Archive of Our Own ^beta

‘I’m pathetic’ Annabeth thought while she clicked on the next picture, ‘very, very pathetic.’ It was a Saturday night, her roommates were out in some club having the time of their lives and what was she doing? Sitting on her bed stalking her crush on Instagram. To make things worse her crush was also her best friend for over ten years, her brain yelled at her to leave her phone but she clicked on another picture, it was of her and Percy on Montauk, his arm was around her waist and she was wearing his snapback, they both were grinning at each other and they looked so...couply. Her heart squeezed in pain. She looked at the date and tried not to groan, the picture had been posted 145 weeks ago. When did she go so deep into his page? Well, being fair, he didn’t post that often and most of the time it was random pictures and barely pictures of him unless he was with his friends (her heart did a whole routine when she realized he had more pictures with her than with anyone else)

Annabeth threw the phone on her bed. She should have gone out with Piper and Hazel but she wasn’t really feeling it, she wasn’t feeling like doing anything. Work had been brutal that week, her bosses had overworked her, leaving Annabeth laying on her bed wondering if it was worth it walking to the kitchen for a glass of wine or going back to stalk Percy’s pictures? She was sure he had a few of shirtless ones…The sound of the doorbell made her jump, she wasn’t expecting anyone and Piper and Hazel had their own keys. She did a quick check of her clothes, an oversized gray sweater, and some old constellation pj’s pants, she looked as presentable as she could be.

With one last groan, she left the room, putting her hair up in a bun. “Who is it?”

“The love of your life.” Annabeth recognized the voice, a smile forming on her lips.

“Is it you pizza? Have you finally come to elope with me?” A familiar laughter came from the door just as Annabeth was reaching to open it, revealing the man whose pictures she was obsessing over a few minutes ago.

“Unfortunately it’s Chinese not pizza,” Percy said with a smile that melted her, he looked good, too good for someone who just came out of work and was stuck on a long train ride to Brooklyn, it should be illegal to look effortlessly good. “But I hope you can still take me.”

Annabeth sighed dramatically. “I guess I can make an exception for tonight,” She took the bags from his hands and walked back inside, Percy following her. “And what do I have the honor of your lovely visit tonight?”

“I missed my best friend, isn’t that enough of a reason to come here unannounced?” He walked to the kitchen and started pulling plates from the cabinets. “Piper and Hazel aren’t home?”

Annabeth was putting the food on the table smiling when she saw all her favorites, at this point in their friendship they knew by heart what the other ordered but still made her smile when he brought them without having to ask her. “They are off in some clubs breaking the hearts of poor unfortunate souls….well at least Piper is, Hazel is probably dancing.”

“And you’re here sulking because….?”

“I’m not sulking!” Percy stopped what he was doing just to give her his ‘are you fucking serious’ look. “I had a very hard week at work, okay? Anyway, how did you even know I was gonna be here?”

“I know you.” It was Annabeth’s turn to give him the look. “You uploaded a snap of how tired you were, figured you weren’t going out so I decided to come and cheer you up.”

“Making sure I’m fed?”

“Yes, plus I want you to binge watch Elementary with me, you know Netflix and chill...literally Netflix and chill.”

Annabeth smiled at him, pretending that the other version of Netflix and chill was perfectly okay with her but she would never tell him that, she would never do something that would break their friendship, even if that meant pretending she wasn’t madly in love with him. She sat down on the chair while he sat down in front of her before he could take a bite of her fried orange chicken she spoke. “Tell me about your day”

Percy smiled at her and started to tell her about the new otter that had been born in the aquarium, Annabeth listened happily to his stories, if she closed her eyes she could imagine them in the house she designed for them, the one they both shared as a couple, if she closed her eyes she could pretend they were a couple and after dinner they would move to their couch to watch a show only for them to get more interested in the other, show long forgotten in the background….but her eyes were open and they were in the apartment she shared with her friends and in a while he would leave to his own place and she would go to bed alone, wishing he was hers.

***

The sound of laughter didn’t wake her up, but it was the first thing she noticed when her eyes opened, well second, the first being the other side of her bed empty, it wasn’t cold so Percy couldn’t have left her room too long ago, he was probably one of the sources of the laughter in the apartment. She rolled on her bed, so she was on his side, her pillow smelled like him, she wasn’t sure when they’d started sharing a bed, it could have been back at their college dorms or it could have been when they shared an apartment in college, it didn’t really matter but sharing a bed was second nature to them, their bodies barely touched, she made sure of that. Back in college they shared an apartment for two years, well them and two other roommates but it wasn’t weird to find Percy crashed in her bed or vice versa, Annabeth’s other roommates teased them about it but they just laughed at the implication of them being a couple, they were just being best friends.

With one last yawn, she stood up and stretched and sleepily walked towards the kitchen. Percy was cooking while Hazel poured some coffee and was setting up the table.

“Morning! You slept well?” Hazel greeted her happily, if Annabeth didn’t know better she could have sworn Hazel had restful eight hours of sleep

“Aren’t you a little too awake? Didn’t you come home around four am? Why are you awake?”

“Because my cousin is a champ and she can handle her alcohol better than anyone.” Percy looked at Hazel. “Which doesn’t make sense! How can this tiny thing last more than people twice her height.”

Hazel stuck her tongue out at him. “Well, I’m younger than you old people.”

“Excuse us, you’re twenty and we’re twenty-four.” Percy pointed the spatula at her. “You should respect your elders.”

“Like I said, old people” Hazel laughed. “Do you need help walking back to the chair?”

“I don’t want anything to do with you, you only insult me.” Percy went back to cook breakfast and Hazel laughed even more while she tried to hug him and Percy pretended to be offended. Annabeth smiled in their direction, seeing Percy and Hazel’s friendship usually made her miss her cousin, Magnus who was currently on a backpacking trip in Europe, there wasn’t really a way to communicate with him but she got postcards from time to time giving her updates on his life.

She moved closer to the stove seeing what Percy was making, she could see eggs, bacon and by the smell of it...waffles were being made too, she almost drooled, she turned to Hazel who had succeeded in her quest to hug Percy. “Is Piper still sleeping?”

Hazel shrugged. “She didn’t come home with me, last time I saw her she was dropping me in the cab while a pretty girl was waiting for her.”

Percy chuckled and Annabeth shook her head, but she was still smiling. Piper didn’t believe in relationships, well she didn’t believe they would work for her mostly because of her family, but she believed in having fun and that was one of the things Annabeth was jealous of Piper, while she had been pining after Percy since college Piper had been breaking the hearts of boys and girls, it wasn’t weird having a night out and Piper not coming back with them just like it was normal for them to wake up to a girl or boy having breakfast with them.

“Well then,” Percy said serving breakfast. “More food for me.”

***

Piper sighed and sighed and sighed, she had arrived around late afternoon and had gone straight to her room to sleep, now late at night and after a shower, she was standing in the living room, hands on her hips and overreacting trying to get her roommates to give her attention. “You guys are so lame.” she took the control from the coffee table. “Can we watch something else besides a boring documentary.”

“Hey!” Hazel tried to get the control back but she was still laying on the couch while Piper was standing and making sure the control was out of reach. “It is fun!”

“For you!”

Annabeth threw popcorns at Piper. “And me.”

Piper flipped her off, making Annabeth laugh. “If I make you girls drinks, can we watch something else?”

“As long it’s not the Devil Wears Prada, I’m so tired of seeing it,” Hazel said, making Piper gasp.

“It’s a classic!”

“You watch that fucking movie every month if I have to watch it one more time I’m gonna change the Netflix password.”

“You wouldn’t dare Annabeth Chase.”

“Try me.”

“I say we also change the wifi password,” Hazel said, grabbing the remote from a very offended Piper.  

“You guys are so not getting tequila in your mojito!”

“I do accept watching Bridget Jones,” Hazel stood up and walked to the shelf under the tv, where all their DVD’s were.

Annabeth groaned while Piper shrugged. “I’m gonna need more tequila in my Mojito.” Annabeth threw more popcorns at Piper.

“Oh, shut it, you love that movie Annabeth, don’t lie.”  

Annabeth threw one last popcorn that Piper caught with her mouth, making Hazel laugh. “I’m gonna order some pizza...with pineapple on it”.

It was her roommate’s time to groan. “Asshole! I don’t eat ham!”

“Half ham with pineapple and half cheese,” Annabeth said grabbing her laptop and going to the Domino's site.

“I don’t like pineapple on my pizza!” Hazel threw a pillow to Annabeth who avoided it.

Annabeth smiled at her roommate. “You chose the movie, I’m gonna choose the pizza.”

“And what do I choose!?” Piper said from the kitchen.

“Drinks!” Hazel and Annabeth said at the same time. Piper stuck her tongue out at them, making them laugh even more.

Annabeth woke up the next morning with a headache and cursing her life. Between Piper and Hazel she was usually the first one to get drunk, it didn’t help that Piper loved to make the drinks very charged with alcohol, she groaned and tried going back to sleep but she knew her body wouldn’t let her do anything until she got a glass of water, complaining about the sun she finally managed to reach the empty kitchen, there was a note on the fridge from Hazel saying she went out with some friends.

“You honestly suck at drinking alcohol” Piper’s voice almost made her jump, very slowly she turned around and saw her friend sitting on the couch a magazine on her hands. “It’s noon, we didn’t go to bed that late and yet you’re finally coming back to the world of the living...fuck, is that what is going to happen to me when I reach your age?”

Annabeth groaned. “You are only younger than me by a year McLean, plus this is the second day in a row I went to bed late.”

“Oh my god,” Piper snorted. “You are so lameeeeee. Hazel and I drank two nights in a row and we are in better shape than you, plus you also cuddled Percy one night so there is no way it was a restless sleep.”

“Percy and I don’t cuddle. There is always a nice space separating us in bed.”

“As if, one night I went to your room for something and you two were happily cuddling in your sleep.”

Annabeth’s mouth opened but she didn’t say anything, she knew sometimes they moved at night and sometimes ended up very close to each other but she had also seen Percy cuddle Jason when they shared a hotel room during a road trip so it’s not like she thought much of it. She ignored Piper’s smirk and focused on her water, her head wasn’t pounding anymore but she still felt like shit. She unceremoniously threw herself onto the other couch groaning when her head hit the pillows.

“Speaking of Percy, do you know if he is busy? I need to talk to him about my chickens”

Chickens were the pet name Piper had for her students, she was in charge of teaching the first graders, it was her first year as a teacher and she was absolutely loving it, to be honest, Annabeth was surprised when Piper told her she wanted to be a teacher, they were in high school while Annabeth stressed about college applications, Piper looked at her and said ‘I’m gonna be a teacher.’ Annabeth had replied with a lame ‘okay’ and that was it, Piper never explained why and Annabeth never asked because, in a way, it felt right and now seeing how Piper’s face lit  up when she came home and talked about her kids, Annabeth knew Piper had chosen the right path for her.

“You want him to go and talk to your class about sea animals?”

“Yes and no.” Piper threw the magazine onto their coffee table. “I want to speak to my class but we are going to him, we are going on a field trip to the aquarium next week and I want to know if he can be our guide.”

“I don’t see why he wouldn’t.” Percy was a marine biologist working behind the scenes at the New York aquarium, besides being an excellent swimmer, Percy had always been obsessed with anything sea related, he might have trouble telling you the names of the presidents but he could spend hours talking about sharks and telling you about their history back until the Megalodon, back when he was in high school and college he used to spend his summers working at the aquarium, around his sophomore year of college they started giving him more responsibilities and he had a proper job offer by the start of his last year of college. “His boss loves him and he loves giving tours, especially when it’s for little kids I’m sure he would beg you to let him give the tour.”

“He is good with kids, isn’t he?”

Annabeth didn’t like the mischievousness on Piper’s face. “I guess.”

“Oh come on, he totally is.”

“Piper if you are trying to tell me about how he would be a great father and how he and I pretty much raised his little sister and that’s the biggest proof we are meant to be..I’m too hungover for this.”

“Joy Killer.” Piper stood up and threw a cushion at Annabeth’s feet. “Now that I made sure you’re alive and stuff, I’m out Jason wants to go watch a stupid movie and I’m in the mood of caramel popcorn, there is leftover pizza in the fridge and some advils in the bathroom, see you later grandma.”

With another groan and making a promise she wouldn’t drink again, a promise she had made before and broke all the time, she went to the bathroom in the search of the holy grail that in this case, looked like little orange pills with the words Advil written on them.

Days and weeks passed, winter became spring and Annabeth’s work became chaotic, a big project was coming up and Annabeth was working overtime to make sure she secured a spot on the team, it wouldn’t only give her amazing experience she definitely needed if she wanted a promotion, it also came with a big fat check that would do wonders to her wallet. The downside of having a big project coming up is that she had a difficult time focusing on simple things like eating or sleeping, more often than not Piper had to remind her to wash her hair, Hazel left her little snacks in her room and in her bag and had even went as far as leaving alarms on her phone reminding her to sleep, when everything failed it was Percy the one that dragged her out of her office and took her for lunch or even sometimes he lured her into his apartment so she could crash and not spend the night working on her project. She was thankful for her friends that took care of her but at the same time understood her working habits, she knew she would probably be an undernourished overworked girl with no social life and extra dark circles without them. Back in college Percy had been the main person to make sure she didn’t overwork herself, living together had helped him with this task. As much as she loved living with Piper and Hazel, part of her longed for those college days when she and Percy were roommates. For the last two years of college, they had shared an apartment with two other roommates, Lilian and Matthew. The four of them had been good friends, she still talked with Lils and Math but she missed living with Percy the most.

“You really need to get laid,” Piper said one morning while pouring milk on her cereal. “Your body is screaming at you to ride a dick.”

The April sun was showering their apartment in warm light and Annabeth ignored her friend. Piper’s filter was on when Hazel was near them, they both knew sex talk often made her  uncomfortable so they tried their best to avoid it when Hazel was near, Annabeth didn’t find it very difficult she often felt awkward talking about sex unless she was close to who she was talking with, she sometimes wondered if that had to do with the fact that she was demisexual. Piper, unlike her, had no trouble being very vocal about sex and her sex life, making Annabeth know way too much about it, sometimes wishing she could know less about how her friend liked to be taken to bed.

“My body is telling I need a spa day or maybe just a good bath with a bath bomb”

Piper smirked “A sex bath bomb?”

Annabeth flipped her off before taking a sip from her coffee. She definitely was gonna do the bath tonight, her shoulders were killing her, she felt her back would break any second and she was sure her eyes were about to develop a tic. Her boss had been on her nerves lately, asking for more and more and more and more work without giving her a break to finish any task.

“I’m telling you, the best way to release this is sleeping with someone and you and I both know that someone is Percy.”

