The Feelings

Percy POV

I am laying wide awake and staring up at the ceiling. My mind was racing with all sorts of different thoughts and memories. I couldn't sleep.

"You see, Seaweed Brain. I can be a rebel. I'm okay with breaking the rules with you," Annabeth paused and smiled.

"Are you willing to do the same?"

I groaned and rolled over on the bed. My feet planted on the carpeted floor. I rubbed my face while trying to clear my mind, but I couldn't.

Annabeth permeated my thoughts, and she wouldn't leave. Her words held a strong message. She was telling me something, and I was starting to figure it out. However, as I figured out more, I also experienced more conflict. Annabeth has feelings for me just like I have feelings for her.

But, Annabeth Chase is my boss.

Furthermore, my life was so complicated right now without me being in a relationship. It doesn't seem like a good idea to engage with her.

Yet, I knew that I'd regret it if I didn't try. She asked me to break the rules with her. Annabeth wanted me to explore our relationship and our connection. How can I deny something that encompasses everything I want?

I sighed while standing up and stretching.

Darkness consumed my room, but my eyes adjusted to the light a while ago. Once I woke up, I couldn't go back to sleep.

Tyson was snoring quietly on the bed next to mine. He's a heavy sleeper, but his snoring doesn't bother me. The noises he makes in his sleep are soothing. As long as he's snoring and sleeptalking, I know that he's alive.

I silently walked towards the kitchen to get some milk. Warm milk always helps me sleep at night when I'm feeling restless. The clock read 4:07 am.

I scratched my bare abdomen while reaching for some cookies from the pantry. I felt wide awake, so I decided to watch a movie. Tomorrow is Saturday, so I don't have to worry about work. That's not true. I always have to worry about work because Annabeth doesn't hesitate about waking me up early.

She has no restrictions when it comes to making my life difficult. Even now, my feelings for her were certainly making my life complicated.

However, it was a good kind of complicated. I don't mind it.

I sprawled out on the couch as Finding Nemo played. HEY, don't judge me for watching a Disney cartoon. You're never too old to enjoy Finding Nemo.

I dozed off after a while, and Annabeth infiltrated my dreams.

***

"Perseus, wake up, honey. We have some company," Hestia gently shook me from my slumber.

I was still on the couch. A light trail of drool covered my chin. I quickly wiped my face before standing up and stretching. The other person in the room startled me.

"What are you doing here?" I snapped.

Poseidon turned from pictures on the wall and watched me. I was only in sweat pants because I usually don't sleep with a shirt on. At this point, I didn't care about how I looked. I didn't even realize that Poseidon knew where we lived.

He smiled warmly and straightened his business suit. He was looking around the room with worry. Like at any moment, people would pop out and jump him.

"I can visit my son, Perseus," Poseidon expressed. "I am also allowed to see my sister. It's been such a long time, Hestia."

"Yes, it has. What brings you here so unexpectedly?" Hestia asked. Hestia is always nice to people. Even when she dislikes someone, she remains warm towards them.

"I wanted to speak with my son. Both of my sons."

"We don't want to talk to you," I spat.

I crossed the room and walked towards my bedroom. Tyson was still sleeping. He was very tired from the chemotherapy. I checked Estelle next to see that she was still wrapped under the covers. It's good that neither of them is awake.

I grabbed a shirt and brushed my teeth. It was too optimistic for me to think that Poseidon would be gone by the time I was done.

However, Poseidon was enjoying a cup of tea on our couch.

Hestia was sitting in the old loveseat and simply staring at him. They weren't talking to each other, but the tension in the room was quite thick.

"Why are you still here?" I asked firmly. "After everything that you've done to us (to me), you don't deserve to be here. I don't want you here."

"I am your father, Percy, whether you like it or not." Poseidon was calm and collected. He barely moved on the couch.

Screw you for being so confident and powerful, I cursed internally.

"You're not his father, Poseidon. You don't know the meaning of the word. A father is someone who sticks around. They don't need to be good or civilized, but they (at least) need to be there for their children," Hestia expressed with equal tranquility.

Sometimes, I forget that Hestia is a member of the Olympus family. She acts so differently from them. However, when she speaks like this, it's easy to see the similarities.

"I had a business to run and an image to protect."

"Good to know that my mom and her kids don't match your image. I guess that you toss anything that doesn't match your image into the trash."

"I was already married to a beautiful woman, and we had a kid together. Amphitrite and Triton needed me as a businessman," Poseidon covered.

"And, we needed you as a father," I shot back. "We didn't ask anything of you. We just wanted you around, but not anymore."

Poseidon sighed while setting the coffee cup on the table. Hestia took the cup and walked out of the room, leaving my father and me alone. All my internal alarms were ringing, and my walls towered over my mind.

I have to be careful. I'm not falling for any of his traps.

"Let's not rehash the past. I wanted to confirm that you're coming to the Olympus Sails social next week. You must be there with Rachel," Poseidon instructed.

"I'm not coming. I refuse to participate in your business scheme, and I refuse to get together with Rachel."

