gold medals in all my races making me very well known and famous.Being famous isnt great, it sucks. Cameras follow you EVERYWHERE.

I suck in air and blow out a big breath. It's been 6 years since I got my job as a swimming professional, 6 years since I've graduated college, and six years since I've met Annabeth.

Today's our 6 year anniversary.(Of friendship that is)

I run a comb through my hair, put on a pink button down, eye my white slacks, and throw on a navy blazer. Finally I give myself one last glance before I open the bathroom door.

I stare down at Calypso, still lying on my bed. Her breath falls evenly, her hair twisted all over the pillow. I make a face; she's a cover stealer. Half the night, I was left with no covers, freezing.

"Calypso…hey. Wake up." I say, standing by the door.

She mumbles "It's Callie!",and rolls onto her side. I clench my teeth and impatiently look at my watch. I'm supposed to be meeting Annabeth soon and I honestly don't trust any of the girls I bring home to be left alone in my apartment.

"Perseus." She stretches and opens her eyes into slits. "Come back to bed."

"I have work." I say apologetically, tapping my foot.

She grins up at me from under the covers. "Perseus, it's a Saturday."

I sigh again. "I have to meet someone. I'm sorry. We'll get together another day."

Soon enough, Calypso—I mean Callie leaves and I rush out the door, eager to see Annabeth.

Annabeth works in the Empire State Building so our favorite meeting place is the Starbucks that's right across the street from it.

I looked around the café and spotted her almost immediately.

She was drinking a Caramel Frappuccino and she smiled through the straw when she saw me. I waved at her and moved through passing customers to get to our table.

She stands up and hugs me, sort of rocking from side to side.

"Happy 6th Anniversary!" She laughs. She looks down at her drink, a guilty smile on her pink lips. It was a smile that said 'I'm sorry for already ordering, but I know you'll forgive me'.

"Happy 6th Anniversary." I reply back. "I'll go get something to drink."

"Wait! Do you pay? Or do I pay? I kind of messed things up…" She admits sheepishly. Our rule was that whoever comes last has to pay for the food.

Before I can answer, she jumps out of her seat. "No! I'll order for you." She passes by me with a smile, and stands in line.

I slide into my seat and watch her standing in line. Even though it was a Saturday, she was still dressed in office clothes. She was wearing a kaki pencil skirt and a sleeveless white buttoned blouse. Her hair was pulled away from her face in a ponytail, her curly light blonde hair swaying every time she shifted.

I saw the staff and customers, both men and women, eye her with admiration. Just from standing there, she radiated power and beauty.

She comes back, a drink in hand and a smile on her face.

"So, Percy. Who was your latest victim?" She asks.

I make a face. "Calypso. Who prefers to be called Callie."

Annabeth chuckles at my expression. "Uh-oh. What's wrong with this one?"

"She steals the covers! I was freezing all night." I grumble, just before sneezing.

"Gazoontite!" Annabeth says loudly after I sneeze. A couple of people look over at her, shrug, and go back to what they were doing.

I glower at her. "Why can't you say 'Bless you' like a normal person?"

She shrugs. "Being normal's so…boring. I like to do interesting things!"

"So, what you're saying is that I'm not an interesting thing?" I raise my eyebrow.

She smiles nervously and fiddles with a napkin on the table. This is as close as we could get to have a conversation about, well…us.

She looks up at me, her eyes glowing. "Only you would say something like that on our 6th anniversary." And just like that, the awkwardness was gone.

"Anyways." She continues, fiddling with the napkin again. She crunches it up, then smoothes out the creases and then begins to slowly rip it apart.

"Alright, you're hiding something." I state nonchalantly.

She stops tearing, mid-rip of the napkin. Her eyes don't leave the remains of it.

"Damn. You know me too well." She admits, looking up at me with a tired smile. "Speaking of doing interesting thingssss…I'm going to Greece." She says with an amused look.

I was taken aback. "Greece? Wow! Why didn't you tell me? And how long are you going to be there? A week? Two weeks?"

Annabeth pressed her lips together and stared me dead in the eye.

"Three months."

I gawk at her. The longest Annabeth and I have ever been apart was three weeks and that was because her dad was sick and needed help. Three months was just…

"Wow." I said at last.

"Wow." She agrees, placing a small hand on top of mine.

"It's no big deal! Please, it's not like we're going to spend every minute of our lives together! Who am I to say you can't go?" I tease.

A quick silence descends on us, but just as quickly fades away.

"You're right." She says uneasily.

Something about the way I phrased that—we're not going to spend every minute of our lives together. That seems like something only a married couple would do…it feels like I rejected her somehow and I didn't even realize it.

"So…tell me about what you're going to do in Greece." I ask, still trying to get rid of that weird feeling.

Her eyes and smile brighten, practically making her whole face shine.

"I'm going on a Cruise! The Princess Andromeda…pretty neat, right? So, for the first month it's just the cruise and the next two months are sightseeing. You know that I've always wanted to go to Greece."

I muster up a smile. "You've always wanted to. You'll have fun there."

Annabeth's hand slides up from my hand, onto my shoulder.

"I'll promise to call you everyday, Seaweed Brain." She grins, using the old nickname she had given me from our college years.

"And I promise I'll think of you everyday, Wise Girl." I tell her back, leaning over to just trace my lips against her cheek.

It was only about a second—after that, Annabeth sits back quickly, darts a look at her watch and gives me an apologetic smile.

"Our times up Percy. I have to get my stuff and catch a cab to the airport."

I freeze. "Wait…what? You're going today!" I exclaim.

She bites her lip, her eyes burning with intensity.

I realize I shouldn't leave her last visit on bad terms. I swiftly rise and give her a hug.

"Tell Callie not to hog the covers anymore." She whispers into my shoulder. The way she said it was off…what did she want me to say?

"Uhm…of course I will." I mutter back. A couple of beats pass and Annabeth then sighs.

"I have to go now." She says, stepping away from me.

"Have fun on your trip." I say weakly.

She smiles and walks towards the door.

Before she opens it, I call out.

"Hey ,Girl-Playing-Hard-To-Get!"

She pauses at the door and faces me, a huge grin plastered on her face. "What is it, Jackson?"

"I'll miss you."

Her smile fades a little.

"I'll miss you, too."

Chapter 6

"Percy! It's so good to see you!" Annabeth waves excitedly at the computer screen.

The three months she's been gone were the loneliest. Because of our schedules, the time difference and the fact that Annabeth was on a boat in Greece, it was almost impossible to contact her.

"How's Greece?" I ask, feeling a pang in my chest. I Skyped with her only about 5 times in these 3 months…God, I forgot how beautiful she is.

"Mhmm…it's amazing. And I guess you can say life changing?" Her eyes slightly flutter up, smirking at something behind the screen.

I've been planning on surprising her when she gets back from Greece…

"Life changing? Is there someone else listening in on this conversation?"

Maybe surprising her with flowers…

"Percy, I'd like you to meet someone."

She likes roses, right? Maybe two dozen…

"So you're the 'Percy' who she won't shut up about.You know I've read a lot about in the magazines" A blonde dude squeezes next to Annabeth. He had a really edgy look to him, and I have to admit that he's decent looking. She laughs, playfully nudging him. Annabeth turns to me and rolls her eyes.

"Percy, this is Luke Castellan. I met him on the Princess Andromeda." I stare at the screen, smiling pleasantly.

"Nice to meet you, Percy."

"Nice to meet you too."I said painfully.

Annabeth tells me more about the trip, pretty much looking like she was about to explode with happiness. It's weird since Annabeth's always the more serious one between us.

"Anyways, did you know that Luke's a New Yorker? He's coming back with me!"

Luke this, Luke that. My head was swarming with the word "Luke".

"Ahh…so, what are you? Her boyfriend?" I finally take in their setting. They were sitting on a canopy bed. Luke was shirtless and Annabeth was wearing an over large dress shirt that came up to her knees.

They both exchanged glances and she slowly shook her head at him, a smile spreading on her lips.

"I guess you can say that." He winks at me, and nuzzles Annabeth. She laughs and turns back to me.

"We'll see you soon Perce!" She wiggles her fingers at the monitor and logs out.

I sit there staring at the blank monitor for at least 10 minutes. I sat back for a minute and just thought. I walked over to my couch and lay down. My chest was hurting very badly. What just happened there? There were so many questions swarming around in my head and then I just sat back and fell asleep.

Chapter 7

The airport was busy and bustling as I waited for Annabeth. She told me to wait at the airport at noon…great, I can spend the whole day watching Luke with Annabeth. My head was filled with nothing but these thoughts.

I was thinking this while driving, while having to endure sitting next to a wailing baby and while the airport hostess discreetly gave me her number. Luke and Annabeth, Annabeth and Luke, Lukabeth.

Urgh. I do not like the sound of that.

Well, I can hardly blame this guy for liking her…

"Percy?" I hear that familiar voice call. Strong and attentive, yet like music to my ears.

I get up, take in her white dress and messy hair, and then I smile and crush her into a bear hug. Oh Gods, I've missed her.

As if reading my thoughts, she says "I've really missed you!" When I finally get over my excitement, I see Luke standing off to the side, his hands dug deep in his pockets. I offer him a nod and hold out my hand.

"So you're Luke."

He grins at me but something isn't right in that smile…but I can't decide what's wrong. I stare at the long, white scar that runs from his eye to the edge of his lips. I've been in a fight or two before and I can tell that the mark on his face was no accident.

He clasps my hand and says "The one and only!" I couldn't help but eyes his watch.

"Shoot! I forgot one of my bags! I'll be right back." Annabeth pecks Luke on the check, smiles at me and then jogs back to the entrance. The second Annabeth was gone the open friendliness of Luke's face disappears.

I blink as Luke puts more pressure on my hand—not enough for it to hurt, but for me to realize how he's digging his fingers into my wrist.

"So you're just a friend of hers, right? I don't have to worry whether or not you'll be in the way?" His tone was menacing. I tried to pull away, starting to grow a little pissed.

Who the hell does this guy think he is? I take a deep breath; Annabeth really seems to like him…I guess we're off to just a bad start.

He leans towards me and looks me right in the eye.

"Tell me. Have you screwed her before?" He smirks at me, still putting pressure on my hand. "Because I've been trying for the past 3 months, but she's as sexed up as a nun."

That does it. I draw back my hand and then lunge out, striking him in the chest using the heel of my palm. It wouldn't hurt or anything, but it did what I intended it to do—to make him stumble and loose his footing.

Annabeth walks back to us, seconds after Luke got back up.

"Are you two getting along?" She smiled pleasantly. The Luke façade was back in place, a love struck expression on his face. Five minutes ago, I really thought that he loved her. Now I can just see how pathetic his attempts are.

He strides over to her, slips a hand behind her neck and kisses her deeply. His other hand snakes around her waist and pulls her to him…right in the middle of an airport!

Annabeth quickly turns to the side after about 10 seconds of this, her face pink.

"Okk,she starts while turning her head away and patting Luke's shoulders."Let's go get lunch!" She says hurriedly, and scrambles to get her bag. This makes me even more ticked off—Annabeth use to be so poised and level-headed. My God…is this what marriage does to someone?

Luke picks up the pace to follow Annabeth, but shoots me a look from behind and mouths, "See? What did I tell you? NUN!"

"Alright, so next week is the engagement party…it's when we tell all our friends and family about the big news." Annabeth says, all traces of her humor gone.

Luke looks startled but I only nod my head, my mouth pressed tightly together. Inside, I'm grinning like crazy to know that even Luke can't tame her hard-headedness. Trust me, I've seen this girl make amazing blue prints from scratch in a matter of hours…yet above her job, she sees her wedding as one more task to finish, one more task to go above and beyond on. This is the Annabeth that I love best.

