Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rick Riordan. Lyrics by Arctic Monkeys. Storyline is mine.

You got the lights on in the afternoon

And the nights are drawn out long

And you're kissing to cut through the gloom

With a cough drop coloured tongue

I drop my keys on the counter as I kick the door closed with my foot. The apartment is eerily silent and I peek into the bedroom, only to see Percy, knocked out, a little trail of drool falling onto the pillow beneath his head.

For some reason, that charming image makes me smile.

I set the grocery bags on the counter and start to put things away, shutting drawers and cabinets quietly. Once I'm done, I slip my shoes off and tiptoe into the room.

Watching him so deeply asleep makes me realize I have never seen him look so content and unweighted than he looks now. There's no crease between his eyebrows, and his lips part just slightly, little breaths pushing and pulling out of his mouth. I run my fingers through his hair lightly. Once he wakes up, I have to remind him to go get a haircut.

I start to pull the pins out of my hair, letting my curls fall onto my shoulders. The weather hasn't been very agreeable lately, the humidity making my hair frizz. My earrings come off next and I start to pull the zipper down on my skirt before I feel a pair of hands swat mine away. His hips push mine into the counter. I smile and bite my lip. His hands cage me into the granite on either side of my waist and his lips barely graze my ear as he whispers, "I'm really digging this sexy secretary thing."

I roll my eyes and cover his hands with mine. "Oh yeah, pencil skirts and blouses are oh so sexy."

I feel him grin into my neck. "On you, they sure are. Please tell me your boss is a woman."

I bite my lip and stay silent. He stiffens a little bit but relaxes immediately after. "I mean I guess it doesn't matter since I'm the only person taking this stuff off of you."

Oh how he has progressed. A few months ago this would have been an issue. I don't bother to tell him the office is full with guys our age, including my boss. I also don't tell him that a large majority of them have hit on me within my first week at the architecture firm. I'm slowly moving my way up, but I can't get hired on until I finally get my degree.

So "administrative assistant" it is.

He slowly pulls the zipper down on the back of my skirt. I start pulling the buttons on my blouse, until it finally flits down to the ground.

"Hmmm," he says. "It's almost as if you wanted me to take this off of you."

The black set I bought last week made me giddy when I saw it in the store window. The lace somehow gives me more confidence.

I bite my lip again, refusing to see his expression in the mirror. A gasp leaves my mouth as he pulls on the strings of the garter belt that is holding my thigh highs up.

It quickly turns into a drawn out moan as both of his hands run up my sides before pausing on my chest. His breath hitches and he sounds strained as he says, "Black lace suits you, love."

My back involuntarily arches and my head lifts. I lock eyes with him through the mirror and his expression makes the large sum of money this cost worth it.

"And to think, you did this just for me."

I moan louder as his hands start to explore more and more. His hands unclip the garter belt and he kneels down, pulling my thigh highs with him. His mouth leaves a hot trail down the back of my leg.

I turn when and kick the tights off of my feet. He stays kneeling, looking up at me with heavy eyes. "So fucking perfect," he murmurs.

I grab his chin and pull him up, teasing him with soft and shallow kisses. I finally break away and take his hand, pulling him back into the bedroom with me.

.::.

"And… When did you get this one?"

Percy smiles, recalling some kind of good story. "That one was actually my first one."

The grotesque looking trident is small, on his right side.

"And let me tell you, it hurt like a bitch."

I look down at him fondly, rubbing my fingertips lightly over the raised skin. He covers my hand and links our fingers.

"They tried to tell me not to do a rib tattoo as my first one but I was too much of a macho man back then to listen," he says, laughter peeking out of his tone.

"Why a trident?" I ask.

His eyebrows scrunch together and looks up at me. "I don't know. I didn't know much about my dad, only that he died serving as a navy officer. My mom mentioned him a handful of times but it just felt right I guess."

A little spark lights inside of me. That's the first time he has ever shared something like that with me.

"And your mom?"

He points to another tattoo, this one miniscule and on the opposite side of his ribs. His chest and shoulders are so covered that it takes me a second to separate one image of a single word: blue.

"She died a few years ago in a car accident."

At this point, I stay silent. I'm not willing to give him anything that he doesn't really want to hear. I don't like wasting words. They're precious to me.

I just lean down and his the tiny word, then his lips. "Thank you," I say against them.

His lips quirk and his arms wrap around my waist. We lay there for a while before I swing one leg off of him and start getting dressed.

"Let's go," I say.

Percy looks confused, but starts getting dressed too. "Where exactly are we going?"

I walk over and rest my arms on his shoulders. "I'm getting my first tattoo."