Hello! This story might be sort of M sometimes, so be warned.
Annabeth was uncomfortable. It might have been the tight dress Piper had made her wear, or the fact that she hadn't seen a couple of these people for seven years, or maybe the fact that she was standing in the corner, alone.
After the end of the Giant War, she and Percy had tried dating, but something hadn't clicked like it had before, so they'd ended it. Shortly after, she'd moved away, to San Francisco, and two years after that, to Los Angeles. She'd been there for five years when Piper had called, telling her that she was not to miss her engagement party after she'd missed all the other gatherings and parties they'd had, and that she'd come and kidnap her if she didn't come up. So Annabeth had packed her bags, taken two weeks off at work, and flown to New York. Piper had been super excited to see her, and promised that she'd love the party, and that she could stay with her in Piper's apartment, which was great. Except when the party finally rolled around and Annabeth really wanted to leave, except she was sleeping on the couch, in this apartment. And her bed was currently holding ten different people. Ten drunk people who she had no idea of their names and seriously doubted they'd let her shoo them off the couch so she could go to bed.
No, it was stupid, so she continued to stand in the corner and watch Piper and Jason socialize and be happy together, waving Piper's ring around. People would glance at her for a second, then move on, ignoring the wallflower.
Sighing, Annabeth turned around and opened the sliding balcony door, being sure to shut it behind her so no one would follow her. The cool wind felt good against her bare legs and bare shoulders, so she leaned against the railing to soak it in. Then she noticed the structure of the building and leaned down, over the railing to study it.
That was when she heard the door open and shut behind her, and, cursing, she pulled herself back up to offer a plausible excuse for leaning over the railing.
But she didn't have to—the crooked grin rendered her speechless.
"You—Piper said you couldn't make it," She blurted, unable to stop herself.
The grin got wider. "That's why you agreed to come, right? Because I wouldn't be here?"
"No!"
"Uh-huh. Relax, Annabeth. I was joking."
She relaxed slightly. "Wasn't very funny, Percy."
He shrugged, unconcerned. "I thought it was. Come here, Annabeth. Give me a hug so I know you are really here."
Reluctantly, she stepped forward and hugged Percy back. He squeezed her nice and tight, and she pulled back after a few seconds.
"Well, now I know you're really here."
"You doubted it?"
"Nah, sometimes I'd get drunk and imagine you."
"You get drunk often?"
"Nope. Makes me feel too much like those weird people in there," Percy said, gesturing into the apartment.
"They're sitting on my bed," She blurted, not knowing why. He laughed.
"That's why you're out here, huh? Hiding from the people?"
She flushed. "I'm not hiding."
"Of course not. Annabeth Chase never hides."
"Are you drunk?"
"I was. It's ebbing away." He fell silent, then looked her up and down. "You look cold."
She shivered right then, proving his point, so he took her arm and pulled her back into the party.
"They don't know who I am," She said, gesturing at the people scattered around. He shook his head.
"They're Piper and Jason's work friends."
"Ah. Where are all the demigods?"
"Well, I'm not sure about Frank and Hazel, but I know Leo had a thing in New Jersey, and some people were busy, some were tired, and some were sick. So it's just the four of us."
They continued edging around the outer wall of the apartment, avoiding people who look too flirty or too drunk. Halfway around, a man wearing an orange tie climbed on top of the coffee table, holding a giant pitcher of wine. He started to slosh it out at people, then flung the rest of it out.
It landed right on Percy and Annabeth—drenched, from head to toe, in red wine. Clothes ruined. Percy scowled and started toward the man, to remove him from his perch, and Annabeth took that opportunity to slip away, out the door.
She clattered down the stairs, heels banging and slipping with wine, and finally made it to the lobby and out the door. Out onto the street, with a few people going back and forth. She hailed a taxi and told him to take her to the closest, good quality hotel. He did, speeding off, and she didn't notice the wine-drenched boy getting into a cab behind her and following her down the street.
When her taxi stopped, she quickly paid the driver and squirmed out, wanting to get out of her stinking dress.
"Annabeth!" She heard. Turning, she saw Percy leaning out of a cab, grinning at her.
"What are you doing?" She exclaimed, walking closer to him and almost falling in Piper's heels.
"That's a crappy hotel. You can come stay with me."
"With you?" Her voice squeaked as he opened the door and motioned her in.
"Yeah, come on."
