Annabeth felt the space between she and Percy as intensely as if it were pure heat. She couldn't be sure if he was looking at her from where he sat at the opposite end of the couch. She found herself unable to look in his direction. Percy had yet to push her towards conversation; in fact, he'd barely spoke two words since his parents and sister left, despite that being almost half an hour earlier. Annabeth was certainly no better, her only noise being slightly labored breathing. Her head swam, desperately searching for the beginning of what she needed to tell Percy... and the middle, and the end, for that matter. She couldn't shake the fear that he would feel betrayed by what she would say, no matter how she went about it. The very last thing Annabeth wanted was to hurt Percy in any way. Percy, the one person she could always count on to take her as she was, to not expect too much out of her. Maybe he would understand, but that didn't mean it wouldn't hurt him all the same.

"Annabeth." His voice seemed much farther away than it actually was. "We're going to run out of time. Please talk to me." The desperate edge in his tone sent Annabeth's brain into even more of a frenzy. Percy was scared of what was about to go down, and she couldn't blame him. After all, he probably should be scared of his girlfriend's problem. Annabeth was faintly away of Percy pleading with her again, asking her to open up. The distance between them suddenly became too painful for her to stand, feeling far too similar to the cold emptiness of their relationship in her nightmare. She launched herself across the couch and into his arms. Percy seemed startled by this outburst of a development, freezing for a moment before pulling her closer. His mouth pressed to her ear, he whispered, "What's wrong?" But Annabeth wasn't quite ready for that. First, she needed to feel close to Percy, to assure him that he meant the world to her.

She leaned into him for a kiss, attempting to convey all of her emotions through the press of her lips against his. He responded just a passionately, but Annabeth sensed a bit of hesitation behind his movements. "We'll talk after," she promised, and Percy must have believed her because he melted against her body, all timidness disappearing from his embrace. She attempted to crawl into his lap for better access to all parts of her boyfriend, but he had other ideas. In one motion, Percy stood from the couch and hoisted her over one of his shoulders. She wasn't too proud of it, but Annabeth couldn't stop a slight squeal from escaping her. Percy chuckled softly, obviously pleased with himself and the reaction he drew from her. She was growing more and more confident by the second that the overdue conversation was still a long ways down the road, perhaps even avoidable for the night.

However, Annabeth found herself to be severely wrong only minutes later.

"Percy," she whined as he pulled away and sat against the headboard of his bed. She wasn't entirely sure how or when they got into their current position, but she was certain she didn't want to leave it any time soon, and Percy was not helping her in that respect at all. "Come back," she begged, reaching across the bed for his bare chest. If she could just get him pulled back down, he'd get distracted again and-

"It's time to talk. Now. Stop procrastinating. Tell me what's wrong." Between the stern voice in which he spoke, the serious look in his eye, and tight grip he had on her outstretched arm, Annabeth couldn't resist the conversation any longer. That didn't mean there wasn't a few seconds to spare in a final, weak attempt.

"But we're not finished here." It came out as more of question. She gestured towards her fully clothed body for emphasis, but Percy wasn't having any more nonsense.

"We can finish later."

"That's what you said last time! And anyway, since when are you the one that wants to stop?" His exasperated sigh in response was the final push Annabeth needed to get on with it. She couldn't put him through this any longer. "Okay, fine. You're right." She held up her hands in surrender and moved to sit against the headboard with Percy. Their shoulders touched, but she stared straight ahead, too overcome with guilt and fear to look at him. She counted ten deep breaths, and finally began to talk.

"I think I'm going to look into a few other schools besides New Rome." Amazingly, her voice sounded more confident and sure than she felt. She was so caught up with her the lack of voice wavering that she almost missed Percy's reply.

"Okay," he said stiffly but evenly. "If that's... if that's what you want."

Annabeth felt like she was choking at the dark void behind Percy's words, but she managed to keep speaking. "I don't really know if it is what I want. All I know is that it's what everyone else wants-"

"Everyone else?" He demanded, and she felt the foolishness behind that phrase. "Like who?

"I - they don't - that's not important." Percy rolled his eyes and ran his hand through his hair roughly. "That's just not the point, Percy. I've been second guessing myself a lot lately, and I promise it has nothing to do with you." Annabeth wanted to say more, even had plans to say more, but the anger that was starting to roll off of him was enough to halt her momentarily.

"That's not true," he whispered harshly. Then he laughed without humor, and Annabeth understood that Percy's anger was not directed at her, but rather at himself, which was much harder for her to bear. "Of course it has everything to do with me, Annabeth. I'm holding you back, and I can't live with that. So you should apply to other schools, get a break from me."

