I do not own anything from the Percy Jackson universe nor any of the famous brands mentioned in this story

This is a long chapter! But I am very happy how it turned out.

Enjoy the story!

Thank you Australia 9514. I love that you love my story.

Chapter 3

Annabeth loved Saturdays. She could finally spend all day at Goode University studying what she loved most. Architecture. While she deeply appreciated working with a big architecture firm, her job consisted more of managing than actually drawing or designing. Although, truly, she needed both skills if she wanted to have a renowned firm herself. That's why, at the end of the day, she found herself heading to Business Administration.

That particular class was not on her curriculum, but after working several months as an assistant, Annabeth decided she needed some deeper knowledge about how to do her job properly. She had to impress her boss in every subject she could, so she decided to go to the Business campus in Lower Manhattan and attend the Fundamentals of Business Administration class. There were at least a hundred people in the room, therefore Annabeth sat way back and took notes from the professor's slides on the projector.

It was a long class, but Annabeth enjoyed it. She just liked knowing things, a trait she inherited from her father an alumnus from Harvard itself. He was pretty disappointed when her oldest daughter decided not to follow his steps, but to move to New York and start a new life. Yet, everything was forgiven once Annabeth gave him the news she was working as an assistant to Aurora Williams.

Annabeth stood from her chair and stretched her arms over her head. It had been a long day, but finally, it was over. She would go home, put her pajamas on, and watch a corny series on Netflix. She had earned it after a week of working her ass off. She better hurry if she wanted to take the next train home. Oh, another thing to love Saturdays for, she was wearing comfortable snickers she could run with, a pair of jeans and her favorite grey sweater.

As she was exited the room and started going down the corridor, she heard a few loud voices behind her and, suddenly, someone crashed into her, making her trip with her own feet and almost falling to the ground. However, the same person rapidly managed to catch her by her arms, preventing her face from meeting the floor. She was about to turn and give the stranger a piece of her mind, but he beat her to it.

"S-sorry, I didn´t mean to…" Annabeth froze. She recognized that voice. From where? She asked herself. Well, there's only one way to find out. The pressure from her arms was released and she turned in her spot, only to be greeted by green eyes. Those damn green eyes. It took a few seconds, but his face lit up the moment he recognized her.

"Golden Locks!"

Her eye twitched.

"I told you not to…"

"I didn't know you were studying Business here in Goode" His smile was genuine, and it made her rage go away. He looked more relaxed and easy-going, even friendly. Maybe it had to do with the fact he wasn't wearing an uncomfortable suit, but a dark blue zipped hoody, white shirt, and black jeans. His eyes were soft, but she felt they could intimidate anyone with just the right stare.

"How could you? We didn't actually talk about each other at the inauguration" she replied.

"Right, about that…" he ran a hand through his hair. It was just as messy as Annabeth remembered. Didn't seem like it was easy to handle, but she suspected the guy preferred it that way. "I'm Percy by the way"

She blinked. Oh, right. She hadn't even known his name.

"Percy? As in Percival?"

"Nop, Perseus actually"

She raised an eyebrow. "Like the hero in Greek mythology?"

He chuckled softly. "Yes. My parents have certain tastes"

"Percy!" someone screamed at the end of the hallway. They both turned, and Annabeth spotted a group of guys their age making signs to Percy to hurry up. Percy signaled back something like hold on. There was an awkward silence between the two of them. Annabeth tried to take a look at her watch discreetly. She really wanted to get home.

"Sorry about making you wait, Percy," said a voice apologetically. A pale guy with curly brown hair appeared beside Percy. He walked with crutches and had a colorful wool hat trying to hide his curls. He was a little bit awkward but smiled at her warmly. So, he was just talking to her to take some time while he waited for his pale friend. Right. "Percy, aren't you going to introduce us?"

