The Five Hour Princess +Percabeth+

Chapter 18

Percy ran out the door and was halfway down the street before he could even think about what he was doing. Casey had been right, yes, but he also couldn't ignore the way Annabeth's actions had made him feel. She had blatantly lied to him and his baby sister and so had Holly, the girl he'd allowed to get close to his sister. Percy quickly slowed to a stop and wandered over towards the park that was at the far end of their street.

Percy sat down on one of the swings and slowly rocked himself back and forth, trying to deal with his thoughts. Ever since his father had left his mom when he was little, and then his mom got together with his sister's dad, who'd also left them (even though he'd been a jerk), Percy had had some trust issues. He had a hard time letting people into his life and with Annabeth, it had come so easy that he thought that he was finally getting past that stage in his life. His life had been so perfect for the past week, and figuring out they had lied had popped Percy's happy bubble. Knowing that they had thought it acceptable to not share their life with him-even after he and Annabeth kissed, for gods sake- was something he just couldn't get over. He deserved to know what went on in their life. And now, he didn't know what to do with himself.

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Percy found himself still sitting on the swing as the sun began to set. He was shocked to look up and see how much time had passed while he had been wallowing in self pity. He still hasn't even figured it out after all that time. Why was he so shaken after this ordeal? People had hurt him all the time, and he didn't get like this after each of them left. Annabeth and Holly's betrayal had left a huge hole in his heart, and he was desperate to know why.

Finally, he pulled himself off the swing and began the short walk back home. Casey had been alone all day, but she was probably dealing with the news too. He walked a little faster realizing that his baby sister was home all alone without him, and that he was supposed to be watching her and his mom was gonna be home soon. Her job as manager of the candy store gave her long hours, but generous pay.

He arrived at his house and was surprised to see that there was no music blasting from Casey's room or a failed cooking venture still dripping from the ceiling.

"Case, I'm home!" He called out.

No one answered back.

He frantically looked around, until he noticed a bright pink Post-It sitting on the table.

It read, "I went to go talk things over with the Chases! Be back in a little while!"

Percy cursed and then grabbed a jacket, running out the door into the dark, moonlit neighborhood, texting his mom that he and Casey had gone out to meet some friends.

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Percy ran the whole way to the Chases' house and only skidded to a stop right before he was about to knock. Should he really intrude, or should he let Casey have his own time? And that question still bothered him, why was he so upset about all this?

Then it hit him.

He loved Annabeth. He loved her unruly golden hair, and her faded baseball caps. He loved her fiery personality and witty comebacks. He loved her strawberry-tasting lips and the way she looked in a sundress. He loved the she looked with makeup, and the way she looked without. He loved her intelligence and her hunger for knowledge. He loved the entirety of Annabeth, the good and the bad.

And that was why it affected him so much. He just couldn't believe that someone he loved so much lied to him. That's why it bothered him so much.

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His arm hung limp in the air, poised to knock. Armed with this new knowledge, he geared himself up and knocked once on the door. Twice. Three times. And then the door swung open. Annabeth stood standing there, looking weary- like she hadn't slept for days. Percy assumed he looked the same.

"Come in," she said.

He walked in and was shocked to see his sister and her (maybe ex) girlfriend snuggled up together on the couch watching Cinderella.

"Yeah," Annabeth says,"Disney is a big thing in our house."

Percy cracks a small smile at that and Annabeth lets out an awkward chuckle.

He coughs. "Is there somewhere we can talk in private around here?" He asks.

Annabeth nods and leads him through to the kitchen. She slides the door shut behind them.

"They can't hear us in here," she says.

Percy nods and takes a deep breath.

"Annabeth, Casey and I talked it out today, and I started to see some sense in her words. But I still had to figure it out for myself. I realized that the reason why I acted so horribly when you told me the news was that you blatantly lied to me about your life and it hurt so much. You wanna know why?"

"Because I love you, Annabeth Chase. I love every single thing about you- from the way you look messily eating an In-n-Out burger, to how your random facts and endless knowledge never cease to amaze me. I love you so, so much, and it hurt to see someone I care so much about life to me."

Annabeth stared at Percy with tears in her eyes and a hand over her mouth. A small sob came out.

"It's been so hard, it just being me and Holly," she choked out."I'm so happy that you and Casey are here now. I love you too Percy."

They stared at each other for a moment and finally Percy leaned in. Their second kiss was even more perfect than their first and he really hoped that they would have many, many more.

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A/N- Hello, my dear readers. I'm so sorry about being so inactive, but I hope this long-ish chapter will make up for it. Think of it as a late Christmas present written in my late-night, sleep deprivation filled inspiration burst. Here we got to see some good character development, so hopefully we'll get some more of that (and more angst and fluffy Disney dates!). 2016 has been a hell of a year, so let's try and all have a great 2017! Updates from now on will probs just be when I feel like it, or when time allows, so expect that. Hopefully, this was a pretty good, kinda fluffy chapter for y'all to enjoy.

Bye, my little fanpeoples!