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“okay so we should be back by six,” sally said, slipping her coat on. annabeth smiled at her. “oh, and my son should be in his room. he’s old enough to take care of himself but nowhere near responsible enough to take care of estelle too. you won’t have to worry about him.”
annabeth laughed softly. “no problem, have fun!” she said as sally bid her goodbyes.
just before the door shut, sally paused. “oh i should probably let percy know we’re leaving…” she paused before yelling, “percy! we’re leaving!” then she simply smiled at annabeth and shut the door behind her. she turned to the four-year-old who was sitting on the couch, smiling.
“hi, estelle,” annabeth said sweetly, skipping over to sit on the couch with her. “your mom tells me you like disney movies. do you have a favorite?”
“nemo!” estelle giggled. annabeth beamed.
“i love nemo! should we watch it?” she asked. estelle bounced a little on the couch, nodding her head quickly. annabeth smiled and picked up the remote, navigating the guide to find nemo. just as she clicked play, the floor creaked behind her.
“um…”
annabeth turned to see a boy about her age with messy black hair and stunning green eyes. he was looking at her, clearly confused. before annabeth could say anything, estelle stood on the couch and leaned on the back of it to look at her brother. “percy, percy, percy! we’re watching nemo! come watch! pleeeaaassseee?”
annabeth smiled softly at the girl before looking back at percy who was still eyeing her. “i’m guessing you’re percy?” annabeth asked. “your mom hired me to watch estelle.”
percy became further confused and his eyebrows scrunched together. “oh my god, she actually hired a babysitter,” he said, more to him than out loud. “i thought that was a joke.”
annabeth held back a laugh. “she didn’t tell you about me?”
before percy could say anything, estelle was getting restless. she jumped on the couch again. “percy! come here!” finally, percy’s eyes traveled from annabeth to his sister. he smiled at her.
“hey stella,” he said, walking around the couch to plop down next to her. “didn’t we watch nemo like two days ago?”
estelle smiled and sat down on his lap. “yeah but we have to watch it with annabeth!” she said. hearing her name, percy’s eyes looked back over at annabeth as if he’d forgotten she was there. he studied her for a second. estelle had already lost interest, watching the screen now.
“annabeth chase,” he said. annabeth’s eyebrows shot up. he looked familiar so she’d assumed he went to school with her but she hadn’t expected him to know her last name. she also noted that he didn’t ask if it was her last name, he just knew it. she nodded slowly. confusion must’ve been clear on her face because percy explained, “jason’s my best friend. he’s dating your friend, piper.”
“ohh, right,” she said. “i recognized your name when your mom said it. but i didn’t put the pieces together until now. that’s cool, though.”
he nodded, looking her up and down once before turning his attention to the screen. estelle was silently watching the movie and leaning against her brother so annabeth took the opportunity to slip her phone out of her pocket and shoot piper a text.
to: piper
so turns out i’m babysitting percy’s sister. as in jason’s best friend, percy
she locked the screen and placed it under her leg, glancing at estelle once more before watching the movie. annabeth couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen nemo. her brothers were too old to watch movies like this. and any time they did watch movies, they rarely did it with annabeth. ten minutes later, her phone buzzed under her leg. she slid it out, looking at the message on her lockscreen.
from: piper
omg shut up?? according to jason, he’s wanted to talk to you forever. jason thinks he likes you… it’s fate lol
annabeth blinked at the screen, rereading it a few times. she eased the phone back under her leg and without thinking, looked up at percy. he was already looking at her. he held her gaze for a few seconds before turning away. she allowed herself to look at him for another moment before turning her attention back to the screen.
he was objectively good looking. his skin was tan, his hair fell in messy waves that he pushed back constantly, his emerald green eyes were unfairly captivating. if annabeth remembered correctly, he was captain of the swim team and his body certainly showed it. his arm muscles alone were impressive. she idly wondered if the rest of his body was the same way…
annabeth promptly snapped out of her thoughts when the couch shifted. estelle crawled over the couch until she was in the middle and she looked at annabeth shyly.
“can i lay with you?” she asked and annabeth smiled widely. she moved her phone out from under her leg and set it on the armrest before holding her arm out.
