AN: Welcome back to Chapter 7! Song used is 'Back to December' by Taylor Swift. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 7: I'm Promoted to Swim Captain

August 24

Percy

The smell of chlorine and the sudden rush of cold water rushed over Percy as he dove into the swimming pool. The water gave him a slight boost in strength, but nothing too major. Had it been salt water, the boost would have much greater.

He was currently racing his teammates on swim team to see which one got the best time.

The rules of the game were simple. Each swimmer would choose the stroke that they were most comfortable with, and they would race each other to see who completed the length first. As a son a Poseidon, the strokes came naturally to him, but he would need to practice his form to increase his speed and efficiency.

He sped underwater for another second and then surfaced to begin his best stroke which was the freestyle. He found he was most comfortable with this stroke and gave him the best times. It was also the stroke that he had performed when he tried out for the team two weeks ago. During the tryout, he may have slightly used his powers to propel himself forward but only slightly. Nothing major, like making the water do all the work for him. He promised everyone that knew of his demigod self that he would not use his water abilities to aid him win while on the team and would work hard to improve without them.

He raced along the length then tapped the edge of his lane where one of the underclassmen were waiting. He was panting slightly when he touched the edge of his lane. He looked up to see one of his underclassmen look at him with wide eyes. He removed his goggles and asked, "Dude what's up? It looks like you've seen a dead man."

"Oh, it's nothing just a bit shocked. It's just that you finished that length in exactly 20 seconds." He answered.

"Ah sweet!" Percy cheered. He pumped his fist into the air. His times had been improving and he hadn't even used his powers. The first time he didn't use his powers and completed the 50-meter length, it had taken him 23 seconds. The times gradually got smaller the more he practiced.

Percy looked behind him and to his side to see that his other teammates had reached the edge of the lanes as well. He heard the times being said by the other underclassmen. The guy to his right took 26 seconds, the guy to his left took 29 seconds, and the last guy took 32 seconds. They were panting heavily as well. It had been a long day with the coach torturing them with various exercises and regimens. They were exhausted by this point in the afternoon.

Percy got out of the water and sat on the edge, his legs suspended over the water. He took a towel out his bag and toweled himself dry. He draped the towel over his shoulders when he was done. The other guys joined in as well.

Percy looked at the underclassmen that timed him. From what he could recall from their introductions, he was a freshman that had swam during middle school and wanted to continue swimming during high school. If he remembered correctly his name was Michael.

"Hey Michael," he called. When the younger boy turned to him Percy said, "I saw you earlier working on your form. I think you're improving. Good job today dude". Percy held out his fist for a fist bump.

Michael looked a bit abashed but reciprocated the action. "Thanks Percy," he stammered.

"Don't sweat it man, I think you'll do great." Percy smiled. Michael smiled back but was called from the other side the pool. He said his goodbye and then walked, not ran, to the other side of the pool. A grin was growing on Percy's face. The younger swimmers reminded him of the younger campers.

"Don't get too chummy with the underclassmen. You gotta show them their place." Someone behind him said, there was an edge in the voice. Percy turned around and saw one of the guys he was competing against earlier. He was walking towards him, his arms crossed. Percy stood up to meet him. They were about the same height although the guy wasn't as lean as Percy was. They glared at each other but then wrapped their arms around each other's shoulders.

"Seriously man, you got to teach me how you learned to swim like that." He commented the edge in his voice gone.

Percy shrugged. "You know innate talent, I guess." The other guy rolled his eyes. "I can show you a trick or two Bahman."

"That would be great, I could definitely improve my times if I want a chance to make it to regionals and then maybe state."

Percy chuckled. "Don't worry about it man, I'll help you before then."

Bahman Aslan, one of the guys Percy raced against just seconds before. He was a senior like Percy and had been part of the team since his freshmen year. He told the demigod he made it regionals the previous year but couldn't make it to state. He was a young man of Persian descent, about the same height Percy. His parents moved to the U.S almost 30 years ago and owned a book and stationary shop near the school. Bahman had been one of the guys that had welcomed Percy into the team with open arms.

"Say, say what are you guys talking about here? You guys wanna hit up some cute girls after practice?" Another voice said. They turned around, arms still on each other's shoulders when suddenly another boy joined them. Now they were a triplet.

