Persuasion

Hi guys!

I'm super excited to start this story finally, so, yeah...

Wow. I am on a roll this week.

Thanks to all of you who read my other mini-story Ghost of Her, Ghost of Him. You guys are awesome! Also, if you haven't read it, you can still read it!

So, I didn't get a ton of help on my previous dilemma on which story I should do, so I ended up choosing myself which one I should do, and I wanted to do this one because the story was more fully flushed out, so I have a better idea of where this is going to go.

So... this is all canon pairings... just so you're aware...

Anyway, I really hope you enjoy it, and please review!

Summary:

In which Annabeth Chase, the affluent yet forgotten daughter of blue-blooded Frederick Chase, calls off her engagement to young Captain Perseus Jackson of the US Navy. Five years later, she's still unmarried, more cold-hearted than ever (and maybe a little lonely), and he comes home from deployment, still bitter.

One.

Music

Annabeth POV

Annabeth leaned her head across his chest as she swayed to the cheesy music blaring.

He seemed to drown out all the noise, and the clinking of glasses, and the ridiculousness of her, of all people, being at a club.

Of course, it didn't seem ridiculous to her stepmother who thought Annabeth was studying Anchoretic Didactic Literature at this time of night.

Percy spun her, and Annabeth giggled a little.

He leaned close down to her ear, his lips tickling her. "You really are a good dancer, Wise Girl."

Annabeth smiled bashfully to herself before facing the other direction and whispering, "You should've seen me at prep school. I was the worst."

Percy laughed. It was a deep, but soft laugh - the kind that told her he really was happy and maybe even a little breath-taken.

Annabeth checked the time on Percy's watch. It was getting late. A little too late.

She entwined her fingers with his and danced him towards the door. "I have to go. My stepmother will start wondering."

Percy threw back his head dramatically. "Who cares what your stepmother thinks? Come on, Annabeth! Pleeeasssee?"

He gave her his best puppy dog eyes. And, gods, they were convincing.

Annabeth glared at him, thinking all the same thoughts as he was. "Ugh. Seaweed Brain, you know I can't."

"Fine," he said, putting on a pouty face. "I guess you don't love me."

Annabeth rolled her eyes at his adorableness. "I guess I don't," she said, stomping indignantly in place.

Percy smiled, grabbing her hand as they wove their way out through the drunken men and women in the bar.

Out on the street, the yellow lights were dim. Drunk people stumbled through the streets. The polluted air smelled putrid.

Percy gripped Annabeth's hand tightly as they walked along the dark streets.

Annabeth stood up to kiss him on the cheek and whisper, "Thank you. I really had a good time, you know."

Percy nodded and smiled, but his eyes remained vigilant, staring down every alleyway with an air of cold power.

When she reached Percy's motorcycle, Blackjack, he helped her on before quickly getting on himself and kicking off immediately.

Annabeth gripped Percy's waist hard as they flew along the streets. The cool air chilled her skin through her thin jacket, but it felt warmer than anything she'd ever felt.

Her stepmother would never approve of this. Her, riding a motorcycle through a less than safe neighborhood with a boy who barely had half a brain nor an eligible family name.

Definitely not.

Of course, her stepmother knew that she and Percy had something going on, but she didn't know about their nightly dates through the city that took her places she'd never been allowed to go within a mile of. Annabeth preferred to keep it that way.

They whizzed past dark warehouses, and bright cafés, and dark houses, and finally, they came to the mansions.

When she described them as mansions, she meant mansions. They were gigantic, practically palaces. Only the most elite, richest, most lavish people lived there, and that included the Chase's.

The Chase family was one of blue blood. They had old money traciing back to their lineage of minor royalty in England.

However, due to their constant lavish spending and now Annabeth's stepmother, they had sound themselves in quite the financial deficit.

Of course, Annabeth had proposed several very practical solutions to their problem, but her stepmother refused any way that would cause them to lose their status and very, as she put it, "necessary lifestyle."

Even Annabeth's father, Frederick Chase, wasn't really that aware of the issue at hand as he'd been gone for nearly a year now on "business."

So, Annabeth had generally given up and resorted to doing whatever she felt like doing instead and generally ignoring her family's desperate situation.

She'd survive just fine on her own.

Percy pulled his motorcycle up in front of the private gate before Annabeth's driveway.

Percy helped Annabeth off the motorcycle, and together they snuck around to the back of her house.

The thick forestry surrounding the Chase residence were dark and dimly moonlit at this time.

Annabeth and Percy stumbled as quietly as possible through the bushes until they reached the backend of the tall fence surrounding the property.

