Archive of Our Own

Maybe it was an unpopular opinion, but Annabeth loved flying on planes. She liked the feeling of leaving all her problems on the ground for a few hours, focusing on nothing except the clouds around her and the book in her hands. And usually, that was a fairly easy task. Except on this flight, the guy next to her was clutching the armrest between them so tightly, Annabeth thought he might break it.

The plane started down the runway, and the man inhaled sharply, tensing. Annabeth glanced over, feeling a little bad for him. There were about six hours ahead of them and she didn’t want to get too friendly in the first five minutes out of fear that he’d try to make conversation the whole flight. But still, she felt bad for him. “Don’t like flying?” she asked quietly.

His eyes snapped open, a vivid green full of anxiety, and he looked at her. She smiled, her eyes flicking down to his white-knuckled grip on the armrest. He released it quickly, bringing his balled-up fist into his lap. “Sorry,” he muttered.

Annabeth watched as he closed his eyes again, tilting his head back a little, tense like he was bracing himself. She bit her lip. “Are you a dog or cat person?” she asked. An easy topic to keep him distracted.

Just like before, his eyes snapped open, only this time there was a good mix of confusion in there. She waited patiently, but when he didn’t reply for another few seconds, she shrugged lightly. “Talking usually helps.”

He blinked, finally catching on. “Dog person,” he answered.

She smiled. “Correct choice,” she said. “Do you have a dog?”

His lips quirked up. “Do you have something against cats?”

“I’m allergic.”

He nodded, huffing out a chuckle. Just then, the plane lifted off and the ground and he tensed all over again, so Annabeth quickly repeated, “Do you have a dog?”

“No, I’m too busy to have one,” he said. “I work a lot. Wouldn’t wanna leave them at home alone.”

She nodded. “I’m the same way,” she said. “Did you ever have any growing up? Or any pets at all?”

The guy chuckled, his eyes flicking past her to the window for a second before settling on her again. The green of his eyes was stupidly pretty, different shades weaving together to make a pattern that looked like water shimmering under the sun. Maybe she wouldn’t mind talking to him for a bit.

“A cat,” he said. “She was the devil, hence why I’m a dog person now. What about you?”

“I had a whole zoo growing up,” she laughed, subtly slipping her bookmark in between the pages of the book that was still open on her lap. “Two dogs, a snake, and two birds.”

“Oh my God.”

“My brothers also had a tarantula, but I actively block out the memory of her because it haunts me.”

“Not a fan of spiders?” he asked. Not a fan was putting it very lightly. She hated them more than anything else on the planet.

She let out a humorless laugh. “I’ve never liked them, but it became a phobia when I found that very spider right next to my head when I woke up one morning.”

He gasped before shuddering. “Oh, nope. Nope, no thank you.”

Annabeth laughed. “I almost killed the thing, but I was a bit busy having a panic attack.”

“Yeah, I bet,” he said. “I’m not-“ his words were cut off by a soft chime throughout the cabin, then the crackle of the pilot announcing that they were allowed to unbuckle their seatbelts and get up if needed. The man beside her blinked at the unlit seatbelt indicator above them.

“The worst is over?” she asked lightly, redirecting his attention back to her.

“The actual worst is landing,” he said with a smile. “But yeah. Thank you for the distraction.”

“It was nothing,” she said, her cheeks flushing under his grateful expression. “I’m Annabeth, by the way.”

“Percy,” he replied. An interesting name, but she thought it suited him.

Annabeth wasn’t ready to be done talking to him, so after a few seconds of hesitation, she asked, “What takes you to LA?”

Thankfully, he didn’t seem against the idea of continuing their conversation. “One of my friends from college is getting married tonight,” he said, loosening his seatbelt a bit and relaxing. He looked so much more at ease now than he had when they’d first begun takeoff.

“Oh wow, me too, actually,” she said. “So New York is home for you, then?”

“Manhattan, born and raised,” he said proudly.

“That’s where I am, too,” she said, a light fluttery feeling taking place in her heart. They possibly lived near each other. She wasn’t sure why that made her so happy, but it did. “I was born in Richmond, though.”

“What made you choose New York?”

No matter how much time passed, Annabeth didn’t seem to get tired of talking to him. Hours passed, filled with constant chatter and laughter from both of them. The only time it ceased was the few moments a flight attendant asked them about snacks or drinks.

They talked about friends, family, work. She told him about how she was the head of her department at her architecture firm. He told her all about how he worked at a marine wildlife conservation organization in North Manhattan. They had recently decided to build another laboratory, though, and they’d chosen Percy to be the CEO of the Southern Manhattan location, which would cut his travel time down to 20 minutes once it was built next year.

About four hours into the flight, all Annabeth could think about was how she didn’t want this to be the only time she ever saw him. Maybe there was some kind of magic in the air, but they just had so much chemistry. It was like they’d known each other for years.

“Yeah, and that was with my roommate at the time, Piper,” she said, concluding a story about the time they’d snuck a boy into their second-story dorm window. “She’s the bride in the wedding I’m going to today. We aren’t as close as we were then, but I have some of my best memories with her.”

Percy was staring at her. “Wait, Piper? McLean?”

Annabeth blinked. “Yes?” she said slowly.

“You’re going to Jason and Piper’s wedding.”

A stupid smile grew on her face. “Is that where you’re going, too?” she asked. She was so ridiculously excited about the prospect of being able to see him after this flight.

“Yeah, I knew Jason in college too!” he laughed. “He kept me from doing quite a lot of stupid shit.”

“What a small world, wow,” she said, smiling. “And I was the one who kept Piper from doing stupid shit, so I can only imagine that’s Jason’s job now.”

Percy laughed again and they continued recounting stories from college. The embarrassing moments from parties, sneaking into bars and clubs, the time Percy had gotten arrested - he claimed he was innocent, just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The twinkle in his eye told her otherwise, but she didn’t call him out on it.

Before they knew it, the seatbelt light came back on and they began their descent. Percy gripped the armrests again, but she kept him talking anyway.

“How old is your sister?” she asked.

It was clear that Percy was focused on the way the plane shuddered occasionally as they flew, but he did his best to keep the conversation going. “She turns seven this month,” he answered, before inhaling sharply when they hit some turbulence.

Annabeth watched as he let go of the seat divider to open and close his hand, flexing the muscles that were probably cramping. She made the executive decision to reach out and push the armrest up into their seats before he could grip it, taking his hand with both of hers. She pressed her thumbs into his palm, idly massaging the muscles. Her cheeks felt a little hot, but she pushed forward.

“So how old were you when she was born then?” she asked.

Percy looked at their hands for a second before his lips curled into a soft smile, his eyes flicking back up to hers. “About 18,” he said. “It was kinda funny. I had wanted a sibling my whole life, and then I got one right as I went off to college.”

Annabeth laughed. “Having siblings closer to your age seems a lot better than it actually is,” she promised. Her heart was fluttering in her chest at the way he was smiling at her. “I was about eight when my brothers were born, so it was like the perfect age gap where they got on my nerves all the time and we never grew out of that until I was in college.”

“Yeah, I think I wanted a sibling but would’ve hated it if I’d actually had one when I was younger,” he said. “I liked being an only child, looking back on it. I was my mom’s favorite.”

“Is Estelle her favorite now?” Annabeth asked. Instead of pressing her thumbs into his palm anymore, she slid her hands into his. Percy’s smile brightened at the movement.

“She likes to say that, but I like to think I’m always gonna be her favorite.”

“Hmm, I don’t know,” Annabeth teased. “The youngest are always the favorites and Estelle is pretty cute.”

“You don’t think I’m cute?” he asked, his lips turning down in a playful pout. The flirty undertone in his words was a new development from the last hour or so, but it was one Annabeth enjoyed quite a bit.

She pretended to consider it. “Hmm, not nearly as cute as her,” she said. A little bit of a lie, because while the photo of his sister in a Finding Nemo bucket hat had been the most adorable thing she’d ever seen, Percy was a completely different kind of attractive. Easily the most perfect man she’d ever laid eyes on, not that she would give him the satisfaction of admitting that.

“That’s very rude, but I supposed it’s only fair,” he said, mock defeat on his face. “Estelle is pretty adorable.”

“Exactly.”

“So you were the favorite too, then?” he asked like it was something that must’ve been obvious. Annabeth just blinked.

“What?”

“Well, if it’s based on whoever is the cutest, it feels safe to assume…” he trailed off, his eyes sparkling.

She hated the way her cheeks felt hot, but Annabeth rolled her eyes. “Very smooth,” she said with a quiet laugh, shaking her head. “But no, my brothers were somehow the favorite, even though I was a complete angel as a child.”

“A complete angel?” he asked skeptically.

“Yep,” she said proudly. “I was the best kid possible.”

“Sounds fake but okay.”

Just then, the plane touched the ground and the whole thing shuddered violently as they landed. Percy’s grip on her hand tightened, bordering on pain, but she didn’t say anything about it. “That’s why I’m saying the youngest are the favorites,” she said, trying to keep his attention on her instead of the plane.

“That seems very unfair to you,” he said, relaxing little by little as the plane slowed down.

“Yeah, well, my parents pretty much ignored me most of the time so I got to do whatever I wanted, which was nice.” She held back a wince as she realized that was a little too deep to tell someone she’d known for six hours. Thankfully, Percy didn’t dwell on it.

“That doesn’t seem very angelic of you.”

Annabeth laughed. “I was pretty rebellious around ages 16 to 18, so it came in handy then.”

Percy grinned, his posture relaxed again now that they were safely on the ground and slowly driving towards the gate. Their hands never broke apart until they were getting up from their seats, grabbing their baggage from the overhead compartments. Once they were off the plane and walking down the terminal, Percy asked, “Where are you staying?”

“The Holiday Inn on Westlake Avenue,” she answered. It had been the closest hotel to the venue that wasn’t ridiculously priced.

Percy’s head snapped towards her and he narrowed his eyes playfully. “Okay, are you stalking me? Because the plane seat thing was a funny coincidence but staying at the same hotel as me is kinda weird…”

Annabeth laughed. “What if I am?” she teased back.

Percy pretended to consider this for a second, pursing his lips. “That’s kinda hot?” he said, making a laugh bubble out of her unexpectedly. He grinned, apparently pleased to have made her laugh. He bumped his arm into her lightly. “Should we share a cab, stalker?”

Annabeth smiled. “If I was a stalker, that wouldn’t be very smart of you.”

“I’ll take my chances,” he shrugged.

She was sure her cheeks were flushed pink as they walked towards the pickup lane and found a waiting cab. Once they were in the car and on the way to their hotel, Percy took a minute to call his mom and let her know he’d landed. Annabeth tried to tune him out in an attempt to give him an ounce of privacy, but it was kind of hard in such a small space. Plus, she adored the way his voice softened and she could hear him smiling, even as she looked down at her own screen.

Thanks to LA traffic, it took them a solid hour to reach the hotel. Somehow, that hour was still full of chatter from both of them. He told her more about his parents and Estelle, she told him about her work. Annabeth would’ve thought that by now, they had run out of things to talk about, but that felt impossible with Percy.

Once they finally got to the hotel, they got in line at the check-in desk. Annabeth went first and as she was being handed her key, she realized this would be the last time she would see Percy until the wedding. She turned around and when they passed each other, she smiled. “I’ll see you tonight.”

He smiled back brightly. “See you then,” he replied, heading towards the desk. Annabeth found the elevators, stepped in, and hit floor six. Once they were closed, her eyes flicked to the ground and she smiled, entirely too excited about what the night might hold.

---

Okay, Annabeth looked kind of hot. She was so glad she let Reyna talk her into the tighter dress of the two she’d been choosing between. It was a satin, sage green dress with a loose neckline and a hemline that fell to her mid-thigh. The dress code was semi-formal and she hoped this dress wasn’t too casual. Her loose curls and strappy gold heels certainly dressed it up.

