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before glancing over at Percy, who seemed completely unfazed by the stranger's reaction.

"That's weird," Annabeth murmured under her breath, still observing the guy across the room.

After swallowing another bite of her lunch, she turned her head back in the direction of her companion.

"I don't get it," she whispered as she placed her fork down in front of her.

The blond frowned in confusion. "Don't get what?"

She shook her head slightly as she gazed back at the guy who looked extremely uncomfortable. "Nothing," she responded as she turned her gaze back towards her companion. "It just looks like he recognized you. You know, from the photo that you sent me last night."

Percy nodded, seemingly unaware of the awkwardness that the stranger was experiencing. "Yeah… I saw him at the party last night. And it didn't go well."

Annabeth raised her eyebrow in amusement as a chuckle escaped her lips before she lowered her head and looked back down at her plate. She noticed her hand trembling slightly, which only made her chuckle more.

"Everything okay?" Percy asked after noticing her slight movement.

"Yes! Everything is great. Just perfect."

He remained silent, seemingly unsure of what to say next. A moment later, he let out a sigh and leaned back slightly, allowing his legs to swing back and forth as he continued to stare off into the distance. "We need to keep practicing our sword fighting."

Despite the fact that she was beginning to grow annoyed by his nonchalant nature, she decided to humor him. After all, he was one of the few members of the crew that actually had any idea about proper training. He wasn't even wearing armor. "You're probably right. There's no way I can win a fight against you."

"You say that about every battle that we participate in."

"Hey! I never admit to losing any battles!"

Percy let out a soft laugh. "Sure thing, Wise Girl."

Annabeth glared at him as the corner of her lips curled upwards. "I'll have you know that most battles I lose are completely due to your laziness."

"If it helps, you're a lot smarter than you pretend."

They both smiled at each other, laughing quietly before turning their attention back to their meals. Silence fell upon them once more, leaving them to enjoy the peace. However, this time, neither of them found themselves breaking the peaceful silence that surrounded them. It wasn't until the waitress returned and set the bill and money in front of Percy did Annabeth realise that they hadn't eaten anything. Her eyes widened momentarily, causing her to glance up in concern, but Percy's calm and collected expression told her that everything was fine.

After paying for the meal, Annabeth followed closely behind Percy as he made his way back to camp. She wanted nothing more than to go straight back to her room. She would much rather stay in bed, sleep, and eat all day long then face the fact that her life was slowly getting better, but she didn't want Percy to worry. So instead of following her own plans, she decided to follow behind him.

She walked along side of him silently, watching as he talked excitedly to someone who she assumed was one of his brothers. She thought she would be more jealous, but the fact that he was talking to his siblings rather than her caused a smile to grace her features. For a brief moment she almost wished that the conversation would turn to them; however, as soon as the image came to mind, she instantly regretted it. Why was she thinking like that? Of course it wouldn't change anything. She would forever remain an outsider to Percy, regardless of their relationship. It would make sense if she preferred to keep her distance. After all, he was already dating Piper, while she was just a mere acquaintance. In fact, the longer she stayed with him, the closer she would become with him, therefore, staying by his side would make more sense. They were already attached to each other, so why not stay with him for a little while longer before letting go?

Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. She should've known better than to think that something would be normal. Even though she and Percy were spending an awful lot of time together, the two of them still had no clear connection.

However, it appeared as though it would never come to pass, because Annabeth noticed that both Jason and Leo sat next to each other at their table. This meant that Annabeth would be sitting between them, which she didn't really mind, however, the thought alone scared her. What if their conversation turned towards her, and she accidentally blurted out something she shouldn't have known?

She tried her best to ignore Leo and Jason's chatter throughout the entire afternoon. She was afraid that they might start asking questions regarding her and Percy