It took two days to get a response, but it did come.

"A. How did you figure out that was me? And B. I was twelve."

Annabeth noticed that he didn't deny it. "So, you did blow up to St. Louis Arch."

"It was so NOT my fault."

"My friend recognized you. Apparently, you blew up a school bus."

"It was an accident. Who's your friend?"

"Piper McLean."

"Is she the girl who stole a toaster oven from the principal?"

"Piper did you steal a toaster oven in the fourth grade." Annabeth called over to Piper who was lying upside down on her bed, pretending to read.

Piper didn't look up from her textbook. "Third grade."

"Yes," Annabeth typed.

"Classic. She had style. Are you going to the bar tonight?"

"No, I hate that place. There's, like, people there."

"Excellent."

Why is that excellent?"

"You won't have a problem coming with me to the second-best smoothie place in Manhattan."

She did a brief little happy dance and caught sight of her desk, freezing mid hand shake. Annabeth looked at her reading due the next morning and then back at her phone. She really should do the reading. It was going to take forever. But she wanted to go. And if Piper found out that she turned down a date, she might not live to do the reading. "Sure, what time?"

"I'll pick you up around 8?"

"I thought you didn't have a car."

"I don't. Which dorm are you in?"

"How do you know where I go to school?"

"Well, you were wearing a college sweatshirt last night."

"Right." Annabeth realized that she had not given Percy enough credit. He noticed little things. "McCauley Hall."

"See you then."

Annabeth picked up her book. If she died in a fiery explosion, she wanted to have at least done her homework.

"Should I bring a fire extinguisher?" Annabeth asked Piper.

"He hasn't blown anything up since he was, like, 14. I think you'll be fine."

"But what if…"

"You don't want to carry a fire extinguisher halfway across the city, do you? Plus, he'd ask and 'I'm afraid you'll blow us both up' isn't a very good explanation."

I think that's a perfectly valid explanation." But Piper had a point. You couldn't bring a fire extinguisher on the first date – even with an arsonist.

A thought occurred to her. "Is it a date?"

"Hell if I know," Piper said. "You're the one going on it."

"But is it?" Annabeth didn't worry about much (aside from, like, climate change and getting your credit card information stolen) but relationships? She was clueless. She tended to second guess herself way too much. "You're supposed to know about this stuff!" she complained.

"Hmph." Piper looked up from her after dinner ramen snack.

"You give great advice," Annabeth encouraged.

"Give me one example of good advice that I have ever given."

"You told me not to bring a fire extinguisher on my… outing."

"Hmm. It's not a date unless someone says it is. It's a get-to-know-you thing. So, don't dress up all fancy, but still look nice."

"What?" That advice seemed contradictory to Annabeth.

"No dress. Go for jeans and my white blouse and your new gray jacket."

"Thanks Piper. You're the best."

Annabeth left her dorm promptly at 7:59. Piper had made a good call with the jacket. It got much colder, much quicker in New York than in California. It was only the end of September, but the temperature was plunging. Even though she had spent the last two years at the same school, the sudden drop in temperature still took her by surprise.

Percy was leaning against a tree across the walkway from the dorm entrance. The glare from the streetlights shone in his hair. He looked very sinister, standing under a tree, staring into space, dressed all in black. That is, until he smiled. "How are you doing this fine evening?" he asked.

"I'm doing great. And you are as well?" The formality in their speaking manner made Annabeth laugh.

"Oh, I'm excellent." They walked side-by-side down the sidewalk. "You look great."

That was definitely something you said on a date.

"I mean, I love your jacket. I used to have one like it, but it got burnt. Not on purpose, but now…"

He was rambling. "Percy?" Annabeth asked.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"Thanks."

"Which explosion caused your jacket to get burnt?"

"Wasn't an explosion."

"Fire?" Annabeth guessed.

"No. It was lava."

"You lost your jacket to lava?"

"Yeah, it was completely my fault."

"Unlike the arson?"

"Hey," he slung his arm over her shoulders. "I've never been legally charged."

"But you aren't denying it."

Percy shrugged. "Denying something you've been accused of rarely works out in your favor."

"Great. I'm on a date with an arsonist," Annabeth muttered.

"We're on a date?" he asked, baby seal eyes wide.

"You're missing the point!" Annabeth felt the blood rush to her cheeks.

"No, see, I don't think I am."

"Arsonist."

"No, I've never lit a fire. Those were explosions. Hence, not an arsonist." He tapped her shoulder with his fingers.

"But you caused them."

"No, I didn't. Well there was the one time…"

"You shot a cannon at a school bus!"

"I wasn't aiming for it! And perhaps you should be asking yourself why the cannon was loaded and primed."

"You were somehow involved with the blowing up of two schools in the city," Annabeth forged ahead.

"Ah, you googled me."

"Unfortunately."

"Did you see the skateboard video?"

"Yeah. How are you still alive?"

