I'm back from Mexico! It was really fun, but by the end of the week I was starting to miss America. It was just a little overwhelming at times. But all in all, I had a good time, and I'd definitely go back :D

This is by far my favorite chapter (it's in two parts, which makes it even better!).

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!

Living in Hell (Part One)

"Yeah, Thalia, I know. I'm sorry," Annabeth apologized, talking to Thalia on the phone. Two days had already passed since the whole "food fight" incident. Poseidon had come and bailed them out and he had been very upset. But then when Annabeth thought he was going to blow up, he actually turned to her with a grin and asked, "Did you get a good shot at him?"

Annabeth had smiled and pointed at the wad of gum still sticking in Percy's hair on top of his head. Poseidon had cracked up at that and had high fived her.

But then that left Annabeth with one more person to apologize to.

"I'm not mad that you didn't throw the party. In fact, I could care less. I'm just surprised you got arrested for that."

"Thanks, Thalia," Annabeth deadpanned. She sighed. "I don't know how long I can do this."

"Just hang in there. It's for your dad, right?"

"Right. Speaking of which, I should call him and see how he's doing."

"Well then I'll let you do that."

"Okay. I'll see you later."

"Bye."

Annabeth hung up the phone and leaned back in her chair in her office. Today was one of those now-rare days where she got to work in her old office.

She picked up the phone and dialed her dad's phone number. It rang for a long time before going to the answering machine. She tried again, but she still didn't get a hold of him.

Strange, she thought. He usually picks up.

Right when she hung up the phone, there was a knock on her door. "Come in," she called.

Her secretary, Kate, walked in. "Miss Chase? Mr. Jackson is here to see you."

Annabeth's eyes narrowed. "Which Mr. Jackson?"

"Oh, er…both, actually."

Annabeth groaned. Just her luck. A double whammy.

"Fine," she mumbled, sounding like a dying animal. "Send them in."

Kate nodded and left, leaving Annabeth to damn her luck and any forces of nature that were working against her.

Poseidon walked in first with a mischievous grin on his face.

She did not like that grin one bit.

Then Percy walked in looking bored as hell.

When he glanced up and they made eye contact, they glared at each other before sitting down.

"So to what do I owe this…pleasant…visit?" Annabeth ground out between clenched teeth.

"Well, actually," Poseidon said, "there was something that I wanted to tell both you and Percy, so I, being the gentlemen that I am, thought that we would come to you."

"How kind," Annabeth muttered sarcastically.

"Anyways, I've decided that some punishment is in order for your little fiasco a couple days ago."

"Punishment?" Annabeth repeated incredulously. "You're not my dad."

"No, but I am your temporary boss." He then smiled. "However, I am his dad so I have full rights to do this to him," he said, jabbing a thumb in Percy's direction.

"Dad," Percy started cautiously. "What are you talking about?"

That mischievous grin of his came back. "Well, I was thinking that as your punishment…you two will move in together!"

Silence.

The clock ticked and tocked on as one person waited for an answer while the other two were stunned into a pregnant silence.

"Move…in…together?" Annabeth whispered. "Have you lost your marbles?"

Poseidon raised his brow. "I think it's reasonable, considering what you two did. Having food fights in the middle of a grocery store…that's just going a little far, don't you think?"

"What I think is going a little far is making us live together!" Annabeth screeched.

"Hmmm…" he rubbed his chin. "What do you think, Percy?"

The two looked over to see Percy sitting in the chair, unmoving. His eyes were distant, and his face was contorted into one of horror.

"Percy?" Annabeth asked, slightly worried. She went and snapped her fingers in front of his face, but he didn't even blink. He actually appeared to be having a day dream of some sorts.

In Percy's Head

Percy was sitting on the couch, watching a really good and funny TV show. Then all of a sudden…

"Percy!" Annabeth shouted from somewhere. "Turn that crap off!"

"What?" he yelled, pretending to not hear her.

"You heard me!"

"What?"

Then, all of a sudden, she burst in, took the control, and turned it off with an evil, totally-unreal laugh.

"NO!" Percy suddenly shouted, standing up. "I can NOT live with this woman!"

Poseidon and Annabeth blinked from his sudden outburst. Annabeth then shook her head, turning her accusing gaze at Poseidon. "And I refuse to live with this idiot."

Percy glared at her.

Annabeth glared back.

Poseidon coughed uncomfortably. "Well that's too bad. My authority overrules your refusing."

