Title: The Party (Part II)
Genre: Percabeth AU
Word Count: 5836

Author's Note: hi! This is part two of The Party (I hate that title but can't come up with a better one. Feel free to help me with that in the comments thank you) which was part 6 of this book in case you want to go back idk. But I hope you like this because I do :) (also this is the first detailed blow job ive written so just bear with me) (okay this is later me and I don't really like how I ended this but I wanted to get it out because I like the rest of it so :/ )

PART ONE: CHAPTER 6

WARNING: There is smut and suggestive writing in this chapter so read at your own risk.

oOo

"ANNABELLE," the barista called. Annabeth walked to the counter and took her coffee, thanking the girl and deciding to ignore the butcher of her name. They never got it right.

She made her way back to her seat, opening her laptop. She had decided to come to this cafe to do some work; she needed to finalize plans before presenting them to her executives.

She knew it was risky; it was the same cafe where she had met Percy, but part of her didn't care, although she knew she might see him there. She couldn't help but think that part of her wanted to see him. But no, she couldn't think that way. She sipped her coffee, reminding herself of all the work she had to do.

She had been typing away for about fifteen minutes when someone walked into the cafe. Annabeth looked up to the door.

Silena stood in front of the door, her dark hair falling perfectly across her shoulders, just like it always did. She scanned the cafe, her eyes coming to meet Annabeth's. She smiled and walked towards her. "Hey," Annabeth greeted her.

Silena sat down, saying hello. "I didn't know you'd be here," she said. "So whatcha doing?"

"Well, I'm desperately trying to work on some plans that I'm gonna need to have in soon," she sighed. She had barely been able to work; she was too distracted—by what, she'd rather not say. It was best not to think of it.

"You sound stressed, babe. You should come over tonight. We could have a girls' night just like we used to," Silena suggested, her eyes lighting up.

Annabeth chuckled. "I don't know, Sil."

"Oh, please, please, please," she begged. She grabbed Annabeth's hands and widened her eyes. Sometimes Silena could be a bit childish, but it was only because Annabeth was so... adult. She knew there needed to be a bit of a balance in their friendship.

"Alright," Annabeth relented, shaking her head.

"We can do this new face mask I just tried, oh, Annabeth it is like heaven in a jar," Silena rambled. Just then, her phone began ringing. She pulled it from her purse and looked at the screen. "I have to take this, its my agent."

Annabeth nodded, and Silena stood from her chair and walked towards the entrance of the cafe. Annabeth sighed.

Looking around the cafe, she was reminded of the first time she saw Percy. She remembered thinking that he was one of the most gorgeous people she had ever seen. Suddenly, her mind was drifting back to that night... to Percy. No. She shook her head. She couldn't be thinking of him. She went back to her report, trying to focus on typing.

A few minutes later, Silena came back to their table. "There was a shipping emergency. I have to go into the office, but I will see you tonight," she promised.

"See you later, Sil," Annabeth agreed, nodding. Then she watched as Silena walked back out of the door, her black hair flowing behind her.

She turned her head, staring back down at her laptop. Her fingers tapped idly on the keys. She tried to think about her assignment, but it was lost to her now. She let her head fall to her palms as she heaved a sigh.

She stared down at her coffee, taking another sip. Just then, she heard someone else at the door. Annabeth regretted looking up the second she did. His sea green eyes met hers, and they sucked her right into their vortex.

Thoughts of him flooded her mind. Every inch of skin, the way she ran her fingers across his chest and gripped his shoulders—no. She pulled herself from his gaze, staring back at her laptop.

She was vaguely aware of Percy walking to the counter and she heard him order a coffee. She shut her eyes, trying to forget the sound of his growl of a voice in her ear. A few minutes passed before the chair in front of her was scraping across the floor.

No, no, no, she thought.

