Sincere apologies to all those that believed this to be abandoned! I fell out of love with writing for a while, but a new job and a healthier work-life balance and lifestyle have allowed me the time to get back into the thing I love. I find DnD in particular to be brilliant for the creative mind, and DMing has helped to reignite my passion for storytelling. This project, more so than any I've started on this site, is something I intend to finish, no matter how long it takes or how many breaks I need. Thank you for your patience and support, and enjoy the next installment!

Chapter 8

"Okay! Time for something a little more upbeat!" Percy said, throwing open the double doors at the end of the rear atrium. Technically, he could have easily used the automatic ones, or even the revolving ones, but there was no drama involved there. He could have timed it and pretended to use the Force like when he was younger, but then again he'd already embarrassed himself enough by now. At least the doors were lightweight enough to throw open at the same time. Nothing worse than trying for dramatic effect only to be stopped cold by an unnecessarily heavy door.

"Oh? We're just ignoring the rooms, apartments, and suites?" Chase asked, and Percy just hated that tone of superiority in her voice. He didn't even have to turn around to see the sceptical look written all over her face. Granted, she might have a perfectly valid and logical point, but Percy didn't do logical. Or valid. Except when it came to his fish. Because they deserved the world, and everything in it.

"Eh, for now. We'll swing back around to them later, maybe after lunch?" He offered, keeping the peace. He wasn't stupid, despite popular opinion. Skating through the resort section in the hopes of progressing quickly to the aquarium wouldn't earn him any points with Chase and her film crew. That, and it would also logistically delay the whole project, given that he would then be forced to start the resort tour again, but in far more detail.

Chase nodded, though a frown still distorted her features.

"As long as we get around to everything, I can work with it." She said, sucking slightly on the end of the stylus for her iPad.

That was fair enough, Percy thought. He was kind of being an ass, albeit an ADHD-imbued ass, but she was willing to work with his spur of the moment bullshit. He could appreciate that.

"Sweet. I was thinking maybe head back to the fake beach, the wave pools, the slides. Inject a bit of fun, then go back to the hotel side of things and show off the rooms and more traditional amenities?" He said, thankful of the brief emergency planning session he had conducted with Grover last night over text. "That way we kind of hit the target demographic whilst still keeping an element of fun and enthusiasm?"

The appraising look that Chase gave him made him feel incredibly smart, he had to admit. Also, it confirmed that he'd used all of those words correctly. Suck on that one, college essays.

"That sounds like the closest thing to a strategy that you've given me since we've been here." Her voice was cool, calm, but Percy could see her eyes dancing with light. Fine, he'd take the bait.

"Hey, it's only Day One, sweetheart, plenty more where that came from." Gods, the New York accent practically leapt out of him on that one. And just like that, he witnessed that light die in front of him, as her easy smile vanished immediately.

"Never call me that again." She said. "Or they won't find your body."

Usually, Percy would call bullshit, but there was murder in those eyes. Those incredibly stormy eyes.

He must have stared for slightly too long, as Chase's friend Silena coughed slightly, and Percy became aware of how close Chase had gotten when threatening his life. Not that he minded too much. Her hair smelled like lemons. The nicest smell he'd had in a while. Then again, he realised that he spent most of his time around fish.

"Duly noted. My apologies." He said, and he meant it. "Shall we?"

"I guess."

Ouch. That one stung. There went all that progress.

Still, Percy wasn't one to back down from a challenge. Olympian family disputes were proof of that. Or they would be, if there was any proof of those happening. He could imagine it now, playing out like a sports highlight reel. There'd been a few times he'd talked back to Uncle Zeus, or his dad, and the resulting arguments had caused enough to fill a weeks' worth of talk-show segments. Shame that they had all been exclusively behind closed doors, but Percy would put money on Thalia having some form of recording of at least one of them somewhere. His cousin was fun like that. It was Thalia's purest form of joy, watching her father lose an argument, and Percy had always felt like the world's best cousin whenever he had left Uncle Zeus speechless at the dinner table. If there was one thing the Olympians did well, it was raising insubordinate brats. That, and making tonnes of money.

"Cool, okay, no doubt." He said, taking the initiative and beginning the stroll down the path towards the beach. They followed, and he almost missed the look that Chase's two crew shared between them. Almost. He was oblivious for the most part, but even he couldn't miss that.