"Oh I'll tell you where to stick your authority—" Annabeth threatened.

"You can't just make us move in together," Percy still protested, interrupting Annabeth.

"Sure I can," Poseidon smirked.

"What does that mean?" Percy asked.

"Well…let's just say that when you guys go home, you'll find it looking a little different…" He trailed off. "Anyways, I have to go. Places to go, people to see…I'll talk to you guys later."

Poseidon gave them one last smirk before leaving.

Percy would have gone too, but he was too shocked to do anything except fall back in the chair.

"This is bad…" he mumbled.

Annabeth went over and stood in front of the huge window that overlooked most of Manhattan. She wasn't sure what to make of the situation. She just wasn't sure what to do. No doubt Poseidon hadn't been kidding. But what did he mean by their homes would be different?

"So what do we do?" Percy asked.

"Well…" Annabeth started. "We're obviously not going to live together. There's no way. But if anything, I'm more concerned about what he said about our homes looking different…" She bit her lip.

Percy's shoulders slumped. He was depending on her smarts to get them out of this one, but now he was just disappointed. "I thought you were supposed to be really smart…" he muttered.

She glared at him. "I am smart. In fact, we wouldn't be facing this problem right now if it wasn't for your stupidity."

"Do not insult my intelligence!"

"Or lack thereof."

They glared hard at each other. If what Poseidon said was true, that they were going to be living together…well, tonight, he should probably sleep with one eye open and a weapon of some sort nearby.

Unbeknown to the two, Poseidon actually was telling the truth. He had called the moving company and had Percy's stuff sent to Annabeth's house and now it was sitting inside her apartment. He would have moved Annabeth's stuff to Percy's condo, but knowing his son, it wouldn't have the necessities, like food (which also happened to be true).

Poseidon was fully aware that he would be more than in trouble, but it was all part of his and Mike's master plan.

"So did you tell them?" Mike Swanson asked as Poseidon entered his massive, way-to-big office.

"Yup," Poseidon replied. "They were not happy."

"Hmm…" Mike hummed.

"But what if this doesn't work? What if they just end up hating each other more?"

"Oh, it'll work. I can feel it."

A few hours later, Annabeth successfully avoided her fiancé (she could barely think the word without using a cup full of disgust), her lame boss, and her immature, now hated, future father-in-law. She hailed a taxi and gratefully made it home to her apartment, completely forgetting about what Poseidon had said earlier.

She dug through her purse until she found her keys. She unlocked the door and tried to push it open, but she only got the door opened about a foot. Her brow furrowed and she pushed harder on the door. She heard something fall and heard a crash before the door swung open enough for her to slip in.

She then saw what was blocking her door. There were a bunch of boxes lying around her door, and a few had spilled open. She gaped at it all, wondering what it was, but then she spotted one box that had 'Percy's Stuff' written in big letters with black Sharpie.

She swallowed her disbelief when she realized that Poseidon had, indeed, been telling the truth.

On the other side of town, Percy stood in the middle of his bare apartment, trying to grasp what was happening. His mouth closed and opened like a fish. He was trying to find how to express his feelings. Of course, that would help if he actually knew what he was feeling.

Shocked this was happening? Surprised his dad had been telling the truth? Angry that his dad was doing this to him? Dreading living with Annabeth?

He finally decided to not hurt himself mentally by slowly sitting down with his legs crossed. He helplessly stared at the white walls, the furniture-less living room, and the bare floor. What was he going to do?

I'm sure as hell not going to Annabeth's apartment—Oh, wait, I mean our apartment now…

Percy huffed. He could handle sleeping on the floor. Er, at least, he thought he could. Even if he did, he wouldn't last forever. He'd eventually throw out his back, which was bad, considering he was only twenty-five. He'd eventually have to go to their apartment.

He looked around his old condo once more, knowing that he wouldn't be able to stay.

He finally sighed and slowly got up. Taking one last glance around, he silently left through the door.

It was actually harder to leave his apartment than he thought it would be. He was oddly connected to his condo. He could live like a sloth, and his condo would just go with the flow and let him be. But with Annabeth, he wouldn't be able to get away with that. She would be on his ass in an instant.

But the one major thing that really got his goat was that he didn't even have time to think it through. Hell, he didn't even have a decision in this. In the morning, he woke up, took a shower, got dressed, and went to work. Then, when he came home, everything was gone. Percy felt out of control of his own life, and he didn't like it one bit.