Percy smirked as he faked a bow and extended his hand out to Annabeth. "M'lady."

Annabeth laughed and accepted his hand. "Thank you, dear sir."

Percy hoisted Annabeth over the tall fence, and then threw himself over silently, landing in a comfortably crouched position.

Percy led Annabeth toward the front door of the house and embraced her tightly.

Annabeth felt his face move to her ear as he whispered in low, rough voice, "I love you, Wise Girl. See you tomorrow."

Annabeth's heart fluttered just thinking of seeing him again. "I love you too, Seaweed Brain. I'll see you later."

Percy had started walking back towards the wall he came over, and just as he came to the wall, her winked at her and disappeared into the night.

Annabeth smiled wistfully as she walked towards the front door of her house, unlocking it quietly as to hopefully not wake anyone up.

It was a little past midnight now, so later than usual, but explainable.

She could just say Piper had a fashion crisis or something. Piper wouldn't give her away, anyway. She was in on all of it in fact.

Annabeth stepped inside the cold, dark house.

Her heels clacked loudly against the floor, so she slipped them off, carrying the 4-inch heels in her hands instead.

The dark, marble floors in the foyer chilled Annabeth's feet as she walked through the house, running her fingers softly against the walls she passed.

The house felt icy and distant to her. The people who lived in it really did reflect upon her perception of the house.

A soft glow came from the catering kitchen where the maids were probably cleaning and preparing for breakfast tomorrow.

Annabeth headed over to the light where her only friend in this house, Hazel, was humming as she chopped a bell pepper.

"Hazel?" asked Annabeth as she poked her head in.

Hazel looked up, putting the knife down. "Annabeth! You're home!"

Hazel's golden-brown curls bounced wildly as she hugged Annabeth.

Annabeth smiled. Hazel was the only person she trusted in this household – the only person she could ever talk to. "Yup. I'm home."

Hazel nodded enthusiastically. "Awesome. Let me just finish cutting this one, and then I'll be done for the night."

Annabeth nodded. "You're working late today."

"Yeah. Helen's having some friends over for brunch tomorrow, so I'm just helping prep."

"Helen and her friends, huh?" Annabeth said skeptically.

"Yup," Hazel said rather solemnly, as if it brought hard memories back.

Hazel scooped the cut bell peppers into a Ziploc bag and stuffed it into the fridge, before wiping her hands off and hanging her apron up in the closet.

Hazel rinsed the cutting board as she spoke. "Are you going up to your room?"

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah I guess so."

Hazel dried her hands and smiled. "Would you allow me to help carry your sheets upstairs?"

Annabeth smirked. "Most definitely."

Hazel smiled. "Perfect."

Together they departed the catering kitchen, turning off the lights as they went.

As they walked, Hazel eyed her. "Where'd you get that dress?"

"Oh. This thing? Piper."

Hazel snorted. "Who else would own something that ridiculous?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, smoothing out the dress. "I though it was cute. It matches Percy's eyes a little too."

Hazel raised her eyebrows. "You thought that was cute?"

Annabeth smirked. "Yeah. See?" she said, pointing to the shiny fabric. "Even though it's kinda a holographic look, which really isn't me at all, when you turn, it looks less dark gray, and more a vibrant green."

Hazel scrunched her eyebrows, thinking. "Yeah... I don't really see it, but you're right, holographic definitely isn't you."

Annabeth nodded contemplatively. "I know. I'm normally a more gold or gray or silvery or like even purple and burgundy and dark blue. Stuff like that. But, you know what, Piper said it looked cute."

"Okay..." Hazel said suspiciously.

"Fine," Annabeth said reluctantly. "Piper was a little drunk when she helped me out."

Hazel snorted. "No really, Sherlock. Anyway... you must've been cold in that."

"No, not really. Piper lent me this leather jacket too."

"Oh dear," Hazel sighed.

Annabeth just laughed quietly to herself.

They continued to travel through the cold, twisting maze of hallways and rooms in silence until they reached Annabeth's, tucked away in a far corner of the house. Only her room was placed as far away from the center of the house as possible.

Annabeth opened the door quietly, stepping into the dim, moonlit room. The moon was nearly full and the sky was twinkling with clear, bright stars.

Her blankets had been spread to perfection, and every surface shone without a speck of dust.

Annabeth quickly changed into her sweats and a t-shirt as Hazel prepared her bed for sleeping.

Annabeth climbed into bed, turning on a lamp, covering the room with a soft yellow glow.

Hazel settled herself in a crisscross position at the bottom of Annabeth's bed.

Hazel smiled mischievously. "So, was it a good night?"

Annabeth smiled shyly. "Yeah. It was."

