Sorry I didn't update yesterday; it was a kind of a hectic day all around. But it's here now, and I hope you all enjoy. I would consider this chapter to be the halfway point in the story, which means things are about to shift.

R&R

I do own most of the characters, nor most of the plot. I merely adapted it.

CHAPTER 15

It was two days before they were supposed to leave Long Island, and go back home. Annabeth had today, Saturday, and then Sunday morning, and then she would be able to leave this whole week behind. She would be able to leave Lady Hera Olympia and her unkindly remarks behind; she would be able to leave Mr. Collins' omnipresent awkwardness behind, and she would be able to leave Mr. Jackson's confusing mind games behind. Annabeth was ready to go back to her routine, to things she knew, things she was comfortable with, like her sister Piper, and Luke.

Mr. Collins, Rachel, and Mr. Dare had gone for a tour of the neighborhood, leaving her alone with only her thoughts, a torturous thing for Annabeth at this time. She had no shortage of stories and events to tell her sister about when she returned, but some of them couldn't wait a few more days, which is why Annabeth found herself alone in the house, on the phone with Piper.

"So what is her daughter Augusta like?" Piper's voice came in through the speaker.

"Quiet, and pretty shy," Annabeth replied, "Poor girl looks like she has never seen the sun in her life."

"And this is the girl who is supposedly going to marry Perseus Jackson?"

"Not if he has anything to say about it, I'd imagine," Annabeth held the phone between her shoulder and her cheek, as she used both of her hands to fold her clothes. She may have already planned out her outfits for the next two days, and was currently packing up everything else.

"What do you mean?" her sister asked.

"Well, from what I can tell, Mr. Jackson has no detectable interest in her. He literally would rather play chess with me and Grover, than to sit next to her and play cards."

"Wow, that's saying something for sure," Piper paused for a second before adding, "Wait, who's Grover?"

Annabeth was about to reply, but then she was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing. Odd, she thought, since as far as she knew, they weren't supposed to have any visitors today.

"I'll call you back, Piper. Someone's at the door," She then hung up without waiting for an answer.

Annabeth peaked out the window to look at the driveway, to see if she recognized the car. It was definitely not a car that anyone she knew drove, but she did recognize it, the model at least. It was a black 1970 Pontiac Firebird. Annabeth wasn't a car person, but she had listened to her cousin, Malcolm, talk cars with her dad enough to know a few things about some classic cars. The Pontiac Firebird was one of her dad's favorites. This one was old, that much you could tell, and even though it looked to have been taken care of mostly, it had definitely been neglected at one point in it's life.

Annabeth couldn't tell who was at the front door from her vantage point, but she figured it was just someone who had gotten the wrong address. What she didn't expect when she opened the door, was for Perseus Jackson to be standing there, looking more nervous and awkward than she had ever seen him before.

"Mr. Jackson?" Annabeth said a bit shocked.

"Miss Chase… uh," The man ran his hand through his tousled black hair, his sea-green eyes flitting back and forth between the girl in front of him, and the ground.

As much as she somewhat enjoyed seeing him squirm so, as it was an extremely rare change from his usual proud and haughty stature, Annabeth finally took pity on him.

"Would you like to come in?" She asked, stepping aside as she did so.

Mr. Jackson nodded, and stepped past her into the house.

"You are alone?" He asked, as they made their way into the living room.

"Yeah, the others have gone for a tour of the neighborhood, so it's just me."

"I see," the man replied, as he paced about the room. Annabeth took this moment to take in his appearance; dark jeans and a green casual button down, topped off with a pair of white sneakers. It was the first time Annabeth could recall seeing him dressed less than formal, and it was different; he didn't look so… proud, now.

"I hope I was not interrupting you."

Mr. Jackson's voice broke the silence, and Annabeth waved her hand dismissively.

"No, I was just talking to my sister, Piper."

"Ah… and how is she?"

Heartbroken, confused, trying to move on, was what Annabeth wanted to say, but it didn't seem appropriate, as Mr. Jackson had not done anything yet to provoke her, which must be a record for them.

"She's doing well."

He nodded, but did not offer any more reply, as he stared at a chair, as if trying to decide if he should sit down. Annabeth decided to help him with his decision, as she took a seat on the couch, and as expected, she was followed shortly by Mr. Jackson sitting in the chair.

There was an awkward silence for about a minute, and it seemed the man in front of her had no intention of making eye contact, as he was content to stare at everything in the room but her.

Annabeth couldn't help but think that of all the times Perseus Jackson chooses to not be bold in his gazes, he chooses now.

"How are the Graces doing?" She finally asked, trying to end the awkwardness, even if it was a bit of a sore topic for her.

"Pretty good last time I checked."

