It's Just a Date

"MOM!" Maya Jackson screamed excitedly as she entered her house, dropping her book bag beside the front door and making a beeline to her bedroom. "Don't worry about setting a plate for me, Jacob is coming to pick me up and we're going to have dinner at Cafe Pizzano..." she said, as her voice tapered off the moment she saw her father sitting on the sofa, laptop on the coffee table and his attention drawn fully to the task at hand.

"Dad...what are you doing here?" she sputtered nervously as she had not expected her father to be home. Truth be told, he was supposed to be traveling to Camp Half-Blood to assist with negotiations between the two demigod camps. Since becoming a resident of New Rome, he was something of an ambassador between the two camps, when his day job as teacher allowed. But seeing her father here, now, sent a nervousness through the teen that she was terrified of what would befall the young man scheduled to pick her up for their date.

The question however took Percy slightly by surprise as he righted his posture and began surveying the room, his eyes fixing upon various decorative arrangements before at last settling upon the family portrait hanging over the great hearth. The picture was painted by Rachel Elizabeth Dare, a beautiful portrait of Percy, his hand resting at the curve of Annabeth's waist, and three beautiful children all framed within the canvas. Though a smile always rested upon his lips when looking upon the portrait, he turned his head towards his daughter. "I live here," he answered simply as if the response should not have been obvious. In doing so he turned back to his laptop and began typing on whatever work he was doing before being pulled from his task by his daughter's ridiculous question.

Maya began pacing nervously as she worked a way out of the situation. She had specifically told Jacob that today would be a good day to pick her up from her house because her father would not be home, and now, her father was home and… "This is the worst," she muttered to herself in frustration.

Percy, still not raising his eyes from his laptop, remarked with his trademark smirk, "I get the feeling you don't want me here," he said, grunting in frustration as he hit the delete button repeatedly to correct his mistake. When Maya did not say anything, he continued. "So who's Fred?"

"It's Jacob," Maya said, crossing her arms in a look so similar to her mother before realizing how this would not work towards getting her father's cooperation. "And he's no one, just a boy from school."

"A boy from school huh?" Percy continued, his attention fully focused on his work. "Most boys from school don't take pretty girls out to dinner on a Friday night. You sure this isn't a date, because this sounds suspiciously like a date."

"Daddy, please be nice, I really like him, okay?"

"Why is it when you want something from me you try to sweet talk me with 'daddy', but when you're mad at me it's 'father'? Why is that?"

"Dad, I'm serious, please...it's hard enough to get any guy to even look at me let alone get the courage to ask me out. Please don't ruin this for me."

This drew a furrow of confusion to the man's face as he raised his eyes to his daughter. "Hard enough to get guys to notice you? That's ridiculous. You're a bright, talented, beautiful young lady. Why would the boys at your school not be lining up to ask you out."

"Probably because they're scared of my parents," she said, and though the tone was mostly under her breath, it was loud enough to cause the Hero of Olympus to arch his eyebrow.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Percy asked in confusion before turning his attention to his son who was seated in the recliner reading a book he had taken from the first floor library. "Damon, am I some kind of scary monster?"

"Yes dad, you are completely terrifying," the younger teen said, not bothering to raise his attention as his delivery was deadpanned in way only a disinterested teenager could say.

"You're not helping," Percy gritted his teeth, to which his son finally raised his eyes from his book and looked from his father to his sister.

"I mean, no dad, you're the life of the party, a barrel of laughs..."

"You see," Percy responded as he turned back to his daughter, only for her to glare at her younger brother.

"Traitor!" she hissed, fixing her eyes in the patented 'mom glare' onto her brother. "How much is he paying you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Damon said, taking a moment to turn the page of his book before holding out his hand, palm up to which Percy dropped $20.

As if the matter was settled, Percy turned back to Maya and smiled in his most charming grin before giving it some thought. "I don't think you've mentioned Geoffrey before, what's he like?"

"It's Jacob," Annabeth stated, entering the room on her way to the kitchen as she lovingly swatting her husband's shoulder in a playful reprimand. "Stop calling him by the wrong name, you know how much you hated it when Dionysus did it to you." Stopping for just a moment to lean over the couch and kiss her husband, the parents attempted to ignore the scandalized look in their daughter's face, or the blush of Damon's as he pushed his nose further into his book.

Considering the comment from his wife, he could not deny her truthful statement, yet also could not reject finally, after all these years, understanding the appeal of purposefully calling people by the wrong name. Though, to be fair, Dionysus did it because he was a dick. It wasn't like Percy and Annabeth hadn't saved the world a dozen times over. But for him to misname Maya's boyfriends or potential boyfriends or whatever they may be, it was a different matter. For Percy to believe any boy was good enough for his little girl, he'd need to stand up to him, defend himself, prove to Percy that he was willing to fight for Maya first and foremost, no matter who would challenge them.

