They'd met at a house party of a mutual friend in April of their senior year of high school. They both went to different schools and hadn't seen each other before.

Percy remembered all too well how it felt when he first saw her across the room. He walked in the room and it was immediately like he was drawn to her by some powerful force - a feeling he would feel everytime they were together since then - and saw her dancing with her friends. Blonde curls bouncing, arms up in the air and a big smile on her face.

She seemed to have the same feeling as him and looked up at him, her smile didn't fade away. She was the braver one of them and walked up to him.

"Want to dance?" She asked, smiling with daring eyes.

"Sure." He smiled as well and grabbed her hand.

Percy hadn't felt anything like that ever before or after that with anybody else. It just felt like they belonged together. He didn't even like dancing that much or parties for that matter.

After dancing for a while they sat outside closely next to each other and looked at the stars while talking. They told each other embarrassing stories and even some deeper stuff. He learned quickly that they didn't have that much in common on paper, though their personalities were much more alike than their interests. She taught him some of the consolations, especially the Perseus constellation after learning that that was his full name. She was one of the only ones he didn't feel embarrassed to talk about that kind of stuff.

She was actually the one that initiated their first kiss, he wanted to, but was too scared. And well, she being the braver one, softly said his name, making him look at her and grabbed his chin softly and pulled him in for a kiss.

This all sounds like a great first meeting and first kiss and like the perfect start for a relationship - oh, how Percy hoped it would be - but it wasn't. This was the beginning of a long and tiring on and off relationship between him and Annabeth.

They started dating after that night and they were amazing together, Percy had even told her that he loved her after one month of dating, though Annabeth wasn't ready to return it. Which he understood and didn't need to have reciprocated right away. They had five great months together when she broke it off, because she was moving to California for college while he was staying in New York. Though he was heartbroken, he couldn't disagree.

And that was the beginning of the end. That was the beginning of their on and off relationship. In the six years that he'd known her, they have been together five times. Some lasted longer than others. Their shortest being a week and longest a year.

In those six years Percy got better and better at knowing the differences and similarities in their relationships. For example: it was mostly Annabeth who broke it off, Percy had only done it once; the last time. And though many of his friends didn't believe it; they did truly love each other and Percy truly believed they belonged together.

The second time they got back together he had shown up at Annabeth's dorm out of the blue at Thanksgiving, begging for her to take him back and that they could do long distance. It had lasted for three months before they both admitted that it didn't work.

The third time was when Annabeth came back home for the summer and they started a sort of friends with benefits agreement, until Percy confessed that he was still in love with her. They broke up, but... got back a few days later, but only lasted for a week after a really bad fight.

He didn't see or talk to her for a really long time. She showed up for his twenty-first birthday party, asking him to talk. And of course, he couldn't say no to her. She told him that she had moved back and really missed him and that she loved him. And well he just couldn't say no to her. He always just did what she asked of him: when she wanted to get back together; he did so, when she wanted to break up; he did so. He just loved her so much, and deep down he knew this was wrong, but honestly he didn't care.

So they got back together and that was the time they were together for a year. They were great, honest. They loved each other, had fun and supported each other. Both graduated from college and got jobs, they got along great with each other's friends and parents. Everything was amazing.

Though everything derailed when their friends joked about them moving in together. Annabeth completely changed after that, distancing herself from him. When he accused her of this and that she had some serious abandonment issues, she asked him to leave. And of course, he did.

That was two years ago and he had finally started to work on himself. It wasn't like he was over her, but he didn't feel the need to be with her if she didn't want to change. He had even reached out to her and they had become friends. Without the pressure of a relationship they fared a lot better. They still had that connection and could talk about everything to each other. He can't deny that he didn't feel his heart clench when they locked eyes or feel butterflies in his stomach every time she walked in the room or when they hugged.

Yep, still in love.

Though he didn't feel the compulsive need to please her and do everything for her.

He wasn't the only one who had changed, Annabeth had been in therapy and really worked on herself too.

One night they were in his apartment together, watching a show together on the couch. Both on the opposite sides of the couch.

"My mom asked why we weren't together." He confessed, wanting to tell her about the dinner at his mother's the entire time.

"Oh. What did you tell her?"

"That we're better off as friends. And that you're not in love with me anymore anyways."

"I never said I wasn't in love with you anymore."

"Oh." He mumbled and a long silence fell between them.

"Are you still in love with me?" She asked eventually.

"Yes, but not how I used to." He confessed.

"I don't think we should get back together though. We don't work well."

"Yeah, definitely not."

They locked eyes and both moved at the same time. Lips touching hesitant at first, but more certain by every second.

"We're terrible together." He mumbled between kisses while she climbed on his lap.

"We break up every time." She agreed.

"But I don't care, Beth." He pulled away long enough to look at her. She was truly beautiful. "We've changed. I'm doing much better and so are you."

"I am still scared of you leaving though."

"I'm not leaving, Beth." He grabbed her hand, but she looked away.

"Only if you pack your bags and leave with me." He added. "I don't want to leave you anymore. I love you."

"Don't say that if you don't mean it."

"But I do." He sounded desperate, but didn't care. "I want to be with you. For forever, not just on and off. I don't want to break up every time we have a fight or when you get scared. I love you and I don't want to leave you anymore. So go with me or don't, but I'm going wherever you go."

She finally looked him in the eyes, tears in her eyes.

"I'm just scared you're going to break my heart."

"I won't if you stop breaking mine. I'm serious Beth, I'm all in. We're going to figure this out together. So just tell me you love me and want me to stay and I will and we will be together."

She took a deep breath and kept looking in his eyes, still holding his hand and placing her other hand on his jaw. She tiptoed and kissed him softly. "I don't want you to leave and I love you, Percy. So stay."

And how could he say no?