A/N: Happy Birthday, Shay! I hope you had a great day, and I'm sooo sorry that this is late! I hope you like it.

I found this prompt on tumblr, and it IS COMPLETE. Come over to my blog sometime if you want to chat.

-5202015-

It's been about two months.

The police keep telling him that it was an accident. And he would believe them too, if he hadn't walked into the kitchen that day to find his smelly step-father standing over his mother's body in the kitchen, waving a knife and yelling about beer. He would believe the police if he didn't have to go back to that apartment that used to smell like cookies and home to find fucking Gabe laughing and playing poker with his friends. He would believe the police if Gabe hadn't beat him senseless the next night, laughing about how his mother had looked the exact same way when she had been spread out on the floor, trying to stay alive.

Percy runs the next morning. While Gabe is passed out on the couch, Percy walks calmly through the apartment, gathering up some of his mom's favorite possessions and packing them into a cardboard box. He grabs his mom's journal, one of her favorite t-shirts, and her only cookbook that she had written, packing them into his backpack before moving to stand over the couch.

He is clutching a knife in his hand, contemplating Gabe's life. It isn't worth anything. He stole Percy's mother, took her away like she was nothing. He deserves the same fate.

But Percy can hear her voice in his ear, telling him that she loves him and to put the knife down and run as far as he can.

He sets the knife down on Gabe's chest, grabs his backpack and box, and walks out the door.

Ω

Percy has been living in a warehouse on the edge of town. He's lucky that there is still electricity and water, but he is pretty sure that someone is working out of it. Most of the time, he's only there at night though. Somehow, he has gotten a job at a restaurant, waiting tables, and it's enough to buy clothes and some other things he has to have.

He goes to school most days. Only because he can still feel his mom pressing a kiss to his cheek and telling him that everything is going to be alright.

Nothing is alright. His mom is gone, and Percy wishes that he was dead too.

Ω

Percy keeps living in the warehouse and working at the restaurant. He thinks that the owner has figured out that there's someone living in his warehouse, but no one ever says anything to him about it, so Percy stays. He sleeps curled up next to the box he brought from home, with his mom's t-shirt under his head. It stopped smelling like her a long time ago, but it's still hers.

He has gone back to the apartment once, and it was just long enough to grab some more of their stuff. He had watched Gabe stumble out of the building that morning, ignoring his mom's warning to turn around and get back to school where he belongs. Gabe hadn't even locked the door behind him that time, and everything had still been the same, minus the layer of garbage that sat on top of everything.

He grabbed all of his clothes and two more of his mom's shirts along with her favorite jacket. She had kept a few pieces of jewelry, just two necklaces and her wedding ring that Percy's dad had given her before he had died, so Percy took all of it. He also swiped all of the pictures of his mom that he could find throughout the apartment, and by the time he had everything, he had two boxes full. Just because he knew he was never coming back, he wandered through the smelly apartment that used to be home and into the kitchen. On the fridge, there was a note that his mom had written him a few days before everything.

I'll be back soon. I love you.

Percy plucked the note off of the fridge and tucked it into his jacket pocket so it rested over his heart. He grabbed his two boxes and kicked the door shut behind him.

Now that he has all of their stuff out of the apartment, it's not home, and Percy's never going back.

Ω

About two weeks later, Percy finds this really pretty garden on his way back from the restaurant one night. He's surprised that he hasn't seen it before, but it is earlier than normal. He probably needs to kill some time before he heads back to the warehouse anyway, just in case someone is still there.

So he stops and picks a few flowers. His mom had loved them, and she always had a few plants on the kitchen window back when they lived in their apartment. Usually, Gabe's cigarette smoke killed them, but his mom never stopped trying.

The graveyard where she is buried isn't that far away, and Percy walks over to it in silence, stifling the tears that threaten to roll down his face. It's worse when he's alone. At school and work, he can pretend like he's not alone in the world, and it doesn't hurt so much. But he's cried so much in the past few months that he's used to it now, and the tears usually drip silently down his face without him even knowing it.

Percy weaves through the cemetery, making the familiar trek to her grave. Once he's there, he sets the flowers down gently and huddles close to the headstone, imagining how awesome one of her hugs would be right now. Or one of her anythings right now. Just her.

She was all Percy had in this world, and it's black and white without her in it.

Ω

When Percy starts getting earlier shifts at the restaurant (which usually happens once or twice a week), he makes it a routine to go by the garden and pick a few flowers before he heads over to the cemetery. He usually sits with his mom for a few hours at least, and after that time he woke up with pigeons surrounding him and picking at his hair, he tries not to fall asleep there.

Today isn't any different. The restaurant had been kind of slow, but his tables had been generous, leaving him with great tips. It turns out that he isn't that bad at waiting tables, and the money isn't bad either. Anyway, he's walking down the street after his shift with his hands in his pockets. It's getting colder outside, and he really needs to buy a new jacket sometime soon.