"So we walked this way yesterday, and I know I said about the sprinklers and the system they're fed by, not sure if you think that's worth bringing up?" He said, waiting for a nod or shake of the head. He watched her deliberate for a moment, the way her eyes found the horizon as she thought. Cute.

"Maybe worth mentioning in passing, but definitely not worth a section of their own." She decided. Fair enough. "And an absolute hard no to the joke you made yesterday. I don't need a lawsuit from Disney."

"Ahhh, gotcha. They have good lawyers."

"Speaking from experience?"

"Maybe. But that's not documentary material. At least, not this specific documentary, anyway."

"Oh, so now you're able to decide what's worth the screen time? Big jump in the space of twenty minutes, forgive me if I'm not impressed."

"Ouch, words hurt, Miss Chase. You cut me deep. You cut me real deep."

"Please tell me you did not just quote Shrek at me."

"Sue me."

"I could. I have good lawyers."

"I have better ones."

"Not better than Disney, apparently."

"Toosh."

"It's touché."

"Ah, but you don't say douche-ay, do you?"

He was fully aware of the shit-eating grin spreading across his face, but he welcomed the warmth it brought to his core. It was a happy, fuzzy feeling, spurred on only by the sheer determination in Chase's visage. Challenge accepted.

"No, because there's no accent on the letter e."

"I beg to differ; the French always have an accent."

"But not an acute accent."

"Eh, I'm inclined to disagree. It's a very cute accent, in the right circumstances."

"You're impossible."

"No, I'm Percy."

"Um, *ahem*, this is great and all, but ultimately getting us nowhere." Rachel interrupted, and Percy was once again astonished by how easily he had slipped into casual banter with Annabeth Chase. It had been as easy as talking to Piper, and he'd known Piper for years. He'd known this woman for barely a day.

"Of course! We mustn't delay the all-important walkaround." He said, inclining his head and flourishing his arms in Rachel's direction, producing a snort from her. "This way, dear maidens, for we have yet to reach our destination." And with that, he strode on ahead.

The few minutes' walk to the beach passed by quickly, with Chase muttering thoughts to Rachel and Silena, who responded quickly and efficiently each time. Percy was impressed. Either the three of them shared a single brain, or they were very good at their jobs. Or both. That was definitely an option. Women were an enigma, his uncles had once said, and though Percy found their tone to be bordering on misogynistic, he could agree with the base idea. He could barely figure out his own brain, let alone someone else's. At least on a base level most guys were very primitive beings. Not to mention stupid. Kinda like most of his fish. Maybe that's why he understood them so well.

"Okay, so I'm not sure exactly how you want all of this framed." He began as the artificial shoreline came into view. All evidence of their previous visit yesterday had been swept away by the dutiful staff, and Percy felt a brief flash of affection for the incredibly hard-working team that the resort had hired. Cleaning everything every day even though the resort wasn't open yet. True professionals. He should check over their salaries and contracts, just to be sure.

"You mean where we're filming from? Or the angle we want to project?" Chase asked.

"Both, I guess. Like I don't know where would be ideal for us to stand or set up, and I know I said about meeting demographic and going for fun, but I don't think I wanna reach the same levels as those weird cruise ship videos or news cameos."

A flash of recognition in all three pairs of eyes, and Percy felt his shoulders relax as understanding crossed their faces.

"Like don't get me wrong, the slides are ridiculously good, and I'm happy to go down them for purely professional reasons." He continued, grinning as he glanced in the direction of the truly awe-inspiring set of water slides and tube rides that had been built behind the wave pool. "But I don't wanna feel like I'm doing this for a fun spotlight on the morning news."

Annabeth was impressed. Truly, she was. Jackson had shown up today with what she could only describe as a teenage reluctance, but he had given her stuff to work with already, and shown a bit of substance and critical thinking too.

"I thought you didn't care about the resort part?" She challenged, and though it was meant to sound good-natured, she winced internally at the harshness in her voice.

Jackson stiffened at her words, turning sea-green eyes and training them on her own. There was a beat of silence, and she felt her breath hitch slightly at the sheer intensity of his gaze, his eyes searching for something. She wasn't sure if he found it or not, whatever it was, but the next moment his shoulders dropped, along with his stare.

"I never said that. I just had nothing to do with the planning and development of this part."

Okay. Good to know, she guessed.

