Hello everyone! I'm back. Just a few notes.

This chapter is VERY important for Annabeth's development as a character. So, have her a little bit of patience ;), and read very well every situation.

It's long, so yay!

And, the next chapter, will have lots and lots of Percabeth. So, also, yay.

Thank you all!

Oh and, to answer one of your reviews, it also gives me the creeps writing about Triton and Annabeth. It's just so weird! :P

Chapter 11

51 hours before the Spring Charity Ball

"You look…eh, nice" Piper said as she inspected her.

"I look pathetic" Annabeth replied, looking at the voluptuous back of the purple dress. "It looks like I'm the maid of honor on some wedding."

"Yeah, you're right" her friend finally admitted. "But then, again, there's nothing on this shop that screams Charity Ball with New York's upper class, so…"

"I have no money and no time Piper. So, whatever it's in this shop will have to do" She sighed and returned to the dressing room. She eyed miserably the other two dresses that were almost exactly identical to the purple one, only one was full of lace and the other one full of crystals.

"How about you ask money from your reach boyfriend. If you're already using him, you might as well do it properly" Her friend commented, and she could hear the mocking on her tone. She put her normal clothes back on and stepped out of the little room. Piper grimaced and said, "You're not even trying the other ones?"

"I hate them" she simply said, seating down on the uncomfortable couch next to her friend.

"Well, it's not like you can go in your fancy type of pants. What are we going to do?"

Annabeth blew a raspberry. "Don't know. Not that those dresses would have been any better"

The store was full of women looking for colorful dresses. Spring weddings were starting, and most of the population could not afford designer products, opting for the rent of expensive garments so they could feel fabulous and rich for one night. Sadly, Annabeth had taken too long to search one, and now she had to settle for the ones nobody wanted.

The store manager kept an eye on them, trying to figure out if they were renting or not, and how quickly she could kick them out.

"What if I don't go?" she asked, tired of all the preparations she had made for the event. Between Aurora and Triton, she had exceeded her limit of talking about Spring Dancing Parties. Just the thought of having to worry about her make-up and hair, made her entire body twitch.

Piper's eyes shined. "Great! Break up with the dumb rich boy, forget about the Ball and your work, call Percy, tell him how idiot you were, and run away together to the sunset. Sounds like a good plan to me"

"Ha-ha" she laughed, humorlessly. "I rather go with the purple dress"

"Fine" Piper said rolling her eyes and getting her phone out. "You leave me no choice"

"What are you doing?"

"Calling my mom," she said narrowing her eyes. "You owe me a big one"

47 hours before the Spring Charity Ball

Aphrodite Botticelli could be a lot of things. She had been cataloged as the most beautiful woman in the world for several years, along with being one of the most famous American designers of the moment and one of the biggest influencers in the whole world.

So naturally, Annabeth never imagined she would have the time (nor the intention) to help her in looking for a dress to wear in less than 48 hours. However, there she was, being a Guinea Pig for Piper's mom as she told her the story of how she met her friend's father.

"It was so romantic when he took me to Venice for my birthday. I remembered how we drunkenly danced through the canals, paparazzi everywhere taking pictures. Then we went to the hotel…"

"And they procreated me. Annabeth doesn't need to know all the details, mom" her friend pleaded desperately, as she looked through some of her mother's dresses. Aphrodite ignored her daughter, and the blond girl blushed profusely as she heard her talking about their night of passion, while she finished some touches to the chosen dress.

They were in her office, which was full of young men and women running around finishing some touches for her next collection. They carried different types of fabrics and printed patterns, all trying to be noticed by Aphrodite. But her boss was too busy telling her own love stories.

"We're done, darling" she finally said, and Annabeth would have let out a breath of relief if the dress wasn't squishing her lungs. It wasn't so uncomfortable as she had thought, but she felt some uneasiness in it. She wasn't one to wear a lot of dresses. She felt a little more confident when Piper turned around and gawked at her.

"Wow, mom. You've really outdone yourself"

"I know right. Anyway, then I met this Brazilian guy Orlando…" and as she kept talking about her exciting trip to paradise city with the foreign guy, Annabeth turned and checked herself in the mirror. The dress was extraordinarily beautiful. It was a black-draped off-shoulder A-line long dress. There was a long cut from her right calf to the floor, which let her leg be seen. The fabric was extremely soft and light, but it seemed elegant and refined. But the showstopper was the little crystals distributed through all the garments, making it seem like it was a starry night.