So, with as much dignity as he could muster in five minutes, he went to Annabeth's apartment and knocked on her door. He heard the familiar click of heels and then the door was wrenched open.

"What?" Annabeth asked cuttingly.

Percy pursed his lips. "You have my stuff."

"Correction: your stuff was dumped into my apartment, courtesy of your father."

"Whatever. The point is, you have my stuff, and it will take me all night to move it back, and I'd rather not do that."

"Liar. You probably see this as a way to make a pass at me."

"You wish. Trust me, that's the last thing I want to do. I'm just really tired and I need somewhere to sleep. Plus, I think my dad has something else up his sleeve. He knows I would just move my stuff back. I think something else is going to happen."

Annabeth bit her lip. He did have a point, but did she really want to let this man sleep in her apartment? Well…no…but she couldn't just throw him out on the street either.

She sighed. "Three rules: one, you stay on the couch, and if you come anywhere near my room I will not hesitate to take you out. Two, you don't touch any of my stuff unless I give you permission. Three, if you do happen to try to make a pass, I'll kick you out and sell all your stuff on e-Bay. Deal?"

Percy huffed, but said, "Deal."

Annabeth stepped aside and let him in. Percy slowly stepped inside. He was actually rather surprised that she had relented so easily.

"Nice place," he muttered, raising a brow at the high-standard décor.

"Yeah, well…you don't need a condo to look rich." Annabeth smirked.

He smirked back. "No, I suppose not."

Annabeth continued to smirk, but then it slowly fell. "What are we going to do, Percy?"

Percy was just pleased she had used his name, though he recalled he had asked her that earlier. "We wait."

She instantly lost all respect for him. "That's your brilliant plan?"

"Well think about it: we don't know what my dad is up to, we don't know if he has anything else planned, and I'm currently living with you."

She bit back a snide remark and instead said, "Okay, good point. But there has to be something else."

"Well you can figure that out. Right now, I'm gonna get some shut eye."

And then right there, right in front of her eyes, he stripped down to his boxers and t-shirt.

"Gross," Annabeth muttered, blushing a bit. She abruptly threw a blanket—with lots of force, it might added—right at Percy's stomach and he caught it effortlessly.

"Thank you, m'dear," he smirked, settling on the black leather couch.

Annabeth yelled in frustration and slammed her door shut.

Percy laughed. It was so easy to get to her.

With a smile on his face, he fell asleep in a good mood…

…only to be woken up three hours later with a shrill scream.

His eyes snapped open. He scrambled off the couch, tripping over the coffee table, as he made his way to the screaming Annabeth. He wrenched the door open to find Annabeth standing on her bed wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Her eyes snapped over to him when he entered.

"Percy!" she yelled and leaped over to him. She grasped onto his arm in a death grip.

"What's going on?" Percy asked, alarmed.

"T-t-that!" she shrieked, pointing towards the corner of her room.

"Okay, first off, calm down. So tell me what's going on."

She took a deep breath. "In the corner…kill it!" was all she said as she pushed Percy towards the corner.

Percy's brow furrowed as he slowly walked over to the corner to see what he needed to kill.

When he looked it over, he almost didn't notice the black eight-legged creature sitting innocently on her wall.

A spider.

He blinked and wordlessly squished it between his thumb and forefinger.

He heard Annabeth give a sigh of relief. He looked back at her with a raised brow.

"You're scared of spiders?"

She crossed her arms and looked away. "So what if I am? You gonna tell me how much of a dork I am for being scared of something so stupid?"

Percy just shook his head. "Of course not." On the contrary, he found it very honorable that she had willingly admitted to having a fear. He didn't peg Annabeth as one of those people who would easily do that, so he considered himself lucky.

Annabeth didn't know what to say. Why wasn't he cracking jokes at her? It was just weird.

An awkward silence fell over them.

"Thanks," Annabeth mumbled, climbing back into bed.

"No problem," Percy said back, blushing a bit. "Night." He turned the lights off and was about to leave when she stopped him.

"Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"Make sure you wash your hands."

He blinked. "Right."

Ahh, the first signs of fluff. I love it. Part two will be next week!

I really liked the guys down in Mexico. They were funny and nice (though it was just because they wanted us to buy their stuff...). Their were some good looking ones though :D

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REVIEW PLEASE!

-Akatsuki Child