Just as he ducks behind the fence to grab a few flowers, someone grabs his shoulder.

"Aha!" They shout.

Percy twists quickly, throwing the hand off of his shoulder as he moves away.

There's a blonde girl standing in front of him, blocking his only way back to the street. Her eyes are gray, and they're flickering with this intense and determined look. Her arms are crossed over her chest, and her curls are pulled back into a ponytail with some loose strands framing her face. She's kind of tall, probably just a few inches shorter than himself.

She tips her head to the side, and some of the anger seeps out of her gaze. He can hear the confusion in her voice when she says, "Percy Jackson? You're the idiot that's been stealing flowers from my garden?"

"How do you know my name?" He asks immediately, frowning and wincing at the idiot comment. That sounds a little too familiar right now.

"We go to the same school. You're in my history class."

He narrows his eyes, but backs away from her. He says, "Oh. Sorry."

"It's fine?" She says, and she sounds just as confused as he does. And really, Percy just wants to get out of here. "But why do you keep stealing my flowers? You're almost killing them because you pick them so often!"

Percy looks down at his feet and mutters, "Oh, I'm sorry. I won't bother you again."

She must catch the sadness in his voice because then she steps back too. Her gray eyes are a lot wider than they were two seconds ago, and she says, "No, you're not bothering me, it's just. I would really appreciate it if you would be more careful when you steal my flowers because they took a really long time to grow here."

He nods and wonders if she would move out of his way so he can leave.

"And where do you go with my flowers every day?" Annabeth asks. "Are they for a girl? Is she pretty enough to warrant flower theft?"

Percy freezes, wondering what the hell he's supposed to say.

She seems to get his hesitation because she moves away and walks toward the garden. Percy shifts out of her way, and then he could really make a run for it since she isn't blocking the fence anymore, but something makes him hesitate. Before he knows it, Annabeth is talking again.

"I'll come with you then, just to see this girl," she says, picking a few flowers before standing back up and handing them to him. She motions for him to walk. "Lead the way, Prince Charming."

Percy doesn't know what to say, so he starts walking.

Annabeth falls into step beside him, and now that Percy looks at her again, he thinks that he does recognize her from school. He tries to keep his head down, and he really only speaks to the teachers. Makes sense that he didn't recognize her at first.

But Percy can't figure out what to say to her. How is he supposed to tell her that he stole her flowers to put on his mom's grave?

So he doesn't say anything. He just keeps walking.

Annabeth stays silent by his side.

It's not a long walk, so they make it to the cemetery pretty soon. When they first walk in, he sees Annabeth raise her eyebrows and glance up at him, but he doesn't look at her. Instead, he weaves through the graveyard.

He comes to a stop at his mom's grave and places the flowers by the headstone, sitting down on the side of the grave. There's no telling what Annabeth is thinking now, but he's not going to look up at her. She probably thinks that he's a freak, and she's probably already walking away and—

She sits down beside him, and her voice is soft when she says, "I'm sorry, Percy. I shouldn't have bothered you."

He shrugs, "I shouldn't have been stealing your flowers, but they just reminded me of her and I—"

"Percy," she stops him with a look. "You can take as many flowers as you want."

He looks over at her in surprise, and she smiles softly at him, sitting beside him in silence until the sun sets.

Ω

The next day, Annabeth sits down at his lunch table.

And it surprises him because he usually sits alone, which he really doesn't mind. Sometimes, his biology teacher lets him sit in his classroom during his lunch period, but Percy doesn't mind the cafeteria. It's kind of nice to sit and listen to the rest of his classmates talk, even if he's not friends with them.

But anyway, she sits down at his table. She doesn't even say anything to him, she just pulls out her book and starts reading while she eats a sandwich that she brought from home. Percy sits and watches her carefully, trying to read her expression as she reads her book. Her gray eyes are flitting across the page, and Percy tries to convince himself that he doesn't think that she's pretty. Nope. Not one bit.

(The only problem is that she's really beautiful, and Percy can't take his eyes off of her.)

When she finishes her sandwich and chips, she rips a cookie in half and hands him part of it, glancing up at him when he doesn't take it immediately. The determined look in her eyes is there again, and instead of arguing with her, he takes it.

The bell rings a few minutes later, and Percy watches as Annabeth closes her book and puts it down in her backpack. She pushes one of her curls behind her ear and says, "Can I sit here tomorrow?"

Percy nods and says, "Sure."

She gives him a nod and a really small smile before walking away. He watches her go, and something feels kind of different.

Ω

Later that night, Percy is leaving the restaurant and walking to the warehouse when he runs right into the owner.

The guy is probably in his late thirties or early forties, and he's got salt and pepper hair with a pair of black wire glasses sitting on his nose. He's wearing a suit, but his tie is loose around his neck and his jacket is slung over his shoulder. His eyes are wide, and he looks just as surprised as Percy does.

"So you're the kid that's been living here," the older man says.

