Hey guys! I promise I didn't die and come back to life... I tried extremely hard to not go on a hiatus, especially a long one... but with all my essays and finals and stuff going on, I had no choice. I'm so sorry for not letting you all know but I didn't decide to do it until I posted my Chuck story so if you read that too, then you knew. But anyways, I'm back and you can start expecting chapters every other week again. :)

ApTeryyx: You're probably thinking, "Omg. I praise Fluffy for being a regular updater and she goes on a two month hiatus. What. The. Hell." I'm sorry about that. But I'll be back and regular again!

ilikepercabeth123: Yeah... I didn't want him and Athena's feud to be a major conflict in the story. So a mild tolerance was a good place for me.

Dawnwizard8010: Thanks! I couldn't exactly make Athena a jerk... she is my mother after all...

A Faulty Spell Casting Demigod: I hope your project went well. And as for the "unrealistic expectation of men," I have to say, I feel like all men have the capability to stand up for themselves and their significant others. They just have to find the right one. And this is coming from a girl. I'm pretty positive that I'm not Uncle Rick and Blood of Olympus is WAYYY better than this story. Ugh.

iheartpickles: It means so much that you think this is one of the best mortal stories out there. Sometimes I think, "what the heck am I writing? This doesn't even make sense!" So to hear that you guys like it keeps me going.

Guest (Guest #4): I posted! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson and the Olympians... Obviously since I am in no way, shape, or form Rick Riordan.

Two months had passed since the dinner with Percy and her family and Annabeth was freaking out. She was so happy that her parents were at least tolerable of Percy, but now it was her turn to meet the parents. He had told her last week that after evasion after evasion, his mom had been adamant that she met Annabeth. It was actually surprising that Percy was able to hold this off for so long. From what she'd gathered from his stories, Sally Jackson-Blofis was a tough woman to say no to. She paced the length of her office.

It was Friday afternoon and Percy would be picking her up in a couple hours when he got off his shift at the Aquarium so that they could go to his parents' place that was just a little ways up the road from where she lived. From what she could tell, Percy practically worshipped his mother, and not without reason. As he told Annabeth about her, she found herself wishing that she had a mother as caring as Sally. Sure Athena had warmed up within the last couple of months but she was nowhere near what she expected Percy's mother to be like, and that made Annabeth nervous. She knew that she loved Percy and that he loved her and that they were probably going to spend the rest of their lives together, but what if Sally didn't like her? What if she convinced Percy that Annabeth wasn't the right girl for him and he broke up with her? Annabeth shook her head to dispel her doubts.

She was over thinking the whole situation. She knew it. She always did when she was nervous. But, she shouldn't be nervous, at least, that's what Percy said. He assured her that his mom would love her, and while that should have been enough, it wasn't. It made her even more nervous to meet the older Jackson. A knock on her office door pulled her back to reality and she made her way back to her seat behind her desk, calling for whoever was waiting outside to come in.

"Ms. Chase," Gwen, her secretary said, poking her head into the office. "There's someone out here to see you."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow slightly, curious as to who would visit her. She knew that it wasn't Percy because he knew better than to disturb her at work unless it was an absolute emergency, and he should still be at work. "Who, Gwen?" she asked.

"Drew Tanaka," the secretary winced as though she weren't happy about that. Annabeth could feel her face burn. Drew Tanaka was one of the airhead heiresses that gave them a bad reputation. She was set to inherit the international hotel chain, Tanaka Hotels, but the girl had the business experience of a six year old trying to start a lemonade stand.

Why the hell was she here, Annabeth asked herself. She honestly didn't have time to deal with Drew right now but her etiquette classes bubbled to the surface, reminding her to be polite and hospitable to all, even to enemies. Taking a deep breath, Annabeth waved her hand in a vague gesture, knowing that Gwen knew that meant to send her in.

She could smell her before she saw her. The stench of too-thick perfume overtook the room as the Asian headache walked into the room. Annabeth could already feel a headache forming right behind her eyes. Steeling her features, Annabeth put a smile on her face and greeted the heiress politely. "Hello, Drew," she said. "How can I help you?"

