Harassment

Summary: In which accidental butt touching occurs.

:-:-:-:

Harrassment

She nervously dug around the drawers in her bathroom, searching desperately for the red lipstick she bought a month ago. Smacking her lips together, she slowly smeared her lips with a dark crimson color. She set her elbows on the counter just then, and penciled in a dark black line on her eyelids.

She slipped into the black skirt and red blouse she'd laid out on her bed earlier, searching for her blazer simultaneously. Once she'd left the bedroom, she grabbed the tiny purse sitting on the dinner table, and slipped into the black high heels that were waiting for her by the door.

Swiftly walking out and locking the door behind her, she checked the time on her phone, and then promptly shoved it in her purse. She only had twenty minutes to hail a cab and get to the station before the train.

Lucky for her, the cab driver ended up speeding (she didn't know how he got away with it), and she was able to get there in 15 minutes.

The remaining five minutes she spent pacing back and forth, thinking about the questions that were to come at her interview. She was staring at the ground so hard and so deep in thought that she ran into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she mumbled, distracted from the situation. She found herself still staring at the ground, but when she looked up at the person she had knocked into, a noise escaped her lips.

The guy's lips formed a sly smirk. "It's fine, don't worry about it."

A glare set on her face. She was wary of local perverts, and she was not about to spend her time with one. She tilted her chin and quickly walked on ahead, her head held high in efforts to display dominance and confidence to ward him off.

"Pfft." She heard the guy try to hold in a laugh despite her show of strength. Is he mocking her?

She shook her head. He couldn't possibly be. She was a confident woman. She donned red lipstick, for crying out loud.

Of course not.

She pursed her lips and stopped walking when she was a good five feet away from where the guy was standing.

The train finally arrived, it's speed bringing along a giant gust of wind.

Man, she hoped her hair wasn't messed up now.

She tried taking her time to get on, to distance herself from the creepy man, but was shoved on by a flood of people behind her. She had ended up standing, unable to find a seat due to the giant crowd.

Uncomfortably looking around, she realized the man from earlier was sitting right behind her.

Crap.

Her butt was practically right in front of his face.

He was holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a laptop bag in another. He wasn't looking anywhere he wasn't supposed to be, but she shifted in order to not make it awkward.

She sighed and loosened her grip on the handle she was holding onto, and just then, the train suddenly halted.

The next thing she knew, she felt a hand on her butt. She turned around the best she could in the cramped space. Before she could process what exactly happened, she slapped the man across the face.

He looked up at her, his hand still up in defense. "What the hell was that?" he asked, agitated.

"You deserve it!" she huffed, the people next to her staring intently at the exchange.

His lips twisted into a scowl. "What do you even mean?"

"Your hand!" she said exasperatedly, and when he still didn't seem to get it, she yelled, "You touched my butt!"

He looked like he was about to stand up and tell her off, but he couldn't because of the lack of room. Instead, he yelled, "I was trying to protect my coffee!"

"Protect your coffee?" she spat.

"I didn't want it to spill everywhere, and if it had, it would be all over your butt, so you're lucky it was just my hand!"

She gasped incredulously. From across the train, someone yelled, "Get a room!"

Huffing and rearranging herself, she quickly let herself off of the train. She was just happy that she didn't have to see that pervert again.

:-:-:-:

"Welcome to Hobson and Mary, Ms. Chase."

Annabeth grinned happily as she shook the interviewer's hand. "Thank you very much, sir."

"Can you start tomorrow? The firm is expecting you as soon as possible."

She nodded quickly, a giddy feeling filling inside of her.

The man led her out of the building, and as soon as the doors shut behind her, she turned and stretched her arms to the sky and let out a squeal.

She was, to say the least, very happy.

:-:-:-:

"Why is the right side of your face red?"

He sighed heavily, and slowly set his bag and coffee down on his desk. "Some chick slapped me on the train."

"Wow wow, Percy Jackson's pull game is as strong as ever."

Percy grinned, looking up at his friend. "Ah, shut up Grover. Do your work."

Grover saluted mockingly, and yelled, "Yes sir!" and swiveled his chair around to face his computer. Percy let out a laugh and sat down in his chair, getting comfortable in his office.

"Hey, so, I need you to make the presentation tomorrow."

Percy looked up to see his boss leaning against the door, holding up a USB. Sighing heavily, he got up from his chair and took the flash drive.

