Disclaimer: Percy Jackson and the Olympians belongs Rick Riordan, not me.

Scanning the café, Annabeth Chase saw only one empty table. There was a problem sitting on it, however, so she looked for a table with few people. She spotted one in the corner. There was only one other teen sitting at it, sipping what she assumed was coffee and working on a laptop.

She walked towards that table. "Mind if I sit here?" she asked, gesturing towards the empty seat.

He looked up at her, and she noticed that he had rather beautiful sea-green eyes. "There is another table." He said looking a little confused. "I'm not saying you can't sit here," he quickly back-tracked. "I'm just saying that you really don't need to, um you could, I mean." He took a deep breath. "HI, I'm Percy, and yes, you can most definitely sit here." He smiled at her, and she took the seat.

"I hope it isn't an inconvenience," Annabeth said. "It's just that, I mean, thank you." She opened her own laptop, hoping he wouldn't ask why she couldn't sit at the open table.

"Wait, so why can't you sit at the other table?" Percy sipped at his coffee, and gave her a small, irritating smirk. "I know there wasn't a spill."

Annabeth cursed and scanned her mind for another backup. Nothing. "Well," she began slowly, looking stubbornly at the loading screen of her lap top. "There is quite possibly a spider on that table."

Percy laughed. He had a quite nice laugh, Annabeth decided. He ruined it by smirking at her again. "You don't want to sit at a table because there's a spider on it?" he asked incredulously, though she could hear a teasing tone to his words as well.

"Yes." she snapped. "Now, I have a paper I need to finish, so-"

"Yeah, me too." he said. "But," he added, right as she thought he'd leave it alone. "I really wouldn't think someone like you would be afraid of spiders."

"Someone like me?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "And what exactly do you mean by that?"

She smiled to herself in victory when Percy sputtered for a second or two. He apparently didn't have a comeback, as he turned his eyes to his laptop and began typing again. Nodding, Annabeth opened her email to use the pictures she'd sent herself for the lab report. Science was fine, but she preferred construction and math.

"Hey, Annabeth." She raised her eyes to Percy, who was smirking again. "Look." He said, and turned his laptop around.

She had to clamp a hand over her mouth at the image on the screen. A spider, she didn't really care to know which kind, was displayed. It was a close-up, and she was suddenly very glad that she hadn't started on her bagel yet.

She immediately averted her eyes. Once she had gotten her breathing under control, Annabeth looked furiously into the green eyes of Percy. Of all the tables she could have sat at, she had to pick one with a troublesome (but attractive) man.

Almost immediately his eyes widened, and he flipped his laptop back around. "Sorry, Sorry." He said, sounding truly apologetic. "I didn't think it was that bad."

"Well, it is." Annabeth snapped. "If you're just going to-"

"What do you like?" he interrupted, eyes back on his screen, typing furiously.

"Architecture." She responded automatically. "But I do have this paper to finish." With one last glare, Annabeth returned to her work.

It would have been fine; she wouldn't have had to worry about the black-haired teen in front of her, but then he broke the silence.

"How do you spell Hoover?" Percy asked, but he wasn't looking at her.

"H-O-O-V-E-R, why do you need to know?" Annabeth asked irritably. She got her answer when she received an air-drop of a picture of Hoover Dam. She looked at him. "If you're trying to make up for the spider," she shuddered, remembering. "Then stop. I've already done research on Hoover Dam."

The look Percy gave her made her feel like she'd kicked a puppy. She groaned internally. Now she was the one who wanted to make up. She opened her browser and looked up 'not to be rude apology pictures', and air-dropped the first one –a duck? – directly to his computer.

The grin he sent her made her feel it was worth admitting she had been harsh.

Annabeth started to eat her bagel, and became absorbed in her work. She assumed Percy must have done the same, as he finished his coffee and didn't bother her again.

It was roughly thirty minutes later that Annabeth felt she'd do better if she gave her brain a break from her lab report, and shut her laptop down. She cast a glance at Percy, and then decided he wouldn't steal her laptop as she threw her bagel wrapper away. When she returned to the table, she noticed he was shutting his laptop as well.

As she slid her laptop into her bag, Percy spoke. "I know we got off on the wrong foot, but could I maybe have your number and we could do this again next week?" When she didn't respond, he quickly added "I can make sure there are no spiders."

Annabeth stared at him. Percy shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. "What are you afraid of?" she asked, rather than answer his question.

He seemed confused, but answered anyway. "Tight spaces."

Annabeth nodded, and dug through her bag and pulled out a paper and pen. She scribbled her number down on the paper and handed it to him.

"Here's my number, we'll meet here same time and place next week." She considered him, and then smiled. "I expect you to uphold your promise. Any spiders and I'm out" she joked.

Percy grinned at her, and Annabeth felt a few butterflies in her stomach, which fluttered a little more with his next words.

"It's a date."

A/N: Hey, so got this idea and just had to type it out. Feel free to tell me of any mistakes, criticism helps me grow as a writer!