Percy thought he was dreaming when he woke up to find Night Owl spoon feeding him ambrosia, like a weird fantasy that he would never admit to having before this moment- he'd take that secret to the grave. He thought the world had gone mad when it turned out that Night Owl was actually Annabeth under all those feathers, and his Mom had somehow made her open up and she was smiling and making jokes that didn't deflate his ego for once. When Annabeth put her feathers back on and left, exiting the room with a witty remark and an unspoken promise to return later, Percy pulled out his cell phone (it had miraculously survived his giant water fountain trick, though his phone had survived quite a lot of stuff, so Percy just let it be) and called Grover, who had seen the blast on the news and was frantic when he picked up.
"Percy! You're alive! Where the hell are you? It's been two days! How's your Mom? Is Tyson with you? Where's Night Owl? Who-
"Grover, calm down, everyone is fine- we're at the Praetor's place. Is everything good in Olympus?" He asked. Grover sighed.
"Well apart from you breaking everyone's plumbing system the public is good and well shaken. Nico has taped off the infirmary and his squad are taking over the hero stuff for you guys, people are putting up messages for you and Night Owl. Oh, and Chiron says that the hunters are working together and have decided to track Thalia down, try to get her back on our side. I think her and Luke kidnapping your Mom made them rethink helping them. Oh Oh! And Leo and that Calypso girl have become the faces of the team; they've done loads of press conferences and interviews-
"Who the HELL let Leo on the TV?!" Percy cried, believing that Leo speaking for them would only cause trouble.
"Calm down, he's actually doing a great job, though I think that's Calypso's doing. Everyone loves them and are rallying behind you all. Though if they'd stop flirting through the interviews, that would be great- the Press are having a field day" Grover reported and Percy relaxed, slumping back into the pillows in relief. Thank the Gods for Calypso- if not for her Percy had no doubt that Leo would have screwed it up, singing 'girl on fire' and wearing mad hats for pictures. He would've found it funny, but he doubted the public would've felt safe with a dude in a funny hat telling them that he and his friends were handling the two villains threatening the city.
"Right. Well I think An- Night Owl has some sort of plan on how we're gonna tackle Luke and Thalia, so coming home might be delayed a little"
"Well, if Night Owl actually tells you the plan and lets you help that is" Grover snorted, but Percy smiled, thinking about how Annabeth was when he woke up. How different she was.
"Something tells me she might this time, she's opened up a little lately. If you wanna help, your pipes are where you left them" Percy tempted, and Grover groaned.
"Dude, how many times do I have to tell you?!" He cried, and Percy laughed, hearing someone else laugh on Grover's end of the line.
"Yeah yeah, you're retired. Hey Juniper, think you can convince him?" He called, and Grover tutted.
"I might" Juniper's voice said "But if he goes, I'm going too"
"We'd love your help" Percy smiled, loving the sound of Grover's distress since his fiancée was teaming up with his best friend over him. Ah, finally Grover might come out of retirement and kick some ass like he was born to. Percy couldn't wait.
"I hate you guys" He grumbled.
"Tell that to the engagement ring on my finger" Juniper sung.
"And tell that to our matching shirts" Percy added.
"I'm burning that shirt"
"Yeah right"
"I will! You'll come home and it'll be gone!" Grover threatened.
"We'll share"
"I'll burn both!"
"Dude, I can just buy two more" Percy said.
"I'll burn those too"
"Boys, stop it, you love those shirts!" Juniper laughed, and Grover made a sulky noise.
"I know I do. Now, I'm going to go and find out exactly what Praetor has hidden away here, and you can find your pipes and stuff- bye G-man!"
"Percy for-"

But Percy hung up, refusing to let Grover have the last word; he was going to help, whether he liked it or not.

