A New Beginning

Three Weeks Later

Annabeth was convinced the entire universe was conspiring against her. It was like there were other world powers actively trying to ruin her first day.

It had started with her outlet which had seemingly figured out how to unplug itself because her phone was dead when she woke up. Then, just as she finished showering, the door succeeding in jamming shut. After convincing herself she was going to drown in her own shower, Annabeth managed to escape the spiteful device. But then—on top of it all—she burnt her toast.

Despite her horrible morning, though, Annabeth's overly cautious nature had forced her to factor in an hour extra just in case she needed it, and turns out she did.

Annabeth's fingers wrapped around the strap of her tote bag, securing it to her shoulder as she sped down the street. The bustle of the crowds seem to drown out the anxiety curdling through her mind—but that was something she'd always admired about New York City; its ability to utterly distract even the most anxious minds. A mix of adrenaline and excitement rushed through her chest at the thought of her new job, even if it was at the tiny dingey coffee shop around the corner from their apartment.

Annabeth sniffed at the thought, her expression souring unwittingly as she remembered her mother's sneer. It didn't matter what her mother thought; it was something to pay the rent while she looked for an architecture firm that didn't turn their noses at the Chase name. More importantly, though, it was a new beginning.

When Annabeth arrived, her supervisor greeted her brightly. He quickly explained they'd train her during the morning but that there wasn't much to learn. Annabeth smiled sweetly, assuring him that she'd waited tables before. It didn't seem like she'd convinced him enough though, as her supervisor proceeded to train her for ten minutes and follow her around for the next hour.

By hour four, her supervisor had calmed down, choosing instead to keep a watchful eye on her from behind the register. It was just then, reveling in the newfound freedom, that the cafe door swung open, revealing a dark figure.

"Welcome," Annabeth began with a warm smile. She lifted her eyes, squinting past the bright sunlight behind the broad shoulders. "Can I—oh." She cut herself, off going silent as her eyes adjusted to the light.

It was Percy.

Percy.

He looked the same as always. His dark hair swept back over his forehead, his bright eyes glittering playfully.

"Hey," he grinned, looking her up and down.

Annabeth felt his gaze scorch her. Almost immediately, the pride in her chest rushed out of her in a single gasp. She was suddenly hyperaware of how silly her uniform must look. She was wearing a little orange apron over a pair of tattered jeans. She inwardly berated herself, wishing she'd invested in better casual attire.

Then again, though, she had always imagined she'd work for Chase for the rest of her life. How was she supposed to know she was going to suffer an emotional crisis two years into the job and quit?—not that she regretted it but, seriously, who would have expected this?

"Never expected to see you waiting tables," Percy remarked lightly, raising a brow at the rag in her hands.

Annabeth blinked, the comment ricochetting around her brain for a moment before she absorbed it, the perfect image shattering before her eyes. "Did you seriously come here just to humiliate me?" she scoffed loudly, turning her back to him so he wouldn't see her hurt expression. Any romanticized surge of hope she might have felt when she saw him walk in had been extinguished, leaving behind only lingering embarrassment.

"Annabeth—" Percy sighed, his lips dipping into a frown. "I—"

"No—" Annabeth interrupted before cutting herself off at the sight of her supervisor. He was watching from the register, twitching as the harshness of her tone reaching his ears. "I know that you probably don't care," Annabeth whispered then, stepping closer to him to hide her words from the rest of the staff as she plastered an amicable smile on her lips. "But it's my first day, and you showing up here is—is really not the best impression."

"I just… " Percy trailed off, wringing his hands. Annabeth found herself waiting for him to finish, wiping down the table in front of her for a second time. "I just wanted to thank you," he revealed quietly, shrugging off the severity of his reappearance.

"Oh," Annabeth nodded, smiling tightly as she glanced behind her. Her supervisor was staring. "No worries," she assured him, pushing back a curl that had sprung into her eyes. "I was just cleaning up my own mess anyway."

"I know," Percy agreed simply, his lips pulled into a straight line even as his eyes smiled at her.

"Cool," Annabeth remarked awkwardly, dipping her head. "See you around—" she dismissed herself clumsily, turning to—well, probably to hide in the kitchen after apologizing profusely to her supervisor.