Percy grinned mischievously. "Sure. Grover this is the famous dessert stealer. Maybe you have heard of her on the news. She has been terrorizing Crème Brulees all over the country"

Annabeth glanced murderously at him but decided to be the mature one. She extended her hand over to Grover. "I'm Annabeth. Nice meeting you Grover" She shook the hand of a rather confused Grover before the awkward silence fell between the three of them.

"Well," Percy finally broke the silence. "We should be going. It was nice seeing you again…Annabeth" He grabbed Grover and bolted down the hallway before Annabeth could say goodbye. Before going down the stairs, the black-haired guy turned and yelled "See you next class, Golden Locks"

Yep. She was definitely not coming back to Fundamentals of Business Administration…At least not to that one.

HeythereimalinebreakenjoyyourdayHeythereimalinebreakenjoyyourdayHeythereimalinebreake

Two weeks passed normally on the life of Annabeth Chase. She worked Monday to Friday until 5:30 and went to her nightly classes Tuesday to Friday. Mondays were particularly hard because she had to cover Piper who had classes at her faculty all day long. And Saturdays were meant for studying and focusing on her studies. Sundays were for relaxing and chilling at home.

That particular day, Annabeth was preparing her famous Broccoli-Rabe, while was talking to someone through her phone, locked in her bedroom. Annabeth thought it was odd but didn't give it to much importance. Finally, her friend got out of the room and sat on one of the kitchen counters balancing her legs like a little child.

"So…" Her friend started. Annabeth finished cutting the broccoli and put on the pan along with a teaspoon of red pepper flakes and a cup of boiling water. She glanced at her friend.

"So…", she continued for her. Thalia looked a little bit nervous, and for something to keep Thalia out of her coolness must have been serious. "What's wrong?" Annabeth asked, just a bit concerned.

"I have good news and bad news. Which one do you wanna hear first?" she asked.

"The bad one"

"Sorry, I have to tell you the good one first"

"What?" Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Why did you even ask then?

Thalia shrugged. "That's what people do all the time. Ok so…" Her dark eyes lit up with excitement. "Remember that new club everyone is talking about in Manhattan. Kronos?"

Annabeth added onions and tomatoes to the pan and stirred before answering. "I think Piper has told me about it at work. She says all her friends go there on weekends. I've also heard rumors of people selling drugs in that place"

"Those just might be rumors," Thalia said dismissively. "The thing is that we talked with its manager and…. They will let us play some songs for them on one of their crossover nights!"

"That's great Thalia!" Annabeth said genuinely happy for her friend. "That can be a very big step for the band"

"I know…" her friend's smile turned into a grimace. "And with that comes the bad news. I want you to be there, but I also called Luke and invited him to come to see me play…" The pitch of her voice grew higher with every word she said. At the last word, she put her hands in front of her protecting herself from being murdered by her blond friend. Thalia waited a few seconds and after realizing she was not agonizing on the floor, spilling blood with a knife through her chest, she stole a glance at her friend. Annabeth had a big fake smile on her face.

"It's okay," she said forcefully. "He's your best friend. It's only normal you want him to be there with you on such a special day" Annabeth shook the pan a little too strong and drops of hot olive oil splashed through the kitchen floor.

Thalia sighed. "Sorry, beth. But he's your best friend too and I think that overpowers the title of ex-boyfriend…right?"

Never. Annabeth thought.

"You are right Thals. It should be fine" she answered instead, getting the plates out of the cabinets.

Thalia smiled, cautiously. "Yeah, besides you guys broke up ages ago. The awkwardness must be gone by now" She grabbed some leftover wine from the fridge and two normal glasses.

Ha. Ha…Nop

"It's okay Thals, I'm fine with it" Thalia looked at her attentively one last time, before sighing with relief. "Let's just eat. I'm starving"

She drank the rest of the bottle of wine that night.