There were those words again, holding you back, and even though they had brought her plenty of pain throughout the day, it felt like a sharp stab wound out of Percy's mouth.

"No," she began, matching his angry tone. "Now that's not true. You have not and never will hold me back, Perseus." He scoffed, but Annabeth wasn't going to let him dive deeper into his insecurity. And once again, she was painfully aware of the parallels to her nightmare from earlier. "I'm serious. If anything, you push me forward. You're the one that persuaded me to reconnect with my family, to leave camp and move on in the real world. You're the one who gave me the courage to show off my architecture designs and actually start building. You're the one who helped me see past my unrealistic fantasies with Luke and my parents, and start looking for a brighter future. You're the one who showed me there's always good things around me, if I only reach for them. You help me break down my walls, Percy, and let happiness in. I wouldn't even be here without you."

By the end of her speech, Annabeth felt out of breath and dangerously close to crying. She could handle Percy being upset with her, but she could not stand to let him beat himself up, especially over a problem that was entirely hers. She wasn't sure how effective her words were, with his shoulders slumped and head hanging low, but at least the hard lines in face seemed to fading.

"I've just been so afraid of that for so long, Annabeth." The dejectedness with which he spoke broke her heart. "I'm always afraid I'm not good enough for you. That I'm one screw up away from you realizing that yourself."

"You're not a screw up." She thought of the way he poured his heart out earlier that evening, about thinking how he'd never make it to college. And Smelly Gabe. Gods, Annabeth didn't know what horrible things Percy had heard as a kid from his step-father, but she needed to convince him they weren't true. "You're not a screw up," she repeated, turning to take his face in her hands, "and you're not 'too good' for me. You're worth everything to me, and so many others feel the exact same way. You deserve every good thing that's come your way and a million things more. You're an upstanding person and an even better boyfriend, and the thought of not being by your side every second of every day pains me. You make me feel like I'm home, Percy. I only want to be where you are."

The conversation had long strayed from any direction Annabeth had anticipated it going, but she was glad it did. It was long, long overdue for Percy to being hearing those things, and she was kicking herself for not telling him sooner. She ran her fingers soothingly through his hair as he stared down at their laps. His hands lay still on either side of him, his only movement the occasional twitch of his fingers. Just when Annabeth was afraid she hadn't gotten through to him at all, Percy lifted his gaze to meet hers. Despite the single tear than ran down his cheek, the intensity and depth of his stare made her want to squirm.

"I'd follow you anywhere, Annabeth, if it meant I could make you happy." His voice was thick but full of love, all signs of anger and guilt gone.

"I know you would," and this time her voice did crack. Percy buried his face in her shoulder and she pulled him into her. They laid in silence, content to simply hold each other, until they heard the front door creak open and the sound of a very excited baby girl. Both of them knew they'd barely brushed the surface of what they should have talked about, but that was okay, especially by Annabeth. Enough was said to get them through another day.

————

Annabeth opened her locker after the last bell rang, expecting to quickly grab her stuff and race to catch Percy before he headed to practice. They had barely spoken that morning, actually since their post-make out conversation, but at least they didn't seem to be awkward around each other. It was an unspoken agreement to wait for the next opportunity to get too worked up. Still, that didn't mean they had to avoid each other completely - they could hold a casual conversation. But instead of an efficient shove of her textbooks into her backpack, Annabeth was encumbered by a pamphlet slid into the bottom of her locker. Just thought you'd like to check this out. -Mr. Smith, read a sticky note stuck to the top. She groaned unhappily. She very much did not need a college info packet from her guidance counselor right now.

"What's that?" a familiar voice behind her asked. She turned to be met by Percy's dazzling green eyes, looking so unsuspecting of what was about to come with that question. Annabeth grumpily held up the pamphlet for him to read, studying the way his expression dropped with each detail he took in. "Oh. So he's 'everyone else,' then."

"And... my dad, I guess." She really had no intentions to drop that bomb on poor Percy right now, but he deserved to know.

Percy nodded almost robotically and continued, "Well, we can talk about it later. I just wanted to see you before practice. Also," he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "I wanted to apologize for kind of freaking out last night. I didn't mean to... do all that."

"Seaweed Brain," she mumbled softly, wrapping her arms around him in a gentle hug, "no need to apologize. Seriously. And if anything, I was the one freaking out last night."

He replicated her light but comforting embrace, ending it with a quick squeeze. "I'll see you at home, Wise Girl." And then he was gone, leaving Annabeth to stew angrily over the stupid pamphlet.