“of course!” annabeth said. estelle beamed and quickly shuffled over, cuddling into annabeth’s side. annabeth draped her arm over the girl’s shoulders. from the other side of the couch, percy scoffed.
“traitor!” he called. estelle stuck her tongue out at him, making annabeth chuckle. “what does annabeth have that i don’t?” he whined.
“annabeth is prettier!” estelle exclaimed. annabeth laughed more now, her heart warming at estelle’s words.
percy’s eyes went from estelle up to annabeth. they made eye contact for a second and he smiled slowly. “okay. i can’t argue with you there, stella,” he said quietly. annabeth knew she was blushing as she looked away, biting the inside of her cheek to hold back a smile. the rest of the movie went by silently, excluding the few times estelle would make a comment that led to a small, silly discussion.
when it ended, estelle only cuddled closer to annabeth. “i’m hungry,” she stated. annabeth looked down at her.
“how do you feel about pizza?” she asked. sally had left annabeth ten dollars for pizza earlier and honestly, annabeth was craving it now. estelle gasped, her eyes lighting up.
“yes!” she yelled. annabeth smiled and picked up her phone.
“what kind?” she asked.
“cheese,” percy replied. annabeth looked up at him, almost forgetting he was there. estelle nodded enthusiastically, agreeing with him.
annabeth rolled her eyes but smiled. “boring,” she whined, smiling. “but i guess so.”
“boring?” percy asked, amused. “what’s your toppings of choice then?”
annabeth hesitated. she looked up at him and bit back a smile. “you’re gonna make fun of me for it.” she looked away and began to place an order online.
his eyebrows furrowed together, still smiling. “why do you say that?”
estelle was laying with her head in annabeth’s lap, her fingers playing the end of one of annabeth’s curls. “your hair makes you look like a princess,” she said absentmindedly. annabeth smiled down at her.
“thank you. your hair is even prettier though,” she told her. estelle’s hair was a mess of caramel brown ringlets splayed out across the cushion and annabeth’s legs. annabeth finished placing the order and looked back up at percy who was smiling softly at her. “and i say that because everyone does when they find out.”
“tell me,” he said.
annabeth smiled. “olives. that’s my favorite topping,” she told him.
he blinked a few times before he wrinkled his nose. “that,” he said, “is disgusting.”
“it’s not!” she protested. she looked down and began to rake her fingers through estelle’s curls. “do you think olives are gross?”
the girl shrugged absentmindedly. “i don’t know.”
“stella, say yes,” percy stage whispered.
“no,” she replied in the same tone, making both him and annabeth laugh. annabeth looked over to find percy’s green eyes trained on her. she held his gaze for a little too long before breaking it and looking back down at the child in her lap.
“wanna watch something else?” she asked. estelle nodded, smiling.
“what’s your favorite disney movie?” she asked. annabeth smiled. she found it incredibly sweet that a four-year-old would watch a movie just because it was annabeth’s favorite.
“beauty and the beast,” annabeth answered. “belle has always been my favorite princess.” in truth, annabeth wasn’t the fondest of princess movies but belle was a bookworm, much like herself, so she’s always liked her in that sense.
“i wanna watch!” estelle said, sitting up. annabeth smiled, pulling the movie up and pressing play. annabeth hummed along with the first song though when the bridge came, she couldn’t help quietly singing the words. estelle gaped at her. “you sing like a princess too!” she exclaimed.
annabeth chuckled. “you can barely hear me,” she objected gently. estelle shook her head violently.
“yes, i can!” she exclaimed. then she looked at her brother. “isn’t she a princess, percy?”
hesitantly, annabeth’s eyes lifted to percy. he smiled. “definitely, stella.”
“see!” estelle seemed pretty proud of herself, proving to annabeth that she was a princess and annabeth could only laugh and shrug.
“sure, estelle,” she said gently. that seemed to satisfy the girl and she turned her attention back to the screen. they got another ten minutes into the movie before there was a knock on the door. annabeth stood, ensuring estelle was staying on the couch before going to answer the door. she paid the pizza guy, took the box, and walked into the kitchen where percy was pulling plates from the cabinet. piper’s text came back to mind.