Annabeth glared at Piper; the brunette knew perfectly well that sex and Annabeth were a weird combination. Annabeth spent most of her high school years confused about her sexuality. She had kissed a few people, boys and girls, during parties but she hadn’t really enjoyed it. She hadn’t hated it either- she was just indifferent to kissing. High school was supposed to be the time when you start making out as much as you could and having sex. At least according to almost all her classmates, but Annabeth had been having a hard time with it. Everybody always talked about being a teenager and wanting sex, but almost nobody talked about being a teenager and not wanting to have sex, at least with others. Because she still had the need, she just couldn’t picture herself sleeping with anyone. She had started to feel broken and confused after a particularly bad night during her senior year. When she had felt lost she confessed all of that to Piper; how she couldn’t imagine sleeping with someone even if they were very attractive, how she wanted to enjoy the kisses but she simply couldn’t. ‘What if I’m broken, Piper?’ It was a night filled with tears, but Piper was the best friend she could have asked for. She had listened to her, comforted her and explained to her how sexuality was not black or white that there was so much in between and that Annabeth had her whole life to understand her sexuality. Annabeth could like boys and girls, and it was okay if she didn’t feel the need to be intimate with them, Piper told her that as long as she was comfortable with that thought, she didn’t need to put a label on it.

Things calmed down for the remainder of her senior year, but then college started, and it was a new world. A new world where she felt like she didn’t belong. Not in the actual college, no, she knew her place was at Cornell, but in the social life aspect of college. It was like high school on steroids and Annabeth started to feel left out all over again. She couldn’t help the jealousy and bitterness she felt when her friends started to date. She wanted that, why couldn’t she have that? And again she found herself talking to Piper, but this time over Skype since Piper was finishing high school. Piper kept telling her that nothing was wrong with her, that sexuality was fluid and it’s more than just liking genders. She asked Annabeth to tell her about her experiences, that if every time she had kissed people there had been the same empty feeling.

Annabeth’s mind went to an afternoon at the summer camp she used to attend, the place where she had had her first kiss with Percy. They had been fourteen and talking about kissing because they had accidentally seen two older campers in a very heated make-out session in the woods. Annabeth confessed that she was curious about how it would feel, and in a very quiet voice Percy confessed that he was curious too. Annabeth would never forget his blushing face or how he stuttered the words and how he had looked adorable. Hit with a sudden wave of confidence, she told him they should kiss to see what the big deal was. The sun had started to set across the lake when his lips met hers; it had been awkward and wet, and they had to stop a lot because they couldn’t stop laughing. That night she'd felt content, she wasn’t sure why. Their kisses probably hadn’t been any good, but her heart had felt full, and she went to sleep with a smile on her face. She and Percy never talked about that afternoon ever again, even if for the rest of that summer they had shared some secretive smiles. But Annabeth knew something had changed between them, but she wasn’t sure what, she only knew it hadn’t been a bad thing.

After a moment of silence, Piper asked her “Would you kiss him again?”  

“He’s my best friend, Piper.”

“Think about all the people you have kissed before, would you want to kiss someone again? Percy included.”

Annabeth closed her eyes and Percy’s picture came to her: his laugh, his beautiful green eyes, the way he said her name. “Percy,” Annabeth said breathlessly. “I think I would kiss him again.”

Piper nodded, “I had a feeling you would say his name. Annabeth have you ever heard of the term demisexual?”

Annabeth looked at her friend who was in the other end of the computer. “I might have but I don’t know what it means.”

“It means you only feel sexual attraction if you feel a strong connection with someone...it’s more complicated than that but that’s kind of like the short definition and well from the things you have told me, it makes me think that maybe you should know about it, but like the only person who knows for sure how you feel is you and like I have tell you multiple times...it’s okay if you don’t put a label on it.”

Annabeth thanked her friend, feeling a little bit better and they ended the call not long after that. Annabeth started to research about it and the more she read, the more she felt better about herself and for the first time in so long she didn’t feel like there was something wrong with her.

It wasn’t the only revelation Annabeth had, the days passed by and she couldn't stop thinking about kissing Percy or stop thinking about him in general. The door had finally been opened and Annabeth started to feel emotions she didn’t have before and it was very overwhelming. Her feelings for Percy weren’t a sudden realization of ‘I’m in love with Percy’ it was more subtle, remembering little things and thinking maybe they had been there all along. She remembered high school the way her heart ached when he started dating other girls, back then she blamed it on being afraid of losing her best friend but looking back she realized it was so much more, the way she felt warm when he held her hand and how he was the only one who made her feel that way, how she loved his hugs and never wanted him to let go. At some point, without her realizing Percy had become a synonym of home, happiness, warm, safe and love.  

“I’m not going to sleep with my best friend.” Annabeth finally told her friend.

“Well, dah, you’re not sleeping with me you’re sleeping with Percy.” Piper winked at her friend. “Do you want me to give you a massage, break the knots on your back?”

“And break my back in the process,” Annabeth said under her breath.

“What was that?”

“You give the worst massages in the world Piper.”

Piper gasped indignantly making Annabeth laugh at her friend. “I do not.”

“You make backs hurt more.”

“You know what? Fuck you. It’s a good thing you have Percy because you just lost this best friend.” She pointed at herself making Annabeth laugh.

Annabeth knew Piper enough to know she wasn’t mad she just loved being dramatic. Annabeth was gonna reply but the sound of the door opening interrupted her. Hazel walked in but froze when she saw the look of indignation on Piper’s face.   

“What’s going on?”

“Oh sweet Hazel, you arrived at the worst moment possible.” Annabeth smiled at her friend. “Just remember you’re free to not answer any questions Piper asks.”

Hazel looked confused and the fact that Piper was walking around her didn’t help. “Hazel, my sweet and wonderful roommate. I’ve something I want to ask you.”

“Okay?”

“You like my massages, don’t you?”

Hazel yelped and sneaked a glance at Annabeth who only shrugged. “I told her the truth, that she’s the worst.”

“She is not the worst,” Hazel said quickly, making Piper smile. “She is just a little bit too rough.”

Piper’s smile disappeared. “No, I am not!”

“You’re Monica and we’re Chandler,” Annabeth said to her friend.

“No, I’m Phoebe! Hazel say something!”

Hazel looked guilty at her friend “Annabeth is right?”

Piper gasped again. “You guys are the worst!”

“We still love you!” Annabeth said and Hazel nodded.

“I hate you both.”

“Friends have to say the truth to each other,” Hazel said.

“And friends take their friend to get a massage by a professional,” Annabeth said. “That’s why we’re going to get a spa day, my treat.”

Hazel clapped excitedly but Piper only grunted at them. Hazel wrapped her arms around Piper and rested her head on her shoulder. “Come on! college has been kicking my butt lately, I do want a spa day with my girls.”

“Hazel is making puppy eyes, look at her! She is adorable! How heartless can you be to say no to her!?”

“Fine,” Piper said, resting her hands on Hazel’s arms. “For Hazel, I love her and hate you.”

“As if, you love me, McLean.”

Piper’s reply was to stick out her tongue at her.

They made their spa appointments for the next weekend and Annabeth was looking forward to it, she was helping her boss with a new project and her level of stress had been through  he roof,  Piper or Hazel would usually make sure she had eaten or drank water or even forced her to go to sleep, from time to time Percy would visit or call her to make sure she was okay.

Before Annabeth realized Friday arrived and she found herself leaving the office early, for once. She felt like  she was going to pass out, her eyes were burning, her shoulders felt so heavy, even breathing took a lot of energy, all she wanted was to pass out in her bed and for it to be Saturday already so she could finally get the massage she had been dreaming off for the past week. She was about to take the subway to Brooklyn when her phone rang.

“Hey Perce, what’s up?”

“Where are you?”

“Leaving work, why?”

“Do you have any plans?” Percy sounded excited, she could picture the smile on his face, lighting up.

“Besides passing out in my bed? Not really.”

“How about you come uptown and you crash at my place?”

Annabeth whined. “Your place is so far away, I’m tired and I just wanna rest.”

“Oh okay, I just wanted to tell you something but I can tell you another day, it’s no problem go and rest.” She could hear the disappointment in his voice.

Annabeth’s voice softened “Is it very important? Can you tell me now?” Instead of walking to the station that would take her to her home in Brooklyn, she started walking towards the station that would take her to his place.

“I got good news at work.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah! Very good, I got a promotion!”

“Holy shit, Percy!” Annabeth laughed. “That’s fucking amazing!”

“I know! I can’t believe it! It’s insane, I keep thinking they made a mistake and they are going to call me and be like sorry dude wrong person.”

She could hear the happiness in his voice and hearing him like that made her incredibly happy, she knew how hard Percy had worked in high school and college, he had got into college against all odds and by the time he graduated he had a few job offers on the line and now a little bit more than a year later he was already getting promotions, she couldn’t help but feel so proud of him. “They won’t do that because you deserve it, Percy, I know it, I’m so proud of you”

“Thank you Annabeth, it means a lot.”

“We have to celebrate!”

“Yeah, that was the main reason I called you, I wanted to know if you feel like doing dinner but you need to rest, we can have dinner another time.”

“Well, unfortunately for you I’m already on my way to your place, probably gonna be there in 20 so you gotta feed me, Jackson.”

She heard him laugh. “Alright Chase, I’ll be waiting, see you soon.”

They hung up and Annabeth took the subway to his place. The news made her exhaustion disappear for a bit, she knew it was going to come back full force soon but for now, she had enough energy to not fall asleep on the train and think what she could buy on her way to his place, news like this needed to be celebrated but with what...Champagne? No, Percy wasn’t a big fan of alcohol. He didn’t hate it but he didn’t like it either, she knew for a fact he would rather drink coke over any form of alcohol. Back in college, he used to struggle drinking beer at parties, always making faces when the liquid went through his throat, his almost full drinks usually ended up in her hands and she happily drank them knowing Percy would make sure nothing happened to her drunk ass. That was their dynamic back in college, once or twice a semester Annabeth would be so stressed she would drink until her brain would quiet down (usually after midterms and finals) She only did it when she knew Percy was there to take care of her, she wouldn’t trust anyone else to take care of her. Bringing champagne to celebrate his promotion would mean Annabeth drinking the whole bottle and making her very drunk because of her current state of exhaustion.

Percy’s apartment was in Chelsea, it was a place he could have never afforded on his own but fortunately for him, it had been a graduation present from his father, Poseidon Olympia. The guy had never been around, Percy usually had dinner or lunch with him once or twice every year, but while he had never been around his wallet had. Sally didn’t put up a fight when Poseidon offered to pay for their kid's education but she put a stop when he offered to pay for a nice apartment for them to live. Percy didn’t really care that his father was very wealthy, Sally had raised him to work for the things he wanted, he didn’t mind that money was tight at home and he couldn’t have the luxuries his classmates could, he and his mom were more than happy even if they couldn’t afford luxuries. Things got better for the Jackson family when Sally married Percy and Annabeth’s eighth-grade English teacher Paul Blofis. Paul moving into Percy’s family meant Sally wouldn’t have to work two jobs and could focus on her passion: writing. During most of his life, Poseidon had offered Percy a lot of luxuries that he had mostly declined but when he graduated college and Poseidon gave him the keys to his old apartment….Percy couldn’t really complain, after all, who could decline an apartment in a nice New York City neighborhood.   

By the time the train pulled into her stop Annabeth still had no idea what to get him and his place was only a few blocks away. Something on the corner of her eye caught her attention, stopping her in her tracks, should she get them for him? No, it was probably weird, right? but then again they were very pretty, people also gave them as a present when someone was celebrating why should being promoted be an exception? It was a celebration after all...but the only thing was she honestly didn’t know how Percy would react, would he be okay with it? Her gut told her yes, buy them for him and ignoring her nerves she did. She managed to walk to his place without feeling silly but the moment she got into his building she started to feel nervous, this was stupid this was nothing to feel nervous about, he wouldn’t get mad at her for this. She knocked on his door and the few seconds it took for him to open it felt endless.

“You got me flowers?” Percy raised an eyebrow while he took the flowers from her hands. “That’s a first.”

Annabeth looked at the small bouquet that was now in his hands. “Well….I mean, they are blue.” Annabeth said lamely. “Usually people drink champagne when someone gets promoted but….”

Percy nodded and moved out of the door, allowing her to walk into his apartment; he walked into his kitchen trying to look for something that could work as a vase. He was smiling, she could see it, he was smiling so bright it made Annabeth’s chest hurt, he looked even more handsome when he was smiling. She loved to make him smile and for the first time since she bought the bouquet she didn’t feel silly, how could she when her present made him this happy?

“Do you know what type of flowers they are?” Percy’s voice brought her to reality, he had found a jug and was filling it water.

“I know these little ones are called blue hydrangea and, um, I know one was called forget something”

“And you totally forgot their name, yeah let’s talk about irony”

“Shut up asshole,” Annabeth said, she thought a little about the flowers and a name came back to her mind making her snap her finger at him. “White freesia! That’s also one of the flowers!”

Percy chuckled and Annabeth sat on his couch, she could feel him staring at her. “What?” She asked, but he only shook his head, he was still smiling.

“You’re quite something, aren’t you?”

“You don’t have to be a jerk, I can take the flowers and leave.”

Annabeth started to stand when Percy yelled “No!” he picked up the jug. “I’m keeping this and you’re never going to take them away, they are mine now.” He put the jug down after Annabeth dropped on the couch again.

“Wanna tell me about your promotion?”

He sighed, walked towards her and sat down next to her. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the couch. “It means more hours but I have more freedom with my research, so we have that.”

“And a better paycheck?.”

“A much better paycheck.” He smiled. “I’m taking mom and Paul to Scarpetta to celebrate.”

She whistled. “Look at that, how fancy of you.”

“I know right?”

“But not inviting me? Ouch, you hurt me.”

“That’s because you and I already have plans.”

“Oh do we?”

“Yes,” He nodded. “We do.”

“Well, do these plans include pizza? I’m starving.” She grabbed her phone. “You feeling domino’s?”

“Annabeth, our plans are not tonight.” Percy was facing her now, face full of mischief.

“But we’re celebrating your promotion right now.”

“Yes, we’re kind of celebrating right now, but the celebration I have planned does not include pizza! Pizza is for regular nights, not big events.”

Annabeth couldn’t hide her confusion, she could feel herself frowning. “But I got you flowers...”

He smiled fondly at her. “Yes, yes you did.”

“We can go to Olive Garden if you want? That’s more celebratory than pizza.”

“Actually yes, I would prefer that over pizza if that’s okay with you… but that still is not how we are going to celebrate. I’m gonna spoil you, Chase.”

“Percy...what are you planning?”

“I’m gonna take you on a journey.”

“Dude, what are you on? I’m the one who is currently exhausted and is allowed to say stupid things. Do you have a fever?” Annabeth put her palm on his forehead, making him laugh.

“Shh, you’re ruining it!”

“I don’t know know what is happening! How I’m ruining it!?”  Her voice showing how exasperated she was feeling but that only made Percy laugh louder.

