Hey Guys! Another chapter finally uploaded. Sorry for being late but I've been pretty busy lately.

Thank you Hopeandbrownies and Dotsey for all your support. I love reading your reviews!

I do not own anything from Rick Riordan's Universe.

Chapter 17

"To finish, Miss Chase, why should we choose you?"

The interviewer was a woman a little bit older than Annabeth. She had been clearly hired by the firm to spare them the process of headhunting, probably thinking they would save costs and time. Annabeth had to go through a lot of filters to finally be allowed the interview, and even then, she thought there would be a thousand filters more after. If she even made it through the interrogation.

"I'm a fast learner and a good listener. I think I can bring a fresh view into the firm, without passing as irreverent or egocentric. I work well in a team, but I also consider I have leadership traits for assuming the responsibility of supervising a project."

Her interviewer nodded thoughtfully and shuffled again through Annabeth's portfolio. She doubted the head huntress knew anything about architecture and maybe was just looking at her blueprints thinking if they were cool enough.

"Well, that's it for us today." She finally said, closing her file.

Annabeth stood up at the same time as the woman, subtly trying to fix her skirt which had climbed up unwantedly. The woman gave her a kind smile and they shook hands.

"Thank you for the opportunity," Annabeth said, grabbing her bag and returning the smile. But before she could leave the small office the woman called her. Her interviewer's eyes were now looking at her pitifully, and she took a deep breath.

"I'm gonna be honest with you," she continued, and Annabeth's heart dropped to the ground. "I think you are a very talented architect and you have an incredible attitude as longs as some very creative ideas. Unfortunately, the firm is looking for someone with more practical experience."

"I have the experience," Annabeth argued. "I worked with Aurora Williams for more than two years…"

"As her assistant, not as an architect." The interviewer specified, calmly.

"But I still learned a lot from her designs and the way she deals with her clients. I'm sure I can apply that knowledge in an actual tangible way."

The interview raised her hands in a surrender sign. "It's a valid point, Miss Chase. I'm just giving you a heads up."

Annabeth sighed and nodded. "I know. Thank you so much for your time and have a good afternoon."

She knew what a 'heads up' was and it was just a sensible way of telling her not to get surprised if she didn't get called back. Somberly, she walked past the couch where the other young candidates were sitting and threw them an annoyed look for no reason. As if they would have more practical experience than her.

Stupid firms asking for recent graduates to have experience. How do they expect them to learn if they only want people who already have learned what they want?

So damn confusing.

She reached the ground floor and put her brown coat back on. November had started chillier than usual, and Annabeth thought it was the better that way so she could blame her sullen mood on the weather.

The subway was not as crowded when she started to make her way back home. It was weird seeing it like that, after two years of traveling in office hours, but after two months of being unemployed, Annabeth was already getting used to it. It was even a surprise for her when she could seat, instead of standing the whole ride. She even felt guilty about having a seat.

On that day, however, she decided to stand during the ride, even if there were seats available. She was very tempted to open the book she had been reading and finish it once and for all, but she was quickly running out of things to read, and not having money prevented her from buying more.

Her phone started ringing, and Annabeth almost jumped of joy when she pulled it out of her bag. Her face broke into a full grin.

"Hey!" she greeted cheerfully.

"Hey, Wise Girl!" he whispered. "How did it go?"

She heard several voices in the background and frowned.

"Why are you whispering? Percy Jackson are you in a meeting?"

"Um…it's an unimportant one." He said dismissively. "Don't change the subject. How was your interview?"

She sighed. "They gave me a heads up."

"That bad?"

"They want someone with more practical experience, and since I was only Aurora's assistant…"

"But you learned a lot from her."

"Yeah…But it's not the same."

"Their loss…uh, wait a second." She heard a muffled conversation on the other side and the sound of Percy apologizing, and then he was back talking to her. "So, what else did they tell you?"

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Percy go back to your meeting. You need to take your job more seriously. We can talk about my interview later when we meet for dinner."

He took a deep breath. "Okay. Pick you up?"

"Nah. We'll meet there. I need to feel independent."

He chuckled. "Fine. And, hey, remember you're the most talented architect in the world. You're gonna get a job soon."

A talented architect with no practical experience.

"Yeah. Thanks, Seaweed Brain."