Of course, when he had raised this opinion to his daughter, she fired back with the argument that no boy would ever challenge either Percy or Annabeth. They had fought gods and titans and primordial beings. No one on the planet would ever willingly challenge them, which made every potential suitor deeply nervous to 'meet the parents'.

"Anyway Maya, he should be here shortly, why don't you go get ready?"

"Mom..." she pleaded as she fixed her pale green eyes upon her mother, only for the daughter of Athena to give a supportive nod of reassurance. Satisfied yet still nervous, she made her way to her bedroom to prepare for her date while Annabeth offered a teasing smile to her husband and made her way into the kitchen.

"What was that look for?" he asked as his wife dug in the fridge and pulled out a tray of chicken that she handed to her husband to help prepare for dinner.

Jokingly looking at Percy she shook her head before responding. "You're enjoying this entirely too much. But you know, she's right. You would think she'd be having boys lining up to ask her out but she doesn't..."

"You think it's my fault?"

"I think it's our fault," she corrected as she again looked into his deep green eyes. "I mean you know how frustrated you get with the hero worship and the people falling over themselves just to get a look at us. It's not easy for them, not knowing if their friends are really their friends because they like them or if they want to hang out and hear our stories. And to think that Maya doesn't get a lot of date offers, I think the boys are scared of us, and you in particular."

"This is different and you know it," Percy objected, holding up his hands in protest before setting to work seasoning and dusting the chicken with flour as Annabeth continued to remove the makings for salad. "I mean, if this boy ends up becoming a member of the family..."

"What?" Annabeth nearly screeched as she turned her head in disbelief. "It's one date Percy."

"One date leads to two, then four, then the next thing you know they're planning couple trips to Malibu or Myrtle Beach and then he's asking my permission to marry her. I mean..."

"Good gods, you are such a sap," she replied as a laugh slipped past her lips before walking to him and wrapping her arms around his waist. "You just can't stand the idea of your baby girl growing up, can you?"

"Can you?" he asked, turning to look over his shoulder and softly kissing her lips before turning back to put the chicken breasts in the skillet. Annabeth's only response was to shrug her shoulders against his back.

"All I'm saying, Maya really seems to like him, okay. So when he comes to pick her up, be nice."

"I'm always nice, ask Damon."

"Oh and stop bribing our son to take your side, he can practically pay for college now."

As the couple fell into a comfortable silence as they so often, just enjoying each others company as they prepared dinner, a knock at the door alerted them of the arrival of Maya's gentleman caller. Smiling playfully at her husband, Annabeth nudged his shoulder as she scooted to take over cooking the chicken. "Go on, you won't be able to concentrate if you don't meet him anyway."

Laying a soft kiss to her cheek, Percy washed his hands before moving to answer the front door, only to find it open and his youngest son standing in the doorway, gawking at the young man on the other side.

"Uh, hello," the teenager said awkwardly, his attention to the youngest Jackson sibling who seemed to eagerly bounce up and down at the prospect of meeting a new friend. "I-is Maya home?"

Before the youngest resident could speak, Percy intervened, "Alex, why don't you go help your mom with dinner?" It wasn't a request, and the young boy fixed his emerald eyes upon his father before darting into the kitchen as if he were racing a sprint, leaving Percy to shake his head as to how this boy had so much energy. "You must be Jacob, Maya will be ready shortly. Come on in," he said, stepping aside and allowing entry to the teenager as Percy closed the door and led him to the living room.

Damon had obviously chosen to go to the library or his take his book to his room as he was not present, and likely wanted no part in the massacre that was about to happen...smart boy.

"So," Percy said, signaling to an armchair as he took his seat on the couch, "what's the plan for tonight?"

Startled out of his brief admiration of the interior of their home, a home that Annabeth had designed, the young man fixed his nervous gaze upon the legendary hero. "Oh, um...we were going to get some food at Cafe Pizzano and then, there's a new production at the theater I thought would be neat to see. It's been getting a lot of really good reviews."

"Is that so," Percy asked and making a mental note to have Maya give him an exhaustive point-by-point recap of the production. After all, dark theaters are great places to make out as he and Annabeth would often frequent them whenever they could.

"Oh, absolutely," Jacob began to gush as his eyes widened with excitement, "its a classic retelling of the Odyssey but with a humorous take. It's actually been in the regular circulation for the last five seasons, but I've never had the chance to see it...never had a reason to actually..."

