Annabeths POV

From the second we landed in Florence, I was mesmerized. An elegant black car picked us up from the tarmac, and the whole drive to the hotel my eyes were focused out the window. Everything was so lush, so green. And the people we passed—my god, the people.

They were all beautiful, all seemed so free. The women in their flowing dresses and the men in their stylish linen and sunglasses—it was like they knew they were superior to everyone else. And I was here, in the same company as them, in the same place. I felt more alive just being here.

"You falling in love yet, doll?" Calvin asked from the front seat, peering over his shoulder at me. I felt heat rise to my cheeks but I realized he was referring to the city I couldn't take my eyes off.

"It's beautiful."

"You haven't seen anything yet," he promised, from the front seat.

Then, I felt a hand on my thigh, and turned to see Percy's face not two inches away from mine. "He's right," Percy whispered in my ear. "Get ready."

We pulled up to the hotel, and holy shit, I had to pinch myself to make sure I was seeing correctly. The property was massive, sprawling onto what looked like an endless garden. It was a few kilometers outside of Florence, so the land was quiet and the nature untarnished.

"Come on, more beauty awaits you," Calvin instructed, opening the door.

I climbed out and felt my jaw fall onto the floor. Looking at the hotel straight on was even more spectacular. The sun glistened off the stone architecture and the perfectly manicured shrubs lining the front courtyard seemed to be beckoning to us.

"I told you," I heard Percy say, from behind my shoulder and I all but jumped.

"It's…like nothing I've seen before," I got out.

"Wait till you see the gardens," Calvin called out from a few paces ahead.

I looked back to the car, prepared to take my own luggage inside, but a bellboy had already appeared—likely from thin air, since I hadn't seen him come from the property.

The bellboy took all our belongings and then, rolling them ahead, handed them to a different bellboy. Then, he turned around to greet us, just in front of the hotel's main entrance. "Welcome," he said with a thick Italian accent. "We are honored to have you here."

Percy shook his hand. "Great to be back."

"Would you like to see the rooms first?"

"No, we'll take a tour of the property first," Calvin jumped in. "This one's a virgin to Tuscany, so it's time to show her what she's been missing," he said, nodding to me.

The bellboy smiled. "Very well. We'll drop the bags in your rooms." Then, he walked back to the front desk, and I had the chance to take in the elegance of the lobby.

Marble covered every surface, and the sitting area was decked out in large sofas and rich throw pillows. The whole place was so goddamn regal.

I turn to Percy. "Remind me why we're renovating this property again?"

"I like it, too, truth to be told. But the numbers just aren't holding up. I'm sure you know them better than I do. Tuscany's not just a province of tradition anymore, it's hipper now. Young people are coming. This property, it has to reflect that modernity. It has to be more innovative than any other hotel.

"Including the new Hyatt that just opened in downtown Florence."

"Exactly."

I saw Calvin walk back to us from the front desk, a bottle of wine in his hands. "Alright, newbie. Let's let Percy relax and get your virginity taken care of," Calvin declared.

I kept my face neutral. "I'm actually kind of tired from the trip. I wouldn't mind freshening up first—"

"Nonsense." Percy interrupted, taking the bottle from Calvin. "I'll give the tour, Calvin. Why don't you go see about Calypso, the masseuse.

I gave Percy a quizzical look. Not that he could see it.

After a second, Calvin nodded. "Right, I'll go see if Calypso's here."

"Shall we?" Percy asked, holding his elbow out for me to take. I did have to see the property in order to do my job, I rationalized. And drinking Italian wine was just being respectful to the place I was visiting.

I took his elbow. "Let's do it."

As we walked out the back doors and through the lush greenery, it was like I couldn't look at everything fast enough. The brightly colored flowers, the million different shades of green, the glowing blue skies—it was surreal. A hell of a lot different from murky London, that much was clear.

"It doesn't feel real. It's like we're walking in a postcard," I murmured, and Percy just laughed. Before we'd even managed to get outside the lobby, a different bellboy ran up to us and uncorked the wine bottle, providing us with two glasses.

