Chapter 13

Annabeth had on a sports bra with a grey hoodie worn over and some dark tights along with her favorite running shoes.

She was running around central park with her earphones in when she sensed a person running up beside her.

Looking over to her right, she saw a very shirtless Percy. Emphasis on very.

Annabeth took out her earphones.

"Percy?" She said with an eyebrow raised.

"Hi Annie." He said with a smile.

"Hi." She said breathlessly, stopping her run. He stopped as well, his intense aquamarine eyes still fixed on her.

"Nice to see you again." he said, still smiling.

"Yeah, you too. So are you following me?— You couldn't stay away from your lovely sister for that long?" She said with a smile.

He chuckled, "You could say that."

"Shouldn't you buying wedding bands or a tux somewhere?"

Percy smiled slightly, "Yeah, probably. I just needed to clear my head with a run. It always helps me get my head focused."

She nodded.

He reached up to scratch the back of his head in a nervous gesture.

"So, you want to go get some coffee?"

She smiled, "Sure."

~o00o~

Her bare midriff was doing weird things to his head. He knew he shouldn't be thinking such things— her being his non biological sister, but he was only human. It was okay to think your sister was incredibly hot, right?

Gods, what was he thinking, he thought to himself.

They were walking side by side, chatting away and he was making her laugh.

Percy had missed her laugh— full of warmth— it was music to his ears.

As they walked into Starbucks, he got their coffee and led her to an empty booth.

When they had settled in, her grey eyes looked up to meet his.

"I would love to meet mom— Your mom again." She said.

A familiar cold depression hit him and he instantly hid it once it came— but he knew she had seen the unbearable sorrow in his face.

He kept his eyes downcast.

"Percy? Are you alright?" she reached out and touched his hand.

Ignoring the electric sparks that flew from her touch, Percy didn't respond.

He then lifted his eyes and let the walls break away, letting her see fully the sorrow that had almost swallowed him up whole before.

Almost instantly, he could see the realization in her gorgeous grey eyes.

"What… No." she said shaking her head, silent tears dropping down her face.

Percy was surprised seeing her tears. He knew Annabeth didn't shed tears lightly.

Letting out a soft, but shaky breathe, her hand left his.

"How?" she finally asked in a soft, but firm voice.

Percy looked up at her. Annabeth had a right to know.

"Brain tumor. Surgery, eventually… brain dead—then stuck in a coma… I had to let her go." He took a deep breath then said, "So I… pulled the cord."

She then wiped her tears and nodded silently.

"and Dad?"

Percy sighed, "Dad hasn't been the same since… I haven't been either. Once mom died, dad drowned himself in his work."

He was well aware of the stare he was getting from Annabeth.

"Crystal was sad, of course, but she didn't know our mom like you and I did." he reached over to hold her hand this time, "She loved you Annabeth, dearly, whether you were her daughter by blood or not."

Annabeth smiled slightly, "I know… I would love to go see dad again."

Percy nodded solemnly.

She was about to say something more when a blonde haired man walked up to them and— kissed Annabeth on the cheek?

Annabeth looked at him and gave him a small smile.

"Hey. What are you doing here?"

"I was just passing by, when I saw you." he said smiling. His blue eyes saw Percy.

"Oh Hey! Percy. Great to see you here."

"Likewise."

"Would you mind if I stole your sister away from you?" he said with a smile.

Not in a million years, Percy thought.

"Yeah, sure. I have to go prepare for work anyway."

Luke nodded with a happy smile plastered on his face.

He started to help Annabeth up.

As she stood, she turned to Percy and smiled so sweetly he thought his heart might break.

"Thank you for this, Perce. We should do it again sometime and congrats again— on your wedding." she said.

Her eyes betrayed her smile.

They looked confused and also incredibly sad. He felt bad for burdening her with — mom's death— but she did have a right to know.

And before they left completely, she turned her head to him and gave him a look that he couldn't place.

~o00o~

Annabeth suddenly could connect the dots.

Percy's false front that he was a cold filthy rich bastard. He was using the stupid false act to hide the pain that was inside him— the pain that he had harbored all these years?

Gods Percy, she thought, running her fingers through her hair. She was sitting in a business meeting— the whole reason she came to New York in the first place.

It was hard to concentrate, when all she could think about was a hurting, depression-ridden ex-brother, his rude fiancé, a bitchy nemesis who rubs it in her face constantly that she stole her life, and a workaholic father who she hadn't seen in forever.

Oh yeah, I can handle all of that in two months—no big deal, she thought.

"Ms. Chase, would you care to share your plans and ideas for the project?" the director of the project said in her direction.

Annabeth lifted her head up and looked at him,"Yes? Oh—Um."

Her grey intelligent eyes scanned the print in seconds before she said, "Well, I think if you added an underground water system that created a network of pipes replacing the sewage that you already have, then the building should work perfectly on environment friendly energy. Also— solar panels should be on our budget to create natural power, lighting the rooms."

"What about the room situation."

"Well, if you follow ETCO's plans, then there is another way to fix the problem with the arrangement of the rooms and space for aquarium tanks. Just, remodel the rooms in order to create a nice balance between space and the aquariums, as seen right here."

She looked amusedly at their gaping jaws, as she handed them her iPad to show her ideas.

