"Come on Annabeth! Our parents can't actually smite us–we're their heroes!"

Percy tried to infuse his words with all the confidence possible, but Annabeth's face made it clear she still wasn't convinced. She fidgeted and pulled at loose curls, before repeating, "No, Percy, I don't think that's strictly true. Going to my mom's enemy's underground palace just screams demise for me and probably our relationship."

Percy understood where she was coming from. Athena was definitely unsympathetic toward her own child, even if she was a so-called "favorite". Annabeth still held a grudge against her for the quest that landed them both in Tartarus, which went to show how little the Gods cared. But he knew that Poseidon wouldn't dare raise a finger against either of them and risk starting a war against the entire camp. Annabeth had been craving a new project since wrapping up the Olympus renovations too. The first time Percy saw his new space at Poseidon's palace, he knew Annabeth could do something to make it amazing. He wanted to see her in action, without all the stress. That was the virtue of a small side endeavour. Plus he would see elements of her whenever he visited his room.

Annabeth still didn't budge.

"Even though Poseidon already told me it was fine?" He reminded her.

"Yea, Seaweed Brain, because my mom told me no such thing."

"But Annabeth, it's such a great space. I just don't know how to make it a homey bedroom I'd actually want to go to," Percy argued.

Annabeth rolled her eyes fondly at him. "You did alright with your bedroom at Sally's before I came along!"

"Don't act like you didn't rearrange it and make it SO much better."

"Ok, that's true but" –she put her hands on her hips– "c'mon, anyone could've told you rotating your desk would've opened up a lot of space!"

"No, literally only you would've been able to look at my crazy cramped room and think of a solution, wise girl. Believe me, mom complained about it a lot before you magically fixed it."

Annabeth couldn't help but smile proudly at that comment, and Percy absolutely loved when she looked like that. Happy, confident, and boastful for all the right reasons. He still couldn't believe he was the lucky guy to date the Annabeth Chase, the only child of Athena to bring back her Parthenos, the Architect and Hero of Olympus. He reached out to tuck her under his arm, kissing her forehead and conceding, "Alright, no visit."

Annabeth relaxed into his side. "I'm an architect anyways, not an interior designer. You can manage to decorate your own room."

An idea suddenly came to Percy's mind. He pulled away, begging-seal-eyes already in place. Annabeth narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she waited to hear what he was going to say.

"Can you still help me? My room is about this big and that wide, and I think this side has a window out to the ocean…" He launched into a description of his room with wild gestures and guesstimated measurements, highlighting what he thought were the best parts–a high ceiling, window facing the shallow water for lots of light, his own bathroom, etc. He could see Annabeth visibly get excited over a space so pliable to her imagination, and increasingly frustrated with the vague details Percy supplied. He definitely didn't have her precise mind and he thought Annabeth would agree to visit, so he hadn't bothered with a ruler. Annabeth was already responding with ideas– "Maybe a bed somewhere there? And a little nightstand next to it… what do you mean you don't know how much room there would be left between?!..." –until finally, something broke her.

"Percy, you don't remember if the bathroom already has a door?! Forget it, I'm coming to visit, I can't help you from here when you barely remember your room's dimensions!"

Percy beamed at her concession, only for Annabeth to scoff, "Don't look too happy, it's totally your fault if another war starts because of this."

/

Annabeth was nervous about this, that went without saying. It wasn't really because Poseidon was her mom's enemy. She was trying to stop caring about what her mom and the Gods thought of her, actively unlearning her desire to please and glorify them. It was because Poseidon was Percy's dad. She had already met and won over Sally before she started dating Percy, but this was different. She only knew him from a formal sense in the Olympus throne room. She didn't know if she was ready to present herself as his son's girlfriend, on a personal level.

Percy tried to comfort her, saying that Poseidon would definitely accept her, especially given everything she's done, but even if he didn't, Percy wouldn't let it change their relationship. She nodded along as he fixed a bubble around her head in shallow water. She trusted and believed his words, but as she followed his current deeper into the ocean, her insides twisted into knots.

Once the palace came into view, however, Annabeth felt excitement take over the jitters in her body. It was magnificent. It was a flawless mix of Neoclassical and modern Moroccan architecture styles. Her mind was already running a mile a minute over how her plans for Percy's room would have to change to match when Percy looked back at her and took her hand. He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles and smiled softly, asking, "Ready to go see my dad?"

Although she was already feeling much better than she thought she would, her stomach still did a flip. She squeezed his hand, took a deep breath, and nodded tersely.

/

Annabeth and Percy were announced into the antechamber by Triton, who then took his place next to Poseidon. On his throne, Poseidon smiled amicably at them. Percy waved and opted for a, "Hey dad, good to see you." Annabeth stared at him in shock before lowering her head and reciting her prepared greeting.

"Lord Poseidon, it's an honor to be at your palace. It's beautiful." She had to restrain herself from continuing about the amazing designs. "We've met before, but I wanted to re-introduce myself. My name is Annabeth, and I am dating your son Percy. I hope that you'll accept our relationship despite the fact that I am a daughter of Athena. I am here today to help Percy put together his room, and I promise I'll do a respectable job."

