The smell of onions and garlic sizzling on a bed of olive oil consumed Percy's nostrils as soon as he walked through the off-white door. His mouth began to water, as he realized just how famished he was after spending an entire afternoon swimming laps in the pool. His mom swayed around the kitchen as she stirred the contents of the pan with one hand while reaching for her spice cabinet with the other. Paul walked with ease past Percy, setting his messenger bag down on the sofa and dramatically taking a whiff of the air, gesturing with his hands.

"It smells delicious in here, what are you making?" Paul asked, but without a moment's hesitation the Jacksons answered enthusiastically "Spaghetti!"

Percy may have a horrible memory for most matters relating to his life, but he could basically tell what any dish from his mom's extensive culinary repertoire was, simply by getting a whiff. Whenever she made spaghetti, she would always brown the onions and garlic before adding a hearty amount of tomato sauce, letting the smell encapsulate the entire apartment, and sometimes, the entire floor. Paul moved through the kitchen, side-stepping the counter, and placed a small kiss on his mom's cheek, a small smile tugging at Percy's lips as he watched his mom's eyes twinkle and grin at her husband. He knew that it should've grossed him out that his parents were being all lovey-dovey, but at the same time he appreciated Paul's unwavering patience and gentleness with which he treated his mom. He could see it in the way the corners of his mother's dark blue eyes got smaller, and her cheeks blushed whenever Paul was near her, that she wasn't only in love, but that she was happy with him, and after shitty ex-boyfriends like Gabe and the fair share of heartbreaks Percy had caused her growing up, seeing her smile every day was enough for him.

He slumped on the stool by the counter, dramatically inhaling the smell of his mother's food, but wrinkled his nose at the stench of chlorine that emanated from his clothes and body. He sighed, he still smelled like pool water. Sally, who was now moving past Paul to fill a deep, copper-colored pot with water, turned to look at her teenage son who had both elbows slumped on the kitchen counter and his head resting on his hands. Meanwhile, Paul had taken over stirring the sauce, and at his mom's signal began slowly stirring in a good dose of old, red wine into the sauce.

"How was school, honey? First-Last day, that's exciting!" Sally turned to look at Percy as she waited for the pot to fill, giving him a warm smile. He looked up meeting her eyes and gave her a simple shrug.

"It was alright. Same as every other day in school." He responded, twirling one of the cords attached to his hoodie between his fingers. His eyes settled on top of the unopened box of raw spaghetti on the other side of the sink.

"How much longer do we have until dinner's ready? I smell like the bottom of an Orca tank at SeaWorld, and -"

"You can go take a shower. We'll call you over when dinner is ready." His mom interrupted him with a smile. He returned it with a toothy grin. Mumbling a small thank you before he rushed off to his room.

Closing the door behind him, he was grateful he'd half a brain that morning to lazily make the bed before heading out to school and sat down on the spread-out blue and grey comforter on his bed. Kicking off his shoes in a swift motion, he reached into his jean pocket and pulled out his phone, tossing it onto the bed. Undoing his hoodie and rolling it into a misshapen ball before slam-dunking it into the hamper, he heard the soft buzz of his cell against the sheets as he received a series of texts. Quickly pulling his t-shirt over his head and dropping it on the floor, Percy walked back over to the bed, plopping down on it and reaching for his phone. He had 4 text messages from Annabeth.

WISEGIRL (Monday, 6:00 PM)

Hey, wanna talk? If you have a sec?

WISEGIRL (Monday, 6:00 PM)

Actually, let's talk tonight. Are you going to Jason's party?

WISEGIRL (Monday, 6:01 PM)

I know, I know, it's a school night, but Piper is dragging me either way. So, see you

there?

WISEGIRL (Monday, 6:02 PM)

I'm going to assume you drowned in the shower, I'll see you tonight seaweed brain.

Percy smiled at the stream of messages from Annabeth and her stupid childhood nickname for him. He sat back up, realizing he had completely forgotten about Jason's Last First Day party at his parents' Upper East Side rooftop apartment. He would probably have to ask permission from his mom (but given it was a school night, sneaking out could also be a sensible option), he thought, running his hand through his ruffled hair. As was their usual modus operandi, Jason's dad was in Hong Kong at some sort of business conference and his mom was in LA shooting a movie, which meant they wouldn't be home for at least a couple of weeks or so, the party made total sense. Percy had to hand it to Jason, for the amount of time he was left unsupervised in a huge apartment, he was surprisingly responsible more so than Percy thought he would be had he'd been in the same position. He always wondered whether the fact, that despite all of their luxury and glamour, Jason resented his parents for being so absent, gallivanting around the world rather than being home for their only son's first day of senior year, if maybe that was the reason he spoke more about his sister than he ever did about the pair that had birthed him. If he did, he never showed it, smiling ever so dutifully in all of the pictures Percy had seen of him and his family, the gleeful blonde with professionally done everything and the stern-looking man in a three-piece suit and the same brilliant blue eyes as his son and daughter. He sighed quickly typing a response, before finally getting out of his jeans.

