Hey, guys! There will be the usual (for me) Author's Note at the bottom, just wanted to say: Happy Chapter! :)

II: A Green-Eyed Wink

Summary: Percy's a tour guide at the local aquarium, and Annabeth's a third grade teacher. When Annabeth takes her class on a field trip to the local aquarium and finds out that Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, will be their tour guide, she is worried. She is a daughter of Athena, after all. Will Percy be able to change her mind about him?

"Ms. Chase?"

Annabeth smiled at her student. The girl currently raising her hand was a classic third-grade teacher's pet. Her name was Emily Hallings, and she made every effort to make sure she was not only the star, but that her position was secure.

"Yes, Emily? Is this a question about the field trip?" Emily nodded enthusiastically. "I forgot the name of the aquarium. Could you tell us again?" Annabeth grinned. She'd been looking forward to taking her class to this place for a long time. Not only was it because she loved aquariums, despite the fact of her mother's rivalry, but also because she knew her students would love it.

Yes, Athena and Poseidon had spent literal millennia not getting along, but that didn't mean that the odd (Annabeth, being an adult demigod, was odd anyways) daughter of Athena couldn't enjoy the fish and wonderful creatures that her mother's rival had created and taken care of for so long.

"The name of the aquarium is Neptune's Discovery of the Marine. It's run by an acquaintance of mine, and I promise you, it is a prestigious environment and an excellent place to learn." That was all true. Annabeth had known Poseidon as a casual acquaintance since her first quest to Olympus.

She knew he also had a son that worked there, but she hoped she wouldn't meet the man, a demigod by the name of Percy Jackson. She'd heard a lot of promising things about him, (including that he was handsome) but children of Athena and Poseidon generally didn't get along, even more often than their parents.

"Now, who's my line leader for today? Emma, will you look for me?" Emma looked frightened. She was a very shy girl, and Annabeth did everything she could to help her out of her shell. The little raven-haired girl leaned over to look, and said shyly, "It's Mina today, Ms. Chase."

Annabeth smiled at Emma again, and clapped once. "Alright, everyone, you heard Emma! Mina, would you please lead the class to the door?" Mina, an outgoing, artistic girl, stood and walked over to the door, where Annabeth had placed herself while speaking. The rest of the class followed.

"Now, remember that everyone else is still in class, so we have to be quiet!" Someone, a boy in the back that she thought was Jared, said, "That's because we have the best teacher, Ms. Chase!" Annabeth grinned. "That's right! Let's go!" She led the class out the door and to the bus, waiting in the parking lot for them.

Annabeth had never enjoyed bus rides, (when she'd gotten them, of course) and that hadn't changed when she'd gone out and become a teacher. Annabeth may have (once) been interested in architecture, (very much encouraged by her mother) but she was fond of small children and had found that teaching was her true calling.

When they finally pulled up to the aquarium, Annabeth stood, and her students fell silent. That was one advantage of being a well-liked teacher. "Alright, kids, who can tell me what our field trip rules are?"

In New York, several of those were very, life-threateningly important. (Especially when your teacher's a demigod.) Her assistant teacher, Kaylee, had sat in the front and was there to watch over the kids 'just in case.' Kaylee, who was a minor daughter of Hermes, was far less 'smelly' than Annabeth in the monster-sensing way, and took care of the kids (and Mist, after she'd learned and mastered the skill) when Annabeth had a monster problem.

Nico, a small, easily excitable black-haired boy who was (for once) sitting away from his (slightly, they were twins) older sister, Bianca, raised his hand. "Yes, Nico?" The third-grader gave her a small grin, and answered, almost word-for-word, the rules that were posted in the classroom.

"We must have a study-buddy, we must not leave the presence of an adult without permission, we must not talk when we're told not to, we must obey the rules of the place we're at, we must think before doing, and we must make an attempt to learn something." Annabeth smiled at him, and he looked rather pleased with himself.

