This chapter is dedicated to rsgreene18, who made me laugh about 17 times with their comments on last chapter haha!

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After an extremely tiring yet fun day at the waterpark, everyone was ready to head out.

"What's the plan, you guys?" I asked, tugging on my tee shirt. "Is anybody down to come over?"

Jason nodded. "Yeah, I'll come."

Luke glanced at Thalia. "Same with us."

Rachel frowned and Calypso shook her head. 

"I have to get straight home today," Rachel said.

"She's my ride, and my dad wants me back soon too," Caly agreed. "Sorry, Perce."

"That's okay," I said. I looked at Annabeth expectantly. "What about you?"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm coming over, Seaweed Brain. I'd be over anyway."

I laughed. "True. Alright, why don't we just add Jason to our car group then?"

He shrugged. "Fine by me. Let's get going though."

Everybody gathered their stuff up and we hobbled across the park to the parking lot. Rachel and Caly ducked into a sleek black Mercedes G-Wagon, both with flushed cheeks. They seemed embarrassed about flaunting the Dares' wealth, and I understood. I wouldn't want to do that either.

Luke, Thalia, Jason, Annabeth, and I continued trekking to the back of the lot where we had left the truck. We loaded up the trunk and piled in. Thalia got shotgun once again, while Jason, Annabeth, and I squeezed into the backseat.

Luke took off. I rummaged through my drawstring bag and fished out my phone. I quickly texted my mom that four people were staying over for a bit. She answered immediately, saying that was fine but that we had company. I tucked my phone back away and looked over at Annabeth.

Her piercing grey eyes were shooting around the vehicle, taking in her surroundings. Her bare knee was bouncing every few seconds, and she was restlessly intertwining her fingers.

I reassuringly rested my hand on her leg. "You good?" I whispered.

She nodded, her blonde curls bouncing. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just...thinking."

I frowned, brushing my thumb over her leg. "Okay," I said after a small hesitation.

I certainly hoped that she wasn't hiding anything from me. What would she have to hide anyway?

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The five of us paraded up the several flights of stairs leading to my apartment. I dug out my keys from my bag and unlocked the door. I swung it wide open and allowed everyone to file inside, before heading in myself.

"Hey, everybody," my mom greeted from the kitchen. "I was just finishing with dinner. I made homemade macaroni and cheese, I hope that that's okay."

"Sounds great, Sally," Annabeth said.

I was about to mention Jason to Mom, but my thoughts were interrupted by two people bickering in the living room.

"You always get the remote, B!" my youngest cousin, Nico, complained.

"Well, I want to watch my movie, not Pokémon," Bianca retorted back.

He rolled his eyes. "It isn't Pokémon."

"Oh, hey guys!" I said, finally setting down my stuff beside Annabeth's and kicking off my shoes.

"Percy," Nico called, "can you tell Bianca that I should get to use the remote?"

"Nice to see you too," I mumbled under my breath. "How about we don't use the TV at all right now, guys? We're about to have dinner," I explained.

The di Angelo kids sighed in unison, making me chuckle. "So, Mom, this is Jason. Jason, that's my mom, Sally Jackson."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Jackson," he said sheepishly.

Jason was a very shy guy, which was pretty ironic seeing as he was pretty fit and tall for a fifteen year old. I mean, I wasn't much better, and I was sixteen.

Mom grinned, wiping her hands on her apron. "And you as well, but you can call me Sally. Or Aunt Sally, if you're ready for that."

He blushed a little bit. "Okay."

She laughed. "Let's sit down and eat, and maybe we can get to know everyone a bit more."

Luke, Thalia, Jason, and Annabeth all shuffled over to the dinner table, but I scooped up my bag and Annabeth's bag to put them away in my bedroom. I dumped the contents of mine onto my bed and quickly put the items in their places. I tucked Annabeth's against my dresser. I decided to change into a clean pair of clothes, then was about to head back out with the others when a knock sounded on my door.

"Come on in," I said, tossing my swim trunks into my laundry bin.

Annabeth smiled up at me. "Hey," she said quietly.

I grinned. "What's up? Do you want clothes to change into?"

"Actually, that sounds perfect. But I really came in here to ask you something."

I dug in my dresser for a tee shirt and some sweats for Annabeth to wear, simultaneously hiding my wary expression from her. "Is something wrong?" I asked.

"No, I was just thinking about doing something and I wanted to get your opinion."

 I turned around, smirking. "The infamous Wise Girl needs my opinion?" I teased.

She rolled her eyes. "Well, it's something revolving around our relationship, so I thought you'd be concerned. But if not..."