Percy sat down and stared at her. He didn't say anything, just sipped his coffee and stared at her. Annabeth ignored him, although his gaze burned through her like laser beams. He knew exactly what he was doing. By simply looking at her, he got right under her skin, but she couldn't let him know it; she wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

"What do you want?" she snapped. She looked up and directly at him. From behind his coffee cup, he smirked.

"The same thing you want," he said.

"Oh so you wish you would leave me alone too?" she retorted.

Percy  put down his cup, leaning forward. "That's cute. But we both know damn well you can't stop thinking about it."

"The fact that you're even sitting here shows that you can't either," Annabeth said.

"So you admit it?" Percy smirked and Annabeth glared at him, knowing she had just fallen right into his trap and given him exactly what he wanted. Having nothing else to say, she did the logical thing. She shut her laptop and stood, grabbing her coffee and walking out of the shop.

Percy stood up and was following her within a second. "Why are you running from this?" he asked, struggling slightly to keep up with her speed-walking.

"I'm not running," she snarled. "I'm walking away from you because you're annoying."

Percy scoffed. "Oh really? Well you're no better."

"You're insufferable," she retorted and they stopped walking. Annabeth faced him now, getting closer with word she spat.

"You're impossible,"

"You are so horribly maddening,"

And then they were kissing. Percy grabbed her and crashed his lips onto hers, giving her no choice but to melt into him. His tongue poked her bottom lip, and she opened her mouth, letting him in. In that moment, she was ready to give him anything he wanted.

But she pulled away, gasping for air. They stared at each other for a long time, not saying anything. Annabeth didn't really know what to say, but looking at the stupid smirk on his face reignited the fire burning in her core.

oOo

"I can't be here all day," Annabeth said in the split second Percy's lips left hers. He shut the door behind them and began pulling off her jacket. "I have to meet Silena tonight."

"I'll give you something to talk about," Percy joked. Annabeth rolled her eyes and kissed him again. She slipped off her shoes and put a hand on his cheek. Percy pushed her up against the wall, their bodies pressing together. He pushed his knee between Annabeth's legs, and one of her knees bent up on instinct. Percy grabbed it as his tongue swept over hers.

He leaned into her, the pressure being exactly where she needed it. She moaned into his mouth. Their lips separated as they gasped for air, but Percy bit her lip as they slowly pulled away. Their chests rose with heavy breaths, grazing each other's. Their hands roamed, Annabeth's going along his shoulders, while Percy's went from her neck to her waist before they finally found their way to her pants zipper.

Annabeth's fingers met him down there, and she smirked as he moaned when her fingers grazed the already sizable bulge in his jeans. She unzipped her pants and Percy's hand found its way down to her underwear. He began rubbing her through the fabric and Annabeth took a shuddering breath. She was buzzing with desire for him.

"I said I don't have all day," Annabeth breathed, locking eyes with him. They paused for a second, just staring at each other. Then Percy's hand was suddenly out of her jeans and both of her feet were back on the ground. She became utterly confused as he walked away, disappearing into his bedroom.

What?

Annabeth followed him, irritation swelling in her chest. Percy was walking around his room, pulling off his shirt.

"What the hell, Percy?" she asked angrily. He said nothing. Annabeth walked up to him. "Are we gonna do this because if not then I'm gonna leave."

Percy was suddenly standing directly in front of her. "No you're not. You want this too badly to leave. You say you don't have all day, but you'd cancel any plans if it meant you could spend more time with me. If you could spend more time with my hands in your hair and my lips on your neck... just admit how badly you want this," he finished.

Annabeth was... surprised. Of course, there was a sense of clashing dominance between the two of them, but now, Percy was really taking a stand. Still, Annabeth was too stubborn. She kept her mouth shut.

"Okay," Percy said, nodding at her silence. But in a split second she was back up against the wall and Percy was pressing himself to her. "Admit that you want me," he demanded. His voice was a low growl and the look in his eyes was more feral than she had ever seen it. She was impossibly turned on and she felt herself getting wetter. But still, she didn't say anything.