"Wait," Percy called out, and she felt someone tug on her arm. She felt a dangerous warmth overcome her as she looked down to find his fingers wrapped around her forearm. "Sorry," he apologized sheepishly, dropping her arm.

"What?" Annabeth questioned sharply, her heart bobbing uncomfortably in her chest.

"I—" Percy began, before following her eyes to her supervisor who was glaring now. "Can I be seated?" he asked then, stepping away from her and cementing a smile on his face.

"Wha—yeah," Annabeth answered quickly, shaking her head as she beckoned to any of open the tables. "Can I get you anything?"

"Coffee?" Percy ordered, though it was spoken more like a question.

"Of course," Annabeth agreed, slipping on her customer service expression. "I'll be right back."

She rushed back towards the register as fast as she could without it looking suspicious.

"Who's that?" her supervisor asked the second Annabeth was out of earshot of Percy.

"He's a friend," Annabeth told her, hoping the flush of her cheeks would be taken as bashful and not panicked. "He wanted to surprise me on my first day," she explained, as she hastily made Percy's coffee.

"Ah," her supervisor nodded, his eyes trailing over her head to stare at him. "I suppose that's fine, as long as he doesn't distract you from the rest of the customers."

"Of course," Annabeth assured feverishly. "I assure you that won't happen."

Her supervisor didn't speak again, choosing instead to watch her as Annabeth struggled to bring Percy his coffee with trembling hands.

"Here," she said when she reached his table, dropping the coffee unceremoniously down before him. "If you need anything else please—"

"Did you mean it?" Percy questioned quietly, his worried bottom lip caught between his teeth.

"Mean what?" Annabeth frowned, tilting her head imperceptibly.

"All the stuff you told my dad," Percy revealed with a shrug that didn't look even the slightest bit casual. "Did you mean it?"

"I told your Dad a lot," Annabeth chuckled hollowly, trying to gauge just how much he'd heard.

"About—about me," Percy explained, a pink tint flushing over his cheeks. "About—uh—loving me and me deserving to be happy."

"He told you that?" Annabeth asked, a brow raised as her lips pursed uncomfortably.

"No," Percy shook his head, his hair falling over his forehead. His fingers wrapped around the mug before him, swirling his coffee around. "His secretary was listening in. It's been pretty steamy drama around the office."

"Oh," Annabeth nodded. "Yeah," she confessed finally, thinking he was probably expecting her to laugh. But there was something behind his expression, like he didn't quite believe it himself. "Of course, I did."

Percy said nothing, nodding simply. His throat pulsed, as if he were having difficulty swallowing. They were quiet for so long Annabeth considered returning to work, she could feel her manager's eyes on the back of her head.

"Why are you working here?" Percy asked then, seemingly out of the blue.

"I—uh—quit my job," Annabeth explained, surprised. Annabeth Chase quitting her job at Chase Enterprises, she figured it would have been nefariously circulated by now.

"Why?" Percy questioned.

Annabeth sniffed, running her tongue across the jagged edge of her teeth. This was beginning to feel like an interrogation

"I thought you loved it," Percy added, eyes angled towards the edge of the table.

"I did love it—at the time," Annabeth illustrated with some difficulty, finally putting into words the thoughts floating through her head for weeks. "I think I love architecture, but I don't like Chase—not anymore, at least. That was just my breaking point—after—um—hurting so many people I cared about."

"Cared about?" Percy repeated, ending on a lilt as if it were a question.

Annabeth sighed, feeling her patience slowly drain out of her system. "Percy," she sighed, running her hand through her hair only for it to get caught on her hastily drawn ponytail. "What are you doing here?"

Percy laughed at that, throwing his hands up in the air. "Honestly," he scoffed, "I was hoping you could tell me. I've been walking around the neighborhood for hours, and I kept ending up at your apartment."

Annabeth's face went blank, too terrified by the possibilities to even entertain them. Her heart was a different story, though; it was beating out of her chest. Her supervisor was staring. She could see him getting antsy, and hoped Percy would blurt out everything out all at once.

