After Annabeth left, Percy's mom interrogated him.
"How was it?" she asked, setting Lilly down who had traces of blue cotton candy all over her mouth. She took a few steps forward and wrapped hers arms around Percy's leg, her eyes closing. He could tell she was sleepy. He lifted her into his arms and she rested her cheek against his shoulder, her eyes staying shut.
"We just watched a movie," Percy said, blushing slightly. His mom always had to know about new girls. Percy hadn't had a girlfriend since Lilly's mom. There was a girl, Rachel, but Percy could tell it wasn't going to work out. And then here comes Annabeth and Percy is completely crazy about her, even if they haven't known each other too long, or that Annabeth was intent on staying a mystery.
"Sure," Sally said, smiling. She kissed his forehead and then kissed the top of Lilly's head who was now fast asleep. "Call me when you go on a date again," she said with her hand on the door.
Percy blushed and scowled. "It wasn't a date."
"Good night Percy, I love you."
"'Night Mom, love you too," Percy grumbled, watching her leave. He lifted Lilly a little higher and made his way to her room. He tucked her in, turned on her night light that threw shapes of moons and stars against the wall, and left her room to go to his. In his room, he kicked off his shoes, striped down to his boxers, and fell asleep, thinking of Annabeth.
Annabeth put her hands on her hips and stood back, examining her work. She'd finally gotten to decorating her house to make it seem more like home. She told herself she wasn't going to do it in case she had to leave quickly, but she couldn't resist. The house was so dull and Annabeth was tired of it. All she needed now was paint. The living room was a beige color that she thought went well with the house, but she wanted to paint her room a different color.
She pushed her hair out of her face and grabbed her keys, deciding that she should go to Lowes to pick out some paint, or some samples at least.
Annabeth entered Lowes with a mind full of colors. She had no idea exactly what color she would pick. It could be anything because the covers on her bed were plain white since they were cheap.
She moved over to the sample section, crossed her arms, and began her search. She definitely didn't want pink. Or orange. Maybe purple or blue or yellow. As Annabeth reached out to pull a sample that was sea foam green, someone called her name. Her hand froze along with her heart. Panic rose quickly in her throat and she turned her head quickly to see who it was.
Percy was down the aisle, Lilly swinging from his arm and a gallon of paint in his free hand. Annabeth relaxed immediately but she was sure Percy noticed her moment of fear. Her offered her a warm, lopsided smile and she thought to herself that he was pretty cute.
"Hey!" Percy said as he neared her. Annabeth glanced at Lilly to see what she had picked out to wear this time; her black hair was in a ponytail and there was a tiara perched crookedly on her head, she was wearing the tutu she was the first day Annabeth met her and a shirt with a fish on it. She waved at Annabeth and grinned. Annabeth waved back. "What are you doing here?" Percy asked.
Annabeth raised her eyes to him and nearly scowled at the twinge she felt in her chest. The other night when his mom and Lilly walked in, Annabeth wasn't sure what she was feeling, but she loved that Percy was actually interested in something historical. She didn't want to admit it to anyone, but guys who liked historical things definitely turned her on and she had to leave his apartment as soon as she could.
"Oh, um, I'm painting my room," Annabeth replied, glancing at the samples again. She looked at the paint can in Percy's hand. "What are you painting?"
"Oh," Percy said, and he lifted the can as though he forgot he'd been carrying it. "The kitchen is getting a but dingy and my mom suggested that I paint it." He shrugged. Annabeth noticed the color on top and saw it was a calm blue that would look nice in the kitchen.
"Good color," she said, nodding. He grinned.
"Thanks. Blue is my favorite color. What color are you doing?"
Annabeth looked to her right and shrugged. "I haven't decided yet."
"You can do blue, too," Percy said, still grinning, "so that every time you go in your room you can think of me."
Annabeth blushed furiously and Percy laughed. "I didn't mean it that way," he said, looking at her innocently, but he was still laughing.
Annabeth tried to keep the smile off her face, but she failed miserably. "Well, I'm not sure about that."
Lilly tugged on Percy's arm, showing that she wanted to go. Percy gave her a look that told her to give him a few more seconds, and he blurted, "Would you like to go to dinner with me?"
She looked at him. They've already gone to dinner twice before.
"Without any munchkins," he added, tipping his head toward Lilly who was playing with his watch.
"I'm not a munchkin!" Lilly said indignantly. "I am a princess." She said the word slowly as if Percy didn't quite understand the concept of the word.
"Right." Percy nodded. "Without any princesses."
