Welcome back!

New Readers: Enjoy!

Previous Readers: This is a completely new chapter. The next few chapters will be new chapters until we get to 'the reveal' chapter (you guys know what I'm talking about, but I don't want to spoil anything for the new readers). Again, I'm sorry to make you guys reread somethings, but I honestly was so unhappy with the old story.

Note to All: Please be sure to read the author's notes. They're important most of the time, especially with the story getting a reboot.

Happy Readings!

Don't Think So Much Annabeth
Chapter III: Date Night

Week 1

Annabeth's week had gone by peacefully with minimal teasing on Thalia's end. As it turned out, her best friend had been trying to get Percy to ask her out for a while.

She hadn't planned for them to meet at Klepto's but declared her meddling wasn't needed in the end. Since Thalia was so pleased with herself, she'd kept any inappropriate comments to herself. Percy however, teased Annabeth relentlessly.

She hadn't intended on leaving without saying goodbye, but Thalia's threats to kick down the door made it look otherwise. After Thalia had gone, she tried to explain she had no intentions to sneak out. Percy believed she would never do such a thing, but enjoyed teasing her about it nonetheless. When she did finally leave, it was after a hearty breakfast, his phone number saved to her contacts, and a promise to take her out soon for dinner.

Percy texted her throughout the week, and now Annabeth couldn't imagine not talking to him throughout the day.

At first, the conversation had been slow and strained, but it quickly melted into something comfortable and entertaining. Percy had a unique sense of humor, and she found herself craving it. One morning he greeted her with a corny joke about fish, resulting in a smile etched on her face the entire day. A coworker had even commented on her good mood, asking if she'd found a new coffee.

This morning, he'd kept the conversation light, not sending any pictures or corny jokes. She found it odd but didn't worry herself about it too much. They'd only been talking for a week and weren't officially dating. If Percy needed a break, she would give it to him without worrying herself into a mess.

"Miss Chase? You have a visitor?" Her secretary poker her head in her office, a blush on her face. Amanda was sweet and flustered easily by any good-looking person, be it man or woman. No one was scheduled for a meeting today, so she had no clue who her visitor could be.

Annabeth motioned to let the visitor in, quickly scribbling down some notes before looking up. Percy leaned against the doorway, his trademark smirk on his face. Amanda had disappeared to her desk, probably gushing over the handsome stranger in the office.

"You look busy. Should I come back later?" He was dressed in an expensive-looking business suit and he certainly pulled it off well. Idle thoughts of his work entered her mind, so she logged this new bit of information to her memory. The night they met, Percy told her he worked in business but didn't elaborate any details. A quick Google search would more than likely answer her question, but she didn't see the fun in that. She liked the air of mystery.

"No, it's fine. I need to take a break anyway; I've been working on this plan since I came in this morning." She dropped her pencil, and smoothed her hands through her hair. He sank into the chair across from her, peering at the blueprints.

"I'd like to say it looks good, but I can't read a blueprint to save my life." She laughed and ran her hand over the paper affectionately.

"My old college contracted me to design the new architecture building. I was so honored when they came to me with it. The old building has been there since the campus opened over 150 years ago, and now I get to design the new one. My work will be a part of the campus, forever in the history books." She paused to look at Percy, and to her surprise, he had a look on his face with which she was unfamiliar. He was smiling, gazing at her.

"Sorry, I got carried away." She blushed, looking down at her hands clasped in her lap. Percy stood and moved to stand behind her. His hands came to rest on her desk, arms caging her in. His head rested on her left shoulder to take in the blueprints from her angle. Her heart rate increased, and she hoped Percy couldn't hear it.

"Don't apologize for being passionate about something. That light in your eyes when you talk about it is captivating." She felt her face heat up and let her hair hide it. Percy laughed, pulling her hair away to kiss her neck. The sensation of his lips forced the negative thoughts swirling in her mind to halt, quickly to be replaced with happiness.

"Percy! Anyone could walk in here!" She hissed, and he stepped away chuckling. His hands ran through her hair as she stepped away, the curls bouncing back into place once he released the strands.

"Okay, okay. I'll behave myself. I did come here for a reason, not to bother you at work." He retook a seat, propping an ankle on the other knee.

"What's that?"

"You still owe me a date for trying to leave without saying goodbye." The gleam in his eyes kept her from arguing with him, so she kept quiet.

"Let me take you to dinner tonight." He probed, and she finally cracked. Annabeth snorted and picked up her pen again to avoid looking into his eyes.

"I fail to see how you taking me out for dinner is an appropriate apology from me. Besides, I wasn't trying to sneak out. I was trying to keep your cousin from kicking down your door. If anything, you're taking me to dinner because I saved your door." He laughed, the sound ringing through her office. It made her smile, and idly wonder if the others could hear him. Not that she cared, but she knew they would be curious.

"She was there because she was looking for you." He was baiting her, and she knew it, but she couldn't resist the playful banter.

"And who brought me to your apartment?" Her eyebrow raised, challenging him to top her comeback. After a few moments staring each other down, he cracked a smile and looked away.

"Alright, how about I take you to dinner, as thanks for not letting Thalia bust my door down." With her small victory, Annabeth grinned and leaned back in her seat.

"So where are we going? Will you be picking me up? What do I need to wear? What time do I need to be ready by?"

"We can go wherever you like. I'm not a picky eater, and I will pick you up. Wear something casual but comfortable. As for the time, that depends when you get off work." Percy didn't pause once, efficiently answering her questions. She smiled at him and let out a soft laugh.