"Luke, if you don't mind, I've already made a list of all the people invited to the party. They've all responded to the invitation; we're going to have a lot of people here. So, I've spoken with a friend of mine and she's booked a banquet hall not too far from here. The manager knows me personally, so I expect her to cut the price in half for us. As for other expenses…"

She trails on about this, not even checking to see if we're following along.

"As for the bridesmaids, you haven't met them yet Luke. Percy, you know them as much as I do. Thalia, Rachel and Silena. Thalia's going to be the maid of honor, and I chose Silena to be a bridesmaid since…well, then I wouldn't have to hire a makeup artist." She makes a face. "Oh! And I'm not too bothered about who the flower girl would be…maybe just one of my distant relatives or whatever."

I count off the roles of a wedding with my fingers.

"Bride…Groom…Bridesmaids…Flower Girl…" Oh Gods. A weird feeling settles in my stomach.

Annabeth gives me a huge smile. "I know this is a little weird, but I was hoping that you'd be the Best Man, Percy. You're one of the closest guys in my life."

Damn. I make my self look completely at ease.

"I don't know…isn't it Luke's decision?" I glance at him and his unbelievably fake smile.

"Don't sweat it. You seem like an okay dude." Yeah. And you seem like a total ass.

"So…Percy? Will you be the Best Man? Of course, I hope you and Luke could get together and get to know each other. I'm sure you'll knock it off."

When you say 'Knock it off' you mean; 'I'm sure you'll knock each other's heads off'.

I give her a helpless shrug. "Alright then. Best Man it is."

I turn to Luke and stare him dead in the eye, matching his fake smile with a fake smile of my own.

Something dangerous flashes in his eyes, but I mimic that look, giving him a silent message:

Why don't we let the best man win this, shall we?

Chapter 8

I drove home that night, bleary eyed and exhausted. On a normal circumstance, I would retreat to the bar if I was feeling this bitter and then get hammered.

I stand in stony silence in the elevator, barely make any noise when entering my home, throw the keys on the couch and then I fall into a still, listless sleep.

The next few weeks passed by in a rush. I barely saw Annabeth through any of it—she might as well have been back in Greece. She was either at work, planning the wedding, or with Luke.

"I hate weddings." I mumbled one day, during a swim meet.

My best friend Grover glances at me and makes a face. "Don't we all? Juniper's been practically shoving signs in my face that she wants me to get on one knee."

I sigh, and lean against the wall. "Why is Annabeth getting married to that jerk anyways?" I grumble.

I ignore Grover's astonished stare. "Percy…you realize that you have no say in this, right? And as Annabeth's closest friend you'd kill her if you said something like that?"

I glower at my reflection in the pool. "Have you even met the guy? He's a total douche bag. And she wants me to be the freaking best man."

Grover shrugged as if saying 'what can you do?'

"And no…I haven't met Luke yet. We're all meeting him tomorrow, at the engagement party."

"Brace yourself to meet the biggest asshole of the century." I mutter grimly.

The next morning, I wake up early and head to Annabeth's condo. She's doing amazing at her age.

I open up the door –it's always unlocked- and say "Honey, I'm home!" in a teasing voice.

Annabeth's mother pops her head out of the living room and glares at me. Oh boy.

"Perseus Jackson." I wince at her tone and the fact that she called me by my full name.

"Hiya Athena." I say sheepishly, nonchalantly edging towards the staircase.

Athena crosses her arms and gives me a hard stare. God, she looks like Annabeth. Well, take away how freakishly hot Annabeth is and just leave her intimidating features…and voila! You have Athena.

Well, I guess Athena isn't too bad looking. I wonder if Annabeth will look like her when she's older. What if....

WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING? I snap out of my perverted train of thought and stare wide eyed at Athena. She looks as if she knows what I'm thinking…Oh gods, please don't guess what I'm thinking about…

I bet the emotions are clear on the face: panic, disgust, guilt, anxiety, more disgust, and a whole lot more panic.

"So…I bet you're off to see my daughter. You do realize that she's engaged, right?"

I laugh nervously, running a hand through my hair. "Ahahaha…why would I see Annabeth when I could see a pretty lady like yourself?"

You see, usually when I'm feeling awkward…my neutral state of mind would go to being a flirt. And that doesn't really give Athena the best impression of me…

She stares at me in disgust. I shuffle around a bit and finally blurt out "Alright, I'm gonna go see Annabeth now!" And then I proceed to run up the stares like the hounds of Hell are at my feet.

"Annabeth, it's me." I open her door without knocking and come to halt, my eyes wide.

Annabeth's back is to me, her hands attempting to reach the back of her dress. The zipper of her dress was at the edge of her tailbone, giving me a full view of her back and well…underwear.

"Percy!" Annabeth gasped, whirling around.

My mouth was agape. I mean –trust me on this one- I've seen a lot more than my fair share of half naked girls in my lifetime but Annabeth's a completely different thing.

"I'm s-s-sorry!" I stutter covering my eyes, backing into the wall, and then scrambling for the door.

"No wait!" Annabeth calls. She gives me a helpless look.

"Can you help me with my zipper?" She gestures frantically towards the one on her back.

Calm down Percy…it's just a zipper. Be cool…

"Now?" I squeak. Way to be cool, stud.

She rolls her eyes and turns around. I edge forward cautiously, as if the ground was about to swallow me whole any second.

Moving her soft hair to one side, my hand inches down towards her zipper. I gently grab hold of it, zip it passed the curve of her back, her smooth tan skin, and then to the nape of her neck.

"See? That wasn't so hard." She says sarcastically, turning towards me and patting my shoulder. We were standing impossibly close to each other, with her cornered between me and her best.

"Uhh…yeah." I say, shifting slightly. I stare at her, and then at her dress. It was a dark blue dress…really? She knew that my favorite colour was blue…she was basically tempting me.

"Annabeth! Let's get going!" Athena called from downstairs. Annabeth jerked away from me, and the relaxed. She smiled at me. "Ready to meet everyone else?"

"Let's just get this over with." I mutter under my breath as Annabeth heads to the door.

The party was in full swing by the time I got there. I have to admit, Annabeth did a wonderful job on it—the place looked like something off the set of a movie.

Annabeth was leaning her head on Luke's shoulder, talking to a couple of other people. She gestured to her ring as the crowed kept "ooh"ing and "ahhh"ing.

Luke's hand was wrapped around her waist; a smug and cocky look placed on his face.

"Ridiculous." I scoff, peering at the food. I smile at the desserts; most of them were blue. Wait…first she asks me to zip up her dress, and then she puts out food that she knew I'd like? Shouldn't she be trying to please Luke, not me?

I glance up and catch her staring at me. I raise my eyebrows and lift up the blue food and she winks at me.

"I can't keep up with your stupid eye conversations." Thalia complains, nudging me.

"Hey Thalia." I muster up a smile. As always, she's wearing black—even to an engagement party. And to go with that, she had red heels and her lips were painted blood red.

She looks at me and announces loudly "You look like you just got kicked in the nuts. Why so glum?" Other people turn to stare and gawk at us.

I roll my eyes at her blunt honesty and then look back at Luke. "Have you met him yet?"

Thalia nods. "Mhhmm…he seems", she looks around, as if grouping for words. "…cool." She says at last.

"He seems cute." Silena whispers, joining in on the conversation. She was wearing a yellow sundress, her sleek straight hair fastened to a silver barrette. Behind her was Rachel, who was wearing a fitting strapless dress that was beige.

"I don't know…doesn't he seem kind of weird? Like he's hiding something…" She muses.

"Not weird! Mysterious!" Silena trills, helping herself to a strawberry coated in chocolate.

"Here's the bridal party!" Annabeth beams at all of us, pulling Luke behind her. He eyes the bridesmaids. They might not know what to look for in him that completely screams JERK, but I do. His eyes linger a second to long on the bridesmaids…a little too long for comfort.

"Percy, I hope you don't mind—but I need the bridesmaids for a quick talk. Be right back!" Annabeth and the others leave.

It's just me and Luke.

"So Luke. Enjoying the party?" I ask stiffly.

He shrugs. "I'm enjoying the view." He studies a couple of Silena's cousins and friends. They looked pretty much like Silena—all blonde and blindingly pretty. I knew most of them—back when we were little, we use to nickname them Aphrodite girls.

"Are you serious?" I growl, clenching my fists.

He grins at me. "Well, the bridesmaids do look pretty hot. And isn't that kind of cliché? The groom banging a bridesmaid? I don't know…Thalia's kind of hot in that Goth way of hers. But Silena's pretty cute too…"

I grind my teeth together. "Back off, Luke."

He raises an eyebrow at me, a stupid smirk on his face. He leans in towards me.

"Maybe I could do them both at once? And maybe Rachel too? I think I might just do that." He laughs.

"SHUT UP!" I roar. I usually don't lose my cool when it comes to guys like him, but the fact that a guy like him was marrying Annabeth just crossed the line.

Putting all my strength into my knuckle, I draw back my hand and then I aim for Luke's jaw. Luke was quick—instead of his jaw, I hit his shoulder.

He falls backwards, colliding into Dionysus, another distant family relative. In turn Dionysus goes flying into the food table, making it crash to the ground. All the food splatters facedown on the ground. Not a single plate of food survived.

Everyone around us gasped at stared at Dionysus.

"I'm okay! I'm okay!" He slurs. Even from where I was standing, I could smell the scent of alcohol reeking in his breath.

Another cousin of mine, Michael Yew crouches down next to Dionysus. He looks down at him, his pointy nose twitching at the smell of liquor. "He's fine…just really intoxicated." He runs a hand through his black hair, an exasperated smile on his scrunched up face.

"I can't believe he got this drunk."

"He crashed into the food table!"

"That's Dionysus for you."

Mutters and murmurs filled the air. No one glared at Luke and me. No one accused us. No one called out for our blood. No one saw what happened.

I take a deep breath and shove my shaky hands into my pockets. Luke plays the perfect host—slowly helping Dionysus up, inspecting the damage and helping clean up. All traces of what happened seconds ago between us are gone…for now.

I take a deep breath and slowly looked around.

No one was staring at me…I turn to walk away from the scene and then I see her.

Annabeth. I could see it in her face that she saw what happened between Luke and me.

She didn't hear anything, but she saw.

She saw.

And the look on her face was stunned.

Chapter 9

The clock keeps ticking yet time seems to stand still in Annabeth's living room. I look up when she walks in, still dressed in her engagement dress. Her face is blank when she sits across from me.

"Hey beautiful, did I tell you how great you looked tonight?." I don't think that it's the time to say that, especially when Annabeth's poker face crumples, revealing anger, but I didn't want to talk about Luke.

"What the hell happened in there, Percy?" She demands.

I look around uncomfortably and then I resort to answering her question with a question of my own.

"Why are you marrying Luke?"

"Because he's right for me." Not because she loves him. Hmmm…

"You've only known him for 3 months! How stupid can you be to get engaged so quickly?" I explode, standing up quickly.

Annabeth gets up too, her face red. She's been called a whore, a bimbo, and even a bitch but she always brushes those words off. Yet, the only thing that offends her most is being called stupid. Go figure.

"Why do you even care so much?" Her voice sounds so much louder in the quiet room.

The words were stuck in my throat. Because I love you.

When I don't answer, Annabeth gives me a disgusted look and turns around.

My arms twitch, wanting to wrap themselves around her, but I don't give in.

"Do you love Luke?"

She doesn't look at me. "Y-yes, Yes, I do".

"Do you love me?" I ask.

She says her answer without hesitating. "I do." But then she rethinks her words and carefully adds, "But in a different way."

I exhale loudly, tired of our fight.

"Wise Girl?"

She turns around at this, her eyes still hard but her face softening at the mention of her nickname.

"Just promise you that you'll think things through? Before it's too late? That you'll be 100% sure about your decision? And if that's not what you want…" I stop and I look at her.