“did you actually not know your mom hired me?” she asked him. he looked at her and smiled.
“i thought she was joking when she said i wasn’t responsible enough to watch stella on my own,” he said quietly. annabeth chuckled.
she took the plates from percy, setting them down before opening the box. she pulled out a small piece for estelle, putting it on a plate for her. as she picked up a piece for herself, she looked over at percy who was leaning on the counter with arms crossed. if he noticed that annabeth glanced at his muscles, he didn’t show it.
“it’d be better with olives,” she said, “but it’ll do.”
percy rolled his eyes. “it would absolutely not be better that way.”
as annabeth set her second piece on her plate, she got a little sauce on her thumb. without thinking, she put the side of her thumb into her mouth quickly to suck it off. and she watched as percy’s eyes followed the movement and lingered on her lips. she didn’t mean to, but she chuckled at his obviousness and then immediately averted her eyes.
“what?” he asked. annabeth quickly shook her head. there was no way for her to casually say piper told me that jason thinks you’re into me and all day, you’ve been confirming that.
“um,” annabeth said, changing the subject, “can we eat in the living room? i don’t know if you have any rule against that or…” she trailed off.
he tilted his head. “there’s napkins right there. grab a few and have stella sit on the floor. she should be fine,” he said, turning his attention to the pizza.
“okay,” she replied, grabbing the napkins. “if she makes a mess, i’m blaming you though.”
percy chuckled but gave no further comment so annabeth left him alone and walked into the living room with the two plates. estelle’s eyes lit up. “are we eating in here?” she asked excitedly.
annabeth smiled and took a seat on the floor. “yep. but come sit down here with me,” she said and estelle instantly slid off the couch and onto the ground. percy walked into the room and never even got the opportunity to sit on the couch because estelle immediately patted the ground next to her. he shook his head softly and sat on the ground.
annabeth slid estelle’s plate over to her, then looked at her seriously. she held out her pinky. “pinky promise me you won’t make a mess,” she told the girl. “if you make a mess and your mom gets mad at me, she may never ask me to come back and i don’t want that.”
estelle’s eyes widened. they were green, like her brother’s, but a much softer, earthy green. she immediately took annabeth’s pinky with her own. “i promise!”
annabeth smiled at her and began eating her own pizza, turning her attention to the movie. a bit later, percy stood and collected everyone’s plates, taking them to the kitchen. when he was gone, estelle looked over at annabeth.
“i think he likes you,” she whispered. annabeth bit her lip to hold back a smile.
“i know,” annabeth whispered back.
estelle looked up as if to check if percy was coming back. seeing the coast was clear, she leaned closer and asked with a low voice, “do you like him?”
before she could answer, percy walked back in. estelle quickly moved away, easily making it look suspicious. the confusion was clear on percy’s face as he sat down again, looking from estelle to annabeth, then back to estelle. annabeth didn’t realize she was smiling softly as he looked confused. she knew almost nothing about percy jackson and she realized suddenly how badly she wanted that to change. she wanted to know everything.
“yeah, estelle,” she replied as she held eye contact with percy. “i think i do.”
estelle beamed at her and clambered onto the couch. percy tilted his head, silently asking annabeth what that was about, and in response, she just shook her head and moved back up to the couch. she enjoyed the dumbfounded look on his face as he slowly moved himself up to the couch too.
estelle leaned against annabeth as they finished the movie. the only time she spoke was anytime annabeth sang along to a song. and each time, it was to comment on how she was convinced annabeth was a princess in disguise. when the movie finished, annabeth looked down at the girl laying in her lap to find estelle’s green eyes trained on her already.
“can we play a game?” she asked. annabeth glanced up at percy whose eyes were on his phone.
“sure,” she replied. “what game?”
estelle shrugged and sat up. she shuffled forward a little until she was able to push her foot against her brother’s knee. his eyes snapped up and he slipped his phone away.
“what?”
annabeth held back a smile. estelle messily pushed her curls away from her face and said, “we wanna play a game! can you get candyland?”
percy sighed dramatically. “why do i have to get it?” he whined. estelle huffed, clearly annoyed.