:-:-:-:

Percy loosened his tie a little, pacing back and forth and wiping his sweaty palms on his pants every now and then. Needless to say, he was nervous.

He'd had less than a day to prepare one of the business's biggest presentations, and he had absolutely no idea what he was doing.

All he knew was that he was pitching an idea to a hotshot architecture firm who was looking to promote themselves.

"Atlantis Advertising?"

Percy looked up to a familiar voice. "Oh shit."

:-:-:-:

Annabeth crossed her legs, and set her hands on the table. Raising her eyebrow, she muttered, "Why do you think you're qualified?"

Before her stood a very familiar man - the pervert. He was the last person whom she wanted to deal with, but her new boss insisted that she handle these trivial matters.

There were bigger and better things waiting for her - all she had to do was cross these tiny hurdles.

"Because our plan is ensured to help you guys make a 1.2% profit over the course of a month itself," he said confidently, putting on a brilliant smile.

Annabeth wasn't convinced. This man had touched her butt just yesterday morning, who was she to know if he was reliable or not? Nonetheless, it was a good plan for the company. She sighed heavily, and picked at the stack of papers in front of her. "How about I call you back later today?"

The guy nodded and pulled out a pen from his pocket as Annabeth slid him a post-it. He pointed to each of the numbers he wrote down. "This one is my office, but I usually leave early because I finish everything up quickly, and this one is my cell phone if you can't reach me through my work phone."

"Thank you," Annabeth said tersely, wondering why he would give her his cell phone number. She shook her head slightly to stop overthinking it, and looked up at him.

He leaned in close next to her ear and quietly said, "Sorry about yesterday morning."

As soon as he left the room she shivered, then looked down at the sticky note.

I really was trying to protect my coffee.

:-:-:-:

Percy left the presentation feeling confident. He'd apologized to her, once to her face, and once on the sticky note, and his presentation went really well. He hoped their firm gave the job to Atlantis Advertising.

The only thing that bothered him was that he never caught her name. He was hoping that her voice would sound familiar over the phone when she called back.

Sighing heavily, he trudged back up the stairs to his own office once he'd reached the building. He set down his briefcase on his desk and went to report to his boss about the presentation.

Right afterwards, he was assigned a different task, which he assumed was just busywork for him until they heard back from the architecture firm.

:-:-:-:

Percy was ready to go at around 5 pm. He had packed all his stuff up, but he didn't know why he was still at the office.

Sighing heavily, he glanced back at the phone once more, and then locked his office door. He left the building after saying his goodbyes to those who were still working, and walked straight ahead to the train station.

The phone in his pocket began to vibrate just as he reached the stop.

"Last call for boarding."

Percy answered the phone and nestled it between his ear and shoulder as he quickly got on to the train. "Hello?" he said.

"Hello?" the person on the other end said, and Percy noticed that he'd heard the same voice right next to him on the train.

He looked up to see the lady from the firm standing right next to him, shoulder to shoulder. She hadn't noticed that she was on the line with a person standing next to her, so he tapped her shoulder.

"Mr. Jackson?" she said, turning to face him. Coming to the realization that she was next to him, she said, "This is Annabeth Chase from Hobson and Mary. We've chosen you."

Percy kept the phone to his ear, and she did the same. "Oh really? That's awesome, thank you."

"Yeah of course," she said smiling a little. "I'll keep in touch with you. We can start this as soon as possible."

"Sounds great," Percy said, and then hung up. Turning towards the lady, Ms. Chase as he'd just learned, he said, "Thanks again."

She nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah. Our board really liked your plan."

Percy nodded slightly, and said, "I really am sorry."

She tilted her chin and muttered, "Don't stress about it. Things happen."

To escape the awkwardness, Percy shied away a little, trying to shift around in the crowded locomotive. His phone rang, and he excused himself from the conversation, turning to the other side. When he turned, he felt his hand slide across fabric, and that was when he realized that he should never move around in a train ever again.

"MR. JACKSON."

Shit.

:-:-:-:

"Can I buy you a coffee to make up for it?"

Annabeth glared at him, walking straight ahead. "Just leave me alone."

"I swear to god I wasn't trying to sexually harass you, I promise."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Percy fumbled around, and it struck Annabeth that it was slightly cute. "I, um, I mean that I wouldn't sexually harass anyone, but like, I didn't mean you weren't pretty or anything."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, trying her hardest not to blush. "Whatever Jackson. Just leave me alone, otherwise I'll think about backing out of the plan."