Annabeth knew that Nico, who sometimes felt overshadowed by the very popular Bianca, made an effort to outshine said sister in everything academic. "Well done, Nico. Ms. Smith has a few things to say to you guys while I go find our tour guide." Kaylee took over as Annabeth stepped off the bus, and noticed a man, who looked suspiciously like Poseidon, walking out of the aquarium towards her.

"Hello, Annabeth. How are you?" The god shook her hand, and she grinned at him. "I'm wonderful. How's Mother these days?" Annabeth chuckled when Poseidon sighed. "Annoying as ever, but I'm sure she'd say the same of me. " Annabeth laughed, and he grinned. "Yes, I'm sure she would. So, who's our guide today?" Poseidon chewed his lip, and Annabeth's stomach dropped, though her smile stayed. Please, don't tell me it's who I think it is, she thought ominously.

"I know that demigod children of your mother's and mine don't generally get on well, but I'm afraid that my son is the only guide available at the moment. He's your age, so I hoped that you two could possibly, just maybe, try to…. Coexist peacefully?"

He looked hopeful, and Annabeth sighed. "Yes, I'm sure we can attempt to," she said, emphasizing to make sure that he knew she was only doing it for him. Poseidon immediately lit up. "Thank you, Annabeth, that's exactly what I was hoping to hear! So, Percy," he called, looking towards the doors, "You can come out now!"

Annabeth watched as a tall figure materialized close to the dark-tinted doors, moving forwards as his shadow became more pronounced.

And then the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen came out.

Well, maybe not the most gorgeous guy she'd ever seen, but Jackson was certainly on the list. He was very muscular (as demigods must be) with tan skin, black hair, and beautiful green-as-the-sea eyes. Annabeth stood gaping, staring at the man that had just crushed her expectations.

"Hi, I'm Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon," he said confidently, rolling those beautiful eyes at a suggestive wink from his father. (Annabeth found it slightly insulting, since Poseidon obviously assumedshe thought Percy attractive. She did, of course, but still.)

"Uh… Hi. I'm, um…" Get a grip! She shook herself mentally, snapping her guard right back up. She stepped forward and shook his hand, friendly but professional. "I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. Nice to meet you." Percy, who hadn't stopped moving since he came out the doors (Demigod ADHD, with a little serving of nerves on the side, her mind deduced quickly, causing her to smirk) nodded back with a risen eyebrow, grinning, with a 'ditto,' to answer.

"So, I've heard you've got an amazing class, Ms. Chase. Are they ready to begin?" Annabeth was slightly taken aback at his suddenly professional tone, which clashed with the friendly, I-don't-care grin that was still decorating his face. "Y-yes, I'm sure they are. You can call me Annabeth, please, Mr. Jackson." His grin grew wider. (If that was possible.)

"And you can call me Percy, Annabeth. Let's go meet these kids!" He took off, and Annabeth was left gazing wide-eyed at him, mouth gaping. "What in Hades was that?" Her wonder and confusion obviously amused the father of said 'that', causing the god to chuckle and look at her with slightly mocking pity.

"That was my son, Annabeth. Now, go, before he takes over!" Heeding his advice, she took off after Percy, at a pace that was only slightly hindered by the heeled brown boots that she was wearing with her (uniform) black slacks.

"Mr. Jackson! Mr. Jackson! Oh, for the sake of the gods! Percy!" He turned when they were right before the bus. "Wait the hell up. It's my class." He chuckled (his sense of humor is rather easy, she thought smugly) as she walked up into the bus again, following behind her patiently.

"Okay, everybody!" The kids stopped their talking. "This is Mr. Jackson. He's Mr. Olympus' son, and he'll be our tour guide for today." Percy sent her a weird look, like, Neptune Olympus? Okay…That's not obvious at all. She shrugged, and he began to speak.

Annabeth had to admit that, for a son of Poseidon, Percy was pretty smart. He really knew his stuff about all things marine, and while the children were running around, having a blast with different interactive exhibits, she dropped back to talk to him. Annabeth found out that the ocean wasn't the only thing he knew about.