"Soooo, you wanna give us a rundown on this place? Any hidden gems or particularly cool spots?" Rachel broke in, and Annabeth was incredibly grateful that she wasn't alone with Jackson. It seemed the two of them were destined to not get along.

"Sure, let's walk and talk." He said, bouncing back to the slightly buoyant mood he had previously been in as if nothing had happened. "But you might wanna get your shoes off, and maybe roll up the legs of your pants. It gets kinda damp around here."

He immediately began kicking off his own, removing his socks and stuffing them into his shoes. Annabeth regretted wearing somewhat formal wear today. Really, she should have known better given the location they were in, but she was a firm believer in dressing for the job. Tailored suit trousers rolled up to her mid-calves definitely provided a strange aesthetic. At least she wasn't going to be on camera.

"There's lockers around her somewhere that we can leave clothes, along with anything else you don't wanna risk carrying near the water." He said, shoes now dangling from one hand as he gestured with the other. "But don't worry, we'll wait til tonight to actually try out anything."

"What do you mean 'try out', Mr Jackson?" Silena asked, beating Annabeth to the punch by a fraction of a second. He turned, brows furrowing slightly.

"What do you mean, Miss… Beauregard?" Annabeth smirked at his almost imperceptible pleased nod at having remembered her name correctly. "You're telling me you've got all this time here and you thought we weren't gonna let you go on all the rides?"

There was a beat. In truth, Annabeth hadn't even considered what they would be doing in their downtime. Doing their own thing, relaxing in the hotel, maybe getting a shuttle bus into the nearest town, or the edge of the city? The idea of actually using the resort as intended hadn't really crossed her mind.

"Dam. You guys actually thought that? You must have had some rich asshole clients before huh?" Jackson continued. "But don't worry, as long as I'm involved in some way, anything goes. I'll make sure this stuff is on for you guys at some point, even if it's late afternoon or evening."

"But what about the staff needed to run this thing? We can't just use this place like our own personal playground, surely?" Silena protested, and Annabeth knew her friend's mind was doing similar calculations to her own. Jackson waved her off.

"It's chill, we'll turn the whole thing into a staff party. They need some time to blow off steam before we open anyway. That way everyone can switch out any professional duties like lifeguarding or operations and take their turn having fun. And I'll swing it so it's classed as overtime pay. Easy."

He certainly made it sound so. And it was unusually well thought out. A lightbulb went off in Annabeth's head.

"You've been planning something like this, haven't you? Even without the catalyst of having us here, you would have done the same."

Jackson met her eyes again, and though there was still a burning intensity, this time it was beautifully intwined with mirth and laughter. Ever-changing, just like the sea, she thought.

"Guilty as charged. What's the point in having all of this if you can't share it with people?" He said, gesturing around. And in the bright sun, the spray of water from the sprinklers catching the light, the sounds of waves crashing on the shoreline, Perseus Jackson suddenly seemed a lot more than the spoiled brat that the media made him out to be.

(Line Break)

They had made progress, Percy thought to himself as he stood slightly away from the three women, watching them talk to each other about framing shots, wardrobe decisions, and screen time devotion of the current segment they were mapping out. The day had started rocky, and at moments hit downright jagged, but over the last couple of hours he had to admit that he'd found himself slipping into their professional rhythm with relative ease. They were ridiculously easy to get on with, and despite his floundering attempts to find the line between humour and seriousness, they had displayed patience and restraint, even offering explanations and details on parts that he couldn't wrap his head around. Like specific angles and shots used in film production and their benefits, how scripting and drafting processes worked behind the scenes, and how the professional-looking documentary would actually look when they first shot as opposed to when it was all edited.

The quartet were currently perched on one of the lifeguard stations above the wave pool, one that was seamlessly melded into the rocky structure at the centre of what was essentially a small waterpark. Percy stood in the sun at the edge, feet gripping the damp rock as he tilted his head up towards the rays of light, allowing the pleasant heat to wash over his face as the crashing of water lulled him into relaxation. It was so dam tempting to let himself fall and hit the water, submerge for a few minutes and swim around. He knew from experience that this was the safest place to do so from, having gone so far as to specifically request such a spot in the original designs, away from his father and Triton's eyes. He still remembered the mirthful grins of the contractors as he laid out his childish desire. But it would have to wait. He still had things to do.

