something wrong?"
Percy stared at her for a minute before shaking his head. "No, everything's fine. Why?"
She furrowed her eyebrows. "Nothing?"
This time he did frown slightly as he shook his head again. "No, nothing's… well, there's just been a lot on my plate lately."
Annabeth tilted her head slightly to the side. "Do you need someone to talk to?"
He nodded. "Maybe. I was thinking maybe we could try to call Rachel, but I was thinking, why bother? The phone lines are practically down. We'll just wait for the storm to pass over and then we'll probably be able to try again after it stops raining. Or, I could always talk to Will. I suppose he knows most of what I've been up to these past days."
"That would be great," Annabeth replied with a smile, though the expression quickly vanished. "But, don't you need to finish your GED first? What if you mess up the test? Wouldn't that affect your grades?"
He laughed. "Well, yes, but it also depends on whether or not you decide to go. As for my grades, I guess that shouldn't matter much. I haven't failed anything yet, after all. And besides, I'll still be here if I fail, won't I?"
At the sight of the smile that spread across his face, Annabeth suddenly found herself wishing that the world didn't seem quite right when it came to Percy Jackson.
***
Chapter 6
Three Weeks Later
It was currently mid October and the leaves had long since fallen, covering the forest floor with thick green covers that had begun blocking off the sunlight.
After several months of being with Percy, Annabeth had finally admitted her feelings to him. For the first time in ages, things weren't completely awkward between them. Sure, there was definitely tension between them when they went out and saw people who they knew would probably never talk to or see Percy again because of what happened between them in New York, but it wasn't so bad as to ruin whatever progress they had managed to make.
In fact, they were so close to getting back to normal that Percy insisted that they go on a date during one of their breaks, saying that he didn't want the rest of his friends to worry about him. They ended up at a nearby diner called the Big House, which was located on top of a hill overlooking the town. Since it was one of the busiest times of the year in New York City, there were only two booths available. One that Annabeth had chosen and the other that Percy decided to sit in.
"What's that look?" Annabeth asked, noticing how distracted Percy had become during their walk over.
"Huh? Oh, uh... I was just wondering what the heck that was," Percy replied sheepishly, gesturing to the menu above their booth.
Annabeth chuckled. "Well, I think our waiter is cute enough to warrant some kind of reaction. And he's wearing a shirt that says:
Cute Cute Cute
And it makes him seem like a puppy."
Percy shook his head in amusement. "That does explain a lot, but it's still really annoying."
They continued talking until their waiter arrived and set down their drinks in front of them. Annabeth thanked him and he retreated to the counter.
"What were you thinking of ordering today?" he asked once the waiter left them alone.
"Not sure. I've never actually tried the food here."
"I can show you sometime."
"Sounds fun!"
Before they could continue to discuss their favorite foods, the waitress reappeared with their orders.