Percy almost turns around and runs, but that's when he realizes that he has nowhere else to go. He nods.

"Thanks for sweeping the floors at night," he says, surprising Percy. "That's really great of you."

"It's the least I can do for living here and using your water."

The older man nods again and holds out his hand, "I'm Paul Blofis."

Percy wonders why this man is being so nice to him. "Percy Jackson."

"Jackson?" Paul asks. "As in Sally Jackson?"

He stiffens immediately, and his voice is tight. "Yes, sir."

"I'm really sorry about that. The police haven't tried to continue her case?" He asks.

Percy shakes his head, and really, he isn't used to talking to this about anyone. The only other person besides some of the detectives he has spoken to about his mother's case is his principal. They all assumed that he was still staying with his stepdad (since, you know, they all think that Gabe is perfectly safe), and Percy has stopped arguing with any of them about it.

Paul Blofis shakes his head too. "That's a shame. You haven't been staying with him when you're not here, have you?"

"No. I wait tables at a restaurant a few blocks away. The owner lets me work almost every night, so I don't come back here while anyone else is here," Percy explains. "But I got off early tonight and… I'm really sorry. I'll get my stuff and leave."

"No, no," Paul says, stopping him before he can move. "You don't have anywhere else to go?"

Percy shakes his head, looking down at his feet and studying his shoes. He needs to buy some new ones too.

"You said you have a job?" Paul asks.

He nods, "I wait tables."

Paul hesitates for a few seconds, studying Percy before he says, "I have an extra room in my apartment if you can make rent."

Percy's eyes snap up to meet Paul's. His voice is shaking when he says, "Are you… Are you serious?"

"Of course I am. You've been staying in my warehouse for a few weeks now, and nothing has even been touched. You've got a job, you're going to school, and the police aren't looking for you," Paul explains. "If you were doing stupid stuff, then I wouldn't offer, but it seems like you have a good head on your shoulders, and I wouldn't mind to help you out. Plus, this can't be easy."

He exhales and scrubs a hand across his face, trying to decide if this is too good to be true. What if this guy is as crazy as Gabe? What if he was just offering because he was some weird old guy?

But this is the best option that Percy has right now. He can't get his own apartment until he's at least eighteen, and he probably can't afford the rent on his own anyway. And it's getting colder at night now. He really doesn't want to lose his toes or fingers because of hypothermia.

"Okay," Percy says. "Yes, this is really nice of you."

Paul shrugs, "Come on, Percy. Let's get your stuff."

They load the three boxes and Percy's backpack into his car easily, and Percy doesn't miss the way that Paul keeps looking at him. It's a kind of disbelieving look, like he can't believe that Percy has been able to do all of this by himself for the past few months. The drive back to Paul's apartment is quiet, except for the few questions that he asks Percy, mostly about his school. Percy answers his questions and watches the buildings go by out of his window. It's been a while since he rode in a car.

Paul's apartment isn't very far from his school, which is really great because he won't have to walk that far now. It's a few more blocks away from the restaurant though, but Percy doesn't mind. He can take the bus if he wants too, but he enjoys walking sometimes.

They haul Percy's stuff up the stairs and down the hall. Paul explains some of the building's rules, and it's really nice. He tells him that he will get Percy a key tomorrow. The inside of the apartment is clean and organized, and Paul leads him down the hall and into another room.

"You can have this room," Paul says, setting down two of the boxes on the bed. Percy almost groans at the sight of it. He's been sleeping on concrete flooring for too long now. "You have a bathroom across the hall. Kitchen and living room are yours too, I just ask that you stay out of my bedroom and office and keep your space clean."

Percy nods immediately because of course he do that. That's easy.

"There are towels in the bathroom, food in the kitchen, anything you want is fine. And if you need something, just let me know," Paul explains, backing up out of the room. "We'll say that rent is due at the end of the month, and I'll give you plenty of notice before I decide what it is."

"Thank you, Paul," he says. "Really. This means a lot."

Paul nods again, "I'll be in my office. It's down the hall and on the right. Knock before you come in if you need me. Goodnight."

Percy nods and watches as Paul closes the door behind him. He listens for his footsteps, and he takes almost ten steps before Percy hears a door close.

He sets his stuff down on the bed and curls up on his side. The mattress is soft, and it's warm. For the first time in a while, Percy feels kind of safe, and it doesn't take long for him to fall asleep.

Ω

Okay, so running into Paul that night becomes one of the best things that has ever happened to Percy. Second only to that one time his mom took him to the aquarium, and then meeting Annabeth in her garden that day.

But anyway, living with Paul is great. He gives Percy a key, and slowly, Percy gets used to it. Paul isn't there a lot, but sometimes they meet for dinner. It feels a lot like having somebody that cares about you, and Percy likes to pretend that Paul actually does. He asks Percy how school is going, offering to help him with his homework when he's at the apartment.