The heiress set her large purse down on one of the chairs in front of Annabeth's desk and began walking around the office, obviously making herself at home without an invitation. It took all of Annabeth's willpower to not explode. Drew stopped in front of one of Annabeth's bookcases and pointed at a picture frame that contained a picture of her and Percy. "You know," she said, pointing to it. "He's cute." Annabeth was seething with annoyance now. She stood up from her desk.

"I don't mean to be rude, Drew, but why are you here? I'm very busy so if you don't have any business being here, I will have to ask you to leave."

"I'd have thought that having a boyfriend would have warmed your little Ice Queen act, Annie." Annabeth could feel her face get red with anger as Drew continued to push her buttons. "But I do have business to discuss with you."

"And that is…"

"Daddy wants to build another hotel in lower Manhattan and asked me to come to you for designs," she said. "Something about how I should start learning about the family business." Annabeth wanted to roll her eyes.

"You do realize that we don't just spit out designs like machines, right? There's a process that each architect and each client must go through. You can't just tell me to design a building a leave it at that."

"I know," she said as though Annabeth were the stupid one.

"Well, I've already got a full portfolio for the next few weeks so I can refer you to one of our other senior architects to help you through the process," she said, sitting back down at her desk to pull up a list of all their architects and write their contact information down, eager to get rid of Drew.

"Actually," the heiress interrupted. "That won't be necessary. Daddy told me that he spoke to your mom and she promised that you would take care of it personally." Annabeth narrowed her eyes.

"I never received that notification," she said.

"Yeah, well, that's what they said. So I say, give me your best shot and I'll see if I like it." Annabeth nearly growled. How dare that frilly excuse of a woman come in here and demand work from her. Gritting her teeth, Annabeth stood and spoke.

"I will speak with my mother and your father and we will work from there. But, as I said before, I'm very busy so I will have to ask you to leave." Drew looked around the office once more and lifted her chin into the air.

"Fine. I expect to hear from you soon," she said, grabbing her bag and turning to leave. Just then, Annabeth's office door opened revealing Percy. Annabeth resisted the urge to smack her forehead and groan. She could see how Drew looked her boyfriend up and down as though he were a piece of meat while he stood there uncomfortably, probably realizing that he shouldn't have come into her office. Drew turned back to look at Annabeth and winked. "Ooh… Annie's got herself some man candy," was all she said before she walked out.

Percy's eyes widened comically at the comment and his face flushed in embarrassment. He closed the door behind him and walked up to Annabeth who came around her desk to meet him. "Sorry," he apologized. "I should have knocked or something. I didn't know you had a meeting. Gwen wasn't outside and it's past five so I thought you'd be done by now." Annabeth shook her head.

"You're fine, Percy," she said. He pulled her into him and she rested her head in the crook of his neck. "But next time, give me a call to make sure." She could feel him nod.

"Who was that, anyway?" he asked, pulling back slightly so they could see each other's faces. Annabeth groaned.

"Remember how when we first met, you thought I was some dumb, rich, stuck-up, brat who only cared about herself?"

"Yeah?" he answered, more like a question than an answer.

"She's one of the reasons why people think we're like that," she said, stepping out of her embrace, going back around her desk to pack up her things. "Drew Tanaka. Her father owns Tanaka Hotels and Resorts."

"Why was she here?"

"Apparently her dad thinks that she should be trusted with an entire building so they put her in charge of overseeing the whole process and I was enlisted to design the building… without my approval." At Percy's confused look, she continued. "My mother and her father have a running contract and my mother ensured that I would personally look over it since I will soon be heading up the company. I didn't know about that little arrangement until Drew came barging in." Percy winced and sat down in one of the chairs in front of Annabeth's desk.

"Ouch. Sorry to say this, Wise Girl, but that sucks." Annabeth rolled her eyes at his choice of words but could see the sincerity of what he was telling her. It really did suck. "So, you're going to design the building?"

"I kind of have to, Percy," she said, shoving her laptop in her bag.

"But what about your other projects?"

The blonde architect closed her eyes and lifted a hand to her forehead, trying to massage the forming headache out from behind her eyes. "I'm going to have to pass along one of them to make time for this one." She looked at her boyfriend who was sitting with wide eyes, a hint of fear in them. "No," she assured. "I'm not dropping our project. I'll just give one of my monuments to Malcolm or something." She slung her bag over her shoulder and looked at Percy. "Ready to go?" she asked, no more excited to meet Percy's parents than before. All she wanted to do was soak in a warm bath with a glass of wine and curl up in bed with a good book. Percy must have sensed her exhaustion because he took her workbag from her and held her arms in his hands.