How eloquent, the blonde girl said to herself, but then she figured that now is as good a time as any to get some answers to some things she had been wondering about.

"Does Mr. Grace plan to return to Alambria at any point?"

"Not likely," Perseus Jackson replied without hesitation, as he finally decided to make eye contact with her.

Annabeth wasn't sure how Piper was going to feel about this news, but she figured that at the very least, her sister could get some closure.

"Then maybe he should sell the place, don't you think? It'd be a shame for it go unused and wasted."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he does here very soon, assuming he finds someone wishing to purchase it."

They sat in another long silence, as Annabeth clasped both of her hands around her knee, and pursed her lips. Surely, he came here for a reason, and not just to sit here in awkward silence?

"Is that your car out front?" The question slipped out of her mouth without warning, but there definitely could have been worse things to ask.

Mr. Jackson nodded, "Are you a car person, Miss Chase?"

She shook her head in response, "No, but my dad and cousin are. At least, when it comes to the more classic cars."

"Well," He shrugged as he spoke, "I wouldn't say I'm a car person either. I actually have very bad luck when it comes to them."

"So… you've been in a lot of crashes?"

The billionaire shook his head, "No, a different kind of bad luck. Things are always spilling in them, tires get blown, the hoods get hoof prints on them…"

"Wait, what? Hoof prints?" Annabeth's voice indicated her obvious confusion.

"It's a long story," Was all he had to say in reply.

Annabeth found herself actually chuckling at that, and then chuckling some more for a completely different reason, because here she was, actually having a pleasant, normal conversation with Perseus Jackson. Maybe, if he could behave like this more often, they could actually be friends… possibly.

"Mr. Collins seems to be pleased with his newfound relationship," Annabeth's guest noted.

"Yes, well," She could hear the hesitation in her voice as she spoke, "Despite the odds, Rachel is actually pleased as well, as hard as that may be for me to believe. But like Rachel said, she and I are different, and we want different things out of marriage… assuming they make it to that point."

"And what is it that she wants?" Mr. Jackson asked cautiously.

"To be provided for… I think."

There was a bit of hesitation before his response came, and when it did, it caught both of them by surprise.

"And what do you want out of marriage?"

After the words had left his mouth, Annabeth could see the embarrassed look on Perseus Jackson's face, as he turned beet red, and began shifting uncomfortably in his chair. Annabeth wasn't much better off either, as the question had lingered in her mind, causing her to turn red as well.

"I-I… I'm sorry," Mr. Jackson stood up abruptly, "I won't bother you anymore." He began to walk out of the room, stopping only to turn briefly and awkwardly say, "Have a nice day," before walking out the door.

Annabeth was left on the couch, still stunned at the question, and at his sudden exit.

…..

"The woods are stunning this time of year, are they not Annabeth?"

The blonde girl whirled around to see a curly-headed man with a sociable grin on his face staring back at her.

"Grover!" She exclaimed, "You scared the crap out of me!"

Grover snickered, as he made his way over to where Annabeth was standing. "Enjoying your morning walk?" He asked once he was standing next to her.

"Yeah, just taking this in one last time before I leave tomorrow."

"I see… these woods really are remarkable. I tour them every year around this time."

The steely-eyed woman smiled softly. "Are you a big nature person?" She asked.

"Oh absolutely," Grover replied, his eyes lighting up as he spoke, "I've always been very passionate about the environment. It's actually how I got a job with Poseidon Enterprises."

Annabeth was a little shocked, "Wait, you work for Mr. Jackson?"

"Percy?" Grover corrected, "Yeah, I'm in charge of his company's environmental influence, making sure none of the company's business or procedures effect or impact the environment or nature in any negligible way."

"So is that how you met him?" Annabeth was interested to know exactly how Grover had become friends with such a man as Perseus Jackson.

"Actually, no," the man replied, "We met in college. We were paired together for a project and we just hit it off. Percy found out about my passion for the environment, and so he hired me after we graduated, and he took over his dad's company."

"Ah," was all Annabeth said in return.

They were now both walking side by side down the pathway, observing the trees surrounding them. Annabeth wondered if Mr. Jackson considered Grover a closer friend than Jason, or if Grover even knew Jason at all.

"Do you know Jason Grace at all?" She asked out of the blue seemingly.

"A little, I've met him a couple times at Percy's estate."

"And what do you think of him?"

Grover shrugged nonchalantly, "From what little I know, he's a very amiable person, honest and good-natured. He's a very close friend of Percy's obviously."

Annabeth tried to detect any weird emotions in Grover's speech, to see if the man was possibly jealous of Jason and Percy's relationship, but there was none to be heard. He also did not seem to be withholding any thoughts on the man in the question, like he would if he didn't want to speak out of hand.