"Was it everything you imagined it to be?" she asked.

Annabeth smiled wistfully. "Of course. It would never be anything less."

Hazel giggled. "You get the most emotional I ever see you when you're talking about him."

Annabeth stared at Hazel. "No, I don't! Do I?"

Hazel nodded exaggeratingly. "Definitely."

Annabeth looked mortified. "I do? Oh my gosh."

Hazel laughed. "Yeah. You really do."

"Oh gosh. I honestly had no idea," Annabeth sighed. "He is a subject to be emotional about, though. Right?"

"If you're you, then yes," Hazel replied with a sneaky looking smile. "So, you have to tell me everything."

Annabeth chuckled. "Yeah. I really should. Well, for starters, it was amazing. He's an incredible dancer, Hazel. He just moved so naturally to the music. It's not like the dancing I learned at prep school at all. You know, like all rigid and stuff. It just felt so… fluid, I guess – like every moment was used perfectly."

"You really are going insane from spending too much time with this guy," Hazel said. "I've never seen you get all dreamy about dancing of all things. You hated that stuff at prep school."

"Yeah, well that stuff was crap. This was dream-worthy.

Hazel raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Annabeth glared at her. "Anyways… you should've felt what it was like holding on to him as we flew through the dangerous parts of town on Blackjack. With the -"

"What's Blackjack?" Hazel interrupted.

"His motorcycle."

"Annabeth! That's dangerous!" she scolded.

Annabeth just rolled her eyes. Hazel was so cutely protective sometimes like a little sister. "Yeah, yeah. I know, Hazel. Motorcycles are dangerous. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Well, anyway, it was so incredible – the wind blowing in my face, the streets glowing dim yellow, the sounds of reckless people clubbing, just everything. And you know, we were going through such a shady part of town, but I wasn't scared a bit when I was holding on to Percy's hand. He just makes me feel so… safe."

"That's good, Annabeth. You need someone to make you feel that way," Hazel responded.

"I know. I'm glad I have him," Annabeth said dreamily. "He's coming by tomorrow."

"What?" Hazel asked, surprised.

"Yeah. He said he wanted to talk to me about something."

Hazel's golden eyes glinted. "Ooh. Maybe he'll ask to meet your parents."

Annabeth snorted. "Meet my parents? What the heck, Hazel? Are you serious? He knows my parents hate him."

Hazel just shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe."

Annabeth laughed. "Hazel, you're so cute," she said, patting Hazel's frizzy hair. "How's Frank?"

Hazel blushed at the mention. "He's okay. His family is thinking about letting him stay here permanently, so he can keep his job with the Grace's."

"Oh. That's good."

"Yeah," Hazel said quietly. "I'm happy for him."

Annabeth nudged Hazel. "And you too…"

Hazel blushed. "Annabeth! You know it's not like that really!"

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Hazel pouted. "Yes. Really."

Annabeth checked the time on her phone. It was 1:32am. "I'm going to bed, Hazel. You can stay here if you want, or you can head home. It's up to you, although I suggest you stay here because it's so late out, and with everything that's been going on on the news and what not…"

Hazel nodded. "Yeah. I know. I think I'll stay if you don't mind."

"Of course not," Annabeth responded with a yawn. "I'd rather you be safe. Besides, there's like way too many blankets for just me anyway. Plus, you're like so small that my couch is like a whole bed."

Hazel nodded. "Thank you."

Annabeth just smiled in return as she lay her head down on the pillow and shut her lamp off, letting the soft yellow glow fade out of the dark room.

When Annabeth awoke the next morning, the sun was already pretty far up.

The bright sun flooded her bedroom as she rolled out of her bed.

Hazel had already left, leaving not a single trace of her existence here.

But, first of all, Percy was coming today.

Annabeth sprung out of bed and rushed to her bathroom to get ready.

She threw on her favorite wide-legged, utility jumpsuit and a jacket. Then, she carefully put her hair up into a tidy bun.

She had just finished the last touches of a light makeup routine when her phone buzzed.

It was Percy. Would you care for a stroll through your lovely gardens, m'lady?

Annabeth smiled to herself.

Rushing downstairs, Annabeth sprinted to the flower gardens behind her house.

As she blindly rushed through the gardens, she toppled into someone.

There was a chaotic tumbling of black and blonde and grey and green.

When Annabeth regained her feet, she was frazzled. "Oh-my-gosh-I'm-so-so-sorry-i-was-not-paying-attention-at-all-to-where-i-was-going-i-feel-so-awful-for-knocking-you-over-and-probably-ruining-your-clothes-or-something-oh-my-gosh-oh-"

"Calm down, Wise Girl. It's okay," the other person responded.