“You were supposed to say a journey?” He mimicked her voice for the last words.

“I do not sound like that, Jackson!”

He ignored her. “And I would say Yes! A journey to the past!”

He let the words sink and Annabeth’s gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

“You did not.”

“I totally did. We’re going to watch Anastasia.”

“OH MY GOD!” She threw herself at him, Percy happily caught her making them half lay, half sit on the couch. “You bought tickets for Anastasia! That’s the show-”

“You have been dying to see since it got announced, I know.”

Annabeth squealed, legitimately squealed in his ear. “You’re the best.”

“Well of course I am.”

Annabeth broke the hug, she was grinning at him and he was smiling back, his arms still resting on her arms. The air between them started to feel heavy, charged with something Annabeth didn’t know how to describe but the air between them grew hotter and hotter, she instinctively leaned forward his grip on her arms became a little bit stronger, he was leaning back into his couch gently pulling her towards him, his lips parting and Annabeth licked her lips, they were so close she could smell him, that crazy smell  a mix of his cologne and him that drove her crazy, his lips were just a few inches away, his hot breath mixing with hers, Annabeth could feel her body starting to rest on him, just a little closer and...BOOM; A loud sound followed by laughs made her jump, falling on the floor. For a few seconds, she didn’t move, trying to make sense of what had happened.

“Fucking neighbors” Percy grunted. From her place on the floor, she watched his hand move to his face in what she thought, by the sound of his groan, was a frustrated manner, a second passed before he moved so he could face her when he saw her on the floor he cursed and quickly stood up. “Shit, Annabeth, are you okay?”

“Kinda.” Annabeth tried to stand but the pain in her back made her curse. “Okay, my back is not okay.”

Percy helped her stand, Annabeth noticed that he made sure there was enough distance between them. “You need to rest, we can go to Olive Garden some other time, do you want to put on some comfy clothes and sleep?”

Annabeth nodded. “Give me your best option.”  

Percy ran to his closet while Annabeth slowly walked trying to catch up with him, the pain in her back wasn’t as strong as the initial shock but it made her body remember how exhausted she was, the adrenaline of almost kissing Percy had left her body...God, she almost kissed Percy.

Annabeth closed her eyes for a second trying to imagine what his lips would feel against hers, she had been so close, but oh god, had he really wanted to kiss her? His actions told her, yes, but maybe he had been just too carried into the moment, he had never tried to kiss her before and now he barely wanted to touch her, a sudden realization came to her mind: he regretted it, they hadn’t even kissed yet and he was already regretting it.

“These are the most comfortable clothes I have.” He was standing in front of her but not too close, personal space had never been a thing between them but now he was making sure there was a lot of space between them making her heart sink. His arms were extended towards her, she took the clothes from him, her fingers brushing his but he quickly pulled his arms away.

“I need to use the bathroom, is okay if you change here?”

Annabeth nodded and Percy quickly disappeared into his bathroom. She took a look at the clothes he gave her, the shirt was an old blue Ithaca College shirt that she saw him wear too often back when they were in college but it was the pants that caught her attention; it was an old pair of Hufflepuff pants she had given him as a joke after he took a Pottermore quiz. She had barely seen him wear them, she had been almost sure he had thrown them away after moving out of college, but the thought of him not only saving them but thinking of them as one his most comfortable clothes made her smile. Then she remembered how absent he had acted after their almost kiss and the smile disappeared. She slowly changed into his clothes, leaving hers in a neat pile in a chair, her brain was a mess of thoughts making her think that sleep wouldn’t be on her schedule but after she climbed into her side of his bed, the exhaustion won and sent her into a dreamless sleep.

***

“So,” Annabeth said when her roommate walked into the kitchen. “I am pretty sure I saw Jason Grace leave your room this morning.”

Percy had woken up early because he was needed at work and Annabeth had decided to go home and have breakfast there, she was used to seeing people leave her friends’ room doing the walk of shame but she never thought that she would be seeing a familiar face doing it.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Annabeth took a sip of her coffee before resting her head in her hand. “A tall Dorito shaped blond guy left your room this morning. The poor soul was so focused on reaching the door without making a sound he didn’t realize I was sitting on the couch.” She could see Piper wincing while trying to make her breakfast: organic almond butter with quinoa and strawberries. “Piper you’re making your I had amazing sex last night breakfast, you can’t deny it.”

Piper finished making her breakfast and sat down in front of Annabeth, she took a deep breath before finally speaking. “Okay fine, I have been sleeping with Jason for a few weeks now.”

“Weeks!?” Annabeth’s mouth formed an ‘o’. Piper had one rule: her hook ups would only last for a short period of time, get out before feelings get involved that’s what she used to say, but she and Jason already had feelings involved even if she liked to deny it.  

“Yeah...we kind of….Jason and I decided to start a friends with benefits sort of thing.” Piper avoided her eyes. “Please don’t judge me, Annabeth.”

“I won’t.” Annabeth took her friend’s hand. “You can tell me anything, Pipes”

“The first time we had sex was the night he got accepted into law school,” Piper told her about how after the first time they had sex they, but mostly she, decided it had been a mistake and they should never speak of it again but Piper couldn’t get him out of her mind, they had opened the door and she couldn’t go back to what they were before. She tried to forget about him but no matter who she was with she could only think of Jason, of him kissing her, touching her, holding her. Piper didn’t want a relationship but she also didn’t want to quit Jason, so after a long talk, they decided to try being friends with benefits and so far it had been working for them. They didn’t want anyone to know about their deal so they decided to keep it a secret. It was so much easier to see each other at his place since she was always there and Leo would end up locked  in his room for hours working on projects giving Jason and Piper the perfect opportunity to hook up, but last night Leo had a few friends over and they decided to give it a shot at her place. “And well, you caught us.”

Annabeth was quiet after that, trying to get her thoughts in order.

“Please say something.” Piper squeezed her hand.

“I’m worried you are gonna get hurt.”

“I won’t.”

“Piper, he likes you.” Annabeth would know, Jason had told her only a few too many times.

“I know, okay?” Piper dropped Annabeth’s hand and sighed. “I know he likes me and I know I’m being absolutely selfish with this deal but this is all I can do for now, I’m not sure if I’m ready for a relationship but I just-- I want him and he’s okay with this deal and I can’t really think about the future because thinking about the future might mean I can lose him and I just can’t.” Piper was holding back tears and Annabeth stood and hugged her friend. “I just want your support, Annabeth please.”

“You have it, I’m here for anything you need, okay?” Annabeth couldn’t help but worry about her best friend, she just had a feeling this deal with Jason was gonna end up going horribly wrong and she knew that deep down Piper knew it too. She also knew that no matter what she said to Piper she wouldn't stop her deal with Jason, so the only thing Annabeth could do was be there for her. It sucked so much, Piper was her best friend but Jason was a good friend too and she didn’t want anyone of them getting hurt.

“Thank you.” Piper took another sip of her coffee. “I didn’t hear you come home last night.”

“I spent the night at Percy’s.”

Piper smirked at her. “Oh did you? Well, look at that.”

“You need to stop saying that every time I stay at Percy’s”

“A girl can dream you two will finally get together, you two shared his bed for fuck’s sake.”

“We share our beds very often and nothing happens,” Annabeth said.

Piper groaned. “But you so want something to happen and so does he.”

“Piper McLean, how many times do I have to tell you Percy doesn’t like me that way.”

“Annabeth Chase how many times I have to tell you he is crazy about you.”

Annabeth’s reply died on her mouth after she remembered the events of last night, she and Percy had almost kissed, she had barely had time to overthink before sleep had come for  her, by the time she had woken up Percy had been nowhere to been seen except for a cold breakfast plate for her and a note telling her that he was needed at  work. She spent the train ride back to her place thinking about last night's events but she always came to the same conclusion: he regretted it, his actions could only mean that. She decided she would do them a favor if she acted like nothing had happened. Before she left his place she sent him a text thanking him for the breakfast and for the clothes and he replied with a bunch of emojis, nothing out of the ordinary, the part of her that was hoping he would make a mention of last night was hurting but the part that was glad her friendship with her best friends was intact won the battle of feelings.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Her voice firm and final, making Piper’s eyes widen but she didn’t say anything, just took a bite of her breakfast and changed the topic of their conversation.

The day passed while Annabeth worked on some blueprints and Piper checked exams and homework from her, they had ordered some takeout for lunch, but there was something in Annabeth’s brain, she felt like she was forgetting something but she couldn’t remember what. The answer came in the afternoon in form of her 5’2 roommate walking into the apartment and slamming the door, her eyes were red and puffy clear signs she had been crying, when Hazel looked at them her face twisted in something with anger and disappointed and Annabeth realized her mistake….she and Piper had forgotten their spa appointments, she looked at Piper whose face had gone pale, probably realizing their mistake.

“I thought you guys had work emergencies or that something bad had happened when none of you answered your phones,” Hazel said making them flinch. She was pissed and she had every right to be. “I waited for your guys for over an hour. I can’t believe it, it was your fucking idea to start with.”

“I know, I know and I’m so sorry, Hazel.” Annabeth stood up and tried to hug her but the younger girl glared at her. A mad Hazel was a rare sight, the girl could scare death away with her glare and now Annabeth was the target of it. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise”

“The same way you promised the spa day?” Annabeth’s heart squeezed painfully, Hazel was hurting, little sweet adorable Hazel was hurting because of her and her stupid brain, she quickly looked at Piper who looked as guilty as she was feeling. “Haz, I know I made a mistake and I’m absolutely sorry but please let me make it up to you! Girls night! That sounds good, right?”

“I don’t really want to go out with you two.” The disappointment in her voice cut Annabeth’s heart like a knife before she could say anything Hazel went to her room and closed the door, Annabeth would have felt better if she had slammed it.

Piper faced her. “I feel awful.”

“I do, too. Shit, I feel horrible, Piper, we were here all day like idiots, I need to talk with her.”

“Let her calm down,” Piper sighed. “She has every reason to be pissed at us and it’s not fair if we don’t let her navigate her feelings but I do understand what she is going through, she still feels like the new girl.”

“And we just excluded her.” Piper nodded and Annabeth sat down on the couch, guilt eating her. It was true Hazel was the new girl, the reason she had moved in with them was because Percy asked it as a personal favor, but Annabeth had grown to like Hazel, she even considered the younger girl a close friend but she never took into consideration what Hazel must have felt moving in with two girls who had been best friends for over a decade, they were so used to each other and so in tune, god it had probably been so difficult for Hazel to be the new girl in the apartment. “We really need to make it up to  her.”

Annabeth waited a few hours until she knocked on Hazel’s door, in the meantime, she went out to buy the stuff she would need for her apology, she only hoped Hazel would give them another chance.

“May I come in?” A muffled sound came from inside and Annabeth took it as a yes. She slowly opened the door to Hazel’s room and entered it, the youngest girl was laying in her bed looking at the ceiling. “I brought you hot chocolate with whipped cream and some cinnamon, your favorite.”

Hazel murmured her thanks but didn’t move, Annabeth sighed and she sat down on the end of Hazel’s bed, mug in her hands, and looked around. Their apartment wasn’t big but at the same time it wasn’t a shoe box, three rooms and one bathroom. A kitchen that barely fit the three of them and a living room with a cozy couch were the common areas, and from where she sat Annabeth could see out to her favorite feature of their apartment, the balcony that stretched from her room, past the living room to Hazel’s. It  was a clash of their different styles, fairy lights, plants and pillows adorned it, and she loved it. Hazel’s room was smallest but Hazel had never showed any annoyance instead, she was relieved her monthly rent was cheaper than Annabeth’s who had the master bedroom.

Annabeth wasn’t in Hazel’s room often, she felt another wave of guilt hit her because she knew she spent a lot of time hanging out in Piper’s  but she had always loved Hazel’s room. It was a mix of white and gold decorations that made the room look bigger than it was, more often than not Annabeth forgot that while the younger girl was studying to be an archeologist, she was also an artist and her room showed it.

“I’m absolutely sorry Hazel, Yesterday I had an interesting night and today I tried to avoid thinking about it making me a suckish friend because I also forgot our plans and I have no excuse for that.”

“It’s ‘kay,” Hazel said before sitting up, she looked at the mug in Annabeth’s hand and slowly made her way to grab it, making Annabeth smile. “It’s not a problem.”

“It’s a problem Haz and you have every right to be upset.”

Hazel sighed. “I know it’s just- I don’t know, I guess I’m a little bit jealous.”

“Of me and Piper.”

Hazel nodded and she looked so miserable Annabeth wanted to hug her. “I know it’s  stupid to feel like this, is just, dunno, I don’t really have close friends in college but it’s okay because I have you guys but sometimes…”

“You are one of my best friends” The younger girl looked surprised at Annabeth’s statement. “And I know I don’t show it often but I’m so happy you are here and are my friend, I’m sorry how I acted it was not fair to you and I’m gonna do my best so you never feel like that again.”

Hazel hugged Annabeth in reply and Annabeth smiled. “You are very important to us and we are gonna start showing it to you, starting tonight.”

“What do you mean?”

“Come to the living room.”

Hazel hesitantly stood  up and went out  to the living room which had been redecorated by Piper and Annabeth, metallic globes were around the room and a golden ‘H’ shaped balloon was over the table that was filled with Hazel’s favorite snacks, from the cupcakes from her favorite bakery to her favorite chocolates.

“How?” Hazel’s voice quivered, eyes watery. “You guys.”

“We have food, drinks, movies, and games,” Piper said while she gave Hazel and Annabeth their drinks. “We promised you a girls night but we are actually having a ‘Hazel is the best’ night and we have everything you love, from your disgusting taste in chips to your more acceptable taste in drinks.”

“And your favorite movies too.” Annabeth hugged Hazel. “And hopefully your favorite girls too?”

Hazel gave them a huge smile. “Definitely my favorite girls.”

“We are really sorry for forgetting the spa day, we let things that shouldn’t be more important than our friendship go first when you should go first, we love you Hazel and you are our dear and amazing friend and we are so happy you moved in with us.” Piper raised her glass. “From now on it’  the three of us against the world, the three musketeers, las tres amigas.”

“Cheers to that!” Hazel yelled while the three of them clicked their glasses.

***

The heat between her legs was driving her crazy, she needed him so badly but Percy was taking his sweet time with her. While he had stripped her down to her underwear, she had only managed to take his shirt off, she had tried to undo the button of his pants but he had stopped her and in a swift movement, her hands were above her head with his hand holding them there.

“What’s the rush, Chase?” Percy pinched her nipple with his free hand, making her moan. “You have always been so impatient.”

He started kissing her jaw and made his way down to her collarbone. “Please,” she said weakly. “I need-OH.” He had moved his legs so his knee was between her thighs, making her see stars.

