The Beautiful

Percy POV

Most of my colleagues don't like me anymore.

I can sort of understand why. They thought of me as an imposter or a spy. I was an Olympus higher-up who came to infiltrate the employee union. It doesn't help that Olympus Sails and Olympus Architecture have a long-standing rivalry.

However, most of them don't know about my background. I don't need to explain myself to everyone around me.

I was grateful that Annabeth understood my dilemma. She didn't ask too many questions about my need for money, but she did want answers. Annabeht had every right to fire me. I blindsided her, but she didn't fire me.

We understood each other better than most others.

Regardless, there was a lot of backlash from the company, so I decided to keep to myself and do my job. Silena and Katie were still by my side though.

"I'm sorry that Poseidon did that to you," Silena said. "Welcome to the world of business. Most people are simply resources to businessmen."

"Yeah, I'm starting to realize that."

"How are you handling the whole union thing?" Katie asked. "If I were you, I would hate the situation. I wouldn't want to marry someone I don't love."

"I'm ignoring the problem. Neither Poseidon nor Rachel reached out to me after the business formal, and I'm hoping to keep it that way," I explained. "It's upsetting that the whole thing disrupted my life though."

"I can't imagine," Silena expressed kindly.

The biggest hassle was Artemis canceling my book publication. The Hunters don't work with anything related to Olympus to Titan Industries. Since the Hunters broke away from both brands, they have no intention of getting back to them. I tried to explain that I don't consider myself a part of the Olympus Magnate. Of course, that didn't help considering Poseidon boasted in public that I was his son.

Whether Artemis believed me or not, her hands were tied by her group's philosophy. I wasn't even angry with the Hunters.

I submitted my revisions to Zoe Nightshade even though it was pointless. Even if they weren't publishing, I still wanted my novel to go through the editing process. Zoe, being the star that she is, agreed to help me in that regard.

We continued to eat in glum silence.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed. I knew who it was before I even looked at my phone. I put a specialized ringer for calls from Annabeth. Because of the stress of the Amazonion project, she called me quite often for help and support.

"Duty calls. I'll see ya'll later," I said, quickly finishing my sandwich.

"Annabeth is making you work very hard," Katie commented. "I feel like she needs a break soon from the Amazonion project. She canceled on the girls a lot over the past few weeks."

"That's true. She didn't even come to Lacy's birthday party."

I silently listened to them. I didn't realize that Annabeth's personal life was practically nonexistent because of her current work schedule. I gave her small breaks during the day, but I didn't realize she wasn't getting proper time off.

After listening to their sympathies, I traveled up to my floor. Annabeth was frantically signing documents when I walked in.

Today, she was wearing a gray pantsuit and a white blouse. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, which emphasized that she didn't take much time getting ready today. I could sense the stress on her face.

"Ms. Chase, you called me?" I acknowledged.

"Yes, Percy." She didn't even look up from the paperwork. Her desk was cluttered with two open laptops and several documents. "Bring me the design folders for the Olympus Clubs and Casinos project."

Her tone was quick and commanding. While she was being a 'kinder' boss recently, when she's stressed, my tips flew out the window.

"Ms. Chase, tip #12. What do you say?" I asked patiently.

Annabeth stopped her signatures and looked up. She seemed pissed off at me (based on her glare), but I didn't falter. I was used to her intimidating expressions by now.

"Please bring me the design folders," she repeated.

"Yes, ma'am. Coming right up," I said with an innocent smile. She huffed in frustration as I left the room.

I don't mean to be annoying. It's just that Annabeth has been so busy lately. I utilize every opportunity I can to shake things up for her. With all the hard work she does as the COO of the company, she deserved some time off.

She deserves a few smiles and laughs here and there. I take it as my job to provide her with smiles, laughs, and breaks.

I returned with the files, and Annabeth asked me for another coffee.

I obliged and went to the break room. Today, I decided to draw a smiley face on her coffee cup. I was confident that the design would bring a smile to her face. That's all I wanted to see. Her smile is like intoxicating nectar. You could get drunk off the visual. No matter how much she smiled, I always wanted more.

I needed a lot more from her.

The cappuccino was smoldering hot after I prepared it. I delicately held it in my hand while turning around from the cappuccino machine.

A man stood right in front of me, and I almost spilled the drink.

"What do you want, Octavian?" I asked gruffly.

He was one of my colleagues who has been extra rude after finding out that I was related to Poseidon. He has blonde hair, pale skin, a skinny physique, and a wicked smile. I don't like him that much because he always carries an attitude.

His steely gaze washed over me. I was waiting for more backlash.

"How long are you going to keep up this facade, Mr. Jackson?" Octavian snapped. "Or, should I call you Mr. Olympus now?"

I set the coffee cup on the table.

"I told you already that I don't want to be a part of the Olympus Magnate. Poseidon is only my biological father and nothing else," I exclaimed.

"No one is going to buy that lie. You're quite despicable for pretending to be a poor man when you're actually wealthier than everyone here."

"You're a snake. I have nothing more to say," I retorted.

I grabbed the coffee again and started walking to the exit. Octavian rushed forward and brushed my shoulder. It took all my concentration to not spill the coffee. Fortunately, the smiley face was still evident on the foam.

"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?" I snapped.

