Percy sighed with contentedness as he sank onto the soft cushions of his couch, his hand reaching for the remote resting on the small table to his right. Clicking on the TV, he mindlessly flipped through the channels, eventually settling on a rerun of an old sitcom he had seen a few episodes of in the past. The characters had just crashed their friend's wedding in an attempt to halt the marriage when a loud bang sounded through Percy's apartment, causing him to jump out of his seat in shock. "What the hell?" he muttered, scanning the apartment's small interior in an attempt to locate the source of the sound.
A few moments passed in silence, leading Percy to shrug it off and make his way back to the couch. Living in a small apartment complex in downtown Manhattan meant sound was to be expected. Plus, he lived on the fourth floor, therefore he had neighbors both above and below who made all types of noises. He resumed the program, chuckling at the episode's witty commentary. Suddenly, another loud bang followed by a distinct sound of shattered glass echoed through his apartment. This time, Percy could tell the sound was coming from directly above him.
Percy debated on going upstairs and investigating, or simply ignoring it as he usually did. He was sure his upstairs neighbors had simply dropped something. He hadn't seen the Graces around in a while, but he knew the wife, Piper, was a clumsy artist who often dropped her sculptures or painting supplies. He had decided to leave it alone when a second shattering sound filled the silence. Percy sighed heavily, the exhaustion from his long shift that day overcoming him. He glared at the ceiling, shaking his head. "How many things can one person drop?" he grumbled, making his way to the bathroom to get ready for bed.
After brushing his teeth and changing into a plain white t-shirt and gym shorts, Percy sank into his sheets, his eyes already closing in anticipation of the good night's rest ahead of him. He had just begun to drift off when an incessant banging sound - softer than before but still bothersome nonetheless - rang throughout his apartment. "That's it!" Percy growled, throwing back his covers and scrambling around in his dark room for his tennis shoes. "This ends now," he muttered, shutting the door behind him and making his way to the elevators at the end of the hall.
It was at that moment that he realized he was still in his sleepwear, but he was too fired up to care. It's not like it mattered; Piper and Jason were old friends of Percy's and had known him for years as a result of living in the same building. The elevator's bell jerked Percy out of his thoughts, as he stepped out, his eyes trained on a doorway near the end of the hall. Even from his position just outside of the elevator, he could hear the sound of muffled banging. He was shocked no one else was out in the hallway, searching for the source of the irritating sound shattering the peace.
Within a few seconds, Percy stood in front of the door, his fist raised in anticipation of knocking. When a small pause in the banging occurred, he pounded on the hardwood a few times before waiting. He heard the sounds of someone shuffling around before the door's latch slid open and revealed a sight Percy had in no way been prepared for. Instead of coming face-to-face with his old friends or their golden retriever, Storm, Percy found himself staring at a stranger - a small, petite blonde around his age. Her grey eyes were wide, her cheeks flushed pink. Her hair fell over her shoulders in soft curls, one side of her oversized t-shirt slipping off of her shoulder.
In the girl's hand was an electric screwdriver, its surface coated in wood dust and paint splatters. In fact, she herself was coated in both of those materials. White paint speckled her legs and arms, a particularly large splatter centered on the front of her shirt. As Percy looked closer, he could see a few speckles on her cheeks and a smudge of paint across her nose. A few seconds passed as the girl became increasingly redder in the face, her eyes trained on his attire. Percy didn't consider himself to be a self-conscious person, but when a girl as pretty as the one in front of him was staring, he couldn't help but cross his arms over his chest in an attempt to cover himself.
"You're not Piper," were the only words that he could utter, glancing behind the girl into her apartment. It was littered with cardboard moving boxes and buckets of paint. In the center of the room sat a half-finished kitchen table lying on its side. It only had two legs and was coated in splotchy white paint - the same as the girl. She laughed slightly, fiddling with the screwdriver in her hands. "No, I'm not." Percy cleared his throat, shifting his weight as he tried to process the situation. "Where are Jason and Piper?" The girl bit her lip, her face still tinged pink. Percy had to clench his fist to avoid staring at her mouth. "They moved out. I bought the apartment from them," she explained, her voice soft but steady.
