I looked at Logan's crooked smile and knew that I couldn't say no. 

"Sure," I smiled. "She'll love it."

It was Sophia's birthday. She had gone to get a manicure with some of her friends, and was due home any minute. 

A huge blue box sat out on the driveway. I knew what it contained, but she didn't. 

"Hey Mom," Sophia walked in, smiling at the French manicure she'd gotten. "What's the box on the driveway?"

"It's a birthday present, sweetie! Why don't you go open it? I doubt we could bring it inside." She laughed, then ran outside. I watched from the window, eager to see the outcome. 

Sophia opened the box, peering inside. 'Happy Birthday' was playing in the background. Then this huge blue cake popped up with a slice ready to be taken out. As she removed the piece of cake, she screamed. Because the hole in the cake revealed Logan's smiling face, and PROM? was etched on the inside. 

"How did you pull this off?" I wondered out loud. Percy and I never really got to go to our prom... We were too busy saving the world. 

"Sophia, would you do me the honor of being my date to Senior Prom in two weeks? I know this is super late, but I needed it to be you birthday so-"

"YES!" She screamed, kissing him. I smiled. So now it begins.

                                                                                                ~~

"All my friends have already bought their dresses, so would you guys come help me?" Lena and Taylor looked like Sophia had just asked them if they wanted to be her bridesmaids. 

"Oh gods, YES!" Lena screamed. Taylor was smiling like a mad man. 

"Can we go now?" She asked. Sophia looked to me, as if waiting for my permission. 

"Can we, Mom?" I smiled.

"Only if you let me come," 

"Sure," Sophia smiled. Then she whispered in my ear. "That's what I had been planning on, and I'd be honored."

We walked into the store, and Taylor's eyes almost bulged out of her head. "There are so many dresses!"

Lena ran to the first one she saw. Soon she had her arms full with dresses. So did Taylor. 

"Try these on!" They said in unison. 

I watched as Sophia disappeared into the dressing room. It reminded me that in just a few months, she'd be making her way to college. She'd already decided where she was going: Stanford. 

It seemed far, but that was because the farthest we'd ever let her go was... well, we let her go to Greece to find Logan when she was 14, but that doesn't count. Well, maybe it does, but... I couldn't believe she was going to college. 

Sophia stepped out of the dressing room in a turquoise dress, making my thoughts of her and college and whether or not Greece counted stop. It was beautiful, but her face wasn't.

"You don't like it?" Taylor moaned. "It was one of my picks!" 

Sophia smiled at her little sister, already 13 years old. "No, it just... It's a bit much, with all these sparkles and stuff... I just wanted something simple." 

Lena nodded. "Take one of mine," She smiled. "They're pretty simple." 

Lena had been right- her dress was simple. Plain white, with a little sequined belt around the waist. 

"It looks gorgeous!" She screamed. 

"It's looks like a wedding dress. I don't want Logan to feel pressured into something like that!" Lena and Taylor laughed, and Sophia turned back into the dressing room. My eyes scanned the store, searching for something perfect for Sophia. Then I found it. 

"I'll be right back," I told Lena, turning on my heel toward the perfect dress. 

When I returned, I found Sophia in a hot pink dress that looked like a cross between a fairy and a poodle. 

"Really Tay? Really? I thought we had a deal- no pink!" 

Taylor chuckled. "I think it looks nice,"

"Well, it looks like a cupcake." Sophia was marching back into the dressing room now. I handed her the dress and told her that it might be what she was looking for. She didn't say anything after that. 

I took my seat, awaiting a hateful comment from Sophia's mouth. I didn't know much about fashion, so what I picked could've been all wrong. But when she stepped out, I knew it wasn't.

The long navy blue gown flowed as she walked, sequins simply lining the top and waistline. A smile was glued to Sophia's face. She turned and looked in the mirror. A tear fell from my eyes. 

"You look so pretty, Sophia," I cried. I had to bite my lip to prevent me from completely breaking down. 

