Chapter 17

A/N: Yeah. And here's the last chapter. Woo!

First of all, I am so, so glad that finally I got to finish a chapter story. Wee! But of course, it wouldn't be possible without your support guys. Yeah. That's true. Thank you so much for all the awesome people who reviewed all through out the span of this story. Yeah.

You probably have an idea right now about what will happen so please don't hate me, okay? I really wanted to make this good but, ugh. HUHUHUHU.

"Drinks are on Percy and Annabeth!" Thalia yelled.

A chorus of "Yeah!" were heard around the place, somehow managing to beat the loud music vibrating from the speakers.

Annabeth shook her head while laughing all the same. Only an hour had passed yet here they were, partying and celebrating their victory. Almost everyone had gathered around this bar, courtesy of Thalia who announced that Annabeth was going to throw a party. Which the blonde denied. But after a few "please" and a baby seal look from Percy, the crowd had finally persuaded Annabeth to let loose for awhile. So, that's why she's here, watching with an all-too wide grin.

"Hey," Percy muttered before sitting in the stool beside her. He didn't seem drunk or tipsy, and Annabeth was sure he wouldn't be for the night. Though he looked to be enjoying himself with a can of Coke.

"Hi."

He smiled a little before nudging his shoulder playfully with hers.

"Congratulations again."

Annabeth rolled her eyes at him, affectionately. "We both did it, dork."

Percy nodded briefly as he looked at her. "Yeah. But you're the one who made her surrender."

"We still did it."

He hummed in approval and continued to sip his Coke. Annabeth took this time to watch him: noting the way his face seemed aglow midst the wild lights and darkness that covered the place. She briefly remembered the feel of his skin on hers, the light burn of it tracing a path of fire on her flesh. She wanted to leave a trail of kisses on the space between his eyebrows down the slope of his nose and on the sharp line of his jaw.

It was weird and maybe, a bit hormonal, but there's that feeling on her chest that felt warm. It continued to spread while she's with him and now she grew full of it. She couldn't hold it anymore.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, keeping his gaze on his drink.

"Like what?" Annabeth asked back, innocently. She'd became more confident over the time, perhaps more than he was.

Red tinted his cheeks. "Like, I don't know exactly, but it's weird."

"Creepy?"

This time he stared at her, blatantly. It's Annabeth's turn to blush. "Not quite," he said.

"You're blushing," he pointed out.

"And so are you," she shot back.

Percy shrugged and a grin crept up his face. "By the way, you were going to tell me something, right?"

"Yeah," Annabeth confirmed. She fidgeted uncomfortably, trying to find the right words to say to him. "Uh, remember the time when you. . .y'know, at the parking lot?"

He scrunched his eyebrows in deep thought. "I can remember so many things about the parking lot."

"Yeah. You're right." She took a deep shaky breath, looking over to his eyes which now held a genuine curiosity. "But, when you. . .you c-confessed to me?"

Percy nodded slowly. The recognition dawned on his irises, and they seemed to darken a little. "What about it?"

"Actually, Percy, the truth is that I really-"

"Annabeth!" Thalia shouted in her ear. "Why aren't you having fun?"

The punk was obviously drunk, and a drunk Thalia wasn't good. Aside from being really loud and clumsy, she has a tendency to blurt out things she shouldn't outright say.

Her blue eyes turned to Percy and they dilated a little. "Yo, Percy!"

"Hey, Thalia," he greeted.

Thalia glanced back and forth between Percy and Annabeth before a triumphant grin graced her lips. "Ha! I knew it. I knew you would eventually be together."

Annabeth tried to cut her off. "Thalia-"

"Annie," Thalia mumbled, placing a firm hand on the blonde's shoulder. "I told you not to mess with my predictions, okay? As it turned out, I was right with you two. Hahaha. I should be an oracle or something. No, no, that's actually lame. I should be a-"

Annabeth covered her bestfriend's mouth with her palm. "Thals, you're seriously drunk."

Thalia yanked the blonde's hand away. "Duh. I'm not the type who gets wasted at a party."

Percy decided to join in. "Duh. Yeah you are."

"Percy, bro." The punk patted his back. "So. . .have you kissed our little Annie yet?"

As of on cue, Percy's face transformed in one of that red tomato. Annabeth, on the other hand, was almost laughing at him instead of blushing too.

"Uh. . ."

A new voice butted in. "Hey, Pinecone Face! I've been searching the world for you."

Nico draped an arm around Thalia's shoulders. The girl pushed it away, dramatically. "Shut up, Nic-nic."

"Nic-nic?" Annabeth asked.

"That's new," Percy commented.

"It's lame," Nico mumbled.

Thalia faced him with a scowl. "Nuh-uh. I say that's cool, Nic-nic."

"Really cheesy, Thal-thal."

"What the fuck is Thal-thal?"

The two argued some more, moving away from Percy and Annabeth as they did so.

Percy glanced at Annabeth with an amused expression on his face. "That's the second time we got interrupted."

"Yeah," she agreed. Then Annabeth flashed him a smile. "Maybe third time's the charm."

"You think so?"

"Don't doubt me, Percy." She grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the place.