YOU (Monday, 6:05 PM)

Yes, I am going to the party. Yes, we can talk. No, I did not drown in the shower, I

was about to go in, wise-ass.

He wrote the last part with a smile, knowing it would get him a rise from Annabeth. He wasn't mistaken as the phone buzzed again in less than a minute after pressing send. He shoved the remaining articles of clothes into the hamper, slightly embarrassed at the sudden breeze circling through his thighs. Grabbing the wrinkled towel from his desk chair, he wrapped it around his waist, taking the phone with him to the bathroom. As he began turning on the hot water, he unlocked his phone to see another message from the witty blonde.

WISEGIRL (Monday, 6:05 PM)

Is this your way of saying you're naked right now? Kinky. ;)

Percy blushed a deep shade of scarlet and fumbled with his phone, almost dropping in the water. He moved away from the shower and started to type a response, Was she flirting? He thought but desperately pushed the thought away. She relished embarrassing him, it was just what she did, he was sure of it. He stared at the screen wondering how to respond. He could say something witty, maybe even flirt back with her, a smug smile tugging at his lips. Why? Wanna join me? He thought about typing, just for fun, just to see how she'd react but he hesitated. What if she took it the wrong way? What if she thought he was being creepy instead of playful, or worse, what if she felt uncomfortable and- the phone buzzed again in his hand, she responded before he could even begin typing.

WISEGIRL (Monday, 6:06 PM)

KIDDING! don't blush too hard, you'll get a nosebleed. Get clean. See you tonight.

A small grin played on his lips as he set his phone on the counter and dropped the towel on top of the sink, his cheeks still a soft shade of pink. He had to admit she had a way of tugging at his brain in a way few people could. As he stepped into the hot shower, he could feel the steam and water concentrating around his shoulders, falling down his bareback. He ran his hands through his hair, letting the water hit his face as he closed his eyes, flexing and unflexing the muscles in his back, feeling the tension of the day wash away as the steam accumulated. He was always 50 times more grateful for their apartment's water pressure after a long day of practice, and as he shampooed his hair and let the rush fade from his cheeks his mind wandered to Annabeth's message. He should've sent her a cheeky text back; he should've made her bet the one to almost drop her phone in the shower. Did she want to see him naked? He knew she was just joking, but he definitely wanted to see her naked, or maybe want was too strong of a word, but at the very least he had thought about her naked. Multiple times. In multiple positions. And what had that look been earlier? The way she had glanced back behind her shoulder, that devilish smile on her lips for less than a second before she disappeared. He wondered what to make out of that entire interaction, and whether he should make anything out of it at all. Was he reading too much into the situation? Probably, he thought, but he couldn't help but wonder…

His thoughts circled back to her, and he knew he was treading on dangerous territory. Maybe it was the fact that he had just been talking to her, or that he needed to get out of his head a little, he needed to feel, not think, and he knew he would probably regret it later or feel guilty for what was about to go down inside his mind's own chamber of secrets, but he could worry about that later. He could feel the blood rushing to his groin, and a familiar warmness overwhelmed him. He bit softly into his lower lip, and glanced down, moving his hand softly down the lower part of his abdomen, hovering it over his hardening cock. He could almost imagine it was her hand instead, moving softly along his shaft, trailing his body with her delicate fingers. He shivered slightly at the thought and threw his head back, letting the water run through his body. As he closed his eyes, he imagined Annabeth slowly licking her lips, her soft, plump lips as she looked at him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. He imagined her stepping into the shower with him, sucking on the side of his neck, whispering his name in a low, husky tone as her tan skin pressed against his. Her hands roaming through his body, her nails digging into the skin on his back. He imagined turning her around to face his shower's tiled wall, as he pressed against her, feeling her bare ass against him. He imagined what her moans would sound like, husky and out of breath as she melted at his touch, whispering I need you in his ear as he trailed his fingers up her long, endless legs. He imagined the droplets of water that would decorate her skin as he thrust into her, almost tasting the salt of her flesh on the tip of his tongue. God, he wanted her at that moment.

