*Percy's POV*

Percy looked left, then right, before crossing the street. He made his way towards Hogan's Bookstore, wallet in hand. He took the keys from his pocket and set to work on opening the old bookstore's lock. The door opened, and in he walked, turning the sign on the door so it said "OPEN". He turned the lights on, walked over to the counter and put his wallet there, shuffling off his coat. Then he looked over the bookshelves, sighing because of the big day of work ahead of him.

He didn't fancy working at a bookstore too much. He'd rather be a swimming coach, or even a barista, but bookstores weren't really exciting. Hogan's was particularly dull, as it was basically hidden and would likely be overlooked. Well, anything was better than working with his dad. The bookstore's clients were normally the same, and he and Thalia, the other worker there, knew almost all of them. Well, he was half a barista, he thought, as he turned the coffee machine on. The bookstore had a small cafe where costumers could sit and read, but it wasn't much. There were at least cookies. He swiped one from the counter's drawer, and was just about to finish it when the bell above the door jingled, and Thalia came in.

Her black, blue-striped hair was as messy as ever, its short length spiking up and making her look like a lost girl from Peter Pan. She was wearing a black pair of jeans, black shoes, and a black t-shirt with the words "Punk isn't dead, you are." written across in silver handwriting. He didn't doubt she had made the shirt herself, or at least the slogan it sported. That was one thing about Thalia. She always personalized all her clothes, no matter what they were. Black shirts with stars? Connect the stars so they form constellations. White shoes that would go perfect with that shirt? Draw stars on them. She was unique in that way, and Percy thought of her as the little sister he never had. Well, little in size.

"Hey, Perce." She said, swiping the rest of the cookie from his hand and eating the last bite.

"Hey! That was mine!" Percy said.

"Was being the keyword." She replied, smiling.

"Ha, ha." Percy scoffed, before placing a coffee mug below the machine he had turned on earlier.

Coffee started pouring into it, and he leaned against the counter and stuffed his hands in his skinny jeans' pockets. Thalia grabbed a corner of the bookshelf closest to the counter and pulled, making it swing open and reveal the store's storage room. Lined with more bookshelves than the shop, the closet had stunned Percy into silence when he had first seen it, the day he had applied for the job. Now, though, he stared at it with a bored expression before turning back to his coffee. It was ready, so he grabbed it and sipped some, before putting it back on the counter and sighing. Today was going to be a long day.

*Annabeth's POV*

Annabeth cursed as her bag opened, spilling all its contents on the sidewalk she was walking in. She knelt down quickly and stuffed it all back, not worrying in which order the contents were organized. She was already late, and had no intention of missing the meeting she was going to. She had recently been called on by a company who needed to build a new apartment building, and she was more than ready to take the job. She loved architecture, and she loved New York, so it was quite the exciting event when she was able to move here. The job had just added to the long list of reasons why she had wanted to move out of San Francisco. She hadn't parted on the best terms, though.

She had not seen his father so angry since she had woken his whole family up with her screams from her nightmares. Her stepmother was more than pleased to let her go. She always thought of Annabeth as a bother and a bad influence, for some reason, to her two sons, tough she would never say it aloud. So, leaving her father and his new family behind, she had made her way to New York, excited yet afraid of what she would find there. Before long, that fear vanished, in the form of a call form her best friend Thalia. She lived in New York, and was more than happy to let Annabeth stay at her place while she got one of herself.

Which, Annabeth hoped, would not be before long. Her first paycheck was supposed to come in a month, and she was more than excited for it. The company she was working for was pretty wealthy. This feeling strengthened when she arrived at the company's building and saw the marble floors and chandeliers. She made her way to the main desk and rang the bell. A man in a blue suit popped up behind the main desk.

"Hello." He said. "What can I help you with?"

"Hello. I'm here to see Mr. Poseidon? I have an appointment, I believe?"

"Ah, yes! Ms. Chase, right?" The man replied, taking out an agenda from somewhere in the main desk.

"Yes, sir." She replied.

"Of course."