Percy stopped kissing her, his hand caressing her breast. “You need to what? Tell me what you need Annabeth.” She couldn’t speak, she had started to grind against his knee, desperate for something that would relieve the ache between her legs, she was getting close when Percy abruptly moved his knee and straddled her hips. She could feel his hard on against her crotch. He rocked against her making them both moan. Her panties were probably soaked by this point as if he had read her mind Percy used his free hand to tease her clit over her panties making her whimper in pleasure. “I said tell me what you want.” He punctuated each word with a stroke against her panties.

Her voice was failing her, he had barely done anything to her and she was almost reaching her climax. She was panting, desperate for a release he kept denying her.  “You, I need you” she managed to croak.

He smirked at her, looking illegally handsome. “Very well, was that so hard?” Percy freed her hands and they instantly went to unbutton his pants making him chuckle.  “Desperate, aren’t we? It’s a bummer you have to wake up now, we were having so much fun.”

Annabeth woke up with a gasp, her sheets tangled between her legs. It took her a few seconds to realize what was happening and when she did she groaned, this wasn’t the first sex dream she’d had of Percy, the contrary he was a frequent guest in her dreams and they always ended before they couldn’t actually do something. ‘Great’ she thought. ‘I can’t even get laid in my dreams.’ She looked at her phone, her alarm was going to go off soon so there wasn’t a point in trying to go back to sleep instead she opted for a shower, a cold one if her hard nipples and the dampness in her panties had something to say.

She knew what was coming when she saw Piper’s shit eating grin when she sat down for breakfast.

“Don’t,” she said before Piper could say anything.

Piper ignored her. “So Mr. O finally visited you? It sounds like he did.”

Annabeth glared at her friend. “Shut up. It wasn’t like that, it was a dream”

Piper’s smile could rival the cheshire cat’s. “Was it about Percy? Who I am kidding it’s always Percy, was he good?”

“Gross,” Hazel said. “I don’t wanna hear this.”

“Oh come on, Haze! Don’t you wanna know if Annabeth finally had an orgasm!?”

“Not if it’s about my cousin.”

“I did not.” Annabeth took a bite from her scrambled eggs. “Like I said, it was a dream.”

Piper pointed her fork at her. “You can totally have an orgasm during a sex dream, believe me.” she winked at her.

“Whatever, is not like it’s easy to have an orgarms.”

“It is! You just need practice.” Piper stole a hash brown from Hazel’s plate. “Plus you probably are overthinking it a lot, don’t you think, Hazel?“ Hazel raised an eyebrow at Piper. “Oh yeah sorry, my bad, you don’t care about sex.”

“Makes my life easier.” Hazel finished her apple juice in one sip. “And if you excuse me I’m out of here, don’t want hear about how you two get horny thinking about my cousins.”

“How do you even know about Jason!?” Piper looked mortified.

“A girl has her secrets.” Hazel  winked at her, grabbed her backpack and left the apartment while her roommates wished her a good day at college.

“Did you tell her about Jason?” Piper said once Hazel closed the front door.

Annabeth tried her best not to laugh at her friend’s offended face, she shook her head and took a sip from her coffee. “Jason probably told her himself, you know those three weirdos are super close.”

“Cousin goals and stuff, I’m just stuck with Drew and Silena.”

“Hey no! We love Silena and you are starting to love Drew.” Piper raised an eyebrow at her. “Don’t give me that face young lady, you love both of your cousins equally now, unlike me who still thinks Drew is shady.”

“You only think she is shady because she made a move on Percy and you’re in love with him” Annabeth opened her mouth to complain but Piper interrupted her. “Also don’t change the topic! We were talking about your O issue.”

Annabeth rolled her eyes and stood up. “First of all, you changed the topic not even.” She put her plates on the dishwasher. “Second I’m gonna be late for work.”

“Liar, you just don’t want to have this conversation.”

“True but in all honestly you are the one who is actually gonna be late for work.”

Piper checked the time and almost knocked over the chair when she jumped from it. “Fuck!”

Annabeth laughed at Piper who was frantically trying to find everything she needed to take to work, Annabeth took her oversized bag that doubled as a briefcase yelled a goodbye to Piper and left for work.

Piper had been wrong about her needing practice, Annabeth had given frequent use to the toys Piper had given her as a gag gift a few Christmases ago, but Piper had been right about over thinking; while Annabeth had managed to feel good while masturbating… she had never managed to reach an orgasm, no matter what she was using: toys or fingers, nothing helped making her frustrated which led to her overthinking and thus losing the few advances she had made. She knew that one of the things that could help her was to fantasize about what she wanted but who she wanted was her best friend and Annabeth didn’t allow herself to think about him while she masturbated, the only time she tried...she had managed to go pretty far before guilt started to eat her up. But while she never allowed him to sneak into her thoughts Percy had always managed to find his way to her dreams where he was always the protagonist of her fantasies.

Mornings after her sex dreams were usually awful for her, they left her with an ache she couldn’t treat and those were days she usually avoided seeing Percy and tried her best to forget about them and she was usually unsuccessful with that. She reached her work building and took a deep breath if she wanted to survive this day she was gonna need coffee, lots of it.

***

Piper McLean wasn’t a crier, she was one of the toughest girls Annabeth had met in her life so coming home and finding her sitting on the couch in tears was a red flag.

“Piper? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Annabeth ran to her side. “Do you need something?”

Piper looked at her, her face full of heartbreak. “I did something very stupid.”

Annabeth took her hand and sat next to her. “It’s okay, I’m here for you, talk to me and we can work together on fixing this.”

“We can’t fix this, I fucked up big time.” Piper was sobbing at this point, making Annabeth hug her. “I lost him, for good, Annabeth I was stupid.”

“Jason?” Piper nodded. “Oh, sweetheart.”

Piper broke the hug and tried cleaning her tears with her arm. “You were right, it was gonna end up badly but fuck, I never thought it would be this badly.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

“There is not much to say, I was falling for him and I got scared.” She rubbed her face with her hand. “I hate this, I fucking hate this, why can’t I let anything good happen to myself, I’m- just….ugh, why do I have to be like this.” Annabeth could see she was trying to stop the sobs” Do you-- do you think you could make me some tea? Please?” Piper hugged herself, making her look smaller than she already was, Annabeth gave her knee a quick squeeze before she went to make her tea.

Annabeth’s heart was aching for her friend, she couldn’t even start to imagine how Piper was feeling right now after all Piper’s fear of falling in love was a result of how she grew up. Her parents had many lovers, while her dad had been loyal to her mother during the brief time they were together her mother had always been a restless woman, she couldn’t be tied to a place or a person and the fact she was also a rich heiress gave her easy access to go from place to place without looking back, even if that meant leaving her own kid behind. Piper had grown up with nannies in the world of Hollywood, with a father who put his career first and an absent mother who thought money could replace the love of a mother. Back then Piper had believed she was the reason her parents didn’t care for her, that it was her fault somehow so she started to rebel, half hoping to get her parent attention but also as a punishment for them. It had started simple like not going to her dad’s premiers but then it was sending back the channel dress her mom sent her completely ruined, her rebellious acts started getting bigger and bigger until things took a darker turn. She was thirteen and had started to hang out with the wrong crowd, being the kid of one of the most acclaimed actors opened many doors for her, doors that shouldn’t be opened to a barely teenaged girl. Those doors ended up leading her to the ER, on an almost deadly trip that was thankfully kept in the dark from the press, the world didn’t need to know she had almost died for trusting the wrong people who had pressured her into trying drugs. It had been a wakeup call not only for Piper but for her parents too, her dad ended up moving her from his world and  sent her to one of the best schools  in New York, a school that also doubled as boarding school and happened to be the very same school Annabeth and Percy had gone too but unlike her, they lived in their own homes. Piper was fiercely watched over at school, she had to take random drug tests and room inspections and had weekly meetings with a therapist but Piper didn’t complain, her only experience with drugs had scared her enough to never want to try them again. Not long after starting school she met Percy, both going to the same algebra class and they bonded over their mutual hate to their teacher, Mrs. Dodds. Percy took her under his wing, being a good influence on her and but Percy wasn’t a solo deal and it didn’t take long before Annabeth came into her life and they became good friends. Things got better for Piper after awhile she joined the soccer team with Annabeth and started to release the anger she felt towards her parents in a more healthy way. Her dad had moved to New York City to be closer to her and try to mend their relationship and with time they did. Time and therapy had helped her understand she had never been the reason her parents hadn’t cared and there had been nothing she could have done to change that, the damage had already been done, she had a hard time believing she was worthy of love and she was scared of making her parents mistakes, so she decided to lock her heart, to never allow herself to fall for someone because love was dangerous and the lack of her parents love had screwed her over and for twenty-three years she had been okay, but against her best judgment and without meaning to she had fallen in love with a wonderful boy who loved her back.

Annabeth put the tea mug carefully in front of her. “You broke up?”  

“Can you break up with someone you never dated?” Piper hiccupped a sob. “I don’t think he wants to see me ever again which is good, I’m not a good person to fall in love with.”

“Pipes, hon, that’s complete bullshit and you know it.”

“He’s better without me.”

“Are you better without him?”

Piper started crying even harder. “No, he was good to me, so good but he deserves better than what I can give him.”

Annabeth hugged her friend. “He is no better without you and you are wrong, Piper you do deserve to be loved, you deserve to be happy and Jason loves you and makes you happy.”

“He deserves so much better than a fucked up girl like me.”

Annabeth could feel tears forming in her eyes, she had never seen this side of Piper, not since they were teenagers, like her Piper had always shown herself as confident, strong, she didn’t allow people to see her weak side, but there was a difference between her and Piper, Annabeth allowed her friends to see her vulnerable side while Piper hid it from them. “You are not fucked up, you are one of the best people  that I have ever met, you make people happy Piper, anyone would be lucky to have you in their life, don’t sell yourself short, please, you are so much and it breaks my heart you can’t see it.”

“I lo- I love him,” Piper said between sobs

“I know love.”

“And I fucked up everything.”

“Maybe you did but I don’t believe it, I know Jason and he loves you so much and I know this isn’t the end of you two, I just know it.”

“It is.”

“Is not.” Annabeth’s hug became tighter. “This is your pain talking, you are hurt and you can’t let yourself see the big picture,  let’s get you to bed and let you rest, things always look better when you wake up.”

“Can you stay with me?”

“Always."

***

Seeing Piper, someone Annabeth loved as a sister, breaking down had been one of the hardest things she had experienced in her life. Hearing what she thought of herself  made Annabeth want to do anything possible to make Piper see how beautiful she was, not only on the outside but on the inside, unfortunately, she knew that not matter what she tried the only person who could convince Piper of who she truly was Piper herself, that didn’t mean she didn’t try. She and Hazel took turns watching over her, thankfully for them, it was Piper’s spring break so she could spend her days sulking in her room, eating ice cream and watching romantic comedies. Her heart ached for her friend and she tried to the best she could to help her friend. Annabeth’s phone was filled with texts from Jason, texts she had been ignoring and felt very guilty about. Jason was her friend too and he was also hurting but Piper took priority, she could talk with Jason when things calmed down. Plus she had been asking Percy for updates about his cousin, she just couldn’t bring herself to answers his texts but Hazel was doing better than her, while she was 24/7 for Piper she was for Jason too, after all, he was also her cousin.

Days passed fast, between working and cheering up Piper, who was doing so much better after a night of tequila and cake and crying and was back on her feet, and before Annabeth knew it Saturday had arrived, the day she and Percy were going to watch Anastasia on Broadway. When Percy told her he was gonna spoil her she didn’t think he actually meant it after all their tickets for the show were in the orchestra area, he couldn’t spoil her more, right? She was so wrong.

The day started with Percy picking her up for breakfast and taking her to Maison Kayser, a coffee place near Central Park.

“Are you gonna tell me what you have planned for today?” Annabeth took a sip of her coffee. “Besides eating this overpriced croissant?”

“Oh, excuse you.” Percy took a bite of his breakfast. “It’s not only an overpriced croissant, it’s an overpriced breakfast because we are finally celebrating my promotion.”

Annabeth smiled at him. “So we have a busy day? We don’t have to be at the theater for another.” She looked at her wrist pretending there was a watch there. “Ten hours or so.”

“Shh, today I’m spoiling you.”

“You certainly are, so I assume we are gonna go to Central Park?”

“Do you feel like being a tourist today?”

There was mischief in his eyes paired with a smile that took her breath away. His smile always made Annabeth’s heart accelerate, god, he looked absolutely beautiful when he smiled, she couldn’t help but reciprocate it. “With you? Always”

Even if she had been living in Manhattan for over half of her life she was always amazed by the city. Central Park had always been one of her favorite places in the city. The place was filled with secret spots that she felt she could spend her whole life finding, and the views were absolutely breathtaking, walking with her arm interlocked with Percy’s around the park was quite magical, it didn’t matter how many times she had walked those paths, they always made her smile. May was ending and summer was around the corner and Central Park knew it, everything was green and blooming making it the perfect place to wander for a few hours. Walking and laughing and talking and sitting on the green areas, finally enjoying the warmth.

“Do you wanna have lunch?” They were laying on the grass near The Reservoir, enjoying the sunshine. Annabeth was dozing off, feeling relaxed, Percy’s voice had brought her back and she turned her head so she was looking at him instead of the sky. “Or start making our way to Times Square? I know it’s still a few hours until the show but we could grab a bite and go to the Disney Store, I haven’t spoiled Mia in a while and she has been very excited about some new bean bag plushes.”

Annabeth laughed. “Tsum Tsums.”

“Same thing.”

“So I assume you don’t know where we are gonna eat?”

Percy rolled his eyes. “I’m sure there are some places near Times Square we can eat.”

“Actually.” Annabeth rolled over so her torso was touching the grass, face resting on her hands. “A coworker has talked on and on about this place called BBQ Dallas or something and he swears the food is amazing.”

“You wanna go there?”

“I don’t see why not.”

Percy stood up. “Well then, onwards.”

They took the C line on the 81 St down to 50 St. they walked for a while and after they arrived in Times Square Annabeth started to regret their decision, the place was absolutely packed with people. Annabeth suppressed a groan. “Times Square at one in the afternoon, yeah we made an amazing decision.”

Percy made a face. “Let’s find the place and eat first, ugh I hate Times Square.”

“What we're thinking?”

“We weren’t, we should have gone somewhere else.”

“Ugh, you were blinded by your love for Mia.”

Finding the restaurant wasn’t as hard as they thought and it wasn’t that packed with people so they didn’t really have to wait for a table.

“Today’s mom’s book launch,” Percy said while they were waiting for their food. “I was thinking we could go after the show and crash for a little?”

“Oh my god! Percy! Why are you telling me this now!”

Percy had the decency to look guilty. “Sorry, it totally slipped my mind, you aren’t the only one whose work has been kicking their ass.” He took a sip from his coke. “Plus by the time she told me I had already bought the tickets so there wasn’t much we could do.”