HeythereimalinebreakenjoyyourdayHeythereimalinebreakenjoyyourdayHeythereimalinebreake

"For the gods, Annabeth. Did you drink all of this?" Thalia said grabbing the empty bottle of wine from the coffee table. Annabeth, who was sitting on the floor against their sofa, adjusted her reading glasses suspecting she was having trouble seeing due to the alcohol and not because her eyes were tired.

"It's empty already?" She frowned over to her side. "Then how come I'm still drinking from it." Thalia tilted her head and laughed.

"You opened another one."

"Oh, right." She resumed tapping on her laptop.

"I assume things didn't go well in the interview," Thalia said walking towards her and taking the rest of the wine away. Annabeth pouted but didn't make any effort on getting it back.

"Yeah…I'm not getting the job, and I'm running out of important firms to apply to. There a surplus of professional architects and a shortage of jobs. Plus…" she closed their Excel spreadsheet and put her laptop aside. "… I'm running out of money. I'll only be able to pay next month's rent before my savings disappear completely."

Thalia sat next to her. "I thought you had more money."

"I did. But I spent a lot fixing Zoë's car and getting my new cellphone, and subway passes are not cheap at all. New York's expensive, man. I need to get a job soon."

"Well, I have enough to cover the whole rent for a few months," Thalia said, trying to lift her spirit.

"I don't want you to do that. I wanna help with my own money. Besides, I'm gonna lose my mind if I don't find something to do fast, and I'm running out of books already."

Thalia snorted. "Who runs out of books?"

"Um, people who actually like reading."

"Maybe you should try applying to a small firm," Thalia suggested, standing up again and going for her guitar.

Annabeth didn't like the idea. She had worked for the best architecture firm in all New York and changing that for a small amateur one seemed like a huge setback. Her father had recommended another option. Looking for work outside of New York, but she liked that idea even less.

She sighed. "We'll see."

"Good, now you go and take a cold shower unless you want to meet up with Percy reeking of cheap wine."

HeythereimalinebreakenjoyyourdayHeythereimalinebreakenjoyyourdayHeythereimalinebreake

November passed in a blur and soon the streets were full of Christmas decorations and a thick layer of snow. Annabeth had applied for a couple of other positions, but she hadn't been called from any of them. In some grey days, Annabeth had considered begging back for her job to Aurora, but she was too proud to ever do it. She had never realized how hard the competition for young architectures was in New York because she had spent a lot of time under Aurora's wings. But now, it was clear she was just another desperate aspirer.

Annabeth had spent her last cent on buying presents for her family and friends, and she was now officially out of money. That's why she found herself spying the menu in the restaurant looking for the cheapest thing to eat and, surprise, it had to be the tomato soup.

Just her luck.

It had been Piper's idea to share a Christmas dinner between friends before they all went to spend their holidays in family. Annabeth had suggested the idea of cooking a big meal at home, but nobody wanted the mess in the kitchen, so it had been a general consensus to go out to a fancy place. Annabeth hadn't blamed them for not thinking about her situation, because she hadn't told them how broke she was. They all thought she still had some savings on her account. She even had tried hiding it for Percy, but he was begging to suspect it.

At one point in the evening, the conversation turned into their works. Will was telling them different stories from weird patients he had encountered in his years as a resident; Piper was happy because her biggest article yet had been praised by the editor in chief, and had put her in charge of a major review for the next year's collections; Jason had been accepted by a big company in Wall Street; And, even Leo was considering quitting the firm to join an interesting Engineering group in the city.

Annabeth was happy for them…but also a little jealous.

"…then we did an MRI on him and turns out the guy had eaten the Christmas decorations from the tree because he didn't want his wife to find out he hated them."

They all laughed as the waiter took their order. Annabeth asked for the soup, and Percy threw her a questioning look.

"I just want something warm." She told him, quietly.

"There's warm wine." He said scanning the menu. "You can order that and something you'll actually like."

"I've started to like soups." She said smirking and Percy snorted. "It's fine, Seaweed Brain. I'm not that hungry anyway."

He didn't seem convinced but didn't push it any further. Instead, he surrounded her waist with his left arm and pulled closer to him, planting a soft kiss on the top of her head. Annabeth relaxed her body against his and leaned her head against his shoulder. Percy always gave her a sense of peace.

