Annabeth barely had time to stop by her dorm after leaving the Empire State Building before she had to head out again.

The bar was bustling when Annabeth stepped inside, her hair wet with snow despite the hat squashed down over her curls. November was in full swing, but despite the cold weather, college students were going out nightly, determined to enjoy themselves and each other. She winced at a couple making out right in front of the door, sidestepping them with ease and scanning the venue for Thalia.

The Dancing Drake was bursting at the seams, the crowd pulsing with energy beneath the dim lights. She slipped between bodies, heading towards the back in an attempt to find some semblance of personal space, but to no avail. Just as she thought she might as well give up and go home, she felt a hand touch her arm.

She turned to see a girl, beautiful with choppy brown hair framing sharp features and tanned skin. She smiled, saying something that Annabeth couldn't make out.

"What?" She shouted over the din, leaning in.

"Thalia sent me to find you! We're waiting in a booth!" the girl yelled back, cupping a hand around her perfectly formed mouth, "Come on!"

Bewildered, Annabeth let the stranger link arms with her, guiding them through the crowd and it's manic energy. They stumbled out the other end together, the girl laughing and Annabeth panting for breath.

"Hey! Over here guys!" Thalia was kneeling on the booth seat, waving them over. Beside her sat a familiar boy, tall and blonde with a distinctive lip scar, someone Annabeth had only met a few times. Across from them sat several other students that Annabeth knew in passing.

Will Solace, golden boy and son of Apollo, a freshman fast-tracked to being the best healer the school had ever trained.

Nico DiAngelo, son of Hades, was looking gloomy as ever, slouched over the table, and arms crossed. He didn't even attend the university, but his reputation preceded him.

And lastly was a boy Annabeth had never met, with curly hair and brown skin.

They all turned to greet her as they approached the table, the curly haired boy bouncing to his feet, "Oh man there's definitely not enough room for all of us… hang on, lemme steal a chair!"

And he was gone, bounding into the crowd as Thalia excitedly scooted over to let Annabeth in.

"Hey! Glad you made it- Where's Luke?" The voice was loud in her ear, the music around them swelling to a crescendo.

"Couldn't come, too busy with work!" Annabeth shouted back, glancing around the table, "What are-?"

"You know my brother, Jason!" Thalia gestured to the blonde boy who gave a wave, the girl with the choppy hair entwined their arms as she sat beside him.

"That's Piper, his girlfriend- Leo is the one getting chairs, and you already know Will and Nico."

Everyone exchanged nonverbal hellos, the room simply too loud to do much more than that.

"Anyway," Thalia continued, "They want to help!"

"Help?" Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

"With the temple thingy!" Her friend laughed, the sound lost to the noise.

"Shouldn't we talk about this later?" Annabeth's throat was already feeling strained from trying to be heard.

"Probably."

The one known as Leo returned just then, but instead of chairs he slammed a tray of shot glasses on the table, "Buen provecho! Enjoy!"

"Uh, Leo?" Piper called, brow furrowed, "What about the-?"

"Couldn't find any!" he responded cheerfully, opting to try and squeeze next to Nico. Nico did not look impressed, his scowl only growing.

"Right, uh… cheers!" Will grabbed one of the glasses, raising it in the air as everyone else followed suit. Annabeth looked around, bewildered and surrounded by people she hardly knew. Even so, she had been looking forward to this after the day she had.

All together, they downed their drinks: Annabeth immediately gasped as the liquor hit her tongue, and a glance around the table confirmed she wasn't the only one. Jason, Piper, Leo, and Nico were all gagging, various expressions of discomfort on their faces.. Annabeth's own eyes watered as the taste burned it's way down her throat.

"Shit- hah, that was… fuck!" she could barely hear Leo gasp, coughing as he slammed the shot glass back on to the table.

Piper was no better off. "Leo, what the fuck did you order?!"

"I don't know man! It was called 'The Chimera', sounded cool!" he wheezed, pressing further against Nico who looked absolutely appalled.

Will grinned, seemingly unaffected, waving down a bartender. "Hey, can we have another round of these please?"

"Dude- are you serious?!" Jason winced, wiping his mouth.

Thalia, on the other hand, raised her hand for a high five. "Hell yeah Solace, I knew I liked you for a reason!" She and Will slapped hands, the sound barely audible over the thumping bass, and Annabeth was beginning to rethink her choices.

Two more shots made her feel differently.

