Don't Think So Much Annabeth
Chapter I: It Begins
Annabeth couldn't think of a better way to relax after a long day at work. She was clad in her comfiest sweat pants, a track t-shirt from her high school days, and wrapped up in a clean blanket fresh from the dryer. Her large window facing the city let in enough of the dying light to clearly see the words on the pages of her new book, allowing her to leave the small lamp beside her off.
The novel still carried the smell of the book store, adding to the calming aesthetic of the room. She sighed in happiness as she cracked the cover page for the first time, reveling in the feeling. Despite being dyslexic, she still enjoyed reading— almost as much as designing her customer's dream houses and beautiful buildings for the city.
For an entire hour, she immersed herself in the storyline. The characters sprang to life in her imagination, acting out the plot in her mind's eye. It was a simple fiction book, meant to relax her rather than educate. It did the job well, distracting her from the real world so much that the sudden pounding at her door almost made her throw her precious novel.
"Annabeth! Happy hour starts in thirty minutes at Klepto's, so get a move on!" She cringed, hearing her best friend's voice from the hall, and only having seconds to prepare before Thalia burst into her living room.
Thalia was tall and gorgeous, her black hair strands into a stylish pixie that perfectly accented her sharp cheekbones. Her electric blue eyes were enhanced by her sparkly, navy-blue dress, and the artfully smudged makeup made them pop. Heeled boots adorned her feet, and with a sinking feeling she knew her quiet night was over.
Annabeth bit back a complaint, already knowing Thalia wanted to go to a club or bar based on her current appearance. It was Friday night, and she should have known a quiet evening was too much to ask. Just going to a quiet restaurant was probably also off the table.
"You do realize I gave you that key for emergencies, right? Not to barge in my apartment when you know I'm not going to answer the door." Sighing, she put her book down on the stand beside the couch. It teetered for a second, threatening to topple the stack of books under it, but quickly stabilized.
"This is an emergency. It's a Friday, and you're sitting here all by your lonesome. I know you're happy to just curl up with a book, but as your best friend I'm inclined to make sure you live your life to the fullest." Thalia paced the room as she spoke, before entering into Annabeth's bedroom. She groaned, knowing Thalia was in there picking her outfit out like she was a child.
To her friend, living a boring life was a cardinal sin. As a result, Annabeth's weekends were often spent being dragged around New York to find new and exciting places. Sometimes on long weekends, they would take trips to the surrounding states for more physical activities like zip lining, horseback riding, and even whitewater rafting once.
She didn't mind the adventures, and frequently enjoyed them. Annabeth did, however, mind being dragged to a bar when she was already comfortable and settled down for the night. Thalia had promised her a break this weekend. In her opinion, living life to the fullest also included taking time to appreciate the quiet moments. Thalia did not share her views on this particular matter.
"You promised me a weekend to relax. I need it after getting those designs ready for the museum." She emerged from her cocoon of blankets, shivering as her feet touched the cold hardwood floor. Entering her room, she found Thalia looking at one of her homecoming dresses from college.
"Put it back."
"Why? It's cute and shows of your legs."
"It reminds me of him, please put it back." Thalia nodded, quickly putting the garment back in the back of the closet. They didn't speak of him often, and the few reminders of that time were quickly shuffled away and out of sight. She would wear the dress one day, but not tonight.
As Thalia continued to ransack her closet, she watched on with a grimace. Shirts were now on the floor, carelessly allowed to slip from their hangers. Annabeth had no problem getting them to stay on the hangers, but with her friend's rough searching they didn't stand a chance.
In a desperate bid to save her drawers from being tossed everywhere, she conceded to Thalia with a request.
"If you let me wear what I want, I'll go with you. Okay?" Thalia squealed, and ran from the room to let her get changed. She smiled at her friend's enthusiasm and got to work making herself presentable for the public. Even if she didn't want to go, it didn't mean she wasn't allowed to feel good.
Getting to the bar took no time, and she quickly found a booth for the two of them away from the pounding stereos. She liked music, but not when it was threatening to burst her eardrums and make her yell everything just to be heard. Soon she found herself wishing she had sat a little closer, so she could pretend not to hear Thalia.
"Come on Annabeth. He's cute and has been staring at you since we sat down. Loosen up and take a chance for once, and stop being such a boring book wad." She snorted indignantly and tossed back the rest of her drink, grimacing at the bitter taste but enjoying it all the same. The warmth from the alcohol flooded her system, easing her anxiety from the stranger's stare.