HeythereimalinebreakenjoyyourdayHeythereimalinebreakenjoyyourdayHeythereimalinebreake

"Annabeth, Aurora is calling for you"

The aspiring architect was finishing her improvised ramen in the break room while reading one of the required textbooks for her career. She adjusted her reading glasses (yes, she was not an old lady) before looking up at Malcolm, her coworker. He sat opposite her and unpacked his homemade lunch.

"Can´t Piper cover for me?" She looked at her watch. "I still have 20 minutes left of my lunch"

"She called specifically for you," he said, taking a bite from his sandwich. Sighing, Annabeth closed her book. She gulped down the rest of her lunch and headed to her boss' office as quickly as she could.

"You asked for me?" she stood in front of Aurora's desk, fixing her ponytail. Her boss didn't even look at her, fixed on her computer.

"Yes…" A few seconds of silence, before Aurora, finally sighed and looked at her assistant with tired eyes and a hint of accomplishment. "The inauguration day was a success. I finally caught the attention of people from the government and that will be our priority for the next months…even years". The famous architect stood up from her desk and grabbed a few folders from the bookshelf on her left. "However, Poseidon Jackson was so pleased with our work on the civic center he wants us to design his company's new offices in San Francisco. I can´t let that opportunity pass, but I will be busy leading the government project so…" She walked up to her and handed her the folders. "I want you to oversee the project"

Annabeth accepted the documents but was at a loss of words. She wanted to scream of joy and danced her way out of the office. "Y-you w-want me to design…"

"Of course not." Oh, well. Too good to be true. "They would never accept designs from someone without a degree. I gave that task to Malcolm" At least, she said It was my lack of titles instead of talent, Annabeth thought. "I want you to meet with Jackson's assistant and schedule meetings for both of us. I expect you to report me every step of the project and be my principal representative in case I need to be absent. And also…" She said seating back down on her chair. "I want you to keep Malcolm and Leo on their toes. Is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am. Thank you for the opportunity"

"Now go. You have a lot of things to do"

Annabeth exited the office and put the folders on her desk. She was kind of excited. It was not exactly an architecture work, but it was an important task in the firm. It would surely give her a lot of points with Aurora if she did it right.

"You look happy" Annabeth turned and found Piper smiling at her. The blond girl told her friend everything about her new project. "That's awesome Annabeth! I am sure you're going to excel at it."

"Yeah, I hope I don't mess up." Piper had been so nice to Annabeth that she decided to be a little more attentive to her brunette friend. "What about you Piper. Any exciting news?" Her kaleidoscopic eyes lit up.

"Yes! I've been talking to Silena, and she thinks I have potential in the fashion industry. She has some contacts at Vogue, and she says she can help me get an internship there, next semester. Isn't that awesome?"

"That's amazing Piper"

They spent a few more minutes talking about their aspiring careers and goals. Piper was an ambitious woman and Annabeth was sure she was going to achieve everything she wanted in the future. She just needed a little bit more confidence in herself.

Finally, Annabeth sat down on her desk and started reading the folders. They were full of Oceans' accomplishments and basic info. Their buildings were always eco friendly and they always liked having modern concepts on their structures. They also had a huge project of cleaning the oceans from human pollution.

Okay, first she had to schedule a meeting between Malcolm and Mr. Jackson to talk about designs and expectations. Now she needed to contact his assistant…

Percy

…

Dammit.

That was gonna be an awkward conversation. Starting with the fact that she didn't even have his number. She looked through the folder and found the general telephone of the offices in New York. She grabbed her cellphone ad dialed the number on the page.

"Oceans' Enterprises. Tatiana May speaking. How can I help you?"

"Hello, my name is Annabeth Chase and I work for Aurora Williams. I was wondering if you could provide me Poseidon Jackson's assistant number"

"You said your name was Annabeth Chase?"

"Yes," A few seconds passed until she heard finally the voice at the other line answering.

"I am sorry Miss. But we were instructed no to give you his phone number through this line. You need to come to our offices and request it personally to him".