"Do you know how they met?" Annabeth asked her companion.

Grover shook his head, "I do not, but Percy has always taken Jason under his wing you might say, almost taking care of him."

"Really?" The interest in Annabeth's voice was obvious.

"Indeed… for example, from what I understand, Percy congratulates himself on very recently saving his friend from a supposedly hazardous relationship."

As Grover's words seeped into her mind, Annabeth could feel her vision getting cloudy, as she processed what she had just been told. Could… Could it be possible?

"Do-do you know what happened?" Her voice was shaky, even as they kept on walking.

"I believe that there were some problems with the girl in question, namely, it was believed that she and her family were merely after Jason's money."

Annabeth almost stumbled, and she felt Grover's hand on her shoulder, as he tried to support her.

"Annabeth?" She heard him say, "Are you okay?"

All Annabeth could think of though was Piper, and how her sister's relationship with Jason had been sabotaged by Mr. Jackson, for reasons she could only fathom.

"Annabeth, what's wrong?" Grover said again.

"I-I'm sorry, Grover," She told him, "I'm not feeling well, I need to get back to the house."

Her friend nodded, and offered to escort her back, but Annabeth politely declined his offer, waving goodbye to him as she walked in the direction from whence, they originally came.

…..

"Annabeth, are you sure you'll be alright without us?" Rachel asked, as she pulled on her other shoe.

The blonde girl nodded, "Yes, Rachel, I'll be fine. I just have a small headache, and I really don't feel like going out right now."

Mr. Collins appeared in the hallway, checking his pockets as he spoke, "It's a shame Miss Chase, I'm sure Lady Hera will be most disappointed that you won't be able to join us this last time."

"And I would hate to disappoint Lady Hera," Annabeth said, with just enough sarcasm for only Rachel to pick up, "But I'm afraid that is to be the case."

Rachel squeezed her friends arm reassuringly, "Okay, well, take some aspirin. And maybe a nap will help."

"Oh my word!" Mr. Collins exclaimed, "Look at the time! Rachel, we need to leave now. Is your dad ready to go?"

Once the other three had finally made it out the door, Annabeth went and laid down on the couch in the living room, rubbing her temple with both of her hands. The truth was that she could've gone to Rosings if she wanted to, as she felt perfectly fine, at least physically. Mentally and emotionally though, that was another story.

After hearing Grover's story about how Mr. Jackson had supposedly saved Jason from a relationship with a gold-digging woman, aka Annabeth's sister, she needed some time alone to process her thoughts. If what Grover had said was indeed true, then Perseus Jackson was as much of a scumbag as she had always thought he was. And to think, Annabeth had almost gotten to where she could tolerate being around him, and now she finds out that he was indirectly (and at the same time, somewhat directly) responsible for her sister's broken heart.

She wasn't sure what to think when it came to Jason. Was the blonde-haired man really so easily swayed by the opinions of his friend, that he was able to throw away all that he and Piper had built?

Annabeth knew she couldn't tell Piper about this, as her sister was probably just starting to get over Jason, and if she heard this, she would never get any closure.

Well, Annabeth said to herself, that's now two lives that Mr. Jackson has ruined.

She laid on that couch for about twenty minutes, just trying to sort through her mind, and her emotions. But then, the doorbell rang.

Of course, who else would it be, but none other than Perseus Jackson himself. As Annabeth swung the door open, she was too overcome with her feelings about what she had just learned to give the man a proper glare, which is what she wanted to do.

"Forgive me, Miss Chase," the visitor said, "I hope you are feeling better now." Then, without waiting for an invitation, he strode past her into the house.

Annabeth followed him into the living room for the second time in as many days, and she once again placed herself on the couch, as she was finally able to put a glare on her face. Mr. Jackson did not seem to mind though, as he paced back and forth in front of the couch, occasionally stopping to glance at her, before resuming his pacing.

I want to strangle him, Annabeth said to herself as she watched him. She had so many reasons to hate the man right now, and hate him she did.

The subject of her loathing finally stopped pacing, and took one brief step towards her, his face filled with anguish and agony, more than she had ever seen in his features. His eyes were whirlpools of emotion, and his dark hair looked as if he had been nervously playing with it for a while.

"I have to be honest here," Mr. Jackson spoke finally, his lips trembling as he did so, "I have tried in vain for so long, to keep my emotions in check. I have gone against the wishes of my friends, and I daresay, against my better judgement."

What on earth? Annabeth said in her mind, though she kept a straight face, as the man continued speaking.

"And I'm probably going to hate myself for doing this, but nevertheless…"

Oh gods, what is he doing?

"Miss Chase… would you care to go out on a date with me?"