Sophia was crying too. It was like that moment on Say Yes To The Dress (not that I watch that show) where they say yes to the dress, or when their way-too-opinionated entourage hates their favorite dress. 

"I love it, Mom."

"You look like a princess," Taylor smiled. 

"I can't believe it, but that looks like something you'd pick out. And you don't pick out dresses." 

Sophia smiled. "I know."

                                                                                                ~~

I opened the door to an angry looking Rion and a cracking-up Luke. 

"I swear to Hades, if you say it one more time-"

"Dude, it's totally a date!"

"NO IT'S NOT!" Rion screamed. Of course, Lena and Taylor knew exactly what it was all about. 

"Charlotte?"

Luke nodded. "He thinks it's not a date." 

"Well? Did you tell Charlotte Rowan that? Because any 'let's go to the movies, and then pizza' is a date to her. We're friends, and she told me she had a date with you, Ri," Lena said. She gave him a hug, and whispered something in his ear that seemed to ease his pain; his cheeks turned slightly less pink. 

Sophia was already upstairs texting her friends. Lena and Taylor followed her footsteps, but Luke and Rion stayed put. 

"What do you think, Mom?" Luke looked at me expectanty. Oh shoot. Luke Castellan gave me that face too.

"I'm not getting involved in this, okay?" But of course I knew Luke was right- it was a date. 

I dropped Rion off at Charlotte's house- she lived only a few blocks from the movie theater. But they ended up at our house an hour later. It was a downpour. It felt like hail when you stood outside. Rion was holding his jacket over their heads, and Charlotte was smiling. I tried not to watch, but I couldn't help over hearing.

"That was really fun," Charlotte smiled. 

"Yeah, too bad the movie didn't work out..." Rion said, staring at the wet grass beneath his feet.

"It was a fun first date," Charlotte smiled. But Rion didn't. He whipped his head up, eyes wide, jaw dropping down to the floor. 

"This was a date?" 

"Oh my god.... You didn't-"

"I thought-"

"Oh god, I'm so sorry... I just- I'm really, really sorry, Rion. I'll... I'll see you around." Charlotte turned, walking toward the street.

"Charlotte, wait," 

"What?" She whipped around, her umbrella hiding her fiery eyes. 

"I'm sorry."

"Me too. I hope whoever you're saving yourself for doesn't hurt you this way- it kills, being rejected, you know." Then she walked away. And Rion just stood there, the rain drowning him, his heart shattered and crushed. 

Luke was downstairs, eyes glued to the window. But I knew he wasn't going to tease Rion, and hurt him more. As Rion walked through the door, he let him go. Not a word against him. He just followed him upstairs. I heard something along the lines of 'It's okay, she wasn't worth your time.' and 'Don't worry- I'm here for you.'  When he wasn't teasing, Luke could actually be a good brother, and a great friend.

                                                                                                ~

"Hey Mr. and Mrs. Jackson," Logan smiled. Percy and Logan had actually gotten much closer over the four years Sophia had known him. He had saved her life plenty of times, and I think Percy knew he'd be spending a lot more time with Logan in the future, judging by Sophia's chatter at dinner. 

Rion was still practically in mourning after his date-not-date thing. He hardly ate, didn't smile, and stayed in his room all day listening to Taylor Swift break-up songs that Taylor had given him. 

"Hi Logan. Sophia's going to be just one-"  I couldn't finish my sentence. Sophia flowed down the stairs. Her hair was twisted into an elaborate bun that Lena had been slaving over for hours. A few strands of loosely curled hair hung at the sides of her face, framing it like a picture.

"Hey Logan," She smiled. He looked.... somewhere between ecstatic and elated and over-the-moon, head-over-heels in love. 

"H-h-h-hey," He finally managed.

Percy couldn't speak. He tried to mouth something, anything, but nothing came out. A smile widened on his face. "You look gorgeous, Sophie," He wrapped her in a bear hug that only he and Sophia shared. 

