Chapter 20

Annabeth POV

I'd never seen the resort's ballroom before tonight, and I've got to say, I feel like I've stepped into the ballroom of a castle. The room is lined with marble columns that stretch all the way up to the domed ceiling, and a brilliant chandelier hangs from above, its crystals so delicate I feel as though they might shatter under my gaze.

The tall, arched windows that line the walls have a brilliant view of the blossoming roses in the resort's gardens and the pitch black sky outside. The ballroom is on the highest floor of the Colosseum, so through the windows we also have a view of the city lights and the Los Angeles skyline.

I inhale sharply, biting the inside of my cheek.

One day I'm going to create something just as brilliant as this.

Beside me, Percy's voice startles me out of my thoughts. "Hey, you good?"

I look over at him, and not for the first time tonight, I appreciate just how handsome he looks. Percy's sea-green eyes stand out brilliantly against the darkness of his charcoal suit, and he looks more put together than I've ever seen him.

Except maybe his hair. That was always going to be a lost cause.

I smile up at Percy. "Never better."

He grins, and together, we move forward into the ballroom.

All around us, couples in crisp suits and cocktail dresses roam around, smiling and holding champagne glasses. The more colorful clothing stands out brilliantly against the whiteness of the marble ballroom, and I can't help but think that the whole place looks like a modernized version of an old painting.

Tonight is the annual Olympus Resort board dinner party, and I've got to say, it lives up to its prestigious reputation. Dozens of donors and timeshare owners are intermixed with a few people I recognize who are actually on the resort board with my mom. There are also a couple of teenagers sprinkled here and there, no doubt children who got roped into this just like Percy and me.

I sneak a glance at Percy while he's not looking, and I can't help but smile when I notice the way the moonlight catches his hair, giving it a silvery glow. When Percy catches me starring at him, he flushes.

"Why are you smiling?" He asks. "Do I have something weird on my face?"

I smirk. "Nothing that isn't usually there."

Percy makes a face and playfully bumps me with his shoulder, making me laugh.

We're a lot closer now, and I can feel the heat of his arm against mine. And almost against my will, I slowly snake my hand around his wrist, wrapping my fingers through his.

Percy beams down at me, holding my eyes for a long moment before saying, "Let's go find the others."

We make our way through the ballroom, weaving our way through couples and cocktail tables as we do. I nudge Percy when I spot our friends, and together, we head over to them.

Jason and Thalia stand close together with Piper and Luke right behind them. Jason and Thalia's arms are crossed over their chests, and they appear to be arguing over something. No doubt it's something stupid.

Jason looks handsome in his licorice colored suit and blue tie, and Thalia looks down right gorgeous as well. She wears a long, black, two-pice dress that has a collared neck and exposes her midriff. Her choppy hair is pulled back with a thin, silver headband, and her electric blue eyes stand out more than ever.

"I can't believe you've been playing me this whole time," Jason whines.

"I can't help it that you were too dumb to figure it out!" Thalia protests.

Beside each of the siblings, Piper and Luke are leaning against the wall, looking annoyed. This argument has probably been going on for a while. Piper wears a light green, sleeveless gown and has her long, chestnut hair pulled up in a bun. Her eyes go wide when she sees Percy and me approaching.

"Oh thank gods," she says, sitting up. Then she smiles. "Oh Annabeth, you look absolutely beautiful!"

I feel my cheeks go red. "Says you!"

Piper just waves me off. "Don't be ridiculous." Then she notices Percy and me holding hands and grins, "You're a lucky guy Percy."

Percy smiles and looks down at me. "Don't I know it."

I playfully nudge him with my shoulder, embarrassed. "Stop it. Both of you," I say indignantly, even though really, I feel like jumping up and down.

"Yeah, yeah, she looks downright gorgeous," Thalia says not once breaking the death stare she's giving Jason. "Now will one of you please tell Jason I didn't do anything wrong."

"Thalia you saw all of them!" He says. "You were scamming me, pure and simple, and I want my money back."

Thalia finally breaks her stare to turn to Percy for assurance. "A little support?"

"Nah, I'm enjoying this."

