Another Mortal AU. I just like writing AUs more than Canonverse, maybe it's because the last time I read the books was a long time ago and I don't remember much of the details.

Percy was sad. Not depressed, just sad. His mood is going to be down the whole holiday season because he couldn't be with his family to celebrate it. He especially missed Estelle, his little baby sister who was just too cute.

Percy Jackson was a student in New Rome College in California. Why is it named 'New Rome'? Percy had no idea. He didn't pay attention to the orientation film when it explained the history of the college. He just couldn't care less.

The best part about college so far was that he was able to get in with a few of his friends, Grover, Jason and Frank. He and Grover shared a room and so did the other two. They hung out a couple of times since they got here, but then came Christmas and every single one of his friends was going back to New York to spend time with their families, all except for Percy.

He never made any new friends since he got to college, except for this group of girls. Technically, it was Jason who made friends with one of the girls and slowly their group just became one. Piper, the girl that Jason became friends with (and had a crush on, according to Percy), was easily the prettiest, at least according to Jason himself. Hazel and Juniper are the sweetest girls of the group, and they were both shy when they were introduced to the boys, but eventually they opened up more to the group and in no time, everyone was like a bunch of old friends, hanging out occasionally in big groups and in small groups too.

Oh right, there was another girl in the group. She had golden blonde curls and beautiful gray eyes (Percy's words), and she was the smartest one out of the bunch. Her name is Annabeth, and Percy thinks that no one could have a more beautiful and suitable name than her.

~:~

"Thanks, Perce. I'm sorry you couldn't come with us," Grover said as he and the others unloaded their luggage from Percy's car. Currently, Percy was dropping them off at the airport, where they all got flights back home to New York, except for Percy, of course. He was a little late to book the flights and it was all sold out.

"It's no problem, G-man." Percy grinned at the nickname. He and Grover have known each other since they were little, even longer than the other boys. He sighed. "I just miss mom, and Estelle, and Paul."

Frank tried to cheer him up by being the first one to give him a thank-you hug. "Hey, you'll get to see them during New Years, right? That's not far from now."

Percy returned the hug, feeling a bit better inside, but still sad. "Yeah, I guess. Still, I will be bored out of my mind until you guys come back, which is when again?"

"15th of January," Jason answered, going to hug Percy after Frank was done. "You'll get to see us once you fly to New York on New Year's Eve, though, so don't be sad."

"Yeah, I know, but I don't wanna spend my Christmas alone watching movies in my underwear and eating Cheetos."

Jason laughed as he pulled back from the hug. "I'm sure you'll find some way to entertain yourself. Maybe you could hang out with the girls."

Percy scrunched up his nose. "No, I feel uncomfortable being the only guy. Plus, they're all going home for Christmas too." Coincidentally, all the girls were from New York, too. They just had different flights from the boys.

It was Grover's turn to hug him, but not before they do a secret handshake that only both of them knew. "Yeah, true. I'm sorry Perce, maybe you could make some new friends while you're in campus."

"You know I can't make new friends without you guys. My social skills are terrible," he chuckled as he pulled away from their hug.

Jason just laughed and pat him on the shoulder. "You'll manage. And hey, I heard from Piper that Annabeth isn't going home for Christmas, maybe you should hang out with her." He gave Percy a knowing smirk.

Percy's face reddened at the mention of Annabeth. Practically all the boys knew that he had a crush on her the first time they met. He stuttered when he introduced himself to her and couldn't stop blushing, while Annabeth just laughed it off and shook his hand. They had became friends since then, but Percy's heart skipped a beat whenever she was around.

"No, I'm sure she had plans of her own," Percy said, too quickly. The other boys just laughed and gave him their goodbyes as they carried their luggage into the airport. Percy waved at them with a smile and a sigh before getting into his own car and driving off back to the campus.

~2 days later~

It's the 23rd of December and Percy was feeling really, really bored. This was his fifth time watching Alvin and the Chipmunks in the past 2 days since the boys left. He felt really unproductive these past two days, but who could blame him?