Nico was glued to Will's side, mumbling something in his ear which had the blonde boy laughing. Leo was dancing, a tie (where did he even get that?) wrapped around his head, while Piper and Jason swayed in their seats, hands clasped.

Watching them made Annabeth yearn to hold someone's hand. She pouted, nursing the fruity drink she had ordered and eyeing the couple as Thalia babbled in her ear.

"...So anyway, I was thinking we could like, really benefit from Jason's whole 'roman organization' thing."

"Uh-huh."

"And Piper's mom is Aphrodite and she has this whole charmspeak thing- is it illegal to use magic to convince people to vote for us?"

"Mmmm."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

Leo spun by their table, hips gyrating to the music.

Annabeth tilted her head in his direction, "What does he do?"

"Builds shit, I think." Thalia shrugged, but Annabeth was intrigued.

"What kind of shit?" she downed her beverage, grabbing another shot off the table as she did.

"Not arches and stuff like you." They clinked their glasses, downing them together, "Useful shit." She grinned and Annabeth snorted at the heckle.

"And those two...?" She eyed Will and Nico, earning a scowl from the latter.

"Pretty sure Nico is just here to stick it to Percy, and Will is along for the ride." Thalia leaned back, smacking her lips. Annabeth frowned.

"Does Nico have something against Percy?" Her words slurred together and she struggled to remain upright.

Thalia shrugged again. "I guess? Something to do with his sister or...something."

Annabeth's brow furrowed. Okay, so she wasn't the guy's biggest fan either, but he didn't actually seem too bad… At the very least, he had made an effort to get into her good graces. And against all odds, it had actually started to work.

But before she could dwell too long on her thoughts, an arm was swung over her shoulders. "Ok, seriously, how are you Athena kids even born?" Leo's voice was loud and sloppy in her ear. She winced, pulling away from him. "You don't literally pop out of her head… Right?" He cocked his head to the side, confusion evident on his face.

Thalia guffawed, "Why else do you think we call them 'brain children' Valdez?"

His eyes widened, "No way! That's so cool! Do you have-"

"Yes, I have a belly button." Annabeth rolled her eyes, absently reaching for another shot.

It was a conversation she had experienced too many times. Just another thing that set her apart.

Head fuzzy, she leaned heavily against Thalia and yawned.

"Woah there, sleepy already?" Her friend laughed and Annabeth couldn't hold back her smile.

"Mmm, let's have another round?"

"Okay, one more, then I'm taking you to my place- it's closer and I don't want you stumbling drunk back to the dorms."

Annabeth waved down a bartender, head swimming. She wanted to forget the day, forget Luke, forget the pressures and troubles of her life just for a night.

The only thing that would make it better was if he were here.

Seaweed Brain.

What a stupid name.

She giggled to herself, thoughts growing even fuzzier as she knocked back her glass. She vaguely remembered dancing. Then a flash of saying goodbye. Another of her and Thalia stumbling around in the snow, giggling and shouting old camp songs at each other as they made their way to Thalia's apartment. She remembered flopping onto the couch, shoes still on. And she remembered taking out her phone, face illuminated in the dark as his contact stared back at her.

Percy laughed as Estelle tugged at his shirt, begging him wordlessly to sit down beside her.

"Okay, okay, we'll color together!" he grinned at his toddler sister, patting her hair down and settling on the ground, blue crayon in hand. "Which one first?"

It was an average, run-of-the-mill Friday night- except for the fact that Percy was at home instead of bar hopping for once. This whole temple thing was taking a lot out of him, and he found himself wanting to spend time with his family more and more.

Plus, turning down people asking him out was getting exhausting. Sure, he blamed the Empousai incident for his lack of interest when asked, but if he was being honest, there was only one girl on his mind.

"Owoll!" Estelle commanded, her vowels rounded, and he couldn't help but chuckle at how bossy she already was.

"Owoll?" he repeated, and she pointed insistently at the line art of an owl on the floor.

"A blue owl, huh?" he shrugged, handing another crayon to Estelle and beginning to color within the lines. His sister opted for a yellow sheep, which she giggled at proudly.

"Baa!"

"Baa indeed."

"Percy!" Sally, his mother, poked her head in from the kitchen, her long brown hair tied back and light eyes sparkling in the fire's glow. It was a cozy image, yule branches already adorning the hearth, a decked out tree in the corner, Percy and his sister playing on the floor. They always decorated early for the holidays.

"Paul and I are going out for dinner, but there are cookies in the oven and Mac and Cheese on the stove! I set timers for both so make sure you eat, okay?"