"What?" Annabeth asked a little bit too loudly. Piper shot her and intrigued look from her desk. "Is he allowed to do that?"

"I am sorry, Miss chase. Those were the instructions" Annabeth took a long breath. That guy was messing with her time. And nobody messes with Annabeth's tight schedule.

"Thank you. Have a good day" she hung up the phone before hearing the receptionist's answer. That poor girl didn't deserve Annabeth's wrath. But it was all Perseus' fault. He was really going to make her travel all the way to his offices, jut to get his number. He better had a good excuse for that.

Unwillingly, she grabbed her brown coat (fall was coming) and the folders from her desk. Thanks to Mr. whatever-his-last-name-was Annabeth was going to to waste several minutes of precious work just grabbing the subway and walking almost down to Wall Street. He surely was going to get a piece of her mind.

"Please don't kill anyone. You have a bright future" Piper said watching Annabeth exiting the office with a murderous look on her grey eyes.

"I make no promises"

HeythereimalinebreakenjoyyourdayHeythereimalinebreakenjoyyourdayHeythereimalinebreake

Annabeth had to recognize something. Oceans' Enterprises had a pretty good taste in buildings. They were huge supporters of modern architecture in New York and they were pioneers in eco-friendly systems. But the blond girl was just too pissed off to really appreciate the infrastructure of their offices.

While making the line to register herself at the reception, she thought about all the things she was going to say once she saw him. You are better than this Annabeth. Keep it professional said a little voice in her head. He just did it to mess with you. There's no other possible excuse. He deserves to be scolded. Another voice said. Annabeth could really have a bit of a temper sometimes.

Annabeth clipped her visitor card on her coat as she waited for the glass elevator to pick her up. Once in, she pressed the 35th floor and decided to try and cool down before meeting the black-haired guy. But fate had other plans. The elevator stopped on the 5th floor and a crowd of people entered. Annabeth heard someone excusing himself and pushing to the back of the elevator and, suddenly, found herself staring at sea-green eyes. Those sea-green eyes. This time though they were serious and almost angry. Annabeth felt a little bit intimidated.

"Annabeth" He greeted, flatly. For some reason, she missed the way he had said hi to her when they met on the Business campus the other day. But that was not going to stop her from being mad at him…It actually made her angrier.

"Perseus" She greeted back. She thought the ride on the elevator would give her time to calm down, but she was just so pissed at him that she decided to throw professionalism out of the window…and give him a piece of her mind. "I can't believe you made me come all the way down…"

"You lied"

Annabeth stopped mid scolding, shocked by the interruption. Percy, however, was not looking at her, but at the digital numbers going up on the elevator panel.

"About what?" She asked indignantly.

"You aren't studying Business at Goode"

"I never said I was"

"You implied it"

Annabeth made a noise of exasperation "I did not. You just assumed it. Besides I work at an architecture firm, didn't that give you a clue of what I like?"

"Yes, but you are an assistant"

"Not all assistants study Business Administration, Perseus" Poseidon's assistant made a grimace at the sound of his full name. Neither of them talked for a few seconds, both very clearly pissed off with each other. That's when a weird thought crossed her mind…Perseus, Poseidon… both were mythological names and Percy did say his parents had certain tastes…

"What's your last name?" she blurted out before thinking it might have been impolite. But screw politeness with that guy.

"What?" He asked, clearly surprised by the question. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"You clearly know my last name for some reason. Otherwise, the receptionist would have given me your number. I want to know yours for being in equal terms" Percy thought for a moment before replying.

"It's Blofis" Annabeth thought it weird that he had to think about it, but the sound of the elevator doors opening made both of them jump and Percy bolted out of the tiny room. Annabeth looked at the panel: 35th floor. She stepped out and followed the assistant through the floor until finally arriving at his place.

Percy's desk was a mess. There were papers everywhere and his office supplies were scattered all over the place. Besides his computer, there was a portrait of child Percy with a beautiful brown-haired woman in front of an amazing beach.

