It took six years after high school for Percy Jackson to cross Annabeth Chase's mind again.
It happened when the architecture firm she was interning for informed her she would be one of the interns joining them on location in New York as they worked on a new project. She was ecstatic, of course; this was a huge opportunity for her career, but when one of the other interns that would be going asked if she knew anyone in New York, Annabeth couldn't believe she actually answered with, "Kind of."
"Um, I mean, no. Not technically. I mean…not really. No, I don't know anyone in New York, at all." Real smooth, Chase.
Thankfully Kellie wasn't the intrusive kind and didn't question her after that. She just smiled and nodded and switched the conversation topic. She talked and talked about what she thought the project would be and what role they'd play but Annabeth wasn't listening. She really wanted to listen but she was too busy thinking about her former pen pal.
It was stupid really, she thought. She was fifteen the last time they spoke. By now he had to be probably twenty-three, twenty-four years old with no recollection of his stupid elementary school pen pal. Still, the thought of walking the streets of New York, scouting locations with her firm and bumping into an older looking, smiley, shiny-eyed, black-haired man had her stomach doing small flips.
"…go out for drinks to celebrate?" Annabeth had only caught the tail end of Kellie's question but the mention of alcoholic beverages had her paying full attention
"Yes, please. I could use a drink," Her exasperated tone had Kellie raising an eyebrow at her. She quickly rebounded with, "To celebrate, of course."
In reality, Annabeth wanted a drink (or three) to get a man she didn't even really know off of her mind.
Percy Jackson was twenty-three when Annabeth Chase crossed his mind for the first time in years.
He was in a meeting with the corporate level managers of the New York Aquarium when they informed him that they had tapped an architect firm in California to redesign the conservation portion of the building to give it an updated look. As manager of the entire aquarium, Percy was required to know about this and give his input. He was stoked about it seeing as how that portion of the park needed fixing up but when they asked him his thoughts, he wanted to kick himself when all that came out of his mouth was, "I'm sorry did you say the architect firm was in California?"
"Actually, never mind. Pretend I didn't say that. Yeah…yes! The conservation wing does need redoing and I fully support renovations!" So much for impressing the corporate big wigs.
Thankfully they had more important things to discuss than their aquarium manager's verbal vomit. They went on discussing how the renovations would affect business hours, business itself and how many job positions would be available after they were finished. Percy tried to listen but his normally wandering mind wandered even more.
It was impossible, he thought. The last time he spoke to Annabeth was right before Gabe made him stop sending the letters in an effort to 'save a buck for actual necessities instead of spending it on postage stamps'. She probably didn't even remember him. She had to be at least his age now. And, okay, she had mentioned a few times that she had an interest in architecture but what are the odds that she would be a part of the firm that was coming to his aquarium? Still, the thought of an even prettier curly-haired, grey-eyed blond showing up in a few day's time had him suddenly way more excited about the renovations.
"They'll be coming on the third of next month so I trust the conservatorium will be ready for their arrival by that time, Mr. Jackson?" One of the silver-haired men had addressed him and Percy smiled and nodded firmly. The older man flashed a dingy-toothed grin in response.
"In fact, I'll go get started on things now." Percy slowly stood up from the long meeting table, buttoning the suit jacket he was forced to wear since it was a business meeting. "If you gentlemen will excuse me?"
They all mumbled goodbyes thinking their employee was off to get to work on the new project when in reality Percy was going to spend the rest of his afternoon in his office trying to get a woman he had never even met off of his mind.
When she finally got to New York, Annabeth had purged all thoughts of Percy Jackson from her mind. She was so focused on her work and impressing her bosses she simply didn't have the time to worry about some childhood pen pal. When she arrived at the aquarium with the rest of her co-workers, that all changed.
They all shuffled past the tourists and other visitors and found themselves in the closed off conservation wing of the building. They'd be updating it and making it more modern and after a quick glance around the room, Annabeth's mind swam with possibilities of arches and pillars and glass dome ceilings. She was so busy planning and mapping in her mind, she didn't notice the aquarium's manager approach the group. She faintly heard her bosses making polite introductions but didn't think much of it. She wouldn't need to introduce herself to anyone. She was just an intern, an observer of the work they'd be doing. No one needed to know her name.