"I can help," I quickly stated.

Annabeth laughed. "That's what I thought."

She gestured for me to sit beside her on my bed. "So, I think that I need to talk to Luke."

"Duh." I paused. "How does that effect our relationship exactly?"

She pushed my arm. "Shut up. This is a big deal to me. Luke and I have always had a really rocky relationship, both because of our ages and our different personalities. But he's one of my really good friends and I want to keep a strong bond between us. I just don't think I know how to start up a conversation with him, and I'm having the same worries as when I was contemplating whether to tell Luke about us dating."

"I get it," I said, nodding understandingly. "You wouldn't want to just walk up to him and say, 'We need to be better people.' Like, I - an oblivious turtle - would appreciate the bluntness, but I'm not sure about Luke."

She smiled. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking. That's why we work so well together. We can keep things simple."

I squeezed her hand. "Glad you agree."

"What do I do then?" Annabeth asked.

I bit my lip, looking into her eyes. "Well, like you said, the two of you are really good friends. I'm sure that you could start by saying what you think is wrong."

"You're right," she told me.

I smirked. "I know. Now, let's go grab some mac and cheese. I'm hungry."

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"I won't give her up!" I screeched. "Mrs. O'leary is mine, Thalia!"

Her character pulled the string of her bow taut. "Hand over the wolf, Kelp Head."

"Never!" I said, slashing with my iron sword.

My Minecraft character jolted forward and an arrow sprung through my back. I then proceeded to get pummeled by arrows - I had a new respect for Bianca - until my screen flashed red and presented the lovely message: You Died!

Nico cackled. "I get the dog! Now I can get rid of that gross blue collar and give her the black one she wants!"

After a dinner that included fulfilling food and conversation, Nico, Thalia, and I were all playing Minecraft on the Xbox while Mom, Jason, and Bianca cleaned up and got to know each other. Luke and Annabeth were talking in my bedroom. I hoped things were going well, but I knew that Annabeth would handle everything well.

Ironically, at that moment I heard deafening laughter from down the hall. Puzzled as to what could be going on, I excused myself from the living room. I was risking my entire life by interrupting my ferocious girlfriend, but hey, since when was I known for having common sense?

I lightly pushed my bedroom door open. "What's going on, you guys?"

The two of them were sitting on my bed, laughing hysterically. Well, actually, Annabeth was laying on her back while Luke towered over her, his hands splayed casually across her bare stomach. Sure, they were laughing, but that was my girlfriend. Suddenly, a hot, burning feeling filled my gut.

"Whoa there," I said, laughing tightly to cool down. "You two seem much cozier than the last time I saw you."

Luke chuckled, leaning onto his left forearm and off of Annabeth - finally. "Oh definitely. The tension has loosened, I'd say."

Annabeth sat up, smiling. "Yeah, we're all good. Actually, do you mind leaving us be for a second, Luke?"

I'll be honest with you: right up until she acknowledged Luke as the person she was talking to, I thought that Annabeth was kicking me out of my own bedroom. I had always been a guy with lots of insecurities, and they were triggered as soon as I felt as though I was being left out of something.

Luke nodded, standing and walking out of my room. He shut the door behind him, and right when he did, Annabeth's happy-go-lucky mask slipped off.

"What's your problem, Percy?" she exclaimed, jumping up from the bed.

My jaw dropped. "My problem? I wasn't the one getting cozy with someone seven years older than me," I retorted without thinking.

Annabeth's grey eyes were filled with so many emotions I could hardly distinguish them all - regret, sympathy, frustration. "'Getting cozy,' huh? We were play fighting, Perce, I swear on my life." She paused, her face suddenly growing angry again. "You really think that I would cheat on you after a couple of weeks, and with Luke of all people?"

I shrugged, throwing my hands up. "How should I know that you wouldn't? Why don't you prove it?"

"Because I love you, Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth shouted. Instantly, her eyes went wide. "Oh my gosh, I really just said that, didn't I?" she whispered fiercely.

I was just as shocked. "You love me?" I asked, my voice shaking and watery.

She rolled her eyes, smiling nervously. "Of course I love you, Percy. You're the sweetest person I know, you're always there for absolutely everybody, no matter what they have in their past, you're funny, smart, and not to mention handsome. Why wouldn't I love you?"

I couldn't believe it. I had stayed up the night before, stressing about my newfound, intense feelings for Annabeth, and then she just goes ahead and confesses her love in the midst of an argument.

"I - I don't know what to say," I admitted. "I didn't realize how much you...cared about me."