"I'll text you where and when, as well as my address."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll see you later then, Miss Chase." Percy rose from his seat and moved towards the door, but his deep voice carried easily through the office. He winked before disappearing around the corner, making Annabeth's cheeks heat up. She smiled and shook her head, grabbing her pencil to get back to work.

"Who was that handsome man? Is he your boyfriend, Miss Chase?" Part of her wanted to deny it because they weren't dating, but a jealous feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time reared its head.

"Yes. Yes, he is." Amanda called her a lucky woman, before heading back to her desk.

~.~.~.~.~.~.

Annabeth ended up deciding on a small, family-owned restaurant a few miles from her apartment. Percy had never been there, but true to his word he wasn't a picky eater. In fact, everything seemed to taste amazing to him. He fawned over the menu for over ten minutes, before giving up and letting Annabeth choose his food.

She was shocked he would let her do such a thing but ordered two steak sandwiches with fries. They made idle talk about their day until the food came out. The poor waitress almost had a heart attack when Percy took his first bite, his moan loud enough to attract the attention of several tables surrounding them. It took a good minute for Annabeth to reassure her he was fine, just really, really happy with the food.

Once Percy got over how good the sandwich was, he was able to hold a conversation again. They discussed whatever came to mind, enjoying each other's company. At one point, Annabeth was brave enough to ask in a roundabout way about his job. He seemed to want to avoid the question, and she backed off immediately.

He told her it wasn't that he didn't like his career or that it was anything illegal, he just didn't want it to skew her opinion of him. While his response thoroughly confused her, she respected his wishes and changed the subject.

"So how is Thalia your cousin?" Annabeth popped another fry in her mouth, enjoying the perfect ratio of salt.

"She's my Dad's brother's daughter. We didn't meet until we were around thirteen, but we've been inseparable ever since. Not a lot of our family is around this area, so it's usually just the five of us. My Mom and Dad, her Dad, and me and her. That's probably a good thing though. I have another uncle, but we've never met. Dad always said he was gloomy, and not much fun to be around." Percy had a gleam in his eye talking about his family, and it made her heart pang.

"What about you? Any family?" She bit her lip, contemplating how much to share when he grabbed her free hand sitting on the table.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, it's fine. Things are just complicated in my family. My biological mother left when I was very young. I don't remember her, and Dad doesn't have any photos. All he's ever told me is she had curly hair like mine. When I was around four, he remarried. They had two boys— Bobby and Mathew. They're twins." She felt a sad smile take over her face.

While her father and her step-mother hadn't treated her the best, the twins had loved her unconditionally. They always loved listening to her talk about architecture, and for practice she'd made small models of superhero hideouts for them Their favorite had been her rendition of the Batcave, and to her knowledge they still played with it. Moving out of the family home had been an exciting day for her, minus the fact she was leaving them. She wasn't worried the boys would be mistreated or anything. She'd been the unwanted child, dumped on her father unexpectedly, while the twins had been planned and wanted.

"You miss them," Percy stated, still holding her hand. She smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, they were great. One time, I woke up late and didn't have time to iron my shirt. So, the boys figured out how to do it while I got ready and surprised me with it. My step-mother was…particular in how I looked. Everything had to be perfect, or else she would ground me for embarrassing her," She trailed off, shaking her head to forget unwelcome thoughts.

"She sounds like a piece of work. How did you end up in New York?" Percy changed the subject, and she sighed gratefully.

"I went to college here. A few weeks before I graduated, my current firm approached me with a job offer, and I stayed here. It's not as warm here as it is in California, but the snow is beautiful." At that moment the waitress showed up with their check, interrupting the conversation.

Before Annabeth could even look at it, Percy swiped the fold and sent it back with his credit card. She pouted for a second, but his grin quickly made her smile. When the waitress returned his card, Percy stood and offered his hand to her. She smiled and took gratefully took it. As they walked to his car, he didn't let go. His fingers even laced through hers, ensuring she wouldn't pull away.

"Does your family live in California then?"

"They used to. About two years ago they moved here. My step-mother got a promotion at the hospital on 6th street, and they left California." Despite the fact they lived in the same city, Annabeth hadn't seen any of them for a few months. Initially, she'd been excited at the prospect of getting to visit her siblings more, but the arguments her step-mother started tended to scare them. So, she stayed away, and called the boys when she could. Percy seemed to sense the topic made her sad and dropped it.

The ride home was nice, with a much-needed chance in conversation, and once they reached her apartment he escorted her to the door. She hadn't intended to invite him inside, but after a moment she didn't see the harm in it.

"Are you sure? I don't wanna intrude." Annabeth started to grab Percy's hand again to pull him in, until someone started yelling. They both jumped away in shock, Annabeth almost colliding into Percy's chest.

"No! I'm in here! Percy go home, I don't wanna bleach my eyes!" Thalia came tearing from Annabeth's bedroom, hands in the air. She was clad in pajamas, half her hair piled on top of her head in a bun. Her state of appearance made it clear she was here to stay for the night, so Annabeth shot Percy an apologetic glance. He smiled good-naturedly, chuckling at the turn of events.

"I'll see you later, Annabeth." Percy gave her a chaste kiss, before disappearing down the hallway. She found herself staring at the elevator long after he was gone, only looking away when Thalia appeared beside her to drag her inside for a girl's night.