"Uh-huh," Percy deadpanned as he watched the blush paint the cheeks of the young man before shaking his head. "House of Apollo then?"

Startled out of his thoughts for his plans for the night, Jacob's eyes darted to the older man before lowering his gaze. "Uh, yes sir."

"Good for you, I mean, if you were House of Mars, I'd have to kill you and send your head back to that dickhead of a father. Nothing personal." Percy supplied the comment as casually as if he were announcing he was going for a walk. "So, what are your intentions with my daughter?"

"S-sir?"

"Let me put it this way," Percy replied as he absentmindedly twirled Riptide's pen between his fingers. "What specialty of Apollo's did you inherit? Medicine? Archery...poetry and music?" His voice hardened at the thought of this young man serenading his daughter.

"Um...Archery sir."

"Mmm...not much better, always hit the target you aim for, smooth talkers too..." Percy replied, mumbling more to himself than to the young demigod seated in the living room. "Just keep in mind, your arrows damn well better stay in their quiver."

Jacob looked excessively confused at the comment as he had not bothered to bring either his bow or arrows on his date. Yet before he could comment, Maya's voice rang from down the hall, "DAD!"

"What?" Percy called back as he turned his attention in the direction of his daughter's bedroom.

"Stop threatening my date!"

"I'm not threatening, I'm interrogating, there's a big difference," to which Jacob was curious how either option, threatened or interrogated, worked to his favor. But Percy turned his attention back to the living room, his eyes roving the interior as he furrowed his brow in confusion. "How did she hear us talking?"

After a few moments of consideration he shrugged his shoulders before turning back to the young man. "Anyway, how are you planning to get around the city? It's a pretty long walk to the theater."

"I rented a chariot tonight," he said shyly as his face exploded in a blush before he continued. "I really wanted to make tonight special."

"In what way?" Percy said, narrowing his eyes dangerously at the potential implication of what Jacob was implying. "And I suggest you choose your next words carefully."

Curiously terrified of what he could have said to anger the man, Jacob's eyes flashed quickly to the door as if weighing his options of escape before he was cut down. Deciding rather to swallow his fear, the young man fixed his yes on Maya's father. "What I mean is, Maya and I have been friends since sixth grade. I mean, she's incredible. She's smart and funny and, she just really cares about everyone around her, and..." he said, pausing as his eyes glossed over in a faraway memory. "And...her smile is like the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, I want to do everything I can to give her a reason to smile."

'Well fuck,' Percy thought as he considered the words of the young man. Not once did he mention Maya's stunning beauty, meaning that Jacob saw beyond the superficial to the truly beautiful part of Percy's daughter, her inner strength and heart. But before Percy could contemplate any further on his words, Jacob continued to talk.

"It's funny actually, I mean she and I have been friends for a long time, and all of our friends, they've kept teasing us about when we're finally going to go out. I mean...Maya's amazing and I never thought she'd be interested in me in that way. I mean I hoped...but...all the other guys at school fall over themselves trying to ask her out or just spend time with her, and she...well, she chose to go out with me. I'm not even sure why, but I promise I won't do anything to hurt her."

'Double fuck,' Percy thought again as the young man drew a terrifying parallel to his relationship with Annabeth, and try as he might, he could not help but feel encouraged by his words. But then a startling clarity filtered into Percy's mind as he began sweeping his attention around the room, looking for anything out of the ordinary. 'That son of a bitch.'

This is why he and Annabeth made such a good team. Percy was more direct, see a problem, face a problem, meet it head on. Annabeth however was more on the nuances of subterfuge and circumventing situations before they escalated. Which, having spent so much time with his wife, he picked up on quite a few subtle tells that let him know when he was being manipulated.

Still, it wasn't this young man's fault, at least not purposefully. Knowing that, Percy chose to plow ahead. "So a chariot huh? Kind of fancy for a first date, couldn't have been cheap either. You know, if you cancel the chariot you could get a refund. Have you, ever ridden on a Pegasus, make quite an impression."

"We are not taking Blackjack, he spies for you!" Maya screamed from down the hall.

"You're not involved in this conversation Maya," Percy shouted back down the hallway, "If you were so worried, you should get a move on and get ready. He's out here waiting!" Yet, as he finished saying the words, he considered once more how she could hear his conversation nearly the entire length of the house. Taking a moment, he searched the living room again before catching sight of the shimmering colors swirling beneath the skirt of the couch.

"Clever girl," he whispered as he stood up and pushed the couch aside, revealing the Iris Message shimmering against the floor where Maya had summoned it beneath the sofa. "Iris, we're going to have a talk about this that you are not going to like. And Fleecy, if this was your doing, you are definitely not going to like the talk.