Percy pulled down her jeans and they were gone before she knew it. His fingers grazed her through her underwear. She swallowed and closed her eyes, trying not to moan. He pushed aside the thin fabric, and his fingers were so close to where she needed them.

His thumb circled her clit, but it still wasn't where she needed it. She tried to move herself to get his fingers where she wanted, but he moved with her. She groaned in frustration.

"Admit how badly you want this and I'll give it to you," he growled. "Beg."

Annabeth stared down into his eyes defiantly. She had to make her decision. Percy lowered his head to place one gentle kiss to her neck, before he left his mouth hovering just above her skin, his hot breath fanning her.

She couldn't take it anymore.

"Please," she breathed.

"Please what?" he asked, that stupid, sexy smirk on his face. He was getting what he wanted; her submission.

"Please just fuck me, I... I need this," she whispered, swallowing and looking at him seductively. It didn't seem to be enough for him. "So badly. I want your hands in my hair and your lips on my skin. I need you pounding into me. Please," she added.

With that, Percy kissed her, his fingers rubbing her clit again and circling her entrance. He knew exactly how to drive her crazy, and boy, was he doing it now. Annabeth moaned into his mouth, a groan coming from the back of his throat. She pulled away for air, breathing heavily on his lips. By this point, Percy was holding Annabeth up against the wall. But then, he turned, throwing her on the bed.

Percy crawled on top of her, kissing down her neck, leaving a hickey by her ear again. Those were a pain to cover up but she didn't care. Percy could leave all the hickeys he wanted; it just felt so good. His lips trailed along her collar until she pulled off her shirt. Then, his mouth continued down her body until he reached her underwear. He pulled them off, nearly ripping them in the process.

He breathed on her and she got wetter. He paused before licking a hot stripe up her center. Annabeth moaned, craning her neck and gripping his sheets. His tongue began working its magic, sucking on her clit as his fingers teased her entrance. A high pitched moan escaped her lips when he stuck his fingers in.

Annabeth's breathing became faster with his pace, and he curved his fingers at just the right angle, hitting a spot that made her eyes roll back in her head.

"Oh, don't stop," she breathed.

"What was that?" he asked, and she hated the feeling of his tongue leaving her clitoris. He knew exactly what he was doing.

"Don't. Stop," she demanded. He smirked at her and she tugged a strand of his hair a little harder. He decided to listen and continue pleasuring her. She moaned as she got closer to her climax.

"Shit, Percy... I'm gonna come." She was close, her legs were almost shaking. Suddenly he stopped. "Can you fucking stop. You're such a pussy," she taunted.

Percy seemed surprised; all of a sudden, he wasn't in control anymore. Annabeth was and she held back her smirk.

"You won't finish me off," she dared. This was not her most genius taunting, but she had to try something. "You know there's a power that comes from getting me to orgasm. I guess you don't want it."

That was enough. His fingers were back inside her, pumping fast, in an instant. His tongue was back to circling her clit, and she was back to moaning.

That pit in her stomach opened up and she got that familiar euphoric feeling; she was about to come. She decided not to say it this time, moaning rather loudly instead.

Finally, she came with a half-shout, Percy coaxing her through orgasm. He pulled out his fingers which were slippery with her come and she sat up. She grabbed his hand, licking his fingers clean. She felt his gaze on her the entire time, knowing he was getting harder with every swipe of her tongue. She slowly pulled off with a pop.

Seeing the look on his face, she pushed him down to the bed, straddling him. She kissed him slowly, teasing him with her tongue. Her mind ran with all the things she could do... she was in control now.

Annabeth slowly trailed gentle kisses along his jaw, down his neck, over his Adam's apple. She watched how it bobbed up and down when he swallowed. She continued trailing kisses down his abs and down to his belly button. She didn't know why, but she always found that line of hair from a guy's belly button down to... you know, kind of sexy. Maybe it was a sign of...maturity? She didn't know. But now, she followed it down to the button of his jeans.