"How do you feel?" Piper asked, smiling proudly at her idea.

Annabeth thought for a few seconds before smirking "Sexy, but elegant. It's weird"

"Nice"

"I owe you big"

"Yeah, you do" she smirked too. "And I know how you can repay me"

Before Annabeth could ask, Aphrodite arrived and asked her what she thought.

"It's amazing, Miss Botticelli. I don't know how to repay you"

"Oh, just give me good publicity at the Ball and made sure to take lots of pictures with your boyfriend, Triton" she winked.

46 hours before the Spring Charity Ball

"Not so fast" Piper chimed in as Annabeth was about to make signs to a cab on the street so they could go home.

"What?"

"You owe me a favor" She got her phone out and handed it to her. "Call him"

She hugged her jacket closer as the sound of wheels against the pavement resonated through her ears. Taking a big breath, she closed her eyes, trying to keep the emotional pain away. When she opened them again, she avoided Piper's gaze.

"So?" her friend insisted.

"He's not gonna answer. He doesn't want to talk to me, remember?"

"That's why we are using my phone" Piper pressed her phone into her hand. "You owe it to me…and to him…and to you"

Honestly, Annabeth was kind of tired of calling him. She had gone through the guilty phase and now she was pissed at him for being so resentful with her and for acting so immature like. If he had a problem with her dating his half-brother, he should have confronted her, not pretending like she didn't exist. He was a coward. But she did owe it to Piper.

So, she took the phone, ignored her friend's triumphant smile, and dialed Percy's number. Please don't pick up, please don't pick up, please don't pick up…

"Hey Pipes" he answered after the third of her wrath disappeared at the state of his voice. He sounded tired and irritated.

"No, uh, it's Annabeth"

Silence.

"It's everything ok? Is Piper…"

"Piper's fine" she quickly said, just a bit jealous that he hadn't asked how she was. "She just lent me her phone, so I could call you"

"What happened to yours?"

She got angry.

"Mine is fine Perseus. I just had to call you from a different phone, since your childish behavior won't let you pick up every time, I try to reach you"

"Did you call me just to yell at me, Annabeth? Because last time I checked I should be the one who's mad at you"

Why did they always have to fight?

"Maybe if we had talked like adults, no one would be mad at anyone" she continued. Piper was now throwing nervous glances in her direction.

"We talked, remember? When I told you dating Triton would be like a punch to my face, and you went ahead and did it anyway?"

"It's my decision, Percy. Why can't you respect it? It's not like I'm gonna treat you differently for dating him"

"Oh, believe me. I know it was your decision. A pretty stupid one, but it's your love life. I don't have a say in that"

"Then why are you mad?"

"The fact that you don't know, makes it clearer…"

Suddenly, she felt tired and heavy. She was done giving explanations about how she decided to live her life. And it hurt, even more, coming from him.

"I just…You know what, Percy? This is useless"

"Annabeth…"

She hung up.

25 hours before the Spring Charity Ball

Percy called. She didn't pick up.

13 hours before the Spring Charity Ball

Helen called. Her dad had been in a car accident.

"Sure, you don't want me to go?" she asked for the millionth time, putting Aurora's favorite hot tea on her desk. Meghan was running around trying to see if everything was ready while her boss was at the dance.

Her father chuckled.

"It's fine, Honey. It's was a small accident. I just broke my leg"

"How did it happen?" she asked, feeling a headache forming due to stress.

"I fell asleep on the highway, and luckily my car just derailed. Nobody else got hurt"

"Dad, I can easily take the next flight…"

"No, no. I'll be back home by tomorrow. This an important night for your work. You need to focus on that…"

Great, she thought, more pressure.

7 hours before the Spring Charity Ball

Triton said he had an inconvenience. He asked her to meet him at Poseidon's house one hour before the event.

4 hours before the Spring Charity Ball

Thalia helped with her hair and make-up. She cursed…a lot.

