Percy wakes up to smells of citrus and fresh sheets and... rubbing alcohol?

He opens his eyes with a start, suddenly aware of his legs tangled up with someone else's.

Annabeth stirs a little in her sleep. She hasn't even woken up yet, but there are dark circles under her eyes.

Then Percy remembers why he's in this bed with his ex-girlfriend.

Should he wake her up? She seems peaceful at last, and clearly, she had a rough night.

Then again, she'll have a rough morning when she wakes up to find her face on his chest. What happened to the pillow barrier he put up last night?

He rests his head back against the mattress. She'll be pissed when she finally wakes up, but Annabeth needs rest. That's a priority for sure.

It's weird having Annabeth wrapped around him, holding onto his body as if it's a massive pillow. He shouldn't enjoy it as much as he does, but he can't help it.

Percy smiles, remembering what she said to him before falling asleep last night.

"Goodnight, Seaweed Brain."

Of course, she didn't really mean what she said to him; whatever Pothos hit her with had her pretty loopy.

He lets his forearm rest along her waist. Someone must have gotten too hot in the middle of the night; the comforter is thrown to the bottom of the bed and the sheet only covers Percy. At least there's one barrier between Annabeth's thigh and Percy's manhood. He's not sure he can withstand the embarrassment of Annabeth waking up and telling him that-

"Ew, you drooled on me!" Annabeth says.

"Oh shoot, uh, good morning?" Percy rubs his thumb across Annabeth's nose, trying to relieve her of his dribble. "Sorry 'bout that."

She sits up, pressing her palms against Percy's chest for leverage. When she stretches, he can see her lace underwear.

"If we slept together, I'm going to need you to forget about it because I sure as hell don't remember that part."

"Oh, we didn't have sex," says Percy. "Nico and Will left me to keep an eye on you last night when he found you, uh, at the bachelor party, and they never came back."

Annabeth opens the minifridge and cracks open a mango White Claw.

Knowing better than to judge her for drinking first thing in the morning, Percy continues, "We didn't have sex. You know I'd never take advantage of you like that."

"Look at you all high and mighty," she says sarcastically. "I guess I owe you for doing the bare minimum."

Percy rolls his eyes. He's not trying to get any special treatment for treating his crazy ex-girlfriend like a normal human being. He just wants her to know that he's someone she can trust.

"Well, that's the last time I ever take from the mystery bowl of pills," she says, taking another sip of hard seltzer. She must still be numb in the face; it's dribbling onto the shirt Percy lent her.

Mystery pills? That would make a lot of sense, but what she told Percy last night had been too real.

"I don't want to like, open this can of worms, but I'm not sure that's what happened," Percy says.

Annabeth continues talking as she disappears into the bathroom. "I remember being... uh..."

She doesn't remember.

Percy tries to fill her in. "I know it might not be the most trustworthy story, but last night you said that you saw Pothos and some other guy."

"Why is this bathroom a mess?" she asks.

"You needed me to find your tattoo solution. I left it here on the nightstand," Percy replies. "Anyways, you also said something about almost getting shot by an arrow, and then like, pink stuff coming out of it? My theory is that maybe it had some sort of drug effect on you."

Annabeth emerges from the bathroom, her hair now pulled up in a lopsided bun. She takes a pill and washes it down with White Claw. "I don't remember this," she says flatly. More seltzer gets on Percy's shirt.

"I don't wanna tell you what's wrong or right. All I know is that you were going to secure the venue before the rehearsal dinner, and then Nico dug you out from under a windmill and you told me about seeing a three-headed dog."

She rubs her temples as if digging into her mind for this memory. "I remember the venue part. That was hella awkward being there with my foot through the floor while you and the guys were throwing flowers around the place."

Percy cocks his head to the side. "Why didn't you call for help?"

"Well, it sounds like I got us very important information, so you should be thanking me," says Annabeth.

"You don't even remember it," says Percy. "I could tell you that Pothos looked like me and you'd have to believe it!"

Annabeth chokes a little on her drink. "Oh, shit."

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that..." Percy grabs his jeans from the floor and pulls them under the sheet.

"I remember."

Percy struggles to put his legs in the holes. "You do?"

"Yeah," she says. "Something really bad is going to happen. They've got some sort of hybrid Cerberus."

"Who?" Percy asks. He pulls the jeans up to his knees, only to realize they're on backward.

Annabeth sits down on the edge of the bed and tilts her head back to get the last few drops of White Claw. "Pothos is working with this guy that I hooked up with a month or so ago. They've got some sort of deal. Pothos is supplying these hybrid monsters, but I'm not sure what he's getting out of it."

"What's our next move?" Percy asks.

"My next move is to go back down there before the rehearsal and see if I can find any clues." She groans. "Dammit Percy, just get up and put your pants on like a normal person."

"I'm going with you," says Percy. He tugs the jeans back off and tries to flip them around.

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am. They can't drug us both, can they?"

Annabeth crushes her empty can. "I suppose there's no way I can possibly shake you this time?"

Percy shakes his head playfully and buttons his jeans. "What time do we have to be at the venue?" he asks.

Annabeth begins to coat her tattoo in lotion. "I literally joined the wedding party yesterday morning. I'm just thankful I don't have to wear a corset top tomorrow anymore."

Percy decides not to ask for clarification. He unlocks his phone. "Oh my gods we slept through the morning it's almost two!"

"Damn, I'm up kind of early," says Annabeth.

There are so many missed phone calls from Frank and text messages from all his friends. Gods, Frank had probably tried to Iris Message him too.

A recent message from Frank asks, Rough night? Didn't see you at breakfast.

He followed up with another message an hour later: If you see her, can you tell Annabeth the rehearsal dinner starts at four?

Have you seen Frank? Nico and Will are being weird, Hazel asked him last night.

Piper texted some pictures to the wedding party group chat of Frank and Leo riding on a bell cart. Percy zooms in on the guys snuggling in the corner. Are they Will and Nico? Together?

"Percy, are you even listening to me?"

"Rehearsal dinner starts at four. We gotta get ready," he says.

"Great! Now leave so I can shower," Annabeth says. "I don't need you to keep an eye on me while I do that."

Percy picks up his tennis shoes and says, "I'll come back in half an hour. I'm walking you to the venue." He doesn't mean to sound so demanding, but considering that Annabeth started her day off with a hard seltzer, it's probably best if she isn't in charge.

End of Part V