Edited

It was the last day of school, the last day of junior year. Next year, they'll all be seniors and then it's off to college after that.  But that wasn't what I was thinking about right now, I only had one thing- well, person on my mind and that person was Annabeth Chase.

She was gorgeously beautiful, does that make sense? Anyway, she was beautiful with her golden blonde hair that fell just past her shoulders in perfect ringlets. Oh, and her striking grey eyes that pierced through your soul every time you looked at her.

Did I mention that she was also super intelligent? No? Well, she was insanely smart, getting an A on every quiz, test, and assignment. I sighed sadly, thinking about how she is way out of my league and that my chance was probably very slim.

But, hey, there was a sliver of hope inside me that she'd agree to be my girlfriend. I mean, we've been going to school together since sophomore year but then she disappeared halfway through and came back last fall. But that didn't matter, we were friends and that's all that mattered.

I adjusted my tie- we had to wear uniforms at our school- and strode inside the metal double doors. I spotted Annabeth by her locker, her nose stuck in a very large book about architecture. Typical Annabeth, obsessed with architecture.

I cleared my throat as I neared and she looked up, her mouth curving into a smile. "Oh, hey, Bret."

"Hey, Annabeth." I lifted my eyes from her full lips and met her eyes. "I was wondering if-"

Then her phone started ringing. Great, just my luck.

Annabeth held up a finger as if to say: just a minute, then she answered it. "Hello?" She smiled and her eyes brightened.
"Hey!...yeah...why?" Her smile widened and she let out a quiet laugh, making my heart flutter. "Awe, I miss you too...yup...I'll see you later..mhm, bye." She stuffed her phone back in her pocket and gazed at me expectantly.

"Oh, right!" I mentally face-palmed myself. "I was wondering if you would-"

Then, the bell rang. You have got to be kidding me. It seemed as though the whole world was out to get me or something. It won't even let me ask out the girl I like!

She smiled apologetically. "Tell me after school?"

I nodded quickly, sending my wild brown hair into a frenzy. "Yeah, sure." I watched her walk down the hallway and out of sight.

----
I emptied my locker and with one heavy backpack and a heavy bag, I got inside my car and started to drive home.  As I hit the break at a red light I realized that I forgot to talk to Annabeth. I rested my head on the steering wheel and cursed under my breath. "You idiot. Now you've got to wait till next year."

Accepting my mistake, I pulled up to my apartment building's parking lot and started to carry my bags to the door when I heard a low growl from behind me. I slowly turned away, really not in the mood to deal with a stray dog.

But it wasn't a stray dog. I dropped my bags out of fear and stared with wide eyes at the ginormous black dog that stood in the alleyway across the street. Its glowing red eyes bore into my soul and stringy saliva hung from his fangs that were as long as my fingers.

The creature pawed at the ground then charged at me like a bull.

Me, not knowing what to do, just stood there in a daze. When the dog was ready to rip my guts out, a boy stepped in front of me and took out a celestial bronze sword. He slashed at the creature and it turned to dust.

The boy turned around and I recognized him as my neighbor, Percy Jackson.

"Bret?" He asked and lowered his sword. "Did you see anything?"

"Yes, what was it?" I looked behind him and saw gold dust piled on the ground but it soon blew away in the wind. "And why did it try to attack me."

Percy ran a hand through his already messy hair. "Okay, look, I need you to come with me. I'll explain on the way but we've got to move quickly." He started toward his blue beat up Prius but turned around when he noticed I wasn't following. "We've got to go."

I sighed and followed him, throwing my bags in the backseat then opened the door to the passenger seat. There was a large book about architecture on the seat and I moved it to the floor. Weird, Percy didn't seem like the dude to be into that stuff. I sat down.

"Uh, could throw the book in the backseat," Percy asked as he started to drive. "My girlfriend would slit my throat if she saw a footprint on it, sorry."

Oh, it was his girlfriends. I didn't even know he had one. Yet again, I didn't know much about him other than that he was my neighbor and secretive. I grabbed the book- gosh it was heavy- and threw it onto the backseat.

"Thanks," He said. "I'm guessing you want an explanation."

"Yes, that would be appreciated," I said and adjusted my tie anxiously. "You're not trying to kidnap me are you? Because if you are that's not cool."

Percy chuckled. "No, I'm not."

"Okay. What was that thing?" I asked.

"A hellhound," He deadpanned.

My eyes widened. "A hellhound? Like from Greek mythology?"