I turn to Percy "Care to explain?" I ask, suddenly growing very entertained by the scene that is unfolding in front of us.

Percy cocks his head. "For a couple of weeks, Jason and Thals have been placing bets on Love It or List it. I'm guessing Jase finally found out that Thalia has already seen every episode."

Jason turns on Percy. "Wait, you knew about this!"

"Oh shit," Percy mumbles beside me.

Jason shakes his head. "My own cousin and my own sister. Unbelievable."

Piper leans over and grabs his hand. "I think we're gonna go cool off. Come on Sparky." Piper gives me one last wink over Jason's shoulder, and together they begin walking towards the refreshments table on the other side of the room.

After a moment, Thalia crosses her arms defiantly. "I didn't do anything wrong."

Beside her, Luke smirks, shaking his head. "Of course you didn't."

I look over at him. Luke is leaning casually against the wall, his arms tucked behind his back. He has his hair gelled and he fiddles with his cufflinks distractedly.

Once again, I get that sudden pang of familiarity when I see him, and it makes me incredibly uneasy. I don't remember ever knowing Luke from anywhere before coming to the resort, but for whatever reason, my subconscious seems to think I do.

Luke meets my eyes, and I quickly turn away.

Strangely, I get the sense that he knows slightly more than he's letting on, but I set the thought aside. I'm probably just being paranoid.

All of a sudden, a loud voice booms over the ballroom.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the voice says. "Thank you for coming to the annual Olympus Resort Board and Donner Dinner Party. The meal will commence shortly, so if you would please make your way to the Dining Area, it would be greatly appreciated."

Thalia turns toward Percy and me. "Well, that's our cue," she says. "See ya," and she and Luke begin heading in the direction of one of the archways that leads into the dining hall.

Percy squeezes my hand. "We should probably head over too."

I nod reluctantly. "Wouldn't want to miss anything exciting," I say sarcastically, making Percy laugh.

He and I follow Thalia and Luke to the arch, but we split off from them once we enter the room since we're going to be sitting in different sections.

The dining area is this big, elegant room with gold trimming and a long table that runs for several feet. There must be dozens of chairs lining the table, and each one has a fancy little placard with one of the guest's names on it.

"Let's go find our names," Percy says, still holding my hand.

I'm glad he hasn't let go yet.

We join the throng of people that are moving towards the table and follow closely behind, reading the placards as we circle the room.

When we finally find our names, I'm glad to find that we are sitting near the edge of the table (inconspicuous escape if the need arises).

I can tell Percy is about to pull out my chair for me, so I shoot him a glare. "Uh-uh. You know the drill."

Percy laughs and steps back as I pull out his chair for him.

"You know, I could get used to this," he jokes, and I give him a light punch as we sit down.

Around us, other people begin taking their seats, and Percy and I make small talk for a little bit as they do, making fun of some particularly pretentious looking couples.

The whole room is absolutely gorgeous, coated in these ancient-looking tapestries. I feel like I've been thrown into the past, and the thought makes me smile.

That is, until someone particularly annoying takes a seat across from Percy and me, ruining any sense of peace we'd found.

The kid who sits down across from us has light blond hair, and a hallowed face. He appears to have a permanent scowl that simply reeks of conceit. On his wrists are two Rolex watches I know I couldn't afford to buy even if I worked for a decade.

"Honestly, they call this a ballroom," the boy grumbles, and Percy and I exchange annoyed glances.

I turn back to the kid. "Hi," I say giving him a slight wave, "I'm Annabeth Chase, and this is Percy Jackson."

Percy holds out his hand for the boy to shake. "How you doing?"

The boy looks down at Percy's hand, as if seizing up just how many germs he could contract from it, but then decides to shake it, probably figuring that anyone at this dinner party is probably someone worth his time.

"Octavian Augur," the boy says.

Around us, some more couples have filled in the seats, though a few are still empty.

The boy, Octavian, tilts his chin up, "So, what's your connection?" He asks.

I want to roll my eyes, but instead, I just smile sweetly and say, "Architect's daughter."

"Huh," Octavian nods, apparently satisfied, and then turns his gaze to Percy. "And you?"