“You’re the worst! Of course we are gonna go to your mom’s! Even if it’s for a little bit!” Annabeth looked down at her clothes, she was wearing black skinny jeans ripped at the knees and a floral blouse, a nice outfit but not formal enough if she was gonna attend Sally’s book launch. “There won’t be time to go to my place so I can change into something nicer, right?”

“Yeah...probably not.”

Annabeth sighed. “I hate you so much, eat fast because we are going shopping for a dress after this, we have time to go back to your place to change and look decent for your mom.”

Annabeth and Percy were pleasantly surprised by the food, the place was good and the fact that they gave them mini cupcakes instead of mints when Percy paid made the trip to Times Square kind of worth it. The show was still a few hours away and Annabeth was lucky they were just a few minutes away from the big shops, while Annabeth tried to find a dress Percy went to the Disney store to buy the plushies for his little sister. After a few dresses and the approval from Piper and Hazel via text, Annabeth paid for her dress and caught up with Percy who was waiting for her outside of Starbucks holding two drinks.

“Do we have a winner?” Percy asked when he saw her, he handed her a drink and Annabeth smiled at him.

“Best part was that it was on sale” She winked at him.

“Good, now let’s go we have to be back in two hours and I can’t wait to get away from this hell place.”

***

Annabeth was putting the final touches on her eyelashes, she had a drawer in Percy’s bathroom filled with her stuff she forgot at some point which usually came in handy in situations like this, she took a last look to the mirror and smiled at her reflection. For being a last minute purchase she was really loving the dress. It was red, loose and short sleeved, it had a very discrete V neck and reached her knees plus it looked amazing paired with her brown wedges. Her hair was in half up up-do and lastly blush and a wine colored lipstick completed her look.  

Percy’s mouth dropped when he saw Annabeth leave his bathroom. “What do you think, Jackson, do I clean up good?”

Percy quickly closed his mouth and smiled at her. “More than good, if I must say.”

He was wearing black pants and a navy button up shirt, he had tried to fix his hair but had apparently lost the battle. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”  He winked at her and Annabeth hoped he couldn’t see the trembling on her legs, she hated that a simple wink had that much effect on her. Annabeth avoided his eyes and instead focused on the windows.

Annabeth was absolutely in love with Percy’s apartment which was honestly more of a studio since the only walls inside were separating the bathroom from the rest of the place. Brown bricks covered almost all of the walls that matched perfectly with the wooden floor and ceiling, the layout  was quite minimalist, once you entered to your left was the kitchen island that connected to the rest of the kitchen which ended in a bookshelf inspired wall, excluding the fridge and oven that were also there, the shelves were filled with almost everything but books. In front of the kitchen was a small dining table and next to it, also in front of the door, was the living room composed of an L shaped couch and a coffee table and finally on the right, separated from the living room by a long desk was Percy’s queen size bed laying against a framed print covered wall. On the right side of the bed were two large mirrors that worked as sliding doors to the bathroom/closet and lastly on the left side of the bed, what Annabeth thought was the best thing about the place, was a bricked wall with a few large windows that looked over part of The High Line and you could even the Hudson river behind it.

“Are we gonna leave or are you gonna stay admiring the windows?” Annabeth brought her attention back to Percy who was offering his arm to her, she gladly accepted it.

“Let’s go.”

***

“I can’t believe you cried.” Percy teased her after the show was over.

“Excuse me, I remember you crying when we took Mia to watch The Lion King, so you honestly can’t judge me.”  

Percy laughed and moved closer to her, they were in an Uber on their way to Sally’s book launch. “I’m not judging, I’m happy that you loved it.”

They were facing each other, hands still interlocked since they walked out of the theater, Annabeth’s heart was beating rapidly, it felt absolutely intimate, this whole day had felt almost like... a date, and right now legs almost brushing, hands together, his face just inches away from hers, she was trying very hard not to lean in and kiss him. “I don’t think there are enough words in the world to tell you how happy I am. Honestly, Perce, today was absolutely perfect.”

Percy put a rebellious curl behind her ear. “Even being stuck in Times Square?”

“Yeah.” He was so close, she could feel his breath against her lips. “You absolutely outdid yourself this time.” She was whispering, his fingers were playing with the curl of hair.

“You deserve that and more.” His hand went from her hair to cup her cheek, his other hand still interlocked with hers, Annabeth forgot how to breathe.

“You are spoiling me.” Were they this close a few seconds ago? Annabeth was sure they definitely hadn’t been, but she had no idea who or when they had shifted closer.

“That was the whole idea, remember?” Annabeth couldn’t focus on anything that wasn’t his lips, god she loved his lips and was dying to taste them, she was about to say fuck it and close the distance between them when their Uber driver announced they had arrived and just like that the spell was broken. She didn’t realize she hadn’t been breathing until she started to gasp for air, she felt dizzy and light and confused. Percy had moved fast before she could control her breathing he was already out of the car opening the door for her.

“Ar-are you ready?” he cleared his throat.

“Yeah, let’s go.” He didn’t offer his arm and she didn’t reach for it, they walked side by side but avoided touching. The air between them had shifted from heated to awkward and the fact they were stuck in an elevator going to the top floor didn’t help.

“I’m gonna look for the bathroom first,” Annabeth said after they exited the elevator.

“Yeah, I’ll look for mom.”

Once they entered the salon they nodded at each other before going their separate ways. Annabeth had to ask a waiter for the bathroom and since he had a tray with champagne glasses she took one and drank it like she was doing a shot. The waiter was about to walk away but she managed to grab another and drink it on her way to the bathroom. Once she was inside a cubicle she finally allowed herself to groan and breath, what had that been in the Uber!? She had been about to kiss Percy, holy fuck how could she have been so stupid? But then again he’d looked like he had wanted to kiss her too, she could feel the effects of the alcohol relaxing her a little, she should probably sneak a few glasses more to finally relax. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She didn’t have the head to think about what had happened and she didn’t want to spend the rest of the launch being awkward with Percy. With one last breath she left the cubicle and after a quick check in the bathroom mirror she went back into the salon….and straight for a waiter who was carrying a tray of wine, she was about to grab a second glass when she felt a hand on her back that made her almost jump.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Annabeth turned and was greeted by Percy’s stepfather. “Sally sent me to search for you, she wants family pictures before Mia falls asleep.”

Annabeth gave Paul a quick hug. “Yeah, sure no problem.”

She followed him while he asked her about her day, she was about to start preaching how good the show had been when she spotted the Jackson’s, the moment Sally saw her the older woman embraced her while Mia was trying to grab her attention, but Annabeth’s attention was on Percy who was looking at them with fondness and a smile she couldn’t help but reciprocate. The smile mixed with the alcohol and made her feel warm, all the traces of awkwardness between them melting away. After greeting the older woman and her little daughter, she was asked to pose for a few pictures with the Blofis-Jackson family. Sally had always made sure she was a part of her little family and had never excluded her from anything, most of the time it was actually Annabeth backing away letting them enjoy their family time but this time, this time she felt like she was home. Maybe Percy’s arm around her had something to with it, or Mia holding her hand but for the first time, she felt like she finally belonged there.

She and Percy didn’t spend much time at the launch, an hour tops, but they had spent most of it separated. He had spent most of the time eating the pastries and babysitting Mia while Sally had grabbed Annabeth and was introducing her to most of her guests, never leaving out the fact that she was a promising architect on the rise, making her embarrassed and honored at the same time. She had been stuck for over ten minutes with a guest who didn’t stop talking about himself and Annabeth was wishing she hadn’t finished that glass of wine so quickly, trying to find a way she could leave without offending him, after all, she didn’t know if he was part of Sally’s publishing team or not, when she felt a hand resting on her lower back. Annabeth’s whole body relaxed into his when she heard Percy’s voice.

“I’m very sorry but unfortunately I’m gonna have to steal this lady from you, it’s getting late and we need to get back to our place.”

“You saved me,” Annabeth said once the guest had left.

“Well, you looked in pain so I knew I had to step in.” His arm was resting around her waist, probably to avoid people trying to start a conversation with her, she thought. “Plus I was actually telling the truth, it is getting late.”

Annabeth looked at her phone and was surprised to see it was past one in the morning. “Well at least we are not gonna have traffic on our way back. I’m getting us an Uber”

They said their goodbyes to Percy’s parents and by the time they exited the building their car was waiting for them. The journey home felt like it was in slow motion, neither of them were speaking but this time it felt completely different. Their hands weren’t intertwined but his hand was resting on her knee making her skin burn against his touch, her whole body was burning begging her to get his hands all over her; when his thumb started caressing her skin she felt like she was about to explode. Her breathing was getting quicker and louder, she could feel her heart beating and to her total mortification, she could feel herself getting wet. She wanted to look at him so badly but was afraid of what she was gonna find in his face, as far as she knew she was dying and he was barely affected at all. After what felt like years but was probably a short drive they finally arrived at his building.

Percy said a quick thank you to their driver before helping her get out. They walked side by side into the building, his hand was again on her lower back, skin burning against his touch even if there were clothes between their skin. She snuck a look at him while waiting for the elevator to reach their floor and could see the tension in his jaw while his free hand was clenching and unclenching, maybe, just maybe he could feel the heat between them after all. She wasn’t sure what happened next, one moment they were walking from the elevator and the next she was against the door inside his apartment, his lips moving hungrily against hers, her hands were in his hair trying to pull him closer to her while his arms were around her waist. She couldn’t help but moan when she felt his tongue stroke her lower lip, the sound making them finally separate.

Annabeth moved her hands from his hair to his shoulder while he stared at her. Percy’s eyes were wide and a few shades darker, his dark hair was messier than usual, his lips were parted, to say something or to breathe, she wasn’t sure, traces of her lipstick were all over his lips making Annabeth blush even more. She had just kissed Percy, she had just made out with her best friend. Annabeth could hear her heart beating, she wondered for a second if Percy could hear it too but she didn’t have much time to overthink. Percy quickly closed the distance between them and was kissing her again; his hands moved from her waist, cupping her face while he kissed her with an intensity that made Annabeth’s knees tremble. In a swift movement, Percy picked her up and without breaking the kiss moved them until he laid her on his bed, him on top of her. Annabeth slid her hands from his neck letting them roam on his back, she could feel his muscles under his shirt. She grasped his back in shock when she felt his mouth on her neck sucking and licking. For a moment Annabeth forgot how to breathe, she had never been kissed like this, her body burned wanting more and more. She pulled Percy closer, leaning her head to give him better access to her neck, one of his hands started to roam her thighs under her dress and Annabeth felt desire coiling low and warm in her belly, she was trying very hard not to explode from the heat between her legs.

"You taste fruity" Percy said, lips barely touching hers before starting to make his way to her neck, his hand playing with the neckline of her dress.

Annabeth had trouble finding her voice, he was sucking that spot of her neck. "You c-can blame." She suppressed a moan. “Blame it on the wine”

Percy froze. Annabeth felt his body tense, he didn’t do anything for a few seconds. “Wine?” his voice was still raspy from desire, he cleared his throat. “You drank wine?”

He pulled away and Annabeth instantly missed the warmth of his body against her. The moment was broken, she closed her eyes before replying. “And maybe a little Champagne too.”

“How much is a little?” Percy’s voice sounded hollow. Annabeth took a deep breath, opened her eyes and sat up on his bed. “A glass or two, maybe a few.”

“You can’t handle your alcohol.”

“I’m not drunk, Percy.”

Percy’s eyes were scanning her, looking for the signs that would tell him she was drunk but Annabeth was absolutely and completely sober, sure her face was probably flushed and she had a hard time thinking but that was an effect of their make out session not of the alcohol that had already left her blood stream.

A humorless laugh escaped his lips. “You say that every time you’re drunk.” He stood up from the bed, hands rubbing his face. “You’re drunk, fuck, you’re drunk.”

“Percy, please I’m not drunk.” Annabeth’s heart was pounding. She knew that he was not going to change his mind, if she was in his place she would also assume she was drunk but honestly, this was the effect he had on her, only him and not the alcohol.

“I’m gonna make you coffee.” He started walking towards the kitchen, back towards her the whole time. “I can lend you clothes if you wanna take a shower.”

Annabeth felt tears forming in her eyes, she blinked a few times trying to stop them from falling. Without saying a word she walked into his bathroom, in what felt like autopilot she started to undress and turn on the shower, tears free falling now, body shaking trying to stop the sobs. Once safely inside the shower, she left herself to cry, the sound of the water making sure Percy wouldn’t hear her. The moment was ruined, absolutely ruined, she knew how headstrong Percy was and there was nothing she could say to change his mind, at least not tonight. She knew him so well, if he had seen her drink at the party he wouldn’t have touched her at all, much less make out with her, but Annabeth also knew her alcohol limits and she knew the drinks she had had nothing to do with her kissing him. She shouldn’t have mentioned the wine, she knew how he would react but at that moment her brain had been fuzzy with lust, with the feeling of his lips on her body and his hands burning every place they touched her. This was not how their first (second?) kiss should have gone, it wasn’t supposed to end with her crying in the shower while he probably cursed himself in the kitchen. She needed to fix this, she needed to fix this misunderstanding before their friendship got affected. She allowed herself a few more minutes in the shower, the last tears falling as the warm water hit her body, helping her relax a little.

She had stayed over at his place numerous times, so many she had already unofficially claimed some of Percy’s old college clothes are her pj’s but putting his clothes tonight didn’t give her the usual warmness it did, she felt unusually cold in a place that had always filled her with warmth. By the time she was as ready as she could be to leave the bathroom and confront Percy about the kiss she found that he was already sleeping on the couch, making her heart break a little bit more. Ever since he had moved into his place they had always shared his bed every time she had stayed over, seeing him on the couch felt like rejection. Oh, he was rejecting her, wasn’t he? She closed her eyes, tears pouring down her face, her biggest fear had finally come true.

***

“Annabeth Chase! Is that a hickey!?”

Annabeth almost dropped her favorite mug, before touching her neck with her free hand, the skin felt sore to touch and she had a flashback of Percy sucking that spot the previous night, she felt warmth rush to her face and the shit grin smirk on Piper’s face told her everything she needed to know.

“OH MY GOD.” Piper’s gasped. “It totally is, you dirty girl!”

“Pipes, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Annabeth Chase, you just came home with a hickey...how are we not gonna talk about it?”

“Because I don’t want to fucking talk about it!” Annabeth yelled, eyes burning from unshed tears. “Can you fucking respect that for once!?”