———-

Frederick Chase had some serious nerve. He was dangerously close to sending Annabeth into a manic fit. Going out of his way to to search through her childhood bedroom, find the crumpled lists of "dream schools" they'd written when she was thirteen, put it in the scanner, save it as a PDF, and email it to Annabeth seemed incredibly excessive and exceptionally obnoxious. It was a good thing Annabeth had the Jackson/Blofis apartment to herself, because she definitely let out a few choice words. Just before she could slam her laptop shut, Percy burst through the front door.

"Three things," he shouted at her from the doorway. "One: just wanted to warn you in advance, I smell horrible from practice." Annabeth couldn't help but wrinkle her nose fondly. "Two: I'm freaking starving, and I'm about to eat the whole kitchen. Three: don't you dare move a single muscle, because I'm about to make a snack, and then we're going to sit and have a real conversation." A little taken aback by his direct approach, Annabeth simply nodded and went to close her laptop. "Nope! Not a single muscle!"

"Fine!" She left the laptop open, but refused to look at the screen.

About thirty seconds later, Percy was seated across from her at the counter, about to inhale a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It was honestly a bit impressive how fast he could put away food.

"Alright," he said faster than should have been humanly possible with the amount of peanut butter that was in his mouth seconds before, "time to sort this out, no emotions this time. We're talking logic now, Wise Girl. What makes you not want to go New Rome?"

Annabeth took a deep breath. She kind of liked no emotions. "I'm not exactly sure. It's not even that I don't want to go there, because I do. I love everything about the idea - being close to the demigod world but doing our own thing, living in an apartment with you, being back in California. But..."

"But something doesn't feel right," he finished for her when she couldn't say the words herself. "Let's try something else: what makes you want to go to other schools?"

"The programs," she replied without hesitation. She flinched at how easy she could answer that. "I always wanted to go to a school with a huge architecture program, where the professors have designed countless buildings across the country. I guess... I guess other schools are more like how I always imagined college would be for me, the kind of classes I'd take."

Percy nodded slowly, obviously working through her thoughts. "Any schools in mind?"

Annabeth reluctantly turned the laptop towards him, where the infamous list was still on display. "I made this a really long time ago with my dad. Most of the schools on there still interest me." They sat in silence for a long time after that while he read through choices, and after that as they both searched for what to say. He stood abruptly and rummaged through the cabinets, probably to evade a comment for as long as possible. She sat patiently as he devoured another snack; if he needed time to think, it was the least she could give him.

"Have you sent in any applications?" Percy finally asked. Annabeth shook her head slowly.

"I wanted to see what you'd say, first."

"I'm not going to stop you. I can't expect you to go to college with me if you don't wan't to, and I certainly can't make you."

"I know," she whispered. "But I do want to."

Percy looked as though what he was about to say physically pained him. "Annabeth, you know I'd follow you anywhere-"

Her brain shut down before she could hear the rest of what Percy said. I'd follow you anywhere; he'd said that last night, too. At the time Annabeth had thought he'd meant that in simply a romantic, kind gesture sense, maybe even metaphorically. But this was the boy that fell to Tartarus hand in hand with her - how could he intend for that to be anything but literal?

"Percy, no!" Her tone caused his eyebrows to raise. "You're not going to ditch New Rome, not for me. I won't allow it. If you don't expect me to stay, I can't expect you to leave, either. You get to follow your dream, too."

He tried really hard to hide it, but Annabeth knew him too well: relief ran through Percy's body. "Well, alright. As long as the feeling is mutual." Before another stretch of silence could drag on for too long, he spoke again. "So what do we do now?"

She shrugged miserably. "I don't know."

———-

To say the least,  both Annabeth and Percy were a hot mess. A very nervous, very flustered, very upset, hot mess. It wasn't like they weren't expecting to have dinner with Annabeth's dad - Sally had written it on the calendar as soon as it had been planned. But regardless of that fact, neither side of the couple felt prepared. Percy was brushing his teeth for the third time in a half hour, muttering grumpily to himself every time the brush left his mouth. "You're going to get toothpaste on your shirt!" Annabeth cried indignantly at him from the bedroom where she was running through talking points in her head - also for the third time in half an hour. He flashed her the finger, but she knew he didn't mean it. His nerves were certainly not helping her nerves, but she couldn't really blame him, as they were both going to be in the hot seat tonight.

"We should have mentioned it to my parents," Percy said as he exited the bathroom. Annabeth, halfway through her mental presentation on the accomplishments of New Rome's faculty, sighed unhappily.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Some non-hostile opinions would have been good going in." The truth was, they both found the conversation hard to address, especially beyond the comfort of their own solitude. Everyone expected Percy and Annabeth to be the couple that was always on the same page, and it was hard to face the fact that they weren't. Annabeth made eye contact with Percy via the mirror they both stared into, and she felt a slight sense of reassurance settle over her. Just because they weren't on the same page didn't mean they weren't living the same story; they would be okay, and they would do it together. She hoped Percy felt the same.

