I woke up to my alarm blaring at 10am. Hardly able to control my excitement, I practically ran into the bathroom to get ready. I quickly showered and blow dried my hair. I retreated to my room and opened my closet, pretty much already set on what I was going to wear. It's April, so you know what that means - sundress season!

I matched a pale yellow sundress with a pair of leather sandals. I slipped a small ring curved to look like a wave onto my finger and put on a pair of studded earrings. Before I left, I did a once over in front of my mirror to make sure I looked good. My wavy blonde hair fell just past my shoulders. The subtle tones I dressed in made my grey eyes pop, the intended effect. Matching the right purse was the most difficult part. The best I could do was a navy blue wristlet.

I pulled my curtain to the side to see if I could spot any movement in Percy's apartment. His curtains were drawn. The bright morning sun sparkling off of the white surfaces of his kitchen, but there was no sign of Percy.

I felt my phone buzz.

Percy: Here when you're ready :) (10:46am)

Annabeth: On my way. (10:46am)

"Why are you dressed so nicely?" my brother Cal asked as I made my way through the kitchen. He's younger than me, 14 to be exact. He started at Wellington High this year and is considered to be pretty cool among the freshmen. Thankfully for my dignity's sake, my step brother was nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, Cal had a bit of a falling out with our step brother Dylan. Dylan didn't get accepted into Wellington's scholarship program, breaking the two apart for the first time since our parents married. The two have been inseparable in the past few years, but now there's noticeable tension between them. Of course, my step mother blamed me for their disagreements, claiming that I influenced Cal to follow me to Wellington, adding further fuel to our already burning relationship.

"Out." I replied, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"Oooooo," Cal cooed, making kissy faces. "Are you going with a guy?"

"And what if I am?"

"What's his name?"

"It's kind of a secret, do you promise not to tell anyone?" I proposed. I trusted Cal, more than anyone else in this world. We've spent less time together in the past years due to conflict of interest, but the unbreakable bond we shared through our turbulent childhood stood the test of time.

"I promise."

"His name is Percy."

"Percy Jackson?" Cal asked intently. I nodded. "You haven't so much as glanced at a guy in the past decade and all of a sudden you're dating Wellington's new Golden Boy? How'd you manage that?"

"We're not dating Cal, we're just friends." Cal raised his eyebrows. I could tell he didn't buy that. "Don't tell Dad where I'm going, I'll see you later." I called over my shoulder.

Today was probably the nicest day of the year so far. Sunny with the sporadic cloud here and there, low 70s, a slight breeze, it was perfect.

"Wow," Percy exclaimed as I joined him on the sidewalk.

"What?" I asked defensively. "Do I have something in my hair?"

"No, you just look really good." I didn't even want to know how red my cheeks were. I chanced a glance in the mirror and as expected, tomato red.

"You don't clean up too badly yourself." I replied. Percy smiled at the returned compliment. It was true. He looked gorgeous. On top we wore a plain, navy cotton t-shirt and a navy sport coat with a faint plaid design. On the bottom, fitted white khakis rolled over at the ankle and brown leather loafers. He looked like a movie star, which I guess in a way he was, or will be, anyways.

"So where are we going."

"Arcadia."

"Huh, is it close? I've never heard of it."

"It's not too far, maybe like a 15 minute walk - in the Flatiron district. As for why you haven't heard of it, that's because it's not on any sort of map. People only hear about it by word of mouth. My mom told me about it last year; a bunch of her friends frequent it."

"Is it a place for famous people?"

"Not necessarily, though you'll usually see one or two celebrities every meal. It's sort of a place you can go to get away from the crowds. The food is incredible, anything you could ever imagine. You'll love it.

"The way you're making sound, I think it'd be hard not to."

"Here we are." Percy exclaimed. I must admit, it looked nothing like what I had expected. It was an older looking coffee shop with no seating. Luckily for us, there was no line. Percy approached the counter confidently. "Two Arcadia Lattes please." he ordered casually.

"You know the way Mr. Jackson." The barista directed. We passed through a side door and into a small elevator. I couldn't imagine fitting much more than one party of guests in at a time.