"Iron skin." He turned his head and looked at her to judge her reaction.

"That's not a thing."

"Luck then. Look can we discuss something other than my run-ins with the law and the ground?"

"Sure." Annabeth wracked her brain for a question. "Do you have any pets?"

"A dog."

"What kind of dog?"

"Hellhound," he said without missing a beat. "What about you?"

Annabeth decided to ignore his offhand comment, assuming he was making some type weird joke. "Nope. I have two little brothers if that counts."

"Children. Fun." His tone had turned bitter.

"I take it you don't like kids?"

"No, no, I like kids. I'm just afraid of middle schoolers. 'Percy help me with this.' 'Percy you're so bad at that.' 'Percy was that your girlfriend that just jumped off a cliff?'"

"There's a story in there somewhere."

"Sure is. I go to… I'm a… camp counselor."

"What type of camp?"

"Oh," he said airily, "just a general summer camp."

"Do you ever give detailed answers?" Annabeth asked. She was starting to get frustrated

"You just haven't asked the right questions."

"Your head is full of…"

"Rocks?" Percy helpfully suggested.

"Rocks make noise. Try kelp."

"Oh, seaweed. That's fitting."

"Why's that?"

Percy smiled, but he didn't answer.

Annabeth huffed. She wasn't going to learn anything from this boy's mouth. Her frustration was growing. Pursuit of information was always her goal.

"Seaweed Brain, you need to tell me something about you."

"Sure, Wise Girl. I'm 22. I like blue. I studied marine biology for a bit. I kind of have a horse. I like the beach. And skateboarding. My mom is a novelist who dabbles in sculpture. My stepdad is a teacher. Your turn."

"I grew up in California. My dad has an old airplane. I'm studying architecture."

Percy nodded. "That's why you're upset about me blowtorching a national monument."

"So, you did do it then."

"Course not. Wasn't me. I just fell out. Besides, you're hung up on the wrong incident."

"I wish I could tell whether or not you're kidding."

"I never kid. I'm offended that you'd even think that."

"You are insane," Annabeth decided.

Percy chose not to answer, instead steering her toward a coffee shop.

They sat down at a small table in the corner and a woman walked over.

"Hey Percy. What can I get you today?"

"Two of the usual?"

"Sounds good."

Percy winced. Annabeth had just kicked him under the table. "What?"

"Did you really just order for me?"

Percy looked down at the table. "Yes. Because if I told you what to get, you wouldn't have tried it."

"You'd better tell me what you just did."

Percy looked up at her with the baby seal eyes. She noticed that his nose was completely healed, there was not the slightest amount of bruising. "It's a really good smoothie. I'll tell you after you try it."

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. "You'd better tell me."

When Percy didn't answer, she tried to aim another kick at his shins. He pinned her legs between his. "I really don't appreciate being kicked."

"Two Percy specials." The woman placed the two smoothies on the table.

"Thanks." Percy passed over a few bills.

"Drink," he prompted.

When Annabeth didn't, he rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair, sucking on the straw with the corner of his mouth.

Annabeth picked up her glass and spun it around in the light.

"Why is it blue?"

"Blueberry."

Annabeth pulled the straw out to examine the consistency. "Blueberry turns purple." She held the glass up to her nose. "It smells like peach."

"Now, I wonder why that would be?" Percy had a crooked half smile on his face.

Annabeth took a cautious sip and made a face. "Why is that salty?"

"Is it?" Percy was laughing at her. "You just need to go for it."

Annabeth groaned but did as she was told. "How can you drink this?"

"Like this." Percy finished his drink in one gulp. "But it is good isn't it?"

Annabeth gave a grudging nod. "I guess." Percy was right. If you drank it fast, you didn't notice the salt nearly as much.

"What's in it?"

"Promise you won't kick me?"

"Maybe."

"It's peach, strawberry, yellow squash, and blue seaweed."

"That's nasty."

"I would know, I came up with it. Ready?"

Annabeth put her now empty glass back on the table. "Yeah. What next?"

Percy pushed in his chair. "I have no idea. I make things up as I go."

They wandered through the artificial day of New York after dark, ending up on a path in Central Park.

"Do you want to see a magic trick?" Percy asked.

"Only if I can show you one. Do you have any coins?"

Percy dug into his pockets. He pulled out a pen and stuck it in his mouth and held out a glittering array of coins.

Annabeth ignored the huge golden ones and the American currency, selecting a smaller silver coin, about the size of a quarter. She examined it in the bright of a nearby light. "Is this a drachma?"

"You know what a drachma is?"

"Yeah." She closed her fist. "But do you know where the drachma is?"

"I'll assume it's not in your hand."

"No, it's in yours."

"What?"

Annabeth tapped his hand that was half shoved into his jeans pocket. He opened it up leaving his palm up to reveal a few of the rejected coins.

"That's a quarter," he said.