She showed up at the venue at 5:10, twenty minutes before it was meant to start, looking around for anyone familiar. The place they were getting married was stunning. Dark wooden floors, exposed brick, fancy chandeliers. Their colors were a soft purple and a deep green, along with gold accents, those three tones being featured in all of the decorations.

Annabeth did recognize a handful of people from college - some girls they’d met freshman year, their other roommate from senior year, but no one she wanted to stick around to chat with. She found a seat somewhere in the middle of the aisles after saying a few hellos, settling in and waiting.

Admittedly, she was also keeping an eye out for Percy. It had only been about five hours since they’d seen each other, but he was good company. Plus, she kind of did want him to see how good she looked.

Unfortunately, she never saw him before the ceremony started.

Music began playing and a hush fell over the crowd. Annabeth watched as Jason took his place at the end of the aisle, followed by their wedding party walking down after. The number of bridesmaids and groomsmen was tiny, with only two people each for Piper and Jason. A flower girl came down next, an adorable little girl dropping white petals that Annabeth recognized as Piper’s half-sister. Next to her was a little boy, the ring bearer, that Annabeth had never seen - likely someone from Jason’s side.

After those two had made their way down the aisle, the crowd stood for the bride. Only then did Annabeth see Percy. He was mixed in with the guests on the other side of the aisle. He looked ridiculously good in a simple suit, the first two buttons of his shirt undone. His hair was styled and pushed back, very different than the curly, endearing mess she’d seen on the plane. Both looks were attractive on him in different ways.

As if sensing her gaze, he looked in her direction and their eyes met. They both smiled for a few seconds before the doors open again, and Piper captured their attention. She looked gorgeous in a flowy white gown. There was a shimmer in the fabric, Annabeth noticed, that reflected in the warm light as she walked. Whatever artificial golden hour lighting they’d created in the room made Piper’s skin glow, almost as radiantly as the smile on her face. She’d never seen her friend so happy.

Piper walked down the aisle on the arm of her father. Before everyone sat down again, Annabeth caught Percy’s eye one last time, giving him another smile. He returned it easily, and she felt her heart do a little skip in her chest like she was fifteen again.

The ceremony was short and sweet, and Annabeth teared up the tiniest bit. Words from the officiant, an exchange of vows and rings, and the kiss to seal it all. Once the entire wedding party left the ceremony room, the guests got up, loosely going row by row to the cocktail hour area. Again, she was hoping to find Percy, but he’d been several rows behind her so he got out before her.

He did find her, though, at the bar.

“Hey stalker.”

That voice was a familiar sound after how much she’d heard it today. Annabeth turned to face him, already smiling. “Still mad about me stalking you?” she asked. “I thought we were past that.”

“No one said I was mad,” he shrugged playfully. “In fact, I’m flattered.”

“Mmm,” she hummed. The bartender gave her the drink that she ordered before taking Percy’s order next. He returned his attention to Annabeth, blatantly taking her in.

“You look incredible, by the way,” he said softly, his eyes traveling back up her body until they found hers again. Annabeth felt her cheeks flush under his unabashed gaze.

“Thank you,” she said. Her eyes flicked to the undone buttons of his shirt. “So do you.”

He was saved from responding when the bartender set down a glass for him on the bar. Percy took it, nodding his thanks, before holding his hand out to Annabeth. “Wanna walk with me?”

She took his hand, enjoying the way they fit nicely together. Where the cocktail hour was held was another big room with tables and chairs, along with a few sofas and loveseats, and the luxurious bar they’d just been at. There was also a giant seating chart for the reception which would be starting in roughly 50 minutes. Percy and Annabeth stood in front of it, searching for their names.

“Is this more of your stalkery?” Percy asked suddenly, pointing to one of the tables. Under table five, both of their names were printed in cursive. The names were listed alphabetically by last names, so there were only two people between them. Annabeth wondered if the seating at the table would be in the same order. If so, she wouldn’t be opposed to asking some of the people around them to switch.

“I think you’re going to get tired of me, you know,” Annabeth said lightly as they sat at an empty table. “We talked nonstop for about seven hours straight earlier and now we’ll be here for another few hours.”

“You should be right, in theory,” he said, “but I can’t see myself getting tired of you at all, actually.”

That was a burst of honesty she hadn’t expected, though she supposed she had no reason to expect otherwise. As far as she knew, all he’d been today was honest. And, in a way, she felt the same. He had this enchanting quality about him that had pulled her in since the moment they met. She smiled. “I’ll do my worst, if only to prove you wrong.”

He laughed - a sound she was now sure that she wanted to hear forever. “Can’t make it easy on me, huh?” he asked, eyes sparkling as he looked at her. There was something in her eyes that she thought reflected her own feelings. Joy, clearly, but also something that resembled hope. Hope that whatever was happening between them would last more than tonight. She wanted that too, so badly.

“Oh, I’m never going to make anything easy for you,” she teased. Percy’s eyes briefly flicked to the neckline of her dress before averting to something else. He took a sip of his drink and as she watched him swallow, Annabeth was tempted to amend her sentence. She could make something easy for him tonight.

Before they knew it, cocktail hour was over and they were being directed to the reception room. This time, it was a ballroom, with tables spaced out around a dance floor. In the front of the room was one rectangular table meant for the bride and groom. Along the back walls was the catering service, food being freshly plated to be served soon.

Still hand in hand, Percy and Annabeth crossed the floor to the table with a golden 5 sat atop a bouquet of purple flowers and green leaves. The seating arrangement wasn’t the same as it had been on the chart, because only one name card separated Annabeth from Percy. Before she could say anything, Percy switched his card with the person that had been in between.

Annabeth smothered a giggle behind her fingers, and they sat down together. It was so ridiculous, the way he made her feel. Giddy, as though she were still in high school. It shouldn’t have been possible for her to feel this way at 25, but there he was, making her heart pound every time he smiled at her.

The next few moments passed in a blur as everyone took their seats, and then the wedding party was announced, followed shortly by Piper and Jason, introduced as a married couple for the first time. They sat at their table up in the front, looking over the moon with each other.

Dinner was served then, servers bringing out the meals they had all prepicked when they had received their invitations. That left them to converse with the people at their table. Annabeth recognized some of the girls but no one else. Considering Percy was also sat there, Annabeth assumed it was a mix of Jason and Piper’s college friends that they didn’t know where else to place. Glancing over at Percy, who was chatting with the guy he’d switched name cards with, Annabeth couldn’t be all that mad about the seating arrangement.

She did try to talk to the girls she recognized from college, but she much preferred talking to Percy. That should’ve been impossible considering all they had done the entire day was talk, but she just couldn’t get enough. His voice, his smile, him.

After dinner ended and plates were swept away by staff members, the newlyweds took their place on the dance floor for their first dance, a soft and sweet Taylor Swift song coming through the speakers - predictable, it being Piper. Annabeth remembered her friend’s obsession with the artist in college. It had rubbed off quite a bit on Annabeth, but it had since faded after so many years. For the most part.

Their dance was nothing special, no big choreographed number, but still clearly rehearsed. Annabeth didn’t think it was possible to see two people so happy. A little part of her ached for something so real and permanent.

When their dance ended, another slow dance began but this time, they encouraged their guests to come and join them. Annabeth sat back in her seat, prepared to sit this one out when Percy stood up. She looked up at him just as he held his hand out for her, a tentative smile on his lips. “Can I have this dance?” he asked, voice turning playfully formal. She wondered if he was doing that in an attempt to mask the shyness that was still showing in his eyes.

Annabeth’s cheeks flushed, but she took his hand and stood. “I’m a very bad dancer,” she confessed, allowing him to lead her to the floor. There weren’t a ton of guests dancing but there was enough that they would blend in.

“Me neither,” he said, making her grin. “We’ll play it off, it’ll be fine.”

Once they were on the dance floor, he pulled her close. Two of their hands stayed clasped, and her other one rested on his bicep. She was definitely not focusing on how she could feel his muscle under the suit jacket. His other arm wrapped around her, palm pressing to her lower back, and Annabeth tried not to let her breath catch at the touch. They were almost chest to chest. This was the first time they’d ever been so close, but she sincerely hoped it would not be the last.

They moved slowly, Annabeth making a conscious effort not to accidentally step on his toes. “Have I told you that you look beautiful, by the way?” he asked, his voice dropping to a whisper. Hopefully, the lights in here weren’t bright enough to expose how much she was blushing.

“You have,” she said quietly, tilting her head. “But thank you, again.”

“I think it’s fair that I tell you more than once,” he replied. “You could give the bride a run for her money.”

Annabeth let out a quiet laugh. His voice had the smallest hint of teasing in it, but for some reason, she felt like he was being serious. “Don’t let Jason hear you say that,” she said. “Probably wouldn’t end well.”

Percy shrugged as if this didn’t bother him, a playful smile on his lips. “I could take him.”

Annabeth glanced over at Jason briefly before giving Percy’s bicep a small but purposeful squeeze. Good God, she thought to herself. She hoped her reaction wasn’t too obvious as she smiled and shrugged lightly too. “Probably.”

His eyes flickered with something and she wondered if he wanted to kiss her as badly as she wanted to kiss him. She shouldn’t have wanted to kiss him this badly, she’d only known him for less than a day, but something continued to pull her to him. Percy stepped infinitesimally closer, his hand gentle but incessant on her back. There was no space between their chests now. God, she hoped he wanted to kiss her.

“Good to know you’ll support me when we fight to the death,” he said, startling a laugh out of Annabeth after the tension between them had just become almost constricting.

“I never said I’d support you,” she teased, acting as though her heart wasn’t beating a little quicker. “Only that you’d be able to take him. If a fight breaks out, I’m not supporting anyone.”

“Not even if I’m fighting in your honor?”

Annabeth pretended to consider that. “I’ll support you in secret,” she decided. “If anyone asks, I had no idea this fight was happening and I’m on neither side.”

“That’s all I need,” he said. “I’ll win then.”

She shook her head, her smile widening and his eyes flicked to her lips, only for a second. Before she did something stupid like kiss him, the song changed and it was something that slowly gained tempo. His green eyes shimmered as the lights went down, white lighting being replaced with colorful ones to match the music. There were some cheers and all of the people who weren’t already on the dancefloor joined them. Annabeth let out a laugh, a little disappointed that their moment was over. “I’m going to need another drink if I’m going to dance to this kind of music,” she said.

Percy chuckled. “Uh, yeah. A drink or seven, you know.”

With a great amount of willpower, she stepped back from him. “Thanks for the dance,” she said, the blush returning to her cheeks. As if it had ever left.

“Anytime,” he said. “I’m going to go find Jason, if he’s not already being crowded by people.”

She made her way towards the small, open bar, ordering a drink. She sat there, eyes flicking over all the guests. It wasn’t a very big wedding, maybe only 100 people? Some still sat around at the tables, though most were on the dance floor. More than once, Annabeth realized she was unintentionally looking for Percy, though she never found him. She did find Piper, however, who was slipping back in through the main doors in a simpler, shorter dress - one she’d be able to dance around in.

Annabeth finished her drink, walking over towards her friend before she became too crowded. Piper saw her before she even reached, arms immediately stretching out in a hug. Annabeth let herself be wrapped up in the tightest hug ever.

“Hi! God, it’s been so long,” Piper said, pulling back and holding Annabeth at arm’s length. “How are you?”

“I’m great,” Annabeth smiled. “Congratulations, you look absolutely incredible. Your dress earlier was so beautiful.”

Piper was just radiating with happiness, giving her an ethereal glow. “Thank you,” she beamed. “I got so lucky finding it, it was my dream dress.”

“It was practically made for you.”

“You’re being so nice, wow. Graduating college really changed you,” Piper teased, a small laugh emitted from her mouth. Annabeth had notoriously been a class-A bitch to some people in college and they had made it a running joke. “How’s New York treating you?”

