This chapter contains spoilers for the 'Staff of Serapis' and "Crown of Ptolemy'. And just overall fun vibes.

This chapter contains explicit sexual content. Bolded sentences mark the start/end.

Chapter 14: Everyone saw us Making Out Under that Tree

November 15

Annabeth

The loud sounds of people crowding the station were deafening. The constant flow of locals and tourists clambering onto their trains made it feel as if she was being packed into a can of sardines. Luckily, Annabeth and her group had managed to get away from the main commotion and were sitting down at a café in the station, waiting for the rest of their group to show up.

What was supposed to be a nice celebratory date between her, and Percy turned into a double, or perhaps triple date?

Annabeth finally got an internship offering this past week and Percy had managed to snag more first place wins at a following swim meet. To celebrate their accomplishments, they planned to go on a nice quiet date.

They honestly just wanted to see each other after the frantic week that they had. They hadn't seen much of each other since their Halloween at camp and it was harrowing. The last time they had spent a good chunk of time together was in the celebratory dinner that Percy made for her when she got the job... and that time they made out under that tree near her school.

The dinner was something else. The lasagna was to die for and the strawberry panna cotta he made for her would have her commit war crimes.

He kissed her all throughout the dinner and kept telling her how proud he was of her. If there had been a world record for the number of kisses given during a short period of time, Annabeth was sure Percy broke it with the number of kisses he gave her that night.

Luckily Sally and Paul were out of the house that night, which meant she dragged him into the bedroom for some alone time.

She pushed him up against the door, devouring at his mouth and desperate to tear his clothes off. Percy stopped her, however. He emphasized that the night was all about her, and he would make her feel good.

He did not disappoint as he gave her orgasm after orgasm. She didn't even know it was even possible to have that many orgasms. His fingers and mouth had already done a number on her but then he used his e-hem to send her over the precipice. They started on his bed and somehow she ended up bent over his desk until she was practically convulsing from another release.

After the desk ordeal she learned something new by taking him to the shower. She learned that the water greatly increased his libido, so suffice to say, he proceeded to rail her in the shower. The combination of his enthusiasm, the water giving him strength and his umm... well endowed... uh you know, made her legs feel like wet wobbly noodles.

He had her pressed against the shower wall, his hands were on her hips as he mercilessly pounded into her at a relentless pace. His hips were slamming against hers, his balls slapping against her cunt he thrusted. The head of his dick kept hitting that spot deep in her tunnel each time and it was sending her into complete ecstasy.

He pressed his chest to her back, his face close to her ear and he whispered in a low voice. "Come for me baby. You feel so good when you tighten all around me."

The pressure inside her built up with each thrust, pushing her further up into another realm. A particularly powerful thrust hit her most sensitive spot sending electricity all throughout her body and causing her legs to spasm. She would have collapsed onto the floor from her spasming legs had he not been holding her.

Despite already recieving multiple orgasms earlier, his continual pounding built her up to an Earth shattering orgasm that would dwarf all the others from earlier

She tried to hold it back as long as she could, her willpower being tested and brought to the brink against Percy's thrusts. Like holding the sky when she was younger, the effort was excruciatingly difficult as she was getting dicked down like never before. Maybe she was a saint or a celebrated hero in her past life to have deserved getting a fucking like this by the son of the sea god. She thanked her younger self for not taking the pledge of Artemis because missing out on this feeling of euphoria would have been absolutely criminal and would have warranted being sent to the Fields of Punishment. She also mentally chastised herself. If she would have known sex with him would bee like this, she would have done it earlier!

"Fuck," she bit her lip trying to stifle a scream as he brought her right to the brink. "Percy-Percy-Percy!" She screamed when her willpower finally snapped like a band and she'd been pushed off the edge. Her entire body convulsed with shockwaves, her hands trying to grip onto the wall to ground her. Her entrance gripped around him like a vice as she panted with carnal pleasure. She saw her entire life flash before her eyes from the moment she reached camp to this very moment as she was overtaken by the sensation of every nerve in her body being stimulated by her release. She didn't know which orgasm this was, she had lost count, but this was definitely the most powerful one she had in her life up to that point. She was sure he was bound to give me more in the future.

"That's my girl," Percy whispered against her ear as he continued pounding into her through her orgasm sending her into another plane of existence. "You feel so fucking good around me Beth," he murmured. His continued pounding of her oversensitive cunt had her seeing stars dance in her vision. She didn't know if she could any more as he chased his own release.

His thrusts became more erratic and after a couple more seconds he wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his chest to her back and with one final powerful thrust with a groaned, "fuck," his climax overtook him. She felt him pulsing inside her like his dick had a heartbeat as he released himself into her. Out of curiosity she wondered how it would feel being filled by his warm load spilling against her walls without the condom.

His face was right next to her, panting for breath as he calmed down right alongside her. He put his hand on her jaw and moved her face so he could take her in for a soft, deep kiss. After several moments he released the kiss, pulling out to dispose the condom. She turned around to put her hands on his shoulders for support as he tied the condom before he opened the steaming shower door and threw the used rubber into the waste basket.

She pulled him close, laying her head on his shoulder as they both continued to came down from their high.

He ran a hand through her wet hair. "You okay? Did I overdo it?"

She shook her head. "That was… gods, that was fucking incredible Percy. I've never felt like that before."

He kissed the top of her head. "You deserve it, Beth."

"I'll have to be more careful about having sex in the water. Didn't know it had that much of an effect on you."

He shrugged and chuckled. "I didn't know either. It just…I don't know, the water just makes me feel more powerful."

"We'll I'm not complaining. You thoroughly fucked my brains out."

"You okay?"

She nodded tiredly. "Just a bit sore and I may not be able to walk straight for a bit, but it was well worth it."

He kissed her hair again. "Sorry about that."