“i can’t reach it and annabeth doesn’t know where it is,” she argued. annabeth smiled at the attitude in her voice. “so you have to get it,” she finished.
percy sighed again and looked up at annabeth, who just shrugged innocently and smiled. he rolled his eyes playful and stood, disappearing down the hall to get the game. annabeth watched as estelle attempted to push her hair out of her face again.
“do you want me to braid your hair?” annabeth asked her. “so it’s out of your face?”
estelle’s eyes lit up and she nodded. annabeth smiled and set a pillow on the ground in front of her and gestured for estelle to sit on it. she began to pull her ringlets into a loose french braid. she was lucky piper taught her how to braid when they were younger. she was tying off the braid when percy came back, board game in hand. he stopped at the end of the hallway and leaned against the wall, smiling softly.
“she’s braiding my hair,” estelle said, making percy chuckle.
“i see that,” he replied. annabeth looped the thin, white hair tie around the end of the braid one more time before dropping it.
“all done,” she said. estelle beamed at her and scooted towards the center of the floor where they’d play the game. annabeth looked up at percy who hadn’t moved. he had a small grin on his face as he studied annabeth. she felt her cheeks flush under his gaze and she slid off the couch to sit on the floor across from estelle. percy moved finally and joined them on the ground, sitting next to his sister. percy began to set up the board and the cards. estelle picked out the four game pieces.
“annabeth gets to pick first,” she declared.
percy paused collecting the cards for a moment and looked at annabeth, a small smirk on his lips. annabeth held his gaze for a few seconds, slightly mesmerized by his sea green eyes, and without breaking eye contact, she said, “green.”
she knew percy must’ve made the connection because his eyes sparkled and his smile grew a bit before he dropped his gaze and finished collecting the cards. estelle handed her the green piece, then put the blue piece in front of percy, and kept the red for herself, tossing the yellow back into the box. they set the pieces up at the start (estelle insisted that annabeth went first) and began playing.
annabeth had more fun than she’d like to admit. it’d been years since she’d played a board game. her family stopped doing game nights after her brothers turned ten. half the time when they did play games then, they just so happened to forget to invite annabeth to play. percy played up his reactions to good and bad cards purely to make estelle laugh. estelle giggled so often and each time, it made annabeth’s heart feel happier and happier. she also was such a good sport, especially for someone so young. anytime annabeth or percy would pull a good card, the four-year-old would cheer them on, even if they were ahead of her.
annabeth had just gotten stuck on the spot that skipped her turn when she saw estelle lean over and whisper something in her brother’s ear. percy’s eyes flicked to annabeth as estelle sat back down in her spot and he smiled.
“you’re right, stella,” he said, not looking away from annabeth as he said it. she furrowed her eyebrows and he simply tilted his head innocently and stayed silent.
“estelle,” annabeth said, “what did you whisper to him?”
estelle immediately went to get up when percy grabbed her and pulled her into his lap, tickling her. “traitor! you can’t share our secrets!” he exclaimed over estelle’s shrieks of laughter. annabeth beamed at the sight of them and whatever feelings she’d started to develop for percy grew stronger just at the sight. it took no time at all for annabeth to absolutely love estelle and she realized that must’ve been a quality the jackson’s possessed. she’d loved sally the first time she’d met her, which was for an informal interview about babysitting. and now, watching percy hold his sister tightly while she wiggled to escape, she realized the past five hours had already made her grow so fond of him.
“okay!” estelle squealed. “i won’t tell her!”
percy pretended to think for a moment, as if contemplating letting her go, before releasing her. she laughed as she crawled away. annabeth pouted.
“you’re really not gonna tell me?” she asked, her voice filled with fake sadness. estelle glanced at her brother to check that he wasn’t ready to attack her again before smiling sheepishly at annabeth and shaking her head.
“i think percy should tell you,” she stated. annabeth raised her eyebrows and her gaze went from the girl to percy. he was biting a smile back.