"So you really think that Star Wars is cooler than Star Trek, Percy?" He shook his head, grinning, as she threw up her hands in agitation. "No, I never said that. I said that Star Wars is good for people who are in the mood for action, while Star Trek is more brainy. I never said that I prefer either, I actually like both." She raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Interesting. You seem like the type that would like Wars better."

He laughed loudly. "And you seem like the type that would like Star Trek better…" He paused for a moment, obviously thinking. "Wise Girl," he said with a self-satisfied smirk. Annabeth froze. "Wise Girl?! Where did that come from?" Percy was doubled over in laughter from her reaction, so his answer was interrupted several times by chuckles and gasps for air. "Oh…. My gods! Priceless! You… should've seen… your face!" He dissolved into laughter again.

Annabeth waited patiently until he'd calmed down, glaring angrily at him all the while. When he'd finally begun to breathe again without gasping like a fish out of water (fish out of water, ha!) he explained. "Okay, so you're a daughter of Athena, right?" Annabeth gave a confused nod. "So, Athena's the goddess of wisdom, right? And you're a teacher, so I put it together, and came up with… Wise Girl!" Annabeth raised an eyebrow as he looked at her expectantly.

"What I don't understand is why you had to come up with a nickname for me in the first place. I mean, we've known each other all of, what, two hours?" Percy snickered. "Yeah, I think so. Okay. One thing you should know about me right now: I make a nickname up for everybody. My sister, Thalia, well, half-sister, on my mom's side!"

He rapidly defended his father when Annabeth shot him an incredulous look. "She says, 'If Percy can't come up with a nickname, no one can. Even if it sucks.'" Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Okay. Now I have to think one up for you. What do you say I come by here after work and we go get a coffee?"

Percy's green eyes widened. "Did you just ask me out?" Annabeth smirked. "Did I? I'm sorry, I have short-term memory loss and just completely forgot the last thirty seconds." Percy chuckled. "That's a good line. I like it. Can I use it?" She shrugged, "Whatever. If you want." He did a fist pump.

"Yes! That line is awesome." She raised her eyebrow and gave him a weird look. "It really wasn't that good…" Percy laughed. "I know, I'm just messing with you. Though I do really want to use it." She waved her hand. "Anyways, you never answered." He nodded. "Yeah, I know. The answer's yes. I'd be honored, Ms. Chase, to accept your offer," he said grandly, in a very badly faked English accent. Annabeth snorted, checking her watch. She called out, "Okay, everybody, out to the bus!" She turned to Percy. "Thanks for the laughs, Percy. I'll talk to you after work?" He nodded, and she led her class back outside to the bus, a little disappointed when he didn't say anything back.

Hey, Wise Girl!" Annabeth heard footsteps behind her. She motioned for Kaylee to take over, and turned back to see Percy. "I thought we already said good-bye, Percy." He was panting, obviously having run all the way from the hall. "Yeah, I just realized that I have plans right after work." When she turned away sadly, with a small, "Oh," he caught her shoulder. "No, I didn't mean it like that, I meant… Why don't I give you my number, and I'll take you out to dinner?" Annabeth started. Oh, not a rejection… An upgrade?

"Okay," she found herself saying. Percy grinned and she handed him her phone to put the number in. "So, I'll call you around six. Dress fancy," he said with a wink. She blushed, and thanked him. He turned to leave, and said, "Goodbye, Wise Girl." Annabeth fingered her phone, rubbing her thumb across the blank screen. "Goodbye…. Seaweed Brain." The last thing she saw before she got back on the bus was Percy's genuine smile and a green-eyed wink.

Hello, peoples of the world!

I'd just like to say that this one MAY go through some editing, I'm not exactly ecstatic about how it turned out.

I know what I'm doing for the next one, but if you have any suggestions for the other two, that'd be great to hear!

AthanasiaElpis

Preview for Next Chapter: The Bank Heist

Annabeth Chase is just a regular twenty-something who works at a bank. Percy Jackson is a policeman who joined the force to protect people. When they meet in the middle of a bank heist gone horribly wrong, they find comfort in each other. Will that become something more, or will their time run out before love gets its chance?

Love it? Hate it? Leave a review and let me know!