“Still good,” Annabeth answered. “I’m really busy with work, but I’m moving up in the company so I can’t complain too hard.”

“Right, right,” Piper nodded. “I remember telling you that you would take over the world one day, I’m glad you’re still on that path.”

Annabeth laughed. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed Piper in the few years it had been since they’d seen each other. They’d kept in touch enough - seeing each other’s social media posts, calls and texts here and there. But she’d missed her best friend.

“I’m doing what I can,” Annabeth said, a little modest but still very proud. “What about you, how’s California?”

Piper launched into a speech about how she’d started a new interior design company a year ago that, unlike her last job, actually cared about her input and let her work on projects. Annabeth knew all about people underestimating her and pushing her ideas to the side, so that lead to an entire conversation about how unfair the workplaces were. They probably would’ve gone on for hours but they were interrupted when someone placed a gentle hand on Annabeth’s lower back.

“There you are,” Percy said before realizing she was talking to someone. Then he realized who she was talking to, and a smile lit up his face as he looked at Piper. “Oh, I’m sorry to interrupt. We haven’t met before. I’m Percy, Jason-”

“Jason’s friend,” Piper finished, smiling just as wide as he was. “I’ve heard so much about you. It’s great to meet you.” Percy went to shake her hand but she swatted it away playfully, going in for a hug. When they pulled away, Piper looked between him and Annabeth.

“I didn’t know you guys knew each other,” she said. Annabeth could almost see the gears turning in Piper’s head, trying to figure out just how close she and Percy were.

“We met on the flight here, actually,” Annabeth explained. She glanced over at Percy, a smile fighting its way onto her face. “We sat next to each other. Small world, I guess.”

“Exactly,” he smiled back at her, and Annabeth turned away before her cheeks could get too pink.

Piper was still looking between them, piecing things together. “How crazy is that?” she said with a laugh. Instead of mentioning the ungodly amount of tension between them, she looked at Percy. “Have you gotten the chance to see Jason? I remember him saying he was excited to catch up with you.”

“Uh, I looked for him earlier but I never found him,” Percy said. Piper turned her head, looking over the crowds. Annabeth did too, and she noticed quite a few people looking at Piper, probably waiting their turn to come talk to her.

“He was going to change, but knowing him, he probably got caught up talking to someone,” Piper said, a smirk pulling at her lips. Her eyes lit up. “Oh, he’s right there! He’s talking to someone, though.”

Percy’s eyes followed where her finger was pointing and he grinned widely, the sight doing little to placate the feeling bubbling up in Annabeth’s stomach. “He’s talking to Frank, I haven’t seen him in years,” Percy said. His hand pressed to Annabeth’s lower back once again as he looked at her. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Okay,” she smiled.

Then, to Piper, he said, “Again, it was great to meet you, congratulations.”

“Thank you!” Piper said before Percy walked off in Jason’s direction. Annabeth was about to let Piper continue making her rounds and talk to the other guests, but before she got the chance, Piper narrowed her eyes playfully. “What’s going on with you two?”

Annabeth felt herself blush. Nothing was going on yet, but she hoped that changed. “I don’t know,” Annabeth said, smiling. “We talked, like, the whole flight. And we’ve been a little… flirty, I guess.”

“A little? Girl, he wants to rip that dress off you,” Piper said - this girl hadn’t changed in the slightest.

That caused Annabeth to throw her head back with laughter, though she couldn’t say she wanted Piper to be wrong. “Shut up, we are not talking about this,” Annabeth said as her giggles resided. “Go talk to your other guests, I’ll see you around.”

“Ugh, fine,” Piper said, pretending to be annoyed. She pulled Annabeth into another hug. “Keep me updated, though. I expect to be invited to your wedding.”

Annabeth pushed Piper away lightly with another laugh. They said a few more words of parting before Annabeth walked back to the bar, stopping there briefly for another drink, then returning to her table. There were a couple of girls still sitting there who Annabeth recognized, so she conversed lightly with them for a while. She was just finishing her drink when she spotted Percy.

He was alone again, so she excused herself from the conversation and stood to meet him. Without hesitation, he held out his hand and she took it. “I was just going to get a drink, care to join me?” he asked.

“Lead the way.”

The next thirty minutes or so were spent at the bar, where Annabeth had two more drinks. She was certainly starting to feel the effects of them, becoming a little tipsier as she sat there with Percy. He didn’t seem to mind the way she scooted closer or brushed her fingers along his forearm as he spoke. And she wondered if he was getting tipsy too, or if he was just becoming bolder. All she knew was he hadn’t been looking at her like that before. His gaze flicked down to her body more times than she could count.

Percy stood eventually, holding his hand out for her again. She took it, of course, and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor where everyone was having a blast. This time, Annabeth didn’t hesitate to dance, keeping one of her hands locked with Percy’s at all times.

Their dancing was only interrupted once briefly for the bouquet toss and the first cutting of the wedding cake. Even then, Percy stayed with Annabeth, keeping a hand pressed to her back. After those activities were over, the music continued and the dance floor was filled with people again.

They didn’t stray from each other once. Annabeth’s tipsiness wore off quickly, replaced with the high of being around him. Percy’s confidence, however, did not fade. In fact, he only continued to grow more daring. His hands drifted to her waist and her hips, pulling her close a few times. Each time, it knocked the breath right out of Annabeth’s lungs.

The DJ announced that there would be one final slow song of the night, and he encouraged everyone who had a dance partner to join in on the floor. Percy didn’t ask this time around, he just placed his hands on Annabeth’s waist and pulled them chest to chest. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders as she smiled up at him.

“You know, this wedding turned out to be a lot more fun than I anticipated,” she said quietly.

Percy’s lips curved into a smirk. “Is that so?” he asked. “Why’s that?”

Annabeth sighed, feigning thought. “Well, there’s this guy,” she said, hoping the pink of her cheeks could be excused from all the dancing they’d done. “He made it pretty great.”

Percy’s eyes flicked to her lips, and instead of responding to her comment, he asked, “Annabeth, can I kiss you?”

Her breath caught in her throat, but she nodded. “Please,” she whispered.

Like it was something he had done a million times instead of for the first, Percy leaned down and connected their lips. It was much too intense for a dance floor in the middle of someone else’s wedding, but she didn’t care. She kissed him back, fingers twisting in his hair. Percy’s hands tightened on her hips and she let out a quiet hum, which is what caused him to pull away.

For a second, they looked at each other. His eyes had darkened slightly. Then he whispered, “Do you wanna go back to the hotel?”

She had never wanted something more.

They found Jason and Piper to offer a final congratulations. Piper once again made Annabeth promise to keep her updated, and to stay in touch - both things she readily agreed to.

And then she was calling a cab. They left the venue and as soon as they were outside, he pulled her into another long kiss. She let out a quiet noise of surprise but kissed him back.

“I’ve wanted to do that for hours,” he muttered when he pulled back, glancing towards the street where their cab would eventually be pulling up.

“Me too,” Annabeth breathed.

They waited against the brick wall of the venue for their cab, hands roaming over each other innocently enough and stealing kisses here and there. Finally, the cab pulled up to the curb and they got in, giving the address to the hotel. With the traffic, it was only about a five-minute drive.

They’d managed to keep their hands off each other for the most part - aside from Percy keeping a hand on her bare thigh - to be sure not to scar the poor taxi driver. Her cheeks burned the entire drive back, that blush probably crawling down her neck too. Once they’d been dropped off, they were all but running into the hotel. Annabeth jammed her finger into the button by the elevator and she looked at Percy. “What floor are you on?”

“Ten.”

“I’m on six,” she said reaching into her clutch for her key.

“Six is better,” he agreed, placing a hand on her back to lead her into the elevator after it opened. She found the key, closing her clutch back up. Percy tilted her chin up, pressing another kiss to her lips. This one didn’t have the same heat behind it that the others had. This was one slow and deep; something that told her he was could take her apart and put her back together just with that mouth.

They broke apart when the elevator dinged and the doors slid open. She glanced up. Floor six. Annabeth intertwined her fingers with his and pulled him down the hall to her room. She slid the key into the lock easily, pushing the door open once they’d heard the familiar beep, signaling that it was open.

She deadbolted the door, and then she was being pushed up against the wall, his mouth back on hers.

-

When Annabeth woke up, it was to a very unpleasant alarm. Before she could turn it off, the bed shifted beside her and everything went quiet. Normally, she’d be very glad to wake up next to a handsome man she’d had an amazing night with. But right now, Annabeth was very much in the mood to sleep.

“Why do you have an alarm?” she groaned quietly. Percy chuckled, rolling towards her and slipping a strong arm around her bare waist.

“Because I have a flight to catch,” he said. His morning voice was gruff and very attractive. That voice hadn’t distracted her from his words, though. Annabeth turned in his arms, cuddling into his chest.

“What time?” she asked, voice muffled by his skin.

“11:30.”

“Loser. Mine’s at three.”

Percy laughed, and they lapsed into silence for a moment. Annabeth didn’t want him to leave. They had never talked about what they were, if they even were anything, but she didn’t want him to walk out of that door in fear of never seeing him again. She realized this moment was the time to talk about that.

She tilted her head up to look at him, clearing her throat quietly. “Can I admit something?”

“Of course,” he said, pushing a piece of hair away from her face.

“I kind of don’t want this to be a one time thing,” she said, voice coming out more hesitant than she’d intended. She’d had some pretty brutal relationships in the past, so she was always wary about starting something new. But she just felt so good about him. “I’d like to see you again once we’re in New York. If you want.”

Thankfully, Percy smiled. “I’d love that,” he said gently. Annabeth grinned too, though it didn’t stick very long because he leaned down to kiss her once again.

---

Less than a week passed before she saw Percy again. They’d exchanged numbers before he left that morning after the wedding, and they’d sent a handful of texts back and forth. Mainly consisting of planning around their work schedules to find time to see each other again. It became clear very quickly that making time for each other might become difficult.

Eventually, Annabeth decided that she could go to bed late one night and they made plans for her to go over to his place after she got off work. She was weirdly nervous, riding up in the elevator towards his floor. Would things be different? That little weekend in California had felt like some alternate universe where she had no responsibilities or worries. Back in the real world, would they still be the same?

She didn’t have much more time to debate it because she was in front of his door, raising her hand to knock on it. There was a pause, the turn of the knob, and then there he was. He already had a bright smile on his face, along with… flour on his cheek?

“Hey,” he said, stepping aside to let her in.

“Hi,” she replied, walking inside. She hadn’t known what to expect, but certainly not such a clean apartment. Every boy she’d ever known, albeit a limited amount, had been absolute messes. The door shut behind her and Percy placed a hand between her shoulder blades, walking her further into the room.

His floorplan was open, the kitchen, living room, and dining room all connected, with a set of glass doors to a balcony on the opposite wall. There was a hallway that must’ve led to his bedroom and bathroom. “Cute place,” she said. It was very homey, very personal. Annabeth could already see at least ten framed pictures in several places, and she resisted the urge to get a closer look.

“Thank you,” he said. “You can set your bag on the couch or on a chair, wherever you want.”

Annabeth did that, hanging it on the back of a dining chair before slipping her shoes off next to his neatly lined up ones. She made a mental note to clean her apartment before he ever set foot in it.

She turned towards the kitchen and her jaw dropped as she saw everything covering the counters. “Are you… making cookies?” she asked, stepping onto the light gray tile floor that was covered this part of the apartment.

“Yeah, uh, Estelle’s birthday is tomorrow,” he said. “She said she wanted me to make cookies because she likes mine better than mom’s. I don’t know how, I stole her recipe.”

Annabeth laughed, leaning against the counter and stealing a few chocolate chips from an open bag. “You make them with more love.”

Percy shook his head, another smile gracing his features. “Yeah, clearly. I wouldn’t make them for her if I didn’t love her,” he said lightly.

Annabeth glanced at the stuff covering the counters nervously. “You’re sure you want me here while you bake?” she asked, a nervous lilt to her voice.

