The Moon Lilies

Annabeth POV

Some of the girls came to Persephone's, which was a beautiful indoor garden. It was one of the best attractions in our city, and it was open at night. The world-famous moon lilies grew in Persephone's garden.

The flowers only bloom in the presence of direct moonlight.

"These flowers are so beautiful. How do you think Persephone discovered them?" Piper asked. I rolled my eyes as Hazel chuckled.

The answer to her question was on the plaque. We were inside of a glass garden house. Ropes separated us from the fields of different flowers. We were standing in front of the moon lily plot and gazing at the shining petals.

"Persephone discovered the flowers during a trip in Brazil. Her team was traveling in the Amazon rainforest when they discovered the moon lilies. You would know this if you just read the plaque," I stated.

"It's Friday night. I refuse to be smart on Friday nights."

"That explains why you always make out with my brother on Friday nights," Thalia commented. Everyone laughed as Piper blushed. Her red cheeks matched the roses behind us.

We continued walking through the greenhouse. Percy would be arriving at any moment, and I already told the girls. They said it was fine.

Juniper, in particular, thought it was a good idea for Percy to hang out. While everyone was commenting on the marigolds, I pulled Juniper aside. We stood next to some mushroom and fungus plots.

"Juniper, what did you mean by Percy needing to hang out. You said that it would be good for him to get out and have fun, and you meant every word," I said firmly.

"Grover and I don't have many secrets between us."

"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked.

Juniper nervously twirled her green hair around her finger. She dyed her hair green during winter break, and the color was still very clear. It suits her well.

"Percy should've won the proposal."

I was about to protest when Juniper interrupted me. "I know that you feel differently, but Percy won this proposal. He went three months without having sex. Percy faked his loss."

That stumped me.

I wasn't expecting that. Percy faked his loss so that I could win. He purposefully lied to everyone, but I didn't know why.

"Percy lied because he wanted me to win the proposal?"

Juniper touched my arm and squeezed gently. "Annabeth, Percy faked his loss and lied because he cares about you. He didn't want you to hurt."

"I don't understand," I blurted out. It didn't make sense.

"Well, you're the smartest person I know. Think about it a little more," Juniper smiled. With that final comment, she rejoined our friends and left me alone with my thoughts.

Percy faked his loss for me. His actions proved how much he cared about me. He expressed his feelings for me without using any words. Warmth exploded in my chest as butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I've never had any guy care enough to lose for me. Percy understood my self-respect and pride, and he protected me from any damage to my personality.

I involuntarily smiled. Gods, he was such a sweet and stupid Seaweed Brain.

I felt bad that he apologized to all his ex-girlfriends because of me.

However, I felt elated at the same time. His actions proved how much I meant to him and how much he understood me.

"Hey, Wise Girl. What are you doing?" a voice asked from behind me. The butterflies in my stomach turned into owls, hooting and flapping their wings.

My heart hammered as I turned around to face Percy.

He was dressed in jeans and a blue hoodie. The moonlight was making his raven hair shine, and his sea-green eyes washed over me.

"I was just admiring the mushrooms," I stammered. Stupid. Why in hell would I be in awe over the freaking fungi?

"I don't like mushrooms. They're icky," he commented while approaching me.

I laughed before nudging his stomach. This is why I like spending time with Percy. He never fails to put a smile on my face. Percy smiled as he looked at my face.

I was hyperaware of his piercing gaze.

We walked through the greenhouse in silence. I could hear my friends' conversing and laughing in the distance. Percy and I stayed a safe distance away.

I gently leaned into Percy. My arm wrapped around his as my fingers slid into his hand. he stopped walking in surprise. We stood in the middle of a patch of purple tulips.

I was too afraid to look into his eyes. Instead, I leaned my head against his shoulder.

"I know what you did, Seaweed Brain. Thank you," I whispered.

Sadness welled in my body as he pulled away. However, he caught me by surprise. His hands cupped my face gently, forcing me to gaze into his sea-green eyes. They were so pure. They resembled the ocean, calm yet powerful. Violent yet beautiful.

His gaze flitted away from my eyes and towards my lips.

Then, he looked up again.

"I don't know how you found out, but you're welcome. I care about you Wise Girl, and I wouldn't let anyone talk bad about you or disrespect you," he expressed softly.

After a few moments, his hands fell away from me, leading to a loss of warmth. And, I realized that I craved his warmth and touch.

I'm not sure what came over me next. My body moved on its own accord.

I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck. My eyes closed as I brushed my lips against his. The kiss was passionate because I was passionate about him.