"And as for you young lady, it's rude to listen in on other people's conversations."

"Didn't you call it an interrogation?" Maya shot back from from the other end of the Iris window.

"You say tomato, I say banana, the point is..." Percy said before swiping his hand through the mirror, dissipating the Iris Message as he sat turned the couch back and sat back down on the cushion. "Don't." he finished yet there was no purpose as the IM was no longer.

But Percy was left with a feeling of deep annoyance, and as he turned his focus back on the young man, he summoned the water from the wall fountain and created a dome that sealed the two of them in. The display was such that Jacob nearly choked in fear at the sight of it, and he was certain that this was simply a reminder of how outclassed he was in relation to the legendary Percy Jackson, and if Maya's father was intend on intimidating him, he was doing a very good job.

Sensing the young man's fear, Percy offered only a slight smile that did not quite reach his eyes. "Now maybe we won't be interrupted," he said simply, his emerald irises locking onto Jacob's blue ones. However, before they could get much further, Percy felt the echoed tapping on the water shell as he turned his attention to Annabeth who arched an eyebrow in curiosity as to why her husband had sealed them off. Tapping his ear before pointing towards the ceiling, indicating the issue, Annabeth rolled her eyes and nodded in understanding before miming hand signals that dinner would be ready in 10 minutes.

"Anyway," Percy continued as he watched his wife reenter the kitchen before turning back toward Jacob. "This will stop Apollo from whispering in your ear."

"What?" Jacob asked in confusion, not aware of what Percy was implying.

"I'm guessing you prayed to your father to make a good impression? Wanted everything to go right and not make a fool of yourself in front of my daughter?"

Chewing on his bottom lip as he nodded, Jacob wasn't sure what to say. He only wanted to make a good impression, he didn't think his dad would manipulate his words to say exactly the things Mr. Jackson would want to hear.

Percy however stood up and placed his hand on the young man's shoulder. "Just show you know, Maya heard everything you said to me, about how you think about her. She's going to be impossible tonight."

"I don't care," Jacob said without thinking as he looked up at the older man. "I know that maybe my dad told me the things to say, even if I didn't know he was doing it, he did it...but I meant them. Every word. I was just really scared I was going to do something to screw up, and I went an embarrassed myself anyway.

"I feel like such an idiot..."

"Don't be to hard on yourself," Percy said as he moved back to his seat on the couch and fixed his eyes on the young man. "You wouldn't be the first person to make a fool of themselves for a girl." Percy said with a self-depreciating smile on his face. "Point is, my daughter accepted your offer to go out with you, not for any fancy words Apollo was feeding you, but because she genuinely wants to. Be yourself, okay, that's who she agreed to go on a date with, you. And don't worry about making a fool of yourself, it's going to happen, but that's what its like when you start out as best friends, it's a little awkward, and its definitely tough navigating the changing relationship. But if you do it right," he said, as a loving smile parted his lips while his attention now turning towards the kitchen where his wife, his best friend, the love of his life was finishing up dinner. "believe me, it's worth it.

"And as for wanting to impress me. If you want to make a good impression, then treat my daughter right. Treat her how she deserves to be treated. Because trust me, if you ever hurt her, betray her or gods forbid, break her heart, I will erase you from the earth."

Percy offered perhaps the most charming smile he could muster that did nothing to settle Jacob's nerves in light of the blatant threat levied against him, before the son of Poseidon snapped his fingers, pulling the water veil that surrounded them to return to the wall fountain. As he stood up and made his way to the kitchen, he stopped a moment to drop his hand on the young man's shoulder. "If you're going to Cafe Pizzano, order a double serving of the double-chocolate browning with the cherry glaze, with two forks. She'll appreciate that. Have her back by 10," he answered before joining his family for dinner.

He figured he'd set the ground rules fairly succinctly. Though, despite all the subtle threats, the interrogation went well. He learned of the young man's intentions, his feeling for his daughter, and how honestly naive he was during much of the conversation. All-in-all, Percy could not help but like the young man, which, he reminded himself, was why he went so easy on him.

Kissing his wife before moving to ruffle the hair of his sons, he took his place at the table and smiled thoughtfully at the look levied by Annabeth, assuring her he did not scare off the young man.

Of course, maybe he was just getting soft in his old age.

A/N: So this was a fun story. I don't really know what happened here, this was supposed to be a comedy but took on a more serious tone. Even though there are some humor elements involved, it took on a much more dramatic feel, at least how I see it.

Anyway, hope it was enjoyable. As always, if you're kind enough to read, please drop a review, favorite or follow and thank you for reading.