"I have no problem. You're the one with the problem. Why are you here anyway? I see that you're getting awfully close to Ms. Annabeh Chase. Athena is not going to like that. She's already angry that you're not fired yet."

"What are you talking about?" I asked in confusion.

I paused nearer the doorway and turned towards Ethan. He had an infuriating smile on his face that I wanted to punch.

"I'm keeping an eye on you, Jackson. Neither Athena nor Poseidon will like my news that you're getting closer to Ms. Chase," Octavian affirmed. Then, he turned to the coffee machine and didn't say anything else.

However, he had already said enough.

Octavian is a double-agent for Athena and Poseidon. Both of them had recruited Octavian to watch me. Poseidon didn't want me to get close to anyone except Rachel. Meanwhile, Athena wants me away from Annabeth. Athena probably approached Octavian after Annabeth failed to fire me. Poseidon probably always had Octavian watching me.

It angered me that these Olympians were (pretty much) stalking me. I couldn't even be myself with Annabeth because of them.

I don't want to marry Rachel, so I can't let Poseidon get any leverage against me. I also need this job and don't want to be away from Annabeth.

As such, I need to be careful.

***

Annabeth was working hard all week. She stayed late nights in the office getting the Amazonion projects started. One day, she even slept in her office. I found her the next morning with her head resting on top of a pile of papers on her desk.

She was getting a lot of pressure from the Olympus Magnaate to push these projects forward. The work was probably exhausting.

Even though Annabeth loves architecture, this couldn't be easy.

"Annabeth, it's 8 p.m. on Friday. Aren't you going home?" I asked from her doorway.

"Percy, you're still here," she acknowledged.

She looked away from her computer screen and turned towards me. Annabeth had bags under her eyes, and her face was tight. I knew that I had to take her away from here. She needs a real break from all of this.

I usually don't stay this late, but I couldn't get myself to leave Annabeth.

Tyson just came off a chemo cycle, so he would be all right without me. I can imagine him happily watching a Disney movie with Estelle while eating ice cream. Aunt Hestia was probably hanging out with them.

"Annabeth, you should go home and rest. You've been working like a dog all week."

"Did you just call me a dog?" she asked angrily.

I rolled my eyes before going forward. Once I reached her desk, I gently placed my hand over her hand and pulled her to her feet.

"What are you doing, Seaweed Brain?"

"I want to take you somewhere. Will you come with me?" I asked. I gently guided her out of the office and towards the elevator.

'Where are we going? Percy, I have work to do."

"Just trust me."

Annabeth went silent but nodded. The entire building was empty besides a few janitors, security people, and receptionists. I brought her to my beaten-down car and took her out of the city.

After a half-hour of driving away from the city, Annabeth got impatient.

"Seriously. Where are we going?" she asked. She turned down the radio music that was playing silent pop music in the background.

I turned off the highway and into a dirt road. The road was a nature trail that no one used anymore. I like this trail though because of the final destination.

"This looks like some path a serial killer would take."

"Then, let's just hope I don't kill you," I replied with a chuckle. To be careful, I drove slowly as we got deeper into the woods.

"I'm a blackbelt in karate. I can kick your ass, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth boasted. "I can judo flip you before you even know it."

"I don't even doubt that," I smiled.

Finally, the woods broke and we drove into a large clearing. I stopped the car and got out. Annabeth followed me towards a tree on top of the hill. The grassy clearing was the size of a football field. It was shaped like a hill and a bushy tree was located on top.

I like this spot because it gave a great view of the city. However, we were far enough away that the stars and moon were bright in the sky.

Annabeth and I stood next to the tree and looked at the skyline.

It was nighttime, so the city lights were shining brilliantly. Meanwhile, the stars and moon glowed warmly on our faces.

My attention turned towards Annabeth. Her beautiful face was illuminated with warm, white light. Her gray eyes sparkled while her hair shone like a river. While her eyes watched the city and the stars, my eyes lingered on her.

I couldn't look away. A light smile stretched across her face.

While she was distracted, I went back to my car and brought out a blanket (we use it for Stella and Tyson in Winter) and a Mcdonald's bag.

I laid the blanket on the grass and set the food down.

"Annabeth, are you hungry?" I asked. She turned towards me, and the smile on her face glowed while she soaked everything in.

"I have a light picnic under the stars for us. I thought that this would help you destress and relax a little bit."

"It's amazing. How did you find this place?"

"My mom and I used to come here for nature hikes when I was younger. I have my best memories of her here," I explained.

"You brought me here?" Annabeth asked quietly.

I simply nodded.

I'm not going to lie. I don't bring people here. The location was too special for me (because of my mother). I haven't even shown Rachel this place. However, it had an impulse earlier to share this beautiful hill with Annabeth.

My mom and I named this location: Half-Blood Hill.

Sally Jackson was a huge fan of greek mythology where demigods were half-bloods (half god and half human).

Annabeth and I started eating and talking about everything. I told Annabeth more about my mom and Paul, and she talked to me about her dad's side of the family. We talked about all things personal and professional.

"Thanks for bringing me here, Percy," Annabeth said while laying on her back. She didn't care that her pantsuit was possibly getting dirty. "It's beautiful here."

I stared at Annabeth fondly while laying next to her. All the stress and exhaustion were melting from her mind and body. Annabeth was glowing in my eyes.

"Yeah. It's very beautiful indeed," I whispered.