"Something was telling me to—to see you, so I finally did it," Percy told her, leaning back into his chair, his coffee forgotten before him. "I walked into your building and knocked but—but you weren't there." He still wasn't looking at her, choosing instead to focus on the movement of the lights as they reflected across the tiles. "Your neighbor was though, and they rudely informed me that you'd started working here—you should really work on your neighbors, by the way; they hate you. There's no sense of community in your building."

Annabeth blinked, dumbstruck. It was as if someone had dropped a fifty-pound weight into the pit of her stomach. She couldn't move, she couldn't walk away, she couldn't speak, she couldn't breathe

"I guess that doesn't really answer your question though, does it?" Percy laughed again, but the sound came out airy and raspy. "No, it doesn't," he decided then, seeming to catch sight of her face.

She was grateful he took the hint. She wasn't sure she'd be able to form any coherent words, much less sentences.

"I'm—I'm here not as Percy Jackson," Percy said then, straightening up and holding out a hand for her to shake. "Or," he added, thinking better of it, "maybe just Jackson—yes, call me Mr. Jackson."

Annabeth's mouth slid open, eyes darting between him and his outstretched hand in obvious disbelief. "What?" she managed to utter, any worries about her manager leaving her brain completely.

"I'm here on behalf of Jackson Inc." Percy explained, taking back his hand with a weak grin. "And I'd like to offer you a job."

"Excuse me?" Annabeth blinked, convinced she'd heard wrong.

"I've seen what you can do," Percy expounded, waving his arms around as if it might help her make sense of the situation. "I know firsthand how talented you are, and I'm here because I know you'd be a valuable asset to our company."

"Percy," Annabeth shook her head, taking a seat at the nearest table. Her legs had stopped working, turning to mush. "I can't—"

"What?" Percy questioned, his voice growing faint. "You can't betray your mother? She—"

"No," Annabeth interrupted, having finally found her voice among the chaos. "I might not like Chase but—but the people there—everyone that worked with me. They were different. They—they cared. I couldn't just turn my back on them like that."

"But—" Percy frowned, clearly not expecting the backlash.

"Besides," she brushed him off, "I have a new job now, Percy." She sniffed. "And I don't want to get fired, so unless you need something, I have other customers to attend to."

Percy nodded in understanding, his head dipping as his shoulders slumped. She felt guilty for a second, the feeling dragging her heart down deep. She could have been nicer. She could have—

No. She decided then. She was doing what was best for both of them. If he wanted a fresh start, he deserved it. She couldn't be messing around with his life anymore. And besides, he was here for his company, not for her—that was what he'd said right?

"Guess I should just leave you to it then, right?" Percy asked, but she didn't have time to answer as he was already getting to his feet and reaching for his wallet.

"I—yeah, probably," Annabeth muttered hopelessly.

"Okay," Percy agreed, his lips pulled into a tight expression as he handed her a ten-dollar bill, mumbled something about keeping the change, and exited.

Annabeth stood, stunned for a prolonged moment before the cafe door rang again, signaling the entrance of a new customer. She took a deep breath, glancing back of her manager who really did not look happy, and stepping forward to help the next customer.

By the time her lunch break came around, she was half tempted to work through it. Even if she was just bussing tables and taking orders, it was still something to concentrate on rather than replay her conversation with Percy over and over again in her head. To her surprise, however, her pesky supervisor insisted she take it, spouting off about regulations and overtime pay until she agreed.

Annabeth had barely stepped outside when a large hand wrapped around her forearm, yanking into the nearby alley. The smell of dank garbage flooded her nostrils was the least of her worries as she began thrashing about.

"Annabeth," she heard a voice rasp but didn't halt her movements until she was completely pinned against the cold alley wall. It was only then that she realized Percy was standing before her, arms tugging at hers for her attention.

"Jesus, Percy!" Annabeth exclaimed at the realization, shoving him off of her and holding her chest. Her heart calming only marginally at the sight of him. "You couldn't have said something—I thought I was being kidnapped—"

"It's just an interview," he uttered, his chest heaving against hers.

"Percy—" Annabeth began, unsure where she was going or what she was saying. The wall was abrasive against her back, sending a chill down her spine.

"It's an interview," Percy repeated, eyes boring into hers.

