Chapter 11 baby! I should probably be studying for my mid-term coming up, but hey! This is way more fun! So please read, comment, and enjoy!

Annabeth's POV

I gasped for air. My brain was pounding against my skull and my ears were ringing. Okay, focus, deep breaths. I gazed out the window. Light shined through the trees, illuminating the cabin with speckles of daylight. Some of my cabin mates began to stir in their bunks. As quickly and silently as I could, I put on some close and tip toed toward the door. The moment I pulled it open, something hard slammed into me. I hit the ground, wincing and muttering Greek curses under my breath. I looked up. Percy was standing in front of me, his eyes wild and his hair was a mess.

"Annabeth, I" he began to say.

I glanced over my shoulder. Dinah, who slept in the bunk above me, sat up and groggily rubbed her eyes. I panicked. Before Percy could utter another syllable, I was on my feet and pushing him out the door. He made a bit of a protest, but he decided he was either too confused or too tired to care. I shut the door behind us and grabbed his hand tightly, heading toward the dock. He didn't say anything else until we were finally there. Stopping dead in my tracks, I inhaled deeply. I turned to face him, taking his hands in my own. He tensed a little, but then relaxed, intertwining our fingers.

"Annabeth," he said, "I'm really sorry. I should have told you about it but I was sure you would think I was-"

"Percy," I cut him off," stop. It's fine. I should have told you, too. Neither of us could have known what to do with... this."

There was silence, but it wasn't like before. There was content underneath it, a peaceful cease of words.

"I am sorry, though." he mumbled.

"Me too." and I was.

More silence. We stood like that for awhile, never once looking away from each other. Then Percy's face changed. He shifted uncomfortably.

"What's wrong?" I asked, furrowing my brows.

"Well," he said hastily, " do you love me back?"

"B-back?" I stuttered.

"Yeah. I said I love you and then you didn't say anything."

"Wait," I struggled to form a sentence, " you said it in your head?"

"Yeah."

"Percy," I realized, " I didn't hear you!"

His eyes widened.

"You can't hear me?" he asked, sounding relieved, confused, and sad all at once.

I shook my head. He began to practically buzz, like he always did when he was trying to process and relay information at the same time.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" he said, "Can I still hear you?"

"I don't know." I shrugged, "What am I thinking of."

He narrowed his eyes as he starred deeply into mine. After a moment, he snapped his fingers like he got it.

"Luke." he answered bluntly.

"What?" I said, sort of offended, "No! I was thinking about the lake, you jerk!"

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he muttered an apology. My cheeks were blazing with shame and embarrassment.

"I was just guessing." he added, "So I can't hear you, either. What do you think it means? Is it over?"

I smiled. I gently grabbed his hands and snaked them around my waist. My fingers grazed the collar of his shirt as I closed the distance between us. I sealed his lips in a kiss. It was soft but passionate. Percy tilted his head to the side. I could feel his tongue flirting with my mouth, desperately wanting entrance. I smirked and pulled away, resting my head in the crook of his neck.

"No," I whispered, "it's only the beginning."

I wasn't sure, but I think he smiled. His arm tightened around me while the other grazed my cheek. He tilted my chin so that our gazes met again. Without another word, our lips reconnected. I melted into him. I had never found so much comfort in an embrace before. We stayed like that until we knew people would begin to suspect. Walking to the dining pavilion, hand in hand, I couldn't even care about the looks we were getting. I knew we had to split to go to our separate tables. I kissed him quickly on the cheek, ignoring the snickers I heard around me.

"I love you, too." I whispered in his ear before speeding off toward the Athena table.

When I looked back, Percy was still standing there, daze and happy, like a puppy. I couldn't help but laugh. He gave me one last smile before turning for his own table. I felt a small pain in my shoulder. I whipped my head around to see Dinah scowling at me.

"What are you doing with Poseidon's kid." she growled.

I shrugged sarcastically, still smiling. She merely rolled her eyes.

"Love," she said, "plays horrible tricks on the mind."

"Dinah," I giggled, "you have no idea."

Aphrodite's POV

I squealed with delight. I may have been around for a few eons, give or take, but I still got it! With a satisfied sigh, I undid the clasp on the chain and removed the necklace. I held the jewelry in my hand, examining the stone. It was a dull grey color now and the sands inside remained still.

"Well that's the end of that." I mused.

I brought my arm back and threw the gem as far as I could into the air. Mid-descent, the stone evaporated in a cloud of pink dust. I grinned, brushed off my hands, and peacefully exited the throne room. Needless to say, I was very pleased with my work.

Well, that's that. Yes? No? I've never done something like this before, so I wanted to say THANK YOU SO MUCH to everybody who supported me in my first big story! I hope you got out as much fun reading it as I did writing it. Until we meet again, aloha and good night!