"Don't be. I enjoyed it when you got rough." She leaned up on her toes to press a kiss on his lips while running her hands through his hair. She grinned. "Maybe you can get rougher."

He raised an eyebrow. "What do you want me to do?"

"Maybe you could pull my hair and slap my ass...?" She mused. She could already imagine the scenario playing in her head. Judging by his excited expression so could he, but she wanted to mess with him. "That does sound kind of nice." She pressed her lips to his neck which caused him to groan. "Yeah we can definitely do that."

"I can go grab another condom and we can do it right now," he offered excitedly, wiggling his eyebrows playfully.

"Tempting, but I'm too tired. We'll have to bench that idea."

"You're horrible," he protested. "Getting me worked up and then denying me."

"You're always so fun to tease you know." She leaned up to kiss him again, this time with more love and fire. She was unsure how long the kiss lasted but she knew she got a reaction out of him when she felt his cock start to harden again and press against her stomach. She pulled away before she somehow ended up pressed against the wall.

They cleaned themselves up and dressed in their pajamas before going to bed. Due to her weak legs, Percy carried her back to his bedroom where they tucked themselves in.

Where was she going with this? Oh right. They hadn't seen much of each since that fateful night.

Annabeth couldn't go to his swim meet yesterday since she had to work that day and no one else could cover for her. Percy seemed a bit upset when she told him (those baby seal eyes made her feel terrible), but he told her he was rooting for her to do great things at her job. She apologized to him but assured him she would be at the next one to cheer for him.

When Victoria asked why Annabeth looked so upset, she spilled the beans.

"So yeah, I can't go his swim meet tomorrow. I have to work, and I couldn't get anyone to cover for me," Annabeth sighed. "And I feel horrible about it. You've never seen his pleading face. He looks like a cute baby seal that's been kicked."

Victoria put her sketchpad down. "Percy's swim meet huh? Sounds … interesting." Judging from her roomette's tone, Victoria was probably letting her imagination run wild. Before Annabeth could say anything, Victoria dropped everything, reached behind her bed and threw an empty banner on the floor as she was frantically pulling out her art supplies. "Don't worry babes, I'll go in your place. I'll draw him a banner and cheer extra loud in your steed." She was starting to frantically draw on the banner. "Send me the details and I'll be there."

"Absolutely not!" Annabeth exclaimed.

Victoria puffed her cheeks. "Come on Annabeth don't be a freaking buzzkill. I'm already imagining tons of cute guys without their shirts wearing those tight swimsuits. Oh gawd."

"I already said no!" Annabeth repeated.

"Fine be that way then." Victoria pulled her phone out. After a moment she exclaimed, "Ah-ha. I got it." Then she continued drawing the banner. Annabeth was about to ask who she texted when Victoria explained. "I just checked the team's website. It had the details."

Annabeth sighed. There was no way she was going to stop her crazy roommate from going now. "Alright, just don't do anything crazy."

"Don't worry. I'll control myself." She started drawing on banner. "Oh, I also texted Becca about it."

Oh gods not Rebecca, Victoria's old roommate, Annabeth's gossipy friend and fellow volleyball teammate. If there was anyone that could keep up with Victoria's antics it was Rebecca.

As if by some divine intervention, there were some rapid loud footsteps coming from the hallway and the door slammed open. Rebecca practically ran into the room panting. "I came as fast as I could." She placed her hands on her knees trying to catch her breath. "What's this about shirtless guys wearing tight clothing?"

Victoria was drawing on the banner. "Yeah girl, you know Percy, right?"

Rebecca continued panting as if she ran up multiple flights of stairs. "Percy? Annabeth's skater boyfriend that I hit on before I found out he was taken?"

"You hit on him?!" Annabeth yelled.

"That's not the point Annabeth," Rebecca waved her off. "Besides I saw the way you had him pushed up against that tree Wednesday after school. I saw where your hands were going." Rebecca winked. "Good for you."

"You saw that?" Annabeth gasped. Rebecca's grin grew wider. "We did not… We just kissed."

"Babe the whole school saw that. I'm just saying, your hands were going to a very interesting place, and he was grabbing your ass."

Heat rushed through her body at the sudden realization that her dorm had seen her and Percy's make out session. "Let's not talk about that."

"Well," Victoria helpfully changed the subject. "I don't know if you know this but he's a swimmer and Annabeth can't go to his meet. So, I'm going there in her place. Maybe you'll like to go too for moral support?"

"Seriously? He's a swimmer?" Rebecca looked thoughtful for a second. "Actually, it does make sense. He does have a swimmer's physique." Rebecca turned to look at Annabeth. "What do you say Annabeth? Can I go too? I'll make sure to cheer extra loud for him."

Annabeth was reluctant for a moment, but she eventually reasoned that having more familiar faces at the meet would be better. She also reasoned that the girls would go even if she told them no. She sighed. "Alright, but don't do anything crazy."

"We promise," both girls sang.

Rebecca got down on the floor. "Move your fat ass Victoria so I can work on the banner as well."

"Bitch! This is my banner get your own."

The evening after the meet, Annabeth couldn't meet up with him since she still had lots of homework to complete due by midnight (curse these AP classes). She texted him to ask how it went, but he didn't respond. She guessed it was because he was exhausted so she went with the second-best option by asking her friends.

Victoria and Rebecca gave her the updates on how the meet went. Unfortunately, they started rambling and thirsting over the guys.

"Annabeth that was a life changing experience. All the guys were eye candy. Like there so many abs and pecs everywhere," Victoria began her face flushed. "But then we saw Percy come out wearing those pants and when he took his jacket off, our jaws hit the floor."

"Oh, and don't forget the way the swam, just breathtaking." Rebecca added. "It's like he's built to be in the water."

"I know what you mean. Did you see those abs?"

"Oh girl those abs!" Rebecca started fanning her face dramatically. "Don't talk about them I might start drooling again."