"What?" Percy exclaimed, shocked at the news. Neither Jason nor Piper had said a word to him about moving. "I'm Annabeth," the girl replied, setting down the screwdriver and holding out her hand. "Percy," he responded, sliding his hand into hers. "I live below you." At his words, Annabeth's face turned red again and her eyes widened. "You're here because of the noise," she exclaimed. "Yes," Percy responded, his initial shock wearing off and being replaced by his earlier annoyance. "I'm assuming it's from the table you're trying to build?" he asked, gesturing behind her. Annabeth's face scrunched up, her arms crossing against her chest. Percy tried his best not to stare at the low scoop of her shirt as she did so.
"Trying to?" she exclaimed, her grey eyes stormy. "I know what I'm doing!" Percy smirked at her tone, suddenly enjoying this interaction. "Then why did I hear breaking glass more than once?" Annabeth blushed once again, her glare still drilling into him. "That was unrelated." Percy raised an eyebrow, his gaze scanning the mess behind her. "It's one in the morning, Annabeth. How about you restart your building spree in the morning after everyone has gone to work?" Her scowl deepened, and as she opened her mouth to respond, the table - which had been leaning precariously on its side for the past ten minutes - finally gave way, crashing to the ground in a wooden heap.
Both Percy and Annabeth jumped, and a few moments passed in silence as they both stared at the mess in front of them. Annabeth turned to face Percy, defeat written across her face. "I have no idea what the hell I'm doing," she muttered, kicking at a piece of wood that had rolled towards the doorway when the table fell. Percy fought to keep a smile off of his face as he contemplated his next move. "How about I help you?" he asked, watching carefully for Annabeth's reaction. She glanced at him quizzically, her gaze scanning him up and down, lingering briefly on his chest. "Why would you do that?" she asked, her arms still crossed against her chest defiantly.
"So I can actually sleep for the next week," he replied, enjoying the way she glared at him. "Fine," she agreed, stepping out of the doorframe to let him in. "Just this once." Percy grinned, brushing past her and fighting to ignore her soft floral scent and the way her warm skin felt as he accidentally grazed her arm. "Let me show you how it's actually done," Percy said, unable to tear his gaze away from the challenge in her eyes. "We'll see about that."
Annabeth winced as she stood up from her crouched position, her entire body sore from the non-stop painting, sanding, and assembling she had done for the past three hours. Who knew a table could be so complicated to construct? Those three hours had been filled with Annabeth's desperate attempts to comprehend the poorly translated instructions included with the kit, and Percy's persistent teasing on her abilities to use electric power tools properly. As much as she hated to admit it, she had spent more time smiling, laughing, and blushing tonight than she had in months. Annabeth hadn't connected this easily with anyone in years. It seemed as if she didn't have to hide her true self around Percy. It was as if they had known each other for years - not just hours.
She took advantage of Percy's momentary distraction with a particularly finicky screw to study him. Annabeth still couldn't quite believe an incredibly attractive stranger was helping her build a table at four in the morning. When she had heard the incessant banging on her door earlier that night, she had assumed it was some grumpy neighbor; not someone who managed to give her butterflies with a single glance. Annabeth felt like her world had shifted on its axis as she struggled to tear her gaze away from Percy. She was too late, however, when his head lifted up, his dark green eyes connecting with hers. Time seemed to slow as they simply looked at each other, the tension only breaking after a spare screw rolled off the table and fell to the ground with a clatter.
Percy cleared his throat, averting his eyes as he scooped up the screw and placed it back on the table. "That should be it," he exclaimed, lifting himself off the ground and once again towering over Annabeth. He was a lot less intimidating when he was seated, Annabeth noted. "Are you sure?" she asked, glancing over at the table. It seemed sturdy, but then again; Annabeth didn't know much about furniture. She simply had to trust that this annoyingly attractive stranger before her knew what he was doing.
Percy's lips curled into a smirk as he lifted a dark eyebrow at her. "You don't trust me?" he questioned, stepping forward in her direction. Annabeth bit back a gasp at their sudden close proximity. "I don't know you," she countered, watching a small spark light in Percy's eyes at her challenging tone. "I'd say we at least know each other after three hours of building a table together," Percy replied, chuckling softly. "It's a table, not a heart-felt conversation over coffee," was the only reply Annabeth could manage. She hated how much Percy affected her - with his jet-black hair, green eyes, lean but muscular build, and the splattering of freckles across his cheeks and nose. Annabeth prided herself on being a strong, independent woman, but all it took was one attractive man for her to lose both her composure and the ability to put a table together.