She looked up at him, his breathing heavy. Annabeth slowly unzipped his jeans and pulled them off, smirking at the way his bulge nearly left a hole in his underwear. She ran her fingers down his bulge, grazing him ever so slightly. His dick twitched in response.

"You really want this, huh?" She teased, a sweet smile on her face. Percy nodded, a desperate look in his eyes. "Hm," she hummed happily. "Beg." In a second her smile was gone and she was deadly serious.

"Come on, Annabeth," Percy started to say, but she cut him off.

"You're even worse than me," she laughed bitterly. She crawled back up, propping herself over him. "Beg me. And maybe I'll give you what you want," she whispered venomously.

Percy didn't say anything for a second. Annabeth tightened her jaw and leaned in as slowly as she could. She grazed her lips over his—it was barely even a kiss. He tried to deepen it, but she pulled away.

"Beg."

He caved, just like she knew he would. "Please, Annabeth. I want—"

"Want?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Need," he corrected, swallowing. "I need you to suck my dick and get me off because no one makes me feel the way you make me feel. No one else could ever drive me as crazy as you do. I need you to fuck me, please," he whispered.

Annabeth was caught a little off guard. That was a little more than begging... it was a confession. She was still satisfied—she had gotten what she wanted. But she realized Percy's feelings weren't one sided. No one could ever make her feel the way Percy made her feel, that was for sure. She tried to put it out of her mind and focus on the fact that Percy was beneath her, desperate and dick diamond-hard.

She kissed him and decided to give into the fire growing between them. She let him deepen the kiss before pulling away, biting his lip. She trailed kisses back down. Yanking off his underwear, she grabbed his dick and started moving up and down, rubbing her thumb over the tip. She watched Percy groan and almost writhe with pleasure. It only turned her on more.

She lowered herself over him, hovering just above, her breath fanning the tip. She stared him dead in the eyes, probably with a feral look, her pupils completely blown.

"Annabeth," he groaned, the guttural sound coming from the back of his throat. She loved hearing her name from his lips. She licked him up before taking his dick in her mouth.

Annabeth moved up and down, Percy's groans giving her renewed fervor. One of his hands was holding her hair back, or as much of it as he could grab. She didn't stop until his breathing became faster than it had ever been.

"Fuck, I'm gonna come," he groaned. She didn't stop until he did, the sensation burning her throat at first. She swallowed and slowly pulled off, her breathing heavy.

They took a moment to gain their bearings as much as they could, which wasn't very much. Percy sat up and Annabeth straddled him. He placed a hand on her cheek and kissed her softly. She leaned into the kiss, their tongues dancing back and forth. He reached behind her and unhooked her bra, throwing it aside. He palmed her breasts and rubbed her nipples while she moaned into his mouth.

Things were... different somehow. Annabeth didn't really know how, but she knew it was after Percy had begged her. The sex wasn't any less enjoyable; it might have been more so. But it felt more... intimate. That scared Annabeth, but her mind was too fuzzy from the way Percy was looking at her. She knew she'd have to bring it up, but she also knew that she could ruin this moment with those words, and that was the last thing she wanted. She just kissed him again, letting him trail kisses along her jaw and back to her ear, biting her earlobe and making her moan.

Her hand made its way back to his shaft and she started stroking it, getting him hard again. It wasn't long before that happened. He groaned into her mouth as she continued the motions. The sound reverberated throughout her entire body and made her so wet.

She got up off of Percy at his request. He put her on her hands and knees, his hand splayed between her shoulders. They hadn't done this before, but Annabeth was already thinking about how badly she wanted it. She knew that this position gave him dominance, but she didn't care. She felt him at her entrance and let out a shuddering breath.

He bent down, his mouth at her ear after he pushed her hair over her right shoulder. With one hand propping him up, he used the other to reach in front of her. She moaned when his finger rubbed circles over her clit. He started slower, but then moved faster. She was practically dripping at that point.