1 hour before the Spring Charity Ball

Annabeth checked herself one more time, before stepping out of the cab. Her hair was pinned up in a beautiful braid she had learned on YouTube, and Thalia had helped with the hair iron to give a little more definition to her curls. The dress was stunning, her make-up was simple, and her high heels were plain black. The wore her owl earrings for luck.

"You look great ma'am," the driver said, reminding Annabeth about the taximeter. She thanked him one more time and stood on the sidewalk and admiring one of the most modern apartment complexes in Manhattan. Nobody looked at her way of dressing (thanks, New Yorkers), as she passed the glassed door and found herself in an expensive lobby.

She approached the reception. The guard didn't even look at her.

"Good Evening" she greeted anyway. "I'm here to see Triton Jackson at Poseidon Jackson's apartment"

"Name?" the guy asked finally acknowledging her presence.

"Annabeth Chase"

She waited as the guy dialed a fast number and talked to a woman on the other. He greeted her cheerfully as if they had been long time friends for a while. He announced the young woman, listened for a few seconds, and then frowned.

"Should I go up?" she heard him whispering. A tingling sensation settled on her neck as if something was wrong. "Very well," he said before hanging up and giving her a nervous smile. "You may go. The elevator opens directly into the apartment. Just insert this card in the slot above the line of buttons"

"Thanks"

She accepted the white rectangle and headed toward the fancy-looking elevator doors. Something was wrong. She could feel it in her gut. Or maybe she was just worried about her dad in the hospital. She should have called him again before leaving her apartment. Focus, she thought. The elevator opened with a ding, and she went inside.

As the numbers went up in the digital panel, Annabeth decided to have a new mindset that night. She needed to focus on making contacts and helping Triton gain the respect of his father. Piece of cake.

How wrong she was.

She heard the screaming before the doors even opened. A woman's voice asking someone to stop, then the sound of cursing and men yelling between each other. Then grunting and the noise of punches being thrown.

Finally, the doors opened with a ding, and Annabeth had to take a few seconds to register the scene unfolding in front of her. The elevator was greeted by a small lobby with a beautiful fountain in its center. Beyond Annabeth noticed a huge window allowing the view to Manhattan's skyline and the sun giving its last rays before disappearing into the sunset. The living room was full of dark blue and dark brown furniture and few marble Greek statues scattered around the place.

In another situation, it would have been beautiful. However, the two young men beating each other in the living room was enough to break the spell. The screaming came from a beautiful middle-aged woman with dark stunning hair and brown intense eyes. She was begging the two boys to stop but neither of them seemed to hear her. Another small woman was beside her. She had grey hair and kind blue eyes, she was nervously looking at the woman, surely waiting for directions. The maid, Annabeth thought.

The men were the ones she was most interested on. Triton was madly throwing away fists, yelling away obscenities, with a little trail of blood coming from his mouth and his shirt all torn up. But Annabeth's heart clenched when she recognized the man he was fighting with.

Percy seemed deadly calm as he dodged most of Triton's attacks. From time to time, he would take the opportunity and punched him back. His hair was all messed up and he had some nasty red spots on his cheeks and close to his eyes.

"Stop it" The woman kept yelling, desperately. "Please! Hurting each other won't help anyone"

"You don't have a place here!" Triton yelled in rage as he tried to aim for Percy's jaw. He dodged it and send a punch to his stomach.

"I deserved it as much as you do!" Percy yelled back.

Nobody had noticed her, and she clearly didn't know what the hell was happening. But she knew they weren't going to stop until someone did it for them. So, she did the only thing that came to her mind. As fast as her high heels allowed her, she ran between the two guys.

"STOP IT!" she yelled putting her arms on their chests and trying to pull them back. For everyone's relieved, they stopped, not because she had asked them to, but because they were too surprised to see her there. It was a stupid thing that she did, maybe. But it had worked.

The room stood frozen for a while. Amphitrite was the first one to react. She approached her son and gently tugged his arm. "C'mon sweety. Let's get you fixed up". She started dragging him towards a silver decorated stair as she shot her a grateful look.

Annabeth's left arm was still on Percy's chest. He was panting heavily, and his sea-green eyes were drinking the fact she was there. If it wasn't for the situation, she would have blushed a deep red. Gods, she really had missed those eyes. She frowned at the nasty red spot forming on his cheek and a small cut on his lips.

She approached the small woman in the room.