"Abs for days, but I was bit too distracted by those pecs and that hair." Victoria then looked at Annabeth. "Have you touched them Annabeth? Do they feel nice?"

"What about those arms too?"

"Oh, and those shoulders. I swear swimmers have such nice shoulders. Oh Jesus."

"Tori, you should make a sculpture of Percy. I'm sure it will put that sculpture of that naked guy to shame. I mean Percy already looks like a renaissance sculpture."

"Michelangelo's David? Good idea Becca! I'll title it 'Son of the Sea God'. Has a nice ring to it don't you think? And finally make some big bucks. I'll see if I can have him model for me."

"We'll have to go to all the swim meets now for research purposes and maybe I can bag a swimmer boyfriend for myself and finally get some di-"

"Enough already!" Annabeth yelled. She was genuinely getting irritated at her friends' antics. What were her chances that she had made friends with the biggest unhinged gossips in the dorm? Granted they were very nice girls, but sometimes they could get a bit crazy.

Annabeth calmed her nerves before she said or did something she would regret. She understood that she could be possessive and jealous at times which had led her to treating people badly in the past. She regretted having treated Rachel so badly due to her jealously and she had almost treated Hazel with disdain when the Argo first landed in New Rome as she briefly believed that Percy had gotten together with Hazel. It was an ongoing problem that she was working on and making progress on.

She couldn't help how others viewed her boyfriend, but she could control her emotions and reactions. Even if she was irritated at the way her friends were objectifying her boyfriend. She would have to have a talk with them.

For now she settled for raising an eyebrow. "That's all you have to say? Nothing about the races or if he won or lost?"

"Oh right. We're getting ahead of ourselves. He participated in a lot of races and he won them all," Victoria said. "He also looked exhausted afterwards. Oh, and he really liked the banner." Victoria placed her swim banner behind her bed. "We also took some pictures."

"You did?" Annabeth asked, intrigued. "They better have been taken with consent and not in a creepy way."

"Of course they were babe." Rebecca unlocked her phone and showed her the pictures they took. They were pictures of Percy with a couple of medals around his neck, and couple pictures of Percy with his relay team holding a small trophy. Rebecca and Victoria were in a couple of them making poses next to the swimmers who were all shirtless and wearing their suits.

"Send them to me."

"Of course."

As of now, they wanted to go on a congratulatory date to commemorate his wins and further advancements in his swim career while also celebrating her getting an architecture job.

Victoria heard all about her plans and the girl had practically thrown herself into their plans, wanting to turn their quiet date into a double date with her boyfriend Brendon. After much arguing, Annabeth agreed which of course meant that Victoria babbled to the girls in their dorm floor and invited them as well. Luckily, only one person from her floor was interested, and it was thankfully not Rebecca. Annabeth wasn't sure if she could handle both Victoria and Rebecca at the same time for an afternoon.

The girl that agreed to come was Jessica from across the hall. She had agreed to come onto their gathering only if her food was paid for which Victoria was more than happy to do. Victoria also promised to pay for Annabeth and Percy's food as a thanks for modeling for her.

All things considered, Annabeth couldn't be too upset. Sure, it wouldn't be just her but at least she would have some friends around and have her expenses paid for. All there was to do now was to wait for the remaining two members of their group to show up. They were waiting for Percy and some guy named Gregg from his basketball team to show up.

Apparently, Victoria had told Percy to bring a friend and he had decided to bring Gregg. When they talked on the phone earlier that morning, he said that his swim team pals were not interested in seeing the couple sucking face the entire time, so he had to go to his basketball team.

"Ugh, what's taking the boys so long?" Victoria complained. They were sitting at a table in a coffeeshop in Grand Central Station. That was their meeting point, and they would take a train to Brooklyn to the cafe that Victoria touted as the best in the city.

"Knowing Percy, he's running late. He's always running late." Annabeth deadpanned. "Not sure about the other guy though."

"Well, they better get here soon or we'll leave them behind. Won't we Brendon?" She leaned into Brendon's shoulder.

He smiled at her gesture. "Whatever you want mi corazoncito."

Annabeth had met Brandon before on the couple of times he visited the dorm. He somewhat reminded her of Leo in appearance since they were the same height and had similar features. Brandon however was much bulkier since he wrestled, and his personality was the opposite of Leo's.

Jessica was scrolling through Instagram on her phone. Perhaps she was regretting coming on this little date field trip. She lifted her head up then looked at Annabeth's eyes and nodded. She was small, even smaller than Victoria and from Vietnamese descent. Jessica was the quiet girl from across the hall, she was quite shy and awkward in situations. She did however have knack for music and was quite the talented pianist.

Annabeth looked up at the ceiling of the station admiring the paintings of the zodiacs and Greek constellations. There was Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini and Cancer. There were also Pegasus and Orion. She shuddered when she saw Orion after Reyna had explained her confrontation with Orion as well as the battle with the Hunters and the Amazons.

"Hey are you Annabeth?" Someone called from in front of their table. He was tall, with short brown hair, hazel eyes and a kind smile. She guessed this person was likely Gregg.

"Yes, I'm Annabeth, and I take it you're Gregg," she offered.

"Yep, that would be me." He got closer to the table. She motioned to an empty seat next to Jessica which he gladly took. "Glad I found you. Percy told me to look for a beautiful blond girl with gray eyes and blond princess curls. That's all he gave me to go by. No picture or anything. I was about to run into every blond girl into the station asking if they were Annabeth."

"Well, it's a good thing you ran into us huh?" Victoria interjected.

"Yeah that's fortunate, and who might you guys be?" Gregg offered in introduction.

"Ah well you already know Annabeth, so no need to go into her," Victoria smiled. Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Why don't you go first?"

He nodded. "Gregg Abrams, from the AHS basketball team."

