PERCY JACKSON

That Bryce kid definitely wasn't a good guy, but he had a pretty okay taste in friends if he kept my roommate around. My roommate, Dakota Bryant, was a tall guy with hair so black it was almost purple and light blue eyes that kind of reminded me of my cousin's. He had an insane stock of Koolaid mixes in our cupboard and a strange sense of style, but other than that he was a pretty cool dude.

It had been a few days since meeting Dakota for the first time, and we finally decided to go out and do something together. It was around ten in the morning and we had both woken up ravenous.

"I know a breakfast place nearby," Dakota offered. "It's less than ten minutes and has quick service."

I chuckled. "Say no more, my friend. Let's get going."

The two of us walked off campus and downtown to Hestia's Hearth, a small little café. We stepped inside and I savored the scent of bacon and maple syrup. I sighed contentedly. Breakfast was by far the tastiest meal of the day.

"Where do you want to sit?" Dakota asked me.

I shrugged and looked around the room. It was generally crowded with the majority of the booths taken. A blonde head of curls caught my attention.

A smile curled up the corners of my lips and I walked over to the booth where my favorite blonde was sitting across from her roommate. I slid into the booth beside her and rested my arm across her shoulders. 

"I totally agree," I said, butting into their conversation.

Reyna's brown eyes lit up mischievously. "Yeah? You prefer unpadded bras too?"

"Erm." My face flushed red. "I actually don't have an opinion on that subject."

Annabeth laughed and I smiled down at her, where she was tucked under my arm. "We weren't actually talking about bras, Perce, you're in the clear."

I pretended to wipe the sweat off of my forehead with my unoccupied hand. "Thank goodness," I drawled.

Reyna rolled her eyes. "Boys," she murmured sarcastically.

"Hey," Dakota piped up from where he was standing beside the table, "we aren't all as oblivious as this doofus."

My girlfriend chuckled and poked my side. "You are a doofus, aren't you?"

I sighed and kissed the crown of her head. "You are so lucky I love you, Wise Girl."

"I know," she murmured.

"How was your food?" I asked.

She sat up straight and angled her body towards me. "Mine was incredible. How was yours, Reyna?"

"Pretty good," the brunette admitted. "I'll definitely come here again."

I smiled. "Awesome. Dakota and I are going to grab a table, but I'll see you guys later. Are you busy tonight?"

"Actually," Annabeth said, "we are."

I quirked up an eyebrow. "Really?" I asked. "What are you doing?"

"Your girlfriend insisted that we go out to a party," Reyna announced.

My lips parted. "This girl?" I questioned, jutting my thumb to the side.

Reyna pushed her dark hair back. "That's the one."

Annabeth cleared her throat. "It'll be fun," she said unsteadily. "We'll go out, get to know each other some more, and maybe make some new friends."

I stared at her. Never - not once in the six years I knew her - had Annabeth desired to go to a party. She always preferred a night studying than partying, or a movie date to an evening dancing to trashy pop songs. It was disconcerting, but I was sure she knew what she was doing.

"Okay," I said after a moment. "Is it going to be a girls' night type thing?"

She half-smiled at me. "You can come if you'd like but originally, yes, it was supposed to be a girls' night."

"No, it's okay," I told her, shaking my head. "You go out and have fun. Dakota and I can have a chill night in and play video games or something."

"With snacks?" my roommate chirped.

I chuckled. "Obviously, dude."

Annabeth grinned up at me. "Thanks for being so calm about this."

I nodded and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before kissing her cheek tenderly. "Of course. I'll talk to you later, alright?"

"Yeah, I'll text you before bed."

"Perfect." I stood up and waved at the girls. "See you," I said.

"Later, Perce," Reyna spoke.

My girlfriend smiled and waved. "Bye, Percy. I love you."

"I love you more."

With that, I led Dakota over to an empty table and sat across from him. He chattered on about the debate he was having over what he was going to order - something about hashbrowns not being good at every restaurant - but I wasn't really paying attention. My thoughts were focussed on my favorite person in the entire world and her strange personality change.

Ever since we had decided to attend OAAA and leave New York, Annabeth had been acting strangely. It's almost like for the first time, she actually cared about what others thought about her. She was being more spontaneous than ever, too, as well as very distant. She rarely shared her feelings and worries with me anymore, and it was scary.

It was almost like our relationship was deteriorating.

Quickly, Dakota and I finished our meals. We split the bill and parted ways, him heading off to meet new people and me finding a place to think.

I wandered the streets for a while before stumbling across a beach. I couldn't help but smile as I plopped down on the sand and gazed out at the ocean. The waves were huge, pounding down against the shore with little mercy.

Although the ocean was a scary place for a lot of people, it never freaked me out. It was more comforting than anything else. I felt more connected with my dad than ever when I was by the ocean.

Even though I never really knew my dad, I missed him and thought about him every single day. He was selfless and brave, trading his life for some helpless, stranded kids. He was loving and generous, taking care of Mom for as long as he could. He was determined and strong, pushing through every problem that came his way without doubt.

It was a big legacy to live up to. I can't help but think I'll never be as good as him. He was as close as a guy could get to being perfect.

But he was gone. And I would never get the chance to meet him.

Opposite the ocean, death had always scared me. Gabe often threatened me with death. He would beat me to the brink of unconsciousness and hiss in my ear, "If you tell your mother, I'll kill you both."

I shuddered. Thinking about that scumbag gave me the chills. I was so grateful he was out of my life, but I really wished he'd never even been in it. I wished my real dad had raised me.

Shaking my head, I leaned back on my stretched out arms and stared at the horizon. No matter how terrible my childhood was, I appreciated where I ended up. I had an amazing mother, stepfather, and halfsister. I was attending a pretty spectacular school. And I was dating the most perfect girl on the entire planet, and I would never let her go.

Life was good and couldn't get much better. But it could certainly be worse.

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...hi.

I AM SO UNBELIEVABLY SORRY. I DID NOT INTEND TO ABANDON THIS BOOK FOR MONTHS. I HAVE SO MANY IDEAS FOR THIS STORY BUT I WAS STUMPED ON HOW TO GET TO THEM. I FIGURED IT OUT (mostly, at least) SO THE NEXT UPDATE SHOULD COME A LITTLE QUICKER.

ahem sorry for all the caps-yelling i just had to get all that out. anyway, how have you beeeeen, what have you been upppp toooooo, and are you as excited for this book as i am??!?!

but seriously, i'm planning on updating semi-regularly. i really missed this story and can't wait to accomplish everything i have set out for it. i hope you stick around and enjoy it!

love you lots and hope you're having a good day <3 see you soon ;)