Small rain drops started pouring from the sky as I ran out of Chiron's offices and into the bustling streets of New York, wearing a grin on my face.

My hands shook as I looked at my phone, which was practically blowing up from texts from Grover, Nico, Piper, and Jason, but no word from Annabeth yet.

I'm so stupid for texting her, I chastised myself as I shoved my phone into my pocket. She doesn't wanna hear from me, and she certainly doesn't care about my personal life.

After getting recognized a few times by a few different fans, I finally made it back to my apartment building.

By the time I rushed inside, the small rain drops had grown and started pelting the grounds. It was nearly December, so I wouldn't be surprised if it turned into snow. The sun was setting and left the night sky nearly pitch black.

I threw my coat down on my couch as I peered around my apartment. The living room was messy, like it always was. Without Annabeth living here, too, I had no use to clean up. People rarely visited me, and it was usually just Grover, who was messier than I was.

The piano that Annabeth had helped me with my album on remained practically untouched in the corner.

Although my house was somewhat messy, my kitchen was fairly clean, and I had Annabeth and her organizational system to thank for that miracle. Even though we'd broken up, there were still remnants of her around the house. Remnants I never wanted to get rid of.

After desperately checking my phone again like a maniac, I decided to call my mom, who I knew would be over the moon at my news.

"Hi!" a familiar voice I knew to be Estelle's answered.

"Hey, Estelle," I replied, a grin crawling on my face as I sat up.

I could hear my mom's muffled voice from the background. "Estelle, who's on the phone?"

She giggled. "Mommy, it's Percy! Are you coming home soon?!"

"I'll try to stop by soon," I promised, knowing that she was probably giving me her signature puppy dog face on the other end of the phone. "Can you get mom on the phone?"

"You're on speaker now, Perce," my mom said as she took the phone away from a giggling Estelle. "What's up?"

"My band's getting back together," I announced.

My mom gasped. "Really? Does that mean I get to see Piper again? And Nico and Jason, too?"

I nodded with a laugh. "Yes, Piper, Nico, and Jason, too."

Estelle giggled. "Yay! I remember Pipey!"

Estelle had met my bandmates when she was fairly young, resulting in her not knowing how to pronounce their names and giving them new ones.

She had a particular fondness for Piper, who would always read to her and would play dolls with her. When my band broke up she would often asked about Piper, leaving me with no response.

"What about Annabeth?" she asked.

My mom sighed. "Estelle, go play in the living room, okay? Sorry about her—"

"It's fine, mom," I replied.

"Good, well, I'm proud of you," my mom admitted. "I have to go now, the oven's beeping, but stop by soon, okay? Estelle really does miss you."

I grinned. "Okay, mom, see you soon."

After hanging up the phone and turning on some mindless reality show, my phone buzzed. I nearly fell of the couch as I saw who texted me.

<Percy>
I'm getting my band back together

<Annabeth>
I'm outside your apartment

My heart skipped a beat as I read her message. I instantly stood up, grabbed my jacket as I noticed the pouring rain, and ran down my apartment's halls, probably enraging my neighbors.

Once I ran out of the apartment building I was hit with an instant feeling of cold air and was hit with pounding rain. I pulled my jacket over myself as I looked around.

And then I saw her.

Annabeth was standing outside of my apartment building, her blonde hair soaking and plastered to her face. Her entire outfit was soaked, but she didn't seem to mind.

I rushed over to her and instantly pulled her into a kiss, ignoring the rain, the cold, the darkness, and the random people ogling at her.

They didn't matter. All that mattered was her.