"Victoria Martinez, future aspiring artist." Victoria added. She pointed to Brandon. "This is my boyfriend, Brendon."

Brandon waved at Gregg. "Brandon Salazar, wrester." He then pointed to Annabeth.

"Annabeth Chase, future architect." Gregg nodded, taking in all their greetings. He then looked at Jessica who was sitting next to him.

Jessica looked slightly flustered but looked up. "Ah, oh it's my turn." She cleared her throat. "Jessica Nguyen. I'm a pianist."

"Nice to meet you all." Gregg grinned then looked around. "Percy's not here?"

Annabeth shook her head. "He's running late."

Gregg snorted. "He runs late to practice all the time. Coach makes him do extra time for that. He complains about it all the time."

"Sounds just like him." Annabeth chuckled. "Maybe I should get him a watch for Christmas. Maybe that way he won't be late."

They got into a discussion getting to know each other more. It didn't go too well. Victoria and Brandon were holding each other and having a private conversation in Spanish. Jessica continued to look flustered while Gregg talked to her and Annabeth stared at the clock wondering when her late boyfriend would show up.

After another minute she thought that enough was enough. She pulled out her phone and dialed his number. He picked up after two rings. "Hey Annabeth, sup?"

"Don't sup me," she scolded. "You're holding us all back here in the station, waiting on you."

"Ah sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble. I'll be there soon. Don't worry."

"What kind of trouble?" She asked.

"Nothing I can't-" his response was cut off by a yelp. There was a crashing sound and then a moment of silence.

"Percy!" She called. Voice growing in concern. What kind of mess did he get into this time?

Her nerves slightly relaxed when he started yelling out a string of profanity that would make a pirate proud.

"I'm fine Annabeth, just some goddamn Canadians." She heard steel going through the air followed by a cry of pain that was not Percy, followed by the poof that happens when a monster is turned to dust.

"Where are you?" She demanded.

"I'm close by the station. I ran into some Canadians that are mad at me that I killed their bearded mother."

Before she could say anything, a voice screeched, "Perseus Jackson! This is the end of the line puny demigod. You really had us go on a goose chase but no longer". Judging from the voice and that Percy called them Canadians she guessed they were Lastrygonian giants. "We shall have our vengeance for you killing our mother and then we shall collect that bounty on your head."

"Listen guys, I didn't mean to send her on vacation. She got in the way, and I warned her I didn't want to fight." Percy sighed.

"That doesn't matter, you killed her, and we shall have our revenge."

"Can we save this until later? I'm supposed to be on date and I'm already running late. My girlfriend is going to kill me."

"The Athena girl?" There was a short pause, "even better! Bring her here too. That way we can collect double the bounty."

"Yeah… what about no?" Percy asked. "Our date isn't supposed to involve big ugly giants. You guys didn't even dress up. Who goes to dates wearing loincloths? Be for real."

"Enough games demigod! You shall pay for what you did to mother." Another giant snarled.

"I can see the family resemblance. You're all ugly and mommy had better beard than the two of you."

Annabeth heard growls and the sound of metal clashing against metal. She was about to run out, help him, and then kick his ass afterwards for making her worry. She heard flowing water followed by a "sweet, thanks guys for blowing up that fire hydrant." More sounds of clashing metal, grunts, flowing water before something was said again. "Say hello to mommy for me guys and tell her to shave that beard." There was the sound of poofs and then it was quiet.

"Percy you there? You ok?" She asked cautiously.

"Annabeth you're still there?" He asked. He sounded winded and tired. "I thought the phone hung up when I put it in my pocket."

"Of course, I am. You had me worried sick."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just some Canadians in motorcycles. I'll be there soon alright. No need to worry." He reassured.

"Don't jinx it." She sighed.

"Right. So, question for you, oh wise one."

She rolled her eyes at the nickname. "What would that be?"

"That's the second time I've heard that the bounty on our heads is still on us. If Gaia is no longer in the picture, any idea who could be paying that bounty?"

Annabeth stood from the table and went to more secluded spot. "I'm not sure. I thought it was gone once we defeated dirt face."

"Damn, maybe I should asked them before vaporizing them." She heard ongoing traffic from his end. "Well at least they'll have a nice family reunion downstairs."

"I'll look into it. It's possible that there's something going on that we're not aware of." She said uneasily, twirling one of the strands in her hair.

"Ugh, we better not be dragged into it. The last thing I need is some god showing up on my front door and sending me on some quest." He sighed. "The mess with Ganymede was bad enough."

Annabeth snorted. "Yeah, that was quite the mess." She looked behind her, noticing that her company on the table was still chatting. "How far along are you? Are you hurt?"

"Just a couple scratches and bruises. Nothing bad. And I'm just entering the station. Where did you want to meet?"

"At the little café across from the clock. Everyone's already here except you."

"Gregg showed up?"

"Yep. I think he might be hitting it off with Jessica."

"Jessica? The girl from across the hall?" Annabeth responded in confirmation. "Ah well good for them. Didn't think Gregg would show up. It was last minute and stuff. Guess he had nothing better to do." He paused for a second. "Ah I see you, behind you."

She turned around and there he was, standing behind Victoria and Brendon. She smiled at him, and he smirked at her. She hung up then approached the table. The lively chatting that was going on stopped when they noticed him. He looked like he had been run over by a dog stampede. There were paw prints on his shirt and jacket, a couple of scratches on his face that had mostly stopped bleeding, his hair was messier than normal and there was some dirt on his face.

Before she could say anything. Gregg stood up, shocked. "Man, what happened to you? You ok?"

Percy put a hand on his teammate's shoulder. "Long story involving some Canadians on motorcycles."

Percy spent the next two minutes retelling a completely bogus story that made no sense and no one else seemed to be buying it.

"That made absolutely no sense at all," Gregg said. "You sure you didn't hit your head and are being delusional?"