"Yeah, those except they're not myths. It's all real, gods, monsters, mythical creatures." Percy turned right and I caught a glimpse of a sign that read: Long Island Sound. "Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Nord mythology is all real."

"Seriously?" I raised my eyebrows. "You're crazy."

"I thought they all were too when I found out I was a demigod," Percy told him.

I shook my head. "Hold up! You're a demigod?"

"Yup." Percy nodded.

Was it bad that I actually believed him? Percy didn't seem like the guy who would lie about something like this. "Who's your parent and what do you mean by they? And where are you taking me?"

"Poseidon. I have plenty of friends, including my girlfriend, who are demigods like me. Except, two of my friends are hosts for Egyptian gods and my girlfriend's cousin is the son of a Norse god," Percy said. "And we're going to camp."

I narrowed my eyes. "What kind of camp?"

"A safe haven for demigods like you and me, assuming you are one and not a legacy," He mentioned. "Don't worry, nothing bad is gonna happen."

"Legacy?" I asked.

"The child of two demigods. Grandkid of two gods," Percy explained. "There aren't any Greek legacies as of right now but there's plenty of Roman ones."

"Why's that?" I had so many questions.

Percy took a left turn. "The Romans have a camp in California, Camp Jupiter. They actually can live there whereas in Camp Half-Blood, you can only stay there until you graduate high school. After that it's just annual visits."

"What's that got to do with legacies?"

"The Greeks die."

"Uh, what?" My eyes widened.

"Oh, sorry, bad wording." Percy shook his head. "Greek demigods usually don't live past sixteen so we're all very lucky. Even you, I'm guessing you're seventeen?" I nodded. "Living in the mortal world is dangerous. I'm surprised you got attacked for your first time today."

"How old are you?" I guess we were discussing ages now.

Percy laughed quietly. "Almost eighteen. My birthday's in the summer."

"Then how are you a junior?" I asked.

"Went into 4-K a little late. So did most of my friends so we're all a year behind." Percy shrugged. "But what can you do."

"I don't know."

We pulled up to a hill and Percy parked at the bottom of it. I was a little concerned about that. What if someone came up and stole it. Then I felt like slapping myself because, nobody could steal a car without the keys and Percy had them.

"Walk up the hill," Percy told him as he started up.

At the top, I glanced down and gasped. Many cabins were in horseshoe shape and they were not small, rather large. There was also a...lava wall? And an arena where people in celestial bronze armor were sparring.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Percy agreed with me. "It's much better once you actually go down."

"Right," I walked down the hill beside Percy and stopped at the bottom where a half-horse, half-man waited for them. "You weren't kidding," I muttered so only Percy could hear.

Percy laughed. "Chiron, this is our new camper, Bret Mabus."

Chiron gave him a warm smile. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, Bret. Here you will learn how to defend yourself in the mortal world. But it's also fun so don't worry too much."

"Hey, Percy!" Two brothers with mysterious smiles said as they ran up to us.

"Welcome back, Man!" A buff Asian boy patted Percy on the shoulder.

I raised my eyebrows. "You're popular."

"Yeah," Percy said and rubbed the back of his neck. "Though I don't particularly enjoy it. Sometimes I just need to be left alone to deal with... some things but people keep popping up left and right to say hi."

"Bro!" Someone yelled, catching Percy's attention.

"Bro!" Percy grinned and enveloped a blonde dude in a hug. He pulled back. "What's up, little cousin?"

The blonde boy glared. "I'm only a year younger."

Percy stared at him "You literally are the little cousin though, Jason." The guy's glare hardened. "Nico's older than all of us by seventy years even though he looks fifteen. Katie is older than you by a few months. I'm older than you. Thalia is older than you."

Jason crossed his arms. "Thalia is my sister and there are younger Demeter kids."

"And Annabeth is my first cousin once removed!" Percy shot back. "Even though she's not your cousin, she's still your niece and is older than you."

Jason wrinkled his nose. "Okay, I'm sorry but at least I'm not dating my cousin thing whatever."

"My cousin thing? She's either Annabeth or Percy's girlfriend to you," Percy joked.

I stepped in. "Did you say Annabeth? What's her last name?"

"C-" Percy was cut off.

Eh, whatever. There was more than one Annabeth in the world, right?

"Would you two just shut up?" A girl that looked native American snapped, rubbing her temples. "I have a headache and you two are not making it any better. Besides, there's a new camper that needs a tour."

"Awe, did Beauty Queen wake up on the wrong side of the sea bed this morning?" Percy teased, earning a fist bump from Jason.

