The List | Percabeth AU [ORIGINAL]

Chapter 29

Hey everyone! Happy Friday! I hope you enjoy the chapter today.

Also, I've finished the story quite a while ago, and I didn't realize until today that we only have 7 chapters left of this book! It's so crazy to think I'm almost done publishing my first actual story! Anyways, since I've been done, I have been working on a new project...I hope you all will stick around until I publish the first chapter of something new!!!

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Annabeth

    There was nothing like having an awkward dinner with your sort-of boyfriend and his long-lost dad.

    "So," Poseidon said, breaking the tension. "How's school?"

    After 20 minutes of sitting uncomfortably with nothing to talk about other than the fantastic breadsticks, our food finally arrived at the booth. Percy was going to town on his gigantic hamburger, Poseidon was shifting unpleasantly in his chair, and I was nervously playing with the asparagus on my plate.

    I gave Poseidon a small smile. "It's going great."

    Poseidon nodded and returned a smile. I was sitting across from Percy and kicked his shin under the table.

    He flinched in pain and added, "Oh, yeah. Just great."

    I pretended (for the 15th time tonight) to admire the atmosphere of the room, but I didn't have to pretend to be in astonishment. We were sitting in a dimly lit restaurant near the top floor of the hotel Poseidon just bought. The ceilings were at least 15 feet high, and the dark wood walls made it seem like we were in a castle. Chandeliers were placed at every few tables, and wide windows gave a perfect view of stunning New York City.

    "Poseidon," I said curiously, "How did you get this place?"

    "Well, when I moved out to San Francisco, I got into the hotel business. I worked my way up to building the fanciest hotels in the country. This," he gestured around the room. "is just one of my projects."

    "So, you just came back to New York so you could see your fancy hotel?" Percy snapped. Both Poseidon and I looked at him in shock. It was the first time he seemed present tonight. Percy looked as if he'd lost his appetite and was glaring at his half-eaten burger.

    "No," Poseidon answered. "I came back for a lot of reasons."

    No one answered. I could practically feel the tension in the air rising, along with Percy's temper. He took a sudden interest in messing around with his utensils, flipping each of them on top of each other. I tried to meet his eyes, but he purposely avoided my gaze.

    "Like what?" I abruptly asked, trying to eliminate the awkward silences.

    "I wanted to check in on everyone-"

    "Check in?" Percy asked. "It's been almost five years! You're supposed to check in every day."

    The shouting earned us various nasty looks from other couples and families eating.

    Poseidon looked down at his plate in shame, and I felt a slight twinge of guilt for being so hard on him. Slight.

    "Son, I regret what-"

    "Don't." Percy held up his hand in rage. "I'm not your son."

    He stood up and walked right out of the restaurant. Not sure what to do, I set my napkin on the table and followed Percy out. I snuck a quick look over my shoulder at Poseidon sitting alone in our booth. He looked like he was holding back tears and was staring absent-mindedly at the table.
   
    I found Percy sitting on a near the elevator. His expression was strikingly similar to his father's, and I felt like I was looking at young Poseidon.

    Percy was leaning forward with his arms resting on his knees. He fiddled with his fingers and stared at the wall in front of him. Like his dad, I could tell tears were burning his eyes.

    Without shifting his gaze towards me, he said, "I know I overreacted."

    I sighed and sat down next to him. "I don't think you did."

    He glanced up at me in shock. "Really?" He asked.

    I couldn't blame the guy. I tried to imagine what my emotions would be if my mom pulled the same stunt Poseidon did: randomly fleeing the city with no contact for over five years. I would be lost.

    "Look, I can't pretend to know what you're feeling. But I do know that your feelings are valid," I laced my fingers through his and gave him a reassuring smile. To my surprise, he gave my hand a gentle squeeze and let a small smile cross his face. Although it didn't quite reach his eyes, I took it as progress.

    "Do you think I should still give it a chance?" He asked, already knowing my answer.

    I nodded.

    Percy sighed, "Yeah. I thought so."

    "I'm not saying you have to, but I think you'll be happy knowing you have some kind of relationship with him," I explained.

    "Yeah, you're probably right," He nodded and stood up. He grabbed my hand to assist me up with him too.

    "When am I not?" I said, easing the weight in the situation.

    Percy laughed. It wasn't a small, forced laugh. No, it was a loud, beautiful laugh. It was the kind of laugh that raised the cool temperature in the room and seemed to make the light shine brighter. It had been too long since I heard that amazing laugh.

    Percy grabbed my hand and led me back to the lonely booth that Poseidon still sat in. He was now slowly finishing his steak.

    "Poseidon," Percy started. "I want to make this work. We may not get back to where we once were, but I want to at least have a relationship."

    His dad quickly gave us a look of relief. As quickly as they turned dark, his sea-green eyes turned bright again. "I'd like that too."

    The rest of dinner was smooth sailing. We talked about sports, school, and the stupid list that brought us together. Percy and Poseidon absolutely reflected each other. As I sat across from them, I couldn't help but notice that Percy was practically a copy of his father. Sure, I had always noticed their striking comparable features, but the similarities ran much deeper. Their body language and personality were almost identical, and they both had the same expression painted on their face. Contentment.

    I knew that the journey in front of them was going to be a long, awkward, and strange one. But I had a good feeling about those two.

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Question: What's your favorite story on Wattpad? I really haven't gotten around to reading stories on here, but I'd like to know what you all spend your time reading!!!

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