After Percy dealt with his mini-life crisis – because okay, one does not find out that they have accidentally sired a child without knowing it and just calmly continue with life – he got to work.

He didn't get to chose to be a father – not in this situation. But he did get to chose whether or not to be the same scared punk he had been his entire life and run away, or to Grow the Fuck Up and take the responsibility of being a dad. And there was no way in hell he was leaving her again – not if he could help it.

So after he picked up the glass, he called Leo, his assistant while he was in Sydney, and asked him to order a new mirror. Then he searched through his phone for Leah's number – he vaguely remembered her programming it into her phone the previous night.

She very kindly gave him explicit instructions ('because I think you'd get lost even if I drew a map for you') to the bus stop where she saw Annabeth get on at everyday. After he called her back ten minutes later (he might have gotten lost trying to get out of his own neighborhood), she just sighed and told him to stay where he was.

She picked him up in an old, dusty pick up truck that was missing a handle on the passenger side. She cracked up when she got a look at him, sitting dejectedly on the sidewalk with his head in his hands, looking more like a little boy who dropped his snow cone than a man waiting for his ride.

"Shut up," he huffed, cheeks pink as he irritably climbed into the passenger seat.

She didn't stop for a full five minutes.

A while later, they passed by the bus stop she had described to him.

"Uh, Leah…?"

"Just hold on a second," she pulled in at the gas station a couple hundred feet down the street. She took a deep breath and readjusted her grip on the wheel, as if she was bracing herself.

"Is something wrong?"

She kept her eyes focused ahead, worrying her lip with her teeth. "Yeah, just… give me a second."

Percy drummed his fingers on his thighs.

"I just," she started, before coming to an abrupt stop and biting her lip. "Look, I don't want to be awkward, or to poke my head into places where I shouldn't. It's just that… My father was an alcoholic. I want to make sure that little girl isn't going to have to go through the same things my sister and I went through. Promise you won't make the same mistakes he did, okay? Can you promise me that? Because if you can't I'm turning this car back around -" Her voice grew higher and higher in pitch, stumbling over words faster than she could get them out.

"Wait, wait," he said quickly. He twisted in his seat to face her. "I promise. Look, what you saw yesterday… I'm sorry. I'm really ashamed of how I acted. I kind of made an ass out of myself, and that's not who I am. I – I used to be like that, but not anymore. I have a good job – I cleaned myself up. I just freaked out yesterday. You saw me at my worst, and I'm sorry about that. And for what you and your sister went through."

She ducked her head for a second and then looked up, the smile back on her face. "Okay, then. Family reunion, here we go."

She dropped him back off at the bus station. He was still quite a bit early. Annabeth came home from work every day at seven, and it was only six fifty.

He was wearing a nice, blue button down, and a pair of chinos. After he had hung up with Leah the first time when she gave him instructions, he tried on about fifty different outfits. He wanted to look nice – mature. He had hung on to most of his band t-shirts, although a lot of the skinny jeans got donated to the local youth center, and he now owned a disconcerting amount of blue. So much for not selling out.

He kept to his punk roots, though – he wondered how much more he would give up for his new found fatherhood.

He would give it all up just to be a part of her life.

He sighed and glanced at his phone. Just as he cleared through the lock screen (the password, as it had been ever since he started dating her, was Annabeth), he heard the creaky, exhausted panting of the bus climbing up the road towards him. From it's gaping maw spilled forth haggard looking business men in nice suits with pit stains (they were having a heat wave) getting off after a long day at work. He peered past them all, looking for a head of blonde hair –

Oh.

She saw him before he saw her, pink lips parting slightly, step faltering for a second before she hurried forward. Her eyebrows were creased.

She's so cute when she's confused.

"Percy?" hearing her voice was like slipping into sleep, warm and sweet. He could listen to her talk for days. It took everything he had not to wrap her into his arms and press his body against hers again. Just to feel her lips against his again.

"Um," he finally coughed out – smooth, Jackson – "That's me!"

He had imagined this a million times – finally reuniting with her. In none of those scenarios did he open with Um, that's me!

She cocked an eyebrow. He cleared his throat.

"What are you doing here? In Sydney?" she pursed her lips.

Despite the heat, she looked unflappable, with in a pristinely pressed blazer and perfect curly hair that he just wanted to run his fingers through…

She was staring at him. Oh, right. She had asked a question.

"Work, actually," he finally answered. "Um, how are you? Can we talk somewhere?"

She bit her lip and tore her eyes away, glancing around. Yeah, a bus station probably wasn't where they wanted to have this conversation.

"I have to pick up -" she broke off, her cheeks flushing.

"Your daughter?" he filled in helpfully. Her wide eyes snapped to his.

"How – how did you -"

He blushed, toeing a bit of grass at his feet. "I saw you earlier. At the beach."

Her silver eyes turned to steel. "Are you stalking me?" she took a step back.

"No – no, I swear to God -" he stammered, suddenly seeing how it looked, showing up at the exact bus stop where he knew she'd be. She shot him a fiery look he could only describe as repulsion.

She shook her head in disgust, her shoulders stiff. "Stay away from me. And stay the hell away from my daughter."

"Annabeth," he pleaded, but she was already walking away, fingers clenched into fists.

Well that went well.

He jogged up to her, coming around her to stand in front of her. Surprised, she bumped into him. Her glare would've killed him, if it were possible. "Please hear me out," he begged. Her jaw clenched.

"I have to pick up June from her sitter's," she snapped. He froze.

"June?" he choked out. "Is that her name?"

June. June, June, June.

It repeated over and over in his mind, like a sweet melody.

Annabeth looked angry at herself for letting it slip. "Yes. Look, meet me at that café," she pointed at the café across the street. "at this time tomorrow. Until then, don't contact me again."

His heart was doing backflips. "Thank you, you won't regret this I promise -" he managed. She pursed her lips and looked away.

"I'm not doing this for you," she snapped. "And this doesn't mean anything. You don't get to just show up four fucking years later, and expect everything to be fucking unicorns and rainbows -" she took a deep breath and resettled herself. She clenched her fists and muttered underneath her breath. "Tomorrow; I'll deal with this tomorrow… Just go home, Percy."

She shook her head and shoved past him.

It wasn't going to be easy, but…

He'd rather jump off the nearest cliff than give up.

June. Her name is June.