The girl glared. "Shut up, Kelp Face. I'm telling Annabeth you were being mean to me"

Percy gave her baby seal eyes. "Piper,please don't. She'll beat me up."

"Then stop teasing me," Piper retorted.

"Do you guys always act like five year olds?" I asked, appalled at how mature I was compared to these three."

They all looked at each other, nodded, and said, "Yup."

I sighed. This was going to be a long summer.

"And, Jason," Piper piped up. "I'm also your first cousin once removed."

"Oh," Jason said.

A latino boy with curly brown hair walked up to them and pointed at something above my head. I looked up and saw a golden dove floating above me. "Piper, you've got a new sibling."

Everyone near us bowed and Percy said, "Welcome Bret Mabus, Son of Aphrodite."

They straightened and a boy wearing a very fancy shirt, dress pants, and dress shoes pushed through the crowd and ran over. "Finally!" He exclaimed dramatically. "A brother!"

"Shut up, Mitchel," Piper said then walked away.

"What's her problem?" Mitchel asked.

Jason shrugged. "I dunno."

Mitchel shook his head then turned back to me. "Anyway, Bret, we have all sisters. Crazy, love obsessed, beautiful sisters so no hitting on them. The cabin is literally pink on the inside."

"Great," I sarcastically said. "Just wonderful."

He nodded and strode confidently to the arena to watch Piper beat the non-existing life out of a dummy.

"Is Wise Girl here?" Percy broke the silence.
Jason shook his head causing Percy to pout and I had to stifle a laugh because of how ridiculous he looked. An eighteen year old boy pouting like a two year old, hilarious.

They kept talking about random nonsense so I looked around like an idiot, not knowing what else to do.

I glanced up at Half-Blood Hill and man was I glad I did. A girl with blonde hair and grey eyes was walking down the hill, dressed in a uniform, and a book bag by her side. The two top buttons to the white shirt were unbuttoned and her hair was out of her messy ponytail, falling right below her shoulders.

Annabeth Chase.

She seemed to be looking for someone but her eyes froze in my direction and her face broke out into a grin. I smiled back, thinking the smile was directed toward me.

Annabeth broke into a sprint, her long sleeved shirt ruffling and the blue plaid skirt flying in all directions in the wind, exposing more of her long tan legs.

I was ready to be tackled to the ground but was shocked when she dropped her bag at my feet and ran right past me. I stared at the bag for a couple seconds before turning around to see where she ran off to.

Apparently, it wasn't that far away from me. Maybe a few feet.

She jumped onto Percy, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around her waist. I was immediately felt jealous and stupid. How could I not have seen the signs? The architecture book in the car and the fact that his girlfriend's name was Annabeth.

But it was all okay. Maybe they were only dating for a few months. Everyone knows high school relationships don't last long so there was nothing I had to be worried about. Right?"

Percy was caught off guard and stumbled back but quickly regained his balance, wrapping his arms around Annabeth's waist. She pressed a chaste kiss to his lips before burying her face in his neck. His face pressed into her hair.

I bit my lip and tried to ignore the jealous burning a hole in my stomach. I told myself to calm down and continued to watch the reunion.

Annabeth slid off of Percy, which I was thankful for, but didn't remove her arms and her face was still buried in the crook of his neck. I noticed that her shoulders shook once in a while and then I heard Percy sniffle.

Apparently Jason did too because he gave the two a sympathetic gaze, clapped Percy on the shoulder, and walked away.

Annabeth pulled away and took a shaky breath, saying nothing. I saw that her eyes were misty and a single tear rolled down her cheek but Percy brushed it away with his thumb. She smiled lovingly and laid her head on his chest.

"I missed you. Five months is way too long," Percy muttered, kissing the top of her head.

I clenched my fists.

"Agreed," Annabeth said, smiling when he tangled his fingers into her hair. "The nightmares were awful, Percy. I- I couldn't sleep. So, I made my decision."

Percy nodded his head, an indication for her to continue.

"I'm going to school with you next year. I already told the principal at my school and packed all my things. Sally and I got the papers for Goode signed yesterday. And my dad said it was alright, I get to live with you guys," Annabeth told him excitingly.

I felt my heart drop. She was leaving our school to go to Goode? That's where all the immature teenagers go who don't care about school. It's all fun there while my school was straight to business. Why would Annabeth go there?

And she was going to live with him? Her father was okay with that? Who would let their very successful daughter live with her boyfriend? I certainly would not allow that. It was a distraction from studies, the important things. Even if I were to date Annabeth, she wouldn't be my first priority. School would be, always.