Annabeth glances at me and then at the clock. "Whatever. I promise. And promise me that you'll spend time getting to know Luke?"

I groan but nod at this. Annabeth looks satisfied and relieved that our fight blew over.

"Great, because Luke wanted to know if you're free to hangout with him tomorrow." She gives me a hard look.

An image of me shoving look appears in my mind. I really shouldn't go…

"Alright." I say at last.

She visibly relaxes, all her hunched up muscles lowering. I remember that after work, she would come straight to my house, looking exactly how she did now. I always agreed to give her a massage as long as she paid for the next time we went out to lunch. Those were the days...

She walks towards me and kisses my check. It wasn't a European styled kiss; it was slow and soft and lingering and searing hot. When she pulled away, my mind wandered. It wandered to how amazing that felt. My mind marveled at the fact that just this sweet kiss made me react this way…A flashback of college came into my mind.
"Night Perce. I'll call Luke and he'll text you the directions." She whispers while opening the door for me to leave.

"Can't I stay here for the night? It's kind of late." I stretch out on the couch and yawn.

Annabeth looks uncomfortable. "Umm…Luke will be here soon. Today was our engagement party and all…"

I try not to look pissed off at the fact Luke will be here, just a little before midnight. I shrug, and dig my hands into my pockets.

Its alright. I'll see you later." I pat her arm as I walk outside into the chilly night. Man, did I already say that I hate marriage? I don't think so. Well.

I hate marriage.

…

I walk down the creepy alleyway, passed the scary hobos, into the sketchy bar.

"This better not be a crack house." I mutter, digging my phone deeper into my pocket. I then saw flashes of gold from cameras in the street. No, no please not now! I ran to the door of the bar and stepped in quickly. It will only be a matter of time before they come in here. Ill have to make this quick.

I was whisked into the staggering scent of alcohol. Don't get me wrong—I was the life of the party back in college. But my idea of a party consisted of half naked college girls, tons of booze and music blasting through speakers along with a game of Beer Pong.

Clearly, Luke's idea of a party was a stingy old pool bar filled with middle aged musty smelling drunks.

I spot Luke sitting by the counter, talking to another dude. Before I go up to him, I size up the other dude. He was wiry and slim, but looked strong. I couldn't see his eyes—he wore dark sunglasses, even in this dim bar.

Luke sees me when I approach and shoots me that cold smile.

"Prissy, my man!"

"It's Percy." I say flatly, but then I remember Annabeth's conversation the night before, and I manage a smile.

"Prissy." Luke says, smirking. I shrug. Whatever, asshole.

"Prissy, this is Ethan Nakamura. A really good friend of mine."

I exchange nods with Ethan, ignoring the fact the Luke called me Prissy again.

"So, if you're such a good friend of Luke's…than why aren't you the Best Man?"

Ethan snorts. "I don't do weddings. And plus, I don't care about the wedding. It's all about the money that we make after Luke marries—"

"Ethan!" Luke snaps, his face cold and his voice harsh.

But I heard just enough. "What the hell is he talking about? It's all about the money that we make after Luke marries…Annabeth? What the f-k?" I say in a low tone. I take a step closer to Luke, glowering down on him.

Luke laughs uneasily. "Percy, let's talk about this. Man to man. Best man to man. You know how successful that witch Athena is, right? And now Annabeth. I'm purely doing this to get in on some of that cash. We're all working men. So why don't we let this go, and get this good man a drink!" Luke says the end of his sentence to the bartender, who scurries off to get more booze.

"No." I shake my head and back away. "Annabeth needs to know about this. She thinks that you love her."

Luke laughs and raises his palms. "Sure, sure. I love her body. She's a great package deal; incredible sex and money! Any man would do the same thing as me."

He looks me up and down, an easy going smile on his face. "Any man…" He muses. "Say, Percy. Are you giving me a hard time because you want the money? Is that what this is all about?"

Ethan smirks"Like he even needs it"

"No!" I snarl. "I don't want any money."

Luke gulps down his beer and then rubs his chin, thinking. "Oh, so you want her? Like I said, any man would. Wouldn't you, Ethan?"

Ethan chortles, clearly enjoying this conversation. "Oh yeah. Definitely. What's-her-name is a babe."

I loose my temper. "Of course I want her! I LOVE HER!" I shout, lunging for Luke.

Ethan grabs me and pins me down before I could lay a hand on Luke. That bastard sits back on his stool, still smiling.

"So, you love her? Oh no…this isn't going to do. Haven't you heard of not chasing another man's girl? We've got to teach him this lesson, don't we Ethan?"
Just then I saw more flashes from cameras, no , no this is not good!

Luke reaches for his wallet, slaps down a twenty on the counter, stands up, stretches and walks out the door.

"Let's go, punk." Ethan sneers, still holding me down.

…
Cameras were still following me everywhere I went, looks likeI wasnt going to be able to escape this guys..Great.
I have to admit, I put up a fight. And, I have to say that the broken nose Luke got won't ever quite be the same again.

But I was outnumbered.

…

It was dark outside when I finally woke up in that alleyway. I groan, my ribs bruised and aching.

I stagger, slowly getting to my knees and then to my feet.
A man from the paparazzi comes near me. I thought he was going to help me up but instead just took a closeup shot. Now ill have to see my face all in the magazines tomorrow and find an excuse for all this.

I call a cab, squinting at the street signs and mumbling the address.

"You okay, bud? You don't look so good." The cab driver gives me an uneasy glance through the rearview mirror. "You ain't gonna be making trouble, are you?"

I mutter that I'm not and I reach for my cell phone.

It's obvious that Annabeth won't believe me, not matter how much proof I have.

'There's only one way to settle this' I think while typing in a text to her:

Srry about last night. Met Luke up 2night; It was good. I miss u. Wanna chill all day tmr? It'll b like the old days! :)

Annabeth's reply comes seconds later:

Good to know! :) And ofc! I'll meet u at ur place. Can't wait! Ttyl 3

There's only one way to settle this…

And it's by winning her over.

Chapter 10

"Percy, let's go!"

"Ungh I dont think so" I moan, burying my face into the pillow.

"Per-cy!" Annabeth whines in an exasperated tone. In response, I pull the covers over my head. This is my own personal fort…no one can enter. I smile, thinking back to when I was a kid making forts all the time.

"But Percy…my dress is going through a total wardrobe malfunction and I need clothes before it rips even more! Annabeth says frantically.

That got my attention. I whip the covers off and squint at Annabeth; who was indeed wearing a dress, but it was not falling apart. She laughs at my expression.

"Gotcha!"

I run my eyes over her dress; a soft pearly white, tightened and laced up in all the right places.

"Who let you in?" I mumble. She stretches out beside me and looks up through her lashes, mocking innocence.

"I have my ways." She says boldly, curling up next to me. It was a bright Saturday morning; the sun was shining, the birds were chirping…and Annabeth was pulling off my shirt?

"What are you doing?" I sputter when Annabeth rips off my shirt and straddles me. She peers intently at my stomach, which was covered in fist-sized bruises.

I try not to hyperventilate out the fact that Annabeth Freaking Chase was on top of me.

"Luke told me what happened." Annabeth says softly, gingerly running her fingers on my blue and purple torso.

I stare at and carefully say, "What exactly did he tell you?"

She looks down. "That you…umm…hooked up with some girl? And she had a boyfriend, who wasn't too pleased about what you did. Luke stepped in half way and the guy broke his nose." I stare at her in amazement. She actually believed that shit?

"Uhmm…sure I mean yeahh."

Annabeth stares at the space above my head, blinking quickly. "Who was she?" she asked, not looking at me. I laugh uneasily, unable to think of a name on the spot.

"Just some girl."

She looks away and mutters, "You ruin her relationship and you don't even remember her name..."

Great. Luke just made me look like the biggest douche bag of the century. Move over Chris Brown and Kanye West.

Suddenly, my lower body reacts in a way that I am very familiar with, alerting me that Annabeth was still in the position she started off in.

"Annabeth, isn't there some sort of line you can't cross when you're engaged? Such as provocatively straddling and ripping off the shirt of another guy?"

Annabeth turns over and lays next to me her face beat red.

"Well does this cross the line?" Annabeth asks boldly, wrapping her arm around my bare torso and placing her warm cheek on my shoulder. I pull away, my face serious.

"Annabeth you're engaged."

Am I crazy, why did I say that?! I hastily shuffle closer, pressing myself against her and my covers for warmth.

"But what the hell do I know? If you think this is right, then it probably is."

…

"Oh heavens! Look at the size of that ring! You two look like a perfect couple!" A middle aged group of ladies coo.

"Umm, we're not—"I begin uneasily, but Annabeth cuts in.

"I know! Percy must have spent a fortune on it!" Annabeth winks and shoots me a playful look, as if to say 'play along, Percy!'

I grin, my arm snaking around her waist, pulling her close. I nuzzle her collar bone, smirking at her. "People do crazy things when they're in love." I shrug helplessly at the ladies.

"My fate to her was sealed from the moment I saw her!" I mutter, lacing my fingers through hers. A few years ago, I wouldn't have been caught dead saying those kinds of stuff…well, times have changed.

I go on to describe how we met in college, how my 'angel' was the first person I saw after I blacked out.
"At first I thought I was in heaven but then I realized I was just in the spot where I slipped earlier and..." During the end of my story I shoot Annabeth –who looked strangely shaken- a look. You got us into this mess…HELP ME!

She stutters out a few words, still staring at me with that weird expression. One lady sighs, ACTUAL tears in her eyes.

"My my, you're making her swoon!" Another lady snickers.

"That's a love struck expression, alright. I know one when I see one."

Annabeth –whose lips were parted through my whole story- presses them together and hastily takes a step away from me.

"Alright, ladies! We have to go now…" She grabs my hand and tows me away. One of the older ladies –and the more shameless one- cackled and hollered, "Go get some, son!" shaking her fist.
I give her a weird look.As we walk out I see the paparazzi chasing after me and Annabeth.

At this, Annabeth covers her head with her hand, her cheeks flaming. I wave, chuckling at her embarrassment, and then I get a brilliant idea. Pulling Annabeth to me, I lean against a tree,out of the cameras veiw. We were in Central Park; normally it's super busy but not today.

"What are we doing today, wifey?" I ask softly, kissing her temple. She freezes in my arms, blinks, and stares up at me with those huge, tempting, wonder filled eyes.

"What?"

In reply, I hold her hand and bring each of her fingers to my lips. This is so not me; but, thinking of Annabeth as mine made me feel so…so…entirely different.

"Today, you're Mrs. Jackson and I'm Mr. Jackson. I proposed to you after 6 years of dating. I convinced you to sneak back into our college swim track. There, at the exact spot we met, I got down on one knee. The water was bright blue in the dark room and its reflections bounced off our faces, making you look –impossibly- even more stunning then you are now. It was the happiest day of my life."

Annabeth stares at me, speechless. Taking advantage of her silence, I slip off her wedding ring and put it in my pocket.

"Hey! My ring! PERCY what are you doing?"

I sigh, pretending to look annoyed. "Annabeth, this is why you got that B in drama! This is role-play, okay?" She glances at her bare finger. After a pause, she nods. "FINE, go on!"

Next, I pull out my college ring. "Annabeth Chase, you are the smartest, most amazing, most gorgeous girl that I've ever met. Annnnd…I'm making this up on the spot, so I beg you to still love me, despite how pathetic my speech sounds. Annabeth Chase, will you marry me, just for today?" I smirk, getting down on one knee.

Annabeth nods, a grin on her face. "Okay. And Kelp Head, you honestly have to work on that proposal.

I slip my ring onto her finger and then crush her into a swinging hug. "She said yes!" I shout dramatically, with Annabeth chuckling behind me and everyone within a 50 meter distance stopping and staring.