"Positive man." He looked around the place then perked up standing up. "I'm gonna use the restroom real quick and get cleaned up." He looked into her eyes and motioned with his head to the restrooms.

She followed next to him, holding his hand as they made their way to the restroom. They stopped at the doors. He put his hands on her waist, and she put hers on his. She looked into his eyes. "Everything alright?"

He leaned in to kiss her forehead. "Yeah, just a bit tired, but I'll be fine. I'll be right back."

Annabeth stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll wait for you out here and then we can talk."

He nodded then went into the restroom. She turned around and didn't notice Gregg was behind her holding a first aid kit.

"How's he doing?" He asked.

Annabeth shrugged. "He's fine, just a bit scratched up." She looked at the first aid kit in his hands. "Where did you get the first aid kit?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I carry it around with me. I'm captain of the team and sometimes the guys get hurt you know." Annabeth familiar with injuries, she had patch herself and other campers up, especially after capture the flag. He pointed to the restroom. "I'll go check on him. I've patched him up before. You can go back and take a seat if you like."

Annabeth resisted to urge to tell the guy that she'd patched up her boyfriend plenty of times before but thought better of it. She knew how annoyed Percy got when people made a fuss over him especially her, so she reasoned it would be easier to have Gregg look or Percy might make a scene. She shook her head. "I'm good." She smirked, "go patch him up."

With that Gregg went into the restroom. While both boys were in the restroom, she observed the life going around in the station, the smell of food and people shopping, the musicians playing in a corner, the architecture of the station. She also noticed the grumbling in her stomach. She was getting quite hungry now.

The door to the restroom opened and out came a disgruntled Percy with that brooding look he normally wore. His hair was wet and free of dirt, his shirt and jacket were slightly wet. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows, his jacket hung from his shoulders. He had an adhesive pad on one elbow but what really made her laugh was the SpongeBob band aid on his right cheek.

He crossed his arms. He must have noticed that she was trying to hold in her laughter. "Not. A. Word," he warned.

She couldn't do it. She laughed in his face. He glared at her, but he softened. He approached her and put and arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. She leaned in digging her face into his neck. He smelled like the sea and sandalwood.

"What happened in there Seaweed Brain?"

"I forgot my ambrosia at home, so I was using the water to heal up and clean up." The door opened again with Gregg coming out. They began walking back to the table. "Gregg came in and insisted he take a look. He made me take my shirt off and checked for any injuries. He also helped me wash my shirt and jacket in the sink."

"I understand that. But what about the SpongeBob band aid?"

He leaned in closer and whispered in her ear. "Deep cut couldn't heal it all before he showed up. It was either that or Hello Kitty."

She snorted. "Well, it's good to know that there's caring people out there."

Percy sighed. "Gregg can be a bit fussy especially when his players are hurt. Hell, I'm protective of my swimmers but not as much as Gregg."

They gathered at the table momentarily to check their plans and then left to catch their train.

The train ride was for the most part uneventful. They sat in pairs, Brendon with Victoria, Percy with Annabeth and Gregg with Jessica. Jessica looked like she was really liking Gregg's company.

Annabeth was holding to Percy's hand as the ride continued. Fortunately for them, no cows showed up to delay the train which would have put a downer on their plans.

She whispered into his ear. "You sure you're ok?"

He looked at her, SpongeBob band aid still on his cheek. She resisted to urge to laugh again, he looked so dorky. He moved to her ear. "Yeah fine, just a bit tender from where they hit me, but the water helped."

She kissed him on the cheek. "Glad you're ok."

He nodded, his expression changing to a more serious one. "Who could be paying for that bounty? Any ideas?"

Annabeth thought for a second. Kronos and Gaia were gone so there must be a different player at large. Perhaps it's the remnants of their armies that were paying the bounty or someone else entirely. She was hardly attacked by monsters now. And even if she was, she made quick work of them.

She would have to ask around and see if they were any leads. She shook her head. "No clue, we have a lot of enemies."

He chuckled. "Truer words have not been said."

She looked out the window, seeing how the train left Manhattan and entered Brooklyn. That suddenly bought back her encounter with Sadie Kane and Serapis. More specifically, the fear that she felt when Serapis said she was destroying her future if she killed him. She reassured herself that she didn't destroy her future but rather his, but hearing about the bounty on their heads, she was afraid that perhaps their futures were in jeopardy.

No, that's not possible. They had already done enough for the gods, there was no way that they would be forced to go on more life-threatening quests. But then again, many demigods didn't live a long happy life. Children of the Big Three specially. She shook her head, trying to keep these thoughts out of her mind.

"Hey you ok?" She heard Percy from next to her. She looked at him, his brow furrowed whenever he was worried. "You looked a little distraught."

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Just tired." She felt his arm wrap more around her. There was that reassurance that he was there with her. That perhaps their future was not in danger. She tried to reassure herself that she made her own future, but that sneaking feeling always came back. "Just thinking."

Percy put his chin on top her head and took a deep breath. She snuggled into the crook of his neck. They were quiet for a moment before Percy spoke up. "You smell nice. Like lemons and-" he sniffed "coconut? Did you get a new deodorant?"

She did actually. She poked his shoulder. Out of all the things to say that's what he said. Maybe he didn't even know what to say. She closed her eyes in his warm embrace. She made her own future. The staff of Serapis didn't dictate her future, she did. And she would do whatever it took to guarantee a happy future for herself and everyone she cared about.

The train stopped. "Alright lovebirds, this is our stop," Victoria announced.

Annabeth kept her eyes closed. She felt so warm and comfortable she didn't want to get up. Judging from the lack of movement from Percy, neither did he. "Annabeth, quit snuggling Mister Greek God and let's go."