…

It was as if the world had stopped turning, and time stood still… very awkwardly still. The words were still running through Annabeth's mind, the words he had just asked her.

It took several seconds for the normally sharp girl to process, but when she finally did, her heart was filled with rage.

"No," was all Annabeth said to him, though she wanted to say so much more, but she bid her time.

The reaction on his face was immediate. His mouth formed into a line, his eyebrows furrowed, and his normally swirling eyes seemed to still.

"O-Okay," he replied back, "Would it be too much of me to ask why exactly you're rejecting me?"

"Actually," Annabeth said, and she could feel a smirk coming on, knowing she was about to get her moment, "I would love to tell you."

She rose from the couch, and approached Mr. Jackson sternly.

"Reason number one," She said, holding up a single finger to help make her point, "You have been nothing but an asshole to me for all the time that I have known you. You're a selfish, arrogant, prideful prick, who cares about nothing or no one other than yourself, and whoever you may deem worthy of your attention."

It was Annabeth's turn to now pace back and forth in front of Perseus Jackson, ranting as she did so.

"I have never, ever cared about your opinion of me, nor have I ever wished for your affections, or your attention. And yet, here you are, telling me that you care for me, against your will! Even when you are trying to flatter me, you still manage to insult me instead."

She paused directly in front of the man, his face contorted into a look of shame, as she put a second finger up.

"Reason number two, is that you are responsible for ruining my sister's happiness, by telling Mr. Grace a lie that you knew very well to not be true. And by doing so, you caused my sister tremendous heartbreak and pain, and that is something that I cannot overlook."

Mr. Jackson's face changed as she spoke, and when she was done talking, he moved from where he had been standing for the whole of her rant, and leaned his arm against the wall.

"Can you deny it?" Annabeth said accusingly.

"No," he replied back, his voice sharp and cutting, "I cannot deny it, nor do I have any wish to."

"Do you have no shame?!" Annabeth was infuriated by the fact that even now, he seemed okay with what he had done.

"What would you expect, Miss Chase? I did everything I could to separate my friend and your sister… and even now, I am thankful for my succeeding."

"And that is also why I cannot accept your offer," the blonde girl could feel her voice rising, "Because not only have you ruined the happiness of my sister, but you have also done something possibly even worse."

Mr. Jackson turned to face her, his arm still leaning on the wall.

"I knew I hated you when I first heard of how you treated your former best friend, Luke Castellan. How you went against the wishes of your father, and denied Luke what was rightfully his, leaving him hanging out to dry."

"You seem to be awfully interested in Mr. Castellan's concerns," he replied with his own accusing tone.

Annabeth straightened her back before replying, "I have my reasons, and I think anyone would be if they had heard how you have mistreated him."

"Oh, yes," Mr. Jackson said mockingly, "How I have mistreated him."

"Because of your afflictions," Annabeth continued, "He had to make do on his own, with no one to help him, and yet, you treat him as if he is nothing but dirt under your feet."

"Wow," the raven-headed man said cynically, "No wonder you think so ill of me."

He pulled his arm off the wall, and moved towards Annabeth until he was standing directly in front of her again.

"You ever think that maybe you wouldn't think the way you do, if you hadn't been blinded by your own pride?"

Annabeth's jaw dropped, and she tried to speak, but Mr. Jackson beat her to it.

"If I had flattered you, and hid from you the shortcomings that prevented me from having any serious attachment to you, would you have thought differently? Had I deceived myself?"

The flustered girl could only watch as he took a couple steps back, but continued to berate her.

"Did you expect me be delighted with your situation? Or your temperament for that matter? To rejoice in the fact that your family is nowhere near the threshold of my own, or that your character is not without faults of its own? You're stubborn, judgmental, and your pride, though not seen by most, is a harbinger for pain to be brought not only on yourself, but also on those around you."

Annabeth was done listening to him at that point, "If you think that you can hurt me even more with your words, you're wrong, Perseus Jackson. Because as I said before, I have never cared for your opinion, and you expressing it has only made it easier for me, as it spared me from any bad feelings about rejecting you. Feelings that would only have come had you controlled your anger, and not been so reckless with your words, speaking without thinking!"

She took a menacing step closer to him, so he could see the threatening look in her eyes.

"There is no possible way," Annabeth snarled, "that you could have asked me out that would have even tempted me to say yes."

"Enough," Mr. Jackson said bluntly, "You have said enough."

He moved past her, and stood on the edge of the living room before he turned around to face her.

"I see now what you truly think of me, and I'm sorry for having wasted your time."

Annabeth watched him leave, and it was only when she had heard the door shut, that she allowed her face to relax from the glare that she had been holding for so long.

BIG OOF