…

"Percy, why do we have to sneak into the college swimming pool? I'm sure that your Coach would let us use her pool if we ask." Annabeth complains, her eyes hidden behind her dark sunglasses.

I pull her to me and kiss her shoulder, murmuring, "Where's the fun in that?

This day has been amazing. After my proposal, we spent the rest of the day walking up and down the streets of New York hand in hand. I even did something that I wouldn't do in a million years; go to the library. Annabeth wanted to check out a book, and who was I to say no to her?

She stands in the main room by a huge stack of new arrivals. The librarian's really crabby and doesn't like people touching un-priced items, but I've noticed that he'll let Annabeth do pretty much whatever she wants.

She has her head bent over a delicate red book. Her curls, which are up in a bun, are desperately trying to escape the coil wrapped around with a hair tie. One strap of her dress is hanging off her shoulder as she tilts her head, exposing her soft, tan skin.

I want to run my hands over her delicate skin, to kiss her. I go over to her and brush my lips against her neck, pulling the strap over her shoulder.

I've never wanted her like this before; as melodramatic as it sounds; I love her so much that it hurts.

It's nighttime now, almost the end of our temporary 'marriage'. This brings us to where I left off; me convincing Annabeth to break into her mom's backyard so we could use the pool.

She gives in, but not before commenting, "This gives you a C in responsibility, Percy."

I peer through the gates into the pool area.

"We could just jump the fence from the back?" Annabeth suggests, her face shining with excitement in the dim streetlight.

"Sure." I mutter, when she brushes past me, lingering a little too close in the humid night.

"Percy, boost me up!" She demands, her arms high over her head. The hem of her dress stretches up, giving view to her toned thighs.I look down" Yeah soo um hurry up!" I say closing my eyes.

I hoist her over the fence and jump it over myself. We admire the large, pool.Its been forever since we've been here together.

"So, ready for some skinny dipping?" I say grinning. Annabeth looks horrified.

"Gods NO!"

"IM just kidding I promise"
I chuckle, unbuttoning my shirt, and then I cannonball into the pool in my pants. A few moments later I hear a splash and I see Annabeth break through the surface for air.

I stare at her. She's so beautiful. I reach over to her, cupping her face with my hand. She closes her eyes and inhales, stepping closer to me. Then, she opens them, her smoky eyes staring right at me the clear bright blue water reflecting off of them.

"Percy.... is this wrong?"

I lean towards her,my fingers slowly run up and down her arm, catching beads of water.

"Does this feel wrong to you?"

She sighs. "No." She shakes her head"this is wrong so ....why does it feel so right?"

I blink, looking into those serene eyes. This is it…

"Who's out there?" A man's voice shouts, along with the noise of barking dogs. Annabeth jerks back and looks at me, wide eyed.

"Security!" She hisses, pulling me to the edge of the pool. We scramble out of the pool, grabbing our clothes –not even bothering to throw them on- and we run to the fence.

I grab hold of Annabeth to hoist her up, vaguely noticing how soft yet toned she was.

We stand outside the gate, in only our clothes, panting. Our gasps soon turn into snickers, then chuckles, then giggles and finally full out laughter. After our little laughing fit, we pull on our clothes and I check the time.

"I look at my watch. It's a little after midnight. Looks like that Ball's over, Cinderella." I say wistfully.

Annabeth's face is blank, tinged with an unreadable emotion. We stand in an uncomfortable silence for a couple moments.

"Alright. I have to go, Percy. Thank you for today." She kisses my cheek, her wet hair tickling my face, and then jogs down the street, leaving me wet, sad and yearning.

Third Person POV

Annabeth gets home around one in the morning. She pulls up a chair and dials Luke's number, only to find his voicemail. Her fingers coil around the telephone wire and then linger on her hair; it seemed like only moments ago Percy was running his hands through it.

She taps her finger to her lips, wondering if spending so much time with him was wrong. Surely, it isn't? He's her best friend, right? So, he flirts a bit…and she flirts back. So, he's a male…and she's a female. So, he's Percy…and she's Annabeth.

She sits in that chair for hours in silence until dawn. Thinking…

About Percy.

Chapter 11

I clutch the diamond ring in my hand, pacing back and forth in front of Annabeth's door. Quick Recap: When Annabeth and I got "married" yesterday I took off her ring, slipped it into my pocket and I put my college ring onto her finger. And now I forgot to give her actual ring back.

Taking a deep breath, I ring the doorbell.

"Welcome to the Br—Percy?" Rachel shrieks, backing inside Annabeth's condo.

I raise my eyebrows at her; she was wearing a cocktail dress with a party hat tilted on the side of her head. I could hear chatter coming from inside.

"What's going on?" I ask suspiciously, looking over the top of Rachel's head. She slams the door shut behind her before I could get a good look.

"Percy what are you doing here?" She demands impatiently, tapping her foot.

"I came to see Annabeth." I said defensively. Rachel rolls her eyes and gives me a withering look.

"Go home. We're busy."

"Hey!" I protest when she tries to push me towards the stairs. "What are you guys doing? Let me in!" I didn't even know what was going on, but I needed to give Annabeth her ring back before anyone noticed.

"No. Leave. Now." Rachel said thrusting a finger at the stairs. I cross my arms stubbornly.

"No."

"PERCY!"

"What's going on here?" Thalia steps outside, looking from me to Rachel. She was wearing a silver strapless dress, which illuminated her dark hair.

"Percy's not going away. This is for girls only!" Rachel pouts.

Thalia runs an eye over me and smirks. "Oh, I'm sure we can make an exception."

I shoot Rachel a smug look. She looks frustrated. "No! We can't! It ruins the whole purpose of the party! And we worked so hard on it…it has to be proper!"

My ears perked up. "Party?"

Thalia still had that smirk on her face. "Just wait here…I need to get something."

She comes back moments later, holding a weird looking hat. She puts it on my head and beams.

"What the hell is this?" I demand, reaching for the hat.

"Don't! It's a beret. See, we're all wearing hats?" Thalia was wearing a crown –probably since she's the Maid of Honor- and Rachel was wearing a party hat since it was a party. What the hell is with the 'beret'?

"Come on in Percy, it's just getting started."

Thalia gives me an odd look and then opens the door.

"Thank you." I say pointedly, grinning at Rachel.

I step into Annabeth's home and my eyes go wide. "Woah." The place looks unrecognizable; draped in shades of red, pink, and black. Streamers hang from the sides of the wall, and a big banner that catches your eye the moment you walk in, which says: "BRIDAL SHOWER!"

Inside Annabeth's home are dozens of girls; all dressed in dresses that looked pretty expensive. They all freeze when I enter, their eyes wide.

"What's a guy doing here?"

"Oh my gosh! You guys hired a male stripper for this? I thought that was for bachelorette parties…"

"Shut up! He's hot—he can strip any day."

Thalia hurries to my rescue. "Ladies! He is not a stripper. This is Percé and he's one of Annabeth's closest friends." (AN: I'm not sure if the accent will show up on FF, but I spelt his name Perce; the last "e" has an accent on it.) She said my name weird…Perce-ay. Like café…

Knowing "ooohs" filled the air.

"I love your beret, Percé! Is it designer?"

"Of course! You have excellent taste in clothes, too!" Another girl chimed in.

Conversations like this went on for the next few minutes, leaving me baffled and confused. Soon enough, like a royal princess, Annabeth enters the room, beaming.

Her hair was down. She was wearing a navy dress, with gold hoop earrings and bracelets.

"Thank you everyone for making it to my Bridal Shower! I'm so happy that all of you are here; friends, family…PERCY?" Annabeth stops, staring at me with raised eyebrows.

Thalia grinned. "Percé wouldn't miss it for the world! What? We all need some girl time, right?" She nudges me.

"Uh…right." I say, still confused and suspicious of the evil glint in Thalia's eyes.

Annabeth gives me a small smile –she still looks surprised, but pleasantly surprised. I let my eyes wander down to her left hand…and I see that she's still wearing my college ring…Oh no…

"Anyways, we have a bunch of games planned for today! The first game is…"

As much as I tried to get Annabeth alone, it was nearly impossible. She was always talking to someone else, or others were trying to make small talk with me. And they weren't looking at me like girls usually do…

"So, what are you wearing to the wedding?" A brunette asked me, giving me a friendly smile.

"Uhm…a double breasted suit?"

She blinks. "Oh. Well, I'm sure that we'll all be eye candy to the guys at the wedding, right?" She giggles and begins to talk to other girls. What the hell?

Another girl turns to me and grins. She was a strawberry blonde with soft looking bangs that fell across her forehead. Her eyes were chocolate brown.

"Do you have a date to the wedding yet?"

I stare at her, jaws slack. Dang, I'm good…

"No…" She's pretty cute too…

"Great! Because my brother doesn't have a partner either…maybe you two could go on a blind date?"

The gears in my head started to work. The "fashionable" hat I was wearing, "Percé", girls asking me girly questions…Oh Gods, they think I'm…effeminate. So much for thinking that I'm hot stuff to these ladies. I clench my teeth, immensely annoyed. Thalia…

"S'cuse me." I mutter, turning into the kitchen, where I last saw Thalia. She grins at me when she sees me, a wicked glint in her eyes.

"Percé! What's up?"

"Don't start." I growl, ripping off my stupid hat and tossing it to her. She laughs, doubling over by the sink.

"I'm taking off. I'll see you later."

"About time! What part of 'Bridal Shower' did you not get?" She chuckles.

And I thought Rachel was the harsh one…

I make my way through the crowd and I step outside. Immediately, I come face to face with Annabeth and Luke. From their body positions, I could tell that things were tense.

"Don't make me repeat myself." He growled. I felt myself bristle at his tone. When he takes a step towards her, I cut in, standing in front of her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Where's Annabeth's ring?" Luke looks at me calmly, his hands in his pockets. I finally take a good look at Luke and I smirk. Oh yeah, that broken nose isn't going to be normal for a while…

Annabeth's face flushes when she sees me and her eyes narrow at Luke.

"He has nothing to do with this." She says in a low voice.

"Really? What's in your hand then?" Luke says staring at my right fist.

Stupid, Stupid, Stupid, Stupid, STUPID. I forgot to put Annabeth's ring in my pocket.

I sigh, opening my hand to reveal the ring, glaring against the light. Annabeth sucks in a breath.

Luke stares at the diamond ring and then at Annabeth's finger, which still had my college ring on it.

"Why does he have your ring?"

"Luke—" Annabeth begins.

"WHY DOES HE HAVE YOUR RING?" He roars, taking another step closer. All conversation on the other side of the door stops and we're left in an eerie silence.

"It's all a big misunderstanding, Luke." I reach for Annabeth's hand to slide off my ring.

"Don't touch her!" Luke shouts, shoving me back. Before I could shove him back, Annabeth cuts in.

"LUKE!" She screams, getting in between us, her arms stretched out like a barrier.
I could see the curse words on the tip of his tongue, but he doesn't say them …and I understand why.

"Why don't you just leave then?" I spit out, gently pulling Annabeth away from him. I stand behind her, my fingers curled over her shoulders. She's breathing hard, her fists clenched.

Luke looks taken aback. "What?"

Annabeth tries to turn around to face me, but I hold her tight.

"That's right." I say, suddenly grinning over Annabeth's head. "If you're so pissed off, why don't you leave?"

"PERCY!" Annabeth gasps, trying to slip out of my grip.

I know exactly why Luke isn't leaving. That sneaky bastard. He's being careful not to do anything too drastic, anything that will completely blow his chances of getting Annabeth's money. As pissed as he is, he still wants Annabeth for her fortune.

"Just leave. If you jump to conclusions like this all the time, then I have to say—this will be a pretty horrible marriage."