"We should plan a trip together." Piper proposed when they had finished eating.

Nico Di Angelo raised his eyebrow. "A trip?"

"Yeah. We can all reserve a few vacation days for next year and go camping, or to the beach, or to a lake…something like that."

Nico didn't seem convinced by the idea, but Will smiled brightly at him. "I think It'll be fun, but I'll have to check with my boss."

"Isn't your dad the owner of the hospital?" Percy asked, smirking.

"I still have to follow the normal conducts. It's only fair."

Annabeth frowned at her boyfriend. "Are you gonna ask Poseidon to give you vacations because he's your dad?"

"Well, he's also my direct boss." He defended himself and then winked at her. "So, I'm just following the regular conduct."

"Aha."

"What do you say Annabeth?" Piper asked excitedly. Annabeth hesitated, because she didn't have any money left, and assuming she'd managed to get a job for next year, she couldn't ask her boss for vacation days having only started working.

"We'll see. I need to know if I get a job first." She said, earning an adorable pout from her friend, but Piper didn't push it further.

They finally got out of the restaurant and while Percy and Nico talked about random things, Piper pulled her aside.

"How are you holding up?" she asked.

Annabeth sighed.

"I've had a lot of interviews with different firms, but none of them have called me back. I'm beginning to worry about not finding anything in the city."

Her friend nodded and when she spoke again a little white cloud emerged from her mouth. It was really cold that night.

"What about things with Percy?"

Annabeth smiled brightly. "They're going great. He's been a huge support for me these last months, and we haven't fought in ages. It just feels good. How are things with Jason?" she asked, watching the guy in question talking through the phone a few steps away from her.

Piper shrugged. "We have decided to slow things down and give us some time."

"And?"

"It's been hard. I really miss him, but I think it'll be for the best."

"Well, I think you took a very mature decision."

"Thanks." She bit her lip. "Annabeth, I know you want to be part of a big firm but," she stopped to look for something on her purse. She took out a small presentation card and handed it to her. "We did a small article on a firm that built chic houses for rich people, and also does some interior design stuff in the city. I know you're more into designing huge facilities, but maybe it'll help while you find a better job."

Annabeth accepted the card and inspected it. "Thanks, Pipes, I really appreciate it."

Her friend gave her a last hug, before saying goodbye and leaving with Jason. She watched the little card thoughtfully. It was true Annabeth was not into home architecture, but she wasn't sure she had the luxury of saying no anymore.

Someone hugged her from behind, and Annabeth relaxed into Percy's arms. She didn't even have to look to know it was him as if her body had memorized his, completely. She felt all her worries melting away when he whispered, "Spend the night at my place?"

"I didn't bring any of my stuff." She said, knowing fully well she was agreeing anyway.

Percy smirked before saying, "Don't worry. You won't need them."

She punched him and his chuckle made the night a tad warmer.

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Annabeth loved watching Percy sleep. That might have sounded a little bit creepy, but she had been suffering from insomnia lately, and watching him snoring peacefully was the only way to endure the night without losing her mind.

He slept with both hands under the pillow and his face turned to one side, mouth slightly open and drooling from time to time. She didn't know why he found that position comfortable, but it gave her a stunning view of his swimmer's back, so she didn't complain much.

That's why she found herself softly drawing patterns with the tip of her fingers on his bareback to kill time. She tried hard not to think about her money and career problems and concentrated on the fact that for the first time in her life she was truly in love with a great guy. Her relationship with Luke had been awkward and frightening, while Percy made her feel comfortable and secure. Even their fights had reduced drastically.

Percy was such a heavy sleeper, that Annabeth hadn't thought she would wake him up and she stopped her fingers when she suddenly felt him stirring. He moved until he was lying on his side, and lazily pulled her naked body closer to him, without even opening his eyes. After a few seconds he was snoring again, and Annabeth decided to stay still so she wouldn't wake him up again.

She tried closing her eyes and sleeping several times, but her overactive mind ended up wondering about her career. What was she going to do? Never in her life, she had thought all of her friends would be doing great at their jobs while she hadn't been able to get one. She was Annabeth, the work freak, the best student, the objective one, the focused one…And now she was the girl who had been fired for making a scene in front of her clients. When had her life taken such a turn?

She knew the answer.

When Percy appeared into her life.

