Finding The Way Back To You

Two: It Used To Be Easy (Now We just Play Pretend)

The next morning was Thanksgiving Day, which meant all of Annabeth's quote-unquote family would be showing up at The Jackson's apartment. Just what she needed, Percy actively hated her boyfriend, who would be coming today along with Paul's brother and family. All included the fact that she actively went against Luke and her relationship and acted like a child by sleeping with Percy.

Breakfast was a treat to say the least.

Sally got up early and made pancakes in the shape of turkeys. Estelle was a big fan as well as Percy since they were, of course, blue.

"These are great, Ma." Percy said, slurping on a syrup drenched piece of pancake.

"You're so gross." Peyton scoffed.

"You're not eating them correctly." Percy rolled his eyes.

"So." Peyton started. "Can we just come out with the obvious, or...?"

"What's obvious?" Estelle asked, and Paul turned a deep red before deciding that it would be a good time to take Estelle up for a bath.

"You two used to be so much better at hiding it." Peyton sighed.

"W-what?" Annabeth stuttered out.

"You guys screwed last night— which at least you waited till you thought we were all asleep— so does—"

"Are you guys dating again?" Sally cut in.

Annabeth couldn't breathe. How was she to explain to her family that last night wasn't supposed to happen, and that she's dating somebody?

"Annabeth's actually dating a professor from Yale." Percy rolled his eyes.

"Oh, how lovely— oh." Sally seemed to process as she spoke. "But, uhm. Will you please excuse me? I believe I hear Paul calling for me." Sally was gone in an instant.

"Who's the professor by the way?" Peyton asked.

"Castellan." Percy spat.

"Beth, are you crazy?" Peyton stood up. "You invited the guy that— you know— and Percy punched? You're putting Percy in danger, for what?"

"Luke is over all of that. I promise. We talked it through when we started dating. Everything's going to be great. I promise."

"And when he find out you fucked Percy?" Peyton asked.

"He won't, because it never happened."

"So... lying?"

"It's not lying— it's— it's not telling the entire story."

"Otherwise known as lying." Percy said, his knee bouncing.

"How did it happen? With Luke I mean." Peyton tried.

"Well, after I came back from my semester in Greece, I was heartbroken over Percy breaking things off with me, and I threw myself into my work. I hadn't even known Luke was still on campus until I ran into him by accident at the campus bookstore where he tried to apologize, explaining he had been so impressed by my work in other classes, and his girlfriend Kelli had cheated on him. He was looking for a way to get back at her, so he asked me if I would go out to a bar with him that night and pretend to be his girlfriend. I needed to get out of the house, and he was someone I knew who was attractive and yeah. It was kind of the classic fake dating to real lovers thing."

"That's bull sh—"

"That's so cute, actually!? Wow!" Peyton gushed, cutting Percy off.

"From predator to lover!" Percy chimed in again.