His voice was different now. It wasn't the way he spoke at the office, or even when they were on their date, it was the voice he reserved for their most private moments, for the sappy memories she wished she could put in a bottle and keep forever. She was suddenly struck with the irrational urge to sob.

"It's an interview—just an interview—please."

"And then what, Percy?" Annabeth countered, her voice straining with distress. She could feel every movement of her chest as it pounded against her tattered t-shirt. "I get the job and then what, Percy?" Annabeth demanded.

"Then..." Percy frowned, not seeming to understand. His lips were winter wet and his cheeks stained rosy from exertion. "Then you get the job," he declared simply, blinking innocently.

"No," Annabeth shook her head, tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. "No," she insisted, shoving back a sob as her voice grew angrier. "I'd get the job and—and then you'd be forced to see me every day—see the girl who broke your heart—see me—"

"I don't care," Percy insisted feverishly. "I don't care—"

"Then what about me?" Annabeth demanded. "I'd have to see you every day—watch as you date other people and—and fall in—" she cut herself off, unable to finish. "Percy, I—I can't."

"But—" Percy scowled, wracking his mind.

"No, Percy," Annabeth mangled, pressing both of her hands against his chest, feeling his heart pound beneath her fingertips before pushing him away. "You don't understand how I feel," she maintained, clenching her teeth as the words slid past her. "You can't because—because—" she didn't want to say it. She couldn't bear it to bring it up, recalling the pain in his eyes the last times she'd promised him she loved him. He hadn't reciprocated. He'd never reciprocated. No, she wouldn't bring it up. She would do them both the favor or remain silent. "You didn't..." she trailed off. "You don't..."

"And if I do?" Percy questioned abruptly, running his fingers roughly through his hair. "I mean I did but—" he cut himself off, looking at her for a reaction but Annabeth had frozen, her heart teetering over a bitterly sweet delusion. Unsure whether it made the situation better or worse. The notion that for a single perfect moment, he might have loved her should have only warmed her heart, but the reminder that it was gone, made it all worse. The realization that she had betrayed someone who she had not only loved but had loved her back was nearly impossible to swallow.

"You did what?" Annabeth asked then, her voice soft, almost carried away by the bustle of the city streets.

"I—" Percy pursed his lips, uncertainty glittering in his eyes. He averted his gaze, choosing to focus on the grim wall behind her. "I—I don't know," he said slowly, each syllable excruciatingly heavy as his words reached Annabeth's ears.

"You don't know what?" Annabeth uttered, a million questions skipping in her mind.

"I don't know... how to say this," he replied finally, eyes still looking past her. She thought it was better this way. Maybe this way he wouldn't know how her heart fell, the sparkle of hope brimming in her chest dimmed by the severity of his tone.

"Just saw it," she nodded, allowing him to tear her apart one final time. Her stomach clenched, waiting for the final impact.

"Do you remember when you punched me?" Percy asked then.

Annabeth frowned, as Percy's gaze shot back to hers. Her heart stuttered uncertainly.

"I called your mom a whore and you punched me," he reiterated as if she had forgotten.

"Yes," Annabeth answered dumbly, swallowing thickly.

His skin was pressed against hers, his fingers still wrapped around her wrist. She wished he'd let go. If he was going to double break up with her, she'd rather he not touch her.

"Well," Percy continued, nodding alongside his words, as if reassuring himself they were right. "I thought you were insane—not to mention a raging bitch."

Annabeth blinked. Was this his way of convincing her to work at Jackson Inc.?

"But then," he chuckled softly, the puff of warm air spreading across her chest. A shiver sped up her spine, but she willed herself not to move, waiting for the ball to drop. "The other day, I found this email I wrote to Jason. It said 'the crazy bitch named tried to kill me today'."

Percy shook his head laughing, his eyes drifting to the gravel beneath them. Annabeth just stared. Maybe she'd driven him mad.

"God," Percy inhaled deeply, his chest rising to meet her again. "It's so stupid but I felt nostalgic—can you believe it? Nostalgic."

"Percy—" Annabeth tried to interject.

"And then I thought of you," Percy proceeded, ignoring her.