He reached inside the desk and took out a phone, quickly dialing a number. Annabeth didn't need super hearing to know the man was talking to Mr. Poseidon about her. He talked with his face set, but there was a certain softness to it now that he was talking to Mr. Poseidon. The man finished the phone call, slipped the phone into his pocket, then motioned for Annabeth to follow him. She trailed behind the man, admiring the pieces of art in the halls they were walking through, and feeling pride blossom in her chest when she recognized almost all of them. They walked through a long corridor, and Annabeth and the man's steps resounded in the empty, clean hallway. The man suddenly stopped in front of a door, making Annabeth almost crash into him.

He didn't seem to notice, though, so when he opened the door at the end of the hall they had reached Annabeth managed to keep a straight face. She stepped over the threshold after the man. Her gaze was quickly drawn to a man sitting behind a large desk.

He stood up, and Annabeth could now observe his features. Poseidon had a light stubble, high cheekbones, and a dangerous appearance. He looked like the kind of man who you would not think to cross. His hair was short and styled, and he looked like a middle-aged model. He was also, Annabeth noticed, quite young for the boss of several companies and his own industry. Even so, his eyes were a dark green, and a mixed kindness and harshness in them. There was something about those eyes that suggested Poseidon had lived through a lot. His body was muscled, and the dark blue suit he was wearing made him look formal and prepared. She took notice of the sad look he'd and when she'd come in, and of how quickly he and changed it. His face was now a mask, calm with a small smile.

Poseidon nodded to the man who had taken Annabeth here.

"Thank you, Tyson, for bringing this young lady here." He said, his voice smooth.

"Yes, sir." Tyson said, nodding back at him.

Poseidon at him again, a softness in his eyes. She checked Tyson, and effectively saw he had the same softness. There was something similar about them, and she made the connection by deciding they were probably family. The man swiftly left the room, closing the door behind him. Poseidon motioned for Annabeth to sit in from of him, in a comfy-looking chair. She did, and looked back at the man before her, who had also sat down.

"Well, Miss Annabeth, I daresay I'm quite pleased to see you here. I wasn't sure you would be able to make it."
"Yes, sir. This past days have been a little bit hectic, to say the least."

"You just moved to New York, right? I can imagine how it can be a little stressing. I do hope you don't mind we get down to business at once?"

"Oh no, not all Mr. Poseidon."

"Call me Poseidon, it sounds better."

Annabeth nodded and took out her notebook and the few plans she had already devised at home and on the few free hours she had here. Poseidon seemed quite pleased with the amount of work she had done so far. They discussed the plans, what Poseidon wanted to do, and other details. The meeting went swiftly, and by the end of it, around 4pm, Annabeth was quite pleased with the results. More important than that, Poseidon seemed pleased too. They stood up and shook hands, then Poseidon motioned her to the door.

"I do hope you are able to adjust to New York, Miss Annabeth. And if you find yourself struggling, I'm sure one of my sons would be glad to help you. Don't hesitate to ask. " Poseidon said, as he walked down the hall with her.

She paused before talking, thinking about who "my sons" would be referring to. She was sure, however, that the man who had showed here here (Tyson?) was definitely one of them. She wondered who the other one was, but decided quickly against asking. She was pretty sure that was exceeding the worker-boss limit of questions. At least for now.

"Oh yes, I think I will." She answered with a smile.

Around 4:30pm Annabeth was already on her way home, relishing the fact that her meeting had gone so well. Also, the fact that Thalia's home was so close to Pacific Industries, the company she now proudly worked for. She walked through the city's streets, admiring the architecture. San Francisco wasn't dull, but she had lived there all her life, so it was pretty boring to her. She loved the way the city's buildings stretched up to the sky, while keeping a free feeling. She didn't feel caged, and it made her even happier. This day was really going well.

She crossed the street to get to Thalia's building, pushing the front door open. She climbed the stairs and got to Thalia's floor, number 3. She made it to Thalia's doorstep and took out her keys, unlocking the door. She sighed as soon as she walked inside the apartment, and collapsed into the couch without a second thought, her bag thrown aside. She closed her eyes and thought of taking a small nap before Thalia arrived…

She was woken suddenly by somebody shaking her.

"Annabeeeeth!" Thalia said, still shaking her by the shoulders. "We're supposed to have movie night tonight!"