(Percy also thinks that Paul is in some sort of illegal business because he's never at the apartment, and what else would he be using a warehouse for? It definitely doesn't matter to him though because Paul has only been nice to him.)

Percy starts to gain some weight back, and he goes to the gym in the bottom of the building a few times a week. His hair is getting softer too, probably because he has regular access to a warm shower with shampoo now. He buys some new clothes and shoes, and the hole in his chest doesn't feel so empty now. It's easier to keep busy too. His teachers comment on how well he seems to be doing all of a sudden, and sometimes, Percy catches a few girls glancing at him in the hallways. It's weird, and it makes him blush.

School is better too. Annabeth keeps sitting with him at lunch, and sometimes, she talks to him instead of reading. He doesn't mind when she reads, he just uses that time to watch her instead.

"Hey," Annabeth says suddenly, throwing her backpack down on the table and sitting across from Percy. He pulls his lunch closer to him so she doesn't get her stuff in it.

"Hi, Annabeth," he says quietly, glancing up at her.

She sighs, "Hi."

He raises an eyebrow, "You said that already."

"Sorry," she says, holding her head in both of her hands. Percy feels bad for being smart with her all of a sudden. It's pretty obvious that she's not having a good day.

"Hey, are you alright?" Percy asks.

She looks up at him, and her eyes just look tired. Now that Percy studies her, she looks kind of exhausted. Her shoulders are sagging, and her hair is frizzy, like she didn't have time to mess with it this morning. Her eyes—wait, are those tears?

She nods, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

She fixes him with a watery glare.

"Hey," he says, reaching out and carefully setting his hand on her arm. "Seriously. You can talk to me."

"What? Like you talk to me?" She asks. Her voice is full of spite, and Percy shrinks back from her. "You don't say two words to me on most days, and you certainly don't tell me what's wrong with you or how you're feeling. Why can't I do the same?"

Percy's jaw tightens, and he stands up. Annabeth's expression hasn't changed, but he gently takes her arm and pulls her to her feet. She grabs her backpack at the last minute, and she completely ignores him as he leads her out of the cafeteria and straight out of the school and onto the street.

"Percy!" Annabeth shouts, yanking her arm from him and stopping on the sidewalk. "We can't just leave school!"

"We sure as hell can," he says, turning back around and walking down the sidewalk. The sky is cloudy, and the wind is a bit chilly. He's glad that they both have their jackets. He gets a few feet before he realizes that she's not following him. "You coming or not?"

He turns and keeps walking. A few seconds later, he hears Annabeth huff before trailing behind him.

They end up at a small park near the river. Since it's the middle of the day, there aren't many people in the park, and Percy finds them a bench near the water to sit on. He watches as Annabeth falls down beside him, letting her backpack hit the ground with a thud.

She doesn't say anything to him, and instead, she studies her shoes. Percy sighs.

"I found somewhere new to live," Percy starts. He's staring at the water, but he feels Annabeth's head snap up and look over to him. "When I first met you, I was hiding in this empty warehouse every night, and a few weeks ago, the owner caught me and offered me his extra room in his apartment. He's pretty nice, and it's better than I expected."

"You didn't…" Annabeth struggles for a few seconds. "You don't live with your dad?"

"My dad died when I was a baby. Mom said it was a boating accident."

"And the grave we went to that night…" Percy can hear the question in her voice, but he knows that she doesn't want to outright ask.

Percy sighs again and shoves a hand through his hair. He says, "I was coming home from school one day, and I walked into the kitchen to find my mom on the ground lying in her own blood with my fucking step-father yelling and waving a knife around. I couldn't save her."

He knows that Annabeth is staring at him, but he doesn't look at her. He feels the tears dripping down his face. He scrubs a hand across his face to get rid of them, and he keeps talking. "The police told me that it was an accident, and that there wasn't anything they could do about it. I ran the next morning. I almost killed him before I left, but for some reason, I put the knife down. Some days I regret that decision."

And this is really the whole reason that he hasn't talked to Annabeth about any of this stuff. His life isn't exactly the brightest, and he doesn't want to scare her. She's his only friend, and he doesn't want to lose her.

She doesn't say anything, and Percy wonders how long she's going to sit here with him until she decides to get up and leave. She probably won't talk to him again, and now Percy is going to lose her and—

He freezes when he feels Annabeth toss her arms around him.

She huddles close to him, pulling her body closer to his until she is pressed completely against him. One of her hands is buried in his hair, and her other is cupping one of his shoulder blades. Her hair smells like lemons, and Percy thinks that he can sit there forever.

"Percy," Annabeth says suddenly, pulling back enough to see his face. There are tears in her eyes, and her nose is a little red. "I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier. I shouldn't have."

He shakes his head. "No, you were right. I should have told you that stuff before. I just… didn't want to scare you away."

She levels him with a stare and clutches him closer. Her voice wobbles slightly when she says, "Percy, you could never scare me away."