He looked at her, his smirk growing. “You’re gonna be my helper,” he said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Annabeth’s eyebrows shot up but she smiled.

“Oh, so you want me to burn your place down?”

Percy laughed, placing the empty measuring cup on the counter before reaching for her waist. He pulled her closer until she was in front of him. “I won’t let you do that,” he said. “But if you don’t want to bake with me, you can watch. You’ll sit here and look pretty, and we can talk.”

Annabeth bit her lip to hold back a smile. “You’re not tired of talking to me yet?” she asked. All they had done, for the most part, since they met was talk. Then again, she wasn’t tired of talking to him either, so it wasn’t that unreasonable for it to be true the other way around.

“Never,” he said, a little too earnestly. His eyes flicked to her lips and Annabeth’s heart skipped a beat. She tilted her head up in an obvious invitation that he took without hesitation. Percy leaned down and connected their lips. It was a slow, drawn out kiss that made her knees weak and her heart race.

He broke it off, much too soon for her liking, with a quiet hum. “God, I’ve missed you,” he murmured. Warmth coursed through her veins. It was impossible, how much she liked him already.

“I missed you too,” she admitted.

He pressed one last kiss to her lips. “Well, I really need to start. Are you going to help or are you going to,” his hands dropped to her hips and his grip tightened, “distract me all night?”

“Distracting you does sound very fun,” she whispered. Percy’s lips lifted into a smirk.

“I’m sure it’ll be easy for you.”

While Annabeth did do a good bit of distracting, according to Percy even though it had been unintentional on her part, she did actually help him too. He essentially told her what to do, and she did it. He’d measure the ingredients, she’d dump them into a bowl. She held the mixer while he stood behind her, chest pressed to her back, his thumb flicking the power dial up slowly and helping her mix it slowly. Throughout the process, he’d stolen more than a few kisses, not that she was complaining.

Once the cookies were in the oven and they had cleaned up a little, Annabeth slid on top of the counter. Percy stepped between her knees and she pulled him into a kiss by his hair. He moaned quietly, hands sliding up to hold her hips. They stayed like that for a while, hands roaming innocently. And then not-so-innocently as his fingers slipped under her shirt.

When he didn’t do any more than that, Annabeth was about to rip it off herself, but the timer went off, stopping her. He pulled away reluctantly, making her whine quietly. He smiled at her. “This would be how we burn the place down,” he teased. “I’d prefer not to do that.”

“I suppose you’re right,” she gave in. He pulled the two trays from the oven, setting them on top of the stove to cool. Annabeth watched him move around the kitchen with ease, her feet swinging a little beneath her. She thought about the domesticity of the scene in front of her, and a thought occurred to her.

“You know, like I’ve said, I’m always busy with work,” she started quietly.

Percy turned off the oven, glancing at her for a second. “I know, so am I,” he said distractedly, touching the top of one of the cookies. He started to remove some of them from the trays to a cooling rack. He got through almost half of them before Annabeth spoke again.

She cleared her throat. “And because of that, I wasn’t really looking for a relationship.”

Percy froze for a few long seconds, spatula in hand. Then he continued carefully moving the cookies to the rack. He didn’t look at her as he cautiously replied, “Okay…”

Annabeth waited, twisting her fingers together. He set the spatula on the counter, turning to her with a nervous glint in his eyes. “So what does that mean?” he asked quietly.

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “I do know that I like you, though. And I’d like to give this a shot, even if we struggle with making time for each other.”

His shoulders relaxed a little and the smile began to return to his face. “I’d like that, too,” he said, picking up a cookie and walking back over to her, standing between her knees again. “We can figure out a way to make it work, yeah? There’s no pressure.”

Annabeth smiled, glad he wasn’t put off by the potential hardships he’d face in a relationship with her. “Yeah,” she agreed. He pressed his lips to hers in a short kiss before breaking the cookie and holding a piece up. She let him feed her, humming when sugar and chocolate danced across her tongue. “That is so good.”

“I wanna try,” he said, but instead of taking a bite from the cookie still in his hand, he leaned in to kiss her again. Annabeth’s laugh was muffled by his lips. He pulled back after a few seconds. “You’re right, it’s good.”

She laughed again - something she has done more around him than in the last few years. “You’re ridiculous,” she whispered.

“A little,” he whispered back. He broke the rest of the cookie in half, giving her one side and eating the other. Once she’d swallowed and she was sure he had too, Annabeth was slipping her hands under his shirt and pulling him back to her, resuming where they’d left off begin the oven timer had interrupted them.

---

Annabeth felt a little bit sick. A lot sick, actually. As she made her way to Percy’s apartment, she couldn’t help it. It was his birthday, which was already nerve-wracking - she held the small gift, wrapped in blue, tightly as she dodged people on the sidewalk. But she was also meeting his friends tonight.

He didn’t have many from what he’d told her, just a handful, but these were still the people closest to him. She counted herself lucky that his mom wasn’t going to be there. If any of his friends didn’t like her, she wasn’t sure what would happen. They hadn’t been together very long - only about three weeks, and they’d only seen each other two times within those weeks - so if any of them had any issues with her, she was sure he would trust their word and dump her.

She really hoped that didn’t happen. Even if they hadn’t been together long, she liked him. A lot. She wanted to keep him around.

Annabeth took a small breath as she stepped into the elevator. Already inside was a small girl with dark curls. “What floor?” she asked politely.

“Four,” Annabeth answered, seeing that the button was already lit up. The girl glanced at the gift in her hand, a small look of contemplation flitting across her face.

“Sorry if I’m being nosy,” she said as the elevator doors slid shut, “but are you going to Percy’s apartment?”

Those nervous butterflies in Annabeth’s stomach fluttered to life again. “Yeah, I am,” she answered. Thankfully, her voice came out much more steady than she felt. “You are too?”

“Yeah!” the girl said, a smile lighting up her face. She was pretty, now that Annabeth was really looking. Dark skin, brown eyes that were surrounded by gold and purple eyeshadow. She shifted her gift bag onto her arm, something Annabeth hadn’t even noticed before, and reached out. “I’m Hazel.”

Hazel. Annabeth recognized that name. Percy had said it before when he’d talked about his friends. She couldn’t remember too much about her, though, still too nervous to fully function. Annabeth shook Hazel’s hand. “I’m Annabeth.”

Before she could say anything else, Hazel’s face lit up. “You’re Annabeth? The Annabeth I’ve been hearing about for the past three weeks?”

Annabeth balked. She’d talked about Percy to her friends, but it hadn’t clicked in her head that he’d been doing the same thing. A shy smile and a deep blush crept onto her face. “He’s talked about me, has he?” she asked.

“Only all the time,” Hazel answered with a laugh. “All good things, of course.”

A little relief went through Annabeth as her smile grew. “Well that’s good,” she said, chuckling. The elevator doors slid open. As they stepped out, Annabeth continued, “I’ll definitely have to get you to spill everything he’s said about me.”

“Oh, I won’t hold back,” Hazel said. Annabeth started to relax. If all of his friends were as kind as this, Annabeth was pretty sure things would go off without a hitch. Hazel lifted her hand to knock on the door and a few seconds later, it swung open.

Percy was surprised to see both of them standing there, but a smile lit up his face all the same. “Hey?” he said he wrapped his arms around Hazel. Irrational jealousy tugged at her heart, but she pushed it away. If he’d talked to Hazel about her, Annabeth had nothing to freak out about.

“Look who I ran into on the elevator,” Hazel said as she stepped back from the hug, moving further into the apartment.

“I see that,” Percy said, turning his attention to Annabeth. He pulled her into a tight hug and pressed a kiss to her temple. His voice dropped, something meant just for her, as he said, “Hi, beautiful.”

“Hey,” she replied, tilting her head up to look at him. “Happy birthday.”

“Thank you.” He leaned down to press a short kiss to her lips. That nervous feeling in her stomach flittered into something much better. Excitement, desire, happiness. She pulled back from the hug and handed him the gift. He took it, smile widening.

Annabeth never failed to notice how much they smiled around each other.

“Thank you,” he repeated, giving her one last kiss. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

She shrugged, a shy smile on her face. It wasn’t much, just a Mets beanie - she’d seen the amount of sports paraphernalia is in his closet, including a few baseball caps, but she’d never seen a hat like this in his collection. “I wanted to,” she said simply.

Percy intertwined their fingers. “Come on, let me introduce you to everyone.”

She could already see everyone because his apartment was so open, and it consisted of a total of five people, not including them. When Percy had said he didn’t have many friends, he’d meant it. Annabeth couldn’t tell if this was better or worse.

Music played from somewhere, but it wasn’t loud enough to cover his friends talking. As they got closer to the living room, the chatter ceased and they all looked up at them. Judging by the smiles on their faces and the memory of Hazel telling her that Percy talked about her often, Annabeth was pretty sure they at least suspected who she was. Still, Percy said, “Everyone, this is Annabeth.”

Before he could get anything else out, a redhead with insane curls said, “Hm, where have I heard that name before?” she feigned thought, not giving Percy time to answer before continuing, “Oh, right! Only eighty million times in the past week.”

Annabeth glanced at Percy, whose cheeks were tinted red. He motioned towards the girl who’d just spoken and said to Annabeth, “That smartass is Rachel.” Then, motioning to each respective friend, he pointed out Leo, Grover, Nico, and finished with, “And Hazel, who you’ve met.”

“Don’t worry, Perce,” Hazel said, a cheeky smile on her face. “I already told her that you don’t shut up about her.”

Percy blew out a breath, slipping his hand from Annabeth’s to clap once. “On that note, I need a drink,” he said before looking at Annabeth. “You want anything?”

“Coke, if you have it?” she asked.

“I got that weird birch beer soda you like, do you want that?”

Something in Annabeth’s heart twisted and she was rendered speechless for a split second. “Uh, yeah. Please,” she said. He left to walk to the kitchen, and then she was standing there alone for an awkward second. She looked back over towards the living room where Rachel was waving her over.

“Here, babe,” she said, sliding from her spot on the couch to the floor. “Come sit here.”

“Oh, you didn’t have to-” Annabeth started as she moved closer.

Hazel cut her off. “Rachel likes sitting on the floor. She’s weird like that.”

Rachel nodded, making herself comfortable right there on the carpet. Annabeth smiled, a little awkward. “If you’re sure,” she said, tucking into the spot on the couch against the arm.

“I wish we could ask about you or, like, how you met Percy,” Grover said from the loveseat against the wall, “but as you’ve gathered, he hasn’t shut up about you. We already know quite a bit about you.”

“Stop embarrassing me,” Percy said as he returned, a beer in one hand and her soda in the other. He kicked Leo’s foot lightly since he was the one closest to Annabeth. “Get outta here.”

“God, he gets a girlfriend and he thinks he’s so cool,” Leo sighed dramatically, though he scooted away from Annabeth to the other side of the couch. Percy dropped down beside her, flashing an apologetic smile as he handed her the soda. They hadn’t talked about labels yet, but she couldn’t say she minded it. It would probably be a while before they did end up making it official based on how sporadically they got together.

“Anyways, back to your nightmare date, Rachel,” Hazel said, kicking the other girl’s knee lightly.

“Oh, right,” Rachel replied, launching into a story about a date with a girl who had ended up having a… knife kink? Annabeth didn’t even know that was a thing. She ended up laughing throughout the story, though. Partially because it was funny, but also because of the way Rachel told it - very dramatically and with different voices for her and her date.

That led to almost everyone sharing embarrassing date stories, which somehow led to a debate on whether the zoo was inhumane or not, which led to a discussion on animals, where Grover had many opinions. Somewhere in the middle of the zoo conversation, they’d started playing card games on the floor. More drinks were passed around, and she noticed Percy getting the tiniest bit tipsy. Annabeth had eventually caved, switching out her soda for a beer. She only let herself have the one since she had work tomorrow.