"Sorry dude, already have a cute girl I go home to," Percy winked.

"Ah no fair Percy, when will you introduce us?" The second guy said. "My girlfriend dumped my ass when she found a cute guy working at the coffee shop," he pouted. "I don't blame her though, that guy was kinda cute."

Percy and Bahman looked at the second guy trying to hold in their emotion. They weren't sure if they should feel sorry for the guy or laugh at him.

"Sorry Josh can't hit up cute girls tonight. Already have a cute girl as well," Bahman teased lightly.

"You guys both suck," Josh retorted.

Joshua Martin, another one of the guys that Percy raced against. Like Bahman he was also a senior and had been part of the team since Sophomore year. He didn't get the chance to make it to regionals, but he hoped to be able to this year. He was Caucasian and Percy called him 'Giant Josh'. Like seriously, the dude was massive. He had to lean down to be able to join Percy and Bahman in their mutual hug. Josh also kind of reminded Percy of Frank, although Josh wasn't as muscular as Frank. He was always going on and on about finding cute girls to date and his failure to find cute girls. From what Josh had said, his parents were bankers and were hardly ever home. Like Bahman, Josh was thrilled to have another senior join the swim team.

"You guys really need to get your act together." A third voice said. "You won't make it to regionals with those times. At least Joshua and Bahman need to. Percy I'm sure you'll be ok."

This third guy walked up to them and looked at the ongoing group hug. They waved for him to join, but he just rolled his eyes.

"Geez, Daniel, don't be such as ass." Bahman poked fun at Daniel.

Daniel crossed his arms. "I'm just saying, you two need to get better if want to make it." The group looked at the new guy and was pulled into their ongoing hug. The senior band was complete with the addition of Daniel.

Daniel Park, the last guy that had been a part of their race earlier. The last senior boy on the swim team and had been part of the team since freshman year. He made it to various regionals before but could never crack into state. He said it was bad luck or that everyone around was too good. He was a young man of Korean descent and was the shortest of their group although not by much. He was maybe two or three inches shorter than Percy, nothing too major. He was also definitely the strictest in their group and was asked to become swim captain by the coach but turned it down. His reasoning was that he didn't have the patience to work with the younger swimmers and wanted to solely focus on his own times. Cold, but he said he had to put himself first. He hadn't said much about Percy joining in the team but he seemed to highly respect the demigod.

"Don't worry Daniel, Percy here will help us improve our times. Won't you Percy?" Bahman pleaded.

"Ah sure, I did say that" Percy answered back. He would have ran a hand through his hair if both of his arms weren't around his teammates shoulders.

"See, we'll be fine," Josh answered as well. "Maybe this year we'll make it to state and who knows, maybe we can win the relay."

"That would be an interesting development with you idiots around." Daniel said but smiled regardless.

There was the whistle from the coach. "Alright boys break it up. I know you love each other so much but there's one more exercise I want you to do."

"Yes Coach," they chorused. They broke up and went to the coach to see what this last exercise would be. The coach explained that the last test would be a test of endurance and they all groaned. Of course, the coach would wait until the end of practice when they were all tired to test their endurance. The team started arguing and yelling at the coach calling him a devil spawn.

"Oh, shut your traps!" He yelled. That quieted them down. He cleared his throat. "Whoever wins will get out a pool cleaning duty."

That perked them up slightly. Pool cleaning duty could be annoying sometimes and Percy looked forward to not having to participate in it.

Since the pool couldn't accommodate the entire team at the same time, the coach decided to only have the juniors and the seniors race. The freshmen and the sophomores complained that it wasn't fair, but the coach shut them up by saying that life wasn't fair. Seriously the dude was a devil spawn sometimes.

All the racers lined at their respective lane. In total there were eight racers. Four them were seniors which included Percy, Bahman, Josh and Daniel. The remaining four were juniors. Percy couldn't recall all their names, but he remembered Emily, Marcus, and Alex. He couldn't remember the name of the other junior.

They got into their positions waiting for the whistle to blow. As soon as it blew, they all dove into the water and started the game. The smell of chlorine and the water hit Percy again as he dove. He surfaced seconds later and started swimming. He thought this was a good exercise, he could see how many laps he could do before completely tiring out. He made the turn and noticed that underclassman were assigned to each racer to keep track the number of laps each racer did.