And that hits him hard because it's been a long time since he's had anyone that really cares about him like that. It's nice to have that again.

But Annabeth doesn't need him like he needs her. She's probably got great parents, and she's headed off to college soon and a great job someday and—Percy doesn't fit anywhere in that. He's got a lot of stuff to deal with, and there's no reason for her to have to deal with him.

"You don't need someone like me in your life, Annabeth," Percy mumbles into her shoulder, holding her tight while he tries to decide if he should let go.

"Too bad," she says, pinching his shoulder. "You're already in it, and I don't care what you say."

Percy only smiles a bit, he swears.

Ω

"I think I'm going to get a tattoo."

Annabeth looks up at him, raising an eyebrow is surprise. She's sitting across from him at their lunch table, working on some homework so she won't have to do it later that night.

They've become pretty good friends over the past few weeks. Annabeth is the best friend that he's ever had right after his mom, and he wouldn't trade her for anything.

"What of?" She asks, closing her book and looking up to him.

He hums for a few seconds. "My mom wrote me a note a few days before she died."

"Where would you get it?"

He pulls his sweater up and points to the inside of his forearm. "Right here, I think."

"When are you going to get it?"

"After school."

Annabeth laughs, "I thought you said you were thinking about getting one, not getting one now."

"Well, I've been thinking about it for a while now," he admits. "Do you want to come with me today?"

She smiles and nods before she picks her book back up. Percy watches her read for the rest of lunch, and he smiles happily when Annabeth says goodbye and squeezes his arm as she goes.

Ω

That afternoon, Percy and Annabeth walk over to the tattoo shop that he had picked out. A few nights ago, he had asked Paul if he knew a good one, and he had recommended this place. They were giving Percy a really good deal, and he suspected that it was because they knew Paul.

Percy has already been in once, and they knew him and what he was wanting already. When he told Annabeth earlier today that he was "thinking" about it, he really just wanted to see how she would react.

Annabeth is standing really close to him when they shuffle inside, and her shoulder keeps bumping into him. She sets one of her hands on his back for a few seconds, moving again after a few seconds.

"Percy!" One of the artists, a girl named Piper, calls. "I've got your design ready!"

Percy smiles and pulls Annabeth from behind him as he follows Piper, "Awesome."

"Come on, and we can get you going back here at my station before someone else comes in and decides to steal you away," Piper says, smiling and walking to the back of the parlor.

"You're sure about this, right?" Annabeth asks when he's sitting down in the chair. Piper drags a chair over for Annabeth to sit in, and she smiles in thanks before sitting down beside him.

Percy grins, "What? Don't want me to have a tattoo?"

She rolls her eyes, "I think they're kind of hot actually."

He's blushing now, but before he can say anything, Piper laughs loudly and nudges Percy as she falls down into her chair. She says, "If the pretty girl that you're with thinks that tattoos are hot, then we should cover you in them, don't you agree?"

Annabeth laughs with them, and Percy prays that his blush isn't too deep.

"Okay," Piper starts, pulling out a needle and cleaning it while she looks at his forearm, raising an eyebrow and pointing to his skin. "Just like we practiced yesterday, right?"

Percy nods, "Yeah."

"I think this is going to be a kickass tattoo," Piper says. "It might hurt a little though."

He nods again, and even though he's kind of used to pain (living with an abusive asshole for most of your life does that), he's still kind of dreading the needle. As Piper continued to prep the needle and his arm, Percy rolls his head over to Annabeth.

She's sitting up straight and biting her lip, wringing her hands together in her lap. She looks kind of nervous, and she's so cute right then that Percy only hesitates a little when he holds out his free hand to her.

His voice is kind of shaky when he says, "Hold my hand?"

She laughs, but her gray eyes are sparkling happily as she takes his hand and weaves their fingers together. Her hands are a lot smaller than his, and he never wants to let go.

He can see Piper grinning out of the corner of his eye, but he doesn't look away from Annabeth's smile.

Ω

Percy's tattoo looks awesome. When it heals, he catches Annabeth looking at it a lot. He remembers to leave his shirt sleeve rolled up just enough so she can see the edges of it. He smiles to himself when he spots her biting her lip.

Ω

"What's wrong, Percy?" Annabeth asks when they're walking home from school. She notices his mood before Percy even realizes that he was acting that way. He's been really quiet all day, and his stomach is kind of hurting.

He shrugs and stares at the sidewalk. "It's Mom's birthday."

Her steps falter a bit, and Percy wonders if he shouldn't have told her.

"Percy, I'm sorry."

He shrugs again.

They walk another block before Annabeth says, "I bet the garden can spare a few flowers."

Percy blinks at her before his shoulders slump together. He nods and follows behind her.

Her hand finds his while they walk, and Percy holds on tight.

They pick some flowers from Annabeth's garden, and thankfully, she remembers where the cemetery is so he doesn't have to lead them. There are too many memories running through his mind, and they're clouding his vision.