She left her untouched coffee on the kitchen island before going back to her room. She leaned against her door and started to slide until she was finally sitting on the floor fighting back sobs. She didn’t mean to yell at Piper, she honestly didn’t but her body was filled with emotions she couldn’t decipher and were bursting to come out., her brain was in a constant fight: half screaming at her to go back and fix things with Percy before it was too late but the other half,  the one that was winning, was telling her to hide in her room and never come out. Guilt eating her from yelling at Piper but mostly because of how she left things with Percy. She hadn’t been able to sleep last night, her brain giving her worse and worse thoughts as minutes passed by, as soon the first ray of sun hit the windows Annabeth left. She spent the whole ride home looking at her phone waiting for a text or call from Percy, even though she wasn’t sure if she wanted to talk to him. Annabeth couldn’t hold back the sobs and she let them free, they were heartbreaking sobs that made it hard for her to breathe, she ignored Piper’s knocks, and cried and cried until she fell asleep.

Her eyes were heavy when she finally woke up, she was still laying on the floor but a pillow was under her head and she was covered with a blanket, she felt drained and confused and couldn’t help but groan when she moved into a sitting position.

“Oh good, you are awake.” Annabeth had to blink a few times until Hazel came into focus, she was on her bed with a book beside her. “We were so worried.”

“Wha-t,” her voice was raspy and she had to clear her throat a few times. “What time is it?”

“Past six, Piper is taking a shower.” Annabeth nodded and stretched, her bones popping after sleeping in such an uncomfortable position. “Percy keeps calling and asking to talk with you, Annabeth what happened?”

“I was an idiot.”

“Annabeth…”

“Can we just wait until Piper is here? I just messed up big time.”

Hazel nodded. “Do you want me to make you some tea?” Annabeth shook her head, she didn’t really feel like drinking anything.

“Did you and Percy kiss?” Hazel asked after a few minutes of silence. They had moved so both of them were on Annabeth’s bed with their backs against the wall, she looked at Hazel in shock. “I mean the hickeys are kind of hard to miss.”

Annabeth’s hand touched the tender skin of her neck. “I kissed him or he kissed me first, it’s all a blur.” Hazel grabbed her free hand with hers. “I’m sorry it ended up badly, Annabeth, I’m truly sorry.”

They stayed in silence for a while, Hazel holding her hand, giving her support even if she didn’t really know what had happened. Annabeth would have smiled if she had energy, she was so thankful to have  Hazel in her life. The sound of the shower had stopped a while ago and Annabeth was waiting for Piper to join them which she did after a few minutes with wet hair and her PJ’s on.

“Hey you,” Piper said when she entered her room. “Feeling better?”

Annabeth shook her head and Hazel squeezed her hand. “Percy and I kissed.”

“Well, that’s quite clear.” Piper sat down on the bed so she was facing Annabeth and Hazel.  “But this is not how I thought the conversation would go when you and Percy finally kissed.”

“I knew it was gonna end up badly.” Annabeth bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut. “I fucked up.”

“Did you...sleep with him?” Piper’s voice was soft and Annabeth opened her eyes to see the worry on her friend’s face.

“No, I mean I’m sure things were headed that way but he stopped it before it went that far.”

“He stopped it!?” Hazel exclaimed.

“He thought I was drunk.”

“Were you?” Piper extended her arm towards her and Annabeth took her hand.

“No, I mean I did drink at Sally’s launch but not enough to get drunk.”

Piper and Hazel exchanged a confused look “I thought you guys were gonna watch Anastasia.” Piper finally said.

“And we did.” Annabeth sighed. “Everything went downhill after the show.”

“What do you mean?” Hazel asked.

Annabeth took a deep breath and told them everything, glossing over some parts she knew would make Hazel uncomfortable, those were things she wasn’t ready to relive anyway, not yet. After Annabeth finished telling them everything her friends stayed in silence for a while.

“Annabeth,” Piper said after a while. “Look, I just think that maybe you are overreacting.” Annabeth could feel her jaw dropping and was about to reply with some not very nice words when Piper quickly started talking again. “I mean, he kissed you back or he started it, the fact that you don’t even know who started the kissing is very important because he wanted you. He wants you and not in just an ‘I’m gonna tap that’ way but in an ‘I’m gonna tap that and take her on dates and make her the happiest girl in the planet’ way.”

“What Piper is trying to say.” Hazel interrupted the brunette. “Is that there was a misunderstanding between you but Percy cares deeply about you and not just because you are his best friend.”

“Percy Jackson would have never kissed you if he wasn’t into you.”

“I saw him kiss girls he wasn’t into during college,” Annabeth said, she had tried to let go of her friends’ hands but they were having none of it.

“Yeah, but I said you, he would have never made a move on you if he didn’t want something serious with you, he would have never risked losing you.” Piper scooted closer to her. “Annabeth Chase hear very clearly what I’m about to say: Percy is in love with you, I know that, Hazel knows that everybody but you knows that.”

“I don’t really see it as making a move.”

Hazel groaned. “Annabeth you are the  one who knows him the best and right now I can’t believe you.” She moved from her spot on the bed so she could be next to Piper, the both of them facing her with a determination Annabeth had never seen before. “Do you honestly believe that my cousin would have kissed you just because he was horny? Do you think so lowly of him?”

“No!” Annabeth said, offended. Her brain was overheating, trying to make sense of everything her friends were saying to her. This conversation wasn’t going the way she thought, they were supposed to comfort her not confront her but Hazel and Piper hadn’t stuck to the script her brain had written. “Of course I don’t think that!”

“Then why you are acting like that!? Why are you thinking that he would just kiss you and not mean it.” Annabeth could hear the frustration in Hazel’s voice. “Stop being so stubborn Annabeth!”

“Next to his mom and sister, you are the most important person in his life,” Piper said fiercely. “He would go to hell and back for you and you know it, and you know that last night was also very important for him but put yourself into his shoes for a second, he thought the love of his life was only kissing him because she was drunk.”

“How do you think he is feeling right now?” Hazel asked her. “Just please, please talk to him.”

Against Hazel and Piper’s advice she had avoided Percy for another day, they’d stayed with her after their talk but didn’t say much, giving her some time to clear her head. But they spent the next day nagging her about talking with Percy so she spent the whole day hiding in her room ignoring not only Percy’s calls and texts but her roommates too. She had felt absolutely guilty ignoring Percy but she didn’t want to talk with him until she had cleared her thoughts but her thoughts hadn’t been cleared, and as much as she wanted to keep hiding in her room Piper and Hazel were right, she wasn’t the only one hurting. Percy was probably having it worse than her, he probably thought he had taken advantage of her (non) drunken state and as much as she wanted to run in the opposite direction, something that wasn’t easy to do when she was stuck in a subway car on her way to Percy’s apartment, she couldn’t keep avoiding their talk. The longer she took the harder it was gonna be to find the courage to talk and so that morning she’d left for his apartment the moment she woke up. For once she didn’t allow herself to overthink, her friendship with Percy didn’t deserve to end because a mistake they both made one night.Maybe their mistakes were different, hers was running away without giving him a chance to explain and his was kissing her...probably, either way, their friendship was stronger than this and she really missed her best friend and she wanted him back. He was such an important part of herself and he didn’t deserve what she was doing to him, if their situation was reversed and he was the one ignoring her...it would kill her, but then again, he wasn’t the one who was in love with her.

‘Percy is in love with you’ Piper had said and Hazel had agreed with her ‘He kissed you back’ Annabeth thought while the train got closer and closer to his station. ‘That must have meant something, right?’ Her heart started to beat faster and she might have started to shake a little, she thought about the way his arms had wrapped around her, the way he had kissed her, his touch… that night he had wanted her as much as she had wanted him. Piper and Hazel had been right about one thing, she knew Percy better than anyone and he would have never put their friendship in jeopardy just because of his hormones and for the first time she allowed herself to think that maybe, just maybe her feelings weren’t one sided and she and Percy could maybe take a new step in their relationship.

She exited the train with new confidence, she wanted to run to him so badly but she stopped in at their favorite coffee shop, she felt like arriving with his favorite iced coffee might be a bonus for her. She smiled the whole way up to his place, she was bouncing with so much excitement, that at first, she didn’t realize that his apartment’s door was open or that a girl was standing there and when she did she froze in place. The girl was still a few meters away but Annabeth could still get a good look at her: she was short with long straight black hair,  and was wearing party shorts and one of Percy’s shirts with her black heels in her hands. Annabeth felt a lump form in her throat, the girl might have been a different one but she had seen this scene many times in her apartment with Piper’s hookups, but this wasn’t her apartment and the person behind the door wasn’t Piper it was Percy. If this was a movie she would have dropped the coffees onto the floor and made a scene, and Percy would have heard and run after her only to catch her as she was leaving his building and he’d pull her into a passionate kiss while it poured rain around them. But this wasn’t a movie and neither Percy or the girl saw her walking back to the stairs, avoiding the elevator that was too visible. Percy didn’t catch her when she left, and the sun was shining, it was a beautiful day, so beautiful it felt like it was mocking her. How could the sun shine so bright? And the sky be this beautiful blue when her heart was breaking?

She had been a fool, a complete fool, she had always been right protecting her heart and now she had been an idiot thinking he could love her more than a friend. She walked as fast as she could to the train station, she wanted her bed, she wanted to cry her heart out and yell. She threw the coffees in the first trash can she found, she was heartbroken and angry: angry at herself for listening to Piper, angry at Piper for putting foolish ideas in her brain and God, she was angry at Percy for sleeping with the first girl he saw, he probably had a girl over the night before too. As hard as she tried she couldn’t hold back her tears, how stupid she must look to outsiders, but then again this was New York City and they probably paid little attention to the girl crying at the train stop.

She arrived at her apartment without memories of how she did it, she felt empty, somewhere during her way back home she had just stopped feeling. Maybe the pain had been too much and her body just shut down.

“Okay that was fast,” Hazel said, it took a few seconds for Annabeth to register her friend’s voice. She was sitting on the table, going over some papers from school, her face full of concern the moment she laid her eyes on Annabeth. “Annabeth what’s wrong.”  

“He doesn’t love me.” Her voice was small, Annabeth blinked a few times. “There was a girl at his place… he slept with her. Two nights ago he was kissing me and this morning he was waking up with another girl in his arms.”

In a blink of an eye, Hazel was hugging her but she still couldn’t feel anything. “I’m gonna kick his ass, what the hell he was thinking.”

“I want to be alone.” Annabeth broke off the hug.

“Yeah, sure do you need anything?” Annabeth shook her head. “I’m going to be here for anything you need okay?”

“Thank you.”

Annabeth went to her room without giving a second glance at the younger girl and dropped herself onto the bed. There was an Argentinian song that her old roommate loved, she didn’t remember most of the lyrics, even after having Lily translating them, but there was one part of the song that had always stayed with Annabeth ‘How does it feel when you don’t feel anything at all?’ She had never understood the lyrics until now. How could she have gone from feeling too much to not feeling anything at all? Why wasn’t she crying her heart out? Cursing Percy and everyone? Instead, she was laying in her bed looking at the ceiling. She stayed in her room for hours, she had asked for the day off at work so she didn’t have anything to worry about, anything but her broken heart.

This was the one thing that had always scared her, acting on her feelings and messing everything up with Percy, he loved her but he wasn’t in love with her. God, she had fucked up big time, she wanted to turn back the time to after the show ended. She would have called it a night there, going back to her place while he went to his mom’s launch and then she wouldn’t be on her bed thinking of Percy and that girl having sex in the same bed she has been laying under him while his lips tasted her…the thought of Percy kissing someone else the same way he had kissed her made her want to throw up. ‘Well, at least I’m feeling something’ she thought. But it wasn’t really Percy’s fault, was it? She had been the one stupid enough with her feelings he and she were nothing but friends, she had been the one who got her hopes up. Just because Percy might have wanted to sleep with her didn’t mean he was in love with her, in that way he wasn’t like her, but as long as she had known him, he had never been one for one night stands. She knew he had sex before, there had been a few ex-girlfriends in his past and there was that awkward time when they shared an apartment and she had come home early to hear him with his back then girlfriend. It had always bothered and hurt her, but nothing like the pain she had felt this morning…the pain that was finally coming back.

She heard some knocks on her door but she ignored them, the knocking became more insistent but she didn’t move from her spot on her bed.

“Annabeth?” Piper slowly opened the door. “I’m coming in, honey.” She sat down on her bed and took her hand between hers. “Hazel told me what happened, how are you feeling?”

“You were wrong,” she croaked. “You were wrong he doesn’t love me, he doesn’t care about me like that, you were wrong.”

She sat down on the bed. “Annabeth I’m su-“

“NO!” Annabeth yelled. “DON’T YOU DARE TELL ME THERE IS AN EXPLANATION PIPER. HE DOESN’T LOVE ME, YOU WERE WRONG, I HATE YOU, I SHOULD HAVE NEVER LISTENED TO YOU, I FUCKING HATE YOU.”  Instead of leaving, Piper hugged her, she didn’t say anything about her insults she just let Annabeth yell at her. She being emotionless had been the calm before the storm, the dam had been broken and everything was pouring out from her: tears, sobs, yells, insults. She wasn’t sure who she was cursing and she didn’t care, for the first time in her life, she didn’t hold back anything while Piper hugged her and stroked her hair.

“He was never in love with me, he isn’t in love with me.” She said after a while after all the energy had left her body. “I lost him, I lost him forever.”

“No, honey. You haven’t lost him.”

“But I did, there is no going back, Piper, there is no going back from this.” She wasn’t sure how it was possible but tears started pouring again, she had thought by this point there wouldn’t be any left in her body. “He was never mine.”

***

People react to pain very differently and in Annabeth’s case she threw herself into work, she had always lost herself in her work so easily but this time it was different, this time there wasn’t a Percy to pull her out of it. She ignored Piper and Hazel, she stayed until late at the office just to come home to keep working until she couldn’t stay awake. She didn’t allow herself free time because it would mean thinking and thinking meant Percy, but if she didn’t have to think then she wouldn’t have to think about her broken heart. It hadn’t been easy, her phone was filled with unread texts and unheard voicemails from Percy, he had shown up at her place often but she always locked herself in her room with her headphones on avoiding him. She knew she was acting childish but her heart wasn’t acting in logic, it was acting in pain.   

“I’m taking you to Victoria Secret.”

It had been a few weeks since the incident and Annabeth had managed to avoid everyone, just talking with her roommates the minimum amount needed to get by. “Oh, like hell you’re taking me there.”

Piper took Annabeth’s wallet from the table. “I am taking you to buy cute underwear, it will cheer you up and you will be ready for when you and Percy finally start dating after you stop being so stubborn.”

“Fuck off, Piper.”

“Okay, the Percy comment was out of hand, I accept that and I apologize, but I’m not going to accept your attitude Annabeth, fine don’t buy anything at Victoria’s Secret but can you at least come with me? For the first time I’m actually buying cute underwear just for me and not because I plan on having sex with someone soon, and I want my best friend with me because you’re also feeling shitty and believe it or not wearing cute underwear can make you feel better, even if you are only wearing it for you.”

Annabeth didn’t say anything, she just continued to eat her cereal.