He sighed heavily and stopped walking. "Let me just buy you a coffee tomorrow morning or something," he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

She kept walking as he yelled, "Is that a yes or no?"

"I'll see you at 7, Jackson."

:-:-:-:

"Hey Rachel," Percy muttered. "Can you get me the regular, and um, one of those peppermint mochas with skim milk and extra whipped cream?"

The girl standing behind the cash register nodded, her fiery red hair bouncing up and down. "Are you with someone today?"

"Yeah," he said, pulling out his wallet. "She's a friend of mine."

Rachel nodded, taking the cash from his hand. "It'll be right out for you."

"Thanks," Percy muttered, and stood off to the side.

7 in the morning was too early for him, but he needed to keep Hobson and Mary's deal.

As soon as the drinks came out, he grabbed them and brought them outside of the shop, where Annabeth was waiting for him.

"Thanks," she said, her hot breath making a cloud in the cold air. She took a sip and smiled. "You remembered the whole order."

Percy let out a laugh, sticking his hands in his pockets as the two made their way to the station. "Yeah, surprisingly. I'm not very good with all of those other drinks, but Rachel seemed to understand."

"Rachel?" Annabeth inquired.

He nodded. "I'm a regular, so we know each other by name."

Annabeth slowly nodded as well, and took another sip of her drink. "It's getting colder," she mumbled, shoving her free hand in her pocket as well.

"Yeah, I can't believe it's already December."

She looked down at the floor, running out of things to talk about.

They reached the station, and she kind of hoped they would stay and talk before boarding the train, but just then, the train came, and the two found their way to board it. Percy was able to find a seat, but Annabeth wasn't.

"Here, switch with me," Percy muttered, standing up.

Annabeth smiled. "Thanks, for the seat and the coffee."

He nodded, and turned around, to where she could get a clear view of just his bottom. The train halted to a stop, and she held her hand up in case her drink spilled.

"Ms. Chase?" Percy muttered, cocking his eyebrow.

Annabeth looked up at him, wide-eyed, and slowly peeled her hand off of his butt. "Oh man."

:-:-:-:

"All you need to do is promise me that the deal is still on."

Annabeth was a bit uncertain. "Are you sure that's enough? I'm so sorry, I was just trying to protect my – "

Just then, Percy burst out laughing. "Ms. Chase, it's okay. I know my butt attracts many."

She glared at him in shock. "Are you serious? I'm trying to just apolo – "

He held his hands up in surrender, catching his breath. "I'm just kidding, but you're lucky I'm not as mean as you were to me when I was in the same position."

"Sorry," she mumbled, pouting a little.

He laughed again. "I'll catch you on the train back, Ms. Chase. Don't touch too many butts now," he teased.

"Whatever, Jackson."

:-:-:-:

"Why are you so happy?"

Percy looked at Grover. "What do you mean?"

"You're happier than normal," Grover muttered, looking back down at the file in his hands.

Percy shrugged his shoulders. "I saw a girl this morning, I guess."

But that possibly couldn't be the reason he was so happy. Ms. Chase, the woman who slapped him and sexually harassed him just that morning couldn't possibly be the reason. He let out a laugh thinking about the incident.

"You like this lady," Grover muttered, typing away on his keyboard.

Percy laughed again, but this time it was sarcastic. "No, I don't. She's the lady who slapped me a couple of days ago."

"But you like her anyways."

"No."

"Alright, suit yourself."

:-:-:-:

"Are you Percy's friend?"

Annabeth looked up from her phone. "Who, Mr. Jackson?" the cashier nodded, and Annabeth smiled. "Yeah, he's waiting for me outside. Are you Rachel?"

Rachel nodded, and began to make the two their regulars. "Do you like him?"

Annabeth was a little taken aback by the question. "Yeah, he's cool."

"No…you know what I mean."

Annabeth shrugged, just as Rachel finished up making the coffee. "Thanks," Annabeth mumbled, taking the hot cups outside.

Percy was waiting for her outside, watching his breath in the cold air. "Thank you, Ms. Chase," he said formally.

She laughed. "Of course, Mr. Jackson," she said, and took a sip of her drink. Her face contorted as she looked at the label on the cup. "I have yours," she said, making a disgusted face. On the bottom of the cup, she noticed that Rachel left her cell phone number on it.