She only hesitated a second before getting into the cab with him. He told the driver an address, and it sped off.
A few minutes later, it stopped again, in front of a nice looking building. Percy paid the driver, then ushered her out and into the building. A doorman greeted him as they walked by, and Percy smiled back, both of them ignoring the fact that they were soaked in wine.
"Do you come back in wine a lot?" Annabeth asked, shivering slightly from the cold and wetness.
"No, but some of the other tenants do." They took the elevator in silence and stopped at the 3rd floor. It had a clean hallway, with white carpet that got stained redish from their footsteps.
"We've left a trail," Annabeth remarked as Percy fits his key in the lock.
"I'll pay them back," He replied, opening the door.
She entered, and he closed and locked the door behind them.
"Do you want to shower?" He asked, throwing his keys into the bowl by the door and shrugging off his jacket. "Your hair's red," He laughed.
"Yes, please," Annabeth said, hoping he wouldn't say he has women's products in his shower.
"Alright, as long as you don't mind smelling like man for a while."
She smiled. "No, that's fine."
"The bed's a pullout, but I don't know what you'd sleep in…we can wash your underwear, but I don't have any…" He scratched his head. "Let me go look, I'll be right back."
He disappeared down the small hallway, consisting of two doors, and Annabeth unhooked her heels and set them by the door. Then she surveyed his apartment.
It was a nice size for a one person—a living room, with a couch, a couple of armchairs, a TV, and a bookshelf—and a kitchen with an island counter. A small hallway branched off the living room, and Annabeth could see three doors. But in the living room, there were a multitude of pictures on the walls, so she studied them.
They mostly consisted of Percy and some friend—Percy and Grover, or Percy and Thalia. She found only one of her, while there were multiple of everyone else.
Doesn't matter, she told herself. I'm his high school ex.
"Hey, Annabeth? Can you come here real quick?" She heard Percy call, and she left the pictures to follow his voice.
He was in his bedroom, which was fairly clean, holding up a plaid shirt. She raised an eyebrow.
"I haven't done laundry in a while. Plus, I've never worn this."
"I need pants," She reminded him.
"I know, I'll find…" He dug around for a few seconds, then pulled out an unopened package of boxer shorts. His face was red as he offered them.
"They're the smallest thing I've got…"
"That's fine," She said, taking them while blushing as red as him.
"The shower's across the hall, just turn it counter clockwise. It takes a while to warm up, so I'll grab your towels and stuff if you want to turn it on."
She nodded, then went into the bathroom—which, like the rest of Percy's apartment, was fairly clean. Taking deep breaths and refusing to think about where she was, or what she was doing, she turned the shower on and sat on the counter.
"Here," he said, poking his head into the bathroom, holding a towel and washcloth.
"Thanks."
His head disappeared, and Annabeth shut the door firmly and locked it.
She showered quickly and put on the plaid shirt and boxers. They covered everything, so Annabeth decided to go with it. Her underwear was tinted red and smelly, so she rinsed them off in the shower quickly before going back into the living room.
Percy was sitting on the couch—well, what used to be the couch. He'd pulled the mattress out and put sheets and a comforter on it. He looked up from his hands when she came in.
"Was it warm enough?" He asked, standing.
"Yeah."
"Good. Sometimes, it takes a while and then it won't get warm…" He trailed off, his eyes falling down to the button she'd left undone. Then he snapped his eyes up, back to her face. "And I have to call the plumber, to bang on the pipes."
"Oh."
They stood in silence for a second.
"Uh, I'm going to take a shower. You need anything else?"
"No, thanks."
He smiled at her, then disappeared down the hallway. Annabeth collapsed on the couch.
He's your ex, she said to herself. Being nice. That's it.
She pulled the covers back on the bed and climbed under, her wet hair pressing into her head and making her uncomfortable. She only lasted a second before getting back out and turning on the fan in the corner. She grabbed one of the books off a shelf and started reading it in the corner, her hair getting blown back by the fan.
She'd made it to Chapter 4 when Percy stepped into the living room.
"Annabeth?"
She jumped, not having heard him come in.
"Uh, yeah?"
"You okay?"
"Yeah. My, um, hair was really wet so I decided to dry it."
He laughed, and she couldn't help smiling back.
"Okay. Good luck. I'll see you in the morning."
"Good night," She answered, going back to her book.
It was almost 2:30 a.m. when she put the book down and got back into bed, falling asleep quickly.