A/N: Oh my gods. I'm so sorry its been forever since I updated. I got caught up in a few other things. I swear on the River Styx I won't wait so long next time;P *cue thunder*. Anyway, I know I couldn't possibly have picked a bigger cliffhanger to leave you guys at so I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Remember, the more reviews I get, the more inclined I am to write. Channel your inner nemesis! Its a balance, you write more reviews, so in return I'll write more chapters:P Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I still don't own percy Jackson.

In retrospect, it's really a good thing I managed to convince my dad that he didn't need to accompany me to New York and make sure I got settled okay. Its one thing to contain my excitement so as to spare the other passengers on board; but trying to keep my dad from noticing my ever lightening mood as we got closer to camp, closer to Percy, would have been an entirely different challenge.

Six hours may not seem like a long time at first, but when I got on the plane and actually thought about just how long six hours really was, it seemed a lot more intimidating. Six hours. That's three movies, twelve T.V. shows, almost as long as a school day. Normally, the extended amount of time wouldn't have really fazed me. However, when I thought about the fact that as soon as I got off of the plane I would be on my way to camp, and more importantly, on my way to meet Percy at the beach.

What exactly did he even mean by "showing my just how much he's missed me"? Not that I don't want him to, but do I really want to step into such awkward territory the first time I see him in almost six months? What if we both get there and it's just quiet and he's decided he made a mistake and really he's in love with Rachel? Oh gods I really need to focus on something else right now.

Even though I attempted to keep from bouncing up and down in my seat and kicking the seat in front of me out of sheer excitement, I'm pretty sure the passengers around me were almost more relieved than I was when the plane touched down. That thought aside, it still couldn't stop me from rushing to be the first person off the plane. Although, when you're in a New York City airport, it doesn't matter when you get off the plane, you'll still be waiting at least an hour before you manage to hail a cab.

Lucky for me, being a demigod meant I had other, um, resources when it came to transportation. I'm not saying that a cab ride wouldn't have been slightly more enjoyable than watching from the back seat as three witches duked it out over an eye and a tooth while battling NYC traffic, but it was a lot more efficient. Also, they were too preoccupied to notice me literally shaking with anticipation; which was just an added bonus.

Had it not been for my luggage, I probably would have sprinted across half blood hill and straight to the beach without giving it a second thought. I'm no daughter of Aphrodite; but a girl needs things, and in my case a laptop that probably weighed more than my battle armor well under that category. How convenient. Negativity aside, there's a part of me that's glad I took my time making it over camp boundaries. The smell of Strawberries and fresh air calmed me down.

By the time I actually made it to the Athena cabin, I was calm enough that I even took time to unpack and organize my things. It was unusually peaceful in my cabin today. None of my half siblings were around. Percy and I had decided to show up a few days early so we could talk before we had to worry about the ever watchful Stoll brothers eavesdropping on our conversation and, probably with the help of the Hephaestus cabin, broadcasting it all over camp.

Something about organizing my things gave me peace of mind, and a new perspective. So what if I was about to see Percy for the first time since we had our little… talk? He was still Seaweed Brain, and my best friend. That fact alone made all of this a lot easier. I certainly didn't have to dress up to see him, we'd spent days at a time on a quest where opportunities to even shower had been limited. Even if our meeting started out awkward, all I would have to do was ensue a debate over some small detail and we'd be right back to the way we'd always been.

With my back up plan safely in mind, I was able to avoid running to the beach. That didn't mean I didn't thank the gods for the time I had to prepare myself before arriving at the beach.

Percy seemed to be running late, as usual. The camp was practically deserted save for a few year round campers; how he manages to still get distracted is beside me. On the bright side, that had to mean he would get here any minute.

I still practically jumped out of my skin when he plopped down in the sand next to me. "Hey," he mumbled while simultaneously pulling me into a quick hug. "I know I asked you to meet me at the beach, but I was hoping we could go to Canoe Lake instead. That okay?"

"Of course," I laughed. It was just like him to change plans last minute; and after so many moths of missing him, it was oddly refreshing. "I'll race you!" I yelled back after I'd already taken a head start. He may finally be taller than me, but he still couldn't catch up to me in a race.

"Okay. That so wasn't fair! A Tree Nymph tripped me!" He continued to protest even after we'd paddled into the middle of the lake. At last, I couldn't contain myself any longer; I burst out into laughter so hard I probably scared half of the monsters in the woods back to Tartarus. But I knew I was forgiven when he joined in, moments later.

"Okay, okay," he said through heaving breaths. "Maybe I lost my footing without the help of a Nymph; but still!" He whined weakly.

"So is this you showing me how much you've missed me? By refusing to accept that I'm just faster than you?" I laughed at his expense. But I suppose my insult hadn't hit its mark.

"Nooooo," he replied like a sneaky kid with a hidden agenda. I was just about to say something when he leaned in. Our faces were just inches apart when he added, "I had a few other plans, too, Wise Girl," just before he closed the distance between us. This kiss wasn't like the kiss on mount St Helens; it was a million times better. That kiss had been rushed and full of tension, this one was soft and warm. At that moment in time, I could have died happy.

We were both, naturally, blushing when we pulled away. "Wow-" I started only to be interrupted. "I guess that makes the score even for the kiss last summer." He added with a grin. Oh gods.

A/N: Loved it? Hated it? Review and let me know, Please!