First off, thank you guys so much for the support. It's awesome getting to read your reviews, even if you're hating on me for that last chapter lol. Keep em coming! As long as the reviews keep coming in, I'll be sure to keep updating every day, or every other day at least. I'm sincerely enjoying writing this fic, and it's all because I love getting to see you guy's reaction… and maybe because I really like thos story so far.

I've been going over the first couple chapters of this fic, and I must say that I think my writing has improved dramatically, or at least somewhat since I wrote that very first chapter. It had DEFINITELY improved since my very first fic, even though that wasn't that long ago at all. Still, I may edit and reupload the first couple chapters, or at least the very first one, just to fix some simple grammar mistakes, and maybe word some things better. Nothing major though…

As always, please R&R

I do not own most of the characters, nor most of the plot. I merely adapted it.

CHAPTER 16

Perseus Jackson paced about in his office at Poseidon Enterprises, as he ran his hand through his messy black hair, and tried to focus on preparing for his upcoming meeting. But it was to no avail, as the scene from last Saturday plagued his thoughts, and the words that had been spoken, specifically in regards to his behavior, afflicted his mind.

Had you controlled your anger, and not been so reckless with your words, speaking without thinking.

Miss Chase's accusations cut deeply into his conscious, as he leaned both of his hands against the large windowpane that took up the entire west wall of his office. Through it, he could see the whole of New York skyline, and he couldn't stop himself from thinking that out there, somewhere, there was a blonde-haired beauty who he had fallen for intensely, but who did not return the sentiments. Quite the opposite actually; she hated him, which he knew because she had practically told him so to his very face. And there was nothing he could do about it.

Well… that wasn't entirely true.

The man was interrupted from his thoughts by the sound of his secretary knocking on one of the large double doors to his office, and peeking her heard in.

"Excuse me, Mr. Jackson. Your two o'clock is here."

Percy moved to sit in the chair at his desk, giving his employee a grateful smile.

"Thank you, Juniper. Send them in please."

"Right away, Percy… Uh, I'm sorry, I mean Mr. Jackson," She blushed profusely and stuttered over her words, before she moved to leave, but was quickly called back by her boss.

"Wait, Juniper!"

"Yes, Mr. Jackson?" she asked, opening the door wider so as to show she was listening, her face still red from embarrassment.

Percy chuckled to himself, before holding up two fingers. "Two things," he said, "First, I just want to say you're doing a great job. I know you've only been here a few weeks, but I'm really impressed by your work ethic, and I'm glad to have you as my secretary."

Juniper appeared to be even redder now, and she shuffled her feet as she spoke, "T-Thank you, Mr. Jackson."

Percy gave her a thumbs up, before moving on to his second point. "And also, I need a favor."

"Of course, Mr. Jackson. What do you need?"

Percy grabbed a small piece of paper off his desk, and began scribbling on it in his messy handwriting.

"An email address," he said as he wrote, "for this person."

Juniper moved closer to his desk, so that she could grab the piece of paper that he held out to her.

"Do-do you have anything for me other than a name?" the girl asked nervously.

"She's… an architect?"

Juniper nodded, and placed the note on her clipboard.

"I'll have it by the time you get out of your meeting."

Percy smiled up at her, "Thank you Juniper. That is all."

…

Annabeth paced around her tiny office, rubbing her temple with her hands, trying to stay focused on the task at hand. She had to get the landscape design for the new community center done soon, but she was finding it incredibly hard to focus today. Ever since they had gotten back from long Island, her brain had decided to think about nothing other than what took place on Saturday. She hadn't slept at all in the past two nights, and now it was Monday, and even work was not able to distract her.

She had been irritable, and both her sister, and her fellow employees had noticed. Piper thought that her time of the month had come early, and her coworkers had simply decided to avoid her, which didn't bother Annabeth. She was glad actually that people had been leaving her alone for the most part.