"Hello" she greeted.

"Hi, Miss Chase" the maid answered, nervously.

"Do you have a medkit I can borrow?"

"Yes ma'am" The lady disappeared through a door, next to the open-concept kitchen, and came back a few seconds later with a red bag on her hands.

"Thanks," she said once she accepted it. "Do you know where I can install myself while I help Percy?"

"Yes ma'am. Perseus's room is the third one on the right, down the hall" She signaled the corridor hiding below the stair Triton and Amphitrite had disappeared before.

"Thanks, again"

Without looking at his face, Annabeth gently took Percy's hand and he offered no resistance as she guided him to his room. Weird that he has a room here, she thought. They passed incredible works of art, expensive furniture, and several rooms on their way. So far, she had seen a game room, an office, an art room, a theater room, and what looked like the entrance to a big library. His room was the last one in the hall.

She opened the door and found herself in a bedroom the size of her apartment in Queens. There was a neatly made king size bed on the right with blue and silver sheets, a door that led to a luxurious bathroom on the left and there was a huge empty closet next to it. On the other side of the room, there was a sliding glass door opening to a balcony with a view of Central Park. It was nice, but kind of cold and boring. It lacked Percy's mess and spirit. He never used it, she guessed.

"Sit on the bed" she ordered him as she went to the bathroom, grabbed a towel, and dampened it in cold water. When she returned, Percy was sitting on the bed, the anger still lingering on his handsome features. He was looking intently at his hand as if it was responsible for everything.

She sat next to him, careful to not wrinkle the expensive designer dress, and pressed the cold towel against his lip. He made a small grimace as she tried to clean it as best as she could. When she finished, she opened the medkit and found some alcohol along with some gauze.

"Shouldn't you be helping your boyfriend?" he asked, sourly, as he watched her pouring the transparent liquid on the cotton piece.

"Don't be an idiot, Percy" she replied tiredly.

His gaze finally seemed to soften. He closed his eyes as she gently disinfected his cut. She returned to the bathroom, disposed of the used gaze on the toilet's unused bin, and damped the towel again.

"This is not gonna help much," she said, pressing the towel against his swollen cheek. "We should get you some ice…"

"He's using you" he interrupted, clearly not concerned about his wounds. His eyes searched hers and determination emanated from them.

"I know" she replied softly, earning a confused look. She sighed, before attending his other cheekbone. "I am using him too" she muttered. She tried to continue pressing until Percy grabbed her arm and turned so, he was fully facing her.

"I don't understand" he whispered.

She told him. Everything. The scandal with that picture, Aurora's offer, her internal dilemma, her decision after seeing Luke, her start with Triton, and then the deal they made last Saturday. By the end, Percy had an unreadable expression.

"There you have it. You don't have to worry he'll be a jerk with me, and I assure you he won't break my heart. Our relationship is pure business" she finished, thinking that everything was finally out. She felt like a heavy load had been taken off her back.

Percy covered his face with his hands.

"This is much worse Annabeth"

She blinked.

"What? Why? I thought you'd be happy that I am not over the heels for your moron step-brother" she complained.

"I am, I mean…I'd already come to the realization that you were happy with him…"

"How would you know that if you didn't let me talk to you…"

"Let me finish Annabeth. I thought you were enjoying it. But now you tell me, you're obliged to be with him? You have to go out with him without really wanting to, endure his narcissistic talk and kiss him…" he clenched his jaw in the last part.

"Nobody forced me to do anything, Percy" she clarified. "I did it for work. Besides, not everything was bad. You know how long it's been since someone kissed me like that. Girls can have their fun too"

"You don't need a world-class douchebag for that! You could have your fun with me just fine" he said without thinking, making them both blushed.

"I-It's not just that Percy. You said you would support my work-oriented decisions"

He gently caressed her cheek and she leaned into his touch, relieved that they were finally talking.

"There are other ways to achieve success Annabeth, without having to sell your soul," he said softly, before finally apologizing. "I'm sorry. You know how stubborn I am, and I was so mad at you not telling me about Triton"

Her heart was pounding. They were so close seating on that bed, and he looked beautiful being so vulnerable with her. But Annabeth's chest was still aching for an answer.

"Are you sure you were mad at that? Or were you just angry at the fact that I was dating the wrong Jackson?"