She glanced back up to see Poseidon with an unreadable expression. Percy started to shift next to her when Poseidon burst into laughter.

"Good, good… a very respectable introduction indeed. Your relationship is hardly a secret, but I appreciate the proclamation. So, Architect of Olympus… It's about time you designed something for my palace! You know some renovations have been underway since the war, but the way it was demolished after the Battle of Manhattan… I could definitely use some help with the east wing…" he drifted into musings and assumed the same brooding, unintentionally dark look Percy occasionally had. He snapped back into focus, exclaiming, "Well, it's not fair if all your amazing work stays up on Olympus! I should have some down here too!"

Annabeth lit up at both the potential job and the warm welcome. She visibly relaxed and replied, "I'd love to help."

Percy grinned looking between them, before interjecting, "No way, dad, she's here for me. Don't try to distract her with a grand project!"

Poseidon chuckled and got up, walking across the room towards them. He gently laid his thumb on Annabeth's forehead and suddenly, Percy's air bubble transformed into a thin layer of air that surrounded her whole body, letting her breathe and keeping her dry. It was similar to protection Percy naturally had. Feeling blessed in a very mortal sense, Annabeth beamed as Percy practically dragged her along to his room.

/

"Ok, so there is a door to your bathroom."

"I mean, now thinking back, I guess it makes a lot more sense that there would be."

"But this kind of sofa looks sooo comfy."

"No way, that kind of furniture isn't going to look right with the build of the rest of this wing! We can find something comfy that doesn't totally clash."

"Umm…. maybe if we clear out the space here enough… but honestly, Percy, it's gonna be a stret-"

"It's okay, I kinda meant it as a joke!"

"No, no, I know how much you would love a skateboarding ramp! I'll try to think of a way, promise."

Percy watched Annabeth make rounds about his room, taking in every detail about the space. Her brows were furrowed concentration, hands ready with a tape measure and pencil tucked into her curls. Percy loved Annabeth at all times, in any state, but this was definitely his favorite version of her: Annabeth thinking hard. Her passion and genius hummed around her harmoniously. It was in every move she made: taking notes on the doorframe height, sketching out the placement for his furniture, asking for his opinion at all the right times, lecturing on the geometric shapes and column designs that were cornerstone to the overall architecture of the palace. She was logical and exact in her work, but it was made exceptional because she poured her emotions into it too. And this wasn't even her at peak power! This was just a casual, interior design sketch that considered architecture, not making a whole building like what she'd probably be starting for his dad soon. She was a force that couldn't be quelled, and Percy loved that. It was a gift to spend time with her like this, talking and bantering and relaxing with the person he loved so much in safety.

The sun was starting to glow red when they found themselves lying down, side-by-side. Looking at the rough floor plan on the floor in front of them, both of them nodded in approval. Annabeth sat up, rolled up the page and closed her notebook sharply, stretching her arms and rolling back her shoulders. Percy flipped onto his back, and she repositioned herself to face him, her torso was on top of his, legs off to the side. Percy cupped the side of her face and pulled her down for a kiss. They stayed still for a moment after, eyes closed and foreheads together.

Percy broke the silence.

"Thanks, Wise Girl. This room is gonna be amazing."

"Of course, Seaweed Brain... it was really fun."

/

They decided to head back to Manhattan and have dinner with Sally and Paul that night. They said their goodbyes to Poseidon, and he promised he would get in touch with Annabeth about the palace renovations.

"Just don't let Hades know–he might feel left out knowing that Olympus and my palace are both getting your exclusive designs!"

All smiles, Annabeth and Percy followed Triton's conch shell out of the gates, and surfaced to the rest of the world. The whole subway ride home was filled with content silence, Annabeth resting her head on Percy's shoulder and taking in his sea-scent. It was stronger than before. Annabeth thought about how that smell was probably the most important in memories of life.

Sally greeted them with warm smiles and hugs. Annabeth almost immediately got caught up in conversation with Paul over the use of "Dorian" as a name as opposed to the original architecture style, while Percy headed into the kitchen to help his mom finish up dinner. The table was filled with easy chatter about Sally's new book and Percy's latest trip to the principal's. Holding Percy's hand under the table, Annabeth felt incredibly safe. Safe, happy, included, cared for, accepted.

The feeling only got stronger when Percy convinced Annabeth out of bed at midnight, far after Sally and Paul had turned in for the night, to bake blue cookies. Under the dim kitchen light, she sat up on the counter stealing as much unbaked dough as possible. Percy scolded her and tried to shield the bowl from her with his body. Her hands found his shoulder and spun him around, kissing him thoroughly. She tasted something sweet and something salty. When they broke apart, Percy was dazed with a silly grin, that quickly snapped back into indignation.

"GIVE ME BACK THAT SPOON STOP EATING THE DOUGH!"

Annabeth didn't stop laughing the rest of the night as they smeared flour on each other and snuck chocolate chips and they waited for the cookies to be done. Here she was, having spent a full day with different sides of Percy's family, feeling entirely like herself the whole time. Percy was an anchor that let her feel vulnerable, and here was their payoff.

She managed to grow that love with Percy. And she was so incredibly proud of them for that.

/

AN: Thank you for reading! I always appreciate any comments, feedback, or constructive criticism!