At first, he sensed all the eight racers in the water but that slowly started changing as time went on. He had honestly lost track of how many laps he had done. Hopefully the underclassman assigned to him kept track of it. Slowly but surely, the racers dropped off until it was just three of them in the pool. At this point his muscles were beginning to ache as he continued racing. He touched the edge of the pool then propelled himself back into another lap then another racer dropped out.

Sweet that just left him and another left. He continued for a few more laps and by this point his muscles were on fire. Although, he wasn't using his powers, his pride was on the line. How could a son a Poseidon lose this contest?

Well, it wasn't anything serious, but he still felt like he had to win regardless.

He was so focused that he never noticed when the last racer dropped off and continued swimming. He would have kept swimming if not the coach's whistle breaking him out his trance. He stopped in his tracks, treading water, his muscles burning from the exertion. He would definitely be feeling sore in the morning. He took his goggles and cap off to see the team looking at him. Their mouths agape.

"What?" Percy asked. "Did something happen?" He was panting from the exertion.

"Dude!" Bahman exclaimed. "That was crazy! You swam like 30 football fields. At least I think, I lost track. It could be more. Was anyone keeping count?"

Percy rubbed the back of his head. He was breathing heavily. "Ah that was nothing special."

"It's like you're part fish," Josh said.

Well, there might have been some truth in that Percy thought. He made his way to the edge of the pool where he got out and draped his towel over his shoulders. The team patted him on the back. Percy gave them a thumbs up.

"Alright everyone, looks like Percy is off pool cleaning duty." The coach said. "The rest of you get to cleaning the pool!"

The team groaned but acquiesced. Percy was grabbing his things to head to the locker room to change but was interrupted by the coach. "Percy, could I see you in my office? I want to talk with you."

"Oooo Percy's in trouble," Josh mused from behind him.

"Shut up you dumbass!" Daniel scolded.

"Sure thing coach," Percy answered. He put his jacket on before heading to the coach's office.

In all honesty he wanted to get changed out of his jammers before talking to the coach. Talking in his office while wearing only his swimsuit and jacket made him feel a bit awkward.

The coach entered his office. Percy noticed the nameplate by the door read 'Hector Gonzalez, Swim Instructor.' From what the young demigod could gather, all the coaches had a similar nameplate in their office. Granted the sample size was only two but he assumed they would be same for all the coaches. The office of his basketball coach was lined with 'Andre Richardson Basketball Instructor.'

The coach's office looked like a hurricane had passed through. There were various papers and books thrown all over the place, various articles of clothes were hanging on the couch and desk. The computer was off. What gathered the most attention though was the wall. There were the coach's college diplomas, various newspaper clippings, pictures of the coach with what Percy guessed were past classmates, the coach's swim team from his younger years and a bulletin board with the name of all the swimmers on the team.

"Take a seat Percy," the coach gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk.

Percy took a seat. He noticed the pictures sitting on the desk of what he thought were probably the coach's children. The older man turned on his computer and started rummaging around his file cabinets, looking for what was hopefully some paperwork and not some incriminating evidence that would get Percy kicked out the swim team.

"Umm…," Percy said uneasily. "Is everything alright Coach? Am I in trouble?"

The coach stopped rummaging through his cabinets. He looked Percy in the eye, a hopeful glint in his eye. "No son you're not in trouble." The older man referred to all his boy swimmers as 'son' and sometimes he would call them 'mijo' (which meant son but in Spanish). Percy wasn't sure what the older man used to address the girl swimmers, but he liked it. It made the older man seem more like father figure and it beat being referred to as cupcake any day of the week.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Percy asked. His leg had started bouncing due to nerves and maybe his ADHD.

The coach pinched the bridge of his nose. "Well Percy, I know you just joined the team and it may seem strange to you…" He trailed off.

Percy's expression changed into one of surprise and fear. "Oh no, please don't tell me I'm getting kicked out. I promise I haven't done anything wrong this time. I swear the football captain had it coming."

"No no nothing like that son." He stopped as if the gravity of the words just hit him. "What do you mean you did nothing wrong this time and the football captain?"

"Nothing! What were you going to talk about?" He quickly shot out trying to change the subject. "These are some nice colored walls."