Shock spread across his face. Their eyes were fixed on each other and neither moved. And just as he was about to answer, they were interrupted by someone clearing his throat.

Poseidon Jackson was standing on the door and he had an amused expression on his face.

"We are running late. Shall we go?"

0 hours before the Spring Charity Ball

The ride on The Jackson's limousine was one of the most awkward ones in her entire life. Poseidon was angry and he gave his two rebellious sons a full-on lecture about how foolish they were and how life was not going to be easy for them. Neither was paying attention. Triton was focused on the window and Percy kept throwing annoyed looks when his stepbrother reached for Annabeth's hand. She suspected her fake boyfriend was doing it to piss him off, so she discreetly tried to take it back whenever she could. Amphitrite just murmured something about the fighting not happening, if Poseidon hadn't hired Percy as his assistant.

The stairs to the MET were full of people and paparazzi trying to peek into New York's high society. All of the stress she had been experiencing for the last days settled on her head. As Poseidon's driver opened the door, a wave of people yelling, and cameras flashing made her feel scared and disoriented. She was about to enter a dangerous zone.

Poseidon and Amphitrite were the first ones to step out. Percy threw a worried look at her before also stepping out of the car. Assistants weren't usually invited to those types of events, but she guessed Percy was an exception since also being the son of his powerful boss.

Triton stepped out. He waved a few times before returning to the open door and offering her his hand. She took it and she was immediately blinded by the number of flashes happening around her.

"Just wave and smile" Triston whispered as he hugged her waist while someone took a picture of them. "That's all they want you to do"

So that's what she did. She felt like a puppet as Triton took her hand and guided her to the jungle of people stationed on the stairs. There was so much going on that she lost track of Percy in the crowd.

They managed to enter and, for the first hour, Annabeth felt like a beautiful but useless bracelet on Triton's hand. A bunch of famous people greeted them, well greeted Triton, and just looked at her to tell her how beautiful she was and how gorgeous she looked that night. Then, they would turn back to Triton and talk about business and ciphers. She was disappointed in society, but since she couldn't interrupt their discussions to let them know she was smart, because it was considered rude, she kept herself busy admiring the internal architecture of the building.

Finally, they were seated on a big round table with other ten people. Annabeth only recognized a few. Poseidon and Amphitrite were busy arguing something in private. Hades and her wife Persephone were the owners of the jewel's empire in western civilization. Zeus (Thalia's dad, who Annabeth had never met) and her wife Hera basically controlled all the United States from the shadows. A blond cheerful man was happily chatting with Dionysus, owner of almost all Napa Valley, and several other vineyards in France and Italy. And last, but not least, Ares, the most powerful weapon manufacturer, was arguing with one of the most important lawyers in the whole country.

Athena Pallas was known for her steel character and her challenging persona. She had never lost a case in her career and was Zeus's right hand. She was well respected but also feared by many. That's why she couldn't help her nervous reaction when she seated on her chair and noticed the powerful woman looking determinately at her.

"Do I know you, child?" she asked once her argument with Ares was over, and Triton was busy talking with his father.

"I don't think so, ma'am" she quickly replied, intimidated by her grey eyes.

"Well, you certainly look-alike" the blond guy chimed in, smiling devilishly at Athena. She ignored her comment.

"Who are you?" the lawyer kept asking. Annabeth finished her wine hoping it would give her some confidence.

"Annabeth Chase, Aurora William's assistant" she replied, and a flash of surprise appeared on the woman's eyes, but it was gone as soon as it came.

"Williams, uh?" Dionysus said, joining the conversation. "The famous architect?"

"Yes sir"

The wine lord seemed pleased with her respect because he added, "Isn't she the designer of old barnacle's new building?" Poseidon narrowed his eyes at him.

"Yes sir. And it's a masterpiece" she dared to say.

Poseidon arched his eyebrow at her boldness but didn't say anything.

"How so?" Miss Pallas asked.

Ok, this is it, she thought. She talked about the design and how revolutionary it was for its time. She also showed them old projects and gave her reasons why Aurora was one of the best architects. Some of them looked bored with the conversation, but Athena and the blond guy were interested until the end.

"I would love to build the most technological hospital in the country," the man said, before returning to a conversation with Hades, and Athena simply nodded and continued to hear about Dionysus problems.

