Annabeth:

"Hi Annabeth."

His voice sent shivers up my spine and made me feel light headed. I tried to gather my voice to talk back and say anything but nothing happened.

Daphne's voice broke the silence that seemed to be infinite "Mommy I'm hunger."

"Mom?" Percy questioned.

I nodded in response to him before turning back to Daphne.

"Daphne we should go make dinner. Let's go check out. It was nice seeing you Percy." I was fully prepared to walk away with Daphne in tow until I felt a hand on my wrist.

"Um, here's my card." Percy pulled out a sea foam green business card from his pocket and placed it in my hand.

"I couldn't."

"Please. I would like to catch up."

I wasn't going to catch up with Percy Jackson but to appease both him and the five year old now tugging on my shirt I put the card in my purse and walked towards the front of the store.

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Daphne's first week of school went well with my step mom picking her up for three days as rush designs were needed for two new businesses with one in Noe Valley and the other in Ingleside. Even with adding my own flare and trying to somewhat match the surrounding architecture in those neighborhoods; the encounter with Percy on Monday threw me off to the point where I gave the pitches of the designs to the wrong clients. My boss wasn't too happy at first but luckily one of the clients that I had previously worked with before was more understanding that the she devil CEO of Lotus buildings.

Most of my Friday was spent in my office hiding from my boss's furry as she went on a tirade around the office on the most recent quarterly numbers. I half expected her to berate me like she was doing my other coworkers but the only the "Your numbers are still good, but you recently fucked up." Yell from her at the opening of my office.

Sheila rarely believed in being nice and back handed compliments was her only form of acknowledgment of someone successes.

When three o' clock finally rolled around I was excited to leave and pick up Daphne from school.

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I sat on the couch with the nature channel playing silently in the back ground while I braided Daphne's hair listening to her talk about her day.

"So, Elly don't like Tanner 'cause Tanner won't talk to her. He only talks to I. And, and she's called him dumb 'cause he don't look at her."

Daphne had truly taken a liking to Tanner in the short week they known each other. Elly was her classmate from pre-k and only a few months older than her that was her best friend the previous year.

"I told her she's stupid and mean for talkin' bout Tanner."

"Daph. We do not call people stupid. Also, who even told you to call someone stupid?"

"Matthew."

Of course it was one of the twins

I continued to braid her hair as she went back to her stories. When I was finally done my phone rung in my purse. Rachel was calling like she usually did on Friday evenings. Even after I moved back to California we agreed to call each other every Friday to fill each other in on the chaos or stagnant things in life. We usually fell asleep talking to one another and today was no different. She filled me in on the new quests she had given out to children unprepared to deal with their godly parents or the life or death situations they were put into. We talked about how Dionysus was planning his 'retirement from camp' a few 90 years too early and how Chiron was doing. I filled her in on Daphne's first week and my encounter with Percy. Saving that little detail for when her line was silent and the sound of soft snoring could be heard.

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Ring, ring

Spiders are my mortal enemies, but I think whoever was ringing my doorbell at 11:00 am on my free Saturday might be my new mortal enemy. I opened the door to find my step mom on the other side with grocery bags and new American girl doll box under her arm.

"Hey, what are you doing here." I tried not to sound rude, but I was confused on why she was here.

"I'm here to babysit."

Confusion washed over me. I couldn't remember if I asked her to babysit or not and if so then what for.

"Daphne said you had a lunch date today."

"What?"

"She asked me because she said you forgot to call me yesterday. I know you've been so stressed and busy with work lately and."

She clearly had more to say judging by the way her mouth curved to say more.

"Um, hold that thought please. Come in."

I ushered her into the living room while I walked up to Daphne's room. I knocked on her door and was surprised when the door pulled back to reveal Daphne dressed and ready to go out for the day.

"Hi mommy." She cheerfully said

"Did you ask Nana to babysit you?"

Daphne smiled and walked past me shouting 'Nana Chase' as she bounded down the stairs.

I bounded after her confused as to why she called my step mom and what I was supposed to do about her being here along with trying not to be even more rude by telling her she wasn't need this Saturday.

"Thank you, Nana. Mommy has a date and I so excited for her." I could hear Daphne's voice from the bottom step.

Who was she talking about? I didn't have a date with anyone and today was supposed to be our lazy Saturday.

"Oh do you know who her date is my sweet."

"The grocery man."

"What!" My voice came out as a screech.

"What's wrong Annabeth?" My step mother asked.

I was have a mental conniption trying to take my brain for when I would have set a date up with Percy.

Ring, ring

I refused to move from my position in the living room doorway to get the door. Scared of what would be on the other side even though I already had a feeling about who it was.

My step mom and Daphne walked to the door in my place. Daphne was bouncing up and down like she was excited for more guest.

"Oh my. I haven't seen that face in years." My step mom said.

"Hello Mrs. Chase is Annabeth home?" Honestly hearing Percy's voice brought a sense of anger to me. A part of me still loved the man but my pride always outweighed love. And if there was one thing I never had control of in my life it was how prideful I could truly be.

"She's in the living room. You wait right there and I'll go get her."

With the sound of her footsteps retreating back into the room I turned to retreat back upstairs into my bedroom and lock myself up for the day.

"Where are you going?"

"To my room."

"To change?"

"No, to enjoy my bed for a few more hours."

The look on her face was one of disappointment.

"You have a date with Percy. You know the man standing right outside on your porch."

"No I don't. I don't even remember setting up a date with him."

"Well it doesn't matter. It would be rude to blow him off. Don't you agree my sweet." She looked down at Daphne trying to get her input.

Daphne only smiled looking between me and Nana before answering. "I think mommy should date."

"Mommy should focus on one love right now and that one love is you, Daph."

She pouted sticking out her lip as she walked closer to me.

"No." She said

"No?"

"No, mommy needs more than Daphne. Mommy needs friends too."

"I have friends Daphne."

"No you don't. You don't have friends here." Daphne was firm in her words and kind of accurate. All of the friends I did have were either still in New York or dead. Well except for Holli, she moved back to the Midwest and we kept in touch most via text.

"Mommy needs friends here." She pouted more and even with my pride I could rarely say no to her when she got too upset or set on things going the way she wanted them too.

"Fine."

Daphne's face quickly changed from a pout into a mischievous little smile as she started to skip around the room.

I quickly freshen up and changed into something that wasn't pajamas ready to face the father of my child that didn't know he was the father of my child. I half expected him to have left by the time I was finally ready to walk outside but to my surprise he was sitting on the porch swing looking at his phone probably playing some new game he was addicted to.

"You ready."

He looked up at me from his phone eyes still the most captivating color of sea foam green.

"Always." He replied.