Reluctantly, he stepped back from the edge, allowing himself to tune back in on the conversation that the three film crew members were having.

"Mr. Jackson, welcome back." That was surely a teasing tone from Miss Beauregard? The young woman seemed far too kind to lace her words with any malice, or barb her sentences like a fishing spear. He nodded politely in response, allowing a sheepish grin.

"Sorry about that, being in the sun and near the water is kind of my happy place."

"Really? And you choose to spend your time underground in the tight confines of an aquarium?" Rachel Dare asked, arching a single brow. "That seems kinda strange."

"Well, I mean yeah I guess, but we have outdoor pools too." He defended. "I spend a lot of time in the rehab pools with the new rescues or the animals that we're about to release back into the wild."

"Wait, we didn't see any outdoor pools from the air when we arrived. They're either tiny or really well hidden." Chase cut in, and Percy nodded.

"The second. As much as aquatic creatures can technically function just fine in artificial light, we like to make sure that those that would have a mind to would have the ability to get out and see the sun. It was an engineering nightmare, especially when factoring in climate control. Don't want our arctic creatures in the sweltering heat if we can help it, ya know?"

He swept his gaze across the three of them, registering their levels of interest with a pleasant surprise. Just as Chase was opening her mouth to potentially ask a question, he cut her off.

"Ok, as much as I relish the chance to speak about my fish, we should really get on with the tour. Can't have this thing delayed, right? Because otherwise we'll be here well into next week."

Despite being firmly out of the sun now, Percy felt a pleasant warmth spread through him at the appreciative look from Annabeth Chase. Maybe playing exactly by the rules was worth it if he was gonna keep racking up points with her. He could stand to have that look sent his way a few more times.

"Sooo, what is it you guys were talking about?"

"Funnily enough, lunch." Silena said, stretching and getting to her feet from her perch on one of the rocks. "It's probably high time that we get back, who knows what those idiots have done to the equipment while we've been gone."

Percy watched them all trade looks, and Rachel exaggerated a shudder.

"Don't even get me started." She said, also rising to her feet. "I haven't forgiven them for last time."

"What happened last time?"

"You don't wanna know." She said, and the look in her eyes told him that he really didn't.

"Fair enough." He ceded, before grinning at the three of them, and backing very slowly towards the sun patch at the edge of the lifeguard station. "Now, impromptu test time; how well do you remember your way out of here? There are signs, and you're pretty smart, so you shouldn't get too lost, but it's more of a maze than it looks!"

It was true, Percy remembered his first few days getting used to the layout of the water-park-styled side of the resort, with different levels and decorated paths, complete with all manner of nooks and crannies, staff areas, elaborate passageways, and beautifully intricate rope bridges and tunnels. He was entirely sure that it was impossible to be truly lost in this part of the resort, but there was a high probability of the three of them having trouble with it, especially given that he'd been doing all the leading and they'd been focussing on the brainstorming.

"Umm, I highly doubt that it's that difficult." Chase said, crossing her arms, but rising to the bait, just as he knew she would.

"Great." He said, pointing below towards the sun loungers they had arrived next to, having finally reached the edge of the fake clifftop. "I'll see you back at the beach? Good luck."

And with that, he allowed himself to fall backwards, his last glimpse of the trio of women being one of horrified faces and frozen bodies, before his world span and twisted into one of brilliant shades of blue.

(Line Break)

Annabeth was going to kill him. She was going to murder Percy Jackson in cold blood, and nothing would stop her. That arrogant ass. That bumbling idiot. The risk of the drop alone was enough to give her palpitations. If he'd hurt himself in the fall, their whole project went under. And to strand them all within sight of their destination, and leave them to wander through the resort alone until they reached it seemed entirely far too cruel, especially for a man of Percy Jackson's stature.

Was she being slightly dramatic? Possibly. But that didn't stop her seething commentary as she stormed down the paths of the water park attached to the resort, Silena and Rachel following in her wake as she raged against the star of her show.

"And another thing! All this talk of understanding and not wanting to delay the project and then he pulls this shit! What the hell is his deal? Just when I think I'm figuring him out he throws a dam curveball at me and we hit square one all over again! I mean seriously… what?" She said, her tirade petering out as she saw the two snickering at her.