Annabeth relaxed. "Oh my gosh. Thank you so much. I'm really, really sorry and – wait…" Annabeth looked up. "Wise Girl? Percy?"

Percy smirked. "Yeah. I'm Percy."

Annabeth threw her hands in the air. "Oh geez. I'm sorry. Shall we begin our walk?"

Percy held out his arm in mock courtesy. "Yes, we shall."

As they walked along the gardens, Annabeth told him all about the different flowers and plants they grew, and she delighted in it.

She explained each of the flowers individual adaptation and all their different needs. Then she went on to explain how flower petal coloration worked which led her on a tangent about the electromagnetic spectrum which then took her on a road about the dangers of radioactivity which eventually led her to complain about the lack of importance of knowing all this which eventually landed her back at flowers and how she would much rather talk about flowers than study Gregorian Chants.

Annabeth felt bad for going on her long string of tangents, but she loved talking to Percy all the same.

As they rounded one of the many corners of the center garden's hedge maze, Percy spoke. "Annabeth, I'm gonna be deployed again soon."

Annabeth paused, processing. "What?"

Percy looked pained. "I have to go soon."

Annabeth's eyebrows scrunched. "For how long?"

Percy stared at his feet. "I don't know."

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean you don't know?"

Percy couldn't meet her eyes. "It could be a while. There's war over east, so they're thinking about sending me there for a little."

"War?"

Percy looked nervous as he realized his mistake. "Not… not real war. Just a little fighting and stuff. But they're going to have me mostly helping train, not fight. And then, I'll come back and help do some more training here in the States."

Annabeth nodded slowly. "Oh okay. So, how long do they say?"

"I honestly don't know. It could be months or years."

"Years?" Annabeth said, her voice rising another octave.

Mentally, Annabeth was screaming. She'd die without Percy, and if he left her for years… Gosh, she couldn't even think that far ahead. And, what if something happened to him? Then what…

Percy shook his head quickly. "I mean, I doubt it."

"Oh. I see." There was a pause as Annabeth leaned brushed off her pants. "Do you have to go?"

Percy looked away. "I wish I didn't."

Annabeth shook her head. "No. I understand. Duty calls."

Percy grimaced. "Yeah. It does."

Annabeth smiled, regaining her previously happy composure. "Well, let's focus on the good things, shall we? We have what, at least two weeks until you leave, right?"

Percy nodded. "Yup. And I promise to spend as much of it as I can with you."

Annabeth nodded firmly. "Good. You better."

Percy smiled. "I wasn't planning on anything less."

As she walked along, Annabeth kicked up little trails of dust. As they rounded the corner, they came to Annabeth's favorite spot in the garden, the statues and fountains that made up the center of the garden's hedge maze.

As she stared at the various statues that had been commissioned for the garden, a blip of water landed on her cheek.

Annabeth turned with a menacing look, before quickly splashing her own water up.

Percy smirked. "Bring it on, Wise Girl. You can't beat me. My life is the water."

Annabeth just smirked right on back. "Being in the navy has nothing to do with your capacity to beat me. I'm of a whole different category."

With that, she threw another fistful of water at Percy.

Percy sputtered between coughs. "You—can't—get—me!"

He kicked and thrashed water at her, spraying her.

Annabeth just threw another fistful at his face, reaching for a bucket left out by the gardeners as she did so. However, Percy saw her, and splashed her with water before she could see where she was reaching.

In the meantime, Percy had grabbed the bucket and was scooping up water from the fountain, when Annabeth ran over and pushed him from behind straight into the fountain.

As he tumbled in, he tossed the water in the bucket, soaking Annabeth.

Annabeth squealed before regaining her composure. "Screw you!"

Percy just smirked as he sat in the fountain. "Aw… I knew you loved me, Wise Girl."

Annabeth tried to maintain a serious face as she struggled to hold back her laughter. "I don't anymore, loser!"

Then she lost it. She tumbled over on the ground laughing, her clothes soaked in patches and her strands of her hair falling out her bun wildly.

"I love you, Seaweed Brain," she whispered in his ear as he stepped out of the fountain.

Percy held her. "Me too."

"Don't leave me. Please."

"I won't. Not in heart. But you have to promise me something."

Annabeth stood up. "What?"

Percy lowered his knee. "That you'll be waiting for me all that time."

Annabeth covered her mouth, a thousand thoughts racing through her head.

"Annabeth Chase, my one and only Wise Girl, will you marry me?"

Wow! It's over! Chapter One is done! (that rhymed :)

Thank you so much for reading, and please please please review!

- tea-made-bean