Cute little AU Percabeth fluff. Considered rewriting this in a coffee shop-esque setting, but felt like I'd lose some of the dynamic between the two. Wanted to write the scene before this as set up, but I haven't felt like doing it and didn't really think I had enough to tell to make it worth it. Either a oneshot or a twoshot, with the next chapter being the date itself, but if I get a lot of support/requests, I'll consider continuing it. Probably would be just cute fluff the whole way through.

***For context, since it probably won't be totally clear without this set up: This is an alternate take on Percy getting to camp. Everyone's adults here. Percy's still friends with Grover, who got him to camp. He had also just met Annabeth in NYC the day prior to this, but they didn't catch each other's names, and they got separated after the Minotaur attacked. She knows he's a son of Poseidon though, likewise he knows she's a daughter of Athena. After that, Percy gets safely to camp with Grover, but it's more like he's moving into camp, like you would with a new apartment. He had been told about camp in advance, and is receiving a tour from Chiron and Grover after setting down his things. Finally demigods can use cell phones.

I think that covers it. Hopefully you enjoy! Please review with any comments or criticisms you have, happy to hear it all!

—

Grover tagged along, filling in details Chiron didn't deem necessary to mention. He was clearly nervous, only staying with them so he didn't have to speak with Mr. D, but Percy was glad he was there all the same. It was nice to have a familiar face nearby.

After leaving the Big House, Percy was shown the amphitheater, the rock climbing wall (which prominently featured lava, a fact Percy found worrying) and the general store, currently manned by a blonde dude with a light surfer build named Will. Before they left, Percy was given a hideous orange, "Camp Half Blood," tee shirt.

"The first one is free, after that you have to buy your own," Will said happily. Percy didn't think he'd ever be buying another one, but he thanked Will anyway.

They passed several campers as they went, most of them in their camp shirts. Percy wondered how many people like him there really were, and if wearing the shirt was mandatory. He hoped not.

They all glanced at Percy appraisingly, then went back to what they were doing. Everyone seemed busy, and there was a tension in the air, like something big was going on. He wasn't sure what, but nobody had seemed to pay him much attention at least, which suited him just fine.

After passing by the lake (which it seemed weird to Percy that they'd have a lake when they were so close to the beach, but he guessed they didn't exactly put it there themselves), Grover sighed.

"I probably should go see Mr. D," he said, though he looked like he wanted to run away or throw up.

"It won't be that bad, G-Man. You did great. I'm sure he'll understand once you've explained the situation," Percy reassured him.

His expression didn't change, but Grover nodded slightly and said, "I hope you're right. I can't afford to mess this up."

Percy patted him on the shoulder. "You'll do fine man." Grover took a deep breath and nodded, then walked back toward the Big House. Percy watched him walk away.

"Grover will be fine," said Chiron, though he looked about as worried as Percy felt. Mr. D didn't seem like the understanding type.

Then he smiled at Percy, clapped him on the shoulder and led him toward the arena. "Now come along Percy! There's much more to see!"

As they entered, Percy's focus zeroed in as he caught sight of a familiar set of blonde curls.

"Hey! Wise Girl! I wasn't expecting to see you here!" he called out, stepping away from Chiron before he had the chance to speak.

Annabeth quickly whipped around, eyes wide. It was only then Percy noticed the twenty or so campers gathered nearby, the severely hacked up training dummies and the very real sword in her hand. He took a quick gulp.

Annabeth held back a smirk and turned to a blonde guy in the crowd. "Take over for me, Malcolm?" He raised an eyebrow at her, but nodded and stepped toward the center, pulling out his own sword and turning toward the crowd.

"Do you two know each other?" asked Chiron as he cantered up to Percy's side, eyebrows raised.

"Not exactly. We met briefly in Manhattan, but got separated after some monster ambushed us," said Percy, noticing Annabeth's sweaty appearance and heavy breathing as she approached them.

Chiron's eyes widened, as if in recognition, and from the look he gave Percy he assumed he'd come up in conversation before.

"Well then," said Chiron, clapping his hands together and smiling, "if that is the case then perhaps she can finish your tour. I ought to go check in with some of the other campers anyway. You wouldn't mind showing Percy around, would you?" he asked Annabeth just as she walked up, giving her a knowing look.

She shook her head and he nodded, trotting back the way they'd come. Turning back to Percy, she lowered her weapon and smiled. "I wasn't expecting to see you here either. Well, not just yet anyway; I figured I'd have to go back out and track you down. You scared me for a second there, you know that?"

"Aw, worried about little old me?" he said, a wide smile on his face.