“it’s a secret,” he shrugged. annabeth tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and all but pouted as she looked at him. percy studied her for a second, smiling. “later,” he said quietly. he winked as he leaned forward to pick up a card for his turn and annabeth felt her cheeks heat up.
estelle won the first game and they had just begun the second round when they heard the door unlock. “mommy! daddy!” estelle shouted, standing up and running towards the door. sally had barely gotten to take one step inside the apartment before her daughter attacked her leg, latching on to it like a koala. annabeth laughed softly and began to pick up the cards. she put the board and cards in the box along with the character pieces.
she was about to close the box when percy said, “here.” she looked up and he was holding out a few cards she’d missed.
“thanks,” she muttered, taking them and slipping them in the box before closing it. she placed her hands on the top of the box and looked at him. “do i get to know the secret now?”
he was about to respond when sally and her husband, paul, entered the living room. estelle was thrown over her dad’s shoulder and she giggled relentlessly, trying to get down. sally smiled at annabeth.
“estelle says you guys had fun,” she said. paul put estelle down gently who ran over to annabeth and hugged her.
annabeth laughed gently. “we had so much fun,” she said honestly. estelle nodded eagerly, making her parents beam.
“um, excuse me,” percy said, gaining everyone’s attention. he looked at his mom. “i didn’t think you were serious when you said i wasn’t responsible enough to watch stella. i’m a little offended.”
sally pursed her lips. annabeth looked over at him and smiled. “would you have rather me not been here?” she asked. “was i that boring to be around, jackson?”
percy barked out a laugh but didn’t reply. his eyes glittered though and that was enough of an answer to annabeth. she turned away and looked back up at sally who was looking back and forth between annabeth and her son. “do you guys know each other?” she asked.
“my best friend is dating his friend, jason,” annabeth explained. sally nodded slowly and annabeth saw the gears turning in her head.
“is that why i recognized your name?” she asked before looking at percy. “annabeth sounded familiar.”
annabeth turned and looked at percy, her eyebrows raised. he wasn’t looking at her though. he was looking up at his mother with a stare that screamed please shut up. annabeth turned back towards sally and shrugged. “maybe.” she paused for a moment. estelle was still wrapped around her. “i should, uh, get going then.”
estelle looked up at her with wide eyes. “are you gonna come back?”
annabeth smiled. “of course,” she said. she really hoped sally would hire her again. estelle beamed and hugged her again, even tighter. sally’s eyes were bright as she watched them.
“do you drive annabeth?” she asked. “or do you have someone coming to get you?”
annabeth stood once estelle released her and picked her phone up from the couch, slipping it in her pocket. “oh, i’m just taking the subway,” she said with a smile. sally frowned.
“oh, really? paul or i could drive you home if you’d like,” she offered. annabeth immediately shook her head.
“no, no, it’s okay!”
still, sally didn’t let up. “are you sure? it would be no hassle.”
“you guys just got home,” annabeth said. “it’s totally okay, you don’t have to.”
sally was about to reply, maybe to insist again, when her son interrupted her.
“i can drive you home.”
annabeth’s eyes snapped to percy. he had a casual smile but there was a glint in his eye that made annabeth hesitate on declining his offer. “you don’t have to,” she said, biting her lip.
“i want to,” he said.
“are you sure?”
his smile grew. “of course,” he said, finally standing up from the floor. “let me grab my shoes and my keys real fast.” he left the room without another word. annabeth was suddenly very excited about the ride home.
sally grinned, her eyes glittering. she knew percy’s offer was a little more than just him being nice. “great!” she exclaimed. she then reached into her back pocket and took out $60 in cash and handed it to annabeth. “oh, and this is for you, sweetheart.”
annabeth grinned. “thank you! if you ever need me to watch estelle again, please let me know. she’s seriously the sweetest kid ever.”
estelle hugged annabeth’s leg and looked at her mom. “i like annabeth!” she exclaimed, making her parents laugh. sally looked ecstatic at how well her daughter had gotten along with annabeth.
“i’ll definitely let you know,” she said. just then, percy entered the room and looked at annabeth with his lopsided grin.
“ready?” he asked. she nodded and looked down at the little girl attached to her leg.