I brought my own glass to my lips, taking in the man beside me. My boss, technically. The man whose job I'd taken over. The man who made my palms sweat whenever we were in the same room.

Even though he was blind, he still had his face on the horizon, like he was looking out and feeling the view. "It's really impressive, you know, the way you get around? If I couldn't see I'd be a lot more afraid."

"I have a hard time believing that," he said with a smirk, shifting his gaze so it fell on me.

"Why's that?"

"You don't seem afraid of a lot, Annie."

"Annabeth."

"But I know this property well. It's been in my family for decades. I grew up coming here. If you dropped me in the middle of some crowded market in Turkey, I'd probably be a different story."

I laughed, watching his head turn back to the horizon. "Can you see anything? At all, I mean."

"Yes," he replied. "In certain light, it's easier for me to see shapes. For instance, I can make out the top of the trees, or the outline of the statue over there," he said, pointing to a huge marble statue to the left of us.

"Good." I nodded. "Everyone should be able to get at least a taste of this view."

Percy smiled at me then grabbed my hand and pulled me forward. We walked through the garden, massive arrays of flowers on either side of it, but all I could focus on was the electricity passing through his hand to mine.

His touch shot fire straight into me, and my insides were burning for him. I thought about his hand touching me in different places, about the electricity he could shoot further into me, deeper inside me. I had to distract myself.

He's your boss, Annabeth.

I'm sorry about what you're going through," I shot out into the silence. Then, I cringed at myself. Really? That's what you went with?

He stopped walking. "What do you mean?"

I took my hand back from his grasp. "With you wide…and—"

"My ex-wife," he interrupted.

"Right. Your ex-wife. And your daughter. The whole custody thing, it's incredibly unfair. And I know I don't know you well, but from what Nico's told me, you're a great dad, So, I'm just sorry you're going through that," I stuttered, looking at my feet. I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks.

You're an idiot. What an idiotic thing to say!

He gave me a terse nod. "Thanks," he said, an unreadable expression on his face.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to cross any lines, I just wanted to—"

"Don't apologize." He shook his head. "I appreciate it. Really. It's just been a stressful few weeks. A stressful year, actually."

"I can imagine."

Jesus, Annabeth. You can imagine what, going blind and losing your kid?

But instead of calling me out, Percy just nodded again. "It's crazy. You'd think taking time off from running a company would make you less stressed, but somehow, it's been even more taxing. All I want is for Thalia to be safe, with me, you know? That's the only thing in the world I want."

"I believe you," I said to him, looking right at his face. For the first time, I saw vulnerability there, somewhere between his sea green eyes and his sturdy jaw. "You're a good dad and you care. The judge will see that."

"Or he'll see a blind man."

I swallowed. "Hey, you can't think like that. And besides, you haven't let the blindness stop you from doing much else. What would you start giving a fuck about it now?" I challenged him.

His mouth twitched with a smile. "You're something else, you know that?"

He grabbed my hand again, guiding me forward. "You can't let the stress of the unknown stop you from doing what you want to do," I told him softly. "You still deserve to enjoy life, have fun, do things for yourself…"

"Okay, Oprah," he chuckled from beside me. My cheeks turned crimson. Why are you preaching to Percy fucking Jackson?

"Sorry," I say quickly.

"Don't apologize," he said, stopping and pulling me close to him. Like, real close. Close enough for me to feel his breath on my nose. "You know what my favorite color is?" he asked, and I racked my brain for some sort of punchline. But he just smiled. "Gold," he said, twisting a lock of my hair between his fingers.

"How do you know—?"

"It's the only color I can see. Not vividly, not anything beyond what you see underwater if you were swimming in a dark lake, but it's there."

Percy Jackson pulled my lock harder, bringing my face even closer to his. And then, surrounded by flowers in a Tuscan garden, my sort-of, kind-off, technically boss…kissed me.

Please give feedback and tell me what you think of the story so far.

P. S ik Percy's fav colour is blue but I had to change it to for it to work in my favour. But don't worry, he will have a lot of blue clothes ;)