Annabeth jabs me in the ribs with her elbow and leaps out of my hold. She whirls around to face the both of us, her face red and angry.

"Both of you! ENOUGH! Just please, stop!" Annabeth cries in outrage, leaning against the wall and burying her face into her hands.

Luke glares at me and then forcibly softens his look at her. "I'm sorry. Just call me later." He says gruffly, backing away. He swears under his breath, turns around, and stomps off. Just like that. No real apology, no checking to make sure Annabeth's ok.

I walk towards Annabeth and I wrap my arms around her, leaning into that familiar scent that I've known for so long. We stay like that for a while, just basking in the hug. She reluctantly pries my fingers off and stares up at me. Her cheeks are still a little red and her eyes are weary.

"Why did you butt in like that?"

"Because I love you and I can't stand the thought of anyone causing you pain."

It's strange…I've told Annabeth that I loved her many times before; but they were always a friendly "I love you". The way I said it this time wasn't romantic, nor was it friendly. It was a plain fact. I do love her. And I pretty much would beat the crap out of anyone who would hurt her.

She stares up at me, with those unblinking wise eyes. "You know, sometimes you cause me to hurt."

I look down at her, never taking my eyes off her face. I reach for her hand and I place her wedding ring into her palm.

I open up my hand, waiting for her to slide off my ring.

"You can cause me to hurt too, Wise Girl." I grin, my hand still waiting.

She blinks, and then pushes aside my hand, pulling away from me.

"I guess we still have things to sort out then." She says in an all business like tone.

"I guess we do." I smile again. "You should get back to the party. It's for you, anyways."

When she opens the door, we see all her guest crowded around it. Ease droppers!

They quickly back away, looking nonchalant. I smile, shaking my head. Before I walk down the stairs, I stop and think. Looking over my shoulder, I see Annabeth slip her wedding ring into her pocket. She was still wearing my ring…

As I drag my feet down the stairs, someone's voice breaks the silence.

"So, he's not gay?"

Thanks again for that, Thalia.

Chapter 12

That morning:

We walk into the diner, heading straight for a table beside the window. I lock eyes with a waitress and smile; her eyes widen and she scurries to our table.

"Can I get you anything?" She asks breathlessly, her eyes glued to my face.

"Coffee. Two cream, two sugars." Thalia says, taking off her sunglasses.

"A latte with skimmed milk." Silena looks down at her phone, staring at a text.

"Some soda, please." Rachel says pleasantly, smoothing down her hair.

I order a Caramel Frappucino, thinking of all those times I ordered something here with Annabeth. The waitress returned quickly, handing us our orders. On the lid of my drink is a phone number, probably the waitress' . I sigh, pushing the drink away.

"So, what's this about Thalia?" Rachel asks, blinking against the afternoon sunlight. Thalia leans forward and gestures to all of us with her hand.

"What do you think? It's about the wedding. We need to take Annabeth Wedding Dress shopping!"

Rachel squeals and claps, but Silena looks oddly pale. I stare at them blankly.

"And I'm here because…?"

"Because, Percé, we need a male's opinion."

"Oh boy…"

…That Afternoon:

"Guys, we honestly don't have to do this." Annabeth sighs, as we walk towards the store.

"Sure, sure. You can walk down the aisle wearing overalls." Rachel waves away Annabeth's hesitation and pushes open the doors of the boutique. We were whisked into the sight and smell of laces, silk and very costly things.

"This is just like that show, Say Yes to the Dress!" Rachel marvels. I glance at everyone; Annabeth looks nervous, Thalia looks bored, Rachel looks awed…and Silena was all sad looking.

"You alright, Silena?" I ask, poking her arm. She yelps, jumping away from me with wide eyes.

"Oh…hehe. I'm fine!" She chirps, not looking at me. I raise my eyebrows, but I don't say anything.

"Welcome! Can I help you with anything?" A middle aged lady in professional clothes strides up to us, all smiles. Annabeth shuffles around, fiddling with the hem of her skirt.

"I don't know the whole protocol for this…"

The lady beams at Annabeth. It was creepy…it was like that grin was glued to her face.

"Ooh! A first timer! Do you have anything you want to look at in particular?"

Annabeth looks clearly out of her league here. Thankfully, Rachel comes to the rescue, pulling out printed pictures from her bag.

"I was thinking it would be more like this…see the neckline? Yeah, I thought that would be good too! Totally! I love the pattern on this!" She bubbled happily to the lady. Urgh, now they BOTH have that creepy smile.

"Wait…remind me again…whose wedding is this?" Thalia mutters under her breath, smiling at the enthusiastic Rachel. The lady took us to a waiting room, where the four of us sat down, and she hooked her arm through Annabeth's, pulling her to the dressing room.

I'll skip all the details and just say…it was so freaking hard for them to make up their minds. An argument broke out between Rachel and Thalia every five minutes, with them critiquing Annabeth's dresses.

"Ok, you know what guys? I'll find my own dress." Annabeth angrily stomps to the massive rows filled with clothes. In seconds, she was swallowed by a sea of poofy dresses. And I, being ever so the gentlemen, went after her. Looking up and down the rows, I couldn't finder her anywhere. Eventually, I poke my head into her dressing room…and I immediately wish I hadn't. A beefy 60 something year old screamed "PERV!"

Oh Gods…I'm scarred for life.

"I'm—I'm sorry!" I stammer. How was I supposed to know this wasn't Annabeth's dressing room? THEY ALL LOOK THE SAME, DAMMIT!

"Somebody, help!" The lady grabbed her purse and started bashing me in the face with it. I use my arm to shield my face, backing away.

"SORRY!" I shout, sprinting out of the room. I run for the back exist and I inhale the outside air thankfully, glad that I was out of there. My eyes land on Annabeth who was sitting in front of the building.

"You having fun?" I ask with a soft smile. She raises her head and glowers at me.

"Not funny, Kelp Head."

I shrug and sit on the dirty ground next to her, my back leaning against the rough, brick wall. I stretch out my legs, bumping it lightly against hers.

"I don't know much about this…but aren't you supposed to love this? Don't all girls like shopping? I tease. She nudges me in the ribs with her elbow, glowering at me…but I saw her lip twitch.

"Is that a smile? Is Ms. Chase smiling? I think I see a smile there…" I grin. Annabeth ducks her head, pauses, and then looks up. She gives me an amused expression.

She laughs, shaking her head.… She stands up, chuckling.

"Let's go. This was clearly a disaster."

I pull myself up and follow her into the building. As we pass the aisles of dresses, Annabeth stretches out her arm, her fingers skimming each and every dress. Who cares about the dress? Annabeth's beautiful. She doesn't need a dress to know that…I stop, my eyes locked to a dress. Annabeth stops a few paces ahead and turns around. Her mouth begins to form my name but I cut her off.

It was perfect. It was just…perfect. "How about that one?" I ask softly, my eyes still glued to it. Yes. She would look incredible in it.

Annabeth follows my gaze and freezes. We stand there, just staring at it. Finally, she speaks.

"It's perfect." She sighs and reaches down to hold my hand. Her fingers are soft and warm in my hand. She sighs again.

"Thank you, Percy."

…

We leave the store, exhausted and satisfied.

"I can't believe that Percy chose the dress! Isn't that MY job?" Rachel laments, her lip jutting out in a pout. Thalia rolls her eyes.

"Rachel…I'm the Maid of Honor. You two stole my job."

I glance at Silena; she barely said anything through this whole trip…which is a very un-Silena like thing to do. Her cell phone rings and she whips it out in a hurry, scurrying around the corner.

Strange…

I look back; Annabeth's trying to resolve Thalia and Rachel's argument…I look back and silently approach Silena. Her back faced me, crouched and defensive. I was about to turn back, but her words stopped me cold.

"Luke, stop!" She says tearfully, sniffling.

Luke?

"It was just one night! I was drunk…please don't tell Annabeth! She's my cousin…I love her."

Oh my Gods…

"No! I don't want to meet you anymore! Stop, please! It was a one night stand…I don't want to do this anymore…

I clench my teeth; Luke's cheating on Annabeth…with Silena. But it sounds like she's trying to stop it…

"You can't threaten me like this!" Silena cries into the phone. Her shoulders shake with a sob. She whispers something into the phone and puts it into her pocket. She then wipes her eyes hurriedly.

I back away, to where Annabeth and everyone else are, trembling with anger. Luke…

"Everything alright, Silena?" Annabeth asks.

I look up and I see Silena walking towards us.

She smiles brightly. "Oh yeah! Perfect."

The girls turn back to what they were doing, but I still stare at Silena. No one else heard it…

Heard the hollowness in her voice when she said "perfect".

After we got her dress I convinced Annabeth to go eat lunch with me since we both needed a break.
We went inside a sandwich shop and I asked her what she wanted. She was facing a magazine rack and reading a magazine. "Annabeth," I say walking towards her. She turns to face me but her eyes are still glued to the magazine. I look across her shoulder at the shelf and my heart drops. On the cover is me and Luke tackling each other.

I grab the magazine from her slowly. "Dont read that, you out of all people should know how fake these are" I thought about all the times magazines had specials about me and Annabeth having a 'secret' relationship with each other.

"Percy, tell me thats not how you got those bruises. Dont lie to me"

I look at her helplessly "Yeah, that how that happened, I didnt want to tell you the truth because you seemed so happy that me and Luke hung out together"

She was emotionless"I need to go" she brushed past me without turning back.

Chapter 13
There are only 3 more weeks until the wedding. That's 21 days. 504 hours. 30,240 minutes. 1, 814, 400 seconds.

Everyone's so busy.I haven't talked to Annabeth since she read the magazine about me and Luke. I don't even know who to go to about the Silena and Luke thing. Eventually –this was bound to happen- I run into Silena. I just came from a swim practice and I stopped at a coffee shop on the way home. Turning the corner, I bump into Silena.

"Percy! Hey!" She says pleasantly, her baby blue eyes glowing. I stare at her, wondering if I could see visible signs of a cheater.

"How've you been?" She asks cheerfully, readjusting her expensive looking bag.

"Good." I pause. Oh, what the hell. "How's Luke?"

She stiffens. "What are you talking about?" She says casually, her eyes on the ground. My patience snaps, but I don't show it.

"Silena, we have to talk."

…

I bring her to my apartment and make two cups of coffee. I don't say anything when I hand her the steaming mug. I don't think about the fact that her fingers are shaking as she traces the lid of the mug. I just sit there, waiting for her to begin. She eventually does, her eyes never leaving the mug.

"It was the night of the engagement party. After Dionysus fell on the food table, remember?" She says in a low, hollow voice. I nod.

"Annabeth and you went back to her place, and Luke stayed behind. Eventually, as the sky started to darken, people began to leave. It was just the two of us left. I was supposed to meet Charlie at his place and it was like a 10 minute walk away. I shouldn't have walked all by myself in the middle of the night…but his house was so close. I was almost there, when Luke pulled up in his car. I already drank a lot before this happened…but I wasn't wasted or anything. He said that he wanted to get to know me better, since I was apart of the wedding and all…so I got into the car."

She stops when she sees me expression.

"It wasn't against my own will or anything like that, Percy. But he kept offering me drinks…and I'm not even sure what happened. And now, he keeps calling me, telling me to meet him, or he'll tell Annabeth that I was the one who made a move on him to begin with. And I think Annabeth will listen to Luke and not me."

She looks up at me with tears in her eyes. She covers her mouth, shaking her head.

"Oh God, Charlie…Charlie's going to kill me. Annabeth's going to kill me. Percy, what do I do?" She whispers, her eyes blurring. I sigh, getting up and I sit next to her.

"We have to tell Beckendorf." I say softly, while Silena hangs her head down low and nods. I bring the phone over and I hold her hand while she stutters the story out. When she finishes, she waits.
.........