That got her attention. She had told Victoria to stop calling Percy that, yet she continued to do so. Probably to annoy her. She opened her eyes and noticed that their group had almost made their way to the doors and were about to leave them behind. In a hurry she stood up, got her and Percy's bags and dragged him out the train letting the nippy November air creep over her. She shivered slightly at the touch.

"Why did she call me Mr. Greek God?" Percy asked, holding her hand as they walked down the streets with their group.

She squeezed his hand. "She thinks you look like a Greek God."

"Huh… I guess she wouldn't be too far off the mark." Knowing him he probably didn't see that he was being complimented. They continued walking in the relative loudness of the streets. "Did she ever specify which one?"

Annabeth nodded. "She thought Apollo until I told her you loved the sea and saw you swimming, then she guessed Poseidon."

He lowered his head so that his mouth was right by her ear. "She's not onto us, is she? She's not a monster?"

Annabeth shook her head. She looked at him, leaning towards his ear so she could whisper. "She's full-on mortal. All that is just coincidence."

"Good."

They arrived at the entrance of the coffeeshop within five minutes. "Ta-da!" Victoria gestured towards the place. "This probably my favorite place in the city. They have the best coffee and pastries."

"Are you sure it's not because your parents own the place?" Brendon said.

"Shut up cariño or I won't give you free food." Brendon made a move to zip his lips.

Percy perked up. "Free food is always good."

"Come on guys. I'll give you a tour."

They spent the next 10 minutes going over the shop. It was a Mexican style café with bright colors and was warm and cozy. The smell of coffee and baked goods engulfed the air making her stomach grumble. Soft music played in the background and many patrons were sitting at the tables talking or getting work done. Victoria also introduced her parents to them which were both working at the shop. They told everyone to enjoy their stay and that they could order as much as they wanted, their treat.

"You might regret that," Annabeth quipped. She pointed her thumb to Percy. "He got banned from multiple all you can eat buffets."

"Hey!" Percy protested indignantly.

"Don't worry mijo. A good appetite means that you're healthy." Victoria's mother said in warm voice. "It looks like you and your girlfriend could put on a couple pounds."

She led them to a window table where they would all fit. Victoria along with her mother gave them a quick run-down of the menu. Annabeth ordered a black coffee while Percy ordered his with milk and cream. They also ordered some food to go with their coffee.

Before she left, Victoria's mom looked at Percy who was looking out the window, chin resting on one hand, with a brooding look, stuck in his world, and holding Annabeth's hand with his other hand. She said something in Spanish to Victoria while wiggling her eyebrows. "Esta bien guapo el muchacho," then she looked at Annabeth and back to Victoria, "y su novia esta bien bonita."

Victoria rolled her eyes. "Yeah mom. I know. Bring us the food, ok?"

She laughed lightly. "I'll bring your drinks soon."

Once she was out of earshot Annabeth asked what the mother said. Brendon was the one that answered. "She said Percy is really handsome and you're very pretty." Victoria elbowed him. "What? That's what she said."

Oh, she felt her cheeks growing a light shade of pink. She looked at Percy wondering if he heard that. He was still looking out the window stuck in his world. She poked him on the shoulder to draw his attention. He turned around, "what's up? Is the food here? I'm starving."

"When are you not?"

The hand he used to hold Annabeth's unwrapped, and he moved it to wrap it around her waist to pull her in to his side where he gave her a kiss on her forehead.

Before they could separate Victoria squealed in excitement. "Yes, you two, stay just like that. I could use more reference material." She was taking pictures of them on her phone. Brandon rolled his eyes, Gregg lightly nudged Percy's shoulder, and Jessica was blushing.

The next couple hours were spent in all types of discussions from architecture, music, art, basketball, wrestling and playing board games. Annabeth won most of them.

The food was delicious. Victoria's parents had even bought them an entire tres leches cake.

"Congrats on all the races yesterday, Percy. Any plans to swim in college? I could see you going to like the Olympics." Victoria commented.

Percy looked up. His cheeks were puffed out with food like a chipmunk. Annabeth resisted the urge to laugh. He swallowed and shrugged. "I'd like to continue swimming so maybe. Annabeth and I are going to the same college. We still need to figure out if they have a swim team."

"The state competition is the Spring, right?"

"Yeah."

"How many events will you swimming in?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "If I qualify, I'd like to swim for the 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 free, the 200, 400-meter individual medley and the 400-meter relay with my team."

"Wow! That's so many!" Jessica yelled. "Oh sorry. Didn't mean to be so loud."

Percy smiled. "I really like swimming. Guess you could say it's in my blood."

"I think we the next Michael Phelps in the making," Gregg teased. Percy lightly blushed and playfully shoved Gregg. "Now if only he would put that much effort into basketball."

"Shut up man."

"How about you Annabeth? How are things in your job so far?" Jessica asked. "You looked so happy the other day."

If Annabeth was being truthful, she had been thrown into mainly grunt and clerical work. She did get to make and submit designs, but her main job was to assist the senior architects. Well, she was just starting out in the field, so she would have to start somewhere. If only she could put she was the official architect for Olympus on her portfolio.

"I'm just an intern right now, so I mainly assist the senior and junior architects."

"What made you go into architecture?" Gregg asked.

"I've always been fascinated by structures that have stood the test of time. Like the pyramids and the Acropolis in Athens. I want to make a difference in the world and build something permanent that will stand the test of time. Something that you look at and you say, 'Oh Annabeth Chase built that.'"

"That's a pretty noble goal." Brendon added. "I just want a nice quiet life."

"That's more noble than mine. I just want to make a shit ton of money selling my art," Victoria said.

"I want to take over my family's business," Gregg supplied. "What about you Jessica?"

"Oh uh… I want to write music."

They talked for a couple more minutes about their futures until Victoria asked a question out of left field. "Oh, and Annabeth, how's the ankle. All better? I noticed you're walking alright," Victoria asked.