"I know, I know!" Annabeth said, chuckling under her breath. "I was just a little tired. I took a small nap."

"At what time did you get here?" Thalia said, frowning, ignoring her reply.

"Around 5, maybe? Why?"

"Annabeth, it's 10pm. I think you were a little bit more tired than that."

Annabeth groaned as her cover was blown, and Thalia's frown deepened. She could anticipate the question coming, and had no desire to answer it. But by the time she thought of what to say, Thalia had already opened her mouth.

"Have you been sleeping well lately?" Thalia said, with a face that implied she already knew the answer.

"Not really." Annabeth said, not finding a reason to lie to her friend.

Thalia looked exasperated, but hid it well. If Annabeth was not so good at reading people, she wouldn't have doubted the apparently calm expression her best friend was wearing.

"You should go to sleep." Thalia said, and Annabeth knew she couldn't discuss this with her friend.

She had no other option, so she just said goodnight to Thalia and made her way to her makeshift bedroom. It was actually the guest room, but as a guest, Annabeth had got around to calling it her own bedroom. It didn't actually have any personalizations like Thalia's poster-filled room. Her clothes were all stacked into some of the closet's drawers, her notebooks organized on top of each other in her desk, and all her plans and drawings in a neat pile.

Annabeth couldn't work in a crowded environment. Her ADHD took care of that, for she would always get easily distracted. Even her pencils were in a small box. She took out the things form her bag, putting her pencil case with her other pencils, her plans in a neat pile and her computer in the middle of the desk. She got down on the floor and crawled towards where the charger was stored, plugging it in and retrieving the other end so she could charge he computer. She also plugged in her phone and left her earphones somewhere near.

She closed the blinds and changed into one of her closest pajamas, a gray shirt with gray owl shorts, then climbed unto her bed. Finally, she turned off her lamp and rolled over, falling asleep in seconds.

*Percy's POV*

Not far from Thalia's place, in an even smaller apartment, Percy Jackson closed the door behind him, and threw the keys into the closest table. He looked around and sighed, but his thinking remained the same. He preferred living in this small, cramped apartment than in his father's mansion. Or eve in his mother's apartment, where she had already gotten herself a home with Paul, her husband. They hadn't been married for long, and Percy didn't want to intrude into their relationship.

Also, he didn't really like sharing a household. Sure, it looked kind of empty without someone else, but it was quiet and peaceful, which was all he had ever wanted. Also, he had all the privacy he wanted.

He entered his bedroom and his eyes were drawn to the window in his room. It was quite huge, as it almost covered a whole wall. He looked away and at the clock on is bedside table, which read it was 11:30pm. He had a couple of minutes before he had to go to sleep. He was actually used to not sleeping that much now, though. Nightmares were a nightly thing, and he almost never slept more than 6 hours. Even if he did, it would be 5 hours of uneasy sleep.
At least he was good at hiding his emotions. He didn't suspect Thalia knew anything, and much less his parents, who he barely saw anymore. He pulled off his clothes, throwing them into the pile in the corner of his bedroom. He was left in his blue boxers, and he opened the window a little before sitting on his bed. The cold air lashed at his face, and he let it, not really bothered by it. He listened to the life outside. All the honks and shouts, the occasional siren, and some noise from the alley next to his building.

It wasn't really much, as his building was old, used and the painting was peeling off the walls. His apartment was in a good condition, and Percy knew it wouldn't give out under him. It was a small comfort. He reminded himself of the sink he had to repair, but thought of it better, and decided maybe he would do it tomorrow.

He looked out of the window, admiring the city. It bored him to no end to recognize all his father's buildings. They weren't really inconspicuous, as they all had a dark blue color and a terrace pretty distinguishable by their parties. They almost all had parties every night, and although he didn't specially attend to every single one of them, his father certainly liked for them to make a good impression. There were lights shining up to the sky, signaling a premiere night, an important person's birthday, a charity event, or even a party just for fun. He groaned at the thought of parties involving his father. Or him.

He didn't know how long he stared out of that window, seeing the cars and people walking, thinking, until he fell asleep to the lulling sound of the city.