By the way his jaw is clenched, I can tell Percy already hates this kid, but like me, he just puts on a smile. "Owner's nephew," he says.

Octavian's eyebrows shoot up. "Impressive," he says. "I'm repping for my parents tonight. We're investors. They would come, but they had something more pressing to attend."

His voice reeks of arrogance as he says it, as if having to come to a fancy, exclusive dinner party at one of the fanciest resorts in the country is some kind of major burden.

I don't know how to respond to that, but luckily I don't have to, because just then, a man in a crisp suit and a woman who is seriously decked out in diamonds walk over to the table. "Octavian!" the man says, he and the woman taking the seats beside Octavian. "How are your parents doing?"

Octavian turns on his charm like he's flipped a switch, and immediately begins kissing up to the couple, completely forgetting about Percy and I.

Gods this kid was annoying.

Percy squeezes my hand under the table, and I shoot him a grateful smile. There are few things I hate in this world more than fake people, but feeling Percy's hand around mine reminds me that not everyone is like that.

A couple of seats down, I notice my mom take a seat near the head of the table. She looks elegant with her long, blond hair tied back and a silvery dress that brings out the color of her eyes.

When she catches my eye, I shoot her a smile. In response, she gives me a curt nod.

I roll my eyes, turning away.

Percy seems to have noticed my exchange with my mom, and he bumps my shoulder playfully, obviously trying to cheer me up.

"Hey, we've already fulfilled our duty of appearance," he says. "What do you say we get out of here for a little while?"

I look at him. "Percy…"

"Percy what?" He asks. "I can tell you want to be here even less than I do, and that's saying something."

The corner of my lips twitches up in amusement. "We can't just leave," I protest, but even as I do, I feel my subconscious think, well, why not?

"Why not?" Percy says mirroring my thoughts. "Our parents have seen us already, and no one will notice if we're missing for a while."

I look into Percy's eyes. They're wild, and brilliant, and I can't help being completely attracted to him right now.

I smile. "Alright."

"Yes!" Percy pumps his fist subtly.

"As long as we're back for dessert," I say. "There's no way I'm missing a chance to pig out on rich people chocolate soufflé."

"Oh of course," Percy says smiling. "That was a given."

Casually, the two of us rise from our seats, sliding our chairs in behind us. We begin making our way down the table towards the exit, and I'm careful not to be seen by my mom as we do.

As beautiful as that room had been, I feel like I'm breathing in a breath of fresh air as soon as we step into the hallway. Being around that many pompous assholes makes you claustrophobic.

"So, where to?" I ask Percy, teasingly.

He puts his hand to his chin, thinking for a moment before he grins and says, "Let's let the fates decide."

I cock an eyebrow "I don't even want to know what that means."

Percy laughs. "Pick a number."

I don't hesitate. "Three."

Percy nods approvingly. "Good choice."

Then, he makes his way to the side of the hall and begins to walk, trailing his hand against the wall.

I follow behind him. "Percy what are you-"

"Uh-uh," he says. "We don't question fate."

I roll my eyes at him, but I'm smiling. "You're such a seaweed brain."

After a couple of steps, we pass a door, and as soon as Percy's hand crosses over it, he says outloud, "One."

Catching on, I shake my head. "Oh no Percy, I don't-"

"Two," Percy says, as we pass a second door. He's smirking so hard I could slap him.

"Percy-" I warn, but it's too late, we've already reached another door.

"Three!" Percy says, and pushes open the door to his right.

The door opens up into a long, fluorescent hallway that is such a stark contrast from the expensive lighting of the hallway we're currently in that it seriously throws me off.

Percy grins mischievously. "After you," he says.

I shake my head at him, but I'm grinning. "You know this could literally lead anywhere," I say, stepping through the door. "What if we're heading into someone's private room?"

"If it leads into someone's private room," Percy starts, letting the door swing shut behind him. "Then they are incredibly stupid for leaving it unlocked. I mean, what kind of people don't account for pesky teenagers in fancy attire prowling the hallways at night opening random doors?"