"Huh," the coach breathed. He clapped his hands together. "Well anyway, just wanted to say I'm quite impressed. You swim as if you've been practicing for years. If I didn't know better, I would say that you were like a mermaid in disguise."

Percy brushed the back of his head, a blush growing on his face. "Ah, thanks Coach that means a lot."

The coach nodded. "Your form could use a bit of work, but I think you have a high chance at being able to make it to state, and who knows maybe you can make it to nationals."

These words hit the young man like a truck. He joined the team to find an outlet to keep his mind off the events that transpired this past summer. Now here he was being told he could have the chance to make it to nationals. He wasn't sure how to feel.

"I… uh…" he was out of words. He didn't know how to respond.

The coach laughed at the young man's lack of words. "Well anyway, I wanted to ask you something else Percy."

"Hopefully not something involved the football captain. He was being an ass and I kinda... put him in his place."

The coach waved his hands defensively. "Don't worry about that. Bahman explained the situation to me and I think you were right. That guy treats the swim team badly so maybe now he'll stop now." He took a deep breath. "Anyways, that doesn't matter right now. I know you just joined Percy and you may be aware that the team lacks a captain. I've asked the other senior boys if they wanted to be captain of the team and all they turned me down. Daniel especially turned me down. He acted as if I slapped him in the face when I asked him."

Percy nodded, getting a feeling where this conversation was headed.

"Anyways, I read over your file and saw that you wrote that you were a counselor in a summer camp. More specifically, you wrote that you helped campers learn to swim and canoe. Is that right Percy?" The coach asked. He had pulled out and was looking at a piece of paper that Percy guessed was his swim team application.

"Uh yeah Coach, I taught the younger kids how to swim and use a canoe. I just have a knack for things with water." Also taught them how to sword-fight and ride Pegasus but he doesn't need to know that.

The coach nodded then proceeded. "I saw you working with your underclassmen throughout this week, and it seems that you have a knack for leadership. The other swimmers also appear to respect you highly even though you just joined." The coach breathed out again, Percy could tell that the older man was nervous. "All I'm trying to say Percy is… would you be willing to become the swim team's captain? You don't have to if don't want to, but it could be a valuable opportunity for you, especially if you plan to attend college. It can help you get scouted for college. It could really help you out."

Percy wasn't completely surprised at the request. After all, he had been elected praetor of New Rome after staying at the camp for like a week and retrieving the legion's eagle scepter. How different could being captain of the swim team be? Hopefully it just meant helping the coach and leading the team. Maybe representing the team at meets and such. He hoped he wouldn't have to fist fight the football or the wrestling captain. Percy had met both earlier during class this week and they were complete… he couldn't think of an insult bad enough to describe them, but they were bad. So far his experiences with sports captains was poor except for the basketball captain. Gregg was pretty laid back, so Percy got along quite well with him.

Then his thoughts rang back the coach said about college. Sure, he was planning to attend New Rome when he graduated but adding more extra curricular's to your resume never hurt anyone. Or so Annabeth said.

"Coach I'll become captain."

"Now mijo, I know I just popped a huge question, and you don't have to," he stopped himself as if he was expecting Percy to reject the offer. "Wait what? You'll do it?"

"Sure, it sounds fun, and I get to work more with the underclassmen, right?" Percy grinned.

"Whoa that took less convincing than I thought. I had a whole PowerPoint presentation ready and some snacks to sweeten the deal."

"I'll take the snacks, but I won't watch the PowerPoint." Percy gave the coach his mischievous grin.

"Excellent! Then we can discuss some of the duties and such. I promise it won't be much. It's just some extra work but I can guarantee you it will be well worth it. I used to be the swim captain of my own back when I was your age." The coach went into memory lane recalling his time as a captain and explained the duties to Percy while the demigod was eating the snacks the coach gave him.

When they exited the office, the pool was almost spotless with the swimmers putting the finishing touches. The coach blew his whistle getting everyone's attention.

"Listen up team! He called out. When all the team's attention was all on his he continued. "I know we've had an issue with the position of swim captain, and I would like you to all know that the position has been filled." The team started shuffling around in excitement or wanting to go home, it wasn't clear. "I know that a couple of you have worked with Percy this past week and he agreed to become the team's swim captain. So please make him feel welcome."

