Princesses, Punks, and One Problem.

Memories Hurt

Shoutout to @Miss_Mcshizzle and @IaminlovewithPercyJ!! Love my loyal readers! This chapter is for them.
Annabeth stared right into his sea green eyes as he spoke.
"But before I do... I need to know why you like Luke."
Annabeth raised her eyebrows in question, "Well, he's... He's..." She couldn't seem to remember why she did like him. "He's cute, and smart..." But that sounded shallow. He used to be romantic, yet in the past few weeks all the midnight rendezvous had stopped, their lunches and dinners vanished...
Luke always had an excuse for why he couldn't, so why could she stay with him? She pursed her lips, seeing Percy sigh again.
"I don't have to explain myself to you."
Percy's expression snapped back to guarded and with an abrupt yank she lost her grip on his wrists. "Then neither do I." He stood up, and then he was gone.
She looked at the empty space where he had been sitting, his jacket abandoned. She had been so close to solving the mystery that shrouded him, and one wrong sentence ruined that. She brought a hand to massage her temples. This whole ordeal had exhausted her, mentally and physically.
She didn't realize she'd done it, but sooner than later her head had fallen down to the couch, her arms wrapped around Percy's jacket, breathing in the vanilla mint scent she recognized as him.
~Percy's thumb traced her jaw, his smile, for once, calm and serene. "I love you Annabeth. I always have."
Her heart rate skyrocketed. Here was Percy Jackson, the bad boy with all the secrets, admitting one. About her. And it made her blush, though she didn't know why. Something about him drew her in.
"I've-" she stopped her sentence as Percy's head snapped away from her off into the distance, which was only white. Like they were trapped in some impenetrable fog.
She watched his eyes drop a few octaves from the peace she'd seen to fear and sadness. His head turned back to meet her eyes, this time his were broken, sad and regretful.
"I'm sorry. I said too much. I really am sorry."
He moved to pull away, but yet again she grabbed his wrist. "What do you mean? Why are you sorry?"
His head shook slowly, "I can't tell you. I just am."
"Percy..." His name was so soft on her tongue, like a plead.
"I can't Annabeth!" He yelled, yanking away from her, but as he did, his body began fading away, becoming the white most all around them.
"Percy!" She yelled, grabbing at his leather jacket.
His hands covered her own and drew a single small circle. "Don't worry. I'll most likely be okay." Then his hands untangled hers from the soft leather on his coat, and he faded to mist.
She stared where he'd vanished, her head spinning. What was that?? Why did he look so scared?
With a snap Annabeth woke up, outside dark, skies bravely lighting the black. How long was she asleep? Glancing at the clock, she did a double take. She'd been asleep for six hours?!

She noticed the jacket, and tossed it aside. Her dream was too weird for her to think about Percy right now.
Though no matter how much studying she tried to do, Percy was all she could think about.
The way he turned from peace to fear so fast, like something, or someone had scared him away.
She felt bad. Her smart comments had probably walled himself away from others even more.
Feeling trapped in her apartment, Annabeth left, wrapping Percy's jacket around her when the cold night wind hit her. It wasn't her fault, it was there and she was cold. Well, that's what she told herself, anyway.
She stepped down the iron stairs of the apartments, her boot landing in a puddle at the base of the stairs. Apparently it had rained while she was asleep.
She sighed and pulled the jacket tighter around her, ignoring the scent that lingered on it. She wasn't sure why she'd brought it, maybe with the crazy idea it would be returned tonight? At three in the morning?
"You shouldn't be out here, Doll. Someone could getcha!" A voice accompanied by a body wrapping around hers whispered against her ear.
"Luke." She kept her tone neutral. She wasn't in the mood for him right now though.
"Annie-B," he chuckled the nickname in her ear. Why was he here in the first place? This wasn't normal.
"Anna is a stretch, but Annie-B isn't happening." She tried to sound happy to see him.
He laughed again, "And what's my girl doing out here so late, and wearing leather?"
She was so thankful to any gods out there at the moment that it was too dark for him to tell it was a man's jacket. Much less the same one Percy always wore.
"I could ask you the same question, this isn't your usual hang out area or time." She dodged the question, firing one back instead.
"I guess we both have secrets." He didn't push it, which calmed her.
"I guess so." She repeated quietly. "I have to go though, I'm meeting my friend."
"I'm not your friend." She knew that voice too. It was Percy.
Luke withdrew from the embrace he'd held Annabeth in. "I'm sorry, you came out here to meet with him?" Luke asked disgustedly.
She steeled her face. "Yes I did."
Percy was silent. "There wasn't any purpose in that, I have nothing to say to you anyway. Now if I could have my jacket back I'll be on my way and out of your hair forever."
She shook her head. "It's not that simple and you know it!"
"For me it is."
Luke cut in. "I think it's all very simple, Anna." His pet name held ice and venom now. "He doesn't want you, so if you would give him back his coat, I'll be glad to walk you home."
She looked down at the darkness shrouding her shoes. "Fine. But we aren't done Percy."
She could hear the pain in his voice, and she wished she could see his face and be there to comfort him as she slowly peeled off his coat. "Yes, we are."