“i don’t think i’m allowed to take you home with me,” she said. estelle hugged her tighter, making annabeth grin. she held up her little finger. “but i pinky promise i’ll come back soon.”
estelle thought for a second before releasing annabeth’s leg and locking pinkies. “i’ll miss you,” she said. annabeth seriously considered asking sally if she could come back tomorrow.
“i’ll miss you more,” she replied. she looked back up at percy whose eyes danced with mirth. “ready.” she said her goodbyes to sally and paul and waved at estelle, who was still a little pouty at annabeth leaving. as she walked with percy out of his apartment complex, he smiled at her.
“i’ve never seen estelle like someone that much so quickly,” he said, making annabeth’s heart warm all over again.
“i’ve never liked a kid that much at all, really,” she said honestly, “and i have two brothers. estelle easily tops them.”
he laughed quietly. the sun was just beginning to set, casting a golden light over everything. they approached his car and he unlocked it. annabeth slid into the passenger side. she gave him her address and they lapsed into silence for a bit as he began to drive. annabeth was the one to break the quiet.
“so,” she said, looking over at him. he looked unfairly attractive while driving. “do i get to know the secret from earlier yet?”
he laughed. “honestly, i hoped you’d forgotten about that,” he said. his eyes were on the road but he was smiling widely.
“nope,” she said, popping the ‘p’ obnoxiously. she placed her elbow on the center console and put her chin in her hand, looking at him. maybe she was a little too close, considering they had essentially met today, but he only smiled wider. “tell me,” she prodded.
he bit his lip and annabeth saw his cheeks flush. “estelle told me you were pretty.”
annabeth dropped her hand and leaned back, disbelief taking over her features. “that’s it?” she asked. “that’s the secret?”
he looked over at her as he stopped at a red light and shrugged. “i mean, it’s not really a secret. it’s kinda obvious.”
annabeth scoffed lightly, turning away. she tried to act annoyed but her wide smile made it kind of hard. “i cannot believe i waited that long for that,” she said, making him laugh. “besides, you’ve made it obvious that you find me pretty all day.”
percy’s cheeks turned a darker pink and he shrugged. “i do,” he said softly. he turned into her neighborhood and she hid her frown. she didn’t want this to be over already. quickly, annabeth shot piper a text asking her to get percy’s number from jason. then she looked back over at percy.
“you know,” she said, feeling her cheeks heat up, “estelle told me something earlier.”
he hesitated. “what did she tell you?”
“she said she thinks you like me.”
percy chuckled. “smart girl,” he said. annabeth bit back a smile. he turned on to her street.
“and then she asked if i like you.”
percy raised his eyebrows. “and when did she say this?”
“while you were getting pizza.” annabeth wondered if he’d put the pieces together on his own. she saw the gears working in his mind as he pulled into her driveway. she put her elbow on the console again with her chin in her palm. he looked over at her, his eyebrows furrowed together.
“so like… when i came back into the room and stella shuffled away from you quickly? making her look super suspicious, that girl is not slick at all.”
annabeth laughed and nodded. “yep,” annabeth confirmed softly. percy tilted his head and his smile grew slowly.
“so you answered her after i came back…” he said quietly, more to himself than to her. she just smiled at him. his eyes glittered. annabeth leaned back from the console and checked her phone quickly. piper had replied. she opened the door and looked over at percy. he was watching her with a wide grin.
“i’ll see you later, percy,” she said, beginning to step out of the car.
“annabeth,” he called. she turned and saw him going through his phone briefly before holding it out to her. it was opened to a new contact page and he gave her a sweet smile.
she looked at it before her eyes flicked up to his. “don’t worry,” she said slyly. “i already have your number. i’ll text you.”
annabeth winked and held back a laugh at his confused expression. without another word she got out of the car and shut the door. as she walked up to her house, she didn’t look back until she was opening the front door. he was leaning forward, his arms crossed at the top of his steering wheel, with a wide smile. she gave him a small wave before entering her house and shutting the door.
immediately, she pulled out her phone and opened her text from piper. she put the phone number and percy’s name in a new contact and typed out a message to him, not hesitating to hit send.
to: percy
by the way, piper spilled about your crush on me way before estelle even got the chance