His grip tightened around me while he pulled me closer. The kiss deepened as I leaned into him. Our lips moved in perfect harmony, and the world melted away.

It's hard to describe the best kiss of your life.

I couldn't put my feelings into words. But, it was safe to say that kissing Percy felt right. It felt like something that I could do for the rest of my life.

However, Percy broke away first.

His forehead leaned against my own as our breaths mixed in the space between us. My gray eyes opened to find his sea-green eyes already looking at me.

Tears swirled in them, and I frowned.

When he blinked, the water escaped his eyelids. My grip loosened around him. Percy staggered away and quickly wiped his eyes. He sucked in a deep breath while I simply watched him.

He finally noticed the expressions on my face.

"Annabeth, I-" he faltered.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. How could the best kiss of my life make him cry? Did he not like the kiss that much? Shame riddled in my bones.

I cleared my throat before responding, "It's all right, Percy. I get it. I understand. Let's just continue on our walk. I'd like to get back to my friends."

Percy's gaze couldn't meet my eyes.

I walked in front of him while he followed behind me. The previous warmth and comfort were replaced by awkwardness and despair. Why did I have to kiss him?

I felt so dumb and dejected. It's not fun to make a move on someone who doesn't feel the same way about you. It feels terrible.

Our friends immediately realized that something wasn't right.

Thalia and Juniper started talking to Percy about school while Piper, Katie, and Hazel pulled me aside. However, I didn't want to talk about it.

It was embarrassing and disappointing.

I was too upset to talk about it.

I thought Percy had feelings for me, but I was wrong. Based on the way he reacted to our kiss, I wasn't sure if we had a future together. It sucked because I like him a lot. He understood me and treated me right.

He was everything that I could hope for, yet we were shattered at the moment.

***

"What's wrong, honey? You've been down all weekend," Dad acknowledged.

He was smart about confronting me. He asked the question after we sat down for Sunday dinner. Helen also looked at me with concern. Bobby and Matthew were too busy digging into their lasagna to notice my negative mood.

I sighed before starting to eat my dinner. I didn't want to talk about my boy problems, especially with my family.

"We're serious, Annabeth. You've barely interacted with us all weekend. What happened Friday night?" Helen asked.

"Nothing," I snapped. "Nothing at all."

Technically, I wasn't lying. Nothing happened between me and Percy. Something could've happened if Percy wanted. However, it was obvious that Percy didn't want anything to happen between us.

I suppose Drew was right about Percy's lack of feelings towards me.

"Annabeth, you can talk to me ab0ut anything. I know that I'm your stepmother, but I can still help. I know what it's like to be a teenager," Helen expressed.

"I know that, but everything's fine. Seriously."

I smiled at her. I appreciate Helen's support. When my dad told me that he was remarrying, I was scared about possibly becoming a protagonist in a Cinderella story. However, I was wrong because Helen turned out to be amazing.

"It's not fine, Annabeth. You didn't come out of your room all day," Bobby exclaimed with a mouthful of food.

"And, you refused to go to the park yesterday," Matthew continued.

"It's just- I realized that someone I care about doesn't like me in the same way. I thought that he did, but it turns out that he isn't interested."

"The guy's a fool for not liking you, Annabeth," Matthew commented. Bobby nodded in agreement as he threatened to punch anyone who doesn't like me.

I chuckled as Helen and my dad looked at me. They were thinking about what advice they could give me.

"Annabeth, is this boy worth it?" Helen asked.

"It's Percy. You both have already met him. He's definitely worth it."

"Hold on, you're telling me that Percy doesn't like you. THAT'S THE DUMBEST THING I'VE EVERY HEARD," Helen exclaimed.

"Yeah, that doesn't sound right," my dad affirmed.

"Well, that's the truth. He pulled away from me after our first kiss, and he didn't make any indication of regret or apology."

"Honey, if you genuinely like Percy, you can't give up because of one small thing."

"Also, maybe, you just caught him off-guard, and he was too shocked to respond. There could be so many other reasons why he pulled away from you."

"You're saying that I have to keep trying?" I asked.

My stepmother looked me straight in the eyes and smiled. I expected some profound words to come out of her mouth, and she didn't disappoint.

"If you're a lover, you've gotta be a fighter," Helen prompted. "Because if you don't fight for your feelings, what kind of feelings do you have?"

My dad and Helen shared a kiss.

I realized that Helen was right. I couldn't give up on Percy that easily. There was no way that I was going down with a fight.

I have feelings for Percy, and my feelings are worth fighting for.