"And these are my interns! Also known as, hopefully, the future of this firm! They'll be doing a bit of consulting work since they're probably more in touch with what's modern than I am!" Her head snapped to one of her bosses. Future of the firm? Consulting? What was happening here? "Kellie, Malcolm, Annabeth, this is Percy Jackson. He's the manager here so we'll be working with him to make sure we do his aquarium justice!"
Annabeth barely got over the fact she'd finally be consulting on a project before a hand was extended in front of her. Her eyes flickered upward and were met by a pair of stupid shiny green eyes, a dumb smile and a messy mop of black hair. Malcolm gave her a small nudge to get her moving but all it did was cause her to drop the folders she held in her hands. She went to bend down to pick them up at the same time Stupid Shiny Eyes did and they clunked heads. It felt like something out of some lame romantic comedy and it had Annabeth's cheeks feeling ridiculously warm.
"Shit," She muttered rubbing her forehead. She quickly looked over at her boss who had a bushy eyebrow raised at her. "Shoot! I said shoot. I, uh, I…need a minute."
After effectively embarrassing herself in front of her bosses and her fellow interns, Annabeth stood outside of the conservation area, her eyes squeezed shut and a hand on her forehead. She was normally so levelheaded yet she was a stuttering mess back there. Again, what was happening here? That did not just happen. That did not just happen. That did not just-
"Are you okay?" Malcolm's voice interrupted her thoughts. She spun around to face him and saw the stack of folders in his hand. "You forgot these."
She smiled thankfully and grabbed the folders from him. "Thank you."
He waited a minute before speaking again. "So I'm guessing you know that Percy guy?"
"Yeah," Annabeth answered without thinking. She shook her head, quickly retracting her answer. "I mean I don't know him but I know him. Kind of."
Malcolm simply nodded and shrugged. "That made no sense but okay." He reached out a hand and grabbed her forearm. "You good to go back in there?"
Annabeth gave him a nod and he moved his arm to wrap around her shoulders as they walked back into the conservation building. Of course she was good to go back. Percy Jackson suddenly popping up in her life had thrown her for a moment, but Annabeth Chase was a professional. There was no way she was about to let that dumb smile derail her.
(But Annabeth was not good to go back at all. Percy Jackson had not only thrown her but had effectively brought her back to being fifteen years old sitting in her bedroom wondering why in the world she cared so much about a stupid boy who lived on the other side of the other country not writing her a stupid letter. Only now she was twenty-three years old wondering why she cared so much about a stupid boy who stood ten feet away from her smiling at her as if he didn't break her heart all those years ago.)
That morning when he woke up, Percy had totally cleared all thoughts of Annabeth Chase from his mind. He was way too worried about meeting this firm to even think about his childhood pen pal. He needed to make a good impression so this whole project would run as smoothly as possible so the aquarium could have one of their more popular exhibits back. That all changed, however, when Mr. Kenneth Anderson shook his hand and introduced his three interns.
She stared at him wide-eyed and he couldn't help but grin. Curly blond hair swept up in a neat ponytail and striking grey eyes, it was her. It was Annabeth. She was standing barely five feet away from him and all he could think to do was extend his hand. When she stood there unmoving, the guy behind her tried to shake her from whatever daze she was in but all it did was cause her to drop the folders she held. He went down to pick them up for her at the same time she did and they bumped heads. Like, actually bumped heads. It felt like something out of a chick flick and Percy smiled even more thinking about how great of a movie this would actually be. Two kids who were pen pals lose touch and then meet later on in life. Audiences would eat that up.
After taking a five-minute breather, Annabeth and Malcolm returned to the group and Percy led them on a small tour around the building. Every so often the group would stop for Anderson to take note of some small detail which gave Percy the opportunity to shamelessly glance over at Annabeth who, most of the time, would catch him staring and give him a look that resembled something between a glare and a look of confusion. Just as Percy was sure she had enough of his oddly fond glances, Anderson announced that he had seen enough.
"Well, I see a lot of potential. I'm fairly certain once we're done this place will look amazing!" Anderson's attention switched from the building's high ceiling over to Percy. "I trust you have the building specs, yes?"
Percy nodded. "Of course. Let me just go run to my office and get them for you."
