3. Whisper

Percy paced back and forth in his apartment. What was he thinking asking Annabeth out? He had never been on a real date before. He wasn't thinking clearly on the rooftop. It was a spur of the moment kind of thing. He was acting on his gut instinct. Percy really wanted to go on this date with Annabeth. He really did. He didn't want to screw it up, though. Shit. This was not good in Percy's book. He just needed to calm down. He still had an hour before he had to pick her up. They were going to go out to dinner and then to a new museum that opened up. Why Annabeth wanted to go to a museum on a date was a mystery to Percy, but being with a girl like Annabeth, he didn't argue. One thing calmed Percy down. Annabeth had said yes. Part of her wanted to go on this date. Even if she was doing it out of pity, Percy didn't really care. It was his chance to prove that he can be worth something.

"Percy? Are you in the living room?" Sally called from the hallway. "Yep. Just grabbing my wallet." He replied. Sally reached Percy at the door. She looked him up and down, noticing he was wearing dark jeans, a white v-neck, and the same leather jacket he wore to the graduation dinner party. "Wow Perce. You really cleaned up nicely." Sally beamed.

"Mom, please don't embarrass me before the date even starts."

"Sorry honey! I'll back off, I promise. I just can't help it that my boy is so handsome now."

Percy rolled his eyes. There was no use. Oh well. At least Annabeth wasn't coming over to his place. Percy checked the digital clock. "Got to go, mom. I'll be back…whenever." And with that, Percy left the small apartment.

Annabeth tried on this dress, she tried on that dress. This whole getting ready thing for a date was really starting to become an annoyance. Honestly, Annabeth didn't even really like wearing dresses. She'd rather be in her jean shorts and a tee or tank 24/7. But this was a date. So that meant she had to look nice.

Why did she even care so much about what she looked like tonight anyways? She had just met Percy the night before. But there was something about his sea green eyes and lop-sided grin that made him hard to dislike.

She finally settled on a slim red dress. Annabeth placed her silver owl necklace around her neck and decided she was ready. Her necklace was lucky. Annabeth had found it in an old jewelry box when she was 10. Her dad said it belonged to her mother, so it immediately became a token of luck. Annabeth had never met her mother. She had heard stories about her from her father, though. As a little girl, Annabeth used to love to jump in her daddy's lap by the fire place at night and hear stories about her mom. But then her dad got remarried. The stories stopped. She got two step brothers. And it seemed like Dr. Frederick Chase had forgotten all about Annabeth's mother.

As she got older, Annabeth didn't mind as much when her father would pay attention to her younger brothers more than her. She took on reading. And school work. Annabeth had always been advanced for her age, but after a certain age, she started getting bored in a regular classroom.

In high school, her father, Frederick, enrolled her in a private all girls academy. Annabeth was loaded with school work since her father insisted she took the top classes. To say in the least, Annabeth Chase didn't have too much of a social life. But all that didn't matter right now. She was going on a date.

Percy rang the doorbell outside the Chase residence. "Are you Percy?" Frederick asked, taking in the younger man. "Yes, sir." Percy replied. He was in his best behavior tonight. "Annabeth will be down in a moment, Percy. Please come in." Dr. Chase invited.

Percy looked around. The house seemed pretty normal. It was average size with an upstairs. Some video games and remote control cars were strewn across the coffee table in the living room. "Annabeth has a little brother?" Percy asked. Dr. Chase seemed to get a distant look in his eyes, but it was gone before Percy noticed it. "She has two younger step brothers." Before Percy had a chance to comment, Annabeth came down the stairs.

If Percy thought Annabeth looked gorgeous on the roof top the night before, then he didn't know what gorgeous was because tonight she looked stunning. "Hey, Percy." She greeted. All Percy could do was take her in. Her curly blond hair was tossed over her shoulders casually. She wore a red knee length dress and a silver owl necklace displayed around her neck. The thing Percy liked the most about Annabeth's appearance was that she was wearing a pair of old black Converse.

Annabeth looked down, noticing Percy was staring at her shoes. "These are more comfortable than some death trap heels my step mom bought me. Besides, if we run into any trouble, I can escape quickly in these."

Percy looked up. "What do you mean?"

"It's New York. You never know. Besides, I always have a plan."

Percy smiled. They were talking. This was a good sign. He should probably leave the house though. After saying good bye to Dr. Chase, Percy and Annabeth embarked on their date.

"Percy! Look at the detail on the marble of these columns!" Percy had never seen someone appreciate a museum as much as Annabeth did. "Yeah. Those are great columns, Annabeth." Percy replied. They were walking in a section of the museum all designed in Greek style architecture. Annabeth stopped. "I'm sorry. You're probably really bored here."

"No! Are you kidding me? I love admiring columns and pillars and such." Percy smiled. Annabeth laughed. "You don't have to pretend, Percy. But thanks for taking me here. I really wanted to see it."

Percy slid his hand into Annabeth's. It was a gesture he was really nervous about, but since she didn't pull away or laugh at his sweaty palms, he seemed much happier about the whole holding hands thing. "Come on. We still have two hours before your curfew. I want to show you something." Percy whispered.

They drove in Percy's black Mustang away from the city. "Percy, where the hell are we going? If we drive any further, we won't make it back in time." Annabeth whined.

"Hold on. We're almost there."

They stopped at a beach on the outskirts of the city. The waves of the Atlantic rolled up on the shore and crashed against the rocks. The sun had already set, but the moon shone down on the two, illuminating their surroundings. "I don't think I've ever been to this beach." Annabeth told him. Percy sported a small smile. "My mom used to take me down here when I was younger all the time." Percy told her. His smile faded. "We stopped going here as often a few years ago. It reminded my mom too much of my dad."

Annabeth started walking down the shoreline. Percy followed her. "What happened with your dad?" she asked. Percy had a distant expression on his face. "I'm sorry. Am I asking too much?" Annabeth feared.

"No. My dad was lost at sea. I never met him."

"Percy, I'm really sorry."

A silence set over them. Annabeth gave Percy's hand a little squeeze for reassurance.

"I never met my mom." Annabeth said.

Percy looked into her gray eyes. "I'm sorry. What happened?"

"I'm not really sure exactly. My dad never told me the full story. He used to tell me about my mom all the time, before he got remarried. I'm not sure what happened to her. Maybe she died right after I was born. Maybe she never actually married my dad."

Percy wrapped his arm around Annabeth's waist. He knew the feeling of not knowing what happened to your parent.

The wind started to pick up. Annabeth snuggled in closer to Percy. Neither one was talking, but they were ok with that. It was as if they had a silent agreement: Let's just enjoy this moment. Without thinking, Percy leaned his head closer to Annabeth's. He was going to attempt something risky. Annabeth looked up at him, noticing his face inching closer to hers. He closed his green eyes. Their lips met.

Percy didn't want to pull away. If he had it his way, he was perfectly fine with kissing Annabeth for eternity. Her lips were soft and matched right in with his. The kiss started innocent. But that part didn't last long. After they both made it clear that neither one was going to pull away anytime soon, the kiss got more passionate. Annabeth kissed Percy over and over, loving the way he felt against her lips. Eventually, they broke apart and stared into eachother's eyes.

Annabeth studied Percy's face and whispered, "Please don't leave. Please don't be like my mom."

Percy smiled warmly at her. "Only if you wont be like my dad."