She smiled with adoring eyes, which made me feel like someone dumped a pot of sweet, gooey honey in my body. "You don't have to say it back, you know. I'm confident enough in how you feel about me, I don't need any validation. You can just tell me when you're ready."

But I could tell right then from Annabeth's demeanor that everything she had just said was a lie. She wanted to know that her feelings were reciprocated. She needed to be certain, she needed validation.

I laughed. "I see right through you, Wise Girl. But yeah, I love you too. I love you a lot, actually. It's a bit scary how much I love you. I would do anything for you, no matter what. You're so smart, kind, and beautiful; you practically have me wrapped around your finger."

Annabeth blushed. "Wow. I can't believe this is happening."

I smiled, finally coming closer to her. I hugged her against my chest, pressing her head to my heart.

"You hear that?" I asked, referring to the fast paced thump-thump of my heart. "That's because of you."

She looked up at me in awe. With her wide eyes and slightly parted lips, I couldn't help myself. I bent my head a little and enclosed her lips in my own.

After a slightly more risqué kiss than our past ones - and trust me, we'd had plenty by that point - I pulled back.

"Will you please tell me what you and Luke were talking about?" I whispered breathlessly.

Annabeth pursed her lips. "I tell you I love you, we make out, and you still need proof?"

I nodded dejectedly. "Please, Annabeth. I just...I could barely believe that you chose me, and some nasty part of my head that lingers from when Gabe was still a part of my life is telling me that I'm not good enough. It's making me feel like it would make sense for you to cheat, or lie, or whatever."

"I'm sorry," she told me sincerely. "Luke and I talked about our relationship. We figured out what we needed to do to stay bonded. Then he made a joke about me finally growing into a woman - because you're my first boyfriend - and I punched his arm. That led to a full on fight, but of course we were just teasing. Then he was tickling me, which was making me laugh, and my laughter made him laugh."

I smiled. That makes sense, I told myself, unlike her leaving me after just a few weeks. No matter how much self doubt I had, I needed to be confident in us.

"I love you," I told her again, "but we should head back out with everyone else. I don't want them to think things."

She laughed. "You're right. We were shouting, and we've been in here a while after that. They could be...concerned."

"Oh, they should be." I winked. "Now come on. I have a Minecraft wolf to steal back from my cousin."

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Everyone was passed out except for Luke and I. Well, not literally. Only Annabeth, Nico, Bianca, Thalia, and Jason were asleep. But either way, things were a bit awkward.

I was sitting on the love seat with Annabeth - how ironic - and she was leaning heavily against my right side. Luke was sitting in Paul's chair, and all four of my cousins were lined up on the big couch. My mom and Paul had cashed in to bed about an hour before.

Luke cleared his throat. "Percy?"

"Yeah?" I answered, trying to ignore the cracking in my voice and the itching in my fingertips.

"I'm really sorry, man. I swear that I wasn't trying to get in between you and Annabeth. I heard you two shouting a while ago, and I assumed that it had to do with me. What I'm trying to say is...well, Annabeth is like my little sister. Sure, there was a time where - that's not important. But yeah, I sincerely apologize."

I smiled, a bit confused. "What I got from that was that you used to like my girlfriend, which isn't exactly reassuring, dude, that was a bad decision." I rolled my eyes and he laughed. "But you obviously meant no harm. It's fine, though. We're still working out the kinks, especially since it's a new relationship and both of our firsts."

He nodded. "I feel you. Sometimes I feel like things with Thalia haven't changed, and then at a moment's notice it's like we're back at square one. But I couldn't be happier for her. I mean, she's bonding with her brother again, and I can't imagine how emotional she must be - but then again, she's stone cold Thalia."

I chuckled, glancing over at the Grace siblings. Jason was leaning his head on Thalia's shoulder, who's head was elegantly thrown back on the couch with her mouth wide open.

"They have been getting along, then?" I asked Luke.

"Yeah, they've been great. And Jason seemed to like Bianca and Nico a lot too. You're family is growing, man."

I looked down at Annabeth, entwining our hands. "Yeah, it really is."

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2626 words! I'm pretty sure that this is my longest non-bonus chapter. I know that I threw a lot on y'all, but I hope it was worth it. Trust me, Percabeth fights are as hard to write as they are to read (How does Rick do it?)

Thanks for 8.4K reads and over 500 votes! I hope that you are still as in love with this story as Percy is with Annabeth ;)

Pretty please leave a vote if you liked it and comment what your favorite book is outside of the Riordanverse (ya girl needs some recommendations lol) Right now I'm reading the Maze Runner and I like it a lot!