Hi! This is my first fanfiction, so please cut me some slack. I am eagerly waiting for some constructive criticism, and please review. So... this is a Percabeth fic and I'll be switching POVs quite often. They come in doubles, so two POVs are talking about the same scene. Well, long A/N's are terrible, so I'll stop here. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or any characters in it. Rick Riordan does.

Annabeth POV

I was tired of this position. My talents were sided towards knowledge and wisdom, but this career was an insult to that. A waitress, of all things? I knew I was more logical than impulsive, but it was a constant struggle to not snap at the men at the restaurant that had such terrible habits, or the fellow waitresses that gossiped in the kitchen. I hated this. But it was my only income source. Yes, I am twenty and I still don't have a boyfriend. My mom is fully supportive of my decision to not date anyone. My father doesn't care. I wanted romance. Of course. But nobody had my attention. The men at the restaurant stare at me (even though I don't look, by any means, good) but I only felt disgusted. I doubted I would ever fall in love with anyone that loves me back. But, of course, that was what I thought before I met the person that was stepping into the restaurant.

Percy POV

I was tired of my position. Who would like sitting in an office for eight hours a day, when your real talents were in sports? No, I'm not good at every sport. Just the ones that contained water in it. Surfing, swimming, diving, etc. were the things that I would love. I am an impulsive person, and it was a constant struggle to not yell at my boss or to kick him off of the twenty-story high building. I hated my work. It was my only income source, so I couldn't just quit, no matter how much I wanted to. Yes, I know what you guys are probably thinking. You're twenty and you still don't have a girlfriend? Yes. I don't have a girlfriend. I don't have time for that, with all of my work in the office.I spotted a café/restaurant at the side of the street. I guess it wouldn't be any harm if I just gave myself a treat tonight, after a whole week of hard work. I stepped into the restaurant. That was my first mistake.

Annabeth POV

He was nothing special, except perhaps the way he walked that indicated fatigue and weariness. Black hair, green eyes, ruffled shirt. He looked strangely like Harry Potter. I frowned at my comparison. Don't judge a book by its cover, I told myself firmly. I sighed, walked up to the man and spoke my lines. "Welcome to Sun Café. Are you staying in or is it a takeout?" I was sick of the lines. Saying it at least ten times a day was too much for me.

The man looked around before deciding on eating in the restaurant. "The counter is over there. You choose your own desk, and you ring the bell whenever you feel like it is necessary." I emphasized on the necessary because I have answered a lot of bells from men just for a "chat" in which they say stupid things and attempt to strike up a conversation. I don't want another one, even though I emphasize that word every time and nobody listens.

"Ok, sure," he responded with such a normal tone that I was momentarily surprised. Most men have that stupid tone that indicates their rather crude intentions, but I was glad to see some good in the world. I hope that all men had a normal tone, but it was just impossible. The man seemed to study me for a moment before he walked towards the counter as I went back to the kitchens. I regretted that decision at once. NEVER underestimate the viciousness of girls and women when it came to gossip. They could make a male sound like Godzilla even though the male was perfectly nice, and vice versa. Strangely, my fellow waitresses seemed to both love and hate boys. I just couldn't understand their logic. I pushed open the kitchen door to hear the giggling. No, giggling isn't a bad thing. It's just that when you hear five girls shrieking with laughter every single day, you tend to get rather infuriated with the noise.

Percy POV

I walked pass the doors and a waitress came out to give me instructions. She looked strange. Possibly because of the lack of makeup or the look on her face that indicated boredom. She sighed and spoke, very fluently, "Welcome to Sun Café. Are you staying in or is it a takeout?" I looked around the place. There were still plenty of empty seats and tables.

"I'll eat in," I told her.

"The counter is over there. You choose your own desk, and you ring the bell whenever you feel like it is necessary," the girl replied rather forcefully, putting obvious emphasis on the word 'necessary'. It seemed as if she was tired of tending to customers. How strange. Another surprising thing about her was the normalness of her tone when she spoke. She spoke like a normal person, not like some of my female colleagues. They simpered, whined, and giggled. I didn't understand their intentions, but, well, they were women. And I don't understand females in the slightest way possible. The waitress sounded tired, too. Her apron was stained, and it was obvious that she doesn't really care about her looks. I realized that she saw that I was staring, and I hurried briskly towards the counter. After ordering a salad and a pasta, and specifically telling them to color it blue, I sat down in my seat and took out the plans for a program in the office. After pondering about the same question (why should I care about this plan?) for fifteen minutes and not making any progress, I gave up and proceeded to stare out of the window.

Annabeth POV

The man ordered a pasta and a salad, but insisted that it should be colored blue. How strange. When I carried the food to his seat, he was staring out of the window, with blank papers on his desk, which was evidently supposed to be finished. My eye lingered on the papers, but soon returned to my job. "Sir?" I asked quietly, trying to alert him about the arrival of his food. He didn't respond. I tapped his shoulder and repeated a bit louder, "Sir?"

"Oh!" He jumped a bit but relaxed. "Sorry about that." When I realized that he noticed that I was looking at his papers, I blushed, hopefully indistinctly, and backed away. "Hey," he looked at me with a strange, unfamiliar look. I backed up instinctively. I had plenty of experience of strange males. What he said later, though, caught me off guard. "Do you wanna help me with this paperwork?"

I jolted at his question. I could practically feel my brain gears creaking into place. I hesitated. Why would he want me to help? But what harm could there be? Why should I help him? But ultimately, my desire for intellectual challenges took over my rational mind. "Sure," I smiled quickly and proceeded to sit down opposite of him, and began questioning him about the work. "By the way," I remarked lightly, "I'm Annabeth Chase. What's your name?"

"I'm Percy. Percy Jackson," he responded with a grin.

Percy POV

As I waited for my salad and blue pasta to arrive (I like blue. It always reminds me of my mother, and her rebellious streak when my ex-stepfather insisted that blue food didn't exist.), I stared out the window to think. I really hope that, when I get home, my mom and my present stepfather won't tell me to find a girlfriend. I could imagine their conversation. Mother will be like, "But Percy! You are already so grown up! Of course, getting a date is your own decision, but please do things when they are still easy. It'll get harder when you age." I love my mom. Yes, I know I'm too old to rely on my family, but my mother is just so kind and nice. I have never heard her angry before.

Paul, my stepfather, would say, "Now, Percy, I have high expectations of you, young man. You get me a couple grandchildren when I'm still young enough to mess with 'em. Easy, right? Don't procrastinate! You're old enough to understand what I mean."

Well, I know I should get myself a break and a date, but I'm so busy that I feel like it still isn't the right time yet. "Sir?" I felt a tapping on my shoulder, and jerked awake from my thoughts. The waitress that greeted me earlier was back, with my salad and blue pasta on a tray, placed on my table.

"Oh!" I mumbled a bit, but soon relaxed. Serves you right to not pay attention! A voice told me. "Sorry about that." The girl was surveying my sheet of blank, white, unblemished papers. Now it was her turn to blush, and she backed one step away. I noticed the interest she had in my paperwork. Won't hurt to ask her for a bit of help, would it? I observed her. She looked educated enough to help me out. I was confused by the papers, but it was probably because of my lack in interest in academics. Anybody could outsmart me. I made my decision. "Do you wanna help me with this paperwork?"

She looked shocked, I observed amusedly. I could see her hesitation, but soon she gave in to herself. "Sure," she smiled briefly and sat down in the opposite seat. "By the way, I'm Annabeth Chase," she remarked. "What's your name?"

"I'm Percy. Percy Jackson," I told her with a grin.