"That won't be necessary. Annabeth," he turned to address the young woman. "Would you mind following Mr. Jackson to his office and grabbing the specs? I'll have the car pulled up right outside waiting for you."
Before Percy could refuse Anderson's offer, the group had begun walking off leaving him and Annabeth alone.
"Well, I guess you can just follow me."
Left. Right. Left. Right. Rightleft.
Annabeth looked up from Percy's feet to see him stumble into his office. He cursed under his breath at his clumsy feet as he walked over to his desk. Annabeth opted to stand in the doorway.
"Um, they're here somewhere…" Percy's desk appeared to be an organized mess and somehow that didn't surprise Annabeth. The guy seemed like he didn't know what a comb was; she didn't expect anything less than a mess from him. His eyes lit up once he eyed the blue folder on his desk. "Ah ha! Here they are. Tell Anderson if he needs anything else to just call. Or shoot me an email. Or send over an intern; whatever floats his boat."
Even though he breathed out that last suggestion as fast as he could, Annabeth still heard. She cocked an eyebrow and took the folder from him. "I'll make sure to give him the message. Thanks."
Before she could even turn on her heel Annabeth heard a squeak – yes, an actual squeak – leave Percy's mouth. Instinctively her head whipped around to face him. "Wait so you're just gonna leave?"
"I was planning on it, yeah."
"So you're gonna leave without mentioning anything about this," Percy's hands flew in midair motioning between the two of them.
Annabeth weighed her options. She could play dumb, which she knew he wouldn't buy into. She had too much of a reaction to seeing him for her not knowing who he was to be believable. Clearly the only feasible option was for her to acknowledge…this...but in such a way that it wouldn't cause for further conversation on the subject. It seemed like a solid enough plan.
"Actually, you know what? You don't have to say anything." Before she could open her mouth to speak he was already rambling. Percy walked from behind his desk to approach her, only stopping a yard or two away from her. "This is my work environment and now its yours. It would be unprofessional for us to discuss something like that here."
"Right! I totally agree–"
"Which is why we should meet up later. Only if you want to, though. I know a great place to grab a bite to eat if you're interested in joining me for dinner?"
Annabeth had only been seriously asked out four times before in her life. Most guys could appreciate that she was pretty and nice but they weren't exactly jumping at the opportunity to date the girl who spent a great deal of time with her nose in a book. She figured some guys liked brains and some liked beauty but only few liked brains and beauty. Such a combination was apparently intimidating which led to a scarcity of dates for her throughout high school and college. But even given her minimal experience with dates and dating, Annabeth was pretty sure Percy Jackson, her childhood pen pal who she never thought she'd hear from again, had just asked her out.
"Percy," Her tone had already caused his face to fall a little. "That's a really great offer but I'm here for business and that's it. Anderson is finally going to let me consult and I don't want to jeopardize that by spending my downtime out and about when I could, and probably should, be working."
It took him a few moments to respond, like he was trying to process the rejection. "Yeah, okay. No, I totally get it. I mean, to be honest, I probably should stay focused on this project too. It's my first big job as manager around here and I really don't want to mess it up." He sighed and finally allowed his eyes to meet hers. "So I guess I'll see you around then?"
"Yeah. I will see you around, Percy."
"Goodbye, Annabeth."
Annabeth allowed herself to smile a little. It's not like she was being entirely dishonest. She actually did want to do a good job on this project and, unfortunately, Percy would be a distraction. She was there for business. All matters of pleasure – if any at all – could be discussed at a later date.
The next few weeks were tough for Percy. His childhood ADD had subsided for the most part now that he was an adult but something about working in close company with Annabeth made him feel like a fidgety teenager again. They weren't even technically working together but she was in the same room as him most of the time and he kind of liked watching her work.
There were days where the entire group, Anderson plus interns, would show up and survey and draft. Percy could see them from his office. He'd sit at his desk, pretending to be writing up important paperwork on the transfers of different marine animals when really he was watching the blond go to work in her sketchbook. He'd watch her draw, then erase, scrutinize her work, and then erase again. It would take her ten minutes of going through that cycle before the corners of her mouth pulled up and she was smiling at whatever she had drawn up. But whenever Anderson asked for ideas, for sketches, she'd close her book and offer up some suggestion about the placement of water fountains. It was a curious thing, in Percy's eyes.