It was nearing the end of the day, almost five o'clock, and the blonde girl had barely gotten anything productive done. Every time she sat down to work on her blueprints, all she could hear in her head was the voice of one Perseus Jackson telling her how he did not regret dissolving her sister's relationship with Jason. And despite what Annabeth had told the man, his statements regarding her character flaws had stuck with her as well.

Stubborn, judgmental, and your pride… a harbinger for pain to be brought not only on yourself, but also on those around you.

Yes, Annabeth had told Mr. Jackson that she did not care what his opinions of her were, and that was true… to an extent. But she had never been called out for being judgmental and prideful like that; stubborn, yes, but not judgmental, and certainly not prideful. It had shaken her to her core in a way that nothing else ever had.

It was five o'clock now, and Annabeth decided to give it up for the day, and to try and refocus for tomorrow. She walked to her desk, and while still standing, she opened her desktop computer to do her routine last-minute email check.

There didn't seem to be anything important, just a random email from some unknown address, that had been flagged as potential spam. Annabeth was about to delete the email, but then she saw the subject header.

From Perseus Jackson: Please read

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. How had he gotten her work email? And why had he sent her one in the first place? She clicked on the email, and the first thing she did was look at the address that the message had been sent from.

Bluec00kielover

Okay, Annabeth said to herself, why is he sending me this from a little kid's email address?

She couldn't dwell on that for too long however, as she scrolled down a little way to see the contents of the email. It looked to be a few pages worth of writing, so Annabeth slumped down into her chair, since she was obviously going to be here for a while longer.

She began reading.

…

To Miss Annabeth Chase,

First off, I would just like address the question as to how I got your email address, which you are undoubtedly wondering at this moment. The answer is that very few people are willing to deny such info to someone like the CEO of Poseidon Enterprises… also, I have a very good secretary.

The reason I am writing this email is so that I may address the accusations you laid before me the other day. I do not expect this to change your feelings towards me, at least not in any dramatic fashion, but I do hope you can come to understand my thoughts, and the reasonings for my actions as you have seen them play out.

When I first observed Jason and your sister, I knew that he found her intriguing and that he was fond of her. But I had seen him act in such a manner before, and I figured his relationship with your sister was just another one of those instances. It wasn't until the gala at Alambria that I realized just how deeply he truly felt for her, and how serious it was to him. This realization was merely reinforced by your friend Mr. Collins, who told me how he expected for there to be an announcement of a relationship between the two very soon.

From that moment on, I watched Jason and your sister with peculiar interest, and it was apparent that my friend was very much falling in love with her. As for you sister however, I couldn't help but notice that while she was indeed level-headed, she also seemed to have an air of eagerness about her. One that I was afraid I had seen on occasion before from young ladies fancying Jason's attention. My suspicions were also aroused by the ineptitude of your family, particularly, your stepsisters and stepmother, and on many occasions as well, your family friend, Mr. Collins. Words that were shared by such individuals made their way back to me, and caused me to believe that your sister, being encouraged by the rest of your family, was merely in want of my friend's fortune.

If I was incorrect in these assumptions, and your sister was indeed truly heartbroken by the event of Jason's leaving, which may very well have been the case, due to your superior knowledge of your sister's character, then your anger towards me is not unreasonable, and I am very sorry to have caused her such pain. But I did what I thought was appropriate, which at the time I believed was to protect my friend from any potential mishaps in his relationships.

I should have you know that it was not easy to convince him, and that he argued and fought against me, and his sisters who sided with me, tooth and nail. But with our combined effort, his sisters and I managed to persuade him, and he reluctantly gave up your sister. I tell you this so as to discredit any feelings of resentment you may harbor for my friend, as he was very adamant about your sisters pure character. I ask that you think well of him, and lay any blame for the event at my feet.

To continue with addressing your accusations, I would like to give an account as to my past history and dealings with Luke Castellan. This is an honest statement that I am about to give, and if you wish to verify it's truthfulness, please ask Grover, as he knows everything that went down between myself and Luke.