And just like that, Annabeth had returned to be the invisible assistant at the table. Triton had disappeared from her side at certain moments when she was too caught up in her speech to actually notice. It's not that she had hoped that any of them would sign a contract with Aurora right then and there, but it was like her speech had been for nothing. This is gonna be way harder than I hoped, she thought.

After another boring thirty minutes, Annabeth excused herself from the table and started walking through the place. She had tried talking about Aurora projects a few more times, but no one had paid her attention. She tried looking for Triton, but he was nowhere to be seen. Then she hoped, she would bump against Percy and they could talk or maybe even dance. In the end, she settled for going to the stand and asking for a drink.

As she sat at the bar, drinking her wine, she watched the couples on the fancy dancefloor. Some of them were awkward, others enjoyed themselves dancing off beat, and others were too stern simply swaying with the rhythm. Although one pair caught Annabeth's attention. Not because they were the only ones who really knew how to dance and were smiling and laughing, but because her heart stopped when she realized who they were.

Percy had his beautiful smiled plastered all over his face, while he made a young beautiful woman swirl magically on the dance floor. She had an incredible caramel hair that went down to her waist in a thick braid. She was dressed like a Greek princess and her dark eyes shined when she smiled, every time Percy whispered something on her ear. She recognized. Calypso Atlas, a famous young actress. She was Hollywood's sensation.

Annabeth watched painfully as they danced nimbly across the dancefloor. She envied how close they were on each other and how comfortable Percy was with her. As if they were longtime friends. Finally, the music stopped. Annabeth was about to near them and ask Percy to dance with her when she saw Calypso doing what she never had the nerve to. She kissed him, tenderly. And Percy returned the kiss.

Suddenly she felt sick. Who was she to interrupt Percy's happy evening? He seemed to be having a good time with Calypso, so why did she want to go there and ruin everything? Because he was kissing another girl? Wasn't that the reason she was mad at Percy for being mad at her? He would call her a hypocrite…and maybe she was.

She headed to the lady's bathroom and locked herself in a stall. Her heart ached. Like literally. She almost felt like the day she had broken up with Luke. Focus, she thought, you can deal with the Percy thing later. You have to go back there and talk to potential clients. Find Triton. He might help you.

But before she exited, she heard her name being brought up in a conversation.

"Did you see how silly she was? Promoting her boss, like that. She should have been embarrassed"

"Yes, I almost mistook her for a car salesman"

"Typical of Aurora. Sending her minions to do the dirty work so they look bad in public instead of her" the first voice continued. "She's been always desperate for clients"

"The girl did say some incredible things about her designs…"

"Maybe…but she's dating Triton. No respected woman would ever go out with him. The boy is a mess and she surely is the same…"

The familiar voices kept talking until Annabeth heard them fading away. She sat on the closed toilet and buried her head on her hands. She had been so stupid. She was so worried about getting Triton's contacts that she hadn't think what her reputation would look like. While her fake boyfriend was getting a better image from being with her, hers was getting damaged. And…did she really sound that desperate talking about her job on that table? Was that what she wanted people to think of her? Gods, she had been so wrong.

She finally got out of the stall, getting a funny look from the next woman in the line. And looked at her reflection in the mirror. It's okay, she told herself, you can fix this… But first a drink. She wasn't an alcoholic. She just needed a little more courage to get through the night.

She was heading to the bar for the second time that night when she stumbled into no other than her boss. And she didn't have a happy look on her face. She stopped her conversation with one fancy looking man when she saw her and quickly grabbed her hand.

"They told me you're making my firm look desperate" That was it. Not a hello or thank you for sacrificing her time for her cause.

"News travel fast," she said, immediately biting her tongue. It was the first time she had been irreverent to her boss. Her bad luck was starting to get to her.

Aurora narrowed her eyes. She looked incredibly menacing for a woman in stilettos and high waste pants.

"What happened Miss Chase?"

"Nothing! I just tried to get clients as you told me to do. And somehow, they interpreted as being desperate" She was surprised with herself. All formality was gone.

"Let me be clear," her boss continued. "Somehow you're threatening my company's image. Fix it. Or I'll ruin your career too" And then, she was gone with the crowd of people. It was the first time she had treated Annabeth that way. But then again, it had been the only time her assistant had done something wrong. And she didn't even know what.