"This is absurd," I voiced, stating the obvious.

"The original Arcadia was a Speakeasy back during prohibition. It still exists today below the coffee shop, we can go there some other time if you'd like. They built a more breakfast / brunch oriented restaurant on the roof about 10 years ago, that's where we're heading."

"This place is on a rooftop? You're full of surprises."

"Being half famous has its perks."

We were met at the top of the elevator by a super friendly hostess. She obviously knew Percy, and was very intrigued by my presence. She beckoned us to follow her and we complied.

The restaurant had one of the most beautiful views I've ever seen. It was on an outdoor patio with a full 360 degree view of the surrounding area. The New York City skyline spread across the horizon to the north, while the harbor glistened in the morning sun to the south. It was breathtaking.

I recognized a couple of the other guests on the walk to our table. 2 members of the New York Giants dined with their significant others. Hailey Winfield, one of the most popular names in music, sat alone reading a magazine while sipping coffee.

The hostess sat us on the south end of the patio. She handed us menus, no, more like books. Percy wasn't kidding when he said they have everything.

"I'm gunna need twenty minutes to read through this whole thing." I muttered as I started flipping pages.

Percy smiled. "Well good thing there's no rush. They stop seating guests at noon, but once you're in, you can stay as late as you'd like. There are people that spend the whole day up here and head straight downstairs for the evening."

Percy's phone vibrated. He checked his pocket and chuckled to himself after reading the message.

"What?" I asked curiously.

Percy showed me his phone, it was a text from this mother.

Mom: So are you going to tell me about this new lady friend of yours? ;) (11:13am)

I looked at Percy for an explanation. I wasn't mad or anything, just a little caught off guard and surprised, that's all. "Mom and the hostess, Cara, have been friends for a long time. She must've texted my mom when we walked in. Mom's definitely going to want to meet you now."

"Do you wanna hang out at your place after then?" I asked.

"I don't live with my mom, she lives in LA. Obviously she stays with me when she's in New York, but that isn't super often. If you still want to hang out after though I'd love to have you."

"Yeah, alright."

"So tell me more about you." Percy asked intently.

"There's not much to me, I'm pretty boring."

"Bullshit. AllI know about you is that you like art, reading, and weird ass music. There's gotta be something more."

"Honestly not really. I like the outdoors - the beach, hiking, skiing, mainly the beach. But I don't go super often. It's kind of difficult to experience the outdoors when you live in the city. The closest beach is down in Coney Island."

"What's that?"

"You've never been to Coney Island? We have to go."

Percy put his hands up defensively. "To be fair I've only lived in New York for like a month. It takes a lifetime to experience the whole city. This place is massive."

"Are you free tonight?" I asked.

"Yup, are you sure you want to be stuck with me all day?"

"I could think of worse ways to spend my Saturday."

"I couldn't." Percy joked. I covered my heart with my hands, pretending to be hurt. Considering I was laughing there's no way I sold it.

"What about you? What do you do for fun?"

"Nothing for fun, really. When you're the son of Sally Jackson and living in LA, everybody knows who you are. I'm constantly looking over my shoulder any time I leave the house. New York is such a nice change of pace."

"Don't get used to it. You're Hollywood's next big thing. By this time next year there'll be nowhere safe for you to hide."

"You're making me second guess accepting the role."

"Oh please. You can't wait for it."

"Am I that obvious?"

"Only to me." I replied. Percy blushed.

The waitress came over to take our orders. I got an acai bowl topped with peanut butter. Percy ordered a club sandwich. It was probably the best acai bowl I've ever had. We ended up staying until we were the last ones left.

"Here's the check when you're ready." Cara informed us. "Take your time, there's no rush."

"Thanks Cara." Percy said as we both reached for the check. He grabbed it first and gave me a weird look. "Oh please Annabeth, it's on me."

"Trying that hard to impress me?" I joked.

"I've been trying all day, but thanks for noticing." Percy replied with a mischievous grin.

I looked him in the eyes and smiled. "Well you're doing great."

"C'mon, let's get out of here."