"I am not a boring book wad. Besides, what does that even mean?" Annabeth replied, before groaning at her friend's unwanted commentary and gently knocking her head on the table a few times.
When was going to this bar ever a good idea? Thalia cleared her throat to get her attention again. Annabeth's head shot up, a glared etched on her face. Thalia jerked her chin to the side, motioning towards the man with the black hair and bright green eyes looking in their direction.
He was fairly attractive. Even in the dim lighting, she could tell he stayed in shape. No girls surrounded him, just a few other guys who seemed to be having a good time by themselves. She vaguely wondered why someone so good looking wasn't with a girl. Thalia noticed her staring, and lightly tapped her leg with the tip of her boot.
"Just give him smile. Seductive smile, shy smile, flirty smile, it doesn't matter. Just smile at him, and I promise he'll stroll right over here and ask you to dance or ask if you want a drink. I swear." Something in her best friend's eyes glimmered, and she knew it was best to just roll with it.
"You're kidding. I smile, and he'll come right over here?" Thalia nodded with a cheshire grin, holding up her drink up in the air as a toast. Annabeth grumbled a few curses before adjusting her hair and shirt. For a moment, she agonized over the frizzy disarray of her hair, but Thalia slid over another shot to distract her.
"Makeup's good, boobs look great, the face is adorable, just do it already!" Annabeth just steeled herself and peeked at the stranger out of the corner of her eye. He was still looking at her, almost like he was waiting for something. Taking a deep breath, she tilted her head slightly and gave him what she hoped was a flirty look. A smile crept on his face before he stood up to come her way.
"Oh, my gods, he's coming over here! Thalia, what do I—"
"I'm gonna make myself scarce, but if you need a rescue just call my cell. Have fun!" She didn't even get a chance to beg Thalia to stay, the midnight-haired woman disappearing into the crowd of grinding bodies. She was so eating the last of Thalia's favorite seasonal ice cream when she got home.
"Hey." He stood at the edge of her table, giving her a lopsided smile that made her heart flutter. Annabeth felt a blush creeping up her neck as this green-eyed man appraised her.
"Hi." She managed to get out, thankfully without stuttering or her voice catching.
"So Miss…?"
"Call me Annabeth." He smiled and gestured to the recently vacated seat across from her to silently ask permission to sit with her. She smiled, and wave for him to take the seat.
"Annabeth, what brings to you Klepto's? Not to be offensive, but you don't seem like the partying time." He gestured to her clothes. She donned a plain white blouse, ripped jeans, and cute sandals. Personally, she thought the clothes were cute and functional, but she could hear Thalia laughing in her head. Another blush worked its way up to her cheeks, and she had to fight hiding under the curtain of blonde curls.
"I'm usually not, but my friend I insisted I come with her tonight. She's persuasive when she wants to be." The stranger inclined his head to ask Annabeth to elaborate.
"She tells me my job isn't exciting, and insists we need to do something 'fun' every weekend." He laughed, and the sound made her heart flutter again.
"She sounds like a handful. Where do you work?"
"I work for an architect firm downtown. Where do you work Mr…?"
"Oh gosh, I'm sorry Annabeth. Jackson, Percy Jackson. Please, just call me Percy. I work in the business world." The way he flustered and prattled in a nervous manner didn't go unnoticed by Annabeth, but she found it endearing.
She immediately decided she like the less formal version of Percy, despite her own upbringing being based in formalities. She decided to try and keep him informal, and in return she would relax as well.
"So, Percy, why are you here?" She asked purely out of curiosity, not intending him to give a truthful answer.
"I was looking for some company for the night." Annabeth was taken aback by his forwardness. Percy quickly realized his mistake and scrambled to explain.
"Sorry, that came out wrong. I was looking for someone just to talk to for the night, you know just relax with, not an um, you know." She smiled as he got flustered again but was still confused.
"You came to a bar for that kind of company? Surely there are other areas you could have found someone more suited for your needs?" He raked a hand through his hair, ruffling it more than it previously was.
"How about we skip my reasoning, and get out of here? Just walk the streets, and see where the night takes us?" Annabeth bit her lip, running through all the possible scenarios in her head.
She was going through the fact that she didn't even know anything about this man, except that he was too handsome for his own good, and that he was cute when flustered, when his hand came to rest on top of hers. The warmth seeped into her own cold hand, along with the shock that traveled straight through her and up her arm.
"Okay." He smiled at her agreement, and they took to the night.