It was around 11:30 when Grover brought out a small thing of cupcakes, one with a burning candle sticking from it. They sang a very giggly, slightly drunk version of happy birthday. When Percy was supposed to be making a wish, Annabeth wondered if his eyes had intentionally flicked to her, a smile on his face that she immediately returned.

The cupcakes were made by Nico, surprisingly. Judging by his borderline-goth exterior, Annabeth wouldn’t have suspected him of being some baking master, but they were the best cupcakes she’d ever eaten. They continued a different card game, which was mainly just something to do with their hands as they continued talking - a long discussion about music and artists, which led to an even longer discussion about the media and how they twist things out of proportion. They all just jumped from topic to topic.

Annabeth noticed Leo and Rachel were very similar in the sense they said whatever came to their mind very loudly. Grover, Percy, and Hazel weren’t afraid to say what came to mind, but they were much less loud. Nico was very quiet, but everything he said was incredibly smart. Annabeth gave her input on things occasionally, mainly when it was in agreement though, because she knew she could get heated when she argued.

The games and debates had been long forgotten when they were all winding down. Now they were going in a loose circle talking about Percy. Annabeth felt warm all over hearing how much these people cared about Percy, but she also felt increasingly nervous when they looked at her. She turned her head, focusing on Percy who was already looking at her.

“Well I haven’t known you long, but I’ve never clicked with someone like I did with you. And I’ve never met anyone who makes me laugh and smile like you do,” she said, her cheeks flushing. She gave a tiny shrug, as though this confession was no big deal. “I never saw you coming, but I’m really glad we met.”

“So am I,” he said quietly.

Leo interrupted them with, “Okay, this is just getting gross!”

Percy held up his middle finger towards Leo before leaning in and pressing a kiss to Annabeth’s lips, which resulted in groans and complaints from everyone. Annabeth pushed Percy away playfully, her cheeks surely on fire. They were both smiling, though.

It was about 12:30 am when the last of his friends left, all of them telling Annabeth it was great to meet her and they hoped they’d see her again. Hazel and Grover even gave her hugs before leaving. She hoped they were all being sincere because she really liked all of them too. And then she and Percy were left alone.

He didn’t even hesitate to place his hands on her hips and tug her against him. “I’m really glad you came tonight,” he murmured, walking her backward towards somewhere - she trusted him to lead her where she needed to be.

“Me too,” she whispered.

“They all liked you a lot.”

“I liked them too,” she replied, smiling.

“I like you a lot,” he said. Annabeth noticed the slightest tint of red in his cheeks.

“I like you too,” she breathed, hoping that confession didn’t come off as deep as it felt.

Her back hit a wall, and his eyes darkened. She felt something rush through her, curling in the pit of her stomach. God, did she like him. “Good,” he whispered. And then he was leaning down, and pressing his lips to hers.

---

Annabeth had only just started on the last email of the day to her client when there was a knock at her door. Her eyes flicked to the clock in the corner of her laptop screen. 5:47 pm. Percy was early.

She got up, walking quickly to the door. Sure enough, he was there when she opened it. With… flowers. Annabeth broke into a smile, any tiny bit of annoyance she’d felt from his early arrival gone in a flash.

He stepped in and she began to shut the door behind him. “Hey,” he said, holding up the bouquet. Roses, daisies, baby’s breath, all wrapped in pretty white cellophane.

“Hey,” she replied softly, placing her fingers over his to take the flowers, and leaning up on her toes to kiss him. “What are these for?”

Percy shrugged. “Just wanted to get you some,” he said, a barely there blush dusting his cheeks. “But if you do need a reason, it’s technically two weeks since we became official.”

Annabeth blinked, only just realizing the date. After his birthday, the rest of August had slipped away quickly, and then so did September. They'd only seen each other about six times in those months, including on his birthday. A little more than a week into October, they’d started talking over dinner and they both concluded that, even though it was a little soon, neither of them were interested in being with anyone other than each other. Percy had hesitantly asked if that meant he could finally ask her to be his girlfriend, to which she’d easily answered yes.

“Oh shit, you’re right,” she said, a sheepish smile creeping onto her face. “Sorry, I have no concept of what day it is.”

He laughed, reaching for her waist. “Don’t worry, it’s not a real anniversary anyways.”

“It would be if we were in middle school?” she joked. Her first ever “boyfriend” had been a middle school relationship that had lasted all of four days that consisted of holding hands twice. Very serious, they were madly in love. Until, of course, he’d broken up with her via a note he’d made her best friend deliver. She’d been heartbroken at the time, but she’d powered through.

“Mmm,” Percy considered, nodding. His hands slipped underneath her sweater and he began to lean down. “Good thing we’re not, though.”

He connected their lips in a heated kiss. It had been almost five days since they’d seen each other, even longer since they’d last tumbled into one of their beds. She missed him so much, and for a brief second, she completely let work slip her mind.

A loud ping rang out through the apartment, and Annabeth was pulled back from cloud nine. She had an email to send.

“Mm, fuck,” she said, pulling away. “I have one more email to send out.”

Percy still looked a little dazed from their kiss. “Huh?”

She chuckled, placing her hand on his chest. The other hand still gripped the cellophane of the flowers. “I was writing an email when you got here. I’m going over a few things with a client and we’re setting up a meeting. It should take me two minutes.”

He blinked a few times, processing what she was saying. “Oh. Okay.”

Annabeth couldn’t help but notice the hint of disappointment in his voice. She tried for a small smile. “Give me a couple of minutes, and then I’m all yours.”

“Sure,” he said, a tight grin on his face. Annabeth felt an unfamiliar tug of guilt, but she pulled away from him. He followed her further into the apartment and she set the flowers on the dining table before dropping back onto the couch where her laptop was still open, the email only a sentence in.

“Do you want me to put these in a vase?” Percy asked from behind her.

“Uh, you don’t have to. I will in a minute,” she answered distractedly.

“Eh. It’ll give me something to do.”

Her fingers froze on her keyboard for a second. There was something in his voice that she couldn’t have missed, no matter how distracted she’d been. He was annoyed. Annabeth swallowed before continuing to type.

“Thank you,” she said. “I think there’s a vase or two under the sink.”

He didn’t reply, but she heard his footsteps retreat to the kitchen. She couldn’t shake the anxious feeling that was brewing in her stomach, but she focused on the email. The faster it was done, the faster they could move on.

It didn’t take her two minutes. It took five, because she proofread it three times, edited two separate sentences twice, and changed the time of the meeting once before she was finally happy with it. She shut her laptop, moving it to the coffee table before getting up. In the kitchen, Percy was leaning against the counter on his phone, the flowers in a clear vase behind him. His head lifted when she started to cross the tiled floor.

“Are you done now?”

Annabeth stopped in her tracks. His tone wasn’t playful or teasing. It was flat, a little hollow. “Are you mad at me?” she asked, tilting her head in confusion.

He shrugged, not meeting her eyes. “I just thought you’d be done with work.”

“I mean, I almost was. And you were, like, ten minutes early, so…” she said quietly. “If I had known you’d be here early, I would’ve tried to finish earlier.”

“I don’t just mean tonight, Beth,” he said, tired. That was the only word Annabeth could think to describe how he sounded right now - tired. “I just, you’re always busy.”

“We both are,” she said, her confusion only growing. He wasn’t making any sense. “We knew that going into this.”

“Right, and I’ve been trying to make more time for you.”

Now he sounded almost accusatory, words like dull knives on her skin - not sharp enough to cut, but enough to hurt. Annabeth felt her defensive reflexes kicking in. “So am I? I do my best to make time for you, too.”

“Do you?”

Her eyebrows shot up. They studied each other for a second before Annabeth squared her shoulders, lifting her chin a bit. “Yes. I do,” she said seriously. “I am trying my best, so I’m sorry if that’s not enough for you, but it’s the truth.”

Percy’s shoulders dropped and his eyes lost the hard edge that had been there. “I didn’t say you weren’t enough. You are.”

Annabeth was a little taken aback. That wasn’t what she had said either. She was talking about her not trying enough, but he’d jumped right assuring her that she was enough.

Whatever anger that had begun to build started to dwindle. Softer, trying to keep her tone from getting too defensive, she asked, “Do you think I’m not trying hard enough, though?”

He didn’t answer for a moment, reaching his hands out. Annabeth didn’t think twice about closing the few feet of space between them until his hands were on her hips and their chests were only an inch apart.

“It’s not that,” he said gently. “I know you are. I’m sorry.”

“What is it, then?” she pressed.

Percy let out a little sigh, one of his thumbs tracing circles on her hip. “I guess I just hoped we were wrong about how difficult this was going to be.”

Annabeth could agree with that much. They were lucky if they saw each other once a week. In the middle of September, when Annabeth had picked up three new clients and Percy had taken a short business trip to New Jersey, they didn’t see each other for almost two weeks. They’d texted and called whenever they could, which still wasn’t frequent enough in her opinion, but they’d made do. And the sex when they had seen each other again was fucking great.

“Yeah, me too,” she replied, leaning forward just enough to press their chests together.

“I’m sorry I got upset,” he said, brushing a curl behind her ear, his fingers lingering against her cheek. “That wasn’t fair to you.”

Annabeth smiled slightly. “It’s okay. I mean, I agree it wasn’t… fair, exactly,” she said slowly, “but I get the frustration.”

“We’ll make it work,” he told her. He said those words like a promise, and she hoped that’s what it was.

“We will,” she said. Annabeth tilted her head up, a smirk beginning to form on her face. “If I recall correctly, I think I remember telling you I would be all yours after I was done?”

Percy’s expression into one that matched hers, mischievous and sultry. “That you did,” he replied, leaning down to kiss her. That was the last coherent thing either of them said for a while.

Over an hour later, they were reduced to a sweaty pile of limbs tangled up in her sheets. She traced patterns on his chest as they caught their breaths. In the afterglow, her mind drifted back to the almost argument from before. She was impressed with the way they’d handled it. Communication had never been a strong suit for her - she was too stubborn and defensive most times, and a little bit of that had poked through. But overall, they’d resolved it before any shouting had started, which she thought was something to be proud of.

“I’m going to keep trying my best, by the way,” she said softly, not meeting his eyes. “Making time for you. I’m gonna to keep doing everything I can.”

He traced his fingers up her spine slowly, feeling each individual notch. He did things like that a lot, she noticed. Touched her just to feel her skin as though she was something precious and priceless. She would never admit just how much she loved it.

“I know,” he said earnestly. “So will I.”

Finally, her eyes flicked up and they both smiled a little. Annabeth thought about her job and how she’d gotten herself in too deep. She was so busy now, but it hadn’t needed to be like this.

“When I was younger, my dad was very… traditional. That’s the nice way of putting it, at least,” she said with a tiny, humorless chuckle. “He wanted me to be a teacher or a nurse. A job for a woman, he said.”

“Well fuck that,” Percy said, nose wrinkling in distaste. Annabeth couldn’t agree more.

“My thoughts exactly. He never wanted me to be an architect. It was a man’s job, and a male dominated industry,” she said, a frown tugging at her lips. “He’d tell me I would never make it big because I’m a girl.”

“Am I allowed to call him an idiot?” Percy asked. The frown disappeared from Annabeth’s face in a second, replaced by an amused grin. She nodded. “He’s an idiot,” Percy said.

“Very much so,” she laughed. “But because of that, when I did get hired and promoted to junior architect, I threw myself into work so much. I took every client I could. I’d work myself to the bone to prove myself. I still do because I can’t stand the thought of my dad being right.”

They were quiet for a moment as Percy took all this in, his fingertips still dancing along her back. Finally, he said, “For what it’s worth, you’re the best architect I know.”

“Mmm, and how many do you know?”

Percy smiled, shameless. “One. But you’re the best. You’ve got to be if you’re able to juggle so many clients, most of which I’m presuming have different ideas and styles for their own projects and you can do all of it. Very impressive, in my opinion.”