"I actually kind of like this," Percy said, taking another sip of Annabeth's drink. "You can have my coffee, and I'll take this," he said, beginning to walk towards the station.

"Give it back," she said, tugging on his coat. "This is really bitter."

He laughed and stopped walking, handing her the mocha while she handed him the coffee.

"I think Rachel wrote something at the bottom of your cup," Annabeth muttered quietly, looking away.

Percy shrugged and took a sip of his drink. "She always writes something," he mumbled nonchalantly. "I'm used to it."

"No, but – "

"Forget about it, Annabeth."

:-:-:-:

Percy knew Rachel had put her number there.

Again.

He didn't want to bring it up in front of Annabeth for some reason.

He didn't want to bring anything up to her.

He just wanted to talk about stupid stuff with her, and not care about life. That was the way he felt about her.

:-:-:-:

"Are you going out with that girl?"

Percy looked at Rachel, handing her the money. "Who, Annabeth?"

Rachel nodded, taking the money and putting it in the register.

"Oh no, we're really good friends."

Rachel huffed. "Why?"

Percy was taken aback. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, why?"

Percy rolled his eyes. "I met her on the train, but she also works at the firm we're trying to advertise for, and I didn't want to get on her bad side so I became friends with her."

"Um," said a voice behind him. He turned around, only to see Annabeth standing there. "I just wanted to change my order, but now I'm not really feeling like having anything," she said timidly, and then turned around and made a beeline for the exit.

Percy looked at Rachel. "What the hell just happened?"

Taking the drinks quickly, he followed Annabeth out of the store. "Annabeth, wait up!"

He ran after her until he caught up to her. "Here, your mocha." He held it out to her expectantly.

She took it, mumbled a thank you, and then kept walking ahead towards the station.

Percy grabbed her elbow. "Annabeth, what's up?"

"Was I just a way for you to get the job?"

He looked at her. "What?"

She stared at him, her face hard and unmoving.

"Are you using me?"

:-:-:-:

She didn't feel betrayed, in a sense.

It was all the same. Every time she got in too deep, something went downhill. She knew it was too good to be true.

To answer Rachel's question, she guessed she had liked him.

:-:-:-:

Percy realized that he'd made an honest mistake.

If only she'd let him explain himself.

:-:-:-:

The next morning, she'd gotten coffee without him.

He waited for her around until 7:45 am, until it was time for him to catch the train. He just needed to talk to her.

Sighing heavily, he boarded the train and sat down in the nearest empty seat he could find before the rest of the crowd pushed their way in.

Just as the train began to move, he looked up from his phone and noticed a familiar set of blonde curls. He couldn't believe what he was about to do, but just then, he reached out and –

"Excuse me?"

Percy looked up and smiled. "Hey, Ms. Chase. I'm so sorry, let me just remove my hand."

"Did you need something?" she asked tersely.

He nodded, and muttered, "I just need to apologize, and tell you that you misheard."

"I'm pretty sure I heard right."

Percy grabbed her butt again. "I think you're wrong."

"Can you just – "

"Listen to me, lady. This is very awkward for me too but you're not listening to me and I've been driven to this, so just listen. You're wrong because I like you, a lot. And no, I'm not using you just to get a job. I'm actually really good at my job and could definitely pack it up and quit advertising for you, but I'm not going to because I wanna keep working with you."

Annabeth blinked a few times.

"Am I supposed to say anything else?" he asked, looking up at her.

She shook her head and pointed to his hand. Just then, the train came to a stop, and everyone filed off of the train.

Annabeth waited for Percy as soon as she'd gotten off of the train. He didn't notice that she had, so she tapped his butt with her hand.

Pecking him on the cheek, she said, "Don't sexually harass me anymore, and we've got a deal."

A/N:

so it's a little weird i guess

but this is dedicated to my longtime friend, bourdouxcookies because she is awesome and we recently had a friendaversary

i have a couple more in the process and I think I'm going to start a max ride story in the summer?

but um, it's definitely been a while

and i hope you guys liked it as much as i enjoyed writing it

i tried really hard to make it funny, i honestly did

and sorry if there are typos in there I'm just a lazy person

thanks for reading, and please review to let me know what you think (or fix or something for the future)!

thanks!

~bubbles