Percy chuckled again, stepping even closer than before so they were practically face-to-face - or, at least, as much as they could be. Annabeth had to tilt her head up slightly to fully look him in the eyes. "We had a few of those, too," he responded. Annabeth couldn't deny his statement, as they had spent the past three hours telling each other stories of their lives and some of their deepest secrets while constructing the table. Deep down, she feared the connection she had felt with Percy and what it could lead to.
Realizing how close Percy was to her, Annabeth began to step back, attempting to put some distance between them. She was a master at avoidance, and this situation was no different. However, Annabeth had only made it a few inches when her foot caught on the spare leg of the table that she had forgotten to move. She felt her foot slide out from underneath her, and she braced herself for the painful landing when she suddenly stopped mid-way to the ground. Annabeth opened her eyes to reveal Percy's face inches from hers, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Her chest was pressed against his, and she was suddenly hyperaware of the warmth of his fingers against the skin of her waist and the small flecks of blue in his green eyes. Annabeth could feel herself moving closer, their fast-beating hearts and heavy breaths the only sound in the room.
"You make me feel something I haven't felt in a long time," Percy whispered, his words sending a shiver through Annabeth. She could feel a blush paint her cheeks as she stared up at him in wide-eyed disbelief. She couldn't wrap her head around the idea that he felt the same as she did. Although he had been flirty all night, she had simply chalked it up to his personality and deemed her attraction one-sided. But with the way he was looking at her, the heat in his eyes, and his gaze locked on her lips, she knew it wasn't one-sided at all.
Before Annabeth could fully process the situation, Percy's lips were on hers and she no longer could form a coherent thought. The softness of his lips, the intoxicating scent of his cologne, and the warmth of his body moving against hers were enough to cause her knees to weaken. Percy simply pulled her closer to his body, walking them backward until they fell onto her couch, her head landing on the soft pillow propped against its arm. She let out a soft sigh as his tongue brushed against her lips and drank in the feeling, wishing it could never end.
Eventually, Percy pulled back, his dark eyes filled with emotion, his freckled cheeks tinged slightly pink. His hair was messy from her hands, falling across his forehead into his eyes. Annabeth traced his jaw with her finger, biting her swollen lip as she studied him. "Was that okay?" Percy whispered, tucking a curl behind her ear with a tenderness she had never experienced before. "Yes, more than okay," she responded, her gaze falling back down to his lips. He grinned, lacing their fingers together. "It seems we're doing things out of order," he paused, looking her straight in the eyes. "So, will you go on a date with me?" Annabeth laughed, lifting her face to his. "Of course I will," was her response before she kissed him, sealing the deal for good.
Percy slid the key into the lock, pushing open the door. He could hear a faint banging sound coming from further in the house, and he raised an eyebrow, intrigued as to what could be the source of the noise. Percy set his keys on the counter, shrugging off his jacket and hanging it on the back of the kitchen chair. Making his way through the kitchen, he entered the living room, a soft dialogue echoing from the TV which was currently playing a family sitcom. Sitting on the floor of the living room was a petite woman with curly blonde hair falling over her shoulders, her face scrunched in concentration as she hammered a piece of wood.
The woman's head lifted as Percy entered the room, and a soft pink blush spread across her cheeks as he surveyed the room. Pieces of cardboard and wood were strewn about, accompanied by various tools and a handful of loose screws. "In my defense, I have never been able to comprehend these instruction booklets," she muttered, her voice laced with annoyance. She was obviously embarrassed, her gaze trained on her lap and her hands fiddling with the hammer she had been using moments prior. Percy couldn't help but let out a laugh, causing her face to turn redder and her eyes to narrow.
"It's not funny," she exclaimed, crossing her arms across her chest. Percy smirked, walking further into the room and kneeling in front of her. Using his finger, he lifted her chin slightly, enjoying the faux anger on her face. He knew she was attempting to hide her embarrassment. "This feels like deja vu, doesn't it, Beth?" he asked, watching as she stared at him with zero amusement. "Shut up…" she began but was cut off by Percy's lips on hers, whimpering slightly as he deepened the kiss, sliding his hands down to her hips. After a moment, he pulled back, holding back a shit-eating grin as she bit her lip. "You're going to pay for that," Annabeth said, standing up and grabbing his hand. Percy laughed, pulling his wife into his chest.
"How about you forget about this table and show me, Mrs. Jackson?" Percy asked, watching his wife's face light up, her mouth twisting into a playful smirk. "Oh, I will, Mr. Jackson," she replied before lacing their fingers together and capturing his mouth in hers.
Thanks to Annabeth's terrible construction skills, he found his forever - and he couldn't be happier.