"Do you want me to call off dinner with my parents?" he asked. "I know how tired you are." Annabeth smiled at the sweet gesture but she knew that her meeting his parents was important to him so she shook her head.

"No. I'm fine, Percy," she said. "Besides, your mom probably already started cooking. It'd be rude to cancel last minute." He gave her an unsure look but then nodded in agreement. Together, they walked out to their separate cars where they followed each other to Annabeth's apartment so that she could drop her car off and change into something more casual.

By seven o'clock, she and Percy were standing outside of the Blofis' apartment, holding a bottle of red wine. Percy looked at her for silent confirmation and she nodded with a smile. Percy knocked. As they waited for the door to open, Annabeth hoped that the black haired man standing beside her couldn't hear her heart pounding in her chest. She'd never had to 'meet the parents' before today because she never really dated and all of the men that had ever courted her were friends of the family so she already knew his parents. This was completely new territory. Not even secretly Googling 'what to do when you meet the parents' on the car ride over had helped or calmed her nerves.

The door finally opened, after what felt like an eternity, revealing a woman, slightly shorter than Annabeth, with warm brown eyes and long brown hair standing in front of them with an apron wrapped around her waist. "Oh, Percy!" she exclaimed, love laced in her voice. She enveloped her son in a hug that made Annabeth's heart tug. She couldn't remember her own mother ever hugging her like that, even when she was a kid. "You're right on time." She pulled away from him and noticed the bottle in his hand. "Oh, and you brought wine." Then, the moment of truth happened. Sally turned her attention to Annabeth and she could see how the warmth and love in her eyes never wavered as she shifted her focus from her son to a stranger. "And you must be Annabeth," she said. Annabeth smiled, equal parts shy and polite. The brown haired woman opened her arms wide and pulled Annabeth into a warm hug that threw the blonde heiress off guard. Just by her hug, Annabeth could feel the resemblance between Sally and Percy. When they hugged, they put all of their emotion into it as though they were trying to communicate how they felt in a single embrace. It was so unlike the way Annabeth was brought up. She was taught to limit physical contact with others, as it would come across as clingy and desperate. When they finally pulled apart, Annabeth tried to keep her face pleasant, not wanting to display her surprise.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Blofis," she greeted, trying to regain her composure. The older woman scoffed and Annabeth was afraid she had already offended her boyfriend's mother.

"Oh, please," she said, waving her hand in a dismissive motion. "Call me 'Sally.' Mrs. Blofis makes me sound like my mother-in-law." Annabeth released a breath she didn't know she was holding and nodded.

She and Percy followed Sally further into the apartment and into the kitchen. Where the two of them sat down at the kitchen table. "I'm almost done with dinner. Paul had an event at the school so he should be home in a little bit." Percy nodded in understanding while Annabeth sat there awkwardly.

She cleared her throat. "Um, Sally," she said. "Did you need any help with anything?" She figured that instead of sitting there awkwardly, she could put her mind and body to work and distract her until it was time to eat. Unfortunately, that plan was put to rest when Sally waved her off.

"Oh, dear, please. You are a guest in my home. I don't want you to have to lift a finger." She continued cleaning up the dishes while Percy and Annabeth sat there and watched. Annabeth took that time to really note the differences between Percy's family and her own.

One of the biggest differences was that her family was larger, but much more separated. Aside from her and her brothers, big hugs weren't given out and grand displays of affection weren't shown. She had only met his mother and already she was practically treated as a member of the family. Another difference was that the small apartment was very home-y. It wasn't messy but it wasn't too clean. It just looked… very well lived in. The atmosphere was warm and inviting. Her parent's mansion was very spacious and regal. And, if not for the various family pictures scattered throughout each room, Annabeth wouldn't have guessed that a family lived there. It made her wish that her family was a little more open with their feelings and focused more on the family than the business.