“See Annabeth, this is the fucking attitude I’m talking about.” Piper slammed her hands on the table. “You are hurting and you’re in pain but hiding in your fucking room is not going to help you get better because guess what I am going through a similar fucking thing right now but I am fucking trying to get better and I want to get better and I want you to get better.”

“You don’t know anything, Piper.”

“Don’t you dare.” Piper snarled at her. “Because I know you, you got hurt, you’re in pain and I know it, but the way you are dealing with it is not fucking healthy. You need to hear Percy’s side of the story but you refuse to and I get it, I do, but believe it or not I want you to be happy and the way you are acting, pushing everyone from your life is not that way you are gonna make it. What you are doing is selfish, so selfish.” Piper’s voice started to break, her eyes were misty. “I need you Annabeth, Jason birthday is tomorrow and I need my best friend and I’m trying my best to be strong but I need my best friend by my side and you keep pushing me away and I can’t, I can’t lose you too.”

Annabeth felt a pain in her chest but for the first time in weeks it wasn’t Percy related, she was the cause of the pain, not just hers but Piper’s too, she was hurting her. Annabeth stood up and hugged Piper, warm tears streaming down her cheeks. “Oh my god, Piper, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“Just don’t do that again, don’t push me away, I can’t have you pushing me away, not you,” Piper said between sobs. “This goes to you too Hazel, now come and join us in this tearful hug.” Annabeth hadn’t noticed her other friend standing in the doorway.

Annabeth heard Hazel laugh and then felt her arms around them and for a moment, in the safety of her roommates' arms, she felt like things would be okay.

***

“Knock knock,” Annabeth looked up from her laptop to find Piper standing against her doorframe. “Can we talk?”

“Yeah, I need a break from work” She saved the document she was working on and closed her laptop putting her on the bed next to her. “What’s up.”

Piper looked nervous but happy, she could even say her friend was glowing. “I went to Jason’s today.”

“Oh,”

“We are dating.” Piper giggled. “We are not together together yet, we are gonna try to go slow this time.”

Annabeth blinked a few times. “Oh, okay, how this did even happen?”

“Remember your birthday?”

“Yeah.” Annabeth’s twenty-fifth birthday had come and gone almost unnoticed. Her birthdays had never really been a big deal but before their fight, Percy had promised he would make her birthday an experience she would never forget. ‘We are gonna be a quarter of a century old, Annabeth, closer to thirty than twenty and we need to do something big.’ he had told her. She knew that by something big he actually meant it was gonna be big for them, not like a party big but she never got to know what he had planned.Her birthday had ended up with Piper, Hazel and her drinking tequila in their living room while eating a cake Piper had brought from her favorite bakery, she had refused to celebrate and she had brought the alcohol the moment she saw ten missed calls from Percy on her phone, she passed out from drinking not long after that, after all, tolerating tequila had never been one of her skills. “Not something I really want to remember though.”

“So we got wasted, right? And after you fell asleep well...I drunk called Jason.” Piper sat down on her bed. “And if I’m being honest, I don’t remember much of the call but after that, we started to text and we have been texting non stop ever since and we have also been talking, real talking about feelings and shit.”

Annabeth raised her eyebrows, surprised. “Well, that’s good, right?”

“It is,” Piper gave her a small smile. “I realized that there was no point in keeping him away, we were both hurting just because I was scared of what could go wrong, make no mistake I’m still  scared shitless but he is worth it, he is truly worth it.”

“Well, I’m really happy for you,” Annabeth said but her tone didn’t exactly transmit the happiness she was trying to feel. Something that Piper noticed.

“You are not really, though,” She was smiling sadly. “And I understand that and I know that you are hurting, but I hope you can support me in this. For the first time in so long, I actually feel absolutely completely happy and I want to share that with my best friend.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Jason misses you, you know?.”

Annabeth avoided her friend’s eyes. “I know.”

“I want you to be happy.”

“I know it might look like I’m not but I am truly happy for you, Pipes, I know how important this is for you and I know how much you love Jason.”

Piper softly kicked her. “That’s not what I meant silly, while yes I want you to be happy for me, I want you to be happy.”

“Please don’t bring up Percy,” Annabeth whispered.

Piper chuckled. “You are the one who brought him up, not me.”

“Have you told Hazel yet? About Jason?”

“I see you avoiding the topic Chase.” Piper shook her head but she was smiling. “Not yet, I literally just came from his place straight to your room.”

This time Annabeth’s smile was real. “I am happy for you.”

“I know.”

“I love you.”

“I know.”

Annabeth couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t Han Solo me! Rude!” She threw a pillow at Piper who failed to avoid it.

“You are so aggressive! Jeez, I love you too, you asshole. I’m gonna go now and let you grump in peace.” Piper started to stand up but Annabeth stopped her.

“We’re okay, right?”

Piper took her hand. “Of course we are and if you need me to keep reminding you that, I’ll do it.”

Annabeth smiled at her friend. “I would really appreciate that.”

***

“He really misses you,” Hazel said one afternoon, they were sitting in the living room enjoying the warm day, Piper was out on a date with Jason and Annabeth couldn’t help but feel a little bit bitter about it. She was trying to be happy and supportive for her friend, she truly was but for her, at least then Jason wasn’t the equivalent of Piper’s boyfriend, in Annabeth’s mind he was Percy’s best friend. “I can’t even start to count the times I have caught him on your Instagram or Facebook.” 

“Hazel don’t.”

“It’s been almost two months, Annabeth, how long are you gonna keep avoiding him?” 

“Is not that easy, he hurt me.”

“And you hurt him too!” Hazel yelled, shocking Annabeth, sweet little Hazel had never talked to her that way, not even when she accidentally forgot about their spa day. 

“It’s different!” 

“No, it’s not! It’s worse because you made the decision for him and that’s not fair because while you had your own reasons for it, he had no idea why you are doing this! It’s not fair that he is suffering from something and had no idea what happened! I had to tell him!.”

“What?” Annabeth didn’t intend to snarl, she truly didn’t but she felt betrayed. “How could you!?”

“He was crying! I had never seen him cry, never, and I have known him my whole life, he didn’t cry when he broke his arm when he was seven, he didn’t cry when Jason had to be taken to the hospital when his appendix burst, you’re the only one one that has made him cry.” Sometime during her speech Hazel had gotten up and was hovering over Annabeth, she had tears in her eyes and her voice had started to shake. “He was miserable Annabeth, he is miserable, he thought he had taken advantage of you! He hated himself and he also hated you for pushing him away and because of that, he made a mistake and slept with that girl, okay? This wouldn’t be this huge of a problem if you had only let him explain!”

Annabeth was seeing red, she could hear her pulse. “Explain what!? That he cheated on me!?” She gasped as soon as the words left her mouth, surprising herself. She covered her mouth with her hands, why did she say that? “Oh my god.”

Hazel sat down next to her, with a shocked expression. “Annabeth, what are you saying? You guys weren’t together.”

“I know, believe me, I know.” She was breathing hard. “I don’t know, oh god, I didn’t think- I didn’t realize, Hazel I’m not sure what’s happening.”

“I’m finally starting to understand.” Hazel put her hand on Annabeth’s arms and squeezed. “I think you’re punishing Percy for something that is not exactly his fault.” Her tone was soft and warm, trying to calm down her friend.

“Why did I even think that!? We weren’t together, it doesn’t make sense.”

“But it does and deep down I think you know that too.” Hazel stood up. “I’m gonna make you some tea and let you work on this discovery, but I honestly think you really really need to hear his side of the story. He made a mistake but at the same time you’re not right here, not completely.”

Annabeth was left sitting in silence, it felt like all energy had been drained from her body. All this time the betrayal she felt finally made sense but Hazel was right Annabeth wasn’t a saint, she was punishing Percy without her even realizing it. She had thought she was acting on her heartbreak but until now she hadn’t realized anger had been the bigger motive of her actions. She was right to feel hurt and betrayed, but she hadn’t been right in pushing him away from her life. Something Hazel had said came back to her mind.

“Does he really hate me?” Annabeth asked in a small voice after Hazel brought her tea.

“No, he doesn’t.” Hazel knelt in front of her, her arms and face resting on the couch. “He never did, he was just so mad but he could never hate you.”

“I would hate me if I was in his place.”

“Do you hate him?”

“No.” Annabeth felt her voice break. “I can’t hate him, no matter how much I try.”

“He would never cheat on you, you know that right?” Annabeth nodded slowly. “And there is a reason why he did what he did, it was a stupid thing to do and he was an idiot for doing it but he knows it, and regrets it.”

“He didn’t cheat on me.”

“But you feel like he did, and while you can’t control thinking that you can control how you react to it. Annabeth I know it’s hard and painful but you really need to talk with him once and for all.” Hazel stood up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I’m gonna be in my room but my door is open in case you need anything.” She put a throw blanket around Annabeth’s shoulders and went to her room, leaving Annabeth alone with her thoughts.

She knew she had to talk with Percy but she was terrified of what could happen, she had been so stuck in her own feelings that she had never thought what he was feeling, what if Hazel was wrong and he did hate her? Everything was too much for her right now but she had been avoiding the conversation for long enough, hadn’t she? She looked at the date on her phone, Percy's birthday was a week away, and after her conversation with Hazel, his upcoming birthday started to feel like a deadline, for what? She wasn’t sure, all she knew was that if his birthday passed by without any communication between them, something she had to initiate, something would be broken beyond repair between them. She tried to imagine her life without Percy and she couldn’t stop the pain she felt in her heart, she didn’t want that, but at the same time, the idea of finally talking to him after months made her want to throw up.

***

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Chase?”

Standing in her door frame was Jason Grace, the friendly smile that usually adorned his face was replaced by thin lips. Jason didn’t get pissed often, even less if you were his close friend. In all the years she had known him she could count on one hand the number of times she saw him mad, and now he was standing in her doorway looking very pissed which only meant bad news. She felt guilty seeing her old friend, while he wasn’t on the same level of closeness as Hazel or Piper, he had always been a good friend of hers, she had known him almost as long as she had known Percy but Annabeth had been avoiding him for a while. First it was because of Piper but then after he and Piper got together Annabeth was still avoiding him because he was Percy’s best friend.

“Hi! Why are you in my room?”

“I’m here to stop your self-pity party.” Jason walked into her room. “This has been going on for months and it needs to stop. You’re hurting Percy, you’re hurting your friends but most importantly you’re hurting yourself. What’s going on Chase?”

“Nothing is going on.” Annabeth closed her laptop and left it on her bedside table. “I just have been busy.”

“Busy avoiding my cousin and me by the way, I thought we were friends Annabeth, but I can’t say I don’t understand why you avoided me and Piper made a good case in your defense.” Jason sat down at the end of her bed. “I know we are not close like we used to be but at this point, you are practically family and I am worried about you, we all are.”

Annabeth closed her eyes and rested her head against the wall. “Nothing is wrong, there is nothing to be worried about.”

“I would like to disagree but I’m not worried only about you, you should see Percy, he looks terrible.”

“Hazel said the same thing,” Annabeth said miserably. “I don’t want him to feel like that.”

“Well then, you know what to do.”

“It’s complicated.”

“You guys finally kissed and you went awol on him.” Annabeth glared at him. “Hey! I’m just telling you how he saw it.”

“Yeah well, you are missing the part when I wanted to talk to him but then I saw a girl leave his place.” Annabeth was feeling herself getting mad again. “I’m sure he was devastated.”

She saw Jason flinch. “He actually was, that was one of the reasons he made that stupid mistake well that and vodka too.”

“Percy doesn’t drink.”

“He really fucked up.”

“You are telling me he had a drunk one night stand.”

“No, he wasn’t drunk but he was mad and angry and had more alcohol in his veins than he has had in his whole life."

“So what you’re implying is that what he did wasn’t that bad because he had alcohol.”

“That’s not what he said and you know it,” Piper said from the doorway. “I’m sorry for eavesdropping but I wanted to see how it was going.”

“As you can see, not so good but now that you’re here you can help me and we can officially call this an intervention,” Jason said. “Annabeth what Percy did was stupid and I’m not gonna defend him about that because it was a very stupid decision, but what I’m trying to say is that there is more to the story than Percy making a bad decision.”

“Hazel told me how you feel.” Piper moved the desk chair next to Annabeth and sat down. “I really think it’s time you go and talk with him.”

“Between Piper and I, we know both sides of the story and while we understand why you guys reacted the way you did, we also know that this could get fixed if you just talk, it would be a nice birthday present for him.”

She knew they were right, just like she knew Hazel had been right but she still was terrified to talk with him.

“Do you miss him?” Piper asked her.

“Every minute.”

“Do you really want him out of your life for good?”

“No! Piper! Of course I don’t!”

“Then why are you acting like you do?” Jason slid closer to them. “Why you don’t let him in again?”

“It’s not that easy!”

“Yes, it is.”

“No, it’s not because I love him and he doesn’t love me.” Annabeth started to sob. “And I know what I did to him was horrible and I’m scared it’s too late and I’m scared of going to him just to have him tell me he never wants to see me again.”

Jason’s voice was firm when he asked her, “What makes you think he doesn’t love you?”

“-what?”

“Did he tell you? How do you know he doesn’t love you? You think he doesn’t love you because he made a mistake he regretted the moment he could think clearly again?”

Piper’s voice was soft and calm when she asked, “Have you allowed yourself to think that maybe he is in love with you too?”

“Yes,” Annabeth said shocking her friends. “When I was going to his place, before I saw what I saw, for a few moments I did allow myself to think that and we both know how that ended.”

Jason took her hand. “You need to talk with him, as soon as possible because not everything is what it seems and you really need the hear his version”.

“Annabeth you’re making the same mistake I did with Jason.” Piper looked at her boyfriend. “I was letting him go because I was afraid, I couldn’t think something good could happen to me and I was miserable for so long, you saw it and you tried to snap me out of it.” Piper looked at her again. “You are being miserable now and I can promise you it’s gonna be okay, the pain is gonna go away but only if you go to him before it’s too late. At the end of the day, he is your best friend for better or for worse and believe me, you don’t want to lose what you have with him because you might never find it again.”

“I’m scared.”

Piper took her free hand between hers. “I know but that only means you care deeply about him. Annabeth, love, it’s time to let him back in your life.”

The idea of confronting Percy made her want to hide under her bed but Jason and Piper were right, she couldn’t keep avoiding him. The idea of talking to him was painful but it was nothing compared to the idea of losing him forever. Her heart was beating too fast and she felt like she might throw up. She looked at her nightstand where a framed photo of Percy and her was. They were both laughing, he was giving her a piggy ride and both of them were wearing their college hoodies, Sally had taken that picture of them when they were in Montauk with their families celebrating their graduation from High School. A lump formed in Annabeth’s throat and she blinked the tears away. He might love her or he might not but at the end of the day he was her best friend, romantically or not he was her other half and he was hurting because of her, she was hurting the person she loved the most. She took a deep breath and looked at Piper.