He sat there as the credits rolled, trying to think how should he spend Christmas. He didn't want to spend it alone, it made him look miserable, even if no one knew he was spending it alone, well, except for the boys. Speaking of the boys, Jason's voice rang in his head.

I heard from Piper that Annabeth isn't going home for Christmas, maybe you should hang out with her.

Frustrated, he grabbed his phone and contemplated if he should ask Annabeth to hang out with him. They had hung out with their friends, of course, but they never spent time alone. Sighing, he texted Jason.

Percy: Hey man, can you ask Piper for Annabeth's number?

He smiled. He knew Jason and Piper were getting close, it was only a matter of time before they started dating.

Jason: Oooh, I thought she had 'plans of her own'?

Percy: Shut up, Grace. Please?

Jason: Alright, lover boy

Percy glared at his phone, hoping Jason would somehow feel it. His face softened though when Annabeth's number showed up on his screen.

Percy: How the hell did you get it so fast?

Jason took longer to reply than usual.

Jason: Pipes is with me now

Percy smirked at his phone as he typed out a reply, telling him to 'have fun' before saving Annabeth's number in his contacts. He took a few deep breaths, and possibly jumped around to psych himself up before sending a text to Annabeth.

Percy: Hey, this might seem weird. I asked Jason to ask Piper for your number and I heard you're not going home for Christmas? Well, I'm not too and I was wondering if you'd be up to hang out with me? I don't have any plans, but it's cool if you do though, you know, I was just asking.

Percy looked at his text three times before getting the courage to press send. He hoped he didn't look too desperate, although he probably did. He laid on the couch anxiously waiting for a text back, scrolling mindlessly through social media. He found Jason posting an Instagram story with Piper. Apparently they were at the movies on a date. He secretly hoped that he and Annabeth could do the same.

Not long after his text, his phone buzzed with a notification from none other than Annabeth herself.

Annabeth: Sure, Percy :) What's on your mind?

Percy's heart beat faster as he typed out a reply. Before he hit send, he realized that he didn't say who he was, so the only way Annabeth could have known was that she had his number saved previously, but why would she? He shook off the thought and hit send.

Percy: Um, I don't know. What do you want to do? Movies?

Annabeth: Sounds good. Tomorrow night?

Percy: Sure. My dorm?

Okay, Percy didn't know why he suggested that they watch a movie in his dorm. His brain just typed the message automatically and before he knew it, he hit send. It was typical of him to invite Jason and Frank over for movie nights, so his brain just went on autopilot. He wanted to delete the message, but Annabeth would have probably seen it, and he would be embarrassing himself even further. He was just about to suggest another place when Annabeth replied.

Annabeth: Alright :) I'll come over around 7

Percy was not expecting that reply. In fact, he didn't expect Annabeth to agree to this at all. He deleted the text he was about to send and typed in another one.

Percy: Cool, bring some snacks?

Annabeth sent a smiley face along with a thumbs up emoji, and that was the end of their conversation, although Percy kept staring at his phone like he couldn't believe this was happening. His mood was better now, and he was smiling as he replayed Alvin and The Chipmunks for the sixth time.

~:~

It was Christmas Eve. Percy sat on the couch with Netflix open, and kept checking his phone.

It read 7:01. Great. Maybe Annabeth ditched him, or maybe she forgot completely, because why would she remember? Percy tried not to think much as he kept tapping his foot, his ADHD getting the best of him, even though Annabeth was only 1 minute late.

Just then, three knocks could be heard on his door. He rushed to open it, and was greeted by a smiling blonde. She was wearing a casual outfit - a navy blue hoodie with comfortable pants. She was holding two bags of popcorn and two cans of Diet Coke. Percy thought she looked cute.

She must have caught him staring because she let out a laugh like she couldn't hold it in anymore. "Hey Percy. You gonna let me in?"