Percy laughed and lifted her up, spinning her around. He set her back down on the ground and kissed her, pulling away after a few seconds. "I love you."

"I love you too." Annabeth kissed his cheek, keeping her lips there longer than they needed to be.

I cleared my throat and they separated. "Hey. I still don't know my way around here."

"Right." Percy unwrapped his arms from around Annabeth but intertwined their fingers. "Annabeth, this is Bret, son of Aphrodite. Bret this is Annabeth, daughter o-"

Annabeth snorted. "Son of Aphrodite? Good luck." she looked up at Percy- he was about a head taller than her- and raised an eyebrow. "I know who he is. He's a friend from school."

Percy took in their uniforms and said, "Oh."

"Let's go to my cabin so I can change," Annabeth suggested. "Then Percy and I will give you a tour, Bret."

I nodded and followed them through camp, my heart breaking a little bit everytime Percy and Annabeth did some sort of romantic gesture. They stopped in front of a cabin with an owl engraced above the door. Athena.

"I'll be right back." Annabeth disappeared behind the door and reappeared two minutes later, clad in jeans, an oversized blue swim team hoodie, and the same black converse. "Let's go."

Percy wrapped his arm around her waist as they began to walk. My heart squeezed painfully in my chest when she smiled up at him. She seems to do that a lot when he's around, smiling. More than she ever did around me or my friends.

"Your mom's Athena?" I asked, trying to break the awkward silence as I fell into step beside Annabeth. I tried really hard to pry my eyes away from the hand on her waist.

"Yup," Annabeth replied proudly. "And this dingus's dad is Poseidon." She jabbed her thumb at Percy.

"Hey!" Percy exclaimed defensively. "I am not a dingues."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Honey." She patted the hand against her waist and my blood boiled but I managed to keep my cool.

I decided to bring up their parents' rivalry. "Aren't you guys supposed to hate each other?"

Percy shrugged and pulled Annabeth closer. "Yeah, we're supposed to but we don't. We tried when we were younger but became best friends." He glanced down at Annabeth who was pursing her lips. "Then we started dating much to our parents' disappointment."

Annabeth scoffed. "My mom literally came up to you on Olympus and said, 'I do not approve of your relationship with my daughter' before we even started dating." She laughed, music to my ears.

"Were your parents mad about you two, you know." I wagged my finger between the two.

"Athena? Hades yes," Percy said with wide eyes. "My dad? No."

"It's only because your dad actually cares about you and doesn't just tell you how proud he is of you," Annabeth said, actually quite bitterly.
I furrowed my eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Since last year, my mom and I haven't been on the best of terms." I gave her a confused look and she sighed. "Percy went missing last year and that's when I left school, to go look for him."

"Okay," I said, not quite sure she would leave school to search for a missing boyfriend.

"I found my mom on the same subway as me when I was going to his house to visit his mom, Sally. Except, she wasn't quite Athena, more Minerva which is her Roman form," Annabeth explained.

Percy kissed the top of her head and squeezed her waist as a comforting gesture.

She continued, "I asked her to help me find Percy and then she called me a disappointment. Then she gave me the Mark of Athena and told me to avenge her, blah, blah, blah."

"So she really doesn't approve of you two." My eyes were probably super wide. Maybe it was a good thing her mom didn't approve. If a parent doesn't like your significant other, you don't stay with them.

Annabeth shrugged. "I think she's okay with it now though I wouldn't leave him no matter what anyone says. Especially my mother because, dare I say it, she's a bitch."

Thunder rumbled.

"Shut up," Annabeth muttered.

Laughter erupted from a nearby group of demigods. One of them yelled out, "Who cursed out a god this time?"

Annabeth raised her hand and they all gave her a thumbs up.

"How do you guys disrespect gods? They could blast you to pieces," I said as we stopped by the lava wall. A camper around their age was climbing up but got knocked down by a boulder, his head now bleeding. Kids with a stretcher came over and took him away.

"They threatened us so many times that we all knew they wouldn't kill us," Percy said. "If they were actually going to blast us to the underworld, Annabeth and I would have been long gone."

"How many gods have you guys disrespected? I would never," I said.

Annabeth counted on her fingers. "Athena, Hera, Ares, Dionysis, Hermes, did I mention Hera?"

"But they're gods. Don't they take care of all you and keep you out of danger? Shouldn't you all at least have some respect?" I asked.

Percy snorted.