"Hey guys, guess I'm captain now," Percy waved a bit uneasily and bashfully. Surprisingly, no said anything negative. The most they did was clap and give a short congrats. Really, the only ones that were a bit over the top was the senior group. Percy was almost tackled to the ground by Bahman when he congratulated the demigod. Josh patted Percy on the back rather hard and Daniel gave him a thumbs up and a smile.

"Alright team, as soon as the pool is clean, you all are free to go home and I hope to see you all at practice on Saturday. We will be doing some weight training that day." The coach whistled and dismissed the team.

Percy stayed behind a bit longer, making sure he got around to meeting and remembering everyone's name. He flinched when someone patted him on the back but calmed down when it was just the senior troupe waiting for him. They were all still in their swimsuits and were waiting for Percy to join them in the locker room.

Together they made their way to the locker room. As they were changing various conversations were going on.

"I had a feeling that Coach would make you captain Percy. Congrats by the way." Bahman said.

"Thanks dude. Although Coach did say he asked you to become captain and you turned it down. Why?" Percy asked. He just finished putting on his jeans.

Bahman shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think I was cut out the for the job. Too much pressure for me."

"Uh-uh." Percy put on his black t-shirt. "Daniel, you told me why you didn't join, so I don't have to ask, but what about you Josh?"

Josh was almost done getting dressed. He also shrugged. "Not enough cute girls on the team."

"Really that's your reason you giant?" Daniel asked.

"Hey! I have my reasons just like yours." He fired back.

"Say, why don't we go out for burgers or pizza. You know, since it's late afternoon on a Thursday. We are all probably exhausted from classes this week." Bahman asked. The closed to the door to his locker, he was done getting dressed.

"Love to, but I'm meeting my girlfriend this afternoon and we're having dinner." Percy answered. He put on his shoes on and closed to the door to his locker. He grabbed his phone from his bag seeing if he got any new messages. For some reason, messages worked well if the person sending and receiving them was nearby, but when he tried to message people further away like those back in camp, the messages rarely went through. He would have to look into that in the near future.

"Ah come on Percy, that's so not fair. You get a date with a cute girl, and I get date with these dudes right here." Joshua cried, pointing at the other two guys.

"Sorry dude better luck next time."

Percy carried his backpack and his swim duffel bag was slung on one of his shoulders, then he grabbed his skateboard from the corner of the locker room. They all gathered their remaining possessions and stepped out the locker room where they walked until they reached the entrance of the school where they fist bumped to say their goodbyes. Percy placed his board on the concrete then began skating home. The school's policy on skateboards was quite lax. The only rule was not skate indoors and to keep the board tucked away where it would not disturb anyone.

From where his school was, it took him around 20 minutes to reach home. Not too bad of a commute. The worst part of the commute were the irate drivers that seem to nearly hit him on a daily basis and the random cows that were walking the streets somedays blocking the roads and making drivers even angrier. One driver was screaming a string of curses at a cow so vile that no one under the age of 35 should be allowed to hear. Percy thought he could curse, but this driver put him to shame. Even the cow looked offended.

He continued skating, weaving through the crowds of people and the random monster that showed up from time to time. Most of the time, the monsters would run for the hills when they saw him. Percy just shrugged whenever it happened. He was happy to not have to fight if possible. But that wasn't always the case. Some of the braver monsters would attack the young demigod. Some claimed they were doing it for revenge for the defeat of Kronos and Gaia. Others just said they wanted to collect the bounty on his head.

He skated into an alleyway, hoping to avoid the traffic on the road. Everything was going well until a monster popped up from behind a dumpster, blocking the way. Percy sighed, getting off his board and placing it next to his side.

"Dude, I don't feel like fighting today. I'm tired," Percy sighed when he ran into a Lastrygonian giant.

"Dude?" the giant paused. "I'm a woman you insolent fool!" She screeched.

"Uh. You should really try shaving the beard then. It's a sick beard, but I don't think it fits you." Percy offered. "You have a better beard than me, granted I just shaved this morning but still."

This only made the giant shriek in annoyance. "Puny demigod, I will slay you and collect the bounty on your head for the glory of Kronos and the Earth Mother."

"You must have not gotten the memo at the latest monster convention, but both of those guys are gone. Like kaboom, blown up never to be seen again."

"I am well aware of that, but that bounty remains on your head. I hear you go for about the same as that other demigod. I think his name was Jason Grace."