“Where can we find a mini cake at 8:00 pm in New York City?”  

***

The cake felt heavy in her hands, Annabeth was shaking so much she was afraid she would drop it. She knocked and after hearing no response she knocked again, this time more loudly. He couldn’t be away he needed to open the door because she couldn’t leave until she talked to him, so she knocked again and again and again. Annabeth didn’t know how long she knocked, his neighbors were probably calling security to complain at this point but after what felt like forever a voice finally yelled ‘coming.’ She didn’t have time to analyze the emotions she was having just from hearing his voice, in a blink of an eye the door was open and Percy was standing in front of her, lips open probably ready to ask what the hell they wanted but then he  froze on the spot as he realized it was her. He was looking at her as if she was a mirage and she couldn’t blame him, she was feeling the same way. He was wearing his stupid shark pajamas pants, the ones Sally got him a few Christmases ago, and an old shirt back from his college swimming days, his hair was even messier than usual, sticking out in every way possible a clear indication she had woken him up and Annabeth almost sobbed at the sight of him.

“Can I come in?” She could barely hear her voice and she wasn’t sure if Percy heard her. He blinked at her a couple of times, maybe trying to make sure she was real before he moved from the door allowing her to come inside.

Her heart was hurting, she had never asked to come in before but then again she had never gone this long without talking to him. He followed her into the kitchen where she temporarily left the cake on the kitchen island while she looked for a lighter, she was prolonging their talk, she knew, but she just needed a little bit more of time. She could feel his eyes on her but she couldn’t face him, afraid of what she would see in his eyes or more like what she wouldn’t see. She had always been so good at reading him, it would have killed her if she hadn’t been able to read him anymore. She finally found the lighter and lit the sparkler on his cake, sparks flying around as she took the cake again in her hands and finally faced him.

“Make a wish.” Percy raised an eyebrow and looked at the sparkler. “Oh right, you can’t really blow this thing out, can you? But you can still make a wish.”

He looked at the cake for a few seconds before looking at her, green eyes meeting hers and her heart sighed with relief because even after all this time apart she could still read him, but at the same time for a second she wished she couldn’t, his eyes were filled with pain and hurt and she was the cause of it. She felt like someone was stabbing her heart.

“What are you doing here, Annabeth?” His voice was raspy, hints of sleep still in it but also annoyance. Annabeth couldn’t breathe, how she had missed the sound of her name coming from his lips.

She was not sure why she did it, maybe it was from seeing the pain in his eyes and wanting to take it away, maybe it was the effect of her name coming from him after weeks of not hearing it or maybe it was a mix of everything that has been going on with her since they kissed, but without meaning to do it three words escaped from her lips. “I love you.”

This wasn’t going like she had planned, she was supposed to talk to him and apologize, not confess. She saw his eyes widening, lips parting and for a moment everything stopped but then his gaze softened and all she could focus on was the sadness in his eyes. Percy sighed sadly. “I love you too, Annabeth. You’re my best friend even after everything that has been going on.”

He wasn’t in love with her. The pain in her chest was almost too much, he loved her and he would always love her but not in the way she wanted him too. She thought of her options, she could take the easy road and pretend her love for him was platonic and stick to her plan of apologizing for what she did and try to get his friendship back, but she couldn’t keep lying to herself and most importantly she couldn’t keep lying to him, not after pushing him away, he didn’t deserve that.

“No Percy, you don’t get it. I am in love with you.” She could hear his intake of breath but she didn’t stop, she couldn’t stop. “I don't care if you don't love me like that, I just--  I just need you back in my life because you’re a part of me, and I know I’m the one who pushed you away and there is a lot we need to talk about. But while I can live without you I don't want to live without you. Without you I feel like I can't properly breathe, a part of me is missing and you're my best friend and I love you. I don’t want to be without you ever again, even if that only means as your best friend. Please, please forgive me, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry I pushed you away, I was hurt and I acted like an idiot but I would do anything to go back to how we were.”

Seconds passed and he didn’t say anything, his eyes were filled with emotions she couldn’t describe. He took a few steps forward, taking the cake from her and leaving it on the table, he cupped her cheek with his hand while the other hand cleaned the tears she didn't realize she was shedding.

“Things are different now, Annabeth, we can't go back to how we used to be." His voice was low, barely a whisper, like he was afraid that being loud would break something and Annabeth desperately wanted to know what that something was. With all the gentleness he could master, he put a few curls behind her ear. "And I can't make a wish." He leaned closer, lips just inches apart from hers. She could feel his breath against her lips, his hand moved from her hair to her cheek so both of his hands were cupping her face and slowly started stroking her skin. "The girl I’m in love with just told me she loves me, what else I could wish for?"

Annabeth’s gasp was muffled by his lips. Percy kissed her slowly, taking his time tasting her, his lips moving gently against hers making warmness spread across her body.She wrapped her arms around his torso, pulling him close. Her actions must have affected him because he deepened the kiss one hand moving to her back, pulling her even closer, while the other rested on her hair, she moved her arms, wrapping them around his neck and successfully ending the little distance between them.

“I missed you so much,” Percy said before starting to kiss her neck. “Don’t you ever do that again.”

“Never again,” Annabeth said breathlessly before pulling him into another kiss. Their kisses were desperate, somewhere in her mind she knew that they needed to have a proper talk but kissing his jaw seemed like a better idea and when she heard his moan she knew it had been worth it, they could talk later, right now her lips wanted to be on his skin not making words, unless those words were his name. She wasn’t sure for how long they kissed, or how they made it to his couch, with him on top of her. He had slowed the intensity of their kisses, planting lazy kisses on her neck, cheek, mouth.

"Stay with me." Percy murmured against her lips after a while.

Annabeth pulled away and playfully smiled at him. "Why should I?”

His lips moved to her neck. “It’s my birthday,” he whispered against her skin.

“Are you really gonna use that card?” His response was to playfully nibble her neck making her laugh and in a teasing voice, she said. “Fine, what does the birthday boy want?”

Percy stopped kissing, he moved his head so she could face her, his eyes shining with an intensity it took the breath out of her. “You.”

She struggled to find her voice so in the meantime she started to caress his cheek. “I’m already yours.” she finally said.

He rested his head against her hand and kissed her wrist. “We need to talk about what happened.”

“I know, but not right now, just let us enjoy this moment.”

“Tomorrow.”

She nodded and kissed him trying to put all her emotions into the kiss, how much he meant to her, that she would do anything to make him happy. He kissed her back with the same intensity and she knew he was trying to tell her the same thing, words were failing them but they could show it. After a while, he broke the kiss

“So I’m taking this as a confirmation that you’re staying here.”

“Did you honestly think I would go back to Brooklyn at,” she looked at her phone. “One in the morning, how did that even happen!?" Annabeth was sure she would never get used to the feeling of his laugh against her lips and to be honest it was something she never wanted to get used to, she wanted to feel like this for the rest of her life.

Waking up in Percy’s arms was probably in Annabeth’s top five best moments in her life. For a few seconds, she had been afraid last night had been a dream, but Percy’s arm around her waist and his breathing on her neck were as real as you could get. She wasn’t sure how long she stayed in his arms, she wanted to check the time but her phone wasn’t close and she didn’t want to leave the warmth of Percy’s embrace, not yet.

“You are here.” Percy’s voice was raspy and low, hints of sleep still in it.

“Where else should I be?” She could feel his smile when he kissed her shoulder, his kisses started to go up, getting closer to her to mouth. “Besides in the bathroom brushing our teeth so we can kiss”

Percy tried to kiss her but Annabeth moved her head. “Na-ah, I have bad breath and I know from experience you have terrible morning breath, you are not kissing me like this.”

“But it’s my birthday,” Percy whined making Annabeth laugh, she tried to leave the bed but Percy’s arm pulled her back. “And I want to spend my birthday in bed with you.”

Annabeth rolled her eyes at him but she still gave him a quick kiss, pushing Percy away when he tried to deepen it. “See, that was a gross kiss, now the faster we do something about our breath the faster we can go back to kissing.”

Percy looked at her with so much intensity she felt like melting before she could say or do anything he gave her his I’m-up-to-no-good smile. He moved so fast she barely had time to register a sheet was covering her lips before Percy was kissing her, she couldn’t help but laugh at his antics.

Against Percy’s complaints, she finally left the bed “So what are you up today.” Annabeth asked on her way to his bathroom.

“I have lunch with my parents and Mia at one.” Percy’s tone changed and became serious. “But before doing any of that, we really need to talk.” Annabeth kept brushing her teeth. “Annabeth please, I need to talk with you about what happened.”

Theoretically speaking she knew they needed to explain what had happened and why they did what they did before jumping into a relationship but that meant confronting him and she was scared. “Annabeth.” Percy stood up and walked towards her. “Please.”

She didn’t want to, she honestly didn’t want to, couldn’t they just ignore it and move on? But they couldn’t, not if they wanted a healthy relationship. “I’m gonna make coffee.” she finally said, Percy opened his mouth to talk but she put her finger on his lips. “I’m definitely gonna need coffee for this conversation. Once I’ve had my coffee and you have fresh breath we are gonna talk, I promise.”

Her hands were shaking while making coffee, all the anxiety she felt before crashed back into her body and she managed to take deep breaths. She tried to calm herself, he didn’t hate her, he loved her, they were gonna be fine. Strong hands wrapped around her waist, Percy kissed the side of her head. “Hey, it’s okay, we’re gonna be okay.”

And for the first time in months, she finally told him the words that had been hurting her. “You slept with someone else.”

She could feel his sigh. “I did.”

With her voice trembling she asked. “Why?”

Percy took her hand and led her to the couch where she sat down and he kneeled in front of her. “I made a mistake, a terrible mistake,” his hand cupped her cheek. “I was mad at you for ignoring me, I was mad at me for kissing you while you were drunk.”

“I wasn’t drunk.” She interrupted him.

“I know that now but that day...I woke up and you weren’t there and you wouldn’t take my calls or return my texts. I spent the whole day thinking I had taken advantage of you, it was horrible.” Annabeth opened her mouth to talk but he quietly shushed her. “Let me finish, please, I have been waiting to explain it for so long.” She nodded and his hand moved from her cheek to her lap so he could hold her hand.

“The next day I started to become angry at you, which  was irrational but I was so mad at you for avoiding me so I did something dumb and went to bar and tried to get drunk, I know such a stupid thing to do, I don’t understand how people can do it, Annabeth, it tastes like shit.” Annabeth chuckled a little bit at that, making Percy smile at her. “So there I was in a bar trying and failing to get drunk when this girl started to flirt with me. I had gone there to try and take you out of my head and she was there and she didn’t look anything like you and in normal circumstances, I would have turned her down but...”

“You wanted a distraction and you wanted to make bad decisions.”

“I was blinded by self-loathing, hate...anger and some vodka too.” He took her hands between his. “I’m not trying to excuse what I did because I fucked up.”

“So did I,” Annabeth said, she gently pulled Percy up and motioned for him to sit on the couch next to her, his hand still holding hers. “None of that would have happened if I hadn’t run away or if I had answered your calls.” Annabeth took a deep breath. “When I saw her leaving your place, it broke me, I had started to think that maybe you were also into me.”

“I am, I absolutely am.”

She smiled at him sadly. “It felt like you were cheating on me.”

“Annabeth…”

“I know it wasn’t like that, I know you weren’t mine but it still felt like you were.” She was crying, Percy tried to pull her closer but she didn’t let him, she needed to keep talking, she could be in his arms after. “So I was hurting, a lot and in a way, I was punishing you for something that wasn’t completely your fault. I’m so sorry, Percy, I hurt you so much and I’m so sorry.”

She started to sob and this time she didn’t fight Percy when he pulled her into his lap, they both had their arms wrapped around each other, she was apologizing between sobs while he murmured over and over that it was okay.

“We both made mistakes,” Percy said after Annabeth had finally calmed down, she was still on his lap, her head resting in the crook of his neck while his arms were around her. “Very stupid mistakes and we hurt each other but that’s in the past now, our relationship is stronger than those mistakes, okay?”

“Percy, I-”

“Annabeth look at me. “ She obeyed. “I love you, Annabeth Chase, I’ve loved you for almost ten years now, I probably started loving you that day when we kissed on the lake.”

Annabeth wasn’t sure what her heart was doing, probably melting because of his words. “I love you too, so much.”

“We can move on from this, we can learn from our mistakes, we need to talk with each other, not run away.”

“I won’t,” Annabeth said. “I won’t run away, not from you.”

“You are not getting away from me, never again.” He rested his forehead against hers. “I’m yours, Annabeth and my heart is yours to do whatever you want with.”

“I will take good care of it, as long as you also take care of mine, because I’m yours too, I have always been yours.”

He smiled at her. “I think hearing you say that has been and will always be the best birthday present ever.”

She closed the distance between them and kissed him, she had a feeling she would never get tired of kissing him. Before she could deepen the kiss they were interrupted by his phone, the only reason she didn’t tell him to ignore it was because it was his mother’s ringtone. They had to pull apart so he could grab his phone for his nightstand.

“It’s a text.” Annabeth embraced him and started to kiss his jaw. “A reminder to- oh yes, that feels good.” Annabeth smiled and started to suck that spot. “Brunch, I have brunch with my pare- for fuck's sake, Annabeth, don’t stop.” Her hands started to roam under his shirt. “No, wait, stop I need to text mom back.”

Annabeth laughed and pulled away, her hands back around his torso. “You’re such a momma's boy.”

“Shush, I’m telling her that you are also coming to brunch.”

“Oh,”

“You’re coming, right?” She could hear the worry in his voice.

“Do you want me to?”

“More than anything, I want to spend the whole day with you.”

“Then I’m in.” He kissed her cheek, she didn’t want to, but she had to, so she shyly asked, “Is she mad at me?”

“Who?”

“Your mom.”

Percy didn’t say anything for a while, confusion clear on his face. “Why would she be mad at you?”

“Because I hurt you.” She hid her face against his chest.

“No! Annabeth, no,” Percy said, wrapping his arms around her. “She loves you, I’m sure she would think it’s her birthday after she sees us together at lunch.”

“Are you sure.”

“My mom wants me to be happy and she knows how crazy I’m about you, believe me, she will be completely thrilled.” As is on cue  Percy’s phone lit up with Sally’s text. Percy laughed and showed it to her. ‘About time’ and lots of exclamations marks and hearts were in the message making Annabeth blush. “Told you.”

“How long do we have until we have to leave?”

“Around an hour or so, it’s a long time,” Percy started to walk them towards the bed. “I wonder what we could do while we wait.”

“I might have an idea.” Annabeth’s legs crashed against the bed and she laughed when Percy pushed them onto it. “It might involve kisses”

“Oh yeah? I like the sound of that”

“Lot’s and lot's of them.”

“Like this?” Percy kissed her nose, making her laugh.

“More like this,” Annabeth pulled him in for a kiss.