She hummed to herself. "Mmm, I figured you could probably survive without me another day. If not, then you probably weren't worth the effort anyway," she said with a shrug.

He raised his hand to his chest. "You wound me, Wise Girl. And I've done quite well for myself without you in my life for many years now, I'll have you know," he said, narrowing his eyes at her and puffing out his chest slightly.

Her stormy grey eyes returned his glare, and between the two, he thought hers was more impressive. "If you keep calling me, 'Wise Girl,' I really will wound you," she said, waving the sword menacingly.

He quickly raised his hands in surrender, walking with her toward the side of the arena, where a water bottle and towel sat on the ground. "Okay, point taken! What should I call you then?"

"My name?" she said after taking a sip, staring at him like he was an idiot.

He considered calling her, My Name, but after glancing at the training dummies and the sword still by her side, he thought better of it. Instead he went with, "Which is? We never exactly had time for proper introductions before."

Annabeth, in the middle of wiping the sweat from her face, paused and blinked. "Oh, right. My name is Annabeth Chase," she said, extending her hand.

Percy broke out into a sarcastic, crooked smile, the kind troublemakers always had. It annoyed Annabeth, whether or not it was cute.

"Annabeth Chase" he repeated, his expression softening. She tightened her lips in a slight frown. For some reason her chest felt funny.

"I'm Percy Jackson," he said, reaching for his pocket. "I like your name, but I have dyslexia, so I'm not the greatest at spelling. Would you spell it for me?" he asked, placing his phone in her outstretched hand.

Smooth, Annabeth thought to herself. Definitely a lady-killer. She took a moment to consider it. She considered turning him down, but then she caught his eye and saw the nervousness there, like he was less sure of himself than he seemed. She realized she hadn't made a move yet, and he was worried he'd missed the mark. He was cute when he was worried, his face more genuine.

I guess I don't see why not. She typed her number into his phone, not missing the small sigh of relief he gave. Cute.

Percy had been worried his attempt at being suave had had the opposite effect. He thought of that line years ago but he'd never had the chance to use it. Thankfully though, it seemed to have paid off.

She passed it back to him, and as he took it he pressed the call button and held it up to his ear. On the ground her phone began to buzz.

"You gonna get that? Could be important," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

She bit back a chuckle, instead flipping her hair back and saying, "I can't imagine something more important than continuing your tour of camp." She figured if he was gonna be flirty, she might as well play ball too, see how well he could take it. Given his clearly surprised face and the blank, "Uhhhh..." that escaped his lips, she figured not well. Good to know, she thought, smiling to herself.

Suddenly, she ducked down and picked up her phone, walking away as she did. Just before she answered she looked back at Percy and beckoned him to follow. "Come on, Seaweed Brain," she said, laughter dancing behind her eyes at his dumbstruck expression.

Then, raising the phone to her ear, she answered. "Hello, who is this?" she asked innocently, blinking wide eyed at him, before turning and walking away, leaving him standing there stunned and momentarily speechless.

He was caught way off-guard here; he just wasn't expecting that kind of reaction from her. Or for her to be this interested in him, he realized. He hadn't had any real relationship experience before now, since he would've had to worry about protecting them from monsters he couldn't tell them about.

He was surprised at how well things were going. However, he had also realized this was somehow a competition now, and he was losing hard here.

She was affecting him big time with her teasing, and her looking as good as she did with that light sweat over her toned muscles and tan skin didn't help. He had to get it together.

He cleared his throat in an effort to regain his composure. He had to walk quickly to catch up to her, but he liked tall girls, as long as they were just shorter than him. "Um, hi there, my name is, uh, Percy. Percy Jackson. Does this number belong to a Ms. Annabeth Chase?"

Her lips pulled into a tight grin. "Yes it does, Mr., 'Uh-Percy-Percy-Jackson.' That's a strange name you have there, by the way. No offence, of course," she said, her face and voice full of concern, but her eyes sparkled with mirth.

Oh man, Percy thought, I'm screwed.

"None taken, Ms. Chase," he said, tipping an imaginary hat and nodding to her.

She rolled her eyes, turning to walk toward the forest as they stepped out of the arena. "Oh please, call me Annabeth."

He smiled widely, looking away and leaning closer into his phone. "Annabeth, then. Well, I hate to bother you, Annabeth, but I'm new around here, and I'm confused about what all is going on. I was hoping to find someone willing to explain things to me, say, tomorrow night. Dinner will be provided of course, and I'll happily accommodate any dietary needs. Can you think of anyone who might be interested?" he asked, trying to keep his voice nonchalant and face turned away, but his heart was pounding in his ears.