He bit harder, pumping his hand around his fully erect cock harder. His breathing became more shallow, and he could feel his hips jut out, his thighs tensing as he stroked himself harder. As his fantasies became more vivid, he knew it wouldn't be much longer. He shouldn't be thinking about her, or at the very least not doing what he was doing while he thought of her, but at the same time, the forbiddance of it all just turned him on even more. He could hear his own short breaths through his parted lips, and he could feel the familiar swell of his balls, the intense heat radiating from his groin he had to be quick. He opened his eyes slowly, moving his hand in slower motions up his cock, pressing his thumb softly on the tip, applying just enough pressure to make him shudder. The image of Annabeth bent against the tiled wall, moaning his name as he thrust deeper into her was enough to send him over the edge, a rush running through his body as he jerked his head back.

"Fuck …" He whimpered softly, catching his breath on his throat, as the warm, chalky white substance rested on the palm of his hand, as the water fell down his hair, and onto his heaving chest. Percy stayed that way for a minute or so, letting the water clean him until he felt the rush of the moment, ease.

As if saved by the bell, he heard his stepdad call out his name, dinner was ready.

Coming !" Percy shouted back, a small grunt stuck in his throat, and immediately winced at his own poor choice of words. Well, at least I'm funny, he thought.

He looked around to make sure the water had washed everything down the drain, before turning the knob to the left, cutting off the water supply. Carefully he stepped out of the shower and grabbed the towel, running it through his dark hair, before patting his face dry. Once he was done drying himself, he wiped the steamy mirror with one hand and saw a pair of bright green eyes staring back at him. His cheeks looked a little flushed, but other than that, he looked the way he always did. Same old overgrown hair that fell messily over his dark eyebrows, same freckles that dotted the tops of his shoulders, same faint trail of black that lined his chest, same crooked nose, the same face that had stared back at him for the last almost two decades. He wrapped the towel around his waist and walked out of the bathroom, quickly grabbing his phone and ducking into his room to get changed. Percy pushed the guilt of fantasizing about Annabeth to the back of his brain, willing himself to bury it and lock it away for good, although a part of him secretly wondered whether she had ever done the same with him. He shrugged the thoughts away.

He finished his dinner at record speed. It had been an eventful day, and he was beat, and honestly, his mom's cooking was just too damn good. It was already 7:30 PM by the time Percy had cleared the table and had gotten dressed to go over to Jason's place. He grabbed the first loose button-down shirt he saw, a navy blue one with thin white stripes, and had paired it with loose black jeans and sneakers. He never dressed up, but he knew Jason would probably give him shit if he just showed up in one of his famous graphic tees. He looked at himself in the mirror one last time, pushing his damp hair back before letting it promptly fall on his eyes again. With a small shrug he turned away, this is as good as it gets, he thought. He had his wallet, he had his keys and he had his cell phone, which meant he was good to go.

" Where are you going at this hour?" His mom asked as he crossed through the living room. Shit, he thought, he had forgotten to tell her he was going out. Stupid ADHD.

"Uh… out? Jason's place, he's having a welcome-back party-thing ." Percy mumbled, as his mother raised her eyebrow skeptically.

"On a school night?" She asked and Percy shrugged.

"It won't go until late, Annabeth will be there so she can make sure of that, and it's Senior Year, c'mon you were always on my case about making friends." He said, scrunching his eyebrows together and giving her a pleading look. He liked to call this strategy The Baby Seal, it worked about 75 percent of the time.

"Oh, let him go, it's syllabus week, besides you remember how we were at that age." Said Paul from behind Percy, giving him a small wink as he walked towards the curly-haired woman. Percy bit his lip in anticipation silently blessing Paul for being the chilliest stepdad on the planet. Sally shrugged, shaking her head softly.

"Oh, fine! Just, please take a taxi home, and don't come back too late, you know I stay up waiting for you!" She said and smiled as she saw her son get a goofy grin on his face.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He responded quickly, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before darting out.

He glanced at his phone quickly, as he headed down the stairs of his apartment and out, towards the nearest subway station. He knew, if he was quick, he could be at Jason's place in 20 minutes, give or take. He figured he was making good time since he had yet to receive desperate drunken calls from any of his friends. He headed down the sidewalk, catching the familiar sign to his favorite underground mode of transport. As he headed out into the night, he wondered what the golden-haired girl had wanted to talk to him about.