Other days, only Anderson and his men would come in and Percy would actually get some work done. Those weren't his favorite but he did have a job to do so he figured those days were necessary. He would hole up in his office and catch up on neglected paperwork or something else productive.
Then there were the days it would be just the interns. They came mostly for about an hour to gather paperwork and blueprints that Percy had to search the backrooms for. Malcolm, the male intern, would usually help with that while Kellie and Annabeth waited outside. Apparently the ladies were too good to get elbow deep in dusty cardboard boxes in search of said blueprints. Those days were the best, though, because Malcolm and Kellie would always venture off leaving Annabeth alone. Percy would pop up and make a little small talk. Their conversations never went deeper than the weather and what was for lunch but that was okay for him. He was just happy to talk to her.
Today was one of the 'intern-only' days. Percy and Malcolm had just finished pulling a box of old blueprints out of storage and were making their way back over to the ladies, who were taking advantage of their little break and checking out one of the conservatorium's exhibits on the preservation of the coral reef. Annabeth had chosen to wear her hair down this particular morning and Percy was reminded of the first picture he ever saw of her. It was like he was a little kid again, sitting at his desk staring at the photo of the pretty grey-eyed blond.
Percy didn't even realize he was staring (okay he, might have realized and just didn't care) but Malcolm apparently did. The intern cleared his throat, a tiny smirk on his face, and reached over to take the cardboard box out of Percy's hands. "I'll just take this off your hands…" Once he had the box he walked over to Kellie and nudged her off to the side. There was some dialogue between the three interns but Percy was out of earshot. After some harsh whispering and exaggerated hand gestures – mostly coming from Annabeth – Malcolm and Kellie walked off presumably to get rid of the box, leaving Annabeth alone. Like they always did.
It took a few quick strides and Percy was at Annabeth's side. Just as he was about to ask her what she thought of the efforts to save the coral reef, she turned to face him. "Does it annoy you when they do that because it really annoys me."
Percy's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "When who does what?"
"Malcolm and Kellie. It's obvious they leave us alone on purpose. They figure something's going on; they just don't know what exactly."
"You mean you didn't tell them about our pen pal past?"
"There's not much to tell, really."
The statement almost hurt his feelings. He hoped she was being falsely nonchalant and that their aforementioned pen pal past meant more to her than she let on. Heaven knows it meant a hell of a lot to him.
She turned to him, continuing. "We were pen pals and then we weren't. It's pretty boring, don't you think?"
"Well when you put it like that, I guess it is boring. But," Percy nearly sang, a smirk spreading across his face. "What about this? What about us finding each other after all these years? You don't think that's the least bit interesting?"
Annabeth snorted and Percy decided it was stupidly adorable. "We didn't 'find each other'. We were just…"
"Brought together by fate?" Percy finished for her. This was the most he's said to her since she got to New York and it felt great. Their conversation felt just as easy in person as it had on paper.
"You do realize you're super corny, right?" Percy just shrugged and Annabeth shook her head at him. "Okay so our pen pal tale is not that boring. In fact, it kind of sounds like the storyline of a really bad rom-com."
"Yeah but there's just one problem. How does it end?" Annabeth turned her full attention to him. "Do the pen pals meet once again only to have conversations about the weather and chicken sandwiches? Or do the pen pals go out for dinner before one of them leaves?"
"There's a twenty percent chance of rain today and I actually don't like chicken sandwiches." She said with a defiant smirk.
"Ha. You're hilarious." Percy deadpanned.
"Okay, how about this," She wet her lips before continuing. Extremely distracting, he noted. "Since the pen pals live on opposite ends of the country, much like when they were younger, they update their method of contact. They exchange phone numbers but only if one of them promises not to just stop talking to the other one. Much like he did when they were younger."
"Miss Chase are you asking me for my number?" Annabeth quirked an eyebrow at him. "I mean, I'm sure that pen pal promises not to. And I'm also sure he's very sorry about doing it the first time. He had a really shitty stepdad that was a control freak and made him stop sending letters to the other very pretty pen pal. He hopes she'll be able to forgive him?"
She pursed her lips and was silent for a few moments (but it felt like hours to him). "I guess it wouldn't be much of a rom-com if she didn't." He grins like a dork and even she has a hard time keeping a straight face. "But he better get her number before she changes her mind."