"I'm so sorry, Charlie. Please forgive me?" She whispers into the phone, tears running down her face. She pauses and then slumps with relief. She holds out the phone and mutters, "for you".

"Beckendorf?"

"Hey Percy." He says neutrally. I shuffle around, not sure what to say. I hear a frustrated sigh on the other end of the line.

"Are you okay with this?" I ask carefully.

"Hell no." He scoffs, and then hesitates. "I love Silena…and I'm glad she told me. But the problem is that we can't let that asshole get away with this. Annabeth doesn't even know and he's still calling Silena. You need to talk to Annabeth."

"Me?" Oh hell no…"Does it look like I want to die?"

"She trusts you, dude. And she loves you too."

"Yeah right. She's marrying Luke. She'd rather pick the douchebag then me. So what does that say?"

"Does she even know that you love her?" Silena asks skeptically. I look back at her, startled.

"I don't love her—"

"—you're a horrible liar." She says flatly, still sniffling. I glower at the ground.

"Yeah…she probably does know how I feel. I TOLD her I love her, yet she's still with him."

"But that was after she came back from Greece." Beckendorf says.

"So let's break this down. You meet Annabeth. You're friends. She's single, and you're a manwhore." Silena continues quickly before I protest. "She grows tired of waiting. She says that she's going to Greece as a last attempt. You don't say anything, so she leaves. She meets Mr. Perfect and romantically travels the country with him. She gets engaged and come back to New York. She's convinced that Mr. Perfect's right for her, but she wavers. She loves you too. She's had so much history with you, so she can't decide." Silena concludes.

"Wow…you're amazing." I say, open mouthed.

"Which is why I love her." Beckendorf echo's grimly through the phone. I suppress a smile; they haven't forgotten about the whole issue with Silena, but this—how they're able to move on, clearly shows how much they love each other.

"So, what are you saying, Silena?"

She looks me dead in the eye. "That both you and Luke have an equal chance of winning Annabeth back. Don't screw this up, Jackson."

"The profit has spoken." Beckendorf hails. In a lower voice, Beckendorf mutters to me, "We'll settle this with Luke another day. Set it straight with Annabeth for now."

…

I drive down the streets, my head pounding. This day, this moment…it feels important, like it could change our futures, just by what I say,

It's now or never, Percy.

I ring Annabeth's doorbell and wait in rising panic for her to open up. After a few minutes, she does.

"Percy! This is…surprising? Come in." I guess the whole magazine thing has blown over...

I stare at her, unable to erase the attraction that's probably painted all over my face. She's wearing black nike sports bra and white running shorts with her hair pulled back. A few strands fall loose around her face and when she glances back at me;

"I was just working out. I have to look my best for the wedding, right?" Her eyes widen in excitement as she glides to a massive pile of bridal books, rapidly skimming through them. I've never seen her so…happy. She looks up suddenly, blinking.

"So, what's up?"

It feels like I lost my tongue. I can't get the words out. What if she doesn't believe me? What I she thinks that I'm making it up? What if she…she…loves LUKE?

"I was just wondering…um do you...is it ok if I bring a plus one to the wedding rehearsal?" I improvise stupidly. The brightness in her eyes fades a little but she still gives me an enthusiastic smile.

"Definitely! And who's your date?" She asks in a hollow voice.

I fumble, trying to think of a name off the top of my head. This is not going as planned.

"Uhmm…Calypso?" Annabeth gives me a content smile, but her eyes seemed darker.

"Of course! You two sure are getting close, huh?" She muses, staring at my shirt, not my face. I haven't actually spoken to Callie in months, but whatever.

"I guess....we are." I choke out. She crosses her arms and nods to the door.

"Alright. Well, the rehearsals in a couple of days…I'll see you then." One corner of her mouth lifts up but her eyes are flat and her body radiates tension.

I glance at her, unable to bear how beautiful she is. In a matter of seconds, I cross the room and I wrap my arms around her. She freezes at the unexpected contact for a long moment, but then visibly relaxes. I smile briefly as she inhales. Her mouth is soft and warm on mine, but just as I kiss her…the phone rings.

She jerks away, blinking fast, her body shaking as she catches her breath. She glances at the phone, and shows it to me. The caller ID says Luke.

She turns away from me and answers the phone. With her back facing me, she points towards the door, hinting that I should leave. I don't even get to see her reaction.

As I step outside, I realize what I just did and what I didn't do.

"Oh Shit. Oh shit. OH SHIT." I mutter, raking my fingers through my hair. Was kissing her a good or bad idea? It didn't even last a second, but still…

Was it good that I didn't tell her about Luke? Was it bad that I brought up Callie?

"However bad it is now", I think to myself, "It'll only be worse at the rehearsal…with our friends…the bridesmaids…Silena…Beckendorf…Annabe­th'­s parents…My parents…Annabeth…Luke…and me."

"Oh Shit" is right.

Chapter 14
"Perseus, you look good." Calypso purred, her hand crawling up my thigh.
I was dressed in black slacks with a white button down with a black bow-tie and double breasted suit.

I casually shift so her hand slips. She audibly sighs and looks out the passenger window. I glance at the GPS, my fingers clenched tightly over the steering wheel. We're almost there.

It surprises me how antsy I'm being; it isn't even the wedding…just the rehearsal dinner.

"But still", a small voice in my head points out. "The wedding's almost here…so you should be antsy."

"Shut up." I think back to the voice. "You're just a stupid non-existent voice in my head."

"Well, techinally…I'm YOU." It counters back smugly.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I'M HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH MYSELF RIGHT NOW! I HONESTLY DON'T NEED THIS RIGHT NOW!" I moan.

"What?" Calypso turns to stare at me, her face blank.

Shit. I said that out loud.

I take a moment to size her up; her wispy caramel coloured hair is braided over one shoulder and smells vaguely like cinnamon. Her almond shaped eyes seem wider and darker than they really are, under all that makeup.

Despite what I said, she still wore a gauzy white dress to the rehearsal. Isn't there like a rule where only the bride can wear white? She's pretty cute…but not exactly my type. Her IQ isn't the best either…she's simpleminded and has barely any other emotion that lust. And plus…I kind of have a thing for blonde hair, tan skin, pale eyes…

Annabeth.

I love her wiseass comments, that sarcastic roll of her eyes and that quick, knowing smirk. I love how her face creases up when she's deep in thought, and how all those hard edges melt away when she sees her friends and family.

I love how she knows what's up with me right away, how she can basically make any guy quake at their feet and how just by narrowing her eyes, she could make you spill out the truth.

I also love how the irony is that she's barely like this when she's with Luke.

My thoughts get interrupted as Calypso starts to thigh-graze me again. I move out of her reach and stare at her with visible annoyance.

"Seriously Callie? I'm driving right now."

She pouts and glances out the windshield.

"Well, we're already here."

-At the rehearsal-

"So, Perseus. What are your plans for the immediate future?" Athena demands, her hands crossed over her chest in a powerful and intimidating way. Her piercing eyes glint in the light, making me all the more uncomfortable.

"I'm planning to keep swimming professionally." I say coolly, sipping my glass of water. Athena scoffs at this.

"That job? That is not a real job; mere child's play is what it is."

My dad, who's standing beside me, smirks at Athena.

"Come on, Athena; let the kid do what he wants." He leans over to pat Athena's arm, but she shrinks away from him, glaring daggers.

"That's Ms. Chase to you, Barnacle Beard!" Shit spits, still glaring. Yeah…the two of them don't really get along well. There's a movement to my left, and I see Calypso, her arms linking around mine.

"Meet me in the washroom in 5 minutes." She murmurs into my ear seductively and then disappears.

"Callie, WAIT!" I call out…but she's already gone. Great.

I blow out a large breath, and I look around. There's a huge table, that's full of food; just looking at it makes my stomach ache with hunger. This is the real deal…Annabeth and Luke…they're really getting married…

"Hello? Everyone?" Thalia calls from the head of the large table. Thalia looks great in a dark, velvety purple dress. Gold studs hang from her ears, a delicate gold necklace is hanging on her neck and her hair is up in a neat up-do. For once, she doesn't look bleak and gothic.

"Thank you for joining us at this rehearsal dinner! We will begin shortly, so please find your designated seats."

Did I forget to mention? I'm the Best Man…so I'll be sitting next to Luke and Annabeth and I'll have to make a cheesy speech on how thrilled I am for the happy couple. Gods, when does the bar open up? I need a drink.

As if answering my prayers, I spot the bar. Perfect.

After my ninth drink, the bartender stops me, giving me a disapproving look. My head feels woozy and I stumble as I get up.

I strain my neck, searching for Annabeth. I haven't seen her since the kiss…there she is! She's standing near the doorway, eyes narrowed, hands on her hips. Uh-oh. That's Annabeth's trademark battle pose. She seems to be arguing with Luke, who clearly looks just as pissed off. I make my way to them, but Grover gets in my way, hand in hand with Juniper.

"Aww, Percy! Don't you look handsome?" Juniper grins while Grover laughs.

"Awwh yeah. He's definitely a cutie." Grover jokes. "Dude, can't you save the booze until after the rehearsal? You're already wasted!"

"Grover, shut up for a sec?" I ask, exasperated. I look around, and I see Annabeth and Luke take their seats, the tension around them still buzzing. As if she could feel me staring, she looks up at me. She gives me a half smile and then looks back down at the table…

WHACK.

I know what it the feeling of being whacked by a purse really well. And I can tell you…I was just whacked.

"SON OF A…Thalia?" I clutch my head, slurring my words slightly.

"Did you not hear me, moron? I said take your damn seat." She huffs, stalking to her char. I sigh and waddle to my chair, probably looking like someone who was on their way to an electric chair.

When I sit down, Luke glares at me, still probably agitated from that fight with Annabeth. Since I clearly don't give a crap, and the fact that I'm drunk…I decide to do what I do best…be a total ass.

I look over him, to Annabeth.

"Hey Annabeth! How are you?"

She chokes on her drink when she hears my slurred voice and looks up at me with warning eyes.

"Good." She says cautiously.

"That's good! Greeeeaaaatttt!"

I start humming a song.

"What the hell is your problem?" He sniffs and then adds in a more disbelieving tone, "Are you drunk?"

I simply smirk at him and then look back at Annabeth.

"Annabeth, your lips look…red." I squint my eyes.

She shoots me another warning look.

"Yeah…it's probably the lip-gloss." She says softly. I watch in drunken awe.

"Waiter! Wait-or! Waiterer! !" I wave my hands in the air, hailing a waiter over. He approaches my side of the table with weariness. I read his name tag; Stove.

"Why, hello there Stove." I say politely.
"Its Steve"....
"Are you a kitchen appliance Stoveee" I say grinning.

"May I take your order?"

"How are you today, Stove?"

"I'm doing well. Now, may I take your order?"

"That's good to know Stove! You're very nice. I like that."

"Yes. Thank you. Now, may I take your order?" He says, with a hint of impatience.

"Steve, I will have one strawberry." I say, smiling up at him. He blinks.

"Pardon?"

"Although, strawberries don't taste as good as strawberry lip gloss dont you agree?. Luke, you like the taste of strawberry lip gloss, don't you?"

Luke gives Annabeth a side glance. Her lips are pressed together, but I knew the flavor of her lip gloss was always strawberry.

"Sure. I like the taste of strawberries." He mutters, still staring at Annabeth.

"Good, good! I do too. Steve, do you like strawberries?"

The waiter looks taken aback. "Uhmm…sure?"

"Well, Steve, I guess we all like strawberries." I turn to stare at Luke. "But, there's only one strawberry. And I don't like to share...... Luke."

He looks back and forth between Annabeth and me.

"What the hell is going on here?" He says in a low tone. Annabeth takes a small sip of water, keeping her eyes trained on the table.