She drug the coin up to his fingertips to reveal the drachma hidden underneath. Her fingers lingered on his for a minute before he snatched his hand back.

"That was pretty good, but my trick is better."

A rustling in the bushes behind them caused the smile to slip of Percy's face like a sped up video of snow melt. He pulled the pen back out of his pocket, thumb poised to pop the cap off.

A rabbit hopped out of the bush onto the path.

"Were you going to try to kill that rabbit with your pen?"

He didn't smile at her tease. "The pen is mightier than the sword." He forced a smile. "C'mon, I still have to show you my magic trick."

He walked over to a puddle. "Stay there." He turned to walk twenty feet away, then ran and jumped into the puddle, creating a huge splash that reached Annabeth's feet.

"How is that a magic trick?"

Percy stood in front of Annabeth, arms out at his sides, palms turned out. "That's for you to figure out, Wise Girl."

Annabeth gave him a onceover. "Nothing happened."

"Exactly." He turned to walk down the path. Annabeth studied him as he walked away. She hated it, but she had to admit defeat.

"I don't get it."

He looked over his shoulder and waited for her to catch up. "C'mon, Wise Girl. What happens when you jump into a puddle?"

When she didn't answer, he made a suggestion; "Maybe you should jump into a puddle for the scientific process."

"No! I'd get wet and it's already cold."

Percy grinned. "Yeah, you would."

The answer dawned on Annabeth. "How are you not soaking wet?"

"A magician never reveals his secrets."

"But how?"

Percy didn't answer, instead walking away. Annabeth grumbled some choice words under her breath but followed him.

Annabeth was really starting to hate Percy Jackson. He never, ever gave straight answers. He refused to share anything about his past. He talked vaguely of friends – fights, parties, pranks, adventures – but when Annabeth asked questions, he would shy away.

But in every other possible way, he was perfect. Occasionally daft and somewhat out of touch with modernity, but he was probably the nicest guy she'd ever met. And everything they did together was an adventure.

Not even to mention what he looked like. His hair and complexion reminded her of paintings of heroes and Greek gods she had seen in museums. And his eyes, God his eyes, she felt like he was looking right through her, as if he could see more than just her appearance.

Even his habits were out of the ordinary and somewhat endearing. Whenever Annabeth asked him an uncomfortable question, he would fiddle with the bead necklace around his neck. Annabeth did the same thing with her dad's college ring. When she asked him about the necklace, his fiddling increased tenfold.

Whenever something unnerving happened – clanging deep in an alley, rustling in the bushes – he would pull the pen out of his pocket. A pen, which Annabeth never saw him write with.

He also always stopped to say hi to the city cart horses. They always seemed to like him a lot. And it almost seemed like they would have a full conversation, which Annabeth knew was impossible. He did tell Annabeth that he had a horse, but he never struck her particularly like a horse boy.

Sometimes when they walked through the park, Percy would get pelted with acorns as though someone was throwing them. Unless the trees themselves were doing it, it was just an untimely coincidence.

Once, Annabeth thought she saw the face of a waving girl in the reservoir in the park. When she blinked and looked closer, the girl had vanished, but Percy was looking intently at where the girl had been too.

It was a few weeks before Annabeth brought up the topic of the sword. Whenever she thought of it, it seemed like he would disappear for the next week. But eventually it happened.

"If you teach me how to do something, I'll do you a major favor." In Annabeth's experience, bribery never failed

"What? Skateboarding?"

"Oh, God, no I can barely ride a bike. My balance is horrid."

"That explains why you insist on sitting on the subway." He had hit that on the nose. Whenever they rode the subway, Annabeth would walk from car to car until she found a solitary seat. Percy never sat down. He would stand next to her, one hand loosely wrapped around the overhead bars, one shoved deep into his pocket, where she knew he was clutching the pen.

"I'm not teaching you how to commit arson."

"Not that either. I know how to do that already."

"What then?"

"You have other talents."

"Swimming? I can stay underwater for a really long time, but I can't teach that."

"Nah, don't you have a sword?"

His expression became guarded. "How'd you know?"

"Piper showed me a picture online. But can you teach me how to fight?" Annabeth made a jabbing motion with her hand.

"Why do you think I know how to fight?"

"People don't have swords if they can't use them."

"I've been kicked out of enough military schools to know that's not true."

"You always looked like you're ready for a fight." Annabeth pretended to stab him again.

"Your grip is wrong." He winced, obviously not intending to say that out loud.

"So, teach me."

"Sure. It could be fun."

Annabeth didn't like the look of the evil glint in his eye or how quickly his position on the issue had changed. "What do I have to do in return?"

"Just give me a minute to think."

"You can think?"

Percy made a face. "Are you free tomorrow afternoon?"

"Eager?" she teased.

"Eager to get this over with. Meet me in that one field in the park. You know the one with the trees around it? I'll try to find a sword for you."