Annabeth watched them, shifting her weight between her feet. "Okay," she said.
"Really?" Percy asked with the same tone of surprise he used when he asked Annabeth to watch the movie with him.
"You've got to stope acting so surprised, Percy."
He grinned yet again, his green eyes bright. "I'll pick you up at eight." Percy made to walk past Annabeth, but she caught his arm.
"Don't you need my address?"
"I'll just text you for it."
"Don't you need my phone number?" she asked.
"Nah. I have all my worker's numbers in my phone."
Annabeth gave him a look. "But I never-"
"I know. But you gave it to Kalle and she, uh, let it pass hands."
"More like you asked for it," Annabeth replied.
Percy shrugged, feigning innocence, and left the store with Lilly still swinging on his arm.
Annabeth watched them leave, pushing her bangs behind her ear.
"Excuse me, ma'am, can I help you with anything?"
Annabeth jumped slightly, lost in her thoughts, and look at the woman with a Lowes uniform on.
"Oh, right, yes. I'm looking for blue paint."
Percy picked Annabeth up at exactly eight, surprising her because she thought he'd be late. She glanced out of her window and saw Percy getting out of his car. Smoothing her red dress down, she quickly stepped out of her apartment and shut the door behind her. She didn't want Percy to see the lack of furniture.
"Hello," Percy said, smiling. He was wearing a nice white button up shirt and jeans. It hit Annabeth that this was their first date. It struck her odd that she was going on a date with Percy. She could've sworn just last week they were nearly strangers. But she wasn't complaining; Percy looked nice and she hoped she did too.
"Hi," she answered a little breathlessly, pushing her hair behind her ear.
"Shall we?"
"I think so."
Percy took Annabeth to a nice Italian restaurant that looked pretty expensive. They were seated and Annabeth ordered fizzy water while Percy got a coke.
"Not big on wine, are you?" he asked.
Annabeth wrinkled her nose and shook her head. Her husband would drink everyday and it contributed to his abusive tendencies. Annabeth didn't like alcohol.
"Yeah, me neither."
When the waiter came back, Percy ordered and pizza and Annabeth, a panini.
"So," Annabeth asked, leaning forward slightly. "How did you get a restaurant so young?" she asked, genuinely curious. He couldn't have been much older than her and she was twenty three. It was rare to see someone young own their own restaurant.
"My dad," Percy said simply, taking a sip of his coke. "He had the restaurant when he met my mom, but when I turned twenty one he decided that he wanted to pass it on to me and go on a world cruise."
"A world cruise?" Annabeth asked, resisting the urge to laugh. Percy grinned though, showing her that if she laughed, he wouldn't mind.
"Yeah. He loves to sea and thought it was about time to retire."
"I see," she replied.
Annabeth chewed on the inside of her cheek, a question poking at the back of her mind, but she definitely didn't want to be rude. Instead, she decided to ask a question that might go deeper into to subject but only if Percy would let it.
"How old were you when Lilly was born?"
Percy was momentarily distracted by the arrival of their food, but after he piled three slices of pizza on his plate, he answered her question.
"Eighteen."
"Eighteen?" Annabeth asked, surprised. That made Percy the exact age as her, but she was surprised that he was barely an adult when he became a father. Of course she knew Percy was young and Lilly was at least five years old, but it never occurred to her how young Percy was.
He blushed slightly. "Yeah," he said. He took a bite of his pizza and Annabeth waited patiently to see if he would elaborate. He did. "Uh, it was with a girl who I'd dated for about a year and she ended up pregnant. After she told me, she said she was planning to get an abortion." Percy's eyes were on his pizza and his eyebrows were furrowed. "I told her that I didn't want her to do that, and she said she didn't want the baby. I told her I would take it, I would care for it and I talked her into keeping it. After Lilly was born, she went off to college and I haven't seen her since. She hasn't called, texted, emailed or written me at all. I just assume she doesn't want to be a mom, and she pretends that Lilly doesn't exist. I wish it wasn't like that. I wish Lilly had a mom, but I know she wouldn't be a good mom; I can find someone better for her because she deserves the best." Percy nodded, more to himself than to Annabeth. She felt her heart lurch strangely. She felt sorry for Percy.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"Oh, don't be. We've been getting on fine without her."
Percy's sudden opening made Annabeth want to spill everything about her, but she knew she couldn't. Not yet, at least. Maybe not ever.
"So, do you have any dark secrets?" Percy teased. Annabeth nearly knocked over her drink, but she calmed down and told herself he was joking. She imagined if she told him, it'd be something like this: "Oh, yes, actually. I ran away from my husband who beat me everyday. Would you pass the Parmesan?"