"Oh. My. Gods" Percy breathed, after finally managing to stand up without his legs giving way and making it out of the room. He emerged onto a balcony that ran around a courtyard, a beautiful fountain below him in the centre and several wooden dummies that young men and women were attacking with golden swords in pristine condition. It was so very Roman, it was like he'd gone back in time, stood in one of those villas that the rich and the powerful owned. He used the railing to walk, as he seemed to have weak knees after being knocked out for two days, making it to the stairs and descending. The doorway inside from the courtyard led to an open inside, full of drapes and couches and a huge pool full of hot water; a Roman bath, right in the middle of the room. Percy stopped at the water for a moment, as water gave him strength, and put his hand in the bath, feeling energy seep into him suddenly and refresh him.
"You'll need a Roman bath, Typhoon; you don't smell the nicest" A voice said, and Percy turned to find Praetor lounging on one of the couches, behind an almost transparent pink drape, eating grapes from a bowl and writing on a notepad. He was glad he'd put his mask back on; he was not comfortable with her knowing who he was, as he had a feeling she would plot every way to defeat him in case he ever got in her way. She probably already could, so Percy decided he would be as nice as possible so she had no reason to get rid of him.
"Isn't it a little weird, having a bath in the middle of your lounge?" He asked curiously, and she smiled. It wasn't a warm smile like his Mom's, or teasing like Annabeth's; she smiled at him like he was a dog that had tried to do a neat trick but fell over its own paws.
"Isn't it weird to work in a Greek and Roman museum and not remember that Romans often had baths like this in their homes? Well, the rich ones do, anyway" She replied.
"Touché. So, do people bath in here even when the room isn't empty?"
"My soldiers do; they're comfortable around each other. Some guests do, if they're brave. And others would bath in a room filled with people, as they believe that they have the body for it" Praetor shrugged, and looked to him "Which one are you?"
"Uh, depends who's watching I think" He said, removing his hand from the water and getting up. Praetor looked almost predatory, or maybe the drape was making it seem like that, but Percy honestly didn't want to get closer and find out.
"You don't seem so confident now Typhoon, even so close to the water. All I'm offering you is a bath" She said innocently, but Percy knew it wasn't just a bath. He didn't quite know what else she was offering, but he knew a bath wouldn't be all that he was getting.
"Maybe I'll have one later. At night. Alone" He said, and Praetor raised an eyebrow under her helmet.
"That's not very Roman of you" She said, getting up and approaching him at her own pace, knowing that she ruled this conversation. Percy was honestly confused; what the hell was happening right now? Was Praetor playing some sort of game? Why was he so bad at reading women?
"Uh, I'm not Roman" He said. She smirked.
"You're in my house. When in Rome…you know the saying" She said, getting ever closer, and Percy stepped back, because the woman was terrifying from far away, he certainly wasn't going to be any braver when she was close.
"What do you want from me, Praetor?" He asked, taking another step back as she stepped forward. She was stood on the very edge of the bath, looking smug, whilst he stood on the water, having it become dense beneath his feet and hold him up. It was a little humiliating that he'd backed up this far and not stood his ground, but it was too late now. She couldn't come any closer.
"I want to see how you tick. I want your pressure points, your fears, your fatal flaw" She told him, and he frowned.
"Why?" He asked.
"Because I didn't do this to Thalia Grace, and now she's on my enemies' side. If you knew that I knew exactly which string to pull to make you dance, you would never oppose me. You would never go against me" She explained, and Percy tutted.
"I'd also never go against you if you didn't have me stood in a pool and left to wonder what the hell your intimidation tactics are" He replied. She rolled her eyes.
"You're very dim, Typhoon. I know you want Night Owl, so I push it because I know you're uncomfortable with it. Its not hard to figure out. Becoming friends with someone won't stop them betraying you- hasn't Night Owl taught you that?"
"You don't trust anyone, do you? Your alliances and friendships are built on intimidation and blackmail" Percy guessed.
"Because I have a lot to lose"
"And you lost a lot" Percy added. Praetor faltered.
"You-
"You remind me of Night Owl a little. She's only like that because she lost her Mom. Why are you so stubborn to let anyone in, huh? Who did you lose?" Percy asked, and it was his turn to step forward, back onto the edge of the pool and she took a step back. He thought he was getting somewhere, until Praetor's hand collided with his cheek, hard, and walked away, purple cape billowing behind her. She stopped at the door, expression thunderous.
"My sister. I lost my sister"

And then she left. Percy stood still for a moment, revitalised from the water, before he turned to the next door, and walked away. He was surprised that Praetor would tell him such a thing, but then he doubted anyone ever questioned her back when she spoke to them; she had an air of authority that made people sit down and shut up when she entered a room.