"You're letting this boy get way too inside your head Annie." Silena began, and it was a mark of affection for her friend that stopped Annabeth from correcting her. "He's just blowing off some steam, and we'd already called lunch. Didn't you see how uncomfortable he was today when he showed up? It's probably just nerves."

"I didn't need to see how uncomfortable he was, Silena, he all but rammed it down our throats multiple times how much he didn't want to be here today. That doesn't give him the excuse to pull this kind of reckless shit." Annabeth bit back.

"Annabeth, seriously, it's like you didn't do your homework this time. Which I know you very much did do, because the nerd inside you would die if you showed up unprepared." Rachel said, powering through a snort from Silena and a grunt from Annabeth herself. "Did you honestly expect Perseus Jackson, billionaire playboy and thrill-seeker to be easy to confine to boring and strict schedules? That boy is clearly riddled with ADHD, I could practically feel how restless he's been all day."

"Yeah, well he's not the only one here with those issues. Nothing I'm hearing offers any solid reasons for this. They're explanations for certain behaviours, not excuses."

Despite her staunch position, Annabeth could hear her own arguments weakening as her anger slowly dissipated. Maybe she was overreacting. But that wouldn't stop her from wringing Jackson's neck until he begged for her forgiveness.

It took them a further ten minutes of meandering through the decorated paths before the found their way back to the fake beach.

Perseus Jackson, it seemed, had only just emerged from the water, hair plastered across his forehead, shirt and shorts both dripping onto the sand as he stood and turned his face to the sun.

Annabeth moved as silently as she could across the sand, eating up the ground between her and him, a predator stalking her prey.

Any thoughts of ambush were thwarted before she could fully close the gap, however, as his head snapped to her approach with uncanny accuracy for someone that had previously seemed so oblivious. As before, his eyes danced with mirth and mischief, though this time there was a level of uncertainty hiding behind the bravado, and his smirk faltered at the glare she levelled at him.

"Not funny?" He asked, and gods she hated how innocent and child-like he sounded. How did he manage to perfectly straddle the line between rebellious teenager and kicked puppy? She could almost feel him challenging her to maintain her anger, and as much as she wanted to, she couldn't.

"Not funny. At all." She confirmed.

"Yeah, maybe a little too extreme on my part. Sorry Annabeth."

The use of her first name was the final nail in the coffin. Her anger melted away and died at the unexpected sincerity in his tone. Gods above this man was an enigma.

"You can buy me lunch to apologise."

Oh. Oh no. That had not meant to come out like that. That was suggestive. That carried implications. That had almost sounded… flirty. Her inner monologue spiralled as she was dimly aware of the muffled laughter and snorts from behind her.

Jackson's eyebrows rose into the heavens, eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar for a second as she stood in front of him, mortified. Annabeth had never felt so exposed, as his eyes fixated on hers, the tension so thick it was suffocating.

He recovered quickly, she had to give him that, as his mouth closed and his face restructured itself, a smirk forming and his posture relaxing.

"Chase, I'm flattered, but I think a date at this stage in our relationship would violate the professional nature of our work, no? I can't imagine it's considered proper etiquette for directors to attempt to seduce their talent?"

"Wha- Seduce? Is that what you think this is? Excuse you, Jackson, but I'm not here to be one of your new toys. I won't be the latest addition to the doubtlessly long and lingering list of your previous flings. I was merely stating that you were being an ass, and that to apologise fully you could start by paying for lunch. Nothing more, nothing less."

She felt a brief satisfaction at wiping that dam smirk from his face for the second time in as many minutes, before that smirk morphed into a thin line, and his eyes clouded over.

"I don't have any toys, Miss Chase, and that list certainly isn't as long as you clearly believe. Perhaps next time you level accusations at me you should do your research more thoroughly. We're done for the afternoon."

Annabeth didn't scare easily, but the chill in Percy Jackson's tone froze the very blood in her veins. She could only watch as the still-dripping-wet billionaire made what he clearly thought was a very controlled exit. The shaking hands and sheer speed of his gait gave him away.

Gods above, it really seemed as though they were destined to not get on.

Hope everyone found it worth the wait! I'm trying to do this justice and not jump straight into the romance, so we'll see what happens in the coming chapters. I plan to write on a more regular basis now, but I can't promise an upload schedule or anything like that I'm afraid. Thank you once again to all those who have expressed an enjoyment or love for this project, it has made all the difference and keeps the motivation high to carry it on. Until next time O7