"Oh, god just fuck me, Percy, please," she groaned. Percy must have liked that because he did as she asked. He straightened and began thrusting into her, at first going steadily before picking up the pace. Annabeth moaned fairly loudly as she felt herself tighten around him. The angle of the new position was incredible—it drove them both crazy.

"Fuck, Annabeth. You're so tight," Percy grunted. His hands held onto her waist, trailing up and down and pulling himself into her.

Her moans became more high-pitched and desperate with every thrust. They were the kind of mewling sounds Annabeth made only when she really was desperate and enjoying the sex. As strange as it was, it was almost like a cry. It was sort of like begging, which was how Annabeth knew it turned Percy on. He buried his hand in the hair above the nape of her neck, gently pulling.

"Fuck, Percy," she nearly yelled. She dropped to her elbows and gripped the sheets in fistfuls. The way he made her feel... it was indescribable. Her hand made its way to the rattling headboard, clutching it as Percy thrusted faster.

He bent down again, kissing the back of her neck. He groaned in her ear and she moaned louder. "Oh," she whined. The sex truly was  mind-blowing. It was hard to speak—how could she form sentences when Percy was fucking her brains out like that? "I..." she could barely get out the words between heavy breaths and moans. "I'm g-... gonna come,"

That pit in her stomach reopened and filled with the fluttering wings of a thousand butterflies. Percy thrusted harder and finally, she let out a broken gasp. This orgasm was different; it was so much more intense than before. It felt incredible. Percy climaxed seconds after she did. He didn't stop thrusting until they were both through with orgasm.

Annabeth's head dropped to the sheets and she sighed, coming down from the clouds. Percy pulled out and laid next to her. She collapsed onto the bed. She turned over, lying on her back and still trying to regulate her breathing. Percy ran a hand through his hair.

They laid in silence for a few minutes and it was nice. But Percy broke the silence.

"I freaked you out before, didn't I?"

"What?"

"When you told me to beg. I noticed how what I said surprised you. It was this look that flashed through your eyes for only a split second, but I saw it," he explained.

Annabeth stayed quiet for a few moments. "You're too good at reading me," she sighed. He really was. "It didn't... freak me out, it just..." she really didn't know what it did to her.

"Made you realize how true it is?" He looked over at her, his green eyes more piercing than ever.

"Percy..." she faltered. She couldn't look at him, so she sat up.

He sat up with her. "Annabeth, why?"

"Why what?"

"Why can't this be real?"

"This is real—"

"No," he said. "It's not. Why won't you accept that there's a connection here? It's more than just sex, we both know it."

"I-I just can't do this right now—"

"Why?" he demanded. "That's another thing. You deny that we're meant to be with each other but you won't even tell me why," he scoffed. People were often scared to speak to Annabeth that way. But Percy didn't falter once. He looked her directly in the eyes and refused to look away.

"Because Percy," she started. "The last time I let someone in, he used me. He cheated and he lied and he told me that he loved me but it wasn't true. Seven years that meant nothing!" She explained, her voice holding more emotion than it ever had.

"Annabeth," he started, his voice gentler.  "I know that's hard. But you can't let that scare you from living the rest of your life. You can't just go on refusing personal connections because you're afraid. Yeah, people get hurt. But that doesn't mean life stops, it doesn't mean you just give up on everything."

Percy's words seeped into Annabeth's skin.

"You don't understand—" she started.

"I never pegged you for a coward."

That was the match that lit the fire.

"I'm not a coward! You don't know what it's like to be manipulated and lied to over and over again. And I'm sorry that I'm human and I'm still healing or trying to, at least!" She exploded.

"But you don't have to do that alone!" Percy countered. "Annabeth I swear I will never hurt you—"

"That promise is the easiest to make and the easiest to break," she stopped him.

"I don't care. I will never hurt you," he said it again, and by this point they were inches apart. "I just want to be there for you. I just want to be yours," he whispered. His fingers grazed her cheek, resting at her jaw.