He found Annabeth in the next room, which also had a bath in it (why did the place need baths in every room? Percy didn't understand) and she was sitting on one of the couches, reading through a book that was probably written in Latin.
"Hey" He greeted, and she looked up, orange eyes wide and startled. He remembered Piper calling her a nerd- she'd been so engrossed in the text she hadn't even heard him approach.
"What are you doing here? You should be resting!" She scolded, and Percy rolled his eyes.
"I don't do resting. I met the master of the house; Praetor seriously scares me" He admitted, sitting down next to her and letting out a large sigh. Annabeth smiled a little.
"She did that intimidation thing to me, too. You appear to have annoyed her though" She said, prodding at the cheek Praetor had slapped. Percy scowled.
"I think she wanted me to have a bath" He said, and Annabeth raised an eyebrow "Though I don't understand the beginning half of the conversation"
"Well, you haven't washed in two days" Annabeth reasoned, and then laughed when he gave her an offended expression.
"I said I'd take one at night, though I really meant 'I'll take one when she's not there'" He said, and Annabeth chuckled.
"Good choice- I don't think I'd want Praetor watching me in the bath either" She agreed. Percy laughed, heading for the bath in the centre of this room, finding it much warmer than the last one. He pulled off his shoes and socks and put his feet in the water, glad that he could finally submerge some part of him in the bath. He really just wanted to jump right in, but he could feel orange eyes staring a hole into his back.
"Are you having one now?" She asked, and he shrugged.
"No idea; anyone could just walk on by, which would be really weird and I doubt it would be fun. My suit is waterproof though; It does need a wash" Percy mused, looking at the tempting warm water around his feet. The bath looked deep, more like a pool really, which was the most inviting thing he'd seen since that one grilled cheese he made at three in the morning, which tasted even better than it looked.
"Just get in seaweed brain, this room doesn't lead anywhere so no one comes in; why do you think I decided to read in here?" Annabeth asked, sounding amused. Percy guessed that was fair enough and got in, sinking to the bottom before rising back up and shaking his head, making sure the water flew far enough to get Annabeth.
"Really?" She asked, and he grinned.
"Yep. Hey, if no one comes in here, why are you wearing your Night Owl disguise?" He asked.
"You can never be too careful" She said. He rolled his eyes "Plus, you're wearing your mask"

Percy pulled it off and looked at her expectantly. She sighed and the feathers vanished, and Percy watched in amazement. Just seeing the transformation was incredibly cool, how the feathers seemed to just shift into hair, how they simply vanished from her face; he was happy to see her grey eyes again, and she smiled.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" She asked.
"Because you're beautiful" Percy blurted, and then rambled to cover it up "Plus that transformation is pretty badass. You should use that one day, like when someone pushes into you in the street just flash the orange eyes at them" He told her, and she beamed.
"I'll do that" She said quietly "You know, you're supposed to use the oil"
"The what?" Percy asked, and Annabeth pointed to a ceramic bottle that sat on the edge of the bath, near the taps. Percy was sure that in ancient Rome they didn't have indoor plumbing and brass taps, but it beats the alternative; he was sure it would take about three hundred bucket fulls of water to fill this bath.
"Oh. What for?" He asked. Annabeth rolled her eyes and got up, picking up the bottle and sitting cross-legged on the edge of the bath. Percy swam over to her, and she poured some oil on his head, before putting the bottle down. There was a moment's hesitation, and Percy was going to do it himself, before Annabeth reached over and ran her hands through his wet hair, rubbing the oil into his scalp.
"Its made from berries mostly" She said, not noticing that Percy was now like putty in her hands- he loves people touching his hair, though he'd never admit it- her voice echoing around the room. Percy rested his chin on his arms on the edge of the bath, sighing in content.
"It smells nice" He said.
"That'll be the rose petals. This would've been the finest shampoo in Roman times, used by the richer families. It'll make your hair all soft and nice-smelling"
"My hair is soft and nice smelling" Percy mumbled, and Annabeth chuckled.
"Of course. You need to rinse" She said, and Percy sighed, pulling away from the edge and ducking under the water and shaking his head before coming back up. He was level with Annabeth's knees, which were covered by her hero suit, and Percy grinned. It was waterproof.
"Annabeth, I think you need a bath" He said, and Annabeth barely had time to ask what he was talking about before he'd grabbed her and pulled her in, submerging himself in the process so that they were both at the bottom of the bath. Annabeth began to kick off the bottom, cheeks puffed out and full of air, but Percy pulled her back, making a bubble at the bottom of the bath. Annabeth took a few steadying breaths.
"That wasn't funny Percy" She said, and Percy grinned.
"It so was. Don't get your feathers in a knot" He teased, holding onto her so she didn't float back up to the surface. They were almost nose to nose, it was silent in the water, and Annabeth's walls were down. Her hair floated around her head like a halo, catching the light that managed to reach the bottom of the bath and shining like gold. She was smiling a little, and she reached out for him too, and they became that little bit closer until Percy couldn't take it anymore.
"Annabeth?" He asked "Can you tell what I'm thinking?"

She nodded, her nose brushing his. He leaned in and kissed her gently, and she kissed back immediately, impatient and pressing as if saying 'finally, what took you so long?'. Percy wasn't going to be all sweet and gentle if she wasn't, and he sure wasn't going to let Annabeth have all the fun.

And it was definitely the best underwater kiss of all time

I knew I'd get that quote in if it killed me, and I succeeded, hahaha! Hopefully that weird code wont show up again and I won't have to spend ten minutes getting rid of it like last time, so if it doesn't hooray, and I hope you liked the chapter! There will be some actual main plot coming up, I just wanted Percabeth there because they're my favourites :)