Luke's father was the steward of my late father's estate; his father was a good man, and my father was very fond of him. Luke and I grew up together from a very young age, and we were best friends. We played together as kids, went to middle school and high school together, and eventually went to the same college together as well. Around the time we were in middle school, Luke's father, Hermes Castellan, passed away, leaving Luke an orphan, as his mother had passed away giving birth to him. My family took Luke in as our own, and my parents grew to think of him as their own son as well. My father especially adored him, and wished to have him join the company alongside me upon our graduation from college.

During college however, Luke changed, and began to take a path that led to many unfortunate incidents. Those incidents namely involving women, and I can recall on several occasions, walking into our dorm room to find my best friend shacking up with the girlfriend of another man. It was then that I started to suspect that Luke was not the same boy he had been growing up.

With our graduation fast approaching, we were struck by the news that my father had passed away in a boating accident. My family was wracked with grief, as I was now forced to take over my dad's company. I had expected Luke to take his position in the company as well, like my father had intended for him. But he declined the offer, and said he wished to pursue a degree in medicine, and to become a doctor. In exchange for the company position, he asked for an endowment of $200,000 to pay for his time in medical school. I granted his request, and wrote the check, without so much as a second thought.

It was then that we went our separate ways, and I did not hear from Luke for a few years, that is, until last year, when he resurfaced inexplicably. At the time, my sister, Estelle, was finishing up her senior year of high school, and was set to attend Columbia the next year. Luke ran into her by some happenstance, and the two of them, being old friends from their younger days, started talking. I do not know how it happened, or what Luke said to her, but he managed to convince her to take a visit to see an old caretaker of the family, a woman named Kelli, who's character we greatly misjudged.

Kelli covered for Luke, and he eventually managed to seduce my sister. I only found out about it when I saw her texts to Luke, and she then spilled everything to me. Needless to say, my anger was overwhelming, and I tracked down Luke, and began to beat him. I am only somewhat ashamed to say that the only thing that stopped me from killing him was my sister, who begged me to stop, saying that she was the one at fault, as she had allowed herself to be easily seduced by the man.

It was not her fault though, as she was but a young girl still in high school, who was led to believe that she was in love, by my former best friend no less, who had long since graduated college. I could have stopped it from happening, as I knew what sort of person Luke had become, but I was too slow to act, and I blame myself immensely.

After that day, we never saw any sign of Luke, and I believed him to have moved away from New York for good. That is, until I saw him at the park on that day not so long ago, when the two of you were becoming acquainted for the very first time.

This is a truthful account of all of my dealings with Luke Castellan, and I trust that I can depend on your privacy in regards to the dreadful incident.

I hope this letter has provided you with some insight as to my actions.

I wish you the very best of happiness.

Perseus Jackson

….

Annabeth slumped back into her seat, trying to process everything she had read so far. How she wished that she could easily believe everything he had told her regarding Luke to be false, that he was a liar, and that he was merely jealous of Luke, and wished to slander the man. But alas, she could not find herself able to do so. As she reread his testimony over and over, analyzing each sentence, she compared it with the deposition that Luke had given her himself. Everything matched up; the background of Luke's father, how he had been brought into the family, how he had been promised a position within the company. The similarities only ended once Mr. Jackson's father passed away.

Annabeth thought about what she knew about Luke, which, other than what he had told her himself, was nothing. No one knew anything about Luke other than what he had told people, and his general ability to socialize pleasantly had earned him some regular admiration from his acquaintances. Annabeth had never questioned his character, nor had she wished to inquire further of it. She tried to recollect any action or instance of good character other than the way he presented himself, but there was none.

And as she read on, Annabeth couldn't possibly think that Mr. Jackson would fabricate such a story as to include his own sister in such a ghastly tale. As for Luke, she remembered how the man had said he would not back down from seeing Mr. Jackson at the Alambria gala, for he had nothing to be ashamed of, and yet, he was the one who did not show. He chose not to confront Perseus Jackson, not for the sake of not making a scene, but because he was at fault.

