Just like the Starbucks date, I arrived at Central Park half an hour early to wait for Annabeth. I wore a red Leo Valdez t-shirt and jeans, making sure nothing gave away my true identity. I also took some painkillers so I wouldn't walk too awkwardly since my legs were both still sore.

And just like last time, Annabeth arrived exactly on time. This time, she wore a tight, light green shirt and jeans. Was she trying to tell me something with the tight shirt?

"Hey, Percy," she said, as she walked up to the entrance. "You're early again," she observed.

I shrugged. "It's the least I could do. Sorry about taking forever to text back, by the way."

Annabeth waved her hand. "It's no problem. I was watching football, anyways," she said, laughing.

"Rebels versus Falcons?" I guessed.

Annabeth nodded. "You guessed it. Damn, call me obsessive but I'm psyched to see the game in two weeks. It's on the same day as my birthday, actually."

I raised my eyebrows. "Really? Keep your schedule open after the game, then."

Annabeth laughed. "Sure, is it for what I think it is?"

"If you're guessing I'll take you somewhere, you guessed right."

"What do you have in mind, Percy?" she asked, raising her eyebrows in a challenging fashion.

I grinned. "It's a surprise, Annie."

She glared at me. "Don't call me that. And I hate surprises."

"You'll love this one, I promise," I told her. I already had a good idea of what I was going to give her. At the same time, I feared what was going to inevitably happen.

"I hope so, Percy. When's your birthday?" Annabeth asked, adjusting her black, thick-rimmed glasses that only she could pull off. Her tight shirt was more than a little distracting.

"August eighteenth." It was true-I recently turned twenty-one. I had a low-key get-together with a few of my teammates, but I didn't really celebrate it. In the football business, youth was a good thing. There weren't too many positives about getting a year older.

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "Seriously? Happy belated birthday, Percy," she said, opening her arms for a hug. I stepped into them and hugged her back, noticing her hair smelled like lemon shampoo.

"Thanks," I said, when we pulled back.

She smiled, looking at me with her grey eyes which I still hadn't gotten used to. "I take it you're a Rebels fan? I've never seen anyone wear a Leo Valdez shirt to Central Park before."

I was about to tell her that Leo was one of my best friends, but I caught myself. "Of course. I'm a local guy, and I can't just not support Percy Jackson."

Annabeth laughed. "That's right. Did you watch his postgame interview yesterday, by the way? I laughed so hard," she told me. "That kid doesn't know HOW to miss!" she said, smiling widely as she performed a poor imitation of my voice.

"How could I miss it? The postgame interviews are the best parts," I said.

"Especially Percy's," Annabeth added. "I mean, he's a little cocky, I guess, but that's just part of the game, right? It's actually kinda cute," she said dreamily, then covered her mouth, snapping back to attention. "Sorry!"

I decided to ignore Annabeth's slip-up, although I was more than a little warmed by her comment. "Who'd you watch the game with?" I asked her, changing the subject.

Annabeth looked relieved to comply. "Thalia and Piper, a couple of friends. For some reason, Thalia hates Percy and was rooting for the Falcons." Gee, I wonder why. She probably doesn't even know I'm Thalia's cousin. "What about you?" she added.

Thankfully, I had an answer in mind. "I watched with a friend at my apartment. Do you know Nico?"

"Nico di Angelo? The guy Thalia's been seeing?" Annabeth asked.

"Yeah, him."

"That's weird how things work out," Annabeth noticed. She tilted her head. "Did you know who I was when you asked me to dance at the party?"

"Nico told me you were Thalia's best friend, but that's it," I told her.

"Oh," Annabeth said. She looked like she wanted to say more, but she kept silent.

"Wanna go for a walk?" I suggested. "Nice day today."

It might've just been my optimistic imagination, but Annabeth's face lit up. "Yeah, good idea."

I offered her my hand, and she took it. Her hand was a good deal smaller than mine, which didn't surprise me considering I played football. Its warmth surprised me, as well; most people had cooler hands than me but Annabeth did not.

Most importantly: I knew for sure Annabeth was interested now. I'd come to learn that a girl wouldn't hold a guy's hand who they met a week ago unless they were romantically interested. Coupled with the times Annabeth called me good-looking, I was ninety-nine percent sure she was at least interested.

We walked down the path, hand in hand, with Annabeth pointing out some of the cool things about the park. She was an expert on Central Park's history, which didn't surprise me, and soon enough I was as well. If I was listening to a professor say the same stuff I would've been bored out of my mind, but I couldn't hear anything but Annabeth's voice when she spoke.

It was still summer in New York City, so the plants were bursting with life. The sun was beating down on us, but thankfully towering trees were there to keep us cool. I managed to walk without stumbling until I tripped on a rock, pitched forwards, and fell, using an arm to brace my fall. I didn't count on my right arm still being sore from the game, so I groaned and winced as I sat up.

Annabeth leaned down to help me up. "You okay, Percy?"

I instinctively took her hand up, since I was used to getting help from teammates to stand up in games. "I'm good. Thanks for the hand."

Annabeth frowned. "Must've been more painful than it looked," she observed.

I raised my eyebrows. "Are you insulting my manliness?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Definitely. But seriously, is something up with your arm? It didn't look too bad."

"It's a little sore," I admitted, thinking of a lie. "I got into a little shoving match with Nico and he accidentally pushed me into the table."