Warmth spread through her chest at his words. When he put it like that, she did sound impressive. Annabeth smiled, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth. Before she could say anything, his expression turned confused and thoughtful. “Have I ever seen anything you’ve designed?”

She stared at him. “What?”

“Like, I’ve seen you sketch before, which is also very impressive, by the way. But I don’t think I’ve ever… seen anything that wasn’t in your sketchbook,” he said.

Annabeth blinked, realizing he was right. He never had. The idea of showing him some of her finished designs made excitement bolt through her like a kid on Christmas morning. She smiled. “Well shit. Get up.”

“What?” he asked, smiling too. But she was already pulling away from him, getting out of bed. She slipped on a pair of underwear and a clean shirt that was long enough to touch the middle of her thighs. When she turned to him, he was still in bed confused. She laughed, fixing the ponytail her hair was falling out of.

“Get up, I want to show you some,” she said. He understood finally, a wide smile lighting up his face. He sat up, scooping up his boxers from the floor and stepping into them as he stood. Annabeth took his hand, dragging him right across the hall to her office. One perk of overworking herself - Annabeth made more than enough to cover the cost of a two-bedroom apartment.

Inside the office were her desk, some bookshelves, a printer, and a handful of other things. None of those were the main event, though. Annabeth had sketches and designs covering almost every available inch of the walls. There were probably twelve million pushpin holes in the drywall, but she could fix that before she moved out.

“Jesus,” he said. It was almost as if he didn’t know where to look because there was so much happening. “This is the most organized chaos I have ever seen.”

Annabeth laughed as she plopped into her desk chair, turning on her computer. As it began its start-up, she reached down and pulled out a thick folder from one of the desk drawers labeled final designs. fall & winter 2021.

Percy came up behind her, pressing his hand on her desk as he leaned forward to look. She pulled out a few of the papers. “Most of them are houses,” she explained, setting some down for him to see. “But there’s a library in here, one restaurant, which was really fun, and a couple, like, reception hall type of places.”

Each paper included front and/or side views of the buildings, and a floor plan. Which she knew didn’t offer much to the imagination when it was just on paper. Finally, her computer opened the login screen and she typed in her password, opening the 3D model program she had.

“This might make more sense, here,” she said, clicking one of the houses she’d done a few months ago.

“Oh, good. My brain was not processing floorplans,” he said with a chuckle, setting one of the designs back down on the desk. One hand stayed flat on her desk while the other arm rested against the top of her chair, allowing him to lean over and see the house on the screen.

She walked him through some of the houses, picking some of her favorites where the clients had allowed her to be a little more creative with them. Percy watched the screen with rapt attention, a growing smile on his face. He commented on all of them, mentioning whether he liked the look or the floorplan or something. It was clear he didn’t know a thing about architecture and design, but the fact that he complimented each one regardless made her happier than she could put into words. Once she’d walked him through a full five buildings, she realized she needed to stop before they were there all night.

“Can I show you my favorite?” she asked, a little hesitant that he’d be getting bored.

“Yeah, please,” Percy said, nodding. He didn’t seem bored in the slightest. She smiled, pulling up the 3D model of the library she’d mentioned.

“It’s going to start construction next month in Westchester County,” she said softly. Annabeth looked up, watching as he studied the screen with that same smile.

“I love it,” he said. “It’s so modern, it looks really cool.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. Percy tore his eyes away from the computer, looking down at her. That smile of his widened.

“See what I mean? You’re the best there is,” he said, a sweet tenderness to his voice that told her he believed that. He believed in her. She reached up, placing her hand on his cheek and pulling him down into a kiss. She could feel him smiling against her mouth.

When he pulled back, he didn’t go far. “Are there any more you wanna show me?” he asked. And he looked genuinely interested at the idea of seeing more.

“Oh, I could keep you here all night,” she said, making them both laugh. “But I’m starving and you’re not wearing a shirt, so I can think of a few other things I’d rather be doing.”

Percy grinned, pressing one last, soft kiss to her lips. He held out his hand to her. “Well, let’s go get something to eat then,” he said. She took his hand and once she was on her feet, Percy pulled into a much more eager kiss, taking her by surprise. He leaned back, voice dropping a whisper, “And then we can do something about the other thing you mentioned.”

Annabeth smiled. “I’ll hold you to that.” She laced their fingers together and tugged him down the hall of the apartment towards the kitchen.

---

Annabeth had gotten exactly three texts from Percy today. All of which were from the morning, confirming that he would be over later today. Those three texts were the only thing keeping her going. Before today, she’d received a total of six texts from him in the last four days, all of which were five or so words. She wasn’t trying to be needy, but… she missed him.

It had been two full weeks since they’d seen each other. Percy had gone on another business trip, this time to upstate New York, and he’d been gone for four days, getting back only yesterday. Annabeth had needed to take a short trip to New Jersey to meet with a new client who wanted her to design their house. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed with him and sleep for two years.

She shut her laptop, blowing out a breath as she finished her last email of the day. Annabeth picked up her phone, unlocked it, and opened her messages. She had one text from Percy that made her stomach drop.

Percy
hey i got pulled into another meeting. i’m probably not even gonna get back until 7:30 and im exhausted. im sorry babe

Annabeth frowned, reading it over and over again. There was a physical ache in her chest, a real craving for him. She sighed quietly before sending a reply.

Annabeth
are you sure? i could come over when u get home:(

She bit her lip, fully aware that she sounded a little desperate. It had just felt like they were drifting as of late, and she was trying to cling to him, trying to keep him close. She put the phone down. If he was in his meeting already, she wouldn’t be getting a reply for a while. She went to the kitchen, hoping that dinner would be a good enough distraction.

It was for about thirty minutes, and then she was bored again. Still no text from Percy. She nodded once, deciding to shower instead of sitting around and waiting for him to reply. She got out fifteen minutes later, thankfully to a text.

Percy
im gonna pass out the second i get home beth. im sorry

Annabeth’s lips turned down again.

Annabeth
okay. i’ll see you soon tho, right?

Percy
definitely baby

-

They did not see each other soon. It was still almost a full week before they saw each other. They’d tried to set something up almost every day, but something always came up. Another meeting, another client, another long day. She felt bad anytime she had to reschedule on him, but at least she wasn’t alone in it.

Finally, finally, six days before Christmas, they worked something out and he was on his way to her apartment right now. She just finished cleaning up a few things when there was a knock on the door. Giddiness rushed through her, and she all but skipped to the door, throwing it open.

Percy was there, a tired smile on his face, but looking handsome as ever. He stepped into her apartment and before they even shut the door, he was wrapping her up in a tight hug. She pushed the door shut roughly, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “Fuck, I missed you.”

“I missed you so much,” he murmured. Annabeth melted into his embrace, letting him hold her for a few seconds before she leaned back just enough to see his face. Percy didn’t hesitate to lean down and connect their lips. She hummed, smiling into the kiss.

When she pulled back, though, he wasn’t smiling. There was something in his eye that made her stomach twist unpleasantly. The giddiness she felt faded, replaced with worry. Dread. “What?” she asked

Percy shook his head. “Nothing,” he tried, very unconvincingly. He moved in for another kiss, but her hand came up to press on his shoulder gently, stopping him.

“What?” Annabeth pressed.

He let out a quiet sigh, and he studied her face as though he’d never see it again. “I really want to kiss you again, Beth,” he said. He didn’t offer anything else. Annabeth’s eyebrows furrowed together, but she tilted her head up for another kiss. She’d get it out of him soon enough, and she would never say no to more kissing.

One of his arms stayed strong around her waist and his other hand came up to cup her jaw. He kissed her slowly. Again, like he was he was trying to memorize the way she felt against him. Like he’d never get the chance to do this again. Normally, kissing Percy made Annabeth feel happier than she’d ever thought possible, but now there was a bit of anxiety forming in her stomach.

She wondered if she should be doing the same. Memorizing the way his lips moved with hers and the way his thumb brushed over the bone of her jaw. The way he smelled, tasted, felt. If he was holding her like it might be the last time he ever got to, should she be doing the same?

Finally, when the curiosity got the best of her, she pulled back. He kept her close, though, pressing his face into her curls. “Are you gonna tell me what’s wrong now?” she whispered, hoping to ease it out of him.

“I’ve just been thinking,” he said. His voice was quiet. Gentle. Nervous.

She tilted her head back to look at him. “About?”

Percy didn’t speak for a moment, eyes flicking over her face. “I think, maybe, this isn’t going to work out, Beth.”

For one blissful second, those words didn’t process. And then they did. Her eyebrows drew together slowly and she stared at him. His sentence had processed but that didn’t mean she understood what he was saying. “What?”

Percy shut his eyes and exhaled a small sigh. “I just- I don’t think we’re going to work out.”

Annabeth pulled away from him. The familiar warmth of his arms had become suffocating in the span of two seconds, and in the small doorway of her apartment, she couldn’t breathe. “I-” she choked, before turning abruptly and walking towards her kitchen.

“Beth.” He followed her. She placed her hand on her forehead, turning to look at him as he crossed the threshold onto the tile floors. Tile floors that he’d spun her on as they’d playfully danced together to no music one night. Tile floors that they’d made a mess of the one time he’d tried to teach her how to make brownies. Tile floors that already held so many memories of him, just like every other inch of her apartment. And now, unfortunately, it seemed that they were going to add another much less pleasant memory to the pile.

“What do you mean this isn’t going to work?” she asked, finally getting her voice back.

“I think we just… don’t have the ability to balance work and a relationship. That much is pretty obvious,” he said.

“We knew that going into this,” she said. They had always known it would be hard, but it would be worth it.

“That doesn’t make it any easier,” he said, eyes pleading for her to understand where he was coming from. But she couldn’t. She understood that it was hard and sometimes painful, but that didn’t make her want him any less. She didn’t want them to just give up.

“I don’t,” she paused, placing her palms to her eyes for a brief second to try and collect her thoughts. Those thoughts were all over the place, though, with no hope of collecting them. “I don’t understand.”

Percy let out another sigh, this one a little more forceful. “Come on, Beth. You know how hard this has been. We’ve been trying, and it’s not working,” he said, shaking his head as he took a few steps closer. “We’re both exhausted all the time, and we’re so busy with work. You-”

He stopped himself there, abruptly. Like he was about to say something he shouldn’t.

“I what?” she asked, already fighting to push down the defensive urges that were bubbling up in her throat.

“Nothing, I-”

“I what?” she asked again, a little harsher.

“You blew me off, like, three times this week,” he said flatly. He didn’t look angry about it, just tired. Exhausted had been the word he’d used, and that’s exactly how he looked. Annabeth wasn’t, though. No, she was angry.

“I’m sorry?” she asked, head recoiling. “I had work, what was I supposed to do about it? And you did too.”

“I did it once,” he said. Now she could hear the defensiveness peaking through in his words too. “And it was because I got home at 8:30 and was tired.”

“So it’s more on me, then?” she asked, crossing her arms and tilting her head.

“I didn’t say that.”

“No, but you did just say I blew you off, which kinda makes it seem like you’re blaming me as if it was in my control.”

Percy shut his eyes and tilted his head back, taking a deep breath. “I’m not trying to put blame on you,” he said. His voice was softer again. How he managed to reign in his anger so quickly continued to baffle Annabeth. “I’m sorry it seemed that way. I was just saying that’s what happened. And it sucks.”

Annabeth did her best to push her anger down too. No, not push it down - get rid of it. She tried to let it disperse the same way he’d done. How successful she was at it was yet to be determined, but she was trying.

“I get it’s frustrating, but you don’t need to take that out on me,” she said flatly.

“I wasn’t trying to,” he said, crossing the last few feet between them to stand in front of her.

“We always knew it was going to be hard,” she tried again, looking up at him.

“I know,” he agreed. “I think we underestimated just how hard it would be, though.”