She managed to arrive at the bar and ordered a whiskey neat, instead of her usual wine. She had finished her third drink when someone touched her arm.

"There you are!" Triton greeted her happily.

"Here I am!" she returned the greeting cheerfully and then frowned. Maybe whiskey is too strong for me.

"Where have you been?!" Triton said as he ordered another drink for him and for her.

"Oh, you know, screwing things up. I think my boss hates me"

"Mine does too! And it's my dad"

"No way!" They made a small toast and quickly finish their drink. He ordered two more.

"And you know what! I've been nothing but perfect to her, then I make one mistake, and suddenly she wants to ruin my career. How dramatic, right?"

"Totally…and what did you do?" he asked, over tipping the bartender as he got the two other drinks.

Annabeth threw her arms into the air and exclaimed "I have no idea!" They complained about work and snobs. Annabeth wondered why they had to pay for their drinks, and Triton said it was all destined to charity.

"So, the drunker we get, the more we help" Triton deduced, happily as they finished another one.

"Amen to that" They chatted a little bit more until Triton asked for another round.

"I think I reached my limit," Annabeth said, eyeing her drink suspiciously.

"Nonsense," Triton said. "You said you've already screwed up your perfect night, right? What's one more drink going to do?" Annabeth doubted. She knew she might have been using alcohol as a coping mechanism for failure. But it was too late now.

"You're right" she took the drink and said "Cheers to my fake boyfriend"

"Cheers to my fake girlfriend" When they were down, he frowned.

"What?" Annabeth asked seeing his face.

"I was supposed to look for you so we could give an interview"

"Then let's do it!" she cheerfully said, standing up from her stool. She quickly lost her balance and Triton had to help her stabilize. He nodded and, together, started working through the crowd of people. Annabeth had a hard time trying not to crash with everyone around, but alcohol wasn't her friend. She ended up tripping and someone managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

She giggled.

"Oops, sorry" she drunkenly apologized, but her mind sobered up when she encountered worried sea-green eyes.

"Hi, seaweed brain!" she greeted way too cheerfully. She winced mentally. Try not to sound too drunk.

"Annabeth, are you drunk? Weren't you supposed to be making contacts?" he shot an annoyed look to the man behind her.

"I'm fine. Why don't you go and kiss that Atlas girl" she said getting free from his arms, earning a surprised look from him.

"Yes, Perseus. She's fine" Triton reinforced, grabbing Annabeth's arm and pulling her away. When she blinked, they were already lost in the sea of rich people.

Finally, they were back on the entrance stairs. A bunch of paparazzi and reporters got their tools ready as they were approaching. Don't mess it up, don't mess it, don't mess it up.

Thanks to the alcohol, they looked like a cheerful and drunk in love type of couple. Triton answered perfectly all the questions without even giving a hint that he was full of booze, as he had already mastered the art of giving interviews on that day. Annabeth told the story of how they met flawlessly and how he managed to win her heart sending flowers to her desk every day. At last, something was going well on Annabeth's night…until she heard the song. The known guitar intro that had hunted her for years. The only memory her father had allowed her to have from her mother.

That damn old Spanish song.

Tus ojos, que contemplo, con delicia,

tienen, el mismo brillo, de la aurora

And suddenly, she was sober again. The flashes of the cameras were blinding her, and she couldn't understand what the hell the reporters were asking her. She had been a fool. She was scared of losing her job, but at the same time, she didn't feel like herself.

"Miss Chase?" A beautiful young woman asked her.

"Yes?" she replied weakly. What the hell was she doing? Why was she playing this game?

"Can you tell us about your mother?"

Y por eso, yo los adoro,

y hasta el fondo del alma, me embeleso,

"What do you want to know about her?" her throat was dry, and her head was hurting. She was so tired.

"Is it true she left you? That she didn't want you, so she abandoned you and your father?"

"How do you…?"

"Do you identify yourself with her?"

saben llorar, de pena, cuando lloro,

y se llenan, de amor, cuando los beso

She remembered her dad and her dancing in their then-new and small apartment to that song. She would step on his feet and they would twirl around the only mattress they had. She remembered him crying on his desk while the damn song played on his old player record. She remembered having cried with him.