A tear rolled down her cheek as she shut her eyes. He was right. She couldn't let Luke keep ruining her life. She needed to heal—the right way. Which wasn't by pushing everyone away and telling herself that was 'safe'. She needed to let people in, accept the pain. Because without pain, there's no love.

It was a long time that they sat like that, foreheads together. She placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "Okay," she whispered.

Percy looked her in the eyes. "Thank you... for letting me in," he whispered back. His other hand was buried in her hair and she was holding his forearm. She leaned into his hand, closing her eyes. He kissed her forehead.

They laid down and Annabeth curled into his side. His arm was under her head, his fingers drawing circles on her ribs. She placed her hand on his lower stomach.

"Can we talk about how good the sex we just had was?" she broke the silence this time.

"Yes," Percy laughed. "You're beautiful, you know that?"

Annabeth bit her lip. Percy really had her blushing like she was 17 again. She looked up at him, running her hand through his hair. "Thank you. I guess you're not so bad," she teased.

"Yeah I'm sure that's what you were thinking as you basically screamed my name—"

"I was not screaming," she protested, rolling her eyes.

"I don't know," he said, shrugging. "You were pretty loud."

"Really?" Annabeth asked, suddenly embarrassed. His neighbors were not going to be her biggest fans.

"Yeah," Percy chuckled, smirking at her. "It's okay, though. The walls are super thin."

"Shut up." He chuckled again, and this time Annabeth joined him. Then she paused. "Thanks for calling me on my shit."

Percy smiled at her. "Sometimes we need a little push in the right direction, and there's nothing wrong with that."

"You're gorgeous, funny, great in bed, and smart. Silena's not gonna believe me at all," Annabeth joked.

Percy chuckled. "Well, that's a two way street, Chase."

Annabeth laughed and placed a small  kiss on his chest. This was new, but it was good. And she wouldn't have wanted anyone else to go through this with.

oOo

"Hey, I'm outside," Annabeth said into her phone.

"Okay, I'm coming now," Silena replied before they hung up. Annabeth walked up to the door and it opened a second later. "I can't even tell you how excited I am for this!"

Annabeth laughed. "Me too." She really was—especially after earlier. They walked inside and Silena shut the door. They started walking up to Silena's bedroom, which was huge, as Annabeth had designed.

"I feel like we've both just been so busy,"

"I know," Annabeth agreed. "I have a lot I need to tell you," she chuckled.

"Oh, you better believe this is gonna be one of the biggest shit talking sessions in history," Silena exclaimed.

oOo

"I swear, when she asked me that I wanted to slap her across the face. It was bizarre, Annabeth. Some of the people I have to work with just make me want to punch something, you know?"

"Oh, I know," Annabeth agreed. "You know about all of the wackos I've had to deal with. Remember Ron Dunphrey?"

"Oh, my god, how could I forget?" They laughed. "Don't you love this face mask?" Silena asked, sighing contently. They were in the jacuzzi in the master bathroom, just talking and relaxing, with clay face masks, of course.

"I really do," Annabeth replied. "This is exactly what I needed. Some relaxation and time with my best friend. Thank you, Sil,"

"Of course, babe. Anything for the love of my life," Silena grinned and clinked her glass to Annabeth's. Another part of this luxury evening was mimosas.

"I love you." The two had established, as funny as it was, that they were soulmates—but in a friendly way. They were so good at being best friends, they were meant for each other.
"Oh, what was it that you wanted to talk about?" Silena asked, her eyes lighting up with interest.

"Well," Annabeth started, a huge grin on her face. God, she hadn't felt this way in a long time. "I met someone."

Silena gasped. "YAY!" She had been wanting Annabeth to get back on the horse for months. "Give me every single detail. What does he look like? How big do you think his dick is?"

Annabeth laughed. "You know that guy, from your party? The one with that girl, Rachel Dare?"

"Oh, yes!" she remembered. Then she realized. "ANNABETH! He was hot as fuck, are you kidding me?"

"I know," Annabeth laughed, shaking her head. "He totally is... and he's really good in bed," she said a bit sheepishly.