This was the worst break of her life. Not only had she been desperately in love but apparently, Percy saw fit to tease her, to flaunt their relationship in front of her after she had just explained how hard this had been for her. After she had just turned down an interview because she couldn't stand the thought of seeing him with anyone else.

"And I thought and I thought and I thought—" Percy shrugged, finally dropping her wrist to fiddle oddly with the sleeve of his shirt. "People keep telling me love makes you blind, and maybe I am blind, because suddenly I don't care. Suddenly I believe you. Suddenly I would do anything to—to be here, with you."

"Believe me?" Annabeth frowned, choosing to focus o that instead of the same annoying speck of hope sparking to life in her chest, threatening to consume her.

No, she told herself. No, No, No. She couldn't do this again. She wouldn't allow herself another lost hope.

"Yeah," Percy said simply, breaking into a soft smile. "I just get it now, I guess—or no, I don't think I'll ever get it, and that's okay. I'm okay with that." He shook his head, hair falling into his eyes. "My whole life, I was convinced love was something made up by romantics. I knew love existed, but I figured it had been exaggerated, inflated over the decades of fairytales and bedtime stories. So, I thought, this couldn't happen. I thought if I was strong enough—if I was rational enough then I could take make this go away. I thought I could just erase this feeling." He was silent for a second, his gaze catching on a wisp of her hair. "But then I realize I didn't care. I didn't care if people were making it up, I didn't care if it hurt, I didn't care about anything except you—and I realize I might never get why you did what you did but—but I think I get… you."

Annabeth thought she might have furrowed her brows but she honestly wasn't sure. She was so tense she couldn't feel her limbs, convinced her veins had stopped flowing blood as she waited for him to finish.

"I love you," Percy shrugged simply, a bashful expression spilling over his face. "And I forgive you and—"

Annabeth blinked.

Then she blinked again.

"Oh god," Percy choked at her expression, dipping his head. "I sound stupid, don't I? That's why you're not talking, right? Because I sound stupid—"

He was speaking. He was saying things—important things—but it didn't matter because she couldn't hear anything. Her blood was rushing back into her system, warming her every tissue, sending shock waves tumbling through her nervous system.

She couldn't hear anything except the buzzing in her ears. She couldn't feel anything except the heat in her veins. Honestly, she wasn't convinced she wasn't blind, light crinkling around the corners of her eyes.

He'd said it. He'd said those three little words. The same little words that had seemed utterly terrifying. The words she would have given anything to hear back. Those words—so little but so much—

"Oh my god, Annabeth. I should have practiced this more," Percy stuttered, clearly panicking. "Please say something—literally anything—"

But then Annabeth thought back to the past year. She had loved him for longer than she'd realized—and even when she had realized it, she'd betrayed him. Love wasn't enough. She loved him and he didn't stay. She loved him and—

"Do you trust me?" Annabeth burst out.

"What?" Percy panted, half confused, half relieved she'd spoken at all.

"Do you trust me?" Annabeth repeated slowly, waiting for him to answer as the lining around her heart fell apart piece by piece. "If I've learned anything about—about us—it's that we don't have anything if we don't have trust—so, do you trust me?"

Percy paused for a second, his expression falling for a millisecond. The room went fuzzy around her, the deafening silence threatening to destroy her.

"Do you?" she uttered, so quietly he didn't hear it, so quietly she was half-convinced it was in her head, the only question flooding her mind.

"Yes," Percy said finally, his brows quirked as he met her eyes. "I don't know how or why—but I trust you."

Annabeth swallowed, warmth filling her chest. "Oh," was all she could manage. The shock of the entire interaction sending entirely confusing shockwaves rippling through her entire body. She felt like she was aboard some kind of rollercoaster and couldn't get off—wasn't sure she wanted to.

"Yeah," Percy clicked his tongue, scratching at the back of his neck nervously. The sight made her smile involuntarily. "I know you said it before but that was—you know, before—and you were under a lot of pressure and—and if you don't feel the same way it's like totally cool—really cool actually—"

"Percy," Annabeth interrupted, unable to stop the giggle that tickled at her lungs.

"Sorry," Percy cut himself off sheepishly.