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked in a dazed. The flashes still playing with her mind, the words of Aurora repeating on her head and her chest aching at the sight of Percy with another girl.

"Well, some people say you might be playing with Triton, just like your mother played with your father"

2 hours after the Spring Charity Ball

She had run away.

As she always did when things got ruff.

As her mother had done all those years ago.

After the interview, she had told Triton that she needed a little bit of fresh air. It had been partly true. Only she never returned to the MET. She had wandered aimlessly around the streets of Manhattan, before finally stopping on a twenty-four-hour coffee shop.

She drank tons of black coffee to clear her mind. The waitress was looking suspiciously at her, eyeing her fancy dress and sweaty face, surely doubting if she was rich or she liked dressing up. When she felt a little soberer, she called her dad.

"Honey, it's two in the morning in New York" he greeted groggily. "Is everything alright?"

She took a deep breath.

"Dad, am I like mom?"

Silence.

"Why are you asking that?" he finally said, more alert.

"It's just…today I realized something. I saw myself being capable of living a lie just so I can achieve what I think I want…that I'm capable of abandoning the guy I like, just because I feel he's only gonna weight me down in my success…and it made me ask myself…how far am I willing to go?" Her father remained silent. "And…I don't know…I guess I thought about my mom and wondered if, given the situation, I would have done what she did, abandoning everyone and only focusing on my career"

She finished her third cup of coffee as she looked out the window, dreading for his answer. He sighed.

"Annabeth, I'm afraid you're the only that can answer that question"

She pinched the bridge of her nose and smiled.

"I knew you would say that"

They stayed in silence.

"I do want you to know…" he said out of the blue. "That whatever the answer to that question is, your mom did have good things too"

"Really?" He had never said that before. "Like what?"

"Well, she was an excellent listener. She always heard my problems and no matter how small they were, she helped me solve them. She was clever, really clever. Her temperance was like no other, and her aura was pretty powerful. Any room would quiet down, every time she entered. Strong, independent, and was not afraid to express her opinion" he sighed. "I still admire her"

She dwelled on it for a few seconds.

"Thanks, dad. I think I'm better now"

"Good, now, can we finish this conversation tomorrow? When I'm back home from this damn hospital?"

She smiled. "Sure, dad"

They hung up and Annabeth asked for another cup of coffee before leaving.

4 hours after the Spring Charity Ball

Annabeth had kept walking through Manhattan. Honestly, she was surprised nobody had mugged her. Although her phone had died immediately after the conversation with her dad, so she didn't care if somebody wanted to take it from her.

6 hours after the Spring Charity Ball

She had decided to watch the sunrise from Brooklyn Bridge.

8 hours after the Spring Charity Ball

Annabeth's heart stopped when she walked into her street and Percy's Prius was parked in front of her building. She sped up her pace as she got her keys out from her small black purse. She took the elevator since her feet hurt from walking on heels all night.

She neared the door and heard two people arguing.

"What the hell, Percy?!" Thalia exclaimed.

"She told me she was fine! I trusted her!" he argued, just as heatedly.

"And she disappeared into Manhattan drunk and alone…anything could have happened to her!"

"I didn't think Triton would be that stupid"

She heard someone pacing.

"But what exactly did he tell you?" Thalia asked, desperately. She felt bad eavesdropping, but she really wanted to know.

"That she had gone for air, and that she had never come back"

Silence.

"I'm glad you punched him"

"Me too"

"So, what do we do now?"

"I don't know…call the police?"

She had heard enough. She got her keys out and opened the door. Thalia and Percy stood frozen on each side of their table. Their eyes were fixed on her. Thalia's hair was still ruffled by the pillow, she had her usual pajamas and her cellphone was on her right hand. Percy had lost his tuxedo's jacket and had only his vest on top of his white shirt. His right hand was covered in gauze and there was a little bit of blood visible.

When she closed the door, they both exploded.

"What the hell Annabeth?!"

"Why didn't you call?"

"Do you have any idea how worried we were?"

She took off her shoes as they continued rambling and started walking towards Percy. They finally quieted down as she surrounded him with her arms and buried her face on his chest. And she did what she hadn't done in years. She cried her eyes out for her mom.