Silena's face lit up with one of the biggest grins Annabeth had ever seen. "Oh my god, you slept with him!" she shouted excitedly. It was funny to think that Silena was almost as excited as Annabeth was, and she wasn't even the one who had had sex. "How was it? Did he have any kinks? I know that you have this thing for dominance." She smirked suggestively and Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Remember that girl in college you told me about? You were totally a top, you just radiate that energy."

"Oh my god, you remember that?"

"How could I forget?!" Silena laughed. College was a fun time... experimentally for Annabeth. "But give me details! What's his name? How big is his dick—you have to tell me."

"You are just..." Annabeth sighed, although she couldn't stop smiling. "His name is Percy. And... 7 ¾."

"Oh my god! That's not true."

"It is," Annabeth laughed loudly. "And the sex was incredible, oh my god." She rolled her eyes for emphasis. "You know about my dominance thing but he has it too. I met him about three weeks ago, like the week before your party. That night, you know I disappeared..."

Silena's jaw dropped. "Tell me you had sex with this man in one of my spare bedrooms. I won't even be mad; I just can't be anything but proud right now."

Annabeth bit her lip and sucked in a breath. "Kinda."

"Oh my god, that's why you were changing sheets the day after!" Silena threw her head back and cackled. Annabeth was laughing harder than she had in a long time.

"But ugh. He's just so... sexy. Everything he does turns me on. We met at a bar and he had bought me a drink and then we were talking and then we went back to his apartment..." she rambled. Silena seemed hooked on every word. "And it was probably the craziest sex I've ever had in my life. But at first I was reluctant. We had agreed it was a one time thing and that was it, because I just wasn't ready for that after Luke." Silena nodded understandingly. "But neither of us could stop thinking about it. And I was angry at him, and at myself at first, for letting it happen. But then, the party happened, and today after you left the cafe, I saw him there.

"It started off with me ignoring him, but then we were talking and his voice just... Silena, it's like it was designed to be seductive. He has so much charisma, too. We were fighting and then I stormed out of the cafe because I knew I was going to end up with him again, but I was just fighting myself."

"You've always been that way. Your head and your heart are often at war, but when you let them work together, beautiful things happen, my darling. Look at you know." Silena shrugged to her and sipped her mimosa. Annabeth really didn't think there was anyone who knew her as well as Silena did.

"I know," she sighed happily. "One second we were fighting and then we were kissing and then we were back at his place, and... you know. Can I just say, he's so good with his hands, my god." They laughed. "And then we were arguing. He was mad because I still wouldn't give into us. And he called me on my shit. He showed me the reality of my feelings. He said that I was scared because of how Luke hurt me and that I couldn't just stop living my life. And he was completely right. Then he said that sometimes you need help healing, and that he wanted to be that for me."

"Oh my god, I'm gonna start crying," Silena gushed. "There has to be a catch somewhere here," she joked. "I mean, he's sexy, well hung, understanding and personable?"

"I knew you weren't gonna believe me. He does drive me a little insane, though, and in the infuriating way, but I love it," Annabeth laughed, shrugging.

Silena looked at Annabeth happily, the way a mother looks at her daughter trying on a wedding dress; that sad but joyful way. Annabeth laughed. "I love you. And I am so proud of you for opening up."

"Thank you," Annabeth said, holding her friend's hand.

"I have to meet him, like, right away. We need to have dinner,"

"Of course," she laughed. "I'm so happy, Sil."

"And you deserve it. It's been a long time since I've seen you with a look like that on your face, and that makes me so glad."

Annabeth chuckled, trying to blink the tears from her eyes. "Ugh, I'm gonna start crying!"

"Me too." They laughed.

Things were good. It had been a long time since Annabeth felt whole, since that little void inside her wasn't there. It was almost strange; she had blocked out part of her for so long that she almost forgot it was there. But now it was full, and she felt a few chips fall from her shoulders. It was good.

It was really good.

oOo