Poseidon stood up and walked over to me. He was the same height as me, but his age made him more domineering. Regardless, I didn't back down.

"I'm not coming, so leave," I repeated.

"I expected this response from you," Poseidon said darkly. "Regardless, I have other ways to ensure your commitment. I thought that I would ask you nicely first."

"Ask me nicely?" I seethed. "You're asking me to marry someone I don't love for business purposes. That's disgusting."

"All is fair in business. I'll see you at the social, Perseus."

I hated that he got the final word. He calmly rebuttoned his suit jacket before leaving the apartment. His security detail was waiting for him outside. I closed the door on them before they even walked away. I refuse to go to the business formal and date/marry Rachel. Poseidon can throw whatever he wants at me, but I'm not going down.

He already broke my family once before when he abandoned us.

Poseidon is NOT going to hurt me again. And, he's definetly not going to keep me from finding my own happiness and love.

***

"Okay, I know that you're mad at me, and you should be," I stated firmly.

I followed Annabeth into her office. We had just got out of a business meeting with Amazonian. I had been sleep-deprived all weekend because of my thoughts. The interaction with Poseidon as well as my feelings for Annabeth were making me restless. And, when I'm restless, my ADHD kicks in and I can't sleep.

Annabeth sat in her seat and looked at me calmly. I expected her to be fuming considering that I was practically sleeping in the meeting.

She noticed that I was dozing off throughout the meeting.

"I'm not mad," she expressed simply. She cooly took some documents and started reading the contents. I stared at her in confusion.

"Is everything okay?" I asked. "Why aren't you mad?"

"I'm not mad," she repeated.

That's when I knew that she WAS mad. When a woman says the same thing twice in a tense situation, then she means the opposite of what's she's saying. Take notes, guys. This is very valuable information.

"All right, I just didn't get proper sleep this weekend. It was wrong of me to be sleeping during the business meeting. I'm sorry."

"Percy, I'm a busy COO of a world-renown company. I don't have time to be mad at you, so get back to work. Thanks," Annabeth said coldly.

I knew that she was punishing me, and it was working. I felt awful that she was disappointed with me. Annabeth is a very significant part of my life, and her opinions and thoughts mean a lot to me.

The hurt was probably evident on my face. Her eyes softened, but she didn't say anything. She continued to read and sign her documents.

I spent the rest of the day being overly good at my job. I took every opportunity to do my best work, which includes making good coffee and knowing what was going on. I even gave my boss a break by handling a meeting on my own.

Yet, she was still angry. I couldn't melt her like I can with most people. She kept saying that she wasn't mad, but I know Annabeth. She likes things to be perfect and organized, especially in a professional setting.

Technically, it was my fault for sleeping on the job.

However, this was too much. I simply hate when Annabeth's mad, especially at me. I want her to like me and want me around. Ugh. UGH.

"ANNABETH, COME ON. This is torture," I whined. I slouched on the couch in her office.

It was the end of the day, and I had officially clocked out. However, I couldn't leave the office knowing that I disappointed her. Just when I was starting to get good at the job, I let her down with something so simple.

Annabeth simply stared at me while packing up. The Amazonian project was making good progress with Olympus renovations, so her work was nice. She was satisfied today with all the work that got done. She was satisfied with everything but me.

She sat on the couch next to me.

"Why are you so upset?" my boss asked.

"Because you're mad at me. I know you enough to know when you're lying. You're disappointed that I messed up in the meeting this morning," I exclaimed. I brushed my hand through my hair while letting out a frustrated sigh.

"It shouldn't affect you this much. You're overreacting," she stated.

"I AM NOT. I can't handle the notion of you being mad at me, okay? I want you to want me around, and I want you to enjoy my company," I paused.

"Don't you get it? You should be happy...with me."

"Who says I'm not?" she asked calmly. "You're the one that doesn't get it, Seaweed Brain. I haven't been this happy in years, and it's because of you. I love that you came into my life because you make everything better."

I stared at her while digesting her words. Her eyes were sparkling. We were sitting right next to each other on the couch.

"I-"

"When I'm with you, I'm not a powerful businesswoman," she explained. "I'm just an ordinary woman, who has her own problems. At the end of a long day, I know that I can rely on you to comfort me (in some way or another)."

I paused while articulating my thoughts. I wasn't quite sure how to respond. Fortunately, my body was smarter than my brain.

My hand reached forward and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. My hand rested against the side of her neck as I leaned in.

Only a few inches separated our faces.

"You're not an ordinary woman. You're extraordinary," I whispered. "You're not only beautiful. You're brilliant. You're like the sun I can revolve around for all eternity."

I leaned even closer. I could feel her intoxicating breath against my face. Her scent permeated my senses. My gaze flitted towards her soft, inviting lips before looking up again. Annabeth's gray eyes glistened while she waited for me to move.

Annabeth didn't pull away, so I pushed forward. I want this.

My eyes closed as the distance between us narrowed. The anticipation bubbled in my chest. Our feelings were craving to be fulfilled.

I want her. Just one more inch...