He doesn't realize it until they're standing over his mom's grave.

"Do you want me to stay?" She asks quietly, running her thumb over the back of his hand. It feels really nice.

But he shakes his head. Annabeth seems to understand because she presses the flowers into his other hand before she kisses his cheek gently. Percy's eyes close for half of a second.

"I'll be at home if you need me," she whispers, squeezing his arm before moving away. He watches her walk away, and she gives him one last look before she disappears from his view.

Percy sinks to the ground, crowding his mom's headstone. He carefully places the flowers on her grave, staring at how pretty they look there. He cradles his head in his hands and pulls his jacket tighter around him.

"Mom," his voice cracks on the first word. "That was Annabeth. She's really nice and perfect and… I really like her. I think you would have too. It's not fair that you're not here to meet her."

He talks for a while longer, and after he's finished, he stands and walks back to Paul's apartment, wondering why he feels so empty.

Ω

The next few weeks are rough.

Paul must be having some kind of crisis with his business because when he is home, there are always two big and scary-looking guys with him that stand outside of his office door. It's not that Percy minds, they just make him a little nervous so he tries to pick up some extra shifts at the restaurant instead.

And Annabeth is out of town too. She's visiting with her mom in California, and Percy misses her a lot. School is lonely without her there, and he finds himself sitting at his mom's grave again when he's not working.

He's sitting on the couch watching TV at their apartment when Paul comes in one night and tosses him something. Percy stumbles to catch it, frowning when he recognizes one of the new iPhones with a black case.

"It's yours," Paul says, heading for the kitchen and loosening his tie. "I want to be able to contact you in case of an emergency. You can do whatever you want with it, but there's a tracking device in it in case I need to find you quickly."

Percy shakes his head, "Paul, I can't take this."

"Yes, you can. If you haven't noticed by now, my business is sort of risky, and lately we've had a few threats. I don't want you to get caught up in that, so I need a way to contact you. You're keeping it," he says. There's a small twinkle in his eyes.

Percy nods because there's really no point in arguing. He unlocks the phone and looks through it. Paul's number is the only one in his contacts so far, but it makes Percy smile a bit.

"And I forgot to tell you about rent this month, so let's call it even," Paul says, making his way back to his office before Percy can object. "Have a good day at school tomorrow."

He watches as Paul slips down the hallway, whistling to himself before closing the door softly. Percy smiles down at the phone in his hand, and he hears his mom's voice scolding him that he didn't thank Paul earlier.

Ω

It's a lot better by the time Annabeth gets back the next week. Percy has figured out his smartphone, and he's really into Twitter and Tumblr already. Paul tells him not to worry about how much he uses it, but Percy tries not to use it too much anyway.

Annabeth freaks when she sees his phone, grabbing it from his hand and putting her number into it. She downloads Snapchat from the App Store and teaches him how to use it. She also downloads Instagram, and even though Percy doesn't really like it as much, he likes all of her pictures anyway.

All of a sudden, Percy and Annabeth are talking twenty-four/seven. They're either together, texting, or snapchatting. Percy loves when she sends him selfies of her late at night or early in the morning, and he usually laughs and send back a picture of his bed-head.

Percy starts working a lot too. He's pulling in a lot of money now, and he opens up a bank account. He buys this really awesome leather jacket, and Annabeth raises her eyebrows when she sees it, but there's this look in her eyes that keeps Percy from taking it back.

He's walking back to the apartment one night when his phone rings. He spent the afternoon with Annabeth at the library, studying for a history test they had next week before his shift at the restaurant. Percy hurriedly pulls his phone from his backpack and presses it to his ear.

"Percy," Paul says on the other side of the line. His voice is flat, but he thinks that there's something wrong. "Where are you?"

"Walking back to the apartment," he says. "I just got off work."

"Okay. I want you to stop where you are and turn around right now," Paul says calmly. "There's been an issue at work today, and there could be someone watching the apartment. I can come pick you up right now if you can find somewhere to wait for me."

Percy hesitates. He doesn't really want to have anything to do with Paul's illegal business (it's either drug or weapon trafficking, but Percy hasn't decided which yet), and Paul probably doesn't want to have to actually deal with Percy now. It would be a lot easier for both of them if he could just go somewhere else for tonight and—

"Um, no," Percy says, turning around and walking the other direction. "I can go to Annabeth's."

Paul pauses before he says, "Okay, but keep your phone on. Take the long way to her house, and make sure that no one is following you. You're probably not close enough for anyone to have seen you yet, but I want you to be very careful. I'll call in a few hours, but don't go back to the apartment until I say it's okay."

"Okay," Percy agrees.

"Alright, I'll talk to you soon," Paul says hurriedly before hanging up.

Really, he should probably be freaking out more than he actually is, but it doesn't seem like that big of a deal. Paul probably deals with this stuff all of the time, and it's not like this is the first time that Percy has had to find somewhere to stay for a night.