"Fuck," he muttered angrily, tugging angrily at his shirt. "Stupid toothpaste."

"Calm down," she attempted to soothe as he pulled on a fresh shirt, but knew it was futile. "It's just my dad." Even to her ears, that sounded unconvincing.

"Right," Percy said sarcastically, "just your dad. Who I'm always nervous to see anyway, and now thinks I'm corrupting his daughter, and probably is plotting my demise."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "That's not true. And anyway, I don't care what he thinks." She wasn't sure if he believed her, but the doorbell rang before he could respond. The unhappy couple headed into the kitchen, where greetings were already being exchanged between the adults. Baby Estelle, though securely wrapped up in Paul's arms, reached out to grab Frederick's finger. Despite how anxious she was to see him, Annabeth couldn't help but smile a little at her father.

"Hi, Dad."

"Annabeth!" They embraced for a few seconds, and even if it was a bit awkward, she found it relatively nice. Frederick moved on quickly to Percy, taking her boyfriend's hand in a firm shake, and she was further pleased to find that neither man seemed to hold any contempt for the other. That was a good start, and Annabeth was immensely proud of Percy's ability to seem calm and unbothered.

"If everyone wants to have a seat, the food is just about ready," Sally said, turning towards the oven. Percy jumped at the chance to help his mom with the meal, whether to display politeness or to avoid conversation at the table, Annabeth wasn't sure.

"Frederick," Paul continued, "sit anywhere you'd like. Except for this spot," he pointed to the high-chair with a smile, "Estelle is very picky about her assigned seating."

And that was how Annabeth found herself seated next to her father, across from Percy who was beside Estelle, with Sally and Paul at the ends of the table. Percy stepped on her toes lightly with a tense look on his face, and she resisted the urge to kick him in the shin. It's alright, she tried to convey to him. His fingers drummed nervously on the table, but luckily it went unnoticed under the sounds of eating and casual conversation. So far, nothing about college had come up yet. They'd talked about high school, classes and sports and Paul's latest lesson, but that was it. Annabeth hoped it would stay that way. As always, she was severely disappointed moments later.

"So, Percy," her father began lightly, but Annabeth heard the change in his voice. She braced herself for the storm. "Are you still planning to attend The University of New Rome?"

Percy nodded curtly. "That's right. I'm not sure what program yet, but they're all excellent, so I'm sure I'll find something soon." Annabeth resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the lack of subtleness in that answer.

"I'll bet there are some good ones," Frederick responded and shifted his gaze towards his daughter, "but I must say, I was a bit underwhelmed when I looked into the architecture department."

"And why is that?" Annabeth's voice was cool, tight. Sally and Paul had gone very quiet, clearly sensing the rise in tension amongst the Chase's. Percy's face was angled towards his plate.

"It just doesn't quite compare to what you used to look at."

The worst part was, Annabeth didn't even have a good retort to that, because it was true. She knew it, and she knew that her father knew she knew it. Against her will, a hot lump of emotions swelled in her throat. Half of her expected Percy to jump in while she was silent, but the other half  of her brushed the thought aside; anything he said would only worsen the situation. Thinking about how Percy was aware of his own implications, ones that weren't even fair, made Annabeth want to cry more. Fortunately for her, even if Percy couldn't defend her, his family could.

"What schools have you looked at before, Annabeth?" Paul asked kindly. The quality of his voice, full of genuine concern and love, was enough to pull an answer from her. Paul looked thoughtfully at her while she listed schools, and it struck her how he wasn't just a paternal figure - he was a high school teacher, and probably had conversations like this all the time. Annabeth cursed herself for not turning to him sooner.

"All good schools," Frederick interjected. "And all still have open applications."

"I... I don't know, Dad." Annabeth's voice sounded feeble. "I really want to go to New Rome. I couldn't ask for a better place, as a demigod."

"You've had your whole life to be a demigod, Pumpkin. All the years you two spent running around." Her father gestured towards Percy with a hint of pity. "Don't you finally want to be a normal student?" Frederick's voice was the gentlest it had been yet on this topic, but he may as well have slapped Annabeth in the face. Two things he would never have the right to comment on: her time spent with Percy, and the life of a demigod. Even more painful, the press of Percy's foot against hers under the table disappeared. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. She tried to swallow the burning sensation in her throat.