And she loved him so much, but was that going to be enough?

The thoughts kept swirling in her head until the sunlight began filtering through the window and Annabeth decided she needed fresh air. Careful not to wake Percy up, she got out of bed, put her clothes back on and headed outside. She texted Percy letting him now she had gone for breakfast.

As she checked the menu in the small shop, Annabeth realized she only had enough cash for an egg bagel and two coffees. She cursed Percy for not buying the coffee maker as she had suggested to him, and then ordered the food to go. Whatever she decided to do with her career, she needed money and fast. She looked at the people working behind the counter, and wondered if she could get a half-time job while she decided what to do…would that leave her even more out of the market?

When she was back, Percy had already showered and was putting on his working clothes, as his playlist was softly being played by his wireless speaker.

"Morning," she said, taking off her coat and putting the paper bag with the bagel on the counter. She walked over and handed him the still-warm coffee.

"Morning," he greeted back, accepting the paper cup and then taking a quick sip before giving her a sweet kiss on her lips. She loved it when he tasted like coffee. "Where did you go?"

"To that small bagel shop a few streets down. I remembered you saying you wanted to try it, so I saw the chance of actually having it today."

He frowned. "I don't remember that shop."

She laughed. "That's because your memory sucks Seaweed Brain.

He grimaced. "That's a low blow."

She shrugged and sat on the bed as he finished readying himself. His scent was coming out on streaks from the bathroom, and she felt tempted to lock herself in there and also have a warm shower herself.

Percy went to the kitchen and opened the bad. He frowned and said, "There's only one."

Annabeth yawned. "I'm not hungry yet, so I'm having breakfast later since I don't have to get to work." She hadn't finished her explanation when Percy was already opening the cabinet and getting two dishes out. With a knife, he split it in half, and she gave her a funny look when he handed a piece to her. He returned the look.

"I heard your stomach growling during the night, Annabeth. I know you're hungry."

She blushed for getting caught in her lie and begrudgingly accepted the food. The truth was, she was really starving, and it was the first time she finished eating before Percy. They chatted a little bit about her plans for the day, and Annabeth's eyes began to grow heavier.

"I have to fill some forms for the last firm I'm applying to." She said, rubbing her eyes. "Then, maybe looking for possible half-time jobs."

Percy finished brushing his teeth and asked, "Half time?"

"Yeah. Honestly, there's not a high chance for this firm to accept me and…" she cleared her throat. "…I'm kind of running low on money."

As she had suspected, he didn't seem surprised by her announcement. He sat back on the bed next to her and gave a gentle squeeze to her left hand.

"You don't know for sure if this firm is not going to hire you…besides I'm sure there's still a lot of them out there that need someone like you."

She thought about the card Piper had given her the other night.

"Yeah, maybe."

Then, he hesitated before saying, "And about the money…"

She shook her head. "I have it under control. It's okay."

He sighed. "If you say so."

She yawned, before looking at her watch. "It's late. You should be going to work, and I going home."

"You can sleep here." He said, pushing a blond cur behind her ear. "Recover some lost sleep, and then I'll take you home in the afternoon."

She wanted to argue about wanting to get home on her own, but it would be wonderful if she could save a subway ride.

"Yeah, okay. That reminds me," she said while he was standing up. "Can you give me Will's number? I lost it with my old phone."

"Uh, sure. Why?"

"I want to talk to him about my insomnia. Maybe he can prescribe me something that'd help me sleep."

He nodded. "I'll text it to you…Although I think you should go back to your therapist and talk about it before you take unnecessary pills."

She grimaced. "I'll think about it. Now, go. You're running late." She pulled him towards her and gave him a slow deep kiss. He placed his hands in her lower back and returned the kiss ferociously.

"Maybe I can stay a few minutes more." He said out of breath, his hands wandering under her shirt. She stopped them from exploring further and laughed at his adorable pout. "No, Percy. You need to go."

"C'mon Annabeth! We didn't even get to shower together this morning."

"We did last night!"

"It's never too much."

She laughed and gave him a last sweet kiss. "Just go."

He grunted. "Fine. But it'll be on your mind that my day could have been a lot better."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll survive."

When he was gone, she closed the door behind him and got the card out of her jeans.

Maybe it was time to swallow her pride and make the call.