While he's walking, he sends a text to Annabeth. Even if she's busy, he can hide out in the library tonight. It won't be that big of a deal.

She calls him a few seconds later.

"No, I'm bored," she whines into the phone, answering his are you busy? text. "I finished all of my homework, and now I'm eating ice cream and watching Netflix. I thought you were working?"

"I just got off."

"Oh. Well what are you doing?" She asks.

He checks over his shoulder while he turns the corner onto another block. He says, "This is going to sound weird, but you're just going to have to go with it until I see you in person."

"Okay?"

"I need somewhere to stay tonight," he says, hoping his voice doesn't sound weird.

"And why did you think that would sound so weird?"

"Annabeth."

She laughs, "Just come over, you idiot. My dad isn't at home anyway."

Percy sighs in relief and makes the block again just to be safe. He says, "Alright. I'll be there in a few."

"Hurry up," she says. "I want to start a movie when this episode ends."

He laughs softly, agreeing before he hangs up. He makes sure to take the long way, and he's positive that no one is following him. He jogs up the steps to Annabeth's house and knocks lightly, leaning against the doorframe while he waits for her.

He's been here once before, but that was just to meet her dad. He had picked her up one day so they could go to the library. He's been inside for just a few minutes, but they've never hung out here or anything.

Annabeth appears in the doorway a few seconds later, grabbing him by the jacket and hauling him inside. She's already in her pajamas (a big sweatshirt and a pair of short shorts, and Percy is trying not to stare), and her hair is pulled up into a messy bun. He feels kind of bad for interrupting her, but then she's yanking him up the stairs behind her, talking about the movie that they're going to watch.

Before he knows what's going on, they're in her room, and she's shutting the door behind them.

She bounces over to her bed and climbs back on top of it. Her room looks exactly like Percy has pictured it, all clean and organized with books laying in neat stacks around the space. Her queen sized bed is in the middle of the room, and her laptop is open and sitting on the bed. She's already bent over it, staring at the screen, and Percy blushes as her sweatshirt slips off of her shoulder, exposing her tan skin.

"So why do you need somewhere to stay?" Annabeth asks, looking up at him.

Percy sets his backpack down on the ground beside the door and slips out of his shoes. Annabeth pats the spot next to her, and Percy carefully crawls up to sit beside her, wrapping his arms around his knees.

He sighs, "So remember how I told you that I think Paul does some illegal stuff for his business?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I was on my way back to the apartment, and he called me and told me not to go back there and to make sure that no one was following me," he says. "He said that he had some trouble at work today and didn't want me to be in the middle."

Annabeth is staring at him, "So he just told you to find somewhere to stay?"

"No, he told me he would come and get me but…"

"But you didn't want to get involved with it just in case," she finishes with a nod. "You were probably right. Besides, you can crash here with me anyway. Dad probably won't be home for a long time. He was still at the lab when I called earlier."

Percy nods.

She looks over to him again. "But do you have clothes and stuff? You didn't get to go back home and get any—"

He laughs slightly, "I've got an extra set of clothes and an extra toothbrush in my backpack."

"You keep extra clothes and a toothbrush in your backpack?" She asks, wrinkling her nose.

His laugh loses humor. "When you grow up like I did, you get used to carrying your stuff on your back."

He doesn't realize how heavy that comment is until it's already out of his mouth. Annabeth is staring at him again, but there's this alarmed look in her eyes that kind of freaks him out because he just caused it.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that," he apologizes, wincing and looking away from her.

She reaches out and grabs his arm. "No, Percy. It—you just surprised me. Sometimes I just forget that you had to deal with that stuff."

He shrugs, "I mean, it's not like I talk about it."

"And that's why it surprises me," she says. "Do you know that you've never called the apartment you live at 'home?' You always say 'the apartment.'"

He flinches, but Annabeth doesn't say anything. It takes him a few minutes to realize that she's waiting for an explanation.

So he shrugs and swallows his emotions like he's done for the last few months. His voice sounds weird even to him when he says, "It doesn't feel like home. That's why I don't call it that."

"What does then?" She asks softly, shifting just a bit closer to him.

Percy avoids her gaze. "Used to be my mom. She was home, even when Gabe would hit both of us. Now…"

Annabeth's hand is still resting on his arm, covering a bit of his tattoo. He stares at her gray fingernail polish, and something pushes him to say it.

"Now, it kind of feels like wherever you are."

He hears her quiet gasp, and he thinks that he probably just messed this up.

"Percy?" She asks. Her voice is shaking, and he looks up at her immediately.

"Yeah?"

"It's like that for me too," her voice gets a lot quieter, and she's still moving closer. "Even with my parents being separated and my dad never being here, this place doesn't really feel like home. And then you show up and—"

He wraps his arms around her middle and pulls her closer, tangling one of his hands into her hair and making her bun fall down. She's still speaking into his chest, but he's not paying attention because fuck, it feels so good to be able to hold somebody like this. She's small and warm and her skin smells like lemons, and god, she's perfect. If he hadn't been convinced before (oh he had), he sure as hell is now.