"Nothing." She says shortly, her fingers tracing the rim of her glass. Luke grabs her hand and squeezes it.
"Don't lie to me." His voice is dangerous. Annabeth jerks her hand away and stands up.

"Excuse me." She says rigidly, staring straight at me. She turns and marches out of the room.

"Where do you think you're going?" He shouts after her. He turns back to face a quiet table. He grins bleakly, but his attempt at cheerfulness wasn't fooling anyone; we could all see that he was fuming.

"Dude, chill-ax." I slur, patting his shoulder. He jerks away from stares at me with obvious hate.

"No." Beckendorf's voice is clear and sharp as he pushes away from the table, standing up. "Let's settle this right here, right now." He glares at Luke, his fists clenched. He does a lot of manual labor; his dress shirt sleeves were pushed up, showing his flaring biceps.

Silena tugs on his arm, still sitting down. She keeps her eyes on the table, her face enflamed.

"Charlie, not right now." She mumbles.

"Is there a problem?" Luke asks, leaning forward with narrowed eyes, gazing at Silena.

"Don't even look at her!" Beckendorf booms, briskly marching over to Luke. The intentions on his face were clear.

"CHARLIE! NO!" Silena pleads, her slender arms wrapped around one of his straining biceps, trying to hold him back.

"What is going on here?" Athena demands, looking around. My dad doesn't say anything but glances at Annabeth's empty spot, and then at me. That brooding expression on his face makes me all the more nauseous.

"Guys?" Rachel says uncertainly, biting her lip.

The tension around the room is at an all time high; it fills my head, making me feel like I'm about to explode.

"I'm so confused right now." Thalia says, deadpanned. Everyone stares each other down; Luke sitting in a carefree pose in his chair, Beckendorf itching to deck Luke, Silena straining to hold Beckendorf down, me sitting there in a drunken stupor, and everyone else in utter confusion.

"Percy? What's all this about?" Grover asks, his wide eyes on me.

"Yeah Percy. What's this about?" Luke chimes in, glowering at me.

Beckendorf stops moving, and Silena's grip on him loosens as they both look at me. Everyone else leans in, waiting for me to speak.

"Percy?"

I hear Annabeth's voice –the only one that doesn't sound confused, as usual- and I turn around.

She's standing there, looking perfectly fine. Her eyes dart to Silena and then Luke, then back to me. There's a little dent in her eyebrows that I so badly want to smooth out.

"What's going on?" She asks, looking at me.

Annabeth wants to know about Silena and Luke, Silena doesn't want Annabeth to know about her and Luke, Beckendorf wants to beat up Luke, Luke wants to know about me and Annabeth…all these secrets are making my head pound.

At that moment, Calypso enters the room.

"Oh, I see! I ask you to meet me in the bathroom, and you don't even bother to show up?" She roughly pushes her hair out of her face. "Any guy would kill to have me, Perseus Jackson! And you don't even show the slightest emotion! Are you gay?" She blurts out.

There are a few nervous laughs around the room when she says this, but there's nothing funny about this situation. When she sees me and Annabeth, outrage and realization fills her face.

"No freaking way.Oh, why didn't I see this before? The last time we spent the night together, you shooed me out of your room in fear that you were going to be late to meet HER!" She spits, thrusting her finger at Annabeth.

"And even now! It's been months since we last spoke.Her eyes widen. "You…you love her!"

If the tension was high before…it's massive now. It's so silent that you could probably hear a pin drop. Everyone's face freezes in shock.

"Percy?" Annabeth says neutrally.

"I…umm…" I stagger forward, so I'm directly facing Annabeth. She tilts her head and looks at me with incomprehension.

"I…ahhh…ohhh noo…I…" I can feel the words threatening to explode out of my mouth. Oh wait…it isn't words that are about to explode out of my mouth…

At the last second I bolt to the trash can and begin to throw up.

Chapter 15

No one knew what to entirely do…they just sat there with their mouths open.

"I'm...I'm sorry." I whisper. My mind goes into auto-pilot and I find myself running out the door. I run out the building, but I don't stop there. I run across the street then turn the corner and I keep on sprinting. I don't stop until my feet are basically blistered and I'm so far gone that I'm lost. Thankfully, the cold weather sobered me up a bit, so I wasn't a blubbering, drunken mess.

Panting, I sit on a nearby bench and burry my face into my hands. Okay, I'm completely humiliated…but now everyone knows that I…I…love her. Everyone knows. Worst of all…she knows.

"I hate weddings." I mutter.

"You're not the only one, son."

I jerk my head up in disbelief when I hear the voice.

"Dad? How did you find me?"

Poseidon smirks down at me, his hands buried into his coat pockets.

"Your old man is in better shape than you thought, my boy." He sits down next to me and we both stare at the ground.

After a moment, he turns to me. "So, your life kind of sucks right now."

I offer him a short, humorless laugh. "That's the biggest understatement of my life."

He shrugs. "And you like Annabeth?"

I glance at him. "Never mind…that is the biggest understatement of my life. I love her."

Poseidon looks perplexed.

"Love, eh? You definitely didn't get that emotion from me—"

"—your genes gave me lust" I interrupt bitterly.

He continues on, pretending that I didn't interrupt.

"You must have got that emotion from Sally. You may look like me, but you are your mother's son." He tousles my hair like he use to when I was a kid and gives me a fond smile.

"Too bad she raised a total screw up." I sniff, looking at my hands.

"True."

"Gee, thanks for the support pops." I say sarcastically.

Poseidon gives me a frank look. "Percy, you couldn't tell the girl who you've known for years that you love her…that she's the only one you'll love. Annabeth found out because your one night stand girl had said it! Now what does that say about you?"

I make a face.

"What happened after I left?"

"Rachel went to inform the employees who work at the banquet that there was a…spill.

I didn't look at my dad as I asked the question that was on my mind. "How was Annabeth?"

"You know how Annabeth gets. When you really want to know what she's thinking, she completely shuts down so no one can know. She had on her poker face."

I could imagine her with a poker face, marching towards the restroom. "And Luke?"

Poseidon made a face.

"He was a little…out of it. He got up, muttered excuse me, and left. It was odd, I suppose."

"That doesn't sound good…"

"Percy, you do realize that you're breaking up a marriage, right?" Poseidon turns to look right into my eyes; two pairs of the exact same sea green eyes staring each other down.

I sigh, and break off our little staring contest. "It's complicated…"

And I know that I have to tell him everything.

Poseidon sits still for a long moment, after I'm done my story.

"So you see…he's marrying Annabeth to get Athena's inheritance. He's a complete psycho, dad. He'll do anything to get his hands on the money. And he doesn't even care about Annabeth. I have to stop him."

Poseidon nods, looking a little dazed. "He seemed a little rough around the edges…but I never thought he would be this…"

"Psychotic? Evil? Crazy? Power hungry?" I suggest, filling in his sentence. He smirks at me, despite our situation.

"So now what do I do?"

"The wedding's tomorrow…and tonight Annabeth and Luke have separate bachelor and bachelorette parties to attend. Honestly, I'm not the best person to go to when it comes to this, but…" Poseidon's stare burns a hole through me.

"Go get her, son."

Third Person POV

"OH YEAH! You can frisk me any day!" Rachel laughs maniacally, her words slurred and eyes glassy. She waves a crumpled bill in the face of a stripper, who wore a police officer outfit with sunglasses in the middle of the dim lit club.

Thalia sits next to Rachel, simply shaking her head and smirking at each of the male strippers. Unlike everyone else, she knew how to hold her alcohol.

Silena wasn't able to attend the Bachelorette party…things were a little rocky between her and Annabeth, and she still wanted to spend as much time patching things up with Beckendorf.

And where is the bride-to-be? She's sitting at the bar, her composure broken –for once- as she repeatedly downs shots.

"I'm just so confused, you know?" She sighs. She peers at the bartender with bleary eyes.

"Of course I know, princess." He smiles worriedly. He wonders if he should cut her off…

"That's enough, sweet. You're a little unsteady…"

"NO!" Annabeth barks, her piercing eyes daring him to take away her drink.

'Oh-kay then…' He slowly pulls his arm away, knowing she would rip it off otherwise. Angry, drunk brides? Oh yeah, total nightmare.

"I mean, what's the whole deal with Luke and Silena? Do you really think that he could…?" She hiccups, her eyes filling with tears.

"That he could…she could…they could…" Her eyes overflow and she lets out a wail, laying her head onto the table. She stays like that for a few minutes.

The bartender pats her arm awkwardly, wishing he could be anywhere else but here. He nonchalantly sneaks a peak at the clock behind him, and curses. He still has a whole hour left of his shift.

"I'm sure it's not what it looks like."

"BUT IT IS!" Annabeth stares at him in horror. "It is what it looks like! And I'm just a stupid little girl, who had no freaking clue!"

"And Percy…he said he loved me…" She says softly. Wincing at the thought, she looked back at the bartender.

"Give me 5 more shots of…whatever magical thing that you poured in there the last 20 times."

Uh-oh, Thought the bartender. Anymore alcohol and this chic won't wake up till next week…how can she still be conscious?

"So…" He tries to distract her, pretending not to listen to her order.

"Tell me about this Percy guy."

She giggles dreamily and closes her eyes.

"He's beautiful. Dark messy hair, sea green eyes…a face that makes people stop and stare. He acts stupid just to get away with things, but don't let that fool you! He's as sly as a fox. He's sleek and cool and sexy and…" She grabs the closest drink to her, despite the protest of the bartender, and gulps it down.

"He's—"

"NOT GAY!" Someone shouts inside the bar. Annabeth eyes widen and she swivels around her seat, searching for the familiar voice.

Percy pushes away two male strippers; both in only underwear. One wears a firefighter costume, while the other clad in a bedazzled police officer suit.

"I am NOT gay! Why do people always think that?"

She stares at him. He rakes his fingers through his hair in frustration and her eyes get drawn to that gesture, like moth to a flame. She giggles, picturing Percy as a male stripper, wearing a sailor suit.

"PERSEUS JACKSON!" She shouts at the top of her lungs.

Everyone stops and turns to her, their stares a cross of amusement and curiosity. She manages to get up and stand on the table, her eyes blazing as she glared at Percy. His eyes are wide and he nervously shuffles around as people glance at him.

"You're supposed to be my best friend. BUT, in these few months you've wrecked my engagement party, mocked my mother, picked fights with my fiancée, ruined my bridal shower,and destroyed my rehearsal dinner!" She screeches, flinging accusations at him. He winces at each one of them.

"And lastly…" She says in a low voice. "You stole my heart."

His head jerks up and he stares at Annabeth.

"So, what kind of freaking friend are you? Oh ho, cheers to me for a long, miserable life with a cheating husband, a horrible best friend, and friends who would rather stick money into men's underwear rather than comfort me!"

A faint "heeeeey!" can be heard throughout the room, as Rachel attempts to defend her 'good-friend' reputation, but is too intoxicated to do so.

Annabeth's sudden flare for drama disappears, and she attempts to climb down the table but ends up stumbling. A hand flashes out to grab her and she's suddenly looking into the deepest eyes she's ever seen.

"Let's get you out of here." His voice is low and his breath fans across her burning face. She feverishly nods and feels a glow of warmth as his hand slips across her waist, pulling her to him for support.

No one stops them as they leave the bar, into the bright, chilly night. They reach Percy's car in silence, and he helps her into the passenger seat.

He gets into the driver seat himself, but doesn't start the car. He sighs, and sneaks a peek at her through his long, messy fringe.

"Is what you said in there true?"

"That you're a horrible best friend? DUH." She giggles hysterically, her head feeling light and woozy.

"Annabeth." His hand grips her upper arm, sending searing heat from her shoulders to the tips of her fingers. He says her voice in a way that makes her toes curl. She blushes, looking down at her hands. After a few moments, she finds a burst of courage; she shoots up and presses her lips against his.

