Hey guys, sorry to keep you waiting," the waitress said with a grin, placing their meals in front of them. "Anything else I can get you?"
Annabeth shook her head. "No, that's all. Thanks."
The waitress smiled at them before walking away. Percy looked at her curiously as he took a bite of the burger he was handed. He chewed the burger slowly, savoring every ounce of taste.
Annabeth noticed the small smile that formed on his lips as he finished chewing and swallowed.
"Delicious," she told him after noticing his eyes shining. "You know it'd be pretty hypocritical to ask me to eat like this when you're practically inhaling your food, right?"
He smirked mischievously, clearly remembering what he was eating moments ago. "What can I say? This place is good."
She rolled her eyes playfully at him before continuing to dig into her own food. After taking a sip of her orange juice, she noticed that his mood seemed to have returned. He looked much happier and healthier than he was earlier, and she was thankful for that. Though she couldn't help but notice the change from before, she didn't question it. After all, it was clear that he was happy right now, so she didn't want to spoil that happiness by bringing up any negative thoughts. Especially since she was almost certain that her boyfriend was hiding something from her. There was no doubt about it; he seemed distant and sad lately. But even after thinking about it, she wasn't able to come up with anything that might be troubling him. In fact, everything that he was doing seemed perfectly natural. Even his smiles hadn't faltered once.
She watched as Percy began to eat his meal. Despite being unable to hear what he was saying, she was able to catch glimpses of his facial expressions. He appeared to be smiling as he ate his burgers. He seemed like he enjoyed it too, judging by the way his cheeks filled with grease and sauce. His eyes were glued to her as he watched her, which she assumed meant that he must've been lost in thought.
His brown eyes glazed over as she looked at him, and she couldn't help but wonder why he seemed to be looking at her so closely. Was he trying to figure out what she was thinking? Did he know that she could sense when he was lying to her?
Annabeth couldn't bring herself to care about what was going through his mind as she continued to watch him. Suddenly she felt a pair of hands slide around her shoulders and she instinctively leaned backwards.
"Are you okay?" Percy questioned, sounding concerned as he gently tugged on her body and pulled her back towards him.
A sudden warmth began spreading throughout her body upon the contact. Her heart thumped rapidly inside of her chest. All of those questions that she should've answered in response to his questioning had been forgotten, replaced by the feeling of being enveloped in his embrace.
Even though she didn't really understand what was happening right now and what was causing such an intense rush of emotions inside of her, it wasn't unwelcome. It was pleasant.
"Why wouldn't I be okay?" she finally muttered back once she had gathered herself, although she didn't pull away from his embrace. Instead she leaned further into him.
For a moment he stood there, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. He gave her a reassuring squeeze before leaning his head against hers as a gentle breeze flew past them, stirring her dark hair. They sat silently as they simply enjoyed each others company, not knowing what to say nor do next. Annabeth felt Percy run a hand through her hair and she sighed at the sensation. She closed her eyes briefly and allowed her head to fall against his shoulder, hoping that he would continue to hold onto her the same way.
The waitress arrived with their deserts, but neither of them moved an inch. Once she was gone, she heard Percy's voice speak up once more.
"So, I got some news."
"Oh yeah? What's that?"
"My father wants to meet you."
Annabeth immediately lifted her head and stared at Percy with wide eyes. She was taken aback by his unexpected announcement, however, not exactly surprised.
When they met up at the cabin, he seemed a bit nervous and anxious for some reason. So she figured that he might be worried that his father would think badly of her. She also knew that Percy had mentioned meeting his parents once or twice, but she wondered if she might be able to convince his father that she could stand by his side and support him despite their differences.
"Well, aren't you nervous?" she questioned.
Percy shrugged slightly before replying. "Nope. Not really. He hasn't made a huge deal about meeting new people since the war started. Besides, my mom seems nice enough."
"Really? Your mother doesn't seem very welcoming. Maybe she thinks we're too much trouble. Or maybe she thinks I'm too young or—"
Annabeth stopped suddenly as she felt Percy wrap his free arm around her waist. The gesture startled her slightly before calming her nerves. Percy's warm touch reminded her of his hug that she received just hours earlier, causing her heart to beat faster once again. She turned her head slightly to look into his eyes before returning her attention back to her food. Percy reached over and grabbed her hand before squeezing it in a comforting manner.
Once again, she was left confused by his actions. She never understood what was so confusing about his behavior; it wasn't like he was acting differently around her. However, she supposed that Percy had a habit of putting himself into a position where he couldn't show how he truly felt without letting her down. That would also explain the strange looks he kept sending her whenever they were together and how she always caught him staring at her while she was busy with her work. Although she had yet to figure out the purpose behind those glances, she found herself wondering if there was something going on between Percy and his father. If that was the case, then it was probably better if she didn't push things too far…at least not now.
The sound of cutlery clinking on plates broke through her thoughts. Both her and Percy turned their heads toward their respective tables where their meals had been served. While Percy picked up his utensils and began to eat, Annabeth quickly followed suit. When she glanced up from her plate, she realized that Percy was smiling softly at her as he watched her carefully.
She grinned sheepishly at him before picking up her fork. As she opened her mouth to begin eating, however, she froze when she noticed the two men seated near them watching them intently. She narrowed her eyes as she stared at one of them. She furrowed her eyebrows together and tilted her head ever so slightly. She wasn't quite sure who he was or if he was aware of what she was doing, but nonetheless, she decided to give him the finger in hopes that he would take the hint. The man scowled at her, obviously offended. Annabeth rolled her eyes and turned back to her food.
When she glanced up again, she saw that the man beside the other one had moved his attention to her.
As soon as their eyes connected, he looked away awkwardly, averting her gaze quickly. She cocked her head to the side