“Yeah, but,” she was running low on arguments. She couldn’t deny this was the most difficult relationship she’d ever been in. It was so good when they were together, but those moments were few and sometimes far between. “But we’re trying.”

“I know,” he said gently, uncrossing her arms and placing his hands on her hips carefully. He hadn’t touched her that timidly in months. Not since they’d first gotten together and he was still unsure if he was allowed to touch her as he pleased. “I just don’t think it’s enough, and there’s nothing we can do.”

“But,” she protested again, voice growing weaker. She could feel the tears beginning to build. She can’t remember the last time she cried in front of someone. “But I don’t want to break up.”

“I don’t either,” he whispered, pressing his lips to her head. “Think about it, though, baby. We’ll have more time for work, we won’t be so drained all the time.”

“But I won’t have you,” she said.

His shoulders sagged a little and he kissed her head again, keeping his lips there as he murmured, “I know.” He pulled away to rest his forehead against hers and her eyes fluttered shut. “That’ll go away with time.”

Annabeth wasn’t so sure. She couldn’t remember what life was like before Percy Jackson, but it must’ve been hell. A dark night that had held her captive for the last twenty or so years. He had shown her an entirely new level of happiness, a golden ray of daylight she had never known she needed. How was she supposed to go back to whatever darkness she’d been trapped in before?

“I don’t want to either,” he repeated softly. “But I’ve never been so physically drained, and I know it’s the same for you. It’s not healthy. We can’t balance everything.”

Annabeth blew out a breath. He was right. She had already been tired enough before meeting Percy, working herself at almost all hours, even on her off days. Adding in a boyfriend, even one she didn’t see often, had added something else to her overflowing plate and she wasn’t strong enough to balance it all healthily.

She moved her head back enough to see him, eyes opening. There was a single tear sliding down his cheek, and that’s what did it for her. Her lip began to wobble, tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over. Percy pulled her to his chest, wrapping his strong arms around her. Maybe for the last time.

She let out a sob, hugging him back just as tight. They stayed like that for a moment, her crying quickly residing into a silent, steady stream of tears. She sniffled. “I hate when you’re right,” she murmured.

Percy let out a soft chuckle, pressing his lips to her hair. “Me too,” he whispered. Annabeth pressed her face into his neck, breathing in his scent. Another few minutes passed before Annabeth was calm again, her face still wet but no new tears falling. Percy cleared his throat softly. “Do you want me to stay a little longer? Or do you want me to go now?”

If she let him stay any longer, she may have tried to keep him there for the rest of his life. Annabeth knew she needed to rip this off like a band-aid. She took one more deep breath before pulling away, already missing the warm body she was so used to. “I guess you should,” she paused, looking up at his face, taking it in one final time. After just a few seconds, she finished with a near-silent, “Go.”

Percy bit his lip and nodded once. She walked him to the door. With each step, she almost changed her mind and asked him to stay. Just for a little longer; just for forever. He stopped at the door, turning to look at her.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. As of it were either of their faults. Annabeth felt like crying all over again, but she held out.

“Me too,” she replied, just as soft. She opened the door, and he stepped closer to her. He pressed one last kiss to her forehead, and when she looked up at him, he pressed one very faint kiss to her lips. The actual last kiss, one she’d never thought would come.

“Bye, Beth,” he said.

“Bye,” she echoed. He allowed his eyes to take in her whole face one final time, and she did the same, before he turned and left. Normally, she’d watch him go and he’d always glance back at her with a stupid smile that made her heart skip a beat. This time, she shut the door. She didn’t want to see him glance back at her. Or worse, she didn’t want to see him not do that. Not turn back for that final look of her watching him go.

She shut her door, locked it, and pressed her back to the wall, sliding down until she was on the floor. Those sobs she’d been holding in came out now, heart-stopping waves of hurt washing over her. Even if she knew telling him to leave now rather than in a few hours, she couldn’t help thinking ripping the band-aid off was just as painful as pulling it off slowly.

---

If life before Percy Jackson had been dark, life after him was oblivion. Seemingly endless darkness, which sounded dramatic because it was. Annabeth didn’t know life could be so good until she’d had him, and now the rug up been ripped out from under her feet.

It was Christmas. For the first time in a long time, she’d been looking forward to today. She and Percy were both off, of course, so they were supposed to spend today together. She was going to meet his parents today.

But instead, she was alone in her apartment. Reyna and Thalia invited her over for dinner, but she wasn’t sure she could be around a happy couple right now. She was supposed to call Piper later, but she wasn’t sure she was up to it - she wasn’t sure she was up to anything.

Annabeth sat on her couch, in one of Percy’s hoodies, staring at the little Christmas tree Percy had helped her put up. He’d been absolutely baffled to learn she didn’t decorate, so when he’d shown up on November 30th with a four-foot-tall fake tree and boxes of ornaments, she had no choice but to put them up. Admittedly, it was the most fun she’d ever had decorating for a holiday.

Now she remembered why she hated this season so much. It was when she felt the most alone. There were two years in her life where Christmas hadn’t so bad, and they were her last two years of college. Neither she nor Piper had gone home, so they’d decorated their apartment and celebrated together. It had been the first holiday season that had felt real - she’d hoped this one would feel the same.

Annabeth was not the best at coping, but this was significantly worse than anything she’d ever experienced. Normally when she was going through something or getting over someone, she would throw herself into work. She would push herself at all hours of the day so she had no room to think about anything else. This time around, she was still throwing herself into work, but not every waking moment.

She’d shut her laptop at 6 pm every workday, and she wouldn’t touch it again until she got to the office the next morning. She wouldn’t touch her computer, her designs, her sketchbook. Half of the time, she wouldn’t even go into her office after 6. She would simply go about the motions of her day robotically, thinking of all the places she’d made memories.

The kitchen where they’d danced on the white tile, the hallway where they’d laughed as he playfully chased her to her room, the dining table where he’d served her dinner one time when they were too tired to go out, the couch where she’d sprawled on top of him as they watched his favorite movie. Her bedroom, bathroom, office. Every inch of this place still had invisible memories of him. Or, in some cases, very visible.

The stain of hot chocolate on the couch she had tried so many times to get out after he’d spilled it trying to hand her a mug, the few pieces of his clothes that were tucked away in her drawer, the bottle of his body wash she couldn’t bring herself to remove from the shower, the spare toothbrush she’d put in the cup by her sink for him. He was everywhere, haunting her now that he wasn’t around. She remembered every moment with him all too well, and she missed him so fucking much.

Annabeth wasn’t sure she’d ever felt heartbreak this bad. She’d only ever had two serious relationships before, and both of them had hurt an unimaginable amount at the time, but now seemed minuscule in comparison to this. This was like someone had maimed her with a thousand little paper cuts all over her skin, slowly bleeding her out.

Her mind drifted back to their night in LA, tucked away in the hotel room and the morning after. The way he’d seemed so eager to continue seeing her once they were home. The way he hadn’t been able to keep his hands off her all night, always wanting her close. She wished she could go back in time and warn herself just what she was getting into. The best thing in her life and the worst heartbreak she’d ever experienced.

Percy had learned her in ways no one else ever had. He knew her darkest secrets, her deepest scars where she’d been pulled apart from over and over again by people she’d trusted before. It had been terrifying, in a way, to let him in so deep. To let him see all of her. But he had, and instead of turning away, he’d only treasured her more. He had seen those invisible scars tainting her skin, and he’d drawn little stars around them, like they weren’t all that bad. He made her feel as though they were a necessary part of her that he liked, and that she should like too.

She was twisting the strings of his hoodie together absentmindedly, remembering how he’d first kissed her on the dancefloor, when her phone buzzing broke her out of those thoughts. Piper was calling. Annabeth thought about ignoring it, but her mind also briefly recalled promising to keep Piper updated about the Percy situation. She’d done so up until now, it was only fair that she continue. Plus, at the very least, Piper was always good about making people feel better.

Annabeth picked her phone up, accepting the call and holding it up to her ear.

“Merry Christmas!” was the first thing she heard, happy and full of cheer.

“Merry Christmas,” Annabeth offered back, much less enthusiastic.

“Oh, come on,” Piper whined. “Have some spirit, you grinch. How has your day been? Have you already met Percy’s parents? Are you there now?”

So many questions, all with such disappointing answers. Annabeth cleared her throat softly. “No, we, uh, broke up,” she said. “Almost a week ago.”

That was the first time she’d said it out loud. In all honesty, she was surprised she didn’t start crying. Piper was silent for a second. “Wait, what?”

“Yeah, uh,” Annabeth said. Maybe she’d spoken too soon - those tears were on their way. “We just… couldn’t balance work and a relationship. So we ended it.”

“Oh, Annabeth,” Piper said, the frown evident in her voice. “I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah,” she whispered, playing with the strings of the hoodie again. Soon enough, it was going to stop smelling like him. “I’ll… I’ll be fine. Eventually.”

“Babe, have you considered… I don’t know, cutting back on work?” Piper said softly. “You work on your days off. Even on days you do work, you stay emailing your clients almost two hours after you get home. You don’t need to push yourself so hard.”

“I have clients, Piper,” Annabeth said. “I can’t just ignore them.”

“Send them all an email restating your hours and stick to that. Or maybe consider not taking every client you come across. If you have less, you’ll probably be able to finish them and take new ones sooner. Make those bitches wait for you.”

Annabeth’s lips did quirk upwards at that comment. She had considered cutting back, but she was always worried about the consequences. Would people at the office see her as a slacker? Would they doubt her abilities? She didn’t want to find out.

Piper let out a small chuckle. “Hell, you should talk to your boss and switch your off days to match Percy’s.”

Annabeth blinked. “What?”

“Well you’re off Saturday and Tuesday. He’s off Sunday and Thursday,” she explained, probably recalling the information from one of the million times Annabeth had complained about their clashing schedules. “Switch your days. Or at least one if you don’t wanna be pushy.”

“Hm,” Annabeth hummed. She’d never considered that.

“Tell your boss you’re now devoted to God, so you need to be at church every Sunday.”

“Fuck off, I’m not saying that,” Annabeth said, a small laugh escaping her mouth.

“Suit yourself,” Piper said, sounding pleased with herself for making Annabeth laugh. “Jason’s back from the store, I gotta go babe.”

“Okay,” Annabeth replied. Her chest felt a tiny bit lighter and she regretted not calling Piper sooner.

“Think about what I said. I think you’d benefit from it, even if you and Percy don’t fix things,” Piper said gently. “You deserve a break.”

“I’ll think about it,” Annabeth promised. “I love you. Merry Christmas.”

“Love you, babe. Merry Christmas.”

-

Annabeth did think about it. She thought it the rest of the day, and as she walked into her office the morning of December 26th, she had made up her mind.

It was difficult to find time to slip away from her work and walk towards her boss’ office, but she found a few minutes to spare. She could make time for things that were important. She knocked lightly, waiting for the gruff, “Come in.”

“Hi, Mr. D,” she said, plastering on a smile. Her boss was a short, old man with thinning white hair. He was fairly rude, but he’d always taken a liking to her. And most of the other women in the company. She tried not to think about it, because dwelling on it physically repulsed her, but she hoped having his favor would benefit her now.

“What can I do for you, Miss Chase?” he asked, taking a moment to look away from her computer and at her, eyes briefly scanning her body. Gross.

“I was just wondering if I could talk to you about my schedule for a moment…”

Five minutes later, she was walking out of that room with Sundays off and the promise to send an email to all her clients explaining the schedule change and accept responsibility for any anger they directed towards the inconvenience. She was confident none of them would mind too much considering the good relationship she kept with all of her clients, but she knew a few of them had ugly sides that she was would likely be on the receiving end of.

It would be worth it in the end. Hopefully.

---

Despite making the change to her schedule, Annabeth hadn’t called Percy yet. She was too scared to. She’d never really been one for cowardice, but this was different. She’d changed around her workdays with him in mind, but what if he still didn’t want her? What if he was actually done with her?