I laugh, and Percy and I walk down the hall for a little bit. The path winds and dips, and in addition to wondering why on earth the resort has all of these hidden hallways, I start to worry that Percy and I are going to get lost. After about a minute however, we're suddenly hit by a burst of various aromas I can't quite place, and we both walk a little bit further, suddenly curious.

Percy and I turn a corner, and I'm surprised to see that it opens up into this giant fluorescent-lit kitchen space with dozens of table tops all lined with plates of food.

"Oh no way!" Percy says beside me. "We found the kitchen!"

I laugh. "There's no way we have jurisdiction to be back here."

Percy shrugs, smirking. "You and I have done worse."

Grinning, I walk forward, deeper into the room. "You can say that again," I remark, looking around.

The tables are all lined up in perfect alignment, and the food that lies on top of each surface seems to be separated by what course they're supposed to be brought out in. One has salads, another has soup, and further down I see all the dishes they're offering for the main course. Then, just past that, something I see catches my eye.

"Percy," I say, a grin slowly making its way to my face.

Percy cocks an eyebrow. "Uh oh," he says. "I know that face. That face scares me."

I grab his arm and drag him past the first couple rows of tables until we reach the one I have in mind.

The dessert table is covered in what looks like a million different dishes. Lemon cakes and chocolate mousse and creme brulee and dozens more I couldn't even begin to name.

I bite my lip, nodding my head mischievously. "Oh yeah."

Percy's eyes go wide when he sees my expression, and he quickly shakes his head. "Um, I think you mean oh no."

"Oh come on!" I groan. "No one will notice if a few go missing. There are way too many desserts here for everyone in that room. Even if people had two of everything, there'd still be leftovers."

Percy pauses, seeming to consider this. Then he shrugs. "I guess I can't argue with that logic."

I laugh at how easily he caves, and I take a step towards the table, feeling evil. "What should we try first?"

Percy grins and steps toward a group of cupcakes with blue icing, grabbing one and taking a bite out of it. As soon as the dessert is in his mouth, he groans. "Oh, this is amazing."

I smile, immediately remembering the story Percy had disclosed to me about his mother and their running joke of eating blue food. There is something so endearing about the fact that that tradition means as much to him as it does.

Percy's mouth quirks up, and he holds out the cupcake to me. "Try it."

I reach my hand out to grab the cupcake from him, but Percy pulls it back with a shake of his head, his grin growing mischievous. He holds it out again, and this time, I get his meaning.

I feel my heart skip a beat, but I don't hesitate. Slowly, I lean forward, taking a bite of the cupcake in his hand. Percy and I both burst out laughing as the icing gets on my face and he playfully pulls me close with his free hand, brushing his thumb across my lower lip to wipe away the frosting.

There is something so light and casual about his touch, it makes my heart flutter. I've never been this casually intimate with a guy before, and I've got to say, it's one of the best feelings in the world.

I quickly lean forward and place a quick peck on the corner of his lips.

The kiss is light and playful, nothing like the heated one we shared last night, but there is something equally as special about this one. An innocent happiness that makes me want to melt from the inside out.

When I pull away, Percy has a massive grin on his face. "We should leave our lives in the hands of the fates more often," he jokes

I roll my eyes and playfully elbow him. "Okay seaweed brain."

We spend the next couple of minutes just like that, eating random deserts off the table and just playing around. I find my heart growing fonder for Percy with every moment that passes, and the happiness I feel right now is so incredible, it almost scares me.

The two of us are sitting on the floor by one of the tables, taking turns spooning from a bowl of sorbet, when all of a sudden, we hear footsteps and voices coming from the hallway.

Percy and I look at eachother, eyes wide. Then we look at the mess of empty bowls and plates around us, and the panic we're both feeling seems to multiply by a million.

"What do we do?" Percy whispers hurriedly.

The voices from the hallway grow louder.

Think Annabeth, think.

Very quickly, without even realizing what I'm doing, I begin to slide the dirty plates under the table.

Percy's jaw drops. "You want us to hide the plates under the table?"

I shrug apprehensively, and immediately continue shoving some used napkins under the table cloth.

Percy laughs. "You're amazing," he says, and begins helping me shove everything under.