Percy snorted to her side and he tried to cover it up with a cough. Annabeth pinched his thigh harshly, before she smiled. "All better now. Just took a little fall because of this knucklehead."

"Yeah. I was trying to teach Annabeth how to skateboard and she fell on her ankle," Percy said, barely hiding the smirk on his face as he took a sip of coffee.

Yeah, that's definitely what happened. Of course her roommate would notice her unable to walk straight after that night.

Victoria gave Annabeth and Percy a sly look. "Are you sure that's what happened? Annabeth it looked like you were floating on air when you came back from Percy's apartment. Like you got lai-"

Annabeth kicked her shin under the table.

It was getting to be late afternoon when they decided to leave the cafe. Percy briefly talked to Victoria's mom about getting the recipe for the cake.

They bid their goodbyes to Victoria's parents and thanked them for having them.

Victoria's mom was standing by the door as they left. She had a hand on her cheek and was gushing like a high school girl seeing her crush. Then she said something in Spanish to Victoria. "Trae el chico aqui mas a menudo. Le puedo dar mas recetas."

Victoria rolled her eyes. "Ay lo traigo y su novia."

"Por su puesto mija. Son adorables." She waved them off. "You kids have a great evening."

Victoria led them away from the café with a smile on her face. Annabeth didn't know Spanish but she had a feeling that they were talking about her and wanted to get to the bottom of it.

"What did she say?" Annabeth asked once they were out of earshot.

Victoria didn't answer she just kept looking ahead. Brendon just shrugged noncommittally. "Victoria's mom really likes Percy. She wants to share recipes with him." They continued walking. "Oh, and she said you two are adorable."

Annabeth felt her cheeks heating up again as they continued walking down the Brooklyn streets. She was about so say her own comment when all thoughts of the conversation left her when she heard, "you'll never beat Khufu like that if you play like a limp noodle wimp, brother dear."

"Sadie! Cut it out already," a boy cried out.

Could it be? Could that be Sadie Kane? She let go of Percy's hand and ran towards the sound of Sadie's voice. Percy followed behind her. She approached a basketball court where a young dark skin boy was practicing basketball with Sadie sitting on a bench criticizing his performance.

"How many matches have you lost against Khufu? Like all of them?" Sadie deadpanned.

"Sadie shut up. You're not being helpful."

"I think I'm being helpful enough."

"Sadie!" Annabeth yelled. Sadie turned around; her eyes brightened when they made eye contact.

"Annabeth?" Sadie stood up and walked over to where she was. "Wow it's really you. Didn't think I would see you so soon."

"Same."

"Annabeth what's wrong? You just took off." Percy came up behind her. He noticed Sadie and then must have noticed the other boy on the basketball court. "No way, C-" he cut himself. "Chicken boy? Is that you?"

Chicken boy? What kind of nickname was that?

Sadie must have thought it was funny as she started laughing.

"Don't call me chicken boy," the boy cried. "And it was a hawk."

"Nope that was definitely a chicken."

"Chicken boy? Huh?" Sadie laughed. The boy grew a shade of pink as he approached.

Annabeth's friend group approached from behind them. After a couple minutes of introductions, she learned that the boy was Carter Kane, Sadie's older brother. If Sadie herself didn't say they were related, she wouldn't have believed it. The siblings looked completely different from each other.

Sadie was explaining the story that led to Carter practicing his basketball skills in the park. Carter had made some bet with a guy name Khufu and if Carter lost, he would be forced to act as Khufu's personal servant for a week.

Percy put a hand on Gregg's shoulder. "You know, my buddy Gregg and I play for our school's basketball team. We can show you a thing or two," Percy offered with a mischievous smile.

"I'll do anything at this point so that I don't lose that bet," Carter pleaded.

"Great. Let's put our things down Percy and then we can start." Gregg suggested.

In the meantime, Annabeth sat with Sadie on a park bench. Victoria sat with Brandon on a nearby bench with Jessica to their side. Victoria had taken her sketchbook out while Brandon played with her hair. Jessica looked at the basketball field.

"So what brings you to Brooklyn, Annabeth?" Sadie asked.

Annabeth shrugged. "Just passing by the neighborhood and I heard your voice. Wanted to see if it was really you."

"That's sweet of you," she looked over the field a sly smile growing on her face. "I think Carter is about to get his ass kicked."

She looked at the field. Sadie had a point, Percy and Gregg were both about half a foot taller than Carter. She shrugged, "I'm sure he'll be fine. More importantly, have there been any weird Greek Egyptian problems going on?"

Sadie taped the side of her head. "I don't think so. We haven't seen much action after Serapis." She offered. She thought for another moment. "Oh, this guy Setne stole this powerful book of spells called the Book of Thoth and he's still out there causing trouble. We haven't been able to catch him."

"That's reassuring," Annabeth deadpanned.

Sadie shrugged. "I'm sure we'll find him soon enough. Things always work themselves out." She looked at the field just in time to see Carter fall on his butt after Gregg changed the ball's direction at the last second. "You're doing great brother dear!" She called. She looked back at Annabeth. "Told you he would get his ass kicked."

Annabeth and Sadie caught up with each other. Annabeth told her about her boarding school and how she hated wearing the uniform. She also told Sadie some other details about herself like how she enjoyed architecture, had plans to build something permanent as well as some of her adventures in the past summer. Sadie in return also supplied her own set of adventures from helping the sun god Ra, to fighting Apophis and being able to fuse with Isis and just showing off some of her magic tricks. She muttered a word under a breath and Carter fell on the basketball court.

Annabeth also learned that Carter and Sadie go to the same school as Lacie and Drew Tanaka from the Aphrodite cabin.

Half an hour later, the sun was starting to go down the horizon and the temperature started dropping. The three boys were still on the field playing against each other. "It's getting late Annabeth; Tori and I are going to leave. Will the rest of you be ok?" Brendon yelled from the other side of the basketball court.