"About the same? I better be going for more than what Blond Superman goes for." Percy joked. He didn't really care what his head went for. He just wanted to get home and rest up.

"Once I collect the prize money, I'll be able to live in luxury for the rest of my life. Ah no more scrubbing toilets and cleaning out the stables of those ungrateful giants," she mused.

"They're offering career services just down the street." Percy pointed behind him. "They could really help you out with your resume."

"Enough talking!" She sneered. "This is the part where I kill you and collect the prize money."

Percy sighed. He was already tired from swim practice. This was just the cherry on top. Before he could uncap Riptide, the giant threw herself at him and would gotten him if he didn't dodge in time. The giant recovered and threw herself at him again but was met with a skateboard to the face and was thrown back in pain rubbing her face at the marks that the board left.

"Huh, that actually worked." Percy admitted. He uncapped Riptide and got close to the giant to land the killing blow. She was still rubbing her face in pain. That whack must have seriously hurt. Before she could recover her senses Percy said, "It was great seeing you dude, but I now I gotta go, bye bye."

"Dude? I told you I am-" She never got to finish her sentence as she turned to monster dust.

With Riptide returned to its pen form, Percy got on his skateboard and started skating again. Hopefully he wouldn't run into more monsters before arriving home.

Thankfully that was just the case. He reached his apartment door, fumbling with the keys to find the right one. It was late afternoon by now with the Sun going down the horizon and he was starving.

He opened the door then closed it behind him. He entered the apartment where he spotted Annabeth sitting on the couch watching some documentary about the pyramids or wonders of the ancient world. Those were some of her favorite shows. She turned to look at him and a smile grew on her face. Percy was sure that a smile was growing on his face as well.

He dropped his bags and board near the seat of the couch."Hey Annabeth," he waved. He stood next to her on the leaning down to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Hey Percy," she answered back. She pulled him down to sit next to her on the couch. Percy leaned against the back of the couch, and she nestled next to his side.

"How long have you been here?" he asked.

"Not long. Got here like 10 minutes ago. Your mom let me in."

He kissed to the top of her head. "How was the interview? Did it go well?" She had told him that she was currently looking to into architecture internships. After being dismissed from school, she spent the afternoon interviewing at a nearby architecture firm. In addition to that, she had also mentioned that was cleaning out her dorm since she would be getting a roommate in the coming days.

"Honestly, I don't think I was cut out for that place. They just seemed very," she paused for moment,"very toxic if you know what I mean."

"So, I'm guessing it didn't go well then."

"Yeah, the people doing the interviews were complete asses. They waved me off as a vapid blonde in over her head."

"What?" Percy nearly shouted in surprise. He turned to face her and look into her stormy gray eyes. "Annabeth you are awesome, no matter what other people say. Don't let what other people say get to you." He wasn't the best at pep talks, but he hopped he got his point around. He leaned in closer to give her another quick kiss on the cheek.

She rolled her eyes at him. "I know that Seaweed Brain. I don't let it bother me. There's always other places." She looked at him for a moment. "But thanks, that was really sweet."

"Always," he smiled at her. They embraced each other in a passionate kiss that made his brain melt. Honestly, how did she have such a great effect on him. A sudden sound of someone clearing their throat broke them apart. They stopped their kiss and turned to see Sally looking at them from the doorway. How did she show up like that?

"Mom. How long have you been there?" Percy asked, a blush growing on his face.

Sally crossed her arms. "Not long. Now Percy get changed. I need some help for dinner." With that she walked into the kitchen doorway and disappeared into the kitchen.

Percy put his head down on Annabeth's shoulder. "How is it that she always shows up whenever we kiss?"

Annabeth passed her hands through his hair. "It must be what they call a mother's instinct."

"Guess so." Percy sighed.

Annabeth smiled. "Now go get showered. You smell like chlorine."

Percy groaned loudly but did as she said. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before grabbing his bags and heading to his room to grab some clothes to shower. He showered quickly, not wanting to keep his mother waiting for him in the kitchen. He got dressed and entered the living room where Annabeth continued watching her TV show about the wonders of the ancient world. He kissed the top of her head and then headed to kitchen where he helped his mother make dinner.