Annabeth's hands settle on his shoulders, and she pushes back after a few seconds. She gives him a small smile before she says, "Watch a movie with me."

So he nods and lays back against her pillows with her. She grabs his hand and weaves their fingers together, and Percy rests his head on her shoulder, falling asleep within minutes.

Ω

After spending that night with Annabeth (they had both fallen asleep, and Percy had woken up the nest morning with blonde hair covering his face and someone laying across his chest), it starts happening more. After a shift at the restaurant, Percy will climb up the tree outside of Annabeth's house and shimmy into the window. He usually stays for a few hours while they watch a movie or talk, but he usually goes back to the apartment before he can fall asleep.

Paul is on a business trip for the rest of the week though, and Percy doesn't want to stay by himself. Annabeth gets it before he even says anything about it, demanding that he come over that night so they can binge watch some new show she found on Netflix.

Because her dad is home, Percy climbs up the tree and slips inside her window. She watches in amusement from her bed, where she's eating popcorn and sipping a glass of juice.

"Enjoying the show?" He asks, setting his backpack down and shedding his jacket.

She nods, "Yep. Now if you would hurry up, I've been dying to watch this show all day."

So Percy crawls up onto her bed and curls up on his side beside her. He rests his head against her thigh, and he hums happily when she threads her fingers through his hair. It doesn't take long for him to fall asleep, and even though Annabeth will tease him for it when he wakes up, it's totally worth it.

Ω

Even though it's not really a special day or anything, Percy finds himself sitting beside his mom's grave with his arms wrapped around his legs and his head resting against his chest. He's not talking this time, and he feels kind of numb inside.

And the thing is, nothing really upsetting happened to trigger it. Like, sometimes he thinks about his mom and that makes him upset, or Annabeth will say something that kind of sounds like her, and he shuts down for a few seconds, but this time, everything was completely normal one minute and then the next he was trying to figure out how it was fair that his mom was gone.

He knows that it's ridiculous to act like this, but Annabeth says that she's done some research lately and it looks like it's normal. She says that it's just a reaction to all of the stress. It doesn't mean that he likes it, but if Annabeth thinks it's fine then okay.

So that's where she finds him, sitting on the ground and staring at nothing.

Percy feels her fall down beside him, and he looks over at her. She's staring at him gently, and she reaches out slowly, weaving her fingers with his.

"I don't know why I'm here," he says.

"It's okay," Annabeth answers immediately, tightening her grip on his hand.

They sit there together in silence for a few more hours, then Annabeth is pulling on Percy's hand and asking him to get up and come home with her.

They're walking down the sidewalk of all things when he realizes that he's in love with her.

It hits him so hard that he jerks to a stop, like he physically ran into something. Annabeth is holding his hand, so the movement causes her to stop too, yanking on his arm. She's staring at him now. He can see her mouth moving as she tells him something, but he can't hear her.

Suddenly, Percy feels like an idiot. It's been obvious this whole time; of course he loves Annabeth. He's probably loved her since that very first day that he met her. And god, it's taken him months to realize it.

Before he knows what he's doing, one of his hands settles on her cheek and he pulls her in closer until she's pressed against him. Her eyes are wide, and Percy finally hears her when she starts saying his name. She's looking at him like something is wrong and she needs to fix it.

"Annabeth," he murmurs, leaning his head down.

She is frozen in place, looking up at him in surprise. Her hand comes up to cover his, and she steps a fraction of an inch closer.

"Percy, what's wrong?"

"I love you," he blurts out. "I'm in love with you."

She's staring up at him, tears in her beautiful gray eyes, and there's three heartbeats before she curls her fingers into his hair and yanks his head down until his lips meet hers.

She pushes back from him suddenly, and Percy is still dazed so he doesn't hear what Annabeth is saying to him. She has his face in her hands, and her mouth is moving again. It takes him a few seconds to realize that she's telling him that she loves him too.

"I love you too, Percy," she says. There's a small smile pulling at her lips, and there are a few tears running down her face too. He wipes them away with one of his thumbs.

"Are you… are you sure?" He asks her, knitting his eyebrows together because seriously, is this real?

She's laughing now, and she tugs him closer to brush her lips against his again. A shock goes down his spine. "Of course I'm sure, you loser. I love you."

Then he's smiling, and he can't really remember the last time his heart felt so full. His chest feels light and heavy at the same time, and all of a sudden, he feels like he has someone again.

But really, he's had Annabeth this whole time. It only took this long for him to realize it because he was so oblivious.

He can hear his mom's laughter in his ears when Annabeth takes his hand and presses a kiss to his cheek before dragging him down the sidewalk. There's a ridiculous smile on his face now, and Percy doesn't think it will ever go away.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Leave a review!

-SomethingMoreCreative