"Got it mom." He gave her a thumbs up before turning back to the important task of coloring in his blue owl. Something about it seemed almost ironic, though he couldn't quite place why.

"What do you think, Estelle?" he held the half-colored bird up, "Too blue?"

"Bloo!" she clapped her hands, giggling.

"You're right, no such thing as too blue." He nodded in agreement, grabbing an aquamarine color to tip the feathers. The door opened as his mother and step-dad shouted a quick goodbye from the entryway, locking in behind them. Percy ventured a glance at his little sister.

"You can keep a secret, right?"

She was busy gnawing on her yellow crayon, which Percy took as affirmation.

"I like a girl, Estelle." He flopped onto his back, sighing dramatically and staring at the plain white ceiling of their apartment as Estelle giggled and climbed on top of him, abandoning her coloring.

"She's smart, she's funny, she thinks I'm an idiot but I think that's okay… But she won't meet me!"

"Idiot!" Estelle exclaimed, giggling behind her fingers as she sat up on Percy's stomach.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh great, Mom will be thrilled that you picked up that one," he muttered, sitting back up and cradling his sister in his arms. "You know what that means? Someone's getting tickles!" He pressed his face into her, blowing raspberries onto her stomach as Estelle squirmed and shrieked with laughter.

He missed babysitting, if he was being honest. Between school, the campaigning, and his usual lifestyle, he'd only been home to eat and sleep- sometimes just the latter.

He hopped to his feet, securing the giggling toddler on his hip as he headed to the kitchen to serve up dinner. Estelle grabbed at his neck, the shiny silver there attractive to her young eyes. Percy jerked back.

"Oh no you don't! This is special!" The "A" that his Wise Girl had given him hadn't left his neck since he got it. It felt sentimental, a gift from her that he cherished deeply- even though he still wasn't sure what it stood for, she had touched it, held it, worn it.

"Come on monster, let's get you some Mac and Cheese!"

Estelle was already asleep when his phone buzzed.

And then it kept buzzing.

Frowning, he slid it from his pocket, glancing at Estelle in her crib before his eyes flickered to the screen.

Incoming Call
WISE GIRL

His mouth went dry.

She was calling him.

She was calling him.

Hurriedly, he exited the bedroom, closing the door as quietly as he could behind him and staring at the phone, still vibrating in his hand. Should he answer? But they'd never talked about calling each other before! Before he could make a decision, the phone went still. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Which was quickly interrupted as the words once more flashed across his screen.

Incoming Call
WISE GIRL

Something must be wrong. Before he could think better of it, he clicked answer and pressed the phone to his ear. There was silence on the other end.

"Um… hello?"

He could hear someone gasp softly, then a giggle.

"Wise Girl? Is that you?" His brow furrowed, and he stepped away from Estelle's room, crossing to the living area instead.

Another breathy laugh, and shivers went down his spine. It was her. She was real.

"Ah… um… yes, I'm here!" her words slurred a bit, and he smiled, settling back into the plush couch.

It was quiet again, the tension between them thick. Finally, Percy tried again.

"Did you call for a reason, or just to hear my voice? Because either way, I'm not complaining."

She was giggling again, "Oh, no I just... " her voice went low, and Percy was struck by how familiar she sounded. It was hard to tell, but he got the feeling they'd definitely met before.

A thought struck him. Oh Gods… she wasn't a one night stand, was she? Before he could panic too much, she continued.

"I just wanted to prove you're real." She was quiet, nervous even.

Percy suddenly felt the need to reassure her. "Oh, I'm very real."

"Mmmm," she hummed. "Then this is real too?"

"Yes, this phone call is real."

"No, no I meant like… this…"

His brow furrowed. "'This' meaning…?"

"Us."

He sucked in a breath. "Right… yeah, I think we're real."

"Together?" She sounded so adorable, her voice hopeful and filled with… something else.

"Have you been drinking?"

"Maybe a little." Sheepishness crept into her tone and he pressed further.

"How much is 'a little'?"

"Um…" There was a pause, as if she were counting out on her fingers. "Five shots?"

He couldn't hold back his chuckle, his desire to tease her growing. "Damn Wise Girl, are you a lightweight?"

"No!" She was defensive now. "Five shots is- so many! I mean… I-I'm not!"

"Okay, okay, you're not!" he chuckled. "Where… Where are you right now?" He hoped she wasn't stuck anywhere.

"A friend's place."

He sighed in relief, then wondered. "What kind of friend?"

"Why?" she teased. "Gonna be jealous?"

