This is the last chapter of the re-written! I feel like that's phrased wrong.

Thank you, new readers, for going this far! After this, in my opinion, the writing style improves 60%.

You know, I never realized how short the chapters used to be until I combined them. I think this is the combination of two or three chapters (doesn't make a difference), but altogether, this chapter is only 1000 or so words.

Pretty sad, huh?

Is crediting your co-author every chapter excessive? Don't care. Credit is given where credit is due.

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She worked late. Late, late, late, late... anything to get her mind off that afternoon.

And her boyfriend.

And everything.

Work swallowed all her thoughts, drowned them out. It made life so much easier. Then, someone popped their head in. "I'm leaving now. Will you be ok, boss? It's pretty late... you should probably go home."

She forced a tired smile. "No, I'm fine. I'll just... do a bit... more..."

He obviously didn't believe her, but gave her a nod. "Alright then... well, I'll be on my way! I have to meet a special someone tonight!"

A special someone... When was the last time she had met her special someone? Talked to him? Gods, they couldn't even talk anymore. Why... was one silly little argument worth all that? If only she could just swallow her pride...

Let me close my eyes for one minute... and then I'll get right back to work...

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Percy sat in front of the telephone - why did they even have a telephone? Why not a smartphone? - waiting for a call to tell him he was fired. But after a couple of hours, he got no call. He then, rightfully, assumed he was not fired.

"Percy! Dinner's ready!" his mom called from downstairs.

"Coming, Mom!"

"So... how's the first day on the job?" in celebration of him getting a new job (which happened more than you would think), his mom had baked his favorite seven-layer dip.

"Fine."

"Just fine?"

"Just fine."

She didn't question him. She never did. Well, at least not too much.

He stood up. "That was good, mom. But I better get going. I have to start work early tomorrow."

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He woke up, got dressed, showered, and ran out of the house, grabbing a donut on his way.

And a cookie.

One could never forget the cookies.

He unlocked the building and went in. He noticed, at the top floor, a light was on.

Hmm. Weird.

Should I go check it out?

Of course.

He made his way up - with the staircase this time; elevators made too much noise. He opened the door, careful not to make too much noise himself. There, on the desk, was a mass of blonde curls. And he knew exactly who they belonged to.

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Percy gaped at something he thought he would never see: his boss... sleeping... at work...?

Preposterous!

Impossible!

Couldn't be true!

But it was.

Her blonde hair in messy ringlets, her papers scattered on the floor, coffee dripping off the table...

Percy never thought he had seen something so beautiful.

Then, he remembered what he was there for. To clean. And nothing else.

Oh, and to get paid.

Sigh...

Percy pulled the mop off of the cart, dipped it in water, and started cleaning the coffee. He swept up the trash, put the papers in an orderly pile on the desk, and continued to the other floors.

He'd come back.

Perhaps.

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Sea green eyes.

An ocean.

Waves.

Sebastian the crab.

She couldn't swim!

She floundered helplessly in the waves.

And then she was drowning, until a flock of paper cranes came down and tried to save her.

But they were all pulled into the water... one... by... one...

She was floating.

In a hot air balloon.

Green.

And gray.

And then there was blue. It was cold.

So cold.

And then, a raven's wing.

Darkness.

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Ding!

The elevator stopped. He'd come back.

She was still sleeping. He stared at her hair.

It seemed to be beckoning to him.

He reached a hand out, but she jolted upwards, gasping like she'd been drowning.

Or something.

"What are you doing?"

The storm in her eyes got darker. He could swear he saw lightning.

"Uh..." he pointed to her coffee cup, on the left. "I was... picking that... up."

"Oh." the tension in her shoulders visibly deflated. "I... how long was I out?"

"I... don't know. You were sleeping when I got here."

She cast him a look, clearly suspicious.

Of what?

Her phone rang. She looked at it and cursed.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. I... a date. Yesterday. I have to go."

Annabeth pushed past... him, nearly knocking him over in her haste to get out.

Ah, shoot. This wasn't good. This was, in fact, really, really bad. She had missed her I'm-sorry-can-we-try-again date and she was caught sleeping on the job.

It was a really good thing she was the boss.

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, which was surprisingly still smooth.

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Running, she sent off a text to her ex-boyfriend:

7:18 AM

I'm so sorry. I fell asleep while working. Can we reschedule?

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She anxiously checked her phone.

9:04 AM

I'm so sorry. I fell asleep while working. Can we reschedule?

Marked unread.

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12:47 PM (A/N: Noon. Noon, people. 12 AM is midnight. Just... in case you don't know.)

I'm so sorry. I fell asleep while working. Can we reschedule?

Marked unread.

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"What the heck?" Annabeth muttered, staring at her phone screen. "Why won't he answer?"

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3:17 PM

I'm so sorry. I fell asleep while working. Can we reschedule?

Marked read.

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3:18 PM

Please answer.

Marked read.

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3:19 PM

I'm really, really sorry.

Marked read.

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Annabeth was lying on her bed, surrounded by pillows and blankets, staring intensely at her phone.

6:33 PM

Luke?

Marked read.

She groaned.

"I don't even know why I bother." She said out loud to herself. "It's not like he does."