"Thanks, Daddy." 

"Picture? Just one?" I asked, flipping out my phone. We got about ten before Sophia started covering her face and asking to leave. 

"We'll be back by 11 o'clock, Mr. Jackson.... and Mrs. Jackson."

"Bye guys," I smiled. 

"Have fun!" Percy called after them. He meant it. 

As the door closed behind them, Rion appeared downstairs. 

"Hey, Ri," Percy said, walking toward the fridge for a slice of cake. 

"I don't really want cake, Dad. But thanks." I knew Rion wouldn't really talk with me there, so I went into the office where I could still hear, I just couldn't see. 

"What's up, buddy? Listen, I know what you're going through. I know that you never really wanted Charlotte."

"How can you tell?"

"I've been in the situation before." With Rachel and I, I thought. It was still a touchy subject in our family. "Who's the girl?" 

Rion paused for a minute. "Lauren Sorenson."

"Kathryn's little sister?"  That surprised me. I kind of expected Lauren to be way out of Rion's mind. 

"We became pretty close at Camp. She's a daughter of Nike and-"

"Wait, the Sorensons are Greek?" 

"Yeah."

"Dude, just go for it. If she likes you back, she won't care if you make a fool out of yourself. Mom didn't care. Right, Wise Girl?"

I laughed. "Un petit peu, Seaweed Brain." 

"I have no idea what that means, but she didn't care." 

"That much," I added. I was standing in the doorway now. Percy had clearly gotten Rion to eat the cake- that's what he was doing as Percy talked- eating.

It was cute seeing them have a man-to-man talk on the couch.

"Thanks, Dad. I'm going to take your advice." He grabbed his coat and left through the front door.

"Where are you going, Rion? It's almost 9:30!" I called after him. But he was already running.

"Let'em go," Percy said. "That's how you get the girl."

                                                                                        ~

I was in the office when Sophia and Logan came home. Percy was downstairs getting himself another Oreo.

"That was really, really fun," Sophia smiled. She was looking at Logan the way a girl looks at a guy when she's about to kiss him.

"It sure was."

"I wish it could go on forever." She smiled. 

"That's the thing I needed to tell you," Logan said. He ran his hand through his hair. I heard Percy coming up the stairs. "You know how you're going to Stanford?" 

"Yeah?"

"Well, I'm going there too." 

It took Sophia a second to process that. "That's great- Wait, WHAT? OH MY GODS! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!" She kissed him at the perfect moment- right as Percy entered the living room. 

"Hey Sophia, hey Log- Wow, I guess... I'll- I-" Percy's face was bright red. Sophia and Logan broke apart quickly, and Logan grabbed his jacket. 

"Uh... Bye Sophia, Bye Mr and Mrs Jackson. Th-thanks," 

Once he closed the door, Sophia burst out laughing. "Dad, that was the most awkward you've ever been!" Percy didn't say anything. He just walked toward the fridge, grabbed some cake, and stomped up to Rion's room like he was two.

"Rion? Remember that amazing talk we had? You have to repay me."

"He's not even here, Dad," Taylor screamed from her room over the music. 

"Then Taylor Swift music it is." He said, diving into Taylor's should-be-sound-proof-room.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hey guys! Sorry this chapter took a little while to get up... but it's pretty long!

Thanksgiving is next week! Are you guys going anywhere? I'm going to visit family, which should be fun. 

I've been so out of it this week... I don't know why, but it's really weird.

I also started The 5th Wave- it's great so far!! Have any of you read it? I'm thinking of potentially doing a book-review book on here sometime... that would be fun!

I'm having a Q & A on Google + on Sunday-- be sure to check it out!

https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/c8hsmgd79e7upsnkmngf8um6lc8

Also... Darn, I forgot what I was going to say. 

QUESTION OF THE CHAPTER:

What did you think of the chapter? What do you want next?

XOXO

~PercyAnnabeth20owl