And,” Annabeth continued, “it reminds me how long we’ve known each other. We were <i>twelve</i>, Percy. Can you believe that?”<br />“No, he admitted. “So…you knew you liked me from that moment?”<br />She smirked. “I hated you at first. You annoyed me. Then I tolerated you for a few years. Then—”<br />“Okay, fine.”<br />She leaned in and kissed: him a good, proper kiss without anyone watching—no Romans anywhere, no screaming satyr chaperones. <br />She pulled away. “I missed you, Percy.”<br />Percy wanted to tell her the same thing, but it seemed too small a comment. While he had been on the Roman side, he’d kept himself alive almost solely by thinking of Annabeth. <i>I missed you</i> didn’t really cover that.