"So, what do you think?" She said, giving the tablet to the shocked director.

"I—Uh… Yes, we'll definitely use it. Thank you."

"Nice doing business with you." she said as she walked out of the meeting room.

With a smirk on her face, she walked out— but instead of being able to walk to the elevator, she ran into a huge man.

"Excuse me, sir." Annabeth said. She looked up to see a hard, cold face of a man who seemed to know nothing about lenience or mercy. Annabeth, though, recognized the face immediately. She saw that the face had become weathered with age.

But just like Percy, it carried a hidden warmth behind it that only Annabeth could see.

Hidden warmth as if he too had been through trying times as well.

And understandably so, since the man in front of her was Percy's father. Once, her father.

"Annabeth." He said as his brightened up in shock almost immediately, making him look exactly like the father she grew up with. The kind, handsome man who would always sat her on his lap and read her book after book, story after story.

"What? How?" he said, still with surprise.

"Dad." she said with a smile, "I missed you."

Annabeth threw her arms around his neck, bringing the man closer to her.

He relaxed a bit in her embrace.

"How, how are you here?"

She pulled away and smiled, "I came here on a business trip. I just didn't know the company I was associating with was your company."

"Here, come into my office and we can talk."

He led her to his office and sent his secretary to get some coffee for the both of them. It was a huge office. There were leather couches placed at the center and a huge wooden desk at the very far end of the room.

"Please, sit Annabeth."

She sat down on the couches in front of him.

They made small talk for a bit about her life in California and his business.

After a moment of silence, Annabeth spoke up again.

"Dad… About mom— "

His face didn't immediately harden like Percy's did. Instead, sadness filled his expression with such intensity, Annabeth was heartbroken seeing him like that.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up." she said.

"No. no. It's fine, sweetheart… Did Percy tell you?"

She nodded.

He let out a sigh, "It was hard times for everybody, especially Percy. We were going to call you, but when you moved— as you know it, we lost total contact with you… " Poseidon looked up into her grey eyes and smiled softly.

"She would have been so proud, so happy to see you again, Annabeth. I'm sure of it— Sally would have gone to California to see you again, had it not been for Crystal needing her there for her."

Annabeth smiled back, "I know, dad."

Poseidon smiled back at her, "You don't know how much it means to me that you're here. I missed you. Everybody missed you, especially your brother. It never showed on his face, but I know he did." He sighed, "Ever since Sally's death, he's been…He's— "

"Yeah… I know. Dad."

"And that engagement." he said shaking his head.

Annabeth lifted her head up to meet his sea green eyes—so much like Percy's.

"His engagement? With Rachel Dare?"

Poseidon looked exasperated, "I told him he shouldn't ruin his life like that. I listed for him all the cons, but he wouldn't listen— the business was failing."

"Wait… the engagement was a business matter?"

He nodded sadly, "Their marriage is based on a simple contract— nothing else. Dare Enterprises was a perfect partner to bring Olympus Marine Life Associations up and running. So they both signed a contract of marriage. And Annabeth… if it is ever broken, O.M.L.A will go bankrupt for sure."

Annabeth's expression was full of shock. She was, simply put— overwhelmed by this outpour of information.

~o00o~

Percy had washed up and gone to work after seeing Annabeth— and Luke. They were dating? Why didn't anybody tell him things?

They were dating..

Something in the pit of his stomach twisted inside him and burned.

Gods, he thought.

He sent his secretary to get him some water—something to get rid of the weird feeling in his gut.

Soon, his intercom came on and his secretary spoke.

"Um, sir. I have your water, oh and Leo is here to see you."

"Send him in." Percy responded.

His secretary came in and brought the glass of water to his desk. A tall, tan skinned man came in with folders and an iPad in his hand. He was one of Percy's close friends and Percy had specially appointed him to be director of the rebuilding project for a new building they were designing.

"Leo! How did the meeting go?"

"It went—incredibly well." he said, looking a bit shocked.

"Uh, you sure? You look like it was a failure."

"I think it would be easier if I simply showed you the designs."

He handed Percy the iPad he was holding. Percy's eyes grew bigger and bigger as he scrolled through the amazing ideas that were in the tablet.

"How? Whose are these? They're amazing."

"Well, we brought over an associate from ETCO, which is all the way in California. They have a pretty great reputation in their ability for reconstruction and architecture. Anyways, to put it simply, I underestimated her. She persuaded me all the way to take her plans and designs. It could have the ability to bring our business up if we used her ideas for the building."

Percy broke into a smile.

Annabeth, he thought.

"Percy? Why are you smiling?"

He looked up at Leo, "Keep up the good work, Leo." he said, ignoring what his last words, "I expect the construction to start in a month or so."

"Sure, Percy." Leo said as he took the iPad from him and left his office.

When he was alone, Percy couldn't help but sit back in his chair and smile again— it was a genuine smile— a smile he didn't think was ever possible to be on his face again.

Author's Note:

For those of you who didn't like the Lukabeth in the last chapter. Sorry, not sorry :P

Don't worry too much though. All the Lukabeth is driving me a little crazy too. PERCABETH YUS!

Anyways, Thanks for reading guys. I'm almost finished with the next chapter so there should be another update pretty soon- actually, really soon.