As Annabeth looked over every scenario involving the two men, the justification and favor grew continually fainter for Luke Castellan, and grew more in the direction of Mr. Jackson. She had always known the billionaire to be prideful, but never had he done anything to suggest that he was unjust or without principles. Every account of the man on part of his friends suggested that he was fair, esteemed, and amiable.

Luke had said that he had to make his own way after Mr. Jackson refused to allow him to join the company, and Annabeth had believed that Luke had paid for medical school by his own methods. And yet, as it turns out, Mr. Jackson had been the one to pay for Luke's schooling. And to see how Luke had repaid his former friend, by seducing Mr. Jackson's sister, it was horrible to think about, and probably even worse to experience.

The blonde woman felt ashamed, as she, who prided herself on being discerning, and a good judge of character, had been blinded and deceived by Luke. She had almost thought herself to be in love with the man, and she would have continued in her blindness, if not for Mr. Jackson's interference. Annabeth placed her face in both of her hands, and tried to fight back the tears of frustration that were pooling in her eyes.

She took a minute to gather herself, as she still had to process the first half of the email, regarding her sister and Jason. The first time she read it through, she had found his explanation insufficient. But as she read it through a second time, Annabeth began to see Mr. Jackson's thought process, and how he could have come to such a conclusion.

Piper was normally not an 'eager' sort of girl when it came to the affections of men, but that was before she met Jason. The man had shown her a different sort of fondness that came from genuine interest and attraction to Piper and her unique qualities. It had awakened in her sister, an excitement; an exhilaration about the fact that she had found a man who cared for her because of who she was. So yes, Piper may have been a bit eager, and you could hardly blame her for that, but it was just an unfortunate circumstance that Mr. Jackson had interpreted it as a different sort of eagerness.

His diagnosis of her stepsisters and stepmothers resolve may not have been so far off though. Annabeth could recall on several occasions Aphrodite rambling on rather profusely about the great wealth that Jason Grace possessed, which was subsequently almost always followed by the fact that her daughter was growing closer with the man. It would not be challenging to assume that Aphrodite was zealous about Jason's wealth, even if that was not truly the case.

And her stepsisters, namely Lacy and Drew, were very much into the idea of chasing wealth, and it was obvious for anyone to see that. The two of them were always flirting and hanging around rich young businessmen, and making themselves out to be quite the 'gold-diggers'.

And of course Mr. Collins had to go and run his mouth. Annabeth could recall the very moment when Piper had pointed out Mr. Collins talking to Perseus Jackson at Alambria, and how Annabeth had assumed he was just rambling on about Lady Hera. If only she could have known what was also being said in that conversation.

Given the facts, and after rereading his explanation several times, Annabeth had to concede that Mr. Jackson had not acted out of line like she had originally thought. It did him credit; the way he sought the well-being of his friend, even if he may have been misled to some degree.

As Annabeth read the mortifying words regarding her family and their behavior, she felt a shame come over her, one that she had only last felt at the Alambria gala, when she and Piper watched their family and Mr. Collins conducting themselves with behavior that was certainly worthy of Mr. Jackson's scrutiny. Annabeth was complimented for sure by the fact that he had left Piper and herself out of his ruthless examination, but it only consoled her somewhat.

Her emotions were all jumbled, she was confused and disordered, and Annabeth knew the best way to clear her head was to talk to Piper. Her sister was always good at helping Annabeth figure out her feelings and emotions. Yes, Annabeth would respect Mr. Jackson's request for her secrecy on the matter regarding his sister and Mr. Castellan, and not tell anyone but Piper. Her sister would not dare betray Annabeth or Mr. Jackson, and if the blonde girl didn't talk to someone, she was going to implode.

Annabeth closed her computer, and after grabbing her purse, she strode out of her office.

Welp, there it is, the long-awaited letter (email) exposing Luke. Aren't we all so glad that we don't have to pretend Luke is a cool guy now? Lol

We also got some explanation for Jason's leaving Piper out to dry, and whaddaya know… he's still a great guy. How cool…