"Montauk" Percy commented when he spotted Annabeth looking at the photograph. "We used to go there all the time when I was a kid," The blond girl noticed the nostalgic look on Percy's eyes and wondered why they stopped coming.

She shook her head. Those were personal matters and she was there strictly for business. Percy sat on his chair and motioned her to sit on the other chair opposite his desk. "So," he started.

"I can't believe you made me come all the way here, just so you could give me your phone number" Annabeth interrupted him. She was still pissed at him. He frowned, clearly also pissed at her.

"That's what you get for lying to me," he said narrowing his eyes at her.

Annabeth snorted. "I did not lie. It was just a misunderstanding. And why are you so pissed at me anyway?" She crossed her arms.

Percy's eyes suddenly softened, and his expression turned into an apologetic one.

"I'm not pissed at you." He replied softly, playing with a pen on his desk. "I just had a rough day at work, and usually I don't control my emotion pretty well. Sorry, it seemed a little harsh"

All of Annabeth's defenses fell. That guy had a magic trick for making her anger issues melt away. "It's okay" she found herself saying. "We all have those, huh?" He locked eyes with her and gave her a warm smile. And there she was, hypnotized again by this strange guy's eyes. She nagged herself mentally for not using her time there wisely, but for some reason, she felt relaxed and carefree. And then…

Her stomach growled. She felt her cheeks turning red. She was so embarrassed; it was the second time it happened with Percy around. But you had a good lunch. Why are you rumbling again? she thought.

To her surprised, Percy chuckled, and his face finally relaxed into an easy smile. That was the Percy she had seen the other day at the campus. "Geez, Annabeth. Don't you ever eat?

"I do. I just don't know why my stomach is making such scandal" she replied looking anywhere but him. Annabeth felt him shuffling through his drawers before finally pulling a plastic container with something wrapped up in paper towels. He opened it and immediately the aroma of chocolate chip cookies invaded the space. Annabeth looked at the delicious sweets.

"They are blue" she noted.

"Yep" Percy's eyes were twinkling. "They are my mom's special recipe. I visited her last night and she gave me some to take" He grabbed one and offered the container to her. "Want one?"

Annabeth accepted the offer and she had to resist the urge of melting of pleasure in the middle of the office. They were the best cookies she ever had. "They are so good!" she said taking the last bites. She already missed the flavor when she was done with it. "I know," Percy said with pride in her eyes.

Focus.

Annabeth cleared her throat. "Anyway. I need your phone please, so we can start planning the project of the new building in San Francisco" she said in a rush, before distracting herself again.

"Oh right" Percy grabbed the pen he was playing with earlier and scribbled his number on a post-it. Annabeth accepted thankfully, before going back to business. "And, since I'm already here I think we should plan a meeting for…"

"Sorry Annabeth I can´t" Percy interrupted her, while he was looking a clock on the wall. "I need to go"

"What? Why?" she asked, clearly exasperated with the guy.

"Well, you didn't exactly warn me that you were coming…"

"How could I? I didn't have your stupid cellphone" She was pissed…again.

"And I have swimming practice at Goode. I've already been late a couple of times and I need to be in the team to preserve my scholarship" He stood up and grabbed a big bag that Annabeth assumed had his swimming gear. He's in the swimming team? How does he find time to be an assistant then?

"So, when are we going to plan everything we have to do," she asked him desperately, also standing up from her chair.

"I'll call you. I swear. Once I'm done with practice" He grabbed his jacket and turned to her "Feel free to grab the rest of the cookies if you want". And with that, he bolted down the office and caught the elevator just in time before it closed its doors.

Annabeth stood in her place. With an annoyed look on her face. "You are goddamned right I'm taking the rest of your cookies" She grabbed the plastic container along with her folders and coat and head toward the elevator.

Working with Perseus Blofis was definitely going to be a challenge.