Chapter 3

Annabeth

"Lauren, I'm going to head home for the day," I called out to my boss.

"Okay, have a great day sweetie!" She replied. I love Lauren, she's practically the grandmother I never had. Just as I was going to walk out of the front door of Lauren's, you'll never guess who came through the door. Okay, well you probably could.

"Hey, Annabeth," Percy greeted me.

"Hi," I replied.

He smiled,"Do you want to join me for dinner?" He asked.

I couldn't help but smile at his request,"I'd love to," I said.

"I'll be nice to be the one being served here, instead of the other way around," I said, thinking of all the times I've had to wait on someone in this restaurant, I mean, I know it's my job, but it gets boring after a while.

Percy agreed with me, that perfect smile of his still painted on his lips.

Stop it Annabeth! I thought, someone as hot as him can't possibly like you!

Just then, one of our new waitresses, Rachel, came over to take our order. I don't like Rachel, to say the least. I'm not even sure why Lauren hired her, she's not a good waitress, and she's not even friendly.

"Hello, my names Rachel, I'll be your server today," she said, her eyes trained on Percy the entire time she spoke,"can I get you something to drink?"

"Yeah," I said, and her head snapped over to me, apparently just realizing that I was sitting there.

"I'll have a Sprite with cherries in it," I said.

She rolled her eyes and wrote down what I wanted. "And what about you, sweetheart?" She asked Percy, batting her eyes at him.

"Just give me the same as Annabeth, please," he said, never taking his eyes off of me, not seeming fazed in the least by Rachel's attempt to flirt with him. Rachel, obviously pissed that he didn't pay her any attention, stormed off to get our drinks. I tried to stifle a laugh, and Percy chuckled. "What's her problem?" Percy asked me, oblivious to what just happened. I just laughed, and Percy smiled at me. "What are you going to order?" I asked Percy, having already picked out what I wanted, it was the same every time.

"I'm thinking about getting the grilled chicken sandwich, what are you getting?"

"A hamburger, pickles, ketchup and mustard only," I replied, to which Percy nodded his head in approval.

"So, why did you move here, Percy," I asked him, hoping I wasn't invading his space. "My mom is going to one of the local colleges here." He said, obviously very proud of his mother.

"That's cool, what is she getting her degree in?" I inquired.

"Writing," he answered. I nodded my head, just as Rachel came back and all but threw our drinks at us. "Thank you!" I called back to her, my voice practically dripping with sarcasm. Percy chuckled softly, and took a sip of his drink. "Where did you move from," I asked Percy, wanting to know more about him. "New York," he replied, a smile on his lips.

"Have you always lived here?" Percy asked me, seeming genuinely interested.

"Yep," I replied, popping the 'p'. "Always have, always will," Percy nodded and looked out the window. "What classes are you taking next year?" He questioned me.

"All advanced core classes, industrial technology, team sport, swimming and photography. What about you?"

"All non-advanced core classes," he said a smirk on his plump lips,"and almost the same electives, except marine biology instead of photography."

"Maybe we'll be in some of the same classes then," I said, excited at the possibility of sharing a class with Percy.

"That'd be nice to know someone already," he said, nodding his head.

Rachel soon arrived with our food, and promptly told us that she was clocking out, and that Thalia, my best friend, would be serving us. "Good," I said to Percy,"you'll get to like Thalia, she's my best friend," I explained. He nodded and started to dig into his grilled chicken sandwich. When we were almost done eating, Thalia came over and put the bill on our table. "Hey, Thals," I greeted her. "Hey, Annie," she said a smirk on her face. I glared at her, she knows I don't like being called Annie. Thalia was beautiful. She had straight shoulder length black hair, and electric blue eyes. She also played softball with me, so she was extremely fit. Once I got done glaring at her, I introduced her to Percy. "This is Percy," I said,"he's the help on the farm this summer." Thalia nodded, and stuck her hand out to Percy,"Thalia," she said. Percy smiled at her, and politely shook her hand. "Nice to meet you ma'am," his new southern accent slipping out. "You too," she said to Percy, and leaned down to whisper in my ear. "He's cute, Annie, and he's so in to you!" She said. I pulled back and glared at her. "You better get back to work, Thalia, before Lauren comes out and reprimands you."

"I'm going, I'm going," she said, her hands raised in surrender. "Just think about what I said!" She shouted as she walked through the doors marked 'employes only'. I rolled my eyes, a deep red blush displayed on my face. Percy raised his eyebrows at me, making my grow redder. "What was that?" He inquired, obviously knowing that Thalia said was about him. "Umm..."I trailed off, uncertain what lie I was going to tell him. "That's what I thought," he said, an arrogant smirk on his lips. By this time Im certain my face is as red as a fire truck. "Whatever," I said, not my best comeback, but it'll suffice. I reached for the bill, but just as my finger tips touched the leather, Percy snatched it up. "What are you doing?" I demanded. "Paying the bill," he responded, a look of innocence on his face.

"Not my half, no way, I can pay for myself," I insisted.

"Please, just let me pay for it, I'm the one who suggested dinner anyways," he pleaded with me. "Fine," I conceded, not being able to say no to his adorable puppy dog eyes. "But just this once."

Thanks for reading! I hope you like the story so far! If you have any suggestions or ideas for the story, please feel free to review, telling me what they are! Thanks again!

~Daughter of Athena1033