He starts, but doesn't jerk away. Pressing his lips hard against hers, he turns to face her, his hands cupping her face.

In one smooth movement she slides out of her seat, and she's suddenly in the driver's seat with Percy. He blinks at her boldness, but his clutches tighten as she wraps her legs around him.

"This is so... not... comfortable." She mutters against his lips, a little hint of amusement in her voice. With each passing moment, she seems to be sobering.

"I can fix that." His hand swoops down to the side of the seat, and suddenly the seat reclines all the way down. She laughs bending her face down to meet his.

Before she kisses Percy again, she hears him murmur.

"I love you."

Her breath catches in her throat, while her heart picks up speed.

"I love you too." In a flash, she takes off her father's college ring –her most prized possession- and gives it to him. He stares at it in awe. She kisses him.

They stay like that for a while, just kissing, until Percy begins to reach for her shirt…

"Woah! ....Percy, wait up a sec." Annabeth pants, sitting upright. Her scrutinizing stare makes him feel uncomfortable.

"What's wrong?" He says gently, placing a large hand on her arm. She cringes from the contact, looks down, and realizes that she's straddling him. Faced flush, she crawls to the passenger seat and buckles up.

"What's wrong?" He asks again, his breath steadily going back to a normal pace.

"What we're doing is wrong. I'm getting married tomorrow, Percy. Married!"

"TO SOMEONE WHO'S CHEATING ON YOU!" Percy shouts. She blinks at him, startled by his sudden anger. She forces her face to relax, and puts on a calm, blank face.

"I would like to go home."

"When you said you loved me, did you actually mean it? Or were you just saying that, so you can vent out all your freaking sexed up tension by using me?" He snaps.

Annabeth stares at him, beyond words. Without saying a word, she opens the car door, slams it, and briskly walks away. He winces, knowing what he said was wrong.

"Where are you going?" He jogs to catch up to her, gently pulling her arm.

She doesn't turn, doesn't look at him.

"To get my purse, and then I'm calling Luke. I need a ride home."

"Annabeth! God, just stop being so stubborn and listen to me!"

She swivels around, all traces of intoxication on her face gone.

"Please, I love you. And you love me. Luke doesn't deserve you! You're smart and beautiful, and just perfect. You don't deserve a cheating guy like him. Please, just stay with me?" He whispers, despair filling his face.

She stares back at him, her delicate face somber and pale, and drops her gaze to the ground.

"Just let me think, Percy. Can you get my purse?"

Percy sighs, and removes his hand from her shoulder, shoving it into his pocket. He offers her a weak smile and turns away, heading towards the club.

Annabeth leans against his car, eyes closed, breathing shallow and rapid.

Percy's POV

Shit. That was a total mess.

She was fine one moment…then she leaped into my seat, kissed me and said she loved me. And now she's back to being all icy again. How the hell can I show her how much she really means to me?

I turn the corner, heading back to the parking lot, when I see Luke there, standing on the abandoned sidewalk.

He smirks at me, his face cold and hard.

"Hey there Prissy." He says casually, giving me a small wave.

"What the hell are you do—"Is all I get to say, before something –or someone- knocks me out from behind.

I black out.

Annabeth's POV

It's getting really chilly. I rub my hand against my arms, in a vain attempt to get warm. Where's Percy? It's been atleast a half an hour. I think it's time for me to check on him...

"Hey babe." I freeze, collecting myself. Slowly, I turn around to face my fiancée, mustering up a cool and confident look, which is harder said than done when you're practically wasted. Gods, how did I allow myself to get in a state like this?

Luke looks me up and down, in a way that makes me internally shiver.

"What are you doing here, Luke?" I ask, feigning a pleasantly surprised voice.

"Percy called, and said that you needed a ride." He brings out my purse, and hands it to me with a guarded face. I take a step back.

"What do you mean? You're lying."

A look of pure rage crosses his face, but passes so quickly that I begin to doubt if I actually saw it.

"What…why?" is all I managed to say, my voice breaking. Luke walks over to me, and puts his arms around me.

"It's okay, baby." He coos. "Forget about him, he's nothing but trouble. It's late, I'll drive you home."

My heart stutters but my cheeks are dry.

This can't be right…Percy wouldn't leave me…would he?

"And plus." Luke pulls back to look at me, his eyes flashing.

"We have a big day tomorrow."

omgs this is such a sweet story i luv it plz post soon:)

IKR. Very romantic. Post soon.

haha yea^^. lolz

OMGS!!!!!!! U must post soon!!!!!!! And what happemed to Percy?!!!!!!!

:o This is really good i love it!!! Post soon

Pllllllllz pooooooooossssssst sooooooooooooooooon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

post plz:)

What do you think is going to happen? I want your input!

Does percy get hit by ethen?

Please post soon!!!

post soon pls and i think that percy stops the wedding and tell everyone the truth to why luke is really marring annabeth, then annabeth slaps luke and runs to percy saying that he was right and i love u and they kiss and get married

plllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll­lll­lll­lll­lll­lll­lll­lll­llz
pooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooosssss­sss­sss­sss­sss­sss­sss­sss­sss­t
soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo­ooo­ooo­ooo­ooo­ooo­ooo­ooo­ooo­n!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!!­!!

post already im bored

seriously, post! LOVE the story!

Chapter 16

I woke up with the sun shining in my face. I sat up and realized I was in the ally next to the club from last night. I brought my hand to my head and rubbed my head. What happened last night. I tried to remember but everything was kind of a blur. I put my hand on the wall next to me and tried to get up but I stumbled a little trying to. I walked slowly towards the street and scanned the place for my truck. Once I found it I got in a sat my head on the steering wheel. I was still trying my best to recollect what all happened that night. After coming up with nothing, I looked in the mirror and cursed at the way I looked. I decided to drive home and take a shower. A

As I pulled into the driveway I almost hit my mailbox. "Wow" I thought to myself shaking my head. I went inside and got a shower. After that I got dressed in some light blue slacks, a white button down, and a navy blazer with penny loafers. I walked into my kitchen and saw a note on the table. It was an invitation.A wedding invitation.

"Oh shit.." I said out loud. It was supposed to be that morning. I looked at my watch, it was 2:00. "Damn it!" I said running out my door. As soon as I came outside flashes of cameras blinded me. I put my hand up over my eyes to block the light.

"I do not have time for this..." I said bolting past the multiple people in my yard. I got into my car and decided I would drive to Annabeths first. When I got on the road I realized people with cameras were following me in big media cars. "Great..."
They began picking up speed so I took a sharp turn get them off my tail. Sure enough they sped up even more and were now beside me. I looked for a way out but I couldnt find one. I sped up and turned but ended up hitting the car next to me making my car tip over. "WOW WOW," I was upside down and trying to unbuckle my seat belt but was having trouble. I heard an engine and looked out the passenger window at a truck coming full speed at me. The driver was texting and didnt see my car. "SHIT" I yelled but the car already hit me and sent mine flying.
I looked through the broken glass which used to be my windshield and saw people running to my car but when the person opened my door I blacked out.


That was part 1 of this chapter part 2 will go up later .

O.O this is so dramatic i love it! Post soon!

when will part two go up?

POST or face the wrath of a child of hermes!!!

Wat happens to percy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh please post the rest soooon!!!!!!!!!!!!

U noe what
I have a test in 1 hrs time
I didnt sleep all night to study
I took a break and started reading ur stry but i couldnt resist reading it all
It took 2 hrs 30 mins to read
I thought to heck with the exam this stry is awsum and i kept reading
And all u leave is a cliffhanger
This is so unfair

Omg love your it's amazing please post soon

post!!!

Pllllllllllllllllz poooooooooooooossssssssssssst the rest sooooooooooooooooooooon!!!!!!!!
I need to know wat happens to Percy!!!!!!!!!

when are you going to post the next part?

When r u posting next?

post already pls

POST!!!

Part 2

It felt like a short time before I woke back up but while I was still out, I could hear lots of voices. I heard all kinds of different ones, deep ones, high ones, soft ones, loud ones, even some familiar ones. One of the deep ones was always very brief and talked about things I didn't really understand too well. Like post-traumatic amnesia and other big words. Lots of them would talk to me. They would ask me how I was doing, or how I was feeling even though I couldn't really say anything back. I could feel people touch me to.

Different people would hold my hand or rub my head or my leg sometimes. There hands would be either warm or really cold. I hated cold hands. They gave me chill bumps.

My favorite person was someone with a really soft, kind of soothing voice. That's how I could tell this person was a girl. I heard her voice a lot, most of the time she was crying though. She had really warm hands that would always be in my hair, or on in my hand. Sometimes even on my face. She would tell different kinds of stories to me about me and her and other friends of mine. Too bad I couldn't laugh because they were always one hell of a story to hear.
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I woke up in a room with lots and lots of different colored flowers and balloons. I sat up and looked around to see where I was. There was a big window that had a view of a hall and different people walked past,and there was a door, also a television in front of the bed on the opposite wall. There was a guy sitting in a chair next to me with black hair. I recognized him right away.

"Nico!" I yelled and shook him awake.
"Percy?Oh my gods, Percy! How long have you been awake?" he said shaking my arm and trying to hug me.
"I just woke up...how long have I been out?" I that last part slowly not wanting to hear the answer.
" you've been in a coma for a week and a half, no one was really sure how soon you were going to wake up but they did say it would take a while"
I slammed my head against my pillow. " a week and a half!" I said looking at the ceiling then back to Nico.
"yeah....I'll fill you in on what you missed when I get back, I need to bring in the doctor"
I watched him walk out the door. I turned on the television. It was on the news station. I started smiling, they were talking about my coma and accident. They were hoping I could get back on my feet again before the Olympics come this summer.

I saw someone walk past my window hurriedly with blonde hair in a ponytail. I smiled and turned off the television. Annabeth walked in and Turned to shut the door. I closed my eyes and acted like I was still asleep. I heard her throw her keys on the table next to me. She grabbed my hand.
" hey Perce, I would be her sooner but I was caught up in work. You would not believe how much papperazzi is down stairs, havnt they caused enough trouble already?" she laughed and went on telling some story.
She put her hand in my hair" I just love you so much Percy, I don't want to rush you, but it would be greatly appreciated if you went ahead and woke up".

I guess I kinda blew my cover because I started laughing. " I hope this isn't too big of a rush for you" I said grinning.
" percy!" she yelled as she stood up and hugged me."Percy, I'm am so sorry, I'm just glad your ok!" she went on like this for another 3 minutes and them came back to her senses and slapped me.
" why did you do that?!"
" why did YOU do THAT?" I said laughing and rubbing my face.
" I'm gonna let that one slide because I really missed missed that laugh!" she hugged me,
" ow ow," I looked at my broken leg "oh my gods, Annabeth, Olympics are this summer!"
" I know, just don't think about that right now..."
I threw my head back into my pillow. I decided to worry about that later.

The doctor came in and began lots of different tests. Annabeth stood by the wall with her arms crossed studying the doctors moves carefully. I ended up passing them all.The only thing I needed to worry about was my broken femur and wrist. He told me I could leave whenever I wanted, that made Annabeth and Nico smile. Annabeth had brought me clothes during the first few days I was here and I was glad of that too because she picks out good clothes AND there really was a TON of papperazzi outside the hospital. I was on crutches because I didn't want a wheel chair. I smiled at the cameras because I knew these pictures would be top news tomorrow.

Annabeth helped me into her car and we said good bye to Nico. We both sat in the car for a few minutes and I noticed she didn't have a wedding ring on. Annabeth wasn't wearing her wedding ring! I felt like fireworks were going off in my head. I smiled because I knew we had a lot to catch up on.

I'll try to post a lot sooner next chapter!