"I'm joking," Percy said after a few silent seconds. She wasn't pulling keeping a secret off very well. "Annabeth, are you okay?"
"Fine! Sorry, I was thinking about something," Annabeth said quickly, and she took a bite of her panini to keep herself occupied. Percy surprised Annabeth by reaching across the table and taking her hand. She blinked at him.
"If you ever want to tell me anything, I'm a great listener," he said softly. He pulled his hand away and continued eating his pizza like he hadn't stopped.
Annabeth stared at him in amazement. She felt like he could see right though her.
The rest of the dinner, Percy told her about his parents and his step-dad and some of his friends. Annabeth listened intently, glad to learn more about him. He let Annabeth ask all the questions and he didn't ask any in return. It was the best dinner Annabeth had ever had.
"What would you do if you didn't take over the restaurant?" Annabeth asked after Percy told her how many detentions he's served since third grade. He shrugged.
"I don't know. A cop? A professional surfer? Maybe an astronaut. I have no idea. What about you? Where are you going with life?"
Annabeth took a sip of her fizzy water. "I was an architect for a little while," she answered.
"Was?"
"Yeah. Something got in the way," she said quietly.
Their plates had been long empty and the restaurant was slowly clearing out. Percy decided it was time to stop annoying their waiter who kept coming back to ask them if they needed anything else and walking away with an annoyed expression when they declined.
Annabeth stood up as did Percy and he absentmindedly placed his hand on the small of her back, walking with her to the car. Her skin tingles at his touch and when he separates to get into the car, Annabeth frowns.
As Percy pulls out of the parking lot, he glances at Annabeth.
"Why don't you come over for a little while?" he asked, his eyes on the street. Annabeth agreed before her mind even had time to think about it.
"Sure."
They pulled into a parking spot right in front of Percy's apartment, and as they climb the steps, his hand goes to her back again.
Sally was sitting inside, channel surfing when the two walked in. She glanced at them and stood up, reaching for her purse and keys.
"Thanks Mom," Percy says as she walks past him. She smiled at him, says hello to Annabeth and leaves quickly, leaving them alone.
Percy crashed on the couch and Annabeth took a seat next to him, stretching her legs out. He grabbed the remote and picked up where his mom left off. He stopped on some show with magical ponies and watched it with a serious face. Annabeth gave him a look, and when he noticed it, he turned his head back to the TV and laughed.
"I'm sorry, I'm just so used to watching these shows with Lilly that I sometimes forget I'm a grown man."
Annabeth laughed. "What do you watch when Lilly's not here?"
"The History Channel, National Geographic, you know, the good stuff."
"You do not!"
Percy laughed. "No, no, I don't. Just trying to impress you," he said with a shrug and Annabeth blushed a little. Either Percy liked her or he was just really nice.
"Here, let me see the remote," Annabeth said, holding her hand out expectantly.
"Uh-uh-uh," Percy chided, shaking his head, "you've got to get it first."
"Really, Percy."
"Really."
Annabeth glared at him for a second before she reached for his hand. He quickly pulled out of reach and held it far away.
"No fair! Your arms are longer," Annabeth said as she lunged again, leaning over Percy's lap.
"All's fair in love and war," he said matter-of-factly. She rolled her eyes and reached again. This time, Percy dropped the remote, caught Annabeth's wrist, pulled her against him, and kissed her.
Annabeth was so taken by surprise that she didn't respond for a moment. Part of her mind was telling her to tell Percy to take her home now; the other part was screaming at her to kiss him back. She didn't have time to choose though, because Percy pulled back, his pupils large and his lips parted.
"I..." Annabeth started, unsure exactly what she should say. Percy cupped her face and kissed her again, softly but it definitely made something stir in her chest.
Annabeth kissed him back, telling herself it was only a kiss. Percy gripped Annabeth's hips and pulled her into his lap. She let out a little squeak of surprise against his lips but her mind ignored the surprise as Percy deepened the kiss.
Okay, Annabeth told herself, this is okay.
Percy pulled away, his lips red. He pushed against her hip a little and she stood up. He followed suit.
"Come on," he murmured. Annabeth tried to find her voice to tell him she should go home, they should stop, but she only found her voice when they were in Percy's room, and she definitely wasn't telling him to stop.
Okay, sorry but I had to rewrite this. I'm sorry to the people who had to read the first one because it was terrible and jumbled and way too fast and weird. So I hope this is better and tell me what you think!