Annabeth counted on her fingers again. "Let's see what the gods have done for me. Athena continuously rats out my boyfriend, sends me on a quest that risks my life, and doesn't even care."

"Okay, but what did the other ones do to you?" I asked again. I couldn't believe the amount of disrespect these kids had for the gods. I felt like every five minutes the thunder rumbled then someone yelling at the sky to shut up.

"Hera kidnapped my boyfriend and placed him on the other side of the country. Before that, she sends cows to do their business on my shoes. She literally hates my guts." Annabeth rolled her eyes.

I shook my head. "Ares?"

"He's just Ares," Percy said. "Arrogant, rude, annoying, etcetera."

"Hermes?" I asked.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Blamed me for the death of his son."

"Oh." I kept my mouth shut after that and let them give me a tour.

-----

After a full tour of camp and a twenty minute useless video later, it was already time to eat dinner. Percy and Annabeth led me to the pavilion but shortly after that they disappeared. I shrugged it off and grabbed a plate, staring at it.

"Need help with that?" I turned around to see my half-brother, Mitchel.

"Um, yeah," I answered. "I noticed there's no food or drinks so I have no idea what to do."

Mitchel laughed and led him over to a table, the Aphrodite Table. We sat down and food appeared on his plate. "Just wish for what you want and it will appear."

"Oh." I stared at my plate and wished for a pizza. Sure enough, a slice of pepperoni pizza sat there. "That's cool."

"I know right," Mitchel agreed.

I took a bite of my pizza then swallowed. "Why do we have to sit with our siblings?"

Mitchel shrugged. "It's just a rule."

"Oh." I nodded and continued to enjoy my meal when I noticed that Annabeth and Percy were still nowhere to be found. I was getting worried. What if he had done something to her? Something bad? "Hey, where's Percy and Annabeth?"

Piper looked up from her ramen noodles. "They probably went to talk to Chiron about their nightmares. Poor guys can't sleep at night if they're not wrapped up in each other's arms."

I decided not to ask about that last part. I probably didn't want to know what she meant. Instead, I settled for finishing up my dinner and taking a look around the pavilion. Nothing special, just picnic tables and loud demigods.

Then I saw Percy and Annabeth enter the pavilion. Thank goodness she looked unharmed. I watched as they grabbed their plates, wished for food, and sacrificed practically all of it. I was confused when Annabeth passed the Athena table though no one else seemed to care. She sat down in front of Percy at the Poseidon table.

I nudged Mitchel who hummed in response. "Isn't Annabeth supposed to be sitting with the Athena kids?"

He looked over at the Poseidon table. "Annabeth's been breaking that rule since she was thirteen. Besides, after what happened last year, no one cares. Not even Chiron brings it up."

"Annabeth... breaking the rules?" I asked, shocked. It didn't seem possible.

"Oh, yeah." Piper nodded. "All the time."

"What do you exactly mean by that?" I was afraid for the answer I was about to receive.

"They sneak out together after lights out," Piper said but saw my face and tried to explain, "Not because of what you're thinking. Well, it's possible but I doubt it. Look, Bret, they need the time alone, okay? So don't go and snitch."

I shook my head. "I wasn't planning on it."

She held my gaze for a few more seconds. "I'm serious, Bret. If you go snitching, you ruin everything. And I won't stop Annabeth from slitting your throat. They lose their minds without each other."

"Annabeth seems fine at school," I told her.

Piper sighed. "She hides it all. Bottles everything up. It's hard to actually see who Annabeth is because of the walls she's built up over the years. She's guarded, everyone knows that. The only person who knows the real Annabeth are her close friends and Percy."

"So, I do know the real her." I would consider myself a close friend of Annabeth.

"I don't- no, Bret. I don't think you do," Piper sighed. "She's one of my best friends and I still don't know everything about her. It's just the way it is. It's just how she is and you need to respect it, got that?"

I was hurt at her words. She didn't believe that I knew Annabeth? Of course, this Piper girl didn't go to school with us so she didn't know how close Annabeth and I were. But looking at how close she was with Percy, I'd say we were hardly friends.

"Yes, I understand." I inwardly rolled my eyes.

Piper nodded. "Good. Now, it's time for the campfire."

"Campfire?" I asked.

She gave him an incredulous look. "Yes, a campfire. Did you really think that we'd be staying at a camp all summer with no fires? You've got to be crazy to think that." Then she ran off toward Jason and the Latino kid from earlier.

