Greatest Love Story- A Percabeth AU [On Hold]

Chapter 16

Annabeth's POV:

It's been a month since Percy and I started dating. Of course, I still haven't told any of my friends I have a boyfriend-- it still feels weird to say that... Percy is my boyfriend... Wow. Sorry, I got off track there. Anyway, none of my friends know that I'm dating Percy, so they keep trying to get me to go out with literally anyone. They seem to think that I need to go out with someone so I can get over my "silly crush" (I would probably be offended by this description if the words weren't my own from just a few months ago). Of course, they do know that I can't date Percy, so they are convinced that I need to get over him.

That's how I ended up having this conversation with Piper. We were in gym. Coach Hedge was yelling about something. Percy and I kept sneaking glances at each other. In every possible way, it was a normal day. Then Piper brought up her sister.

"So, I talked to Drew yesterday," she started. We both hated Drew, so we didn't usually talk about her unless Piper was talking about whatever terrible thing her sister had done most recently.

I grimaced. "Why?"

"There's some guy at her college she thinks would be perfect for you." She says. I can't help but notice that she looks almost hopeful. I can only guess she's hoping that maybe this time I will agree to go out with a total stranger. As if her sister playing matchmaker is going to suddenly convince me that I need a (non-secret) boyfriend.

"Not this again," I groan. "I don't need or want a boyfriend right now. I already have enough going on right now, and I don't need to add a new relationship, too." I would probably use exactly the same argument if I didn't already have a boyfriend, and since I can't use the real reason for my reluctance to be set up with someone, I have to hope that it may be enough to finally make her stop... Even though it hasn't been enough the last 27 times she's tried.

During my speech about not wanting a boyfriend, I can't help but glance at Percy. I know he knows that I'm only saying it because I can't tell Piper I already have a boyfriend, but it still feels like every word I say is a dagger flying through the air to stab Percy in the back. I'm pretty sure Piper notices me looking at Percy, though, because she looks weirdly back and forth between us before she continues. "Come on, Annabeth, just give this guy a chance," she begs. She starts describing him, and I know that it's easier to just let her keep going and tune her out. I catch that he has blond hair, blue eyes, and a scar on his face, but then I don't listen to anything until I hear "Oh, and his name is Luke." I assume she's giving me the information in the same order as her sister gave it to her, so this is probably the last thing I will be told.

"Are you done?" I ask.

Piper sighs. "You're never going to agree to go out with anyone I try to set you up with, are you?"

"Piper, I already told you, I don't need or want you to set me up with someone right now."

"Fine," she relents. "I'll stop."

I'm actually surprised by this response. I expected for her to respond like she has every other time: Annabeth, you need to get over Percy. Even if he does like you in the same way you like him, it can't happen. You know that. The resignation in her voice is surprising and I feel bad.

"Pipes, I appreciate the thought," I tell her, "but I have other things I need to focus on right now."

"I know." She gives me half a smile. "I just want to make sure you don't start to feel like the seventh wheel since you're the only one in our friend group that doesn't have a boyfriend."

"It's fine," I promise. "If I ever do need help with dating, though, you will be the first person I ask."

Piper's half smile turns into a full one, and I smile back.

That afternoon, I'm helping Percy prepare for the test he has the next day. I'm quizzing him on everything he could possibly need to know for this test, and rewarding him with kisses every time he gets an answer right. Suddenly, though, he stops me.

"Piper was trying to set you up with some guy again today, wasn't she?" He asks.

"Yeah," I tell him. "Some guy named Luke, or something."

"Hmm." He frowns. "Doesn't sound like your type."

"How would you," I laugh and kiss him again, "know what my type is?"

He laughs with me. "I guess I don't know for sure, but..." He pauses. "Would you be dating me if I wasn't your type?" At first it seems like he's joking, but his voice turns serious as he asks the question.

"Percy, I--" I falter. I want to say that I love him, and I really do, but for some reason the words seem to catch in my throat. Finally I decide to say something else instead. "I had a crush on you since we were 12. I never even could have guessed that we would end up dating." I pause again, giving Percy a small smile. "And now we are. I wouldn't give this up, no matter whose type you are."

Percy smiled a bit at this, and I softly smiled back.

"You really had a crush on me when we were 12?" He asks me, sounding somewhat unconvinced.

"Yeah, I don't even know what made me realize it." I admit. "We were just sitting in class one day, and I looked at you, and I thought 'oh, so that's what a crush feels like.'"

Suddenly he's laughing, and I have no idea why.

"What's so funny?" I finally ask.

"Just that I had a crush on you in middle school, too." He says through his laughter. "You probably don't even remember this, but I walked into the school on the first day of 7th grade, and I saw you, almost immediately, and I couldn't take my eyes off of you."

"You were new, that year. For some reason, I couldn't help but notice you" Now I'm laughing too.

"But I thought you probably hated me," Percy continues.

"And I figured you thought I was a goody-two-shoes at best," I reply.

"We could have started dating in 7th grade, if--"

"If we'd actually paid attention to each other." I finish.

Hey.... It's been a while. Sorry, about that. I basically forgot about wattpad as a whole for a few days, and when I came back I basically decided I didn't like the chapters I had pre-written, so I decided to rewrite them. Then, we get this chapter, one of my rewrites, and now I like this one even less than the previous version, but I really need to publish something, so I might just come back and change it again after a while. We'll see.

Anyway, my only reaction to the anesthesia, really, was that I was very tired, so a small part of this chapter was actually written shortly after the surgery (and has been edited heavily since then, so it isn't too obvious that someone that had just come out of surgery wrote it, although part of my editing was also done the same day as the surgery, so maybe you can tell. I don't really know anymore).

Anyway, you know the drill. Please comment or vote or something, because I'm way more motivated to write if I know somebody is at least reading what I write, so please, please, let me know you're reading this.

See y'all in the next update, which will hopefully be up soon (let's be honest, though, it's entirely possible that it'll be a month😉).

💖💖💖Cam