A Favor

To Having Fun Tonight

Percy's apartment was simple, but he took comfort its familiarity. A picture of him and his mom hung above the sink, and the walls were painted light blue. His bedroom was small, but reasonably tidy. He kicked a rumpled hoodie out of the way as he walked down the hall to the shower.

Percy let the water run into his hair and down his neck. Tonight was the night. He shouldn't feel nervous, but he did. He and Annabeth had done stuff like this all the time, but this time it felt a little more personal. Percy finally stepped out and watched the fan suck the steam out of the air.
A knock at his bathroom door jolted him out of his thoughts.

"Percy?"

Annabeth's voice. He cursed and wrapped a towel around his waist.

"I'm really regretting giving you a key," he called.

"Yeah, yeah. I have a surprise for you."

Percy sighed and opened the door.
Annabeth looked him up and down with a little smirk. Her eyes lingered on his bare chest.

"You, uh, have a surprise for me?"

Annabeth tore her eyes from Percy's skin. "Yes! Yes. It's Luke. He's here to help you get ready."

"Help me get ready? I'm not five."

"Luke knows how to do this stuff. He'll be here in fifteen minutes. And Percy?" Annabeth leaned towards him. "Put on a shirt."

Percy didn't know Luke that well, he just knew he was like a brother to Annabeth. So when he opened his door, he wasn't sure what to expect. What was at his door was a good looking blond guy in his mid-thirties wearing a white shirt and an easy smile.

"Percy!" Luke said, sticking out his hand. "It's nice to see you again."

"Yeah, you too Luke." Percy gestured awkwardly to his apartment. "Come on in."

They made small talk while Luke offered pieces of advice. How to gel his hair, how to fasten his cuff links.

"There you go, Percy," Luke said, both of them in front of the mirror. "How do you feel?"

Percy's hair was neat with a sparkly watch around his wrist. The tux fit great, thanks to Charles, and for the first time, Percy actually felt ready. "Good," he said, "but not like myself."

"Then you're ready." Luke put a hand on Percy's shoulder. "Look, Percy, Annabeth's like a little sister to me, ok? Just don't hurt her."

Percy held his gaze for a second. Why would he say that? Unless Annabeth told him something about how she felt about Percy. But all Percy said was, "I won't."

"Good," Luke said, "then go find Annabeth."

Percy waited nervously outside Annabeth's apartment. He wondered if she expected him to drive. Arriving in Percy's old pickup probably wouldn't be the best look.

Finally her door clicked open and Annabeth stepped out. Percy tried his best not to stare, but geez. She was seriously beautiful. Her blond hair cascaded in ringlets down her back like princess curls. She wore a simple black dress that fit her like a glove and understated silver jewelry. Percy realized with a little thrill she was wearing the owl earrings he got her for her birthday. She smirked like she knew what Percy was thinking.

"Shall we, fiancé?" she said, holding out her arm.

Percy took it. "Let's go."

Thankfully, Annabeth hired a driver, so they sat together in the back of a black sedan. Annabeth pulled out a bottle of champagne and poured some into two paper cups. She handed one to Percy.

"To having fun tonight," she said, raising her cup. "And also to making my high school classmates jealous."

Percy laughed and touched his cup to hers. The champagne was sweet and fizzed on the way down.

Their car pulled up in front of the school, white lights lined the parking lot and a banner hung in front. Groups of people were walking up the steps in dresses and tuxes.

"Ready for this?" Annabeth asked.

Percy downed the last of his champagne in one swallow. He smiled nervously at her. "You bet."