Suddenly, a door opened, pulling Annabeth out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Sally putting away the last of the dirty – now clean – dishes and turning to the doorway where a man with salt and pepper hair stood, his coat in his hands along with a messenger bag. "Paul, dear, you're just in time," Sally greeted, moving toward her husband, taking his things. Percy stood up and shook his stepfather's hand and greeted him. Annabeth followed his lead.

"Hello, Mr. Blofis," she greeted.

The older man smiled at her warmly. "You must be Annabeth," he said. She nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You, too. Mr. Blofis."

"Please, call me Paul." Annabeth smiled again and took a step back.

Sally ushered everyone to the small dining room area where most of the food was already set down. Percy's mother followed them, carrying a hot dish, what looked like Fettuccini Alfredo, and set it in the center of the table. Annabeth blinked at the pasta as the noodles were blue. She shot a look at Percy who simple shrugged with a knowing smirk. Annabeth racked her brain and remembered a conversation they had when they first started dating. Important events constituted blue food. Annabeth thought that he was just pushing her buttons when he told her that the tradition still went on but the bowl of blue pasta sitting in front of her told her that it was very much a real thing and very serious. After Sally led a short prayer, the four of them began to dig into the food, keeping the conversation light. It wasn't until halfway through dinner that the big questions came out.

"So, Annabeth," Paul said. "Tell us a little bit about yourself."

Annabeth swallowed her bite of pasta and wiped her mouth, unconsciously remembering her etiquette classes from when she was a little girl. "Well, I currently am one of the senior architects at my mother's architecture firm."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Interesting." Paul paused, seeming to think over his words carefully before continuing. "I hope you don't take offense to this, but I was always under the impression that many heiresses don't begin taking interest into the family business until it is time for them to take over." Out of her peripheral, Annabeth could see Percy shooting his stepfather a not-so-subtle what the hell? look. She, thankful for the blunt honesty, simply shrugged.

"A lot of heiresses are like that," she said. "But growing up, I always liked to learn and actually do work, and it helps that I love architecture, so I started working at the office the moment I could. I started off as an intern, worked my way up to junior architect, and was recently promoted to senior architect right after my graduation."

"Wow," Sally breathed. "Very ambitious. I wonder if any of that will rub off on Percy here."

"Mom!" said man complained. Annabeth smirked.

"We're working on it," she quipped, to which Percy shot her a disbelieving look.

"Seriously?" he asked. "I'm sitting right here."

Annabeth looked at him innocently and blinked. "Oh, Percy. I didn't see you there, sorry," she said. She watched as Percy's left eye twitch and it made her laugh wetly. The black haired man sat in his chair with a pout on his face.

"Gee, I sure do feel the love," he said, stabbing a pile of pasta and shoving it in his mouth. As he slurped the hanging noodle up, it smacked his chin leaving a smudge of blue pasta sauce on his chin that made Annabeth smile at the childlike quality her boyfriend still had even at the age of twenty-two.

She took her napkin and wiped away the sauce. "Oh, come on, Seaweed Brain. You know we're just joking around," she said.

"Yeah… whatever." That got the whole table laughing again.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Later that night, Percy found himself lying in his bed smiling up at the ceiling, his hands cushioning his head. Dinner with his parents went great. As they were getting ready to leave, his mother had pulled him aside and gave him a long hug, whispering how great she thought Annabeth was. It made his heart tingle with happiness that Annabeth was welcomed into his family with open arms. It would, of course, take some time for him to be fully welcomed into Annabeth's family but he was okay with that. It took him a while to get Annabeth to warm up to him so it only made sense that it would take time to get her family to warm up to him, too.

Lucky for him, her father already likes him and the twins thought he was really cool. No, his only problem was Athena Chase. The woman was like a wall. If he thought Annabeth was difficult to read, Athena was a complete enigma. He never knew what the woman was thinking. She had great control over her emotions and could slip a mask over her face in mere seconds. That in itself was enough to keep Percy on his toes. He'd seen Annabeth do it a couple of times but he could at least catch a hint of her thoughts and emotions before they disappeared in behind the storm clouds in her grey eyes.

But, aside from that, Percy thought that he was in a good place. His job was good, he had a girlfriend, a pretty good place to live. That was enough for him for now. So, he closed his eyes, smile still present on his face, and fell asleep.

And there you go! Hopefully this chapter doesn't suck. I did write it before my unexpected hiatus so... yeah.

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