We quickly shove the last two items under the table, just as some workers turn the corner into the room. There are five men, all in waiters' outfits, and all shocked to see two teenagers standing around a dessert table with a huge portion of the dishes missing. We make eye contact with them for a moment, before Percy shouts, "Run!"

He doesn't have to tell me twice.

"Hey!" one of the waiters shouts, but we're too quick. Percy and I dip past him, into the hallway.

We zoom down the hallway as fast as we can, and as we run, I burst out laughing. Percy joins in, and pretty soon, we can barely run we're laughing so hard.

"Did you see the look on his face?" I weeze, slowing down as we finally make it back to the door we came through in the first place.

"Yeah, they were not expecting anyone to be in there," Percy laughs, opening the door. He holds it open for me, and I step through.

My feet are killing me after running in heels, even if just for a couple seconds, but I find that I don't care. I'm on two much of an energy high.

Percy closes the door behind him and turns to me. As soon as we make eye contact though, the two of us can't help but fall into another bout of laughter.

"We should head back," I say between giggles. "Before they find out about the plates under the table."

Percy grins and takes my hand. "Good idea."

As the two of us make our way down the hallway, I lean my head on Percy's shoulder, feeling completely content.

When we arrive back at the large double doors that lead into the ballroom and dining area, I find that I don't even really mind being back here, as long as Percy's hand is around mine.

We make our way back to our spots at the table, and I'm not surprised to find that no one seems to have even noticed that we were gone.

The next couple of hours go by fairly uneventfully. The waiters bring out plate after plate of food, and I'm thankful to say that we don't have any unwanted, awkward encounters with the men we had ran from back in the kitchen. All the food looks amazing, but Percy and I barely eat a thing, too full from our pre-dinner dessert.

Periodically throughout the dinner, I glance way down to the other end of the table where Thalia and Luke sit with Jason and Piper over near Zeus. Our friends look like they're having a good time, but part of me is glad that we aren't sitting near them. If we had been, Percy and I wouldn't have been able to bond like we are.

Later in the evening as the dinner is drawing to a close and everyone is enjoying coffee and nibbling on leftover carrot cake, I'm just about ready to go home, so I mentally groan when Zeus taps his knife on his glass to signify that he's going to make a speech.

Zeus looks intense in his pinstripe suit, and Hera sits at his side, a string of pearls around her neck and hear dark hair pulled up in a bun. She looks like the ideal poster wife if I ever saw one, and the thought makes me want to roll my eyes.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Zeus says, clearing his throat once everyone has ceased their conversations.

Here we go, I think, leaning back in my seat.

Zeus continues. "First of all, I just wanted to thank you all for coming here tonight. It means so much to us on the board to have such a supportive group of donors, investors, and consistent customers making this resort worthwhile. We would not be where we are today if not for your business."

There is a slight round of applause, and I roll my eyes as Zeus carries on.

"Anywho," he states, rapping his knuckles on the table. "We did not solely invite you here tonight for the purpose of expressing our thanks. We invited you here in large part because we have an important announcement to make on behalf of the resort."

There is some slight muttering in response from the audience.

Zeus clears his throat. "Olympus Resort is proud to announce that beginning this summer, we will be getting started on some incredible expansion plans for the hotel. Everything you already know and love will be bigger and better. Classier and grander. Olympus Resort will be like nothing anyone has ever seen before, and you all are the team that has made this possible."

The audience erupts into applause.

"Thank you for your generosity," Zeus concludes, sitting down.

All around us, couples in their expensive jewelry and conceited expressions clap as the resort announces plans to expand, but I wonder, Would they be clapping if they knew exactly what it was they were clapping for?

At that moment, all that I had uncovered within the confidential files rises to the surface of my mind. The fact that the resort is hiding things and telling lies to cover up for whatever wrong they're doing.

I look over at Percy, and immediately I can tell he is thinking the exact same thing as me.

What will the resort's expansion mean for those who stand in its way?

I shudder, and noticing my discomfort, Percy grabs my hand under the table. His eyes are warm, and I admire him so much for trying to comfort me.

I smile and squeeze his hand.

Everything will be fine, I think. As long as we're together.