"Yeah, we'll be fine, Brendon. Thanks for hanging out today."

Victoria bid her goodbye with a "I'll see you at the dorm later. Unless you stay with Percy tonight."

Sadie stood up from the bench looking at her brother playing basketball. "Carter let's go! Whatever will happen with Khufu will happen. I think you will look cute in that maid outfit."

Carter looked like he wanted to give Sadie the finger. He high fived Gregg and Percy and then went to step by his sister's side. "I already told you I'm not going to wear that stupid maid outfit."

"Perhaps not. But you'll have to if Khufu tells you to." Sadie said. "I can already imagine Zia's expression when she sees you in it."

Carter mumbled a curse under his breath and then said his goodbyes to Annabeth. Together, the sibling pair left as well.

One way or another, Jessica stayed behind, and it seemed like she had teleported to Annabeth's side. She was looking at Gregg and Percy as they were playfully shoving each other.

"I wonder if he has a girlfriend…" Jessica mused.

"I hope you're not talking about Percy," Annabeth joked.

Jessica turned red. "Of course not! You guys are so cute together. The way you sang Wildest Dreams that one karaoke night solidified it for me. You were off key and two beats behind for like half the song but it was cute. You also had him pushed up against that tree Wednesday after school as you two made out. Sarah saw it too, oh so did Emily, Grace, Elizabeth, Amelia, Chloe, Lucy, the janitors, the front desk ladies, the lunch ladies, the guys from coffee shop down the street, the construction workers, the cyclists passing by, Mrs. Talbott-"

"Jessica I think you made your point already! Everyone saw us making out under that tree." Annabeth interrupted exasperatedly. "Gods you're all acting like we were having sex under that tree which we did not. The point is, you can start small. How about just asking for his phone number?"

Victoria turned even redder. "I'm sorry Annabeth. I-I- I think I can do that. Yeah I think so." She stood up then walked to the basketball court. She saw as Jessica talked to Gregg and pulled her phone out. Gregg looked taken aback for a bit, but he smiled. He grinned and typed something into her phone.

Percy looked at Annabeth and wiggled his eyebrows. Annabeth could only smile. A couple moments later the three went back to her bench.

Percy gave her a quick kiss on her forehead and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She tried to ignore the fact that he was a bit sweaty.

"Great hanging out with you guys. I had fun," Gregg said. He pointed behind him. "I'm going to take Jessica to this nice guitar shop then take her to her dorm. Nice meeting you Annabeth, and Percy I'll see for practice on Wednesday. Don't be late."

"Don't worry man. I'll be there." Percy said.

Jessica also said her goodbyes and she left along with Gregg. Leaving just Annabeth and Percy in the park. The sun had almost dipped below the horizon and the streetlights had come on.

"Well today was a great date, don't you think?" Percy asked her. "Smart of you to play matchmaker with Gregg and Jessica by the way. I guess Piper has been rubbing off on you."

Annabeth poked his side. "I was just being a good friend. Besides they were making eyes at each other the entire time."

He kissed her forehead again. "I still owe you that song, don't I?"

"Oh, you remembered. Look at you."

He rolled his eyes. "I have my moments." He placed his hands on her waist and started slowly swaying. She put a hand on his waist and one on his shoulder. In a slow voice he started singing Ed Sheeran's Perfect. They swayed together in the dark as he sang to her. At the end of the song she pulled him down to give him a heated kiss.

He smiled and pressed his forehead to hers. "I know it's not Taylor Swift but Annabeth, you look perfect tonight."

"I listen to other music Percy."

"Don't ruin the moment Annabeth." He pulled her close, she pressed her head in the crook of his neck, his chin resting on top of her head. They stayed together until something smelly hit them. They both wrinkled their noses. They looked to where the smell had come from only to see that a cow had left them a present.

"I was wondering when her bovine majesty would show up," Annabeth muttered.

Percy chuckled. "Come on. It's dark out. Let me walk you to your dorm." Percy put his jacket back on before walking back onto the streets. "Unless you want to go my place and do something."

"And what exactly would that something be?" Curiosity was starting to get the best of her.

His voice lowered. "Something that I enjoy doing that you enjoy just as much if not more."

Annabeth could start feeling her face heat up. "Go on..."

"The way that I lick it up and down, side to side and suck on it as its sweet flavor hits my tongue."

She was already starting to form mental pictures of what he was talking about. "Is that all?"

"After that I will no choice but to give you more until you're full."

"Ok let's go to your apartment."

Half and hour later, Percy handed her an ice cream cone. "Here you go Annabeth. Strawberry, your favorite."

She looked at her cone. "Uh, Percy?"

"Yes?"

"Is this the something that you mentioned earlier?" She asked incredulously.

"Yeah," he responded while eating his blue cotton candy ice cream. "Why, did you have something else in mind?" Judging by his growing smirk he knew what he did.

"You're a freaking asshole you know that."

"You're the one with the dirty mind."

"Oh forget it. You're insufferable."

AN: Kudos to anyone that guessed the Kanes! Annabeth thought she was slick by making out with Percy under that tree but literally everyone saw them 😏

Annabeth also learned: Percy+water+sex = she won't be walking straight (or at all)

Did you guys read Chalice of the Gods yet? It's super fun and low stakes. My only complaint, the book was too short lol.

I realized that I didn't put Annabeth into any sport teams. I made a small mention in this chapter that she's in her school's volleyball team. I'll add a bit more details in the future (maybe) like her positions and stuff if I get some motivation to rewatch Haikyuu.

You might have noticed that I planned at least 25 chapters for this fic. That's like an estimate. Still playing with some ideas but you can expect at least 25 chapters. (Still struggling to write chapter 21 send help)

See you in the next one. Next chapter is the Thanksgiving chapter!