Annabeth

Paul arrived home about a half hour later looking like a zombie out of the Walking Dead. With school starting on Monday, he was running around the place trying to get everything sorted out which left him completely drained. He didn't even notice when Annabeth greeted him and just plopped down on the couch face first letting out an exhausted sigh.

"That bad huh," Annabeth said. She didn't get a response from Paul, so she guessed the older man had quickly fallen asleep. She sighed again, she would have to keep applying to more architecture firms and see which ones she could land interviews for and work for. It was extremely annoying that she couldn't put 'Official Architect for Mt. Olympus' on her resume. People would think she was crazy and perhaps have her institutionalized in a padded room.

The smell of food wafted into the living room. It smelled great and she could feel herself getting hungrier by the minute.

She really had her work cut out for her. She had to continue classes at school, help out at camp from time to time, continue to design for Olympus, apply for internships, help Percy out with his classes, get her dorm ready for her roommate, and then do a load a laundry once she got home. Gods she was packed. Thankfully, she hadn't had any horrible nightmares in the past week so that was a plus. The pills she had gotten from her doctor really helped. (She had also gotten another type of pill once she told the doctor she was intimate with her boyfriend.)

The program switched to a commercial break. She was about to change the channel until an ad come up advertising Taylor Swift's upcoming tour in the Spring. Perhaps she would have to check it out and see if she could snag some tickets. Maybe she could take Percy with her and have a nice concert date. Her plans were interrupted when a certain song started playing. One that she was very familiar with and had sung to herself all those months that Percy was gone.

I miss your tan skin, your sweet smile
So good to me, so right
And how you held me in your arms that September night
The first time you ever saw me cry
Maybe this is wishful thinkin'
Probably mindless dreamin'
But if we loved again, I swear I'd love you right

Gods, she was bought back to the fight they had the night he had been kidnapped. She had said some nasty things but the one that struck her the most was, "Ugh you're so incredibly annoying sometimes. Then why don't you just leave and don't come back?" She yelled out with venom in her voice.

Percy scowled at her. "Maybe I will."

She turned around and marched to her cabin, slamming the door behind her. She allowed herself a couple of hours to cool down before going to his cabin to maybe apologize or yell at him again, she wasn't sure. She knocked on the door and got no response. It was quite late at night so maybe he was asleep. She opened the door and saw that the bed was unmade, but there was no one there. OK so maybe he was outside looking at the beach or going for a late-night run. She would check on him later.

She checked the next day, and then the following day. Nothing, it's like he had vanished off the face of the Earth. She started asking around the camp, seeing if anyone had seen where he had gone but got no answers. She started thinking of places of where he could have gone. She called Sally, she said he wasn't with her. Then she called Rachel, he wasn't with her either. Then she searched for Nico, perhaps he would know, but the son of Hades was nowhere to be seen as well.

Then a day after she got a message to look for a missing demigod with a missing shoe in the Grand Canyon. She took the opportunity, hoping that it was Percy, but it was Jason, Piper and Leo she encountered.

She spent the next couple days looking for him. Days turned into weeks and eventually months. She distracted herself by making battleplans, helping build the Argo II, and listening to music, which probably wasn't the best the idea. Back to December was one that she hummed and sang to herself on a regular basis as she thought about that night. Thinking that if maybe they hadn't fought, he would not have been kidnapped.

She felt a single tear go down her cheek as all those memories flooded her mind. She quickly wiped it away and shook her head, getting her composure back. She looked over at Paul who was sprawled out on the adjacent couch. She heard rummaging coming from the kitchen. She took a deep breath. Everything was fine, he was back with her, and he wasn't leaving her side. Perhaps she would share this information with him on a future date but not today. Looking back it now, their fight started over something silly and had spiraled into full on yelling at each other.

A couple minutes passed as the program continued playing. The program was discussing the architecture and engineering involved in the Hagia Sophia.

She suddenly felt familiar hands on her shoulders and a kiss on her hair. She looked up to see Percy holding her from behind the couch. He had a goofy expression on his face which made her laugh.

"Is there something you need?" She asked.

"Nah, just letting you know that dinner is done so you can join us in the dining room." He kissed the top of her head again. He turned around and noticed Paul plopped out on the couch, snoring. "When did Paul get here?"

"Not that long ago. Maybe like 15 minutes ago." She stood up and stood next to Percy. "Do you think we should wake him."