Annabeth's eyes widened. He's bold, she thought to herself. She briefly thought it over. She didn't have any other plans, and while she barely knew this guy, she was having fun. A lot of fun, she realized.

She gave him a once-over. He didn't seem shady, and the nervousness in his voice was definitely genuine. If worse came to worst she could hold her own, but she doubted it would come to that. Ultimately, she couldn't think of any good reasons to say no.

"Well," she started, pausing just to tease him, "I might be free, but I'm not sure it'd be worth my time..."

"It would be!" he said quickly, turning back toward her in full earnestness, nearly tripping over his words in his rush to get them out. "I'm a really good cook! I was thinking we could do breakfast for dinner, since breakfast for breakfast is never enough breakfast, in my opinion. Plus I need to finish selling you on the merits of pancakes over waffles, though once you've tasted mine that'll be an easy sell."

Annabeth bit her lip to keep from smiling, although her eyes narrowed. "Has anyone ever told you about how humble you are?"

Percy's mouth pulled up in that same sarcastic, troublemaker grin from before. "No, but I'd love to hear you tell me all about it over breakfast for dinner tomorrow night, with karaoke after."

Annabeth laughed. "Do you have a karaoke machine?" she asked.

"I have a karaoke machine," he answered, smiling wider.

She rolled her eyes. "Of course you have a karaoke machine," she muttered.

"Of course I have a- hey! What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, his head jerking back and furrowing his brow. Annabeth laughed at his expression.

"It means..." Annabeth paused, biting her lip. He definitely had some charm, but she didn't just date people. Luke had been the only guy she'd ever really felt an attraction to, and that never really had a chance to begin with.

As they reached the treeline, Annabeth took a moment to take him in. His raven colored hair was messy, and she doubted it ever looked neat. He was just an inch and a half taller than her, but he didn't seem to mind, and neither did she. Staring into Percy's eyes, which were a striking sea green, and which seemed to be shining despite the shade they were in, she wondered what was different about him.

"It means I'll think about it." she said, nodding to herself. She planned to say yes, but she wanted to tease him just a little longer.

Percy seemed to deflate, his lower lip jutting out slightly and his eyes taking on a puppy dog-like quality. The shade he stood in made his face seem even sadder. Something inside Annabeth started to melt.

"Oh come on, please? We can spend the night debating the pros and cons of pancakes vs waffles over hot cocoa and marshmallows, and afterwards we can sing songs to each other and dance on the furniture I haven't unpacked yet. Please?" he asked, his sea green eyes wide, pouting in full force.

Annabeth's heart stuttered and she felt like there was helium in her chest. Butterflies she hadn't realized were in her stomach began to flutter just as the wind blew through his messy hair, and she wondered, If he can do this to me, how can anyone say no to him?

"I suppose I can make it, since I'm already free," she said after a moment. She had been trying to sound indifferent, but her voice was a little shaky, which may have ruined the illusion. She hoped he didn't notice.

Percy beamed at her and pumped his fist in the air triumphantly. "Sweet! Okay, cool. Uh, I'm in the Poseidon cabin, I figure you already know where that is. Would around 5 work for you?"

Annabeth just nodded, worried her voice would fail if she tried to speak again. An amused smile lit up her face. He is a very... energetic person, she decided.

Percy's eyes were practically glowing with excitement, and Annabeth felt herself falling in, his enthusiasm catching. "I will see you then, then. In the meantime, I have a tour I need to finish," he said, winking at her and ending the call she had forgotten they were on.

Percy noticed that she rolled her eyes a lot, not that he minded.

"Who was that?" he asked, that grin wide on his face.

She playfully narrowed her eyes at him, though her lips turned up at the corners. "Oh, no one important."

He frowned. "Did anyone ever tell you that words are hurtful?"

She snorted, throwing her head back in laughter. Percy loved the way she laughed. Her deep grey eyes scrunched together in a way he couldn't help but find attractive, and she sounded so carefree, so genuine.

"I'm sure he can handle it. He's a pretty tough guy," she said, winking. "Now come on, I need to show you Zeus's Fist. Oh, and stay close to me; there are monsters in the forest," she playfully whispered.

He frowned, unable to tell whether or not she was joking. He was about to ask when she turned and darted into the forest. "Hey!" he called after her, running to keep up.

As he chased her, he stared as the sunlight peeking through the trees lit up her blond princess curls, which bounced and flowed in the wind, that gross orange shirt she somehow managed to pull off clinging to her, her laughter echoing around him, and he thought to himself, This girl might just be who I'm looking for.