Annabeth laughed. "I'm not sure how your arm got sore from that, but I won't ask."

"It'd be better if you didn't." We kept on walking, and I noticed that Annabeth never let go of my hand after pulling me up.

"I'm getting hungry," Annabeth said, after we finished a full circle around the park. "Wanna hit Times Square?"

"You betcha," I responded. We walked around the block for a while, until Annabeth saw a Chinese restaurant she liked.

"I'll have a mixed vegetables," Annabeth told the waiter.

"Kung Pao chicken," I told him. "Are you vegetarian?" I asked Annabeth.

She nodded. "Ever since I smelled the meat cooking at that burger place down the street, I swore never to eat meat again. Piper's a vegetarian too, so it's easy for me."

"Bacon tastes way too good for me to go vegetarian," I told her.

Annabeth laughed. "I used to think that, too. How's your family been, by the way?" she asked me.

"They're doing well. My mom and stepdad live in an apartment in New York City, just like me."

"Stepdad?" Annabeth asked innocently.

"Yeah, my dad died a month after I was born. He worked in the fishing industry, and apparently he had to go on a trip overseas and never came back."

Annabeth exhaled sharply. "I'm sorry to hear that, Percy. Really."

I waved my hand. "It's fine. My stepdad is a great guy. How's your family been?"

"They've been doing well, too. My stepmom's been a witch to me like usual, but my dad got a promotion recently so he's been upbeat. I have two step-brothers, too, who I love even though my stepmom tries to keep me away from them," Annabeth said.

"What are their names?" I asked.

"Bobby and Matthew. They're twins. Where do you work, by the way?"

Shoot. I didn't see that one coming…at least I had a cover story.

"Olympus Studios Incorporated. I'm an extra in a movie."

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "Which movie?"

"It's a kids movie called 'Maximum Ride, the Angel Experiment'. I auditioned for the breathtakingly sexy main character, but they turned me down."

Annabeth sighed. "I guess they wanted someone good-looking, then."

"Didn't you say Percy Jackson was good-looking?" I asked.

"Yeah, but I was talking about the other Percy Jackson," Annabeth defended, smiling.

"I forgot to mention that you said we looked similar. You're smart enough to know what that means…"

"Oh, shut up," Annabeth told me, rolling her eyes. She was saved from explaining herself further by the waiter, who walked up to give us our food.

Tell me I have bad manners, but I dug in immediately. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until a plate of chicken and rice was sitting in front of me.

"How's school going, by the way?" I asked Annabeth, swallowing a wad of processed chicken.

She finished chewing a piece of broccoli and replied. "Well, I guess. With as much humility as possible, school's always been easy for me."

"What courses are you taking this year?"

"I'm not sure about the spring semester yet, but I'm doing Differential Equations. Don't laugh, it's a requirement. I'm also doing English 313 and two business courses."

"What's Differential Equations?" I asked.

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "You seriously don't know? It's math."

"Oh." I had some vague memory of some of my friends taking a course like that, but for the most part I forgot everything I learned in school. I didn't even remember which courses I took. I was either playing football, partying, or hitting up Blacksburg's biggest hot spots.

Annabeth laughed. "I never took you as the math type anyways."

"I can't add my way out of a paper bag," I admitted. "But honestly, when will I ever use that stuff in real life?"

"You have a point, sir."

"As much as I suck at math, I know that I'm two months older than you. Don't call me sir."

Annabeth laughed. "Alright, Percy," she said, finishing up her dish. Dang, Annabeth ate fast. I still had a few pieces of chicken to go.

I asked the waiter for the check the next time he came by.

"I'm paying this time," Annabeth told me.

"I don't think so," I disagreed, taking out my wallet.

Annabeth sighed. "Percy, just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I don't have money."

"No, it's not that," I assured her. "It's just that-" How could I say something without telling her I signed a twenty-two-million-dollar contract less than five months ago? I really, really didn't want to make Annabeth, who was still a college student, pay when I had all the money I could ever want.

Annabeth raised here eyebrows. "It's just that what?"

I shook my head. "It's nothing. If you insist, we can split the bill."

Annabeth looked relieved. "Thank goodness, Percy."

When the waiter came back, we paid and stood up. After we left the restaurant, Annabeth faced me. "I'd love to spend the rest of the day out here, but I have some schoolwork to do. What do you think about sometime this week or next week?" she asked.

"That should work. I'll text you. I'll actually do it this time," I promised her.

Annabeth laughed. "Sounds good, Seaweed Brain."

"What did you just call me?" I demanded.

"You heard me right."

"Why am I Seaweed Brain?" I asked.

"First off, your eyes are green like the sea. You also said your dad worked with fishing, so the ocean is in your blood. And your head is full of kelp, Seaweed Brain."

"Very funny, Wise Girl."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "That's so lame."

"Better than nothing, I guess," I said, with a shrug.

"What about just Annabeth?"

"Hey, I can't help it if I feel obligated to come up with nicknames when people do it for me."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Whatever. See you later, Seaweed Brain."

"You too, Wise Girl," I said, as she walked down the street back to her campus. Just then, it occurred to me that I hadn't kissed Annabeth yet. Oh well, it'd come naturally. I never had much of a chance to today.

Why rush it when we had forever?

Question of the Chapter: How do you think Annabeth will react when she finds out her idol and the guy she's dating are the same person?

I'd personally be too awed to be upset if I were in a position like that, hahahaha...