Percy shook his head. "The dude looks like he's on his last legs. We should probably let him sleep. He can get dinner later."

Together they went into the dining room. He and Sally had made lasagna, roasted vegetables, fresh baked bread, some cheese, a salad and cut some fruit for dessert. She could already feel her mouth watering. Gods Sally's and Percy's food was incredible.

She took a seat next to Percy as Sally bought out pitcher of blue lemonade. She poured them both a glass and told them to dig in. Percy of course wasted no time and began loading his plate with as much food as it could handle. She rolled her eyes, but honestly, she couldn't blame him she was starving and the food was delicious.

"Make sure to leave some left for Paul." Sally said. "Speaking of Paul where is he? He should be home by now."

"He's crashing on the couch," Percy managed through a mouth full of food. Annabeth wrinkled her nose. This was one of Percy's habits that she didn't quite like.

"I see, then leave some for him so he'll have something to eat."

"Will do mom."

They continued eating for another ten minutes. Percy was on his fourth plate by now. Annabeth looked at him in bewilderment as he ate. Where did all that food go? Did it just disappear when it entered his stomach?

"How was swim practice today, Percy?" Sally asked.

Percy continued chewing and swallowed. "It was fine. Coach made us do all these regimens and tested our endurance. It was awful, it's like he's a spawn of the Underworld." Percy joked.

Sally smiled. "Well, you did want to join the swim team so there you go. Anyways about the other swimmers make any friends?"

"Yeah, the senior dudes are pretty chill and I'm getting to meet the other members as well."

"Glad to hear it. Maybe we should invite them to dinner sometime." She offered.

Percy blinked in surprise. "You sure mom? Those guys can eat as much as me."

"On second thought maybe not. It's already hard enough to feed one Percy I don't need more."

Percy laughed. "You got a point."

"Anything else happen?" Annabeth asked. She knew him so well that she could tell from his eyes that sometimes must have happened.

Percy just shrugged. "Oh yeah, Coach made me captain of the team, no biggie."

"What?" Both Annabeth and Sally exclaimed at the same time.

"Percy that's great! I'm so proud of you." Sally exclaimed in joy. She had nearly knocked her chair to the ground when she rose to embrace her son in a hug.

"Mom stop, you're embarrassing me," Percy managed through the tight embrace.

"I'm just so proud of you, ok?" She let him go and ruffled his hair. She sat back down on her chair.

"So how did it happen?" Annabeth asked.

Percy continued eating as if nothing happened. "Coach asked and I said yes. It was quite simple."

"That easy?"

"Yeah, coach said he asked the other seniors if they wanted to be captain, but they all turned him down. So, he asked me and I said yes. He even had an entire PowerPoint presentation ready and snacks to bribe me with." Percy chuckled.

"So, I guess it will be like camp huh? Like when you teach the younger campers sword fighting, canoeing, and swimming?"

"Yep, that's what Coach said. Well, the swimming part mainly not fighting with swords and canoeing. He also I would be the representative for the team when we go on meets and stuff."

"This calls for a celebration!" Sally cheered. She got up again and went to fridge to fetch a pale of ice cream. She also grabbed some bowls and spoons.

Annabeth ruffled his hair and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I'm proud of Percy." She said.

He pulled in her closer and kissed her on the lips. "Thanks Annabeth," he breathed when they separated.

AN: I'm going to be completely honest. I'm really bad with names. I took the name Bahman Aslan from the book 'The Stationary Shop' by Marjan Kamali. Daniel Park came from the Webtoon 'Lookism' by Taejoon Park and Joshua Martin was a random name I stumbled upon. So that's the origin of their names.

Rick is a big fan of Taylor Swift, so I might make a couple references from time to time. Also I feel like Annabeth is a big fan so expect an occasional song in future chapters.

I was looking through Fanart and here's some of my favorites.

Viria (of course) *

Burdge Bug (The OG)*

Arishtistic*

Bentejam* (They draw in manga/anime format, it's really nice. If the graphic novels were drawn like this I would have bought them a long time ago)

Frostbite Studios*

Velinxi

Smousart

*My brain defaults to their art whenever I'm reading/writing PJO stuff.

(Go check out their art, they have really nice art) Let me know some of your favorites.

Anyways, next chapter will have very special guest appear from the Riordanverse. Kudos if you can guess who it is.