1 month later...

"Hold still, Percy..." Piper was scolding him, while fixing his hair. Percy simply groaned.

"It will never stay flat, believe me I've tried!" he argued, trying to push her away. However, Piper was giving him a glare that said 'you'll do as I said' before continuing.

"Are you nervous?" she radically changed the subject, looking at him. Percy sighed before replying.

"I'm about to walk into someone else's graduation party without invitation just to ask the girl I'm probably in love with to dance with me, why would I be nervous?" he replied sarcastically, earning a cheeky grin from Piper.

"If you can joke about this, it means you're alright!" she beamed at him, smirking "I'm just glad we had that extra month to tan ourselves and to relax... and getting used to the fact we won't be doing missions anymore..."

"You had to just look at my Mom's face to know I took the right decision..." Percy admitted. Piper chuckled, having confessed something similar with her Dad before "What about you? What's your plan for tonight?"

"Well, I'm going to walk to him and kiss him senseless. And don't you dare take my plan!" she threatened him, frowning. Percy pouted on purpose before both of them got out of the rented car. Percy took a deep breath before walking towards the school.

He had Piper had been offered a raise inside the agency, but that would mean desk jobs. Though it was tempting about it, both Percy and Piper admitted that they wanted to be done with the agency for the moment and be just normal teenagers. After all, as Percy had pointed out, they deserved it. Lupa seemed to want them dead but Chiron argued they were his personal and, therefore, granted the request.

Sally, his Mom, had been over the moon by the news and practically fussed over her son, believing he will disappear soon. She had tone it down, but the hovering was still there. Which is why Percy and Piper decided to spend the weekend in San Fransisco.

As soon as they walked into the gym, they saw the theme of the party. 'A Night to Remember'. Nothing original, apparently, but Percy could deal with that. His senses already were on alert, as many party attendees were switching their attention to them. Ignoring all this, Percy walked to the one corner where a blonde was hiding. With his peripheral vision, saw Piper diving in the dance floor.

"What is a gorgeous girl like you doing in a slightly depressed corner like this one?" he whispered when he was next to the beautiful blonde, leaning against the wall. He could see Annabeth tense and, when she turned around, the surprise was evident. He smirked and was engulfed in a tight hug. In front of him, he could see the spectacle Piper and Jason were giving.

"What- what are you doing here?" Annabeth finally came to her senses and asked him, looking at him. Percy kept smirking and pulled her closer.

"I came to see you, is that a crime?" he said, earning a shake of the head from her "Good, now I know we need to talk and we can do it while dancing..." At that, Annabeth blushed and looked down "What? Annabeth Chase doesn't know how to dance?"

"No! I mean, yes... uh, maybe...?" It was her final answer and made Percy chuckle, before dragging her to the dance floor. Luckily, Piper and Jason had disappeared or he would have embarrassed them greatly.

"Just look at me and follow my lead, alright?" he told her, holding her hands up and moving softly around the dance floor. The DJ, as if he knew, placed a slow song and they were able to talk while dancing.

"I missed you so much..." Annabeth confessed, blushing a little "Where have you been?"

"Everywhere, I actually was on a very long holiday..." he explained, smiling "I toured Australia with my Mom, having mother-son time..." Annabeth smiled and nodded "She was very pleased with my time off..." That placed a sad smile on Annabeth, but Percy pretended not to see it "But when I told her that it was a permanent change, you should have seen the look of her face-"

"You retired?" she interrupted her, actually not expecting that answer. Percy nodded, earning a frown "But... I thought you liked what you did, saving the world and sort..."

"There are many ways to save the world, Annabeth... You can be a great doctor or a biochemist or even a green architect, it doesn't matter..." Percy pointed out, sighing "I just- I guess part of what Kronos said to me that day hit me hard..."

"I can understand that..." she acknowledged with a nod.

"The point was that, after the ceremony, I had a long talk with my father and he recognized it will happen again. And I wasn't going to allow to be used as a pawn without information, so I quit" he finished the tale. Annabeth watched him in trance.

"What is your plan now?"

"Well, my plan was to go to college and study something... perhaps asking and convincing a blonde-haired-and-grey-eyed WiseGirl that I'm the best option for dating and, of course, trying not to screw that up..." he laid out his plan, earning a blush and smile from the girl he was dancing with.

"Oh, I don't know... I was hoping you could help me with my idea of snatching a black-haired-and-green-eyed SeaWeedBrain and never letting him go..." she chuckled, leaning closer "I happen to think my brother's shadow is hot..." Percy laughed loud, pulling her closer.

"I'm sure your brother think your own shadow is hot too..." he leaned in and kissed her softly for the first time.

Also, for the first time, he could be normal kid.

And he was going to enjoy every second from it.

Endus.

Hello, guys.

I'd like to start by apologizing on not posting yesterday. I want to share something that I have discovered in the past few days, a reflexion if you will (I do want to make emphasis in the fact that this was NOT prompted by comments or PMs or directed to anyone in particular).

Last week, I had some bad days. I'm sure you're familiar with the term... But, as the week was closing and I was forced to put a smile for work, I realized that I didn't want to pretend I was having a great week. My football team had SPECTACULARLY lost in the World Cup and I was stepped on so hard on the subway I was limping (among other things). All I wanted to do was to come home and cry.

So, I decided to be sour all weekend, not because I wanted to be mean with everyone, but because I NEED IT. And I must say, I feel quite better. So, I think my lesson of wisdom to share is that, is OK to fell like crying once in a while. Just, don't go to extremes like our beloved Nico or even Supreme Commander Valdez, two extremes of the same coin.

Alright! Enough with the sappy moment! Story time!

Sis/Bro! Your Shadow is Hot!: THE LAST 3 CHAPTERS! Consider it a way for me to apologize for yesterday...

The First Times: 1 chapter!

I wish you all a great week! And remember, crying once in a while is good!
xoxo, SilverHuntresses