And even so, she felt the tingles shooting up in her veins. His hand was rough and warm against her own, but there's a certain magnificent thing about it that Annabeth couldn't point out. Especially when Percy slid his fingers with her, she couldn't help but marvel at that strange emotion bubbling in her chest. Perhaps it was content. Comfort. Or perhaps that was just love.

They reached the place where it all started: the parking lot. It was almost empty now and there's still the flickering light from one of the lampposts. It wasn't anything romantic, but hey, since when was Annabeth Chase romantic?

After all, this was the place they started the Best Duo Ever. This was the place they found comfort with each other, where they first kissed and where Annabeth broke him. This held the landmark in the history of their relationship.

"Hey," Percy mumbled, looking back at her. "We're in the parking lot."

"Yup." Annabeth flashed him an ever bigger grin. She tightened her hold in his hand before pulling him down with her to sit side by side. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered when she realized he hadn't made a move to pull out of her grasp.

It was quiet for awhile but neither of them mind it anyway. There's a strange kind of reassurance that it gave off, one that both of them enjoyed. But even so, Percy decided to bring up the reason why they're here.

He innocently bumped his knee with hers. She bumped back. He then poked her ribs with his elbow. She nudged him harder. It went on for awhile, them alternately trying to get each other's attention. Sometimes it hurt, sometimes it tickled, but the affection from their actions seemed to blossom more than the physical contact. Every touch was a sensation that ran deeper from where it met the flesh. It's as if there's a magical thing that flowed from their fingertips, circulating all over their body. They're a mass of burning energy that shine like the stars itself.

"These are the moments that I wish wouldn't just end," Annabeth began, not quite looking at him. "I just wanted to freeze the time and stay in this moment forever."

"Yeah," Percy mumbled as he stared at her. There's something with Annabeth that continued to propel him towards her. That pulled him until he got surrounded by her. And by every passing second, he couldn't help but be drunk with the sight of her. She's this one alcohol that he wouldn't stop drinking even though he knew it hurt, that he perfectly knew would be the death of him. But he's addicted. Percy's fully intoxicated of her sight, of her smell, of her feel. And he wouldn't stop until he's drowning in a sea of Annabeth.

"When I. . .when I rejected you that day," Annabeth began, looking straight at his eyes. She tried not to flinch from the hurt that passed on his sea green eyes. "I was lying."

Percy frantically searched the honesty in her face. "What do you mean?"

She gently held his face, moving a bit do their foreheads touched. "Percy, I do. I love you."

He shook his head, pulling away slightly from her grasp. "No, Annabeth. I can't. You're just pitying me."

"NO!" she instantly argued. "Why would I pity you, Percy? I love you. That's true."

Percy just continued to shake his head, as if he didn't believe the idea. It's hard to hope for something so unsure. "Annabeth, really you don't have to do this for me."

She grabbed his face as she talked. "I'm not doing this for anybody, okay? This is what I feel. And I know I had so many doubts in the past that made me unsure, but this is true. I love you, dork. Seriously, Percy. Don't mess with me like I'm doing you a favor by loving you."

And before he could talk, Annabeth silenced him with a kiss.

It was soft, sweet and slow, not like the one they had shared last time. At this moment, it felt like they were both careful and shy to go beyond what they could touch. But nonetheless, Annabeth's heart burned with an immense passion she had never experienced before. With her every intake of breath, she's slowly igniting from the bliss of Percy's lips.

His arms made their way on her back to pull her closer, as her hands buried themselves in his hair. Annabeth ached for him and she'd been wanting to do this for so long that every inches seemed like miles apart. She longed to lost herself in him.

Annabeth pulled away first, her breaths coming fast and ragged. Her cheeks were flushed and her pupils were blown wide. Percy was very much the same.

They were still close, just enough for their noses to brush. Percy spoke first after some time of staring at her. "You got me breathless."

She smirked. "Yeah."

He smiled at her a little before pressing his face on her neck.

"I love you," he mumbled on her skin.

Annabeth grinned, the ends of her mouth stretching upwards. "I love you too."

Percy laughed. "That sounded good. Say it again."

"I love you, Percy."

He rubbed circles on her back and the gesture calmed her racing heartbeat. He pulled back to look at her face, his finger tapping softly the tip of her nose.

"When did you realize it?" he asked.

Annabeth thought about it. When did she actually admitted it to herself? She knew for a fact that she'd been feeling this for so long, but she's too stubborn to name the feeling. It actually happened after their encounter with Calypso (and the kiss), that she was finally enlightened about what she felt for him.

"After that kiss happened. I was confused and disoriented, and I had Thalia to force the truth out of me."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"So. . .I made you confused and disoriented, huh? Was I that good?" Percy asked, wriggling his eyebrows a bit suggestively.

Annabeth lightly shoved his chest while the blood rushed up to her face. He was too good, she had to admit that, but she wasn't going to say that to him. It would boost his ego or something.

He poked her cheek. "You're blushing. So I must be good."

She aimed a punch on her arm. "Shut up, Percy."

"Just say it, Annabeth. Really, it isn't hard."

"I can kick your butt, you know."

He shrugged. "I know you'll kick my butt, anyway."

"Percy. . ."

"You can kick my butt, honey."

"Shut up!"

I know that's too- I don't know what to name it. But, this story ends here.