"Bret." I turned around to find Annabeth standing a couple feet away from me. I noticed she was a lone, no Percy in sight. Maybe this was my chance or maybe she was making a move. Hopefully the latter. "Do you want to-"

"Yes!" I exclaimed, thinking she asked me to the campfire.

Annabeth lifted an eyebrow "I didn't even finish the question."

I inhaled deeply and then exhaled. "I'm sorry. What did you want to ask?"

"I was going to ask if you wanted to sit with us at the campfire. So, do you?" She asked me.

"Us?"

"Well, yeah. Percy and me," Annabeth answered like it was obvious.

My hopes shattered. "Yeah, sure."

"Great." She smiled brightly before walking away but I stopped her, making sure there was no one else around. There wasn't.

"Annabeth," I said and she turned back around.

"Yeah?" Annabeth asked.

I cleared my throat and decided to get straight to the point. "I like you."

She gave him a look as if to say: you're crazy. "I like you too, Bret."

My dumb self took it the wrong way. Maybe that's why Percy was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she had told him her feelings for me. My face lit up and I grinned. "Really?"

"Yeah." Annabeth nodded. "Now, come one. We'll miss the fire."

I followed her to the amphitheater.

"Where are we sitting?" I asked, looking around. There weren't many empty seats. Most of the demigods surrounding the fire were all squished together and were singing a song about being their own great, great, great, great grandfather? I don't know.

"Over here." She squeezed through the crowd then plopped herself down on a bench in the first row next to... Percy.

I sat down next to her and asked, "Why is he here?" And I will admit, I didn't say that in a very nice way. I sounded bitter, rude.

"Uh, because he's my boyfriend," She replied to me as Percy wrapped a blue blanket around their shoulders.

"But you said you liked me..." I was so confused. Was she cheating on Percy?

Annabeth's eyes widened. "Oh, you mean- you mean- no. No, I like you as a friend."

My heart dropped. "Oh."

"I'm sorry but I'm stuck with this guy." She whacked the back of Percy's head which kind of made me feel a little bit better.

"Hey!" Percy exclaimed. "You're stuck with me? You make it sound like I'm forcing you into this relationship when it is so obviously mutual."

Annabeth snorted. "Okay, Seaweed Brain."

Then he kissed her.

And that's when I had enough.

I stood up, moved so I was in front of them, and shouted, "Would you two just stop it!" They broke apart and looked at me with raised eyebrows. "Everyone knows you guys are 'in love' and I know it too but you don't have to rub it in my face!"

Annabeth shared an amusing look with Percy before turning back to me. "Wow, Bret. You're very brave saying that to 'Camp Half-Blood's most famous couple'." She used finger quotes. "With your siblings, I wouldn't have said that."

I gave her a look of confusion. "What do you mean by-"

"Listen here buddy!" Someone spat from the other side of the Amphitheater.

I turned around and saw half of my siblings marching toward me, looking murderous. The girl who yelled that I recognized as my sister, Lazy. Who knew she could be so harsh? "Oh."

Piper stood in my face. "You leave them alone."

"Or what?" I asked.

"Try me," She said through gritted teeth.

I smirked then yelled at the top of my lungs, thinking it would do something, "Percy and Annabeth sneak off after curfew!" My cheek stung.

Piper had slapped me.

"Bret!" Annabeth scolded and stood, the blanket falling off her shoulders. She strode over to me and slapped my other cheek. "Shut your mouth!"

I stared at her. "What's gotten into you? This isn't you, Annabeth."

"And how would you know that?" She seethed.

Percy then got up from his seat and placed his hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "Annabeth, don't-"

"Stay out of this, Percy." She shrugged off his hand and I saw a flicker of hurt flash through his eyes but as soon as it came, it was gone.

"Annabeth, this isn't who you are," I said as nicely as I could. "You'd never act like this."

"Act like what, Bret?" She gave me a glare that made me want to hide under my blankets.

I waved my hands in her general direction. "This! You're mean, scary, and violent. Not at all like the Annabeth I met at school, kind, soft, and sweet. You wouldn't harm a fly."

Then she was laughing. "Bret, I've killed."

Then she walked away, pulling Percy with her. They disappeared into the night but seconds later I saw the lights to the Poseidon cabin flicker on.

"W-what?" I stuttered. I wanted to go home.

Piper chuckled and grabbed my ear, pulling me out of the amphitheaters. "You're lucky no one cares that they sneak off and that Chiron of Mr. D weren't there. But you've got to learn your lesson."

I spent hours and hours watching Percabeth moments and looking through scrapbooks.