"Oh, uh, sure." Percy awkwardly stepped aside for her and closed the door behind her. He took the snacks from her and walked over to the microwave to heat up the popcorn. "Uh, just pick any movie you like," he called over his shoulder as he pressed the microwave buttons. He hoped she couldn't see his red face.

Annabeth instantly made herself comfortable on the couch, setting down the two cans of drinks on the coffee table. She scrolled through the selection of movies before setting her eyes on his recently watched movies. "What about Alvin and The Chipmunks?"

Percy smiled at the microwave in front of him. Sure, he had watched that movie like, nine times now, but it was a great movie, and Percy wouldn't mind watching it again with Annabeth.

"Sure, Annabeth," he answered as the popcorn is finished. He poured the two bags into two separate bowls, not sure if Annabeth wanted to share a bowl with him. This isn't like a date or anything, right?

He came back into the living room and Annabeth patted the spot next to her on the couch, giving him a cute smile. Percy swears he didn't almost drop the popcorn. He sat down next to her, and tries to control his heartbeat.

Percy couldn't focus on the movie because he kept sneaking glances at Annabeth every now and then. Her laugh and her giggles were just too cute, and he liked the way her face lit up when she was laughing at a funny scene, or just adoring the cute chipmunks.

During the emotional scenes, Annabeth would smile and lean her head on Percy's shoulder. He just prayed that Annabeth couldn't hear how fast his heart was beating, or see his stupid smile.

As the credits started to roll, Annabeth got off his shoulder and sat up while stretching her arms, before slumping back onto the couch. "Well, that was a great movie," she told Percy, still smiling at him.

Percy beamed back at her. "I'm glad you liked it. I loved it the first time I saw it." He wasn't going to mention that he had seen the movie nine times before, he figured he didn't need to be embarrassed right now.

"Well, I'm glad you invited me today. I had fun." Annabeth's smile grew as she stood up. Percy didn't want her to leave so soon, but it was a miracle that Annabeth even agreed to watch a movie with him, so he didn't mind too much.

"Yeah, anytime. We should hang out more often," Percy replied as he couldn't contain his stupid smile. "Uh...maybe, um...are you free tomorrow?" The words came right out of his mouth before he could stop them.

Annabeth let out a cute laugh. "Why? Eager to see me so soon?" she teased, but she was still smiling. "Yeah, I'm free. What do you wanna do?"

Percy was practically jumping for joy mentally, if that's even possible. Did Annabeth just agree to go on a second date with him? No, no. This wasn't a date to begin with, just friends hanging out, right?

"Well, since it's Christmas, you maybe, uh, wanna have dinner together? And maybe walk around the city and look at the lights and what not...." Percy trailed off. Annabeth looked amused.

"Sounds like you're asking me on a date, Jackson," she raised an eyebrow, smirking as she watched Percy's cheeks redden.

"What? No, I'm just, asking you to hang out, like friends, yeah," he stuttered. Annabeth could definitely hear his heartbeat now.

Annabeth laughed again. She was doing that a lot tonight. "Alright, Percy," she said simply as she walked over to his door, with Percy in tow. He opened the door for her and she walked out, turning around to face him after she was at the corridor.

"Thanks again for today, Percy. I had fun, really." Her tone was genuine, and more soft this time. Percy opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, she stood on her tip toes and kissed him on the cheek. It was a short kiss, but Percy was blushing uncontrollably now as his heart beat faster than ever.

"I look forward to our date tomorrow, pick me up at six?" Annabeth asked, her head tilted to the side. She was smiling widely now, and Percy could just propose right then and there.

He couldn't find himself to speak, so he just nodded, his cheeks still red and flushed. Annabeth beamed once more at him before walking away back to her dorm. Percy would offer to walk with her, but he didn't want to seem clingy.

It was only when he was on his bed that night that he had registered her words.

I look forward to our date tomorrow.

Percy went to sleep with the stupidest grin on his face, having the most pleasant dreams this holiday season.

I'm making this two parts, or maybe three, I still don't know. Stay tuned! :)