"I'll never get to be a normal student, Dad. Or a normal daughter, if that's what you're hoping for." Annabeth's voice held a bit more venom than she'd intended, but she certainly didn't regret it. "I'll always be a demigod, whether you like it or not. Just because I've grown up doesn't change the past." As she hoped, her response seemed to sober her dad up. He needed a swift reminder of the neglect she'd faced as a child.

"Annabeth, I hadn't meant it like that."

Hadn't meant it like that, my ass, Annabeth was ready to fire back, but Sally must have sensed that things were about to get heated. She silenced Annabeth by grabbing her hand over the table. "New Rome is far more than just Camp Jupiter, Frederick." Annabeth was amazed with how calm yet powerful Sally's words sounded. "It's a whole city. Percy and Annabeth would get to have a traditional college experience, with the addition of all the protections offered by a demigod camp. It's a lot of the best of both worlds."

Annabeth and Percy both beamed at Sally. Paul wore a small smile. Frederick mulled over her words. To urge her dad's thinking along, Annabeth recalled one of her rehearsed talking points: "It would also be much easier to keep up with my... internship at Mount Olympus at New Rome. I wouldn't have to make up a lie about why I'm sketching a massive temple while I sit in the library."

Annabeth was surprised yet pleased when Percy's voice chimed in. "It'd be pretty upsetting if she had to lose any progress over secrecy." He grinned in her direction fondly, pride shining in his eyes. His guilt that was evident earlier was no more. Annabeth hoped her dad noticed all this, too. "She's done some pretty amazing work this past year."

Frederick Chase seemed unsure what to say. Even though Annabeth herself wasn't sure of the choice she wanted to make, she damn well knew she wanted it to be her choice alone and not her father's. If that meant she had to sell New Rome completely, then so be it. "New Rome is the best choice," she concluded with much conviction.

"Alright," Frederick conceded. Percy stepped on Annabeth's toes once again. "I have to agree, New Rome seems like your school." She breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived as her dad continued. "But that doesn't erase my concern from earlier."

Just when defeat was about to spark the crying feeling again, Paul spoke up: "I have an idea." All heads turned towards the English teacher, even Estelle, who must have been intrigued by her dad's tone. "Annabeth, have you considered dual enrollment?"

"Dual enrollment?" She counted her heartbeats as they thumped against her chest. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. "Dual enrollment?" Annabeth asked again, the prospect making her dizzy with excitement. Why hadn't she thought of that before? "I could - oh, my gods - I could dual enroll at UC Berkeley!"

"Exactly," Paul said. "You can live in New Rome, complete your gen-eds, maybe even get your Bachelor's degree there. At the same time, you can take some classes at Berkeley, work towards a Masters in architecture."

The room sat in appreciative silence. Annabeth looked over at Percy; the radiance of her boyfriend's smile rivaled the sun. She still felt like the world's biggest idiot for not thinking of dual enrollment herself and putting such an unnecessary strain on the last couple of weeks, but the elation she felt in the current moment made it all worth it. "Paul, you're a genius," she awed. Paul simply chuckled in response.

"It is a rather fabulous idea," Frederick agreed, and Annabeth knew the evening was about to make a turn for the better.

———

The crisp New York air whipped at Annabeth ferociously as she stood outside the apartment building to watch her dad drive off, but the warmth that still lingered from her earlier revelation kept the worst of the cold at bay. Well that, and the comfort of Percy's body against her own. She wrapped her arms around him snugly, but he took it further and practically crushed her to his chest. She giggled into his shirt. "What is this for, Seaweed Brain?

"Dual enrollment, huh? I can't believe you didn't come up with that."

"Shut up." Then she kissed him, and the sounds of the city slipped away. Percy released his death grip around her middle to cradle her face in his hands, pouring so much passion into the kiss that Annabeth felt dizzy. But they were still standing in the middle of a public sidewalk, so he released her all too soon. "I think Paul deserves the biggest thank you ever," she said after she'd caught her breath, allowing Percy to lead her back inside.

"Definitely. If you don't bake him a cake, I will."

Annabeth laughed. "You think a cake is enough for fixing all of our problems in, like, two minutes?"

"I make hella good cake, Wise Girl." He smiled at her, and she grinned back. But there was still a slight nagging feeling in her stomach.

"Percy," she began hesitantly, "you believed me when I said that I've never felt held back when it comes to us, right? And that you make me better?"

"Yeah," he said sheepishly. "I always believe you. And you make me better, too. I can't wait to go to college with you." They stepped into the elevator, the door closing behind just the two of them.

"I can't wait, either." Then Annabeth hit the stop cart button and pulled Percy's lips down to hers. They could spare a few minutes before thanking Paul.