She didn’t want to face rejection from him, of all people. One of the only people who had made her feel wanted in her life. If she came to him suggesting one last try, one more chance to make it work, and he said no, it might break her.

Annabeth thought about it more time than she could count, though. It had begun distracting her at work, the thought of calling him, hearing his voice, seeing him again. It kept her up at night, the idea of kissing or touching him again. She missed him so much, and yet, she couldn’t bring herself to just call him.

It’s December 28th when she decided to take the tree down. It wasn’t offering any joy to her anymore, and she had the time since she was off work - she’d started vowing to herself to at least try to relax on her days off.

She slowly took off the ornaments, placing them in the boxes they’d come in, thinking about how Percy once told her they used to always leave the Christmas lights up until January when he was younger. The holidays must’ve been so different for them growing up. She wondered, not for the first time, if she would enjoy the season more if she had grown up with a family like his.

Annabeth started to remove the plastic branches, carefully bundling them up in their respective groups. She’d just begun to take off the very bottom ring of branches when she saw two small boxes sitting there, wrapped in pretty red paper. Percy’s gifts. Annabeth had tucked them under the tree so she wouldn’t forget them when he came over on Christmas Eve, but there they were. Forgotten and alone.

The bigger box contained two new hoodies since she’d gotten into the habit of stealing his. But she probably would’ve ended up stealing those, too. The smaller box contained a framed polaroid of them. At Piper and Jason’s wedding, there had been a little photo booth area with hats and props, and they’d taken a photo together. Annabeth had put on a fluffy white halo, and Percy had a gold crown on.

Technically, they were supposed to leave the photo there for the newlyweds to add to their photo book of the night, but once it had developed, nothing on earth could’ve stopped Annabeth from stealing that picture. Piper knew about it now and she didn’t mind. About a month ago, Annabeth had taken a thin sharpie and written us. july 24th. with a little heart next to it.

She stared at the gifts, at his name on them. The tear in her heart started to widen all over again, the way it did every time she thought of him. Annabeth pulled out her phone, opened her texts, and found the one she was looking for. She typed out a message and hit send.

Annabeth
tell me to call him.

It was around 5 pm in California, so hopefully Piper wasn’t busy eating dinner or anything. She needed her friend to give her this last little push, just an ounce of support to get her to do what she so badly wanted to do. Like always, Piper had her back.

Piper
CALL HIM!!

Annabeth stared at the two words in the text bubble, then her eyes shifted to the gifts. She would never know if she didn’t try. She opened her contacts, clicked Percy’s name, which still had a little picture of them smiling with their cheeks smushed together, and then clicked call.

It rang, and rang, and rang. He could still be at work if it had been a long day. She held her breath and finally…

“Hello?” he said slowly. Oh, she could cry just from hearing his voice.

“Hey,” she said, lowering herself onto the couch.

“Hi, uh,” he replied, obviously confused. “What’s… up?”

She eyed the gifts. “I just… never got to say Merry Christmas.”

A weak excuse, admittedly, but now that they were talking, that fear of hers was kicking in again. “Uh, Merry Christmas,” Percy said. A beat of silence. “Was that all you called to say?”

Annabeth swallowed hard. She thought about the polaroid under the tree, the one she’d kept in her wallet for months. She thought about the little note on it he had yet to read, the one word and the date. Us.

“No,” she said. “I’ve just been thinking a lot. About, you know. Us.”

He was quiet again for a few seconds. “What about us?” he asked.

No point in beating around the bush, so she cut straight to the point. “I think we made a mistake, Perce. I… I don’t know about you, but I’ve been pretty… pretty miserable this past week.”

For a terrifying second, Annabeth thought he wasn’t going to say anything. Or worse, he was going to disagree and say he was doing better. But then, soft as ever, he said, “Me too.”

She let out the breath she’d been holding. Tilting her head up towards the ceiling, a tear slipped down her cheek. She dropped her voice to a shaky whisper, “Do you know how much I miss you?”

Percy let out the softest chuckle. “God, yeah. I miss you too,” he said. A small weight was lifted from her shoulders. They weren’t out of the woods yet, but maybe they could get there. A happy ending might still be within reach if they were brave enough to try for it.

Annabeth sunk her teeth into her bottom lip. “Can I come over?” she asked quietly. “So we can talk? Please.”

Another terrifying pause. “Yeah,” he said. “I’d like that.”

She didn’t fight the smile that crept onto her face. It was her first real one in ten days. “Okay,” she whispered. “I’ll be over in 30, is that okay?”

“Yeah. See you soon.”

“See you soon,” she echoed. The call ended, and Annabeth let out a long breath. They still had a chance. They could still make this work.

She got up from her couch, rushing to put on a warm enough outfit. It was freezing in Manhattan as of right now, so she bundled up. It was only a couple of minutes from her place to the subway, and then a few more from the subway to Percy’s, so hopefully she wouldn’t freeze too much.

Within five minutes, she was out the door and rushing to the station. It only ended up taking her 25 minutes, so she took the stairs up to his floor. It gave her a little more time to think about what was about to happen, though she was sure the second she saw him, all thoughts would escape her mind anyway.

Finally, she reached his floor and walked down the hall, stopping in front of his door. One deep breath. Two knocks. This was the last moment she could only dream about what would happen when he saw her again. Several seconds passed and then she heard the click of the lock, and his door opened.

They stared at each other for a short moment. If she’d wanted to cry from hearing his voice, that was nothing compared to seeing him again. Then he cleared his throat. “Sorry, come inside.”

“Thanks,” she murmured. Annabeth slipped off her coat and scarf, and hung it on on one of the wall hooks, the same one she always did. She followed him into the apartment. Everything looked the same, if only a little messier.

“Do you… want something to drink?” he asked, wrapping his fingers around the handle of the fridge. Her eyes flicked to him, feet stopping at the edge of the tile border where the kitchen met the hardwood floor around it.

“I’m okay, thanks,” she replied, tucking her hands into her hoodie. His hoodie. She realized she was still wearing it as soon as his eyes flicked down to it. He didn’t say anything. Percy nodded, his hand dropping from the fridge. Leaning against one of the counters, he looked at her. There was the entire length of the kitchen between them, but it felt so much farther.

“You think we made a mistake?” he asked quietly.

Annabeth nodded. She stepped onto the tiles. “Like I said, I haven’t been doing well. And I can’t help but think we were wrong to give up on… this.”

Percy blew out a breath, and the corners of his lips lifted. “I’ve been thinking the same thing,” he said. The weight on her chest grew lighter.

“Yeah?” she whispered, crossing the tiles a little faster. She stopped when she was a few feet away from him.

“Yeah,” he echoed. “I am still worried that we’ll wear ourselves out trying to keep up with this. But… I don’t think I’m willing to give you up just yet.”

That feeling returned. The familiar one she’d started associating with him. The feeling of being wanted, loved, cherished. He was looking at her with something akin to love in his eyes.

She thought about the polaroid, still tucked under her tree. She’d almost written i love you on it. That had been her plan to tell him the full extent of her feelings. But in the end, she’d decided to go with the date, and just say those words to him in person that day. She wondered what he would do if she said them now.

Annabeth took another step closer. “Well, I may have a good starting point for that,” she said. Her fingers twisted together inside the pocket of her hoodie. “I, uh, talked to my boss a couple of days ago. Switched my schedule around. I… work Saturdays now, and I’m off Sundays.”

Percy’s head tilted slowly and his eyebrows furrowed, like he didn’t understand.

“And you’re also off on Sundays…” she said slowly, hoping that would be enough for him to fit the pieces of the puzzle into place. He tilted his head upright again, the wrinkle between his brow smoothed out, and he started to smile.

“You did?” he asked.

Annabeth allowed herself to smile now too as she nodded. “Piper suggested it and, for once, I listened,” she explained. She didn’t get much else out because Percy closed the last foot of space between them, and he kissed her. Annabeth had thought about this one thing for the last ten days, and now she could hardly process that it was happening. Her face was between his warm palms, and his lips were pressed against hers.

Annabeth fumbled for a second, taking her hands out of her pocket and reaching for him. Her fingers twisted in his shirt, a desperate attempt to keep him close - to keep him from getting away again. But Percy had no intentions of going anywhere this time, it seemed.

One hand slipped from her jaw and pressed against the small of her back, diminishing any remaining space between them. Her palms traveled up his chest and over his shoulders. She only pulled away when she was becoming dizzy from lack of breath. He didn’t let her get far, though, pressing his forehead to hers. He seemed to share her desperation to keep him close.

And then, of course, Percy beat her to the punch.

“I love you.”

Annabeth let out a breathy laugh, pure delight flowing through her. “I love you too,” she said. “God, do I love you.”

Percy smiled. A brilliant, radiant smile that had taken her heart the second she’d first seen it. He pressed one last kiss to her lips, though she would make sure there would be plenty more to come tonight, before pulling away.

“I know we both have work tomorrow but… do you wanna stay the night?” he asked, keeping their hands locked together.

Annabeth knew she’d be exhausted in the morning, leaving extra early to go home first before going to work. But she’d rather that than leave right now. “Yeah,” she said, looking up at him. “I’ll stay.”

She would stay forever, if he’d have her. And judging by the smile he gave her, he would.

---

With New Years Day being on a Saturday, and her new schedule, Annabeth had an entire weekend off for the first time in forever. And, even bigger than that, she had those two days off with Percy.

Friday night, it was only an hour until midnight, and she was cuddled up on the couch with him. They both were tipsy and giggly, and beyond happy. There was confetti and glitter on the floor from the popper she’d shot at him, and two beers sat half-drank on the coffee table.

Percy twirled her hair around his fingers, smiling when a tangle got caught and carefully undoing it. “Do you have any resolutions for next year?” he asked softly.

She tilted her head back, meeting his eyes. Something unspoken passed between them. An understanding that told her he already knew what she was going to say, but she said it anyway. “Yeah,” she whispered. “I’m going to slow down with work a little bit, I think. Make room for other, more important things in my life.”

His lips curved into a smile. “Is that so? Like what?” he asked, playing coy.

“Hm, maybe my friends. Piper, you know, she and I have gotten very close again recently. I’ll have to visit her sometime this year,” she said, pretending to think.

“Is that all?” he asked. Annabeth didn’t look at him, knowing he had that pout on his face that would make her melt.

“I think so,” she said. “Why? Am I missing something?”

“Um, you’re very loving and caring boyfriend who you love and care for.”

Annabeth gasped, like it had just clicked in her head. “Oh, you’re right!” she teased, looking at him. He was watching her with both love and exasperation. She adored how, even in moments like this where she was purposely annoying, she could see how much he loved her. Her hand came up to rest against his cheek. “I guess I will make time for you too, huh?”

“Mhmm, you better,” he said before leaning in and kissing her. They stayed right there on the couch, kissing, talking, laughing, teasing. Eventually, there was a minute left until midnight. The counter on the TV counted down from 60, and she cuddled in closer to him. Normally she spent this night alone, or maybe with Thalia and Reyna if they were doing something.

Twenty seconds were left, and Annabeth tilted her head up to look at him. He smiled. “When’s the last time you had a New Year’s kiss?” he asked.

She let out a little scoff, laughing. “God, I don’t even know.”

He gasped quietly, ever dramatic. “Am I your first then? Oh my.”

“My first that matters,” she answered truthfully. The playful look in his eyes softened.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you,” she echoed. The TV was still counting down, but she said, “Do we really have to wait until it hits one?”

“Fuck no.” Percy covered her responding laughter with a kiss that lasted well past the end of the countdown.

The beginning of a new year had never been anything special to her, but this year was so very different. This year, she had worthwhile commitments to make to herself. She had something that she wanted to keep close, and she would do anything to make that happen. It wasn’t exactly a New Year’s resolution, rather it be a promise - to make this, to make him, be something permanent in her life. And it was a promise she intended on keeping.