"No," Annabeth clarified, shaking her head. "Don't be sorry," she assured him. "I—I do feel that way—but you have to tell me—why are you here, Percy?" she asked, staring up at him. Her heartstrings stilled, thrumming quietly with anticipation. She wouldn't say it. She couldn't be the one to say it. Not after all her new beginning assurances. Not after all the promises she'd made to Percy, to Piper, to herself.

"I'm—I'm offering you an interview," Percy told her again.

Her heart tremored.

"Is that it?" Annabeth extended, suddenly feeling sick.

"And—and to ask for a fresh start," Percy added slowly, careful not to say too much.

Annabeth grinned. Maybe this could be her new beginning after all.

"I accept the interview," Annabeth told him. "But it's just an interview," she amended quickly.

"Oh," Percy laughed. "Thank you. That was easy."

"Not really," Annabeth chuckled.

Percy stared at her, a familiar lopsided smirk adorning his lips. She felt the cool brick press against her shoulders but was too afraid to pull away.

"I was being sarcastic," he assured her, his grin only widening the longer he stared. His smile was infectious. It had always been infectious.

"I know," Annabeth returned quickly, a familiar radiance reflecting off of him.

"So," he shuffled his feet, "I guess I should get going—"

He was halfway turned when Annabeth stopped him.

"Do you want to get lunch?" she blurted out, more an exclamation than a question.

"I thought you were working," Percy remarked playfully, gesturing towards the cafe around the corner.

"Oh," Annabeth licked her lips, berating herself for forgetting. "Yeah," she agreed. "I should probably finish my shift. Dinner?"

His expression brightened at the offer, confidence building in his step as he pressed forward, taking a step towards her. Annabeth felt her heart pulse uncomfortably, pounding against her ribs.

"That depends," Percy noted smoothly. "Is it a date?"

"You mean you wouldn't get dinner with me if I were just a friend?" Annabeth sputtered, ignoring the way her pulse raced at the mischievous look in his eyes.

"No," he chuckled, and the sound was low and raspy, sending tingles down her spine. "I'm asking if you, Annabeth Chase, are asking me, Percy Jackson, on a date."

"And if I was?" Annabeth returned slyly, straightening up as he moved even closer. She'd nearly forgotten how tall he was.

"You'll never know if you don't ask," Percy shrugged, being intentionally difficult.

"Fine," Annabeth conceded with a roll of her eyes, fighting the urge to cross her arms. "Yes, it's a date—"

"I knew it," Percy sniffed, staring down his nose at her haughtily.

"Honestly," Annabeth scoffed, ignoring his hands as it wrapped around the curve of her waist. "If I knew you were going to be so smug about it—"

But his lips were already on hers, her shoulders knocking uncomfortably into the stone behind her. Her arms rose, instinctually wrapping around his neck to pull him closer. His fingers dug into her waist, bending her perfectly into him. She couldn't help but smile, feeling his lips curl upwards to match.

Annabeth faintly registered a bright flash but didn't think anything of it until she heard the camera shutter. She drew away Percy, groaning.

"I forgot what it's like to hang out with New York's notorious playboy," she grumbled, glaring at the random photographer who was scurrying away. "Do you think they'll call this a lover's spat?" she asked, turning back to meet Percy's eyes.

Her breath caught at the wonder shining behind his blue-green irises, speaking a thousand words with one look.

"I don't care what they call it," he said simply, easily, perfectly, "as long as I'm with you."

Annabeth's heart skipped a beat, wishing there was a word that could express how utterly content she was at that moment, how he'd woven himself into her DNA, or how she never wanted to let him go.

In the end, she just smiled, rising to her tiptoes to meet his lips again.


a/n: well well well, if it isn't your most unreliable writer back at it again. doesn't it just feel fitting that i didn't edit the final chapter?

anyway, enough w dumb jokes. thank u everyone who supported me thru this three-year saga. I cannot even begin to express my gratitude to every one of you, especially those who followed and favorited and reviewed. it srsly meant the world to me. its still insane to me that so many ppl want to read what I write lol

Anyway, crazy that this is the end, but it'll give me some time to focus on my other stories. I'll probs add an epilogue to this, but I have no plans of starting another story soon, so rest assured, I'll be working on the rest of my stories for all u lovelies.

love every single one of u to the moon and back

ciao