"Maybe," Percy admitted. "Depending on your answer."

She laughed again, a sound that filled him up with warmth. He crossed his legs, clearing his throat, "Listen, Wise Girl…"

"Yes, Seaweed Brain?" The nickname sounded even sillier out loud and he stifled another chuckle.

"I wish you were here right now." His voice was low and firm. He could hear her exhale on the other end.

"Ah… wow… w-where are you?"

"Home."

"By yourself?"

He thought of Estelle sleeping in the other room. "Yes."

"Oh Gods I- I should have probably asked before I called, huh?"

"Probably," he agreed, running a hand through his hair.

"What would we do if I was there?" She sounded eager.

"Well, I guess we would talk."

"Talk."

"Talk," he repeated, throwing an arm over the back of the couch as if she were sitting beside him.

"Is that all?" She sounded disappointed. And well, even over the phone, he couldn't bear disappointing his Wise Girl.

"We could probably cuddle a bit," he said, biting back a smirk, "since no one else is around. "

"Too embarrassed to be seen with me?" Her voice was light and teasing.

"Not at all." Percy paused, debating if he should say what he really felt. "But I want you all to myself."

He listened to her suck in a breath. "Ah… mmm."

"Is that bad?" He second guessed his confident reply.

"No! No I… I like that," she said with a breathless laugh. "So we talk, and we cuddle… Do we kiss?"

"Oh, we definitely kiss."

She moaned softly and he began to wonder exactly how drunk she really was.

"Wise Girl?"

"Yes?"

"You're safe, right?"

"Oh, yes, yes of course." she assured him, and he could hear shifting, as if she were laying in a bed. Her voice was quiet again. "I'm somewhere safe."

"Good." Another pause. "I'd have to come find you myself if you weren't."

"Maybe you should come find me anyway."

He perked up. "Is that an invitation?"

"I… it could be," she sounded nervous, words now rushing out of her mouth. "I mean, we really shouldn't, at least not now, we might do something-"

"Stupid?" He remembered their conversation the night of the party, his free hand playing with the necklace at his throat.

"Ha, yes. Stupid." More rustling, as if she were flipping herself over, "But if we did… if we did meet…"

"Which I definitely want to."

"I do too." She was quiet again, "But if we did… no matter who I was, you wouldn't stop talking to me, right?"

"'Course not. You're my Wise Girl, after all."

She made another soft noise. "Your Wise Girl," she repeated.

"Should I not say it like that?" He traced the seams of the sofa with his fingers, imagining the curves were something else.

"No, no please don't stop!" She sounded nervous as she asked, "Does that make you my Seaweed Brain?"

"Guess it does." Percy threw his head back, unable to fight back a smile. "You'll take good care of me, won't you?"

"Of course!"

"Promise?"

"Promise!" He adored how eager she sounded. It was probably the alcohol, but she was different over the phone than over text more bold, less guarded.

"Remind me again why can't we meet?" He groaned, rubbing his eyes.

She huffed, "Well we… we can… just not yet."

"Why not?"

His Wise Girl seemed to struggle for the words. "I'm… you see I'm… I'm working on something."

"A project?" His brows knit together again.

"Something like that."

"So because of a project… we can't meet?"

She huffed into the phone in frustration, "I can't… I really can't say more."

"I get it." He didn't, but he wanted her to feel like she had someone in her corner- even if that someone was just him.

Plus, with his campaign… it would be rough to throw a girl into the middle of all that stress, wouldn't it? He didn't want it to possibly come between something good. What they had was special, and the thought of the temple thing ruining it…

It was probably best to wait until after, anyway.

She breathed a sigh of relief, "I'll let you know. When I'm ready, I mean."

"Sounds perfect." he grinned, "So… when you're ready, you think there'll be kissing?"

"Mmm. Kissing." Her voice was soft again. "Tell me how you would kiss me."

"I- what?" he laughed nervously, "How?"

"Mmhmm."

"I guess… eagerly?"

"I'd kiss you like my life depended on it." Her voice was so serious all he could do was swallow.

"Oh Gods- listen, you've had a lot to drink, I don't think we-"

"Seaweed Brain," she interrupted, "I really want to kiss you. Right now."

Percy felt his heart rate pick up. He held the phone closer, gripping it tighter. "Shit… I want to kiss you right now, too."

It was quiet for a few moments.

